Can you answer Martini’s question about Diabetes?:

I am 33 weeks along with gestational diabetes. I have been doing very well with my blood sugar levels and my diabetes is controlled by diet.

Is it likely that my doctor will let me carry to 40 weeks?

Juvenile Diabetes Information

There is no current cure for diabetes although several treatments are available. Treatments include, diet plans, insulin injection, oral medication or surgery depending upon the type of diabetes. The proper management of treatments for diabetes helps diabetics maintain a normal way of life.

Diabetes has three specific types: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.  

Is there a possible cure for diabetes type 1?

In type 1 diabetes, the islet cells of the pancreas in charge of producing insulin is being destroyed by the immune system of the body. Hence, the production of insulin by the pancreas is affected or the pancreas no longer produces insulin. The cause is still unidentified but this is often attributed to viral infections or disorder in the genes.

This is treated by a daily dose of insulin injection, an insulin pump or the insulin jet system. Oral medication as a treatment for type 1 diabetes is not applicable since it still has to pass the digestive system before it can take effect in the blood.

The currently suggested cure for type 1 diabetes are pancreas transplant, islet cell transplantation or stem cell transplant. Individuals who have undergone these surgical treatments as part of clinical tests, are still under evaluation for possible re-development of immunity rejection and its ability to maintain adequate number of insulin cells that can meet insulin requirements as well as keep new cells alive.

Other new treatments like synthetic human insulin, insulin analogs, genetic manipulation,  BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, gastric bypass surgery and computerized artificial pancreas are still undergoing human clinical trials and study, in the hopes of finally determining if there is a cure for diabetes.

The drug BCG is said to have been tried and tested for 80 years now. Hence, if human clinical tests can prove this drug to be successful, the availability of a cheap generic drug to administer is possible.

Is there a possible cure for diabetes type 2?

Majority of diabetics are suffering from type 2 diabetes. This is due to insulin resistance of the body brought about by the inability of the cells to react to insulin or the production of insulin is not sufficient to control the blood glucose.

This is familiar among older people, obese individuals or persons with weight problems, due to their physical inactivity. Treatment initially requires diet control, exercise and oral medication to avoid progression into becoming type 1 diabetes. In the event that it does progress, treatment will then require insulin injection.

Similarly, there is also no cure for type 2 diabetes, hence, proper management of its treatments is necessary to avoid the progression of the disease.   

This type of diabetes may also crop up in pregnant women known as gestational diabetes and may take place in the last months of pregnancy. Although considered as not life-threatening and may disappear after giving birth, the mother is already deemed prone to type 2 diabetes.

Once an individual becomes afflicted with diabetes mellitus, it will become a part of his or her life and can even be a cause of death. Adequate knowledge in managing this disease can help the patient live longer.

Management includes lifestyle change, nutrition plan, physical activity and having a diabetes team to supervise the daily medications and monitoring. Other than the doctor, nurse, dietitian and healthcare professional, one should include a diabetes educator as part of the diabetes team. The diabetes educator will be responsible for the psychological needs of the patient and in providing assistance for some of the clinical requirements.

In as much as the elusive cure for diabetes is still undergoing further researches and clinical tests, management of the diseases is still the best way for the diabetic sufferers.

Those who are not yet afflicted with diabetes but are engaged in a lifestyle that may develop their body system into becoming one, it is best for them to consider the necessary changes in their way of eating and living to prevent diabetes from having control over their lives.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and diabetes natural treatment. Discover how you can reverse your diabetes for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusdiabetes.com



Thanks to Alvin Hopkinson for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

Controlling Type 2 Diabetes

Can you answer Amy’s question about Diabetes?:

I have three children and my husband and I are contemplating a fourth. I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes with my second and third child. We are contemplating having a fourth, but I am wondering what my chances of the diabetes not going away. Any ideas?

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Can you answer Shan’s question about Diabetes?:

I am waiting for my second round of blood work to come back with the results as to whether or not i have gestational diabetes. My OB said she is pretty sure it will come back positive so while im waiting for the final results i want to make sure im not ingesting to many carbs. What is the suggested intake of carbs for someone with gestational diabetes and/or Type 2 diabetes?

