Education for Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Gestational diabetes mellitus
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Diabetes help
Filed under Type 2 Diabetes VideosOct 20
merchantsoftheworldstore.com Do you need Diabetes help? Well, Diabetes Plus™ is an all natural herbal supplement that makes the pancreas produce natural body insulin to combat diabetes. This ancient formula was discovered by EL Harriatt, CEO of Merchants of the World, LLC. What is Diabetes and its danger signs? Diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce or use insulin and doesn’t regulate blood sugar properly. The danger signs are excessive thirst, frequent urination, skin itching and the bottom of the feet get hot. Also in women they experience vaginal itching and discharge. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to the loss of eye sight, heart disease, kidney disease, lost of limbs and even death. The question that is most often asked is. “How do I find out about my blood level? A blood glucose test is the best way to find out about your blood level. If your blood level is over 125 milligrams per deciliter, you could possibly have diabetes. What can you do? Most individuals need to follow a proper diet. Exercise and lose excess weight to control blood sugar and use Diabetes Plus if your blood sugar is high. Diabetes Plus consists of: Fenugreek – a study done in India involving insulin-dependent diabetes was shown to reduce blood sugar and harmful fats. Gynema-known as the sugar killer, this herb has been used to treat diabetes by Ayurvedic healers — to curb the desire for sweets, it makes sweet foods taste bitter. Bitter Melon — yes, the Ayurvedic physicians for … -
Oct 16
Quick summary
It’s important to have a sick-day plan in place for the times someone with type 2 diabetes gets a cold, flu, or other illness, as being sick can boost his blood glucose levels to potentially harmful levels. Follow these eight guidelines to help make sure he manages his diabetes even when he’s under the weather.
1. Make a sick-day plan.
Along with his doctor or diabetes educator, help the person in your care prepare for illness by coming up with a strategy to deal with sick days. That way, when trouble strikes, you’ll both be ready.
The plan, kept in a handy place such as a sick-day notebook or sheet taped to the fridge, should include information such as:
· How often he should check blood sugar and ketone levels
· What medicines to take
· How to adjust insulin dosage, if he uses insulin
· What kinds of food to eat
· When to call his diabetes team
· Contact details for his doctors, diabetes educator, and dietitian, including emergency and after-hours numbers
· Contact details for a family member or friend who can check in with him often to help monitor his health2. Check blood glucose often.
When a person is sick, his body is under stress. To deal with it, his body releases hormones that help fight disease. These can also elevate blood sugar levels and interfere with the effects of insulin, which lowers blood sugar.
This makes it harder for him to keep his blood sugar in his target range during an illness. That’s why he needs to check his blood sugar more often so he can keep close tabs on his glucose numbers. His doctor or diabetes educator may recommend measuring blood sugar at least four times a day, every few hours, or at some other interval. Find out in advance, before an illness occurs, how often his healthcare team advises testing. If he’s too sick to test himself, you or another caregiver can perform this task.
3. Test urine ketones.
Illness can trigger a buildup of ketones — acids produced by the body when there’s a shortage of insulin — in the urine. High levels of ketones can lead to two potentially life-threatening ailments: diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome.
A simple home urine test will alert you to possibly high levels of ketones in a patient’s urine. His diabetes doctor may advise measuring ketones if his blood sugar level is higher than 300 milligrams/per deciliter (mg/dL), or she may recommend routine testing during sick days.
4. Keep taking diabetes medications.
A patient still needs to take his diabetes medications when he’s sick, even if he’s throwing up or unable to eat much. His body continues to need these drugs to help make the extra glucose necessary during ill health.
In some situations, he may just need to take his regular diabetes pills; in others he may have to use insulin for a short period of time. As always, any changes in his treatment plan should be discussed with his main diabetes doctor.
5. Drink plenty of water.
Dehydration is a major concern among older, ill adults with diabetes, who may not recognize signs of thirst until their bodies are dangerously depleted of fluids. This can spiral into potentially life-threatening conditions. In addition, it’s easy for a patient to get dehydrated if he’s vomiting or has diarrhea or a fever.
As a general guide, he should drink eight ounces of calorie-free fluid such as water for every hour he’s awake. Offer small sips every 10 to 15 minutes if drinking is a challenge.
