Living Longer With Diabetes: Type 1
When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you may wonder, “Is this going to kill me? How long can I live with this?” These are scary questions. Fortunately, the answers have gotten better. This article is about living longer with Type 1. Next week will be about Type 2. History of life with Type 1 In Type 1, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed. Before insulin was discovered and made injectable, Type 1 diabetes usually killed children within months, or even days. The only treatment known to medicine was going on a low-carb, high-fat and -protein diet. People might live a few years that way. According to the website Defeat Diabetes, “In 1897, the average life expectancy for a 10-year-old child with diabetes was about one year. Diagnosis at age 30 carried a life expectancy of about four years. A newly diagnosed 50-year-old might live eight more years.” (Probably, those 50-year-olds really had Type 2.) In the 1920s, insulin was discovered and became available for use. Life expectancy with Type 1 went up dramatically. But when I started nursing in the 1970s, it was still common for people with Type 1 to die before age 50. With better insulins, home testing, and lower-carbohydrate diets, people live longer. A study from the University of Pittsburgh, published in 2012, found that people with Type 1 diabetes born after 1965 had a life expectancy of 69 years. This compares to a life expectancy at birth of roughly 76 years for men and 81 years for women in the general population in the U.S. A new study of about 25,000 people with Type 1 in Scotland found that men with Type 1 diabetes lose about 11 years of life expectancy, and women about 13 years compared to those without the disease. According to WebMD, “Heart disease accounted for the most lost Continue reading >>
Diabetes Health Type 2: Agree To Disagree On Your Diabetes
Eric Morris 0 Comments AC1 , Diabetes Health , Eric Morris , type 2 diabetes We all like to think that doctors know best when it comes to diabetes. However, Ive learned that doctors dont always agree when it comes to self management. For instance, when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, the doctor told me that an acceptable fasting glucose reading is between 90 and 110. Later, another doctor told me that an acceptable reading was between 90 and 120. This is only a ten point difference but it was interesting to hear that they disagreed on what was acceptable. More than once, the possibility of me having to go on insulin has been held over my head whenever my A1C would rise above the 7.0 threshold. After one doctor saw that my A1C had crept up to 8.5 he hinted that I might have to go on insulin to control my diabetes. A few months later, another doctor brushed off the idea that I would need insulin and stated that I was a long way from needing insulin. It is interesting that opinions can vary from doctor to doctor. I guess it really comes down to experience and personal beliefs surrounding diabetes. One thing that all doctors will agree on though is that if left unchecked, diabetes will kill you. Continue reading >>
Daisy’s Type 2 Diabetes Chronicle
Training as a Health Coach for Diabetes Since the beginning of October (2016), I have been undergoing training to become a Health and Wellbeing Coach for a Diabetes Prevention Programme. This programme is for those who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and to help prevent them developing this, through empowering them to make a change to their lifestyle. The Diabetes Prevention Programme is being run around different locations and luckily for me, I have been selected to be part of the team in Hertfordshire. It runs for 9 months where we are involved in both 1 to 1 meetings with individuals and also group sessions, empowering attendees to make a change and support them through the maintenance of that change. The training is very thorough and has included learning how to take and use a machine to measure an individual’s HbA1c, which is blood glucose (I’ll talk more about what this is, further down this blog); how to conduct the initial one to one assessments and the assessments for 3, 6, and 9 months into the programme; some technical parts about ensuring the quality of the programme and protecting vulnerable people; and how to run the group programme sessions each week. What Is Insulin? When we think of diabetes, we think about individuals having excess sugar in their blood. Which in part is correct but it is also due to the individual being unable to remove the glucose (which is a simple sugar) from within the blood to the cells, where it can be converted to be used as energy or stored for future use. There is a hormone called insulin, which helps to control our blood glucose level from getting too high, or in other cases dropping too low. When we consume foods which are high in glucose and our blood glucose levels rise, insulin is released by the pancreas to Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Is Best Left Untreated In Many Cases, Researchers Say
