Understanding Diabetes Made Simple

Confused By Diabetes? Here's A Simple Explanation

What is Diabetes? Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Carbohydrate foods are broken down to produce glucose, causing the blood glucose level (BGL) to rise. The liver also stores glucose, which is used to avoid low BGL when we’re not eating. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which regulates the BGL between certain limits. It can remove glucose from the blood and transport it into the cells of the body where it is needed for energy. Insulin also regulates the production of glucose by the liver and switches off production when the BGL is high. Normally, the body produces enough insulin to keep the BGL between ideal levels at all times by removing excess glucose from the blood and regulating how much the liver produces. But people with diabetes are not able to remove excess glucose from the blood and the BGL rises. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes usually starts in children and young people under the age of 30 comes on quite quickly the persons own immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that makes the insulin cannot make insulin and need to have insulin injections right from the start. Type 2 Diabetes usually develops in older people begins gradually some insulin is still produced, but it does not work properly, known as insulin resistance managed by diet and exercise, ad some people may need tablets or insulin as diabetes progresses. What causes Type 2 Diabetes? The causes of Type 2 Diabetes are a combination of: Family history Getting older Being overweight Being physically inactive Diabetes: explained When food is eaten it is digested in the stomach and intestines where it is broken down into glucose, and then absorbed into the blood stream. Glucose then moves into the ce Continue reading >>

Diabetes And Hypoglycemia Video Classroom

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What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that prevents the body from properly using energy from food. It occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin, or when the pancreas produces insulin, but it is resisted by the body. Diabetes explained in simple words Many people have heard of diabetes, but most people don't know exactly what diabetes really is. When we eat food, it is broken down in glucose or sugar. Even though many health experts harp on not having too much sugar in the diet, you do need some glucose to help regulate your metabolism and give you energy. During digestion, glucose moves through the body through the bloodstream to feed your cells. To be able to transfer the Blood sugar into the cells, your body needs insulin, which is made by the Pancreas and released into the bloodstream. The problem happens when you have too much blood sugar in your body compared to the amount of insulin your pancreas is providing. If you're body is not making enough insulin to keep up with the amount of sugar in your bloodstream, or if your body is having trouble making insulin, the glucose in the blood remains there and causes your blood sugar levels to elevate. If it continues, even after monitoring your diet, you will develop diabetes. Continue reading >>

The Best Diabetes Videos Of The Year

We’ve carefully selected these videos because they’re actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their viewers with personal stories and high-quality information. Nominate your favorite video by emailing us at [email protected]! Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by improper insulin function. This leads to overly high blood sugar. The three types of diabetes include type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes. Prediabetes, where blood sugar is high but not over the diabetic threshold, increases your risk for type 2 diabetes. People of all ages, ethnicities and sizes can get diabetes. Nearly 50 percent of U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes, according to a 2015 study. This includes people living with diabetes who haven’t yet received an official diagnosis. Receiving a diabetes diagnosis can feel shocking or overwhelming. The illness has some serious potential complications, such as blindness and amputation. And it’s the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Treatment often requires immediate and significant lifestyle adjustments. However, with careful management, you can still enjoy a varied diet and active lifestyle. There are plenty of people out there who refuse to let diabetes stop them from thriving. If you’re seeking some inspiration or information, look no further than these videos. 7 Best Superfoods for Diabetes - Saturday Strategy A healthy diet plays a huge role in managing diabetes. Drew Canole, CEO of fitlife.tv, shares insights into superfoods that help keep diabetes in check. Canole says these superfoods will help you regulate glucose levels and lower insulin levels. One such superfood is the Moringa leaf. He says studies have indicated it lowers blood sugar levels by up to 29 percent. Why not give his diabetes-bu Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes? - Diabetes Canada

Diabetes is a disease in which your body either can't produce insulin or can't properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas. Insulin's role is to regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Blood sugar must be carefully regulated to ensure that the body functions properly. Too much blood sugar can cause damage to organs, blood vessels, and nerves. Your body also needs insulin in order to use sugar for energy. Eleven million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes. Chances are, diabetes affects you or someone you know. There are three major types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common diagnosis, followed by type 1 diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, and is usually temporary. In addition, prediabetes is another important diagnosis that indicates an elevated risk of developing diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes aren't able to produce their own insulin (and can't regulate their blood sugar) because their body is attacking the pancreas. Roughly 10 per cent of people living with diabetes have type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally develops in childhood or adolescence, but can also develop in adulthood. People with type 1 need to inject insulin or use an insulin pump to ensure their bodies have the right amount of insulin. People with type 2 diabetes can't properly use the insulin made by their bodies, or their bodies aren't able to produce enough insulin. Roughly 90 per cent of people living with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is most commonly developed in adulthood, although it can also occur in childhood.Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be managed with healthy Continue reading >>

