Diabetes Symptoms and Remedies

Introduction

Diabetes or Diabetes mellitus is a set of metabolic diseases that features imbalances in levels of blood sugar or glucose in the human body. Such imbalances occur due to the inadequacy or excess production of insulin. The body fails to respond to the insulin production or is incapable of producing the right amount required for its functioning. Patients with high amount of glucose in their body experience polydipsia (extreme thirst), polyphagia (hunger craving) and polyuria (regular urge to urinate). There are three types of diabetes – Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. Diabetes is more like a disorder of the metabolism activities. Metabolism is the digestion process of the human body where the food particles are broken down into glucose and energy released trough the blood. Glucose is used for bodily functions like growth and energy. When the produced glucose is not used adequately it gets accumulated in the body and remains to become unused fat. Insulin enables the body cells to absorb glucose. When there is a shortage or excess production of insulin by the body it results in a diabetic condition.

                                                                                              

                                                       



Causes of Diabetes

There are various causes of diabetes like the family history, ethnic background, general health history and other environmental conditions. The causes of diabetics differ from person to person and are dependent on individual lifestyle choices. Food and exercise plays a major role in the occurrence of diabetes in an individual. The causes of type 1 diabetes are bacterial infection, any infection that leads to autoimmune reactions, consumption of food that contains toxic materials, etc. Type 2 diabetes is cased due factors like overweight, unhealthy food habits, excess consumption of food habits, over smoking, reckless drinking, age issues, unbalanced diet, etc. It can be understood that majority of the causes for the disease is due to the lifestyle and choices made by the individual. Although family history has a bearing on the occurrence of the disease it is not completely due to family background or ethnicity. Mal functioning of the pancreas will also lead to diabetic conditions. Imbalances of insulin commonly referred to as glucagonoma is the major cause of diabetes. Various other causes like having an overweight baby during child birth can also be reasons to diabetes in women post pregnancy.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The common symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination, feeling very thirsty than normal levels, unusual weight gain or weight loss, grave hunger, increased tiredness, prolonged duration for small cuts and bruises to heal, itchiness in the skin, swollen gums, numbness in hands or feet, blurred vision, etc. Frequent urination means an increase in the number of times that a person feels the urge to urinate than normal days. This is a typical symptom of diabetes as the body is discharging excess glucose through the urine which cannot be discharged through sweat due to lack of physical activity. Further the patient may also experience blurred vision as the tissue around the eyes are being pulled back affecting the eyes’ capability to focus on views. Due to the inability to produce more insulin, the body is unable to absorb much glucose making the person more tired and inactive unlike before. Further, intense hunger is also experienced on a regular basis as it is not easy for the body to absorb the energy produced by the body. Further, when there is excess sugar or glucose in the body healing of cuts and bruises take a long period of time as it is difficult to secrete the enzymes that are required for healing the wound.

Diagnosis of Diabetes

Blood tests are the primary tests for any diabetic patient. The test reveals the amount of blood sugar contained in the blood. Blood tests are usually taken early in the morning before consumption of any food articles. Based on the amount of blood sugar the type of diabetes is diagnosed. The various tests for diagnosing diabetes include the A1C test, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and fasting plasma glucose test (FPG test). Not all the tests are required for diagnosing the presence of diabetes in an individual. Either of the three based on the prescription of the doctor can be taken. The doctor prescribes the test based on the various symptoms shown by patient. The random plasma glucose test (RPG) is also conducted along with regular checkups to know the status of blood sugar in the body. Further, with the advancement of technology nowadays there are handheld devices that aid in finding the insulin level in the body very quickly and effectively.

Treatment of Diabetes

       

Until insulin injections were invented in the early nineteen century diabetes Type 1 was a fatal disease that took the lives of many. However, with the easy availability of insulin injections it has become safer and easier to tackle this disease. The first step to treating a diabetic condition is to have a healthy diet that has all the required proteins and vitamins needed by the body. Adequate exercise and physical activity should also be complemented to have proper blood circulation and use of energy released by glucose. Insulin can be administered to diabetic patients in case of patients who have a shortage in production of insulin. Glucose levels in blood have to be verified on a regular basis to ensure that the sugar levels are well within the control without any abnormal increase or decrease. Smokers have to quit smoking as the first things as it increases the possibility of strokes and heart attacks and can even make diabetics a fatal disease. Drinking should also be avoided as it can lead to even worse blood sugar levels collapsing the health level completely. The service of an efficient dietician and physician should be resorted to ensure continuity of treatment that arrests cholesterol, high blood sugar and control blood pressure. Diabetes can be easily controlled if only one would care for the kind of food that is consumed regularly. Too much of sweets or salt intake can harm the body and may cause acute cases of diabetes.