(NaturalNews) Of course, the treatments referred to are those of mainstream medicine, the pushers of toxic pharmaceuticals. As poet/physician Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., once said, "If we doctors threw all our medicines into the sea, it would be that much better for our patients and that much worse for the fishes." It seems a handful of medical experts are catching onto this a little regarding diabetes type 2. Holmes' quote doesn't mean that one should just keep on keeping on with one's bad lifestyle habits that created diabetes in the first place. There's a more natural approach involving better dietary choices than taking prescribed Big Pharma drugs. Now we have a recent study, though not as dramatic and more conservative than Dr. Holmes' suggestion, that does advise against burdening most type 2 diabetics with prescription drugs, even insulin, to create more risks than solutions. The study, conducted jointly by the University of Michigan (U-M) Health System, the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University College London (UCL), was published in JAMA Internal Medicine June 30, 2014, under the title "Effect of Patients' Risks and Preferences on Health Gains With Plasma Glucose Level Lowering in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus." Sandeep Vijan, MD, professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School, stated, "If you're a patient with fairly low complication risks, but are experiencing symptoms from low blood sugar, gaining weight or find frequent insulin shots to be disruptive to your daily life, then the drugs are doing more harm than good." John S. Yudkin, emeritus professor of medicine at UCL and co-author of the recent study, added, "Ultimately, the aim of a treatment is not to lower blood sugar for its own sake but to prevent debilitating or deadly complications. If Continue reading >>
Diabetes: Too Much Sugar Can Kill You
We all love sweet things. They are irresistible because they taste good and they make us happier. But, remember when our moms told us to stay away from sweets? She’s right not only because they will ruin our teeth but also we can get diabetes if we eat too much of them. Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, is a disease caused by high blood sugar that creates abnormalities to the metabolism. It’s also due to lack of insulin production by the pancreas or when the cells malfunction and don’t react to the insulin. There are two major kinds of diabetes. They are called Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body failed to produce the right amount of insulin. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, happens when the cells rejects the insulin produced by the body which results to insulin deficiency. It is also the most common kind of diabetes. Insulin is the hormone responsible for converting sugar into energy. So if the body lacks insulin, the blood sugar will definitely rise up. There is also a special kind of diabetes that only women can get it. It’s called Gestational diabetes. This kind of diabetes is caused by dramatic increase of blood glucose level during pregnancy. Some common symptoms of diabetes are increased urination frequency, heavy thirst and insatiable hunger. Several other symptoms of diabetes are slow healing of wounds, skin rashes and vision defects. In serious cases, diabetes can lead to nausea, abdominal pain and dehydration. It may even cause someone his perception of himself. It may also lead to complications like heart diseases and blindness. People affected by Type 1 diabetes are ranging from the ages of 12 to 19. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes usually affects people from the age of 45 or older. However, nowadays due to the world Continue reading >>
6 Golden Ways To Control Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a serious medical condition in which a person’s body stops producing adequate insulin. Diabetes is now officially recognized by World Health Organization as global epidemic. Poor diet, sedentary lifestyle as well as stress are the leading causes of type 2 diabetes. The good news is that in more than 90% cases, type 2 diabetes can be easily prevented by bringing healthier changes in lifestyle and eating habits. In this blog, I’ll discuss a few proven ways of preventing & controlling type 2 diabetes naturally. Ways to Control Type 2 Diabetes Say a big ‘no’ to drinking and smoking Do you know that smokers are 30 to 40% more likely to develop diabetes than people who doesn’t smoke? Smoking and regular consumption of alcohol can kill you silently. Not only type 2 diabetes but it can also lead to many other life-threatening diseases like cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, hypertension and many others. Therefore quitting smoking as well as limiting alcohol consumption is a MUST if you want to keep diabetes at bay and also stay healthy. Maintaining a healthy weight is necessary Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggest that reducing atleast 7% of body weight can help you reduce type 2 diabetes by 55 to 60%. It is therefore important to maintain a healthy weight to keep diabetes at bay. Try your best to maintain a BMI of 20-25. Exercise for atleast 30 minutes 5 times a week According to Diabetes Prevention Program or DPP, exercising almost every day for 30 minutes can reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 58%. Exercising will not only help you get rid of your unwanted body weight but it will also help you lower your blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Change your Continue reading >>
Flu And Diabetes
Tweet People with diabetes are generally at a greater risk if they catch flu (influenza) as it can pose significant difficulties with diabetes management. Flu is a viral infection which is easily caught through inhaling small droplets released when someone with the flu virus nearby coughs or sneezes. A dangerous complication of the flu is pneumonia and people with diabetes are more at risk of developing this complication than people without diabetes. Flu, and other viral infections, can lead to higher blood sugar levels and increase the risk of serious short term complications risk, particularly short term complications such as ketoacidosis and Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State (HHS). Read more on getting vacinated against the flu. What are the symptoms of flu? Symptoms of flu may occur rapidly and include: Severe aching and pain in joints Aching muscles Aching around the eyes Fever Warm, flushed skin Headache Dry cough Sore throat and discharge from the nose Tweet Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that results in hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) due to the body: Being ineffective at using the insulin it has produced; also known as insulin resistance and/or Being unable to produce enough insulin Type 2 diabetes is characterised by the body being unable to metabolise glucose (a simple sugar). This leads to high levels of blood glucose which over time may damage the organs of the body. From this, it can be understood that for someone with diabetes something that is food for ordinary people can become a sort of metabolic poison. This is why people with diabetes are advised to avoid sources of dietary sugar. The good news is for very many people with type 2 diabetes this is all they have to do to stay well. If you can keep your blood sugar lower by a Continue reading >>
What Does It Mean If I'm At Risk?
Being told you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes can be confusing. The reasons people are at risk can be different and some people are more at risk than others. But, there are things everyone can do to make sure their risk of Type 2 diabetesis as low as possible. Finding out your risk is an important first step. You may have found out your risk of Type 2 diabetes from our online tool, or from a conversation with your GP. Now you know your risk, you can do something about it. If you don’t know your risk yet, find out using our free Know Your Risk online toolnow. If you found out your risk from your GP, find out more about talking to your GP about your risk. If you found out your risk using Know Your Risk, keep reading. Finding out your risk using our online tool What does your risk category mean? Your risk category explains your chances of getting Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years, and can help you to see if there are changes you can make to reduce your risk. If you found out your risk on our Know Your Risk tool or at one of our events, here is a reminder of what your risk category means. Low or increased risk One in 20 people with low risk will get Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years. One in 10 people with increased risk will get Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years. It is important you're aware of your risk level, even if you are currently at low risk of Type 2 diabetes. Some of the risk factors you can do something about, and some you can’t. As you get older, or if your weight or waist size increases, your risk will increase. So even if you’re low or increased risk, make sure you’re maintaining a healthy weight, eating well and being active to keep your risk as low as possible, for as long as possible. Moderate or high risk One in seven people with moderate r Continue reading >>
5 Nightmares You Don't Know Until You're Diabetic
Hey, remember when everybody was freaking out about Ebola, because of an outbreak that killed more than 10,000 people? Well, diabetes kills 1.5 million people a year worldwide, more than 200,000 of them in the U.S. And you're probably never more than a few dozen feet away from someone who has it -- there are 30 million diabetics in the U.S. alone. In other words, for something most people consider too boring to even think about, the scale of the epidemic is mind-boggling. The U.S. alone spends an astonishing quarter of a trillion dollars a year fighting it. Or to put it another way, diabetes sucks a thousand bucks out of every single man, woman and child in America, every year. We previously debunked the myth that sugar causes diabetes, and when we talked to someone with one variety of the disease, we learned about the parts of the experience you never hear about. He says ... 5 The Disease And The Treatment Can Both Send You To The Emergency Room Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images Our diabetic, Zach, once woke up in the middle of the night starving, his legs feeling near-paralyzed. His memory of the incident is hazy, but the next thing he knew, he was on a kitchen chair wearing only his boxers with an empty jar of raspberry jam on the table -- he'd eaten nearly the entire thing with his bare hands like fucking Winnie the Pooh. Oh, bother. When he tested his blood sugar, it was 45 (the normal level is between 80 and 100). Anything below 70 is hypoglycemia, yet even after eating an entire jar of what is essentially pure sugar, his blood sugar level was still near emergency levels. If we're being completely honest, it's remarkable that he ever even woke up to eat that jam. By all rights he should've died in his bed. So this shit can get serious, is what we're saying. "Wait," Continue reading >>
Can Diabetes Kill You?
Here’s what you need to know about the life-threatening diabetes complication called diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Symptoms can take you by surprise, coming on in just 24 hours or less. Without diabetic ketoacidosis treatment, you will fall into a coma and die. “Every minute that the person is not treated is [another] minute closer to death,” says Joel Zonszein, MD, professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin. (Diabetic ketoacidosis most often affects people with type 1 diabetes, but there is also type 2 diabetes ketoacidosis.) Without insulin, sugar can’t be stored in your cells to be used as energy and builds up in your blood instead. Your body has to go to a back-up energy system: fat. In the process of breaking down fat for energy, your body releases fatty acids and acids called ketones. Ketones are an alternative form of energy for the body, and just having them in your blood isn’t necessarily harmful. That’s called ketosis, and it can happen when you go on a low-carb diet or even after fasting overnight. “When I put people on a restricted diet, I can get an estimate of how vigorously they’re pursuing it by the presence of ketones in the urine,” says Gerald Bernstein, MD, an endocrinologist and coordinator of the Friedman Diabetes Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. RELATED: The Ketogenic Diet Might Be the Next Big Weight Loss Trend, But Should You Try It? But too many ketones are a problem. “In individuals with diabetes who have no or low insulin production, there is an overproduction of ketones, and the kidneys can’t get rid of them fast enough,” sa Continue reading >>
How Seriously Do You Take Diabetes?
Diabetes made headlines last week when it was reported that about 8 percent of the United States population, or 24 million people, now have the disease, and another 57 million are in the prediabetes stage. The challenge for the diabetes community, however, is how to get people to care. Dr. John Buse, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said diabetes is the “Rodney Dangerfield of diseases.” “It’s a disease where even when people are diagnosed, they often think, ‘Oh, diabetes — they check your sugar. It’s not such a big deal,’ ” Dr. Buse said. But as my Well column today explains, diabetes is a disease that needs more respect. Read the full column here. Then go to the Your Disease Risk Web site, from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and take a quiz to check your risk for developing diabetes. To take the quiz, click here. Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes – There Is A Cure!
Are you over weight? Are you fat? Are you obese? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be at risk of Type 2 Diabetes In March, I was a featured speaker at the American Diabetes Association expo at the Denver convention center. In just one day being at this expo, over 500 people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I have been teaching and working in the health and fitness field for over 15 years and I have never been more shocked. I have read the reports and seen the stories on national news, but I seeing this with my own 2 eyes really changed my perspective. On that day, I told myself I have to do whatever I can to help Colorado and this country. This disease can destroy your kidneys, your heart, your eye site, cause loss of limbs, and can kill you. Over 23.6 million people have diabetes. 95% of these people have type 2 diabetes. $174 Billion dollars is spent each year treating this disease. The thing that drives me crazy is most cases can be prevented because 57 million people have “pre-diabetes” which means they are on the border having the full on disease. So, how does this happen to us? The leading cause of Type 2 diabetes is obesity. When an individual continues to have poor eating and exercise habits, the body can start to malfunction. Becoming over weight and then obese usually involves a high sugar and carbohydrate diet. When this is consumed the pancreas has to produce insulin to regulate your blood sugar. Insulin is needed to push the blood sugar, called glucose, into the muscle cells. This organ can ware down and not produce enough insulin or your body can build a resistance to insulin from encountering so much insulin over a period of time. When the glucose doesn’t get into the muscles, you start feeling very fatigued. The blood stream Continue reading >>
What Are Some Myths About Type 2 Diabetes?
