Coping With Diabetes

What Is Diabetes Mellitus?

I guess you are reading this website because you’ve either just been diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus, or someone you love has? Or maybe you have diabetes symptoms you think are pointing in the direction of you possibly having this disease?

So lets cut to the chase: is diabetes mellitus really a serious disease, or not that big a deal?

After all, every man and his dog seems to get diabetes these days, and it's estimated there are millions of people walking around with the condition who have no idea they have it. With so many people afflicted, it can’t be that bad, surely?

Unfortunately, it really is. It is life threatening if left untreated, and you truly don’t want to be treating it lightly.

In short, your pancreas is crocked. Or at least the part of the pancreas called the islet cells. These cells produce insulin, a protein hormone, necessary so that the insulin ‘receptor’ cells in your body can use the glucose released from food. If it can’t do that, it can’t repair cells, use it for energy or growth, or do diddly squat. In a nutshell, insulin helps the cells in your body get fed. Or put another way, for you to get fed.

In Type 1 diabetes - also known as Juvenile Diabetes - the pancreas produces no insulin at all. As the body effectively goes into starvation mode, the symptoms are swift and unmissable. Insulin has to be injected directly. Pumps have taken over from needles for many people, and are a lot more convenient.

Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common - almost 90% at last count. Gestational diabetes is a branch of this - a temporary state that can occur in pregnancy, but usually clears up later. The pancreas is still producing insulin here, but not enough.

Bargain Diabetic Products :::: Click On Your Country Flag ::::

Often in Type 2 diabetes the pancreas produces almost the same amount as non-diabetics, but the receptor cells in the body have become “insulin resistant” and the cells can’t use the glucose properly. All that excess sugar circulating in the blood makes things worse, as the cells will try and store that energy in fat cells, making you pile on the weight. If not handled properly, then these Type 2 patients may end up having to take insulin like Type 1 patients. Usually Type 2 can control their sugar levels either by diet alone, or by diet and medication in tablet form.

The prognosis for all diabetics in the short term is good – medication will help control the disease, along with general diabetic care methods. Long term outlook really depends on the patient. If he or she is a fool and doesn’t change their lifestyle sharpish – especially by changing to a suitable diabetes diet – then he can look forward to blindness, strokes, kidney failure, nerve damge, impotence, amputation of the lower limbs due to circulatory problems, heart attacks, and other assorted goodies in the future. Oh yes, and an early death!

Fools wouldn’t be reading this site, they’ll be off eating cake and donuts thinking their medication will save them. Obviously you’re not a fool, so you'll be happy to know there is lots of good news regarding effective diabetic treatment.

There are many substances – foods, herbs, supplements etc – which can help diabetics control their blood sugar, and even safely stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin. Look after yourself and you may never have any real problems, or at least they won't start cropping up for 20 years or more.

There is no avoiding it however, you are going to have to make changes to your diet which is always a pain, but it needn’t be that difficult. Don’t worry, you are not going to have to live on brown rice and lentils! Once you’ve got your blood sugar under control you can still enjoy a treat occasionally.

There’s an old saying which states “a little of what you fancy does you good”. The emphasis here of course is on the word little, and this is especially true if you have diabetes mellitus.

Your fate, and your quality of life in the future, is really in your own hands.