Managing Diabetes