How To Manage Diabetes With Basal-bolus Insulin Therapy

How to manage diabetes with basal-bolus insulin therapy

Diabetes is a disease that affects the way the body produces and uses insulin. Basal-bolus insulin therapy is a way of managing this condition.
In type 1 diabetes, the production of insulin is affected. In type 2 diabetes, both the production and use of insulin are affected.
In people without diabetes, insulin is produced by the pancreas to keep the body's blood sugar levels under control throughout the day.
The pancreas produces enough insulin, whether the body is active, resting, eating, sick, or sleeping. This allows people without diabetes to eat food at any time of the day, without their blood sugar levels changing dramatically.
For people with diabetes, this doesn't happen. However, a similar level of blood sugar control can be achieved by injecting insulin.
Injections can be used throughout the day to mimic the two types of insulin: basal and bolus. People without diabetes produce these throughout the day and at mealtimes, respectively.
What is a basal-bolus insulin regimen?
A basal-bolus insulin regimen involves a person with diabetes taking both basal and bolus insulin throughout the day.
It offers them a way to control their blood sugar levels. It helps achieve levels similar to a person without diabetes.
Advantages
There are several advantages to using a basal-bolus insulin regimen. These include:
flexibility as to when to have meals
control of blood sugar levels overnight
they are helpful for people who do shift work
they are helpful if travelling across different time zones
Disadvantages
The downsides to a basal-bolus regimen are that:
people may need to take u Continue reading

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Best natural supplements: THESE herbs could help fatigue, diabetes, stress and cholesterol

We are well-acquainted with the likes of vitamin D, iron and magnesium, but there’s a new group of supplements on the block - adaptogens.
Derived from herbs and roots, they are natural compounds said to have a range of health benefits.
These include reduced stress and less fatigue - and there is evidence that they could also help symptoms of diabetes and high cholesterol.
It is little wonder they have long been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and have gained a host celebrity fans, including Gwyneth Paltrow.
Certain herbs were singled out for their unique ability to ‘adapt’ their function according to the specific needs of our bodies and these became known as adaptogens.
There are many different types, including ashwagandha, ginseng, reishi, licorice root, holy basil, rhodiola, maca and astragalus.
“In the days of Robin Hood and his band of merry men, when modern medicine was a thing of the future, people turned to wild plants and herbs – as medicine - during times of illness,” explained Jeraldine Curran, nutritionist (thefoodnutritionist.co.uk).
“Certain herbs were singled out for their unique ability to ‘adapt’ their function according to the specific needs of our bodies and these became known as adaptogens.
“Adaptogens are a unique group of herbs that help improve health by working with the body’s adrenal glands, our body’s stress response system, to help reduce stress levels along with helping to regulate most of our bodies processes.”
Thu, November 2, 2017
Adaptogens: 10 of the best supplements to naturally boost your energy.
Indeed, re Continue reading

Can Eating Too Much Fruit Cause Gestational Diabetes?

Many of us grew up following the food pyramid guidelines.
We were told we needed at least 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables.
They sat right next to each other on the pyramid, and despite the slight number difference, they seemed equal.
Can Eating Too Much Fruit Cause Gestational Diabetes?
Fruit and vegetables are recommended as part of a healthy pregnancy diet. Eating plenty of fruit is particularly suggested as a way of curb the cravings for sweet foods like chocolate and sugary soft drinks.
So, if fruit is healthy, could it cause any health problems?
New research found a strong correlation between eating a lot of fruit during pregnancy and developing gestational diabetes.
How Could Fruit Cause Gestational Diabetes?
It’s important to note a correlation isn’t necessarily a cause, rather a connection or a link.
However, this study found women who consumed large amounts of fruit had a 400% increased risk of developing gestational diabetes (GD).
Diabetes is diagnosed when someone has too much glucose in their blood. In the case of GD, this only occurs during pregnancy in a woman without type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
The reason a woman without type 1 or type 2 can develop diabetes during pregnancy is due to hormones from the placenta which impact blood sugar.
Consuming a lot of fruit means you’re consuming a lot of fructose. While it’s a naturally occurring sugar, and far better for you than processed sugars, fructose can still impact your blood sugar.
Consuming large amounts of fruit on a regular basis appears to have the potential to impact your blood Continue reading

18 Tips & Tricks for Dogs with Diabetes

My husband and I have been through a lot with Mylah since she was diagnosed with diabetes at 10 months old. Six years of caring for her and managing canine diabetes has had a lot of ups and downs. We’ve learned so much along the way. Here’s our top 18 tips and tricks for living with, caring for, and managing a diabetic dog.
1. Bell or Extra Tags on Collar: Keep tabs on your dog through the night or your house with a bell or multiple metal tags on his/her collar. After Mylah had her first seizure after being diagnosed, we wanted to make sure we could hear where she was or if she went into a seizure. She has three loud metal tags on her collar at all times that wake us up in the night or let us know where she is throughout the house. She also now gets called Miss Jingle Jangle
2. Medical Dog Tag: Have a dog tag with specific information on your dog’s condition stating he/she is a diabetic and needs medical attention. This could be critical if your dog gets lost.
3. Eye Supplements: Consult with your vet first but it might be a good idea to give your diabetic dog additional supplements for eye health. Diabetes will take a toll on your dog’s eyes, and a supplement like Ocuglo can help maintain eyesight greatly.
4. Keep Life Familiar: Meaning, don’t move furniture around or introduce any major new potential stressors into your home. Keeping the furniture in place, maintaining familiar smells and sounds is important in the event your dog does go blind or loses part of his/her eyesight.
5. Home Glucose Monitoring: Test your dog’s blood sugar at home, perform a glucose Continue reading

Can a high fat Paleo Diet cause obesity and diabetes? Maybe, unless

Current evidence indicates obesity and other metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are influenced by host genetics and lifestyle. This cascade of ever growing diseases is also associated with low-grade inflammation, as indicated by an overabundance of biomarkers in serum. What initiates or triggers the inflammation associated with these metabolic disorders?
Multiple studies in humans and mice have demonstrated that a high fat diet can trigger inflammation (see references below). But a high fat diet alone is not the whole story. If it were, a lot of Paleo dieters would be in trouble. It seems what might be missing from that high fat diet and the gut bugs deep in the gut hold the answer to what triggers the inflammation.
Every person on earth has two genomes. Our human genome, which is a mash up and shuffled deck of DNA from mom and dad, is the one we are familiar with and, for better or worse, stuck with. Our second genome is more dynamic and made up of trillions of bacteria we initially receive during birth from mom and continuously throughout life from the people we hang with, to the foods we eat, and the places we live. Numbering in the thousands of species, our microbial friends (and foe) outnumber our human cells 10 to 1. In other words, humans are 90% microbe and only 10% human. Humbling.
Spawned by the success and technical achievements of the Human Genome Project, an explosion in our understanding of the role of the microbiome (all the genes of our gut microbiota) in human health has literally flipped modern medicine and the understanding Continue reading