5 Ways To Take Control Of Your Diabetes

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and today we’re talking about 5 Ways to Take Control of Your Diabetes. We’ve heard so many patients and clients say that their lives are over now that they have diabetes. But if you are one of the 30 million Americans with diabetes or 80 million with pre-diabetes, know that you have the power right at your fingertips to take control your diabetes. What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a condition in which sugar and starch are not properly used by the body, which then causes sugar levels in the blood to rise beyond normal ranges. There are two major types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition where the body is not able to produce enough insulin (a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps to regulate our blood sugar). People with type 1 diabetes typically need to take insulin for life. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is the most common form of diabetes. This type of diabetes often happens when you develop insulin resistance — meaning, you are making insulin, but your body doesn’t use it properly. Now that we have an overview, let’s get into the 5 ways you can take control, now! 1. Food Diabetes is usually associated with carbohydrate restriction but that shouldn’t be the case! All foods have their place in a healthy, balanced diet as long as we have an understanding of which foods impact our blood sugar. Our top nutrition tip for diabetes is to eat regularly and consistently each day. When we eat regularly, our blood sugar remains leveled throughout the day. This in turn, helps with avoiding spikes and drops in blood sugar, especially if you’re on certain diabetes medications. We also recommend understanding which foods contain carbohydrates, as carbohydrates raise our blood sugar leve Continue reading >>

How To Interpret Diabetic Lab Results (diabetes Made Simple)

This is not your typical instructable as it doesn't show you how to make something or fix something. Instead, this instructable is designed to inform people who may not have a firm understanding on the following material. Type two Diabetes (adult onset diabetes) is becoming a national crisis. Becoming an informed patient empowers you to be able to control your condition and ultimately decrease the incidence of complications from long standing high blood sugar. The first step in becoming an informed diabetic, is to understand what having diabetes entails. Understanding a medical condition can be difficult for some unless it is presented in such a way that is more accessible to everyone. The goal of this instructable is to inform diabetics, and those around them, about the various aspects of their condition. Step 1: Symptoms You may suspect that you may have type 2 diabetes if you have: · Polydipsia ( increased thirst) · Polyuria ( frequent urination) · Fatigue aka being tired · Polyphagia ( increased appetite) · Unexplained weight loss · Delayed healing · Sudden blurred vision · Certain infections such as yeast or fungal infections Step 2: Risk Factors Some of the risk factors for having type 2 diabetes include: · Family history · Obesity · Having had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) · Polycystic ovary disease · Age greater than 45 years old. Step 3: Criteria for Diagnosis Criteria for diagnosis: · A hemoglobin A1C of greater of equal to 6.5% · Fasting plasma glucose greater or equal to 126 mg/dL · A two hour plasma glucose greater than 200 mg/dL during the oral glucose tolerance test. · In a patient displaying symptoms with a glucose of over 200 mg/dL Step 4: What This Means to You Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells used to trans Continue reading >>

Diabetes Basics

Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes occurs when one of the following occurs: When the pancreas does not produce any insulin When the pancreas produces very little insulin When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called "insulin resistance" Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have the disease and almost one third (or approximately 5.2 million) are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy. To understand why insulin is important in diabetes, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, these cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a simple sugar called "glucose." Then, glucose is transported through the bloodstream to the cells of your body where it can be used to provide some of the energy your body needs for daily activities. The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is tightly regulated by the hormone insulin. Insulin is always being released in small amounts by the pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises to a certain level, the pancreas will release more insulin to push more glucose into the cells. This causes the glucose levels in your blood (blood glucose levels) to drop. To keep your blood glucose levels from getting too low (hypoglycemia or low blood sugar), your body signals you to eat and releases some glucose from storage kept in t Continue reading >>

Basic Facts

An overview of the most important facts about diabetes. When you are diagnosed with diabetes, you want to know basic information. This section gives an overview of the most important facts about diabetes. In this section, you will learn about: What is diabetes?: The definition of diabetes and, very simply, what is happening in your body Symptoms of diabetes: Changes in your body that signal something is wrong Diagnosing diabetes: The medical tests and results that are used to define and diagnose diabetes Whether you are newly diagnosed with diabetes or have had diabetes for many years, it is useful to review this basic information. Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy. Sometimes people call diabetes “a touch of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” These terms suggest that someone doesn’t really have diabetes or has a less serious case, but every case of diabetes is serious. What are the different types of diabetes? The most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive. Type 2 diabetes If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a greater chan Continue reading >>