Information On Diabetes Mellitus

DIABETES CAUSES

Since there are different types of diabetes, each type has a unique possible cause.

The main two causes of diabetes is the body’s failure to produce enough of the insulin hormone, and secondly the body develops a resistance to insulin.

· Type 1 diabetes is due to decreased insulin production.

· Type 2 is due to insulin resistance in peripheral tissues.

· In juvenile diabetes, the cause might probably be a lack of vitamin D.

There is also gestational diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women.

Causes of diabetes -

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas does not create sufficient or any of the hormone insulin, or when the insulin produced does not work efficiently. Thus, this causes the level of glucose in the blood to be higher than normal levels

1. In Type 1 diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin are attacked and destroyed by the body’s own immune system, causing a severe lack of insulin.

It is not clear why this happens, but possible triggers of this reaction could be -

· infection with a specific virus or bacteria;

· exposure to food-borne chemical toxins or

· exposure to cow’s milk when as an infant, where as a yet unidentified component of the milk triggers an autoimmune reaction in the body.

However, these are only assumption, and are yet to be proven.

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children, teenagers or young adults. Scientists believe this is a genetically caused condition and is not related to lifestyle habits.

Risk factors for developing type - 1diabetes include:

1. Family history - a child that has a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes has a 2-6% chance of developing the disease.

2. Autoimmune disorders - such as thyroid disease and celiac disease, raises the risk of type 1 diabetes.

3. Early stoppage of breastfeeding and/or exposure to cow’s milk - breastfeeding an infant for at least three months decreases the risk of type 1 diabetes. Some studies also show that exposure to cow’s milk or cow’s milk-based formula before one year of age may increase diabetes risk.

4. Ethnicity - Americans, Caucasians have a greater risk of type 1 diabetes as compared to African-Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans.

5. History of childhood virus diseases

2. Type 2 diabetes is believed to develop when:

· the receptors on the human cells in the body that respond to the action of insulin fall short of being stimulated by it - known as insulin resistance. In reaction to this, more insulin may be produced, and this over-production exhausts the insulin-manufacturing cells in the pancreas;

· there is just insufficient insulin available in the body and

· the insulin that is available may be abnormal and therefore doesn’t function properly.

The following risk factors increase the chances of one developing Type 2 diabetes:

· increasing age

· if it runs in the family, ie. hereditary

· obesity

· high blood pressure

· diet which is high in fat and low in dietary fibre

· sedentary lifestyle with no or very less physical activity.

· certain medicines such as diurectics, which increase the amount of water flowing into the urine. Corticosteroids can also lead to diabetes because they work against the action of insulin.

· gestational diabetes

· any illness or disease that damages the pancreas and affects its ability to produce insulin e.g. pancreatitis. (inflammation of the pancreas) and thyrotoxicosis (a poisonous condition that results from an overactive thyroid gland).

· hormone treatments, such as growth hormone, thyroid hormone and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH).

What does not cause diabetes?

It is also important to be aware of the different myths that have arisen about the causes of diabetes over time.

Eating sweets, excess sugar or the wrong kind of food (fried and fatty food) does not cause diabetes. However, this type of a diet may cause obesity, and overweight people are generally prone to developing Type 2 diabetes. So, its not the food, but the effect of food that may cause diabetes.

So, if you love eating and are a foodoholic, make sure to burn out the extra calories that go on to make the flab.

Stress does not cause diabetes, although it may be a trigger for the body turning on itself as in the case of Type 1 diabetes. Stress, however does definitely make the symptoms worse for those who already have diabetes.

People with diabetes should never eat sugar and sweets. Sugar and sweets do raise the blood glucose, but people with diabetes can safely eat sugar as part of their meal plan.

People with diabetes should eat a special diabetes diet. This is a false notion. One has to eat regulated, along with a balanced diet.

Diabetes is not contagious. Someone with diabetes cannot transmit it on to anyone else.

For diabetes information, diabetes diet, diabetes treatment, diabetes causes visit www.diabetesmellitus-information.com



Thanks to Tom alter for contributing this article to our Diabetes blog:

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