Have you recently been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes? Or has your doctor warned you that you’re at risk? It can be scary to hear that your health’s on the line, especially if you feel helpless to do anything about it.
Diabetes is on the rise. It is among the sneakiest and most destructive health problems you may have encountered. It is sneaky, because you may not even know you’re at risk and are checking for signs (because the initial symptoms (fatigue, weakness, frequent urination) are usually mild, about 30 percent of all people with diabetes do not realize that they have the disease) and the by the time you learn you have diabetes, your body may have been damaged in some way.
Taking it seriously and controlling yourself and your diabetes can help you feel good today and in the future. If your blood sugar is normal, you will feel energized, have less fatigue, less urinate, less thirsty heal better have fewer infection. Moreover, you will have less chances of being a victim of other complications like heart problems or stroke, eye problems, pain, tingling, or nerve damage, kidney problems and teeth and gum problems.
Learn how to live with diabetes.
Brush your teeth and floss every day to keep your mouth, teeth, and gums healthy.
Stop smoking and keep track of your blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. Be aware of your blood sugar numbers. Ideally, your numbers should be as follows:
When you'r diagnosed for diabetics you may have been told to avoid sugar which is a good step in prevention but not the solution. Also when the situation was bad, they told you to take medication to ingest insulin in your body.
The good news is that most individuals like you with Type II diabetes were able to reverse or control to mitigate their disease with the proper steps.
If it is left untreated, it goes destructive and can lead to serious complications like blindness, kidney disease, blood vessel damage, infection, heart disease, nerve damage, high blood pressure, stroke, limb amputation, and coma.
Obviously, diabetes is a big problem, but what causes it? Some say it is genetics, others blame a lifestyle or dietary cause…But, Do you know? what is it exactly? Let’s have a look.....
It’s a condition that deserves your serious attention if you've been diagnosed with it or know (or even suspect) you’re at risk. You are the one who have to manage your diabetes day by day. Talk to your doctor about how you can best care for your diabetes to stay healthy.
What is diabetes?
Your body’s most readily available source of energy is glucose Any form of carbohydrate is eventually broken down by the body into glucose, a simple form of sugar. While the body can use glucose for fuel, levels that exceed what is needed becomes toxic to the body, if you you don't indulge in intense physical exercises.
Your body’s most readily available source of energy is glucose Any form of carbohydrate is eventually broken down by the body into glucose, a simple form of sugar. While the body can use glucose for fuel, levels that exceed what is needed becomes toxic to the body, if you you don't indulge in intense physical exercises.
The problem starts, when excess glucose is floating around in your bloodstream and your body defense mechanism identify it as harmful and try to dispose it from blood. Any glucose that is not immediately used is stored as glycogen in the liver and the muscles, but your body has only a limited number of glycogen receptors, which are already full as they always are in inactive peoples. So, you body only has one option left: to store all the excess glucose as saturated fat within the body.
To make matters worse for the sedentary persons or carb addicts, when excess glucose floats in bloodstream your body censors make pancreas to releases insulin to signal the body to store the glucose as glycogen. If your glycogen receptors are already full and your body can’t do it, your defense mechanism thinks that the cells didn't get the message and releases even more insulin, trying desperately to get the cells to uptake the toxic glucose.
To make matters worse for the sedentary persons or carb addicts, when excess glucose floats in bloodstream your body censors make pancreas to releases insulin to signal the body to store the glucose as glycogen. If your glycogen receptors are already full and your body can’t do it, your defense mechanism thinks that the cells didn't get the message and releases even more insulin, trying desperately to get the cells to uptake the toxic glucose.
The presence of excess insulin in the bloodstream is also harmful and further damages the receptors on these cells. Eventually, allowing the glucose to access your fat cells. In other words- Sugar (from carbohydrates) is stored as fat in your fat cells! When this happens for a period of over and over again you have diabetes.
There are three main types of diabetes:
Taking control of diabetes
There are three main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes – Your body does not make insulin. This is a problem because you need insulin to take the sugar (glucose) from the foods you eat and turn it into energy for your body. You need to take insulin every day to live.
- Type 2 diabetes – Your body does not make or use insulin well. You may need to take pills or insulin to help control your diabetes. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes – Some women get this kind of diabetes when they are pregnant. Most of the time, it goes away after the baby is born. But even if it goes away, these women and their children have a greater chance of getting diabetes later in life.
Before we start let me remind you that "You are the most important member of your health care team.You are the one who manages your diabetes day by day". Talk to your doctor about how you can best care for your diabetes to stay healthy.
Take classes to learn more about living with diabetes. To find a class, check with your health care team, hospital, or area health clinic. You can also search online. You can also join a support group in person or online read more about diabetes at National diabetes education program.
Take your diabetes seriously, some people say they have a "little extra blood sugar" or "I have a touch of diabetes" these words mean they are not serious about the diabetes.
You may feel overwhelmed, sad, or angry when you learn you have diabetes. Living with diabetes is not easy, but a little care and alertness can help you control or even reverse you diabetes. You must learn and take the steps to stay healthy. If you have trouble sticking with your plan over time, here are some tips to cope with your diabetes, eat well, and be active.
1) Make a diabetes meal plan
Eat well, Choose foods that are lower in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and salt. Eat foods rich in fiber, such as whole grain cereals(MSG free) , breads, crackers, rice, or pasta.
Choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, bread and cereals, all should be gluten free and low-fat or skim milk and cheese. Drink water instead of juice and regular soda. Pay attention to balance your fat levels by intake intake of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats and try to get them closer to a 1:1 ratio.
Choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, bread and cereals, all should be gluten free and low-fat or skim milk and cheese. Drink water instead of juice and regular soda. Pay attention to balance your fat levels by intake intake of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats and try to get them closer to a 1:1 ratio.
When eating a meal, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with a lean protein, such as beans, or chicken or turkey without the skin, and one quarter with a whole grain, such as brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
2) Stay Active
Take your medicines for diabetes and any other health problems even when you feel good. Tell your doctor if you cannot afford your medicines or if you have any side effects.
Check your body and specially feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots, and swelling. Inform your doctor about sores that do not go away.
Brush your teeth and floss every day to keep your mouth, teeth, and gums healthy.
Stop smoking and keep track of your blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. Be aware of your blood sugar numbers. Ideally, your numbers should be as follows:
- Fasting blood glucose below 83 mg/dL
- Pre-meal reading-below 90 mg/dL, or at fasting level
- 1 hour reading- under 140 mg/dL
- 2 hour reading-under 120 mg/dL (preferably under 100)
- 3-hour reading-back to pre-meal level
- No readings above 140 mg/dL
If you have readings higher than this, your body is not processing glucose optimally and you likely have some level of insulin resistance. Eliminate processed foods from your diet and reduce the amount of carbs intake and indulge in some physical activity.
Steps to help you reverse your diabetes
Your diabetes is a result of a number of factors which affect your body in different ways. As your body works as a whole, problem in one factor will correlate to problems in others. However, researchers only concentrate on a single factor while trying to discover cure for any disease. Where as the best approach is that which addresses the body as whole.When you'r diagnosed for diabetics you may have been told to avoid sugar which is a good step in prevention but not the solution. Also when the situation was bad, they told you to take medication to ingest insulin in your body.
In fact, it isn't just keeping blood sugar levels down through insulin control that helps diabetes, as we saw above, diabetes is a problem with the body’s regulation of insulin, caused by a resistance to insulin and an overproduction to remove toxic amounts of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin is dangerous if it is left circulating in the blood. Somehow, treating too much circulating glucose and insulin with more insulin doesn't seem like the right approach…
This single focus approach can just add to the problem, making insulin resistance worse and eventually leading to insulin dependent diabetes when the pancreas shuts down completely. That's why fixing the actual problem causing diabetes and addressing all the factors such as poor diet, toxins, stress, gut problems, immune system etc. can help to reverse you diabetes.
Research is constantly giving us more information on diabetes and the various factors that contribute to its steady rise in society over the last few decades. Since most theories on diabetes are just that- theories, research for yourself and figure out your best way for preventing or reversing diabetes.
A few steps that can help
1) Get Insulin Problems Under Control- Diabetes is triggered by insulin resistance and regaining proper insulin sensitivity can help reverse the process. Limit consumption of sugars, grains and processed carbohydrates and focus on healthy proteins, fats and green veggies.
2) Try to fix your gut with the help of high quality probiotics, as a poor diet or use of antibiotics can deplete beneficial bacteria from your gut, avoid gluten (MSG), and let the intestine heal.
3) Cope with your stress. Learn to control your stress, it can raise your blood sugar. Try mediation or a walk in the park, deep breathing, gardening, work on your hobby or listening to your favorite music. If you feel down talk to your family member or friend who will listen to your concerns may help you feel better. You can also ask mental health counselor, support group, member of the clergy for help.
4) Exercise daily- as it increases the muscles ability to use insulin and over time can help fix insulin resistance. All exercise isn’t created equal though and fortunately, smaller amounts of high intensity exercise have been shown to have a better effect on insulin levels (and weight loss) than an hour of daily moderate cardio. Twice a week, work to increase your muscle strength. Use stretch bands, pull ups, push ups, squats or planks. Sprinting is also good.
5) Lose Weight- studies show that losing weight can help control diabetes, and also lowers your risk of getting it. Certain dietary and lifestyle improvements can help you lose weight and are beneficial for diabetes reversal as well.
6) If you are not getting proper nutrition from your diet or you can use supplements, they can help your body heal from diabetes, especially while your body works to gain proper insulin reactions again. These things help cinnamon, omega-3 fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid, chromium, coenzyme Q10, garlic, and magnesium.
Monitor the problem and get routine care to stay healthy
If you are being diagnosed for diabetes remain in contact with your doctor regular health check ups and always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diabetes regime specially your medication. But there are some peoples who are in pre-diabetic state or undiganosed diabetes, by close monitoring and taking routine care.
You may buy a glucose meter with test strips and check your blood sugar levels regularly, this will give you a better understanding about your body behavior, Take not of your sugar levels for a few days, note down the following:
- First thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything
- Before your normal lunch
- One hour after lunch
- Two hours after lunch
- Three hours after lunch
Imply carb spike test and observe and record your blood sugar levels when you eat food high in simple carbs with vegetables in absence of protein and fat. This will give you an accurate analysis of your food pattern and blood sugar level making you aware and ready for action on your diabetes.
This close monitoring will make you feel better and take immediate actions, i.e. if yur sugar level is some what high, you can control it, if it is in stage of prediabetic, you can consult any specialist. This will make you more confident in taking control of your health.
A humble request
I am not a sugar specialist, before you apply any changes to your diabetes regime please consult your doctor.
If your struggling with your diabetes or succeeded in reversing it. please share it in the comment section
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