6. Stock up on sick-day snacks.
Eating can be tricky when someone is sick — he may not have an appetite, or he may be unable to keep food down. If he’s too sick to stick with his regular meal plan, you need to help him find ways to try to take in a sufficient number of calories. To prepare for such sick days, have a stash of nonperishable, easy-on-the-stomach foods at home, such as vegetable or chicken broth, clear soups, applesauce, crackers, or regular gelatin.
Perishable sick-day snacks to pick up for him include frozen juice bars, sherbet, pudding, yogurt, or similar soft foods or high-carbohydrate liquids. Just make sure to pay attention to the “use by” date on the packaging.
The goal is to try to have a patient eat 50 grams of carbohydrates every three to four hours. As a general guide, one cup of soup, six saltine crackers, one-half cup of apple juice, one-half of a banana, and one-third cup of frozen yogurt contain around 15 grams of carbs each.
7. Stock the medicine cabinet.
Keep a supply of diabetes-related medical supplies — glucose meter, lancets, and blood sugar and ketone testing strips (check expiration dates) — on hand along with other standard supplies, including a thermometer and over-the-counter remedies.
If a patient wants to take extra medicines to deal with a specific illness, always check the label of any over-the-counter drug before he takes it to see if it contains sugar. Small doses of medicines with sugar, such as cold and flu remedies, may be okay. But to be safe, ask his pharmacist or diabetes doctor about sugar-free alternatives.Be aware, too, that many other medicines a patient takes for a short-term illness can affect blood sugar levels. For instance, aspirin in large doses can lower blood sugar levels. Some antibiotics lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes who also take diabetes pills. If you or the person in your care have a concern about whether a prescription or over-the-counter drug may affect his diabetes, discuss this with his health professional before he takes it.
7. Call the doctor.
A patient doesn’t need to call his doctor’s office every time he gets a mild stomach bug or a case of the sniffles. But he should seek a doctor’s advice if:
· He’s had a fever for a couple of days, feels unwell, and doesn’t seem to be getting better.
· He’s been vomiting or has had diarrhea for more than six hours.
· He’s taken his diabetes pills, and his blood sugar is above 240 before meals and stays there for 24 hours or more.
· His glucose level is above 240, even after he takes the prescribed extra insulin his sick-day plan may call for.
· He has signs of dehydration, ketoacidosis, or other serious symptoms, such as chest pain, trouble breathing, fruity-smelling breath, urine ketone levels that are moderate to high, or dry and cracked lips and tongue.
· He’s ill and you’re not sure what to do to help him.Be ready to share details about his illness. Keep a written record in a sick-day notebook that includes:
· A list of symptoms and how long he’s had them
· Medicines taken, how much, and how often
· Whether he can eat or keep food down
· Whether he’s lost weight
· What his temperature, blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, and urine ketone numbers areCaring.com Editorial Team
Caring.com features original content focused exclusively on eldercare matters. Our 20+ editors and writers research and fact-check every article meticulously, and our advisory board reviews the site regularly to assure the accuracy and relevance of the material we publish. We have hundreds of articles and checklists on health, housing, finance, legal and family issues, and other caregiving concerns, and we’re adding new articles and other resources every day.
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Oct 11
Diabetics have a high level of blood glucose. Blood sugar level is regulated by insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, which releases it in response to carbohydrate consumption. Insulin causes the cells of the body to absorb glucose from the blood. The glucose then serves as fuel for cellular functions.
There are 3 different varieties of diabetes.Type I Diabetes: –
The cause of type I diabetes starts with pancreatic inability to make insulin. This causes 5-10% of cases of diabetes. The pancreatic Islet of Langerhans cells, which secrete the hormone, are destroyed by the patient’s own immune system, probably because it mistakes them for a virus. Viral infections are believed to be the trigger that sets off this auto-immune disease. Type I diabetes is most prevalent in the Caucasian population and has a hereditary component.
Type II Diabetes: –
Type 2 Diabetes – accounts for about 90% of all cases of diabetes and usually occurs in adults. The pancreas do not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, frequently because the body does not use the insulin produced very well. Symptoms of adult diabetes and Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the increasing number of elderly Americans, with the failure to exercise and increasing obesity rates.
Gestational Diabetes: –
Gestational diabetes develops only during pregnancy. Like type 2 diabetes, it occurs more often in African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and among women with a family history of diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years
Here are the most common Type 2 symptoms of adult diabetes:
• Impotence in Men
• Increased Appetite
• Increased Thirst
• Blurred Vision
• Fatigue
• Infections That Heal Slowly
• More Frequent UrinationNatural Home Remedies for Diabetes: –
• Diet and exercise have been recommended by physicians for years as a way to help ward off and even control diabetes. Medical studies have backed this theory up so strongly that one study concluded a year early because of its staggering results.
• Take ten tulsi leaves 23, ten neem leaves and ten belpatras with a glass of water early morning on an empty stomach. It will work wonders in keeping your sugar levels under control. This diabetes remedy is effective and one of the useful home remedies for diabetes.
• Adequate amount of exercises are also necessary for diabetic patient as it burns the unwanted calories and keep glucose in control. So if you want to remain fit with diabetes than make a habit of doing regular exercise.
• The seeds of pars lane are helpful in diabetes. A teaspoon of the seeds should be taken each day with half a cup of water for three to four months. It will raise the body’s own insulin and help in curing diabetes. One of the simple, but effective home remedies for diabetes.
• You can also try this simple and effective home remedy for diabetes. Take sweet potato leaves with ash gourd or with any herbal tea. Mix 4-5 leaves of sweet potato and 1 tablespoon ash gourd in a glass of water and then allow it to boil. Strain the mixture and take this herbal tea anytime of the day. It is effective in curing diabetes.You may be interested in reading Natural Treatment of Diabetes and Herbal Cure for Blood Sugar Control. Also visit more on Natural Remedies for Controlling Sugar
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Oct 8
Amaryl
When diet and exercise are no longer enough to control your Type-2 Diabetes, Amaryl is there to help. Amaryl is an oral medication classified as a sulfonylureas and has proven very effective in controlling high blood sugar levels for patients with Type-2 Diabetes. While Amaryl cannot replace a good diet and proper exercise, it can be very helpful to diabetics who are not insulin dependent.
How Does Amaryl Work?
Amaryl helps to control high blood sugar levels by stimulating the pancreas to produce more of the bodies natural insulin. When taken in conjunction with other drugs such as the insulin boosting, Glucophage, Amaryl has proven itself to control elevated blood sugar levels in adult patients.
How Do I take Amaryl?
Amaryl is usually taken in a 1 to 2 milligram dose once daily with breakfast or the first main meal. Your doctor may increase the dosage by 1 or 2 milligrams at a time every one or two weeks until your diabetes is brought under control. Most cases will reach a level of control on 1 to 4 milligrams a day and the daily dosage should never exceed 8 milligrams. If the maximum dose fails to control your high blood sugar levels, your doctor may choose to add Glucophage to your treatment.
Is There Any Risks Of Side Effects?
Though they are not to be anticipated, treatment with Amaryl does involve a substantial risk of side effects. Some of the most common side effects include:
• anemia and other blood disorders
• blurred vision
• diarrhea
• dizziness
• headache
• itching
• liver problems and jaundice
• muscle weakness
• nausea
• sensitivity to light
• skin rash and eruptions
• stomach and intestinal pain
• vomiting
In addition to these risks, there is the additional risk of Hypoglycemia, which occurs when the body produces too much insulin, leaving one with a low blood sugar. If a patient experiences Hypoglycemia while taking Amaryl, medical assistance should be consulted immediately as severe Hypoglycemia can be a life threatening situation.
Before taking Amaryl, you should consult your physician or pharmacist about the known food and drug interactions with this medication. Also avoid substances such as Alcohol which cause a lowered blood sugar as these can lead to Hypoglycemia in patients taking Amaryl.
There are special precautions for patients that are pregnant or breast feeding infants. Since the effects of Amaryl can be passed on to a nursing child, you should not take Amaryl while breastfeeding. Likewise, unborn children can be effected by their mothers blood sugar levels. Your doctor may recommend insulin injections during pregnancy or post partum for nursing mothers.
Bessie Johns is an avid researcher for diabetes treatments and medications like Amaryl and for more information to help manage this disease check out this website at http://www.diabetesreview1.com.
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Worried About Type-2 Diabetes? Discover How You Can Easily Help Prevent or Manage It!
Filed under Type 2 Diabetes ArticlesOct 8If you’ve noticed the news, Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise in the USA, and around the world, for both kids and adults. If you don’t have it, it’s not too late to take steps to prevent it. And if you already have it, there’s a new way to help manage it. Studies have proven the earlier you tackle any blood sugar problems, the better your chances are for success. It has also been made clear that losing excess weight can help ward off diabetes. If you could lose weight without being hungry, and if you could eat something that tasted however you wanted it to, would you do it?
