Complications Of Diabetes – A Disease Affecting All Organs

Complications of Diabetes – A Disease Affecting All Organs

We’re treating people with type 2 diabetes completely wrong – and it’s harming every organ in their bodies.
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) may be the hallmark of diabetes, but does not cause most of the morbidity (the harm of the disease). Blood glucose is fairly easily controlled by medication, but this does not prevent the long-term complications. Despite blood glucose control, damage occurs to virtually every organ system.
It would be difficult to find a single organ system NOT affected by diabetes. These complications are generally classified as either microvascular (small blood vessels) or macrovascular (large blood vessels).
Certain organs, such as the eyes, kidneys and nerves are predominantly perfused by small blood vessels. Chronic damage to these small blood vessels causes failure of these organs. Damage to larger blood vessels results in narrowing called atherosclerotic plaque. When this plaque ruptures, it triggers an inflammatory reaction and blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. When blood flow is impaired to the legs, it may cause gangrene due to reduced circulation.
There are other complications do not fall neatly into this simple categorization. A variety of diabetic complications are not obviously caused by injured blood vessels. These would include skin conditions, fatty liver disease, infections, polycystic ovarian syndromes, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
Microvascular Complications
Retinopathy
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control in 2011.
Eye dis Continue reading

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5 Strange Symptoms That Could Be Early Signs of Diabetes

Besides the well-known symptoms—like constant thirst and a frequent need to pee—here are a few other subtle signals that something may be wrong.
Many people who develop type 2 diabetes have no idea they’re sick until a blood test shows abnormal blood sugar levels, or until their disease progresses and serious complications start to occur. “For the most part, diabetes is silent and insidious,” says Ronald Tamler, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute. “Most of the time people have no symptoms early on.”
In some cases, though, there are sneaky signs. Some early diabetes symptoms are well-known: constant thirst, excessive urination, or sudden weight gain or loss, for example. Others, like the ones below, are more easily missed—by medical professionals and patients alike. If you’re experiencing any of these, be sure to bring them up with your doctor.
Inflamed or infected gums
Periodontitis—also known as gum disease—may be an early sign of type 2 diabetes, according to new research published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The study found that people with gum disease, especially those with severe cases, had higher rates of diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) and pre-diabetes than those without.
The connection between gum disease and diabetes isn’t new, says Dr. Tamler, and it appears to go both ways: Having either condition seems to increase the risk of developing the other. “Inflammation caused by gum disease eggs on the same factors that are responsible for high blood sugar that cause diabetes,” he says. Continue reading

World Diabetes Day 2017 – Facts, Themes and History

Diabetes is a chronic condition which has today affected millions of people across the globe. Not only this, the disease is still on the rise and is sure to affect thousands and millions of more people globally. Such is the spread of the disease that many call diabetes an epidemic disease now. Type 1 and Type 2 are the most important types of diabetes affecting lots of population in every country.
Realizing the above as well as understanding the importance of spreading awareness about diabetes, the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation have together initiated a campaign wherein they celebrate November 14 of every year as the World Diabetes Day. Programs, campaigns, and events are held which help in spreading awareness about the disease.
Not many people are aware of this day. In this article, we deal with November 14 as the World Diabetes Day. Through the article, we shall know about the various facets which the world diabetes day deals with. So, join in for the article “World Diabetes Day-Fact, Theme, and History.”
When and Why is World Diabetes Day Celebrated?
World Diabetes Day is celebrated on 14th November each year. The main aim behind dedicating a day towards celebrating diabetes day is to educate and spread awareness amongst the general masses about diabetes, how to deal with the condition effectively, and to remove some of the myths associated with the chronic condition.
The International Diabetes Federation has taken the responsibility of organizing this day and holds campaigns, events, meetings, lectures, etc. in order to spread i Continue reading

The Ketogenic Diet and Diabetes

The ketogenic diet was originally developed almost 100 years ago to treat epilepsy. Nowadays, it is used as a nutrition plan by health-conscious men and women to optimize body composition and athletic performance.
Recent research suggests that high fat, very-low carb diets have another benefit: They may help control glucose, triglycerides, insulin, and body weight in people with diabetes. The research below shows the ketogenic diet may be an effective tool you can use to manage symptoms of Diabetes, alongside exercise and medication.
Cutting through the Fat: What is Diabetes?
Before we get to research, we need to review some basic medical terminology. Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which the body has elevated blood levels its main energy source: a sugar called glucose.
There are two reasons why this occurs. In some people, there is insufficient production of a chemical called insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that lower levels of glucose in the blood. People who suffer from low insulin levels have type I diabetes and they comprise approximately 5 to 10% of all diabetics. [1]
Type I diabetes is usually inherited and type I diabetics usually have to inject insulin to maintain proper levels of blood glucose. The other 90% to 95% of people with diabetes are type II diabetics. [1] In this version, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin for proper function or cells in the body do not react to insulin and take in sugar from the blood.
Type 2 diabetes is not inherited. However, lifestyle factors such as high body weight, poor exercise and eating habits al Continue reading

World Diabetes Day 2017: What Does Ayurveda Say About Controlling Diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus is a condition wherein either the body is unable to produce enough insulin or is not able to use the insulin properly. According to official WHO data, the number of people suffering from diabetes rose from 108 million as recorded in the year 1980 to a whopping 422 million in the year 2014. With a sharp increase in the number of diabetics in the country, Indian is often called the diabetes capital of the world with over to 50 million people suffering from the ailment - 69.2 million to be precise, as reported by the International Diabetes Federation Atlas 2015. WHO's assessment, stood at 63 million in the year 2013. The estimates depict number of diabetes cases to have alarmingly doubled and grown by over 100% in the past 15 years. India had an estimated 31,705,000 diabetics in the millennium year which is estimated to grow by over 100% to 79,441,000 by 2030.
"Diabetes is strongly associated with the western diet, however as cultures switch from their native diets to the foods of commerce; their rate of diabetes increases eventually reaching the proportions seen in the western societies. What's alarming is the fact that the number of diabetes cases is estimated to reach a whopping 100 million by 2030," noted a renowned Health Practitioner, Nutritionist and certified Macrobiotic Health Coach, Shilpa Arora ND.
Diet plays a crucial role in diabetes prevention as well as management. The effectiveness and the significance of natural ingredients cannot be overlooked in treating and managing diabetes. Alternative therapy can go a long way in providing relief and im Continue reading