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Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a completely different disease than Type 2. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Scientists believe that a virus may trigger the immune system to attack the cells and permanently destroy them. The pancreas can no longer make the insulin necessary to transport sugar from the blood into the other cells of the body for energy. Sugar builds up in the blood and over time can damage internal organs and blood vessels.
What Is Diabetes?
One of the most common chronic conditions in the world, diabetes occurs when the body fails to process sugar correctly. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious complications. Thankfully, it can be treated, and in some cases, reversed.
Top Warning Signs of Diabetes
Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes share many of the same signs and symptoms. If you notice frequent urination, excessive thirst, unusual fatigue, unexplained weight loss, numbness or tingling of the extremities, blurred vision, dry or itchy skin, recurrent infections, and cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal, you may have diabetes.
After a Diabetes Diagnosis
Having diabetes is like being in charge of an octopus. There isn't just one way of coping with the disease because it's managed on a lot of different levels. At first, it might seem like an overwhelming amount of information is thrown at you. There are medications, food plans, and schedules. You have to learn how to operate medical equipment such as glucometers, or maybe insulin pumps. You may need to learn how to give yourself shots.
Byetta - A New Approach For Type 2 Diabetes
Byetta is the first of a new class of drugs available for Type 2 diabetes management. It's not used for Type 1. It's been on the market for about a year. It is meant to be a supplemental drug, used in conjunction with Metformin or sulfonylureas or a combination of both to help improve glycemic control in people who have had trouble maintaining good blood glucose levels.
Check List for Diabetes Check Ups
People with diabetes should have follow-up exams and routine tests at regular intervals to protect against long-term complications and other health problems. Retinopathy, neuropathy and nephrostomy are long term complications but patients need to be aware of other health risks that go along with a diagnosis of diabetes, including heart disease and strokes.
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy is a long-term complication of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It affects the nerves of the body and can strike the peripheral and/or autonomic nervous systems and can cause numbness and pain. There is no cure for neuropathy.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms and Diagnosis: What to Look For and What to Expect
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes? How do you know you have it? How is diabetes diagnosed? Learn what to look for, and more importantly, what to do if you are diagnosed with diabetes.
5 Good Reasons To Check Your Blood Sugar
Managing diabetes is all about balance. People with diabetes have to balance food, medication and exercise to keep blood sugar levels in an acceptable range because their bodies can no longer do it for them. Regular self-monitoring of blood glucose levels (SMBG) gives them a handle on where their blood sugar levels are right at the moment that they test.
Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes
Prediabetes means that the cells in your body are becoming insulin resistant and your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be. Diabetes symptoms can appear with prediabetes. Metabolic syndrome also may be a factor. Are you diabetic or prediabetic?
Kidney Disease in Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most common causes of kidney disease. How do the kidneys work? Why can diabetes damage the kidneys? What are the signs and symtoms of kidney disease? What do the doctors look for? What is ESRD? What are some options for treatment and care?
Oral Medications for Managing Type 2 Diabetes
These six classes of oral drugs manage most type 2 diabetes patients: sulfonylureas, biguanides, thiazolidinediones, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, meglitinides and DPP-4 Inhibitors. Each of these classes of drugs works in different ways to help diabetes patients to maintain good glucose control.
Meal Plans for Diabetes Management
The Exchange Plan, the Counting Carbs Plan, and the Continuous Carbohydrate Plan are the three main meal plans that people with diabetes use to manage their eating. It's important to eat the same amount of carbs, proteins and fats everyday to maintain better control of blood glucose levels. Find the one that fits your lifestyle.
Januvia - A New Drug For Type 2
A new oral medication called Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate) has been approved by the FDA for management of Type 2 diabetes. It's the first in a new class of drugs called DPP-4 Inhibitors.
Insulin and Diabetes
Most people never think about their pancreas. It just does it's thing, pumping insulin into the blood when glucose is too high and glucagon when the glucose is too low. A person is diagnosed with diabetes when their pancreas either doesn't produce any insulin at all or the insulin they do produce is ineffective. There are two main types of diabetes; Type 1 and Type 2
Insulin Pump Therapy
Insulin pumps first came on the medical scene over 20 years ago. In the last decade, they have evolved into an effective way to help people with diabetes achieve more flexibility in their lifestyles while maintaining tighter control of their blood glucose levels. Pumps offer these benefits by administering a basal rate of insulin continuously while allowing boluses of insulin during times when you need it.
Exercising With Diabetes
Exercise is a great way to help manage all forms of diabetes. It definitely helps with weight loss. It also helps the body use the extra glucose that's in the blood, thereby lowering blood glucose levels. Exercise is also wonderful for improving circulation. It's a great source of stress relief. Getting up and moving can do much to elevate mood and outlook on life.
Symlin - A New Class of Diabetes Medication
Symlin (pramlintide) is a new class of diabetes drug to manage both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is a synthetic form of amylin, which is a hormone usually produced in the pancreas. Pramlintide can help control postprandial blood sugar, when combined with insulin therapy.
Is Benfotiamine Effective for Treating Diabetic Complications?
Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1. In clinical trials, it has been shown to be effective in reversing the damage caused by high blood sugar in the cells.