Who wouldn’t answer ‘yes’ to that?
You don’t have to change your habits or start taking expensive pills. All you need are Chia Seeds. The Chia Seed, while not well known, is actually a Superfood. It was lost for centuries, ever since the ancient Aztecs used its super-nutrition for their armies. With the ability to keep people feeling full, and being 23% protein by weight, it isn’t any wonder they were able to conquer so many lands. Every tiny seed was a powerhouse of nutrition, vitamins and essential omega-3 oils.How easy is it to use?
Chia Seeds are actually one of the easiest things you can possibly add to your diet. It’s as simple as sprinkling them onto anything you already like to eat or drink. Chia Seeds don’t have a flavor of their own. Instead, they distribute the flavors of food or drink that you add them to. This property lets them take on the taste of that food, or amplify the flavor of liquids. (Meaning when you cook with them, the food will actually taste better!)
For example, you could sprinkle them onto: breakfast cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, juice, milk, pizza, salad dressing, pasta, sandwiches….really, anything that’s moist enough to get the seeds to stick to the surface…and you stay full much longer, from eating much less food!It seems far fetched, how can little seeds do all that and more? Get ready for a double shot of weight-loss benefits:
First:
Chia Seeds help you feel full longer, and you can actually watch the process work! Diet pills may ask you to believe they work, but MySeeds Chia shows you. If you take 1 tablespoon-full of Chia and add it to 9 tablespoons of water, stir, and wait 15 minutes, you’ll see that each seed has formed a big bead of gel on the surface and the water is now thick like a gelatin. Notice how much larger this solid form is? This is what happens when you eat the seeds. The gel won’t come off the seed easily, and is made of pure water. This feels like food in the stomach, but replaces calories with water (which has 0 calories)Second:
Chia is a fiber-rich seed. It has soluble and insoluble fiber. In fact, you can literally SEE the fiber of the Chia Seed in action, if you place it in liquid. (it will form a big bead of gel around the seed) Fiber-rich foods are processed more slowly by the body. This is a great benefit if you’re trying to lose weight without starving! When foods process more slowly, you feel ‘satisfied’ or ‘full’ much faster than normal. This makes it easy to eat less at mealtime.By packing in fiber, the food you eat is less calorically dense. The fiber fills you up, and performs its important roles in the colon, but ISNT absorbed by the body to turn into extra calories and fat. Insoluble fiber is not digested. It is sometimes called ‘roughage’ and helps to clean the colon.
But what about glucose? Glucose and insulin levels are important for preventing type-2 diabetes. Starchy foods, sugary drinks, and other modern-day diet options that convert quickly into sugars in the body spike insulin levels. You can give your system a break with fiber. Viscous fiber (that which appears like a gelatin) slows down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugars and helps normalize blood glucose levels. That means it’s beneficial to mix Chia Seed in with food you already like to eat.
Blood sugar naturally rises and falls through out the day. It can also be what makes you drowsy in the afternoon. Dips and spikes aren’t good for consistent, healthy energy. The slowing of conversion of carbohydrates into sugar has the ability to create endurance. Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in the body. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows creating a longer duration in their fueling effects. Protein fuels energy as well, and the protein in chia is complete. Once again, a double benefit for you.
With Chia Seeds you can deal a powerful 1-2 punch against Type-2 Diabetes risk-factors: excess weight and insulin spiking foods. Of course, there are many other benefits to Chia as well, such as healthy omega-3 oils, micro-nutrients, a full range of b-vitamins and more calcium by weight than milk. If you already have Type-2 Diabetes, it’s important to watch your blood-sugar closely and ask your doctor about adding Chia Seeds to your diet. If you don’t have this problem, it’s not too late to stop it from ever hitting you. If you have risk factors, or, if you’re just looking for a way to feel better every day, and improve your health, you need to take action right away. You need Chia Seeds!
This author is from MySeeds Chia Seeds & has also produced the free cook booklet found there, as well as several educational and cooking how-to videos.