There are a number of myths about type 2 diabetes. The most dangerous myth is the belief that diabetes isn’t that serious. In fact, type 2 diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Another popular misconception is that type 2 diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar. This myth probably stems from the fact that if you eat a lot of sugar, you may be overweight, and that can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. But just because you consume a lot of sugar doesn’t mean you’ll end up with diabetes, which is caused by heredity and lifestyle factors, such as being overweight and not exercising. Another myth: Some people believe that if you have type 2 diabetes, you must eat only special foods. Not true. Your diet should be one that would be healthy for anyone -- low in fat, with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meat and nonfat dairy products. The top 4 myths about type 2 diabetes are: Myth 1: "Diabetes is nothing to worry about -- it's just a 'touch of sugar.' I'm just borderline." Fact: Diabetes is a serious condition, but there's a lot you can do to take care of yourself. Myth 2: "If I take my diabetes pills, I don't have to worry about what I eat or whether I exercise." Fact: All three ways -- medication, meal planning, and physical activity -- work together to treat diabetes. Myth 3: "Once you have diabetes, there's nothing you can do to prevent health problems." Fact: Research has proven that keeping blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels on target can help prevent diabetes complications such as heart attack, stroke, and eye problems. Myth 4: "Now that I have diabetes, I shouldn't eat sugar or carbohydrates." Fact: These days, people with diabetes can eat sweets, carbohydrates, or any other food and still ke Continue reading >>
What Is Blood Sugar/high Blood Sugar
Diabetes is characterized by hyperglycemia, which is abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream, so everyone with type 1 and type 2 diabetes has experienced hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia occurs when the body is not properly processing or using glucose, which is the case when insulin levels are low or nonexistent, and normally the excess amounts of glucose in the body is converted to glucogon or fat and stored for later use. Catabolic hormones such as glucagon, growth hormone, catecholamines, thyroxine and somatostatin, will increase blood sugar levels, but only insulin, which is an anabolic hormone, will decrease blood glucose levels. Since insulin is responsible for maintaining safe and healthy blood sugar levels in your body, if it is no longer present or not being produced in sufficient quantities, excess glucose will remain in your bloodstream. The excess glucose in your blood, if allowed to continually increase without treatment, will not only eventually cause serious complications, it can even kill you! Normal range blood sugar levels The standard unit for measuring blood glucose levels around the world is millimoles per liter (mmol/L), but in the U.S. blood glucose levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Blood sugar levels are usually at their lowest in the morning and are commonly known as "fasting blood sugar levels" and should be tested first thing upon waking, before breakfast. In people without diabetes the normal range of blood glucose levels eight to twelve hours after their last meal is between 70 to 100 mg/dL (3.8 to 5.5 mmol/L). Glucose levels rise by a few grams after meals for about an hour or two, so it is usually tested two hours after the end of the meal. In those without diabetes, the normal blood sugar levels aft Continue reading >>
8 Things I Wish People Understood About Having Type 1 Diabetes
I was 25 and in the middle of my second year of law school when I started feeling tired, thirsty, and hungry. I had blurry vision all the time. I was lucky — I mentioned this to a friend, and she said whenever she complained about her eyes her dad tested her blood sugar, because that's how he got diagnosed with diabetes. I had a family history of both types, but I figured I was too old for Type 1 and too young and too much of a gym rat for Type 2. Still, I went to student health. I explained my typical diabetes symptoms and family history to a person we will call "Helpful Nurse." Helpful Nurse decided the best immediate course of action would be to gaslight me aggressively in the five minutes it took to get the results back on my sugar test. "We don't usually get people in here 'thinking' they have 'diabetes.'" Cool story. "See, your vision isn't that bad." It's usually 20/19. "I'm sure you're just stressed about finals." Yeah, especially since I've spent most of the semester unconscious. That's when we heard someone scream from the lab down the hall and around a corner, "Don't let her leave." The equipment in student health had a limited range. My test didn't generate a number. It just said "high." "High" means it was at least six times normal. No, my life isn't over. It's a pain in the ass, it's terrifying, but the treatments will on average get me through the day. I was waiting for a friend to take me to the ER when Helpful Nurse started talking about high- risk pregnancy and "not dying the way my grandmother died." Pregnancy? I have exams in a month. And I watched my T1 grandmother die. Thanks, Helpful Nurse, you can go now. Of course this was a Friday. I spent the weekend eating nothing but tofu and zucchini with my sugar camped at three or four times normal, and Continue reading >>