Sickly Sweet: Understanding Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life threatening condition that can occur to people with diabetes. It is observed primarily in people with type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent), but it can occur in type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) under certain circumstances. The reason for why it is not often seen in people with type 2 diabetes is because their body is still able to produce insulin, so the pathophysiology explained in the flowchart below is not as dramatic as compared to people with type 1 diabetes who do not make any insulin at all. There are various symptoms associated with DKA including: Hyperglycaemia Polyphagia (increased appetite and hunger) Polydipsia (increased thirst) Polyuria (increased urination) Glycosuria (glucose in the urine) Ketonuria (ketones in urine) Ketones in blood Sweet, fruity breath Tachypnoea leading to Kussmaul breathing (deep and laboured breathing pattern) The body tries to compensate for the ketone bodies (acid) by eliminating carbon dioxide (also an acid) thereby attempting to make the body more alkalotic to normalise the pH The compensation between the metabolic and respiratory system can be read about in this article Decreased bicarbonate The body tries to use the available bicarbonate (base) to buffer the ketone bodies (acid) in order to improve the metabolic ketoacidosis This actually worsens the situation the lower the bicarbonate becomes with a continual production of ketones Increased drowsiness/decreased level of consciousness As the pH decreases and becomes more acidotic, it has a direct effect on decreasing the level of consciousness in a person Increased urea Electrolyte disturbances Tachycardia and other cardiac arrhythmias Tachycardia is often a compensatory mechanism for the hypotension Cardiac arrhythmias a Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious complex condition which can affect the entire body. Diabetes requires daily self care and if complications develop, diabetes can have a significant impact on quality of life and can reduce life expectancy. While there is currently no cure for diabetes, you can live an enjoyable life by learning about the condition and effectively managing it. There are different types of diabetes; all types are complex and serious. The three main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. How does diabetes affect the body? When someone has diabetes, their body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar which is the main source of energy for our bodies. Unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can lead to long term and short term health complications. For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. A hormone called insulin is essential for the conversion of glucose into energy. In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body. When people with diabetes eat glucose, which is in foods such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy. Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood resulting in high blood glucose levels. After eating, the glucose is carried around your body in your blood. Your blood glucose level is called glycaemia. Blood glucose levels can be monitored and managed through self care and treatment. Three things you need to know about diabetes: It is not one condition- there are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes All types of diabetes are complex and require daily care Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Your best days lay aheadand thats why were here. Maybe youve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Or maybe youve been living with it for awhile. Heres the thing: your journey is unique and it starts fresh every day. No matter where you are with type 2 diabetes, there are some things you should know. It's the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 means that your body doesn't use insulin properly. And while some people can control their blood sugar levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to manage it. Regardless, you have everything you need to fight it. Theres no one-size-fits-all treatment for type 2, but we can help you take each step forward. You have tools. You have resources, friends, and healthcare providers. Whatever step you take next, know that you won't take it alone. Fitness is a key part of managing type 2. And the good news, all you have to do is get moving. You dont have to become an ultra-marathoner. You can start slowly with a walk around the block or a simple bike ride. The key is to find activities you love and do them as often as you can. Work with your doctor to determine what level of physical activity you should engage in Figure out how much time per day you can devote to exercise Set fitness goalshaving clear goals can help you stay motivated Consider where youll start working outthe gym, in your neighborhood, in a park? Build different activitiesinto your daily routine Keep track of what you do and stay focused on your goals Continue reading >>

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but healthy lifestyle habits, taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education, and keeping appointments with your health care team can greatly reduce its impact on your life. 30.3 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 4 of them don’t know they have it. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US. Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than tripled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese. Types of Diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant). Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. About 5% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop quickly. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need t Continue reading >>

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

Understanding diabetes is the first step toward managing it. Learn what diabetes is and how it affects your body, what kind of diabetes you have, and how to manage your health. Understanding diabetes is the first step toward managing it. So what do you need to know? First, you need to know what diabetes is and how it affects your body. And you’ll need to know what kind of diabetes you have. Next you have to know how to maintain your health, treat your diabetes, know when your treatment is successful and what to do when it’s not. This section will take you through the answers to these first questions, and give you important information that will help you live a healthy life with diabetes. In this section you will learn: What is type 2 diabetes?: Information about how people develop type 2 diabetes and who gets type 2 diabetes How The Body Processes Sugar: Information about the natural control of blood sugar, and what is different when you have diabetes Continue reading >>