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Oct 4
www.drdeananderson.com Tom, a patient of Dr. Anderson, gives a great testimonial, after the doctor helped him manage his type 2 diabetes and keep it all under control -
Dr Helen Murphy – Improving family communication to help adolescents with Type 1 diabetes
Filed under Type 1 Diabetes VideosOct 3
Dr Helen Murphy 2, University of Cambridge. Improving family communication to help adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. Working at the University of Cambridge, Dr Helen Murphy and colleagues hope to improve blood glucose control, quality of life and reduce hypos for adolescents by combining family communication training with diabetes education. At Diabetes UK’s Annual Professional Conference in March, Helen updated us on how her project is going. -
Sep 27
The increasing number of patients prone to diabetes is a great challenge to the economy of all countries. In this context, keeping restriction on foods to eat is annoying the patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2. The diabetics do find it difficult to list out the foods that can help to controlling blood sugar. However, there are guidelines for Eating Healthy Diets following which the patients with type 1 diabetes can do well in managing diabetes.
It is not sufficient that the patient is simply monitoring blood glucose levels at regular intervals and taking prescribed medication. The attention in choosing the right foods to eat at right amount would also be needed for lowering blood glucose levels. As a diabetic, you need not spend painful hours in choosing the best of type 1 diabetes diet foods. You can readily get a flexible diabetic diet plan from a nutrition specialist.
Blood sugar control:
Usually, people with diabetes type 1 need insulin injection to control blood sugar levels. In this regard, they should count the volume of carbohydrate when selecting the diabetic foods to eat. By that way, the units of insulin dose to take can be fixed. Don’t we have any other way except injecting insulin for control of blood sugar? Of course, there are ways and means. One can beat diabetes by strictly following proper diet plan. Here, you have a mini plan of foods to eat and foods to avoid for a diabetic.
Diabetes foods to eat:
A right diabetes diet plan comprising the list of diabetic diet foods should be followed to keep a balance in carbohydrate content. Choosing the right foods rich in fiber along with minerals and vitamins can help reducing blood sugars. There are certain foods including fruits that are low in calories and low in saturated fats. They are foods good for diabetics. Along with restricted diet, having mild exercise routine would also be insisted.
Diabetes foods to avoid:
Diabetic patients know well that they should avoid certain foods to keep off the ailment. They know that all sweets prepared with concentrated sugar should be kept off. In this regard, it would be better to avoid processed foods, canned soups, and frozen meals or recipes. These foods contain sodium, sugar, and saturated fats that are harmful for diabetics. Such foods are listed under type 1 diabetes diet which should be discarded from consuming as they are all low in fiber, even poor in minerals and vitamins.
There is no specific way of keeping off diabetes of any type. However, you have easy ways of controlling blood sugar with proper diet food plan. You should grab more information in the description ofType 1 diabetes symptoms AND Type 1 diabetes cure .
Varadharajan R is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article should be complete and active.
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Sep 4
He is 13 and has type 1 diabetes. We are really close and he is always talking about it (how it sucks to have it). I really want to help him because he seems so helpless. I need info. Ex. What do i do if he needs help like if he does not have his insulator?
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How Compression Socks Help People With Venous Disease And Type 2 Diabetes
Filed under Type 2 Diabetes ArticlesAug 30With millions of people suffering from venous disease each year, you now no longer have to worry about the pain and discomfort this causes, now you can improve your quality of life with compression socks.
The compression sock is guaranteed to improve foot circulation, reduce tiredness and acute venous ulcers, regulate foot temperature, minimise varicose veins and alleviate deep vein thrombosis reducing the risk by 96%.
There are 3 main parts of the leg that the compression sock will focus on, and put variable pressure on. Maximum pressure is applied to the ankle, reduced compression around the mid calf and minimal pressure below the knee. Venous disease and diabetes are becoming very common lately and the compression socks can help to cure and prevent either of these serious problems.
Venous disease can cause problems such as varicose veins, which is a condition where the blood pools in you veins because the valves simply stop working properly and don’t allow blood to flow effectively from your feet or legs to your heart, therefore causing them to rise to the surface of the skin, and looking unsightly.
The compression socks help to put pressure upon the veins helping for them to pump blood from the feet to the heart stopping them from pooling with blood and rising to your skin and looking unsightly.
Compression socks can also help people with type 2 diabetes. For diabetic type 2 sufferers the blood tends to settle down in the extremities and therefore restrict blood flow to major parts of the body, the compression sock helps to combat this by improving circulation from the feet to the heart. Diabetes is fast becoming a major problem for a lot of people, and compression socks can help to treat it.
Pro-Bio are an Australian company who supply compression socks. For more information please visit http://www.compression-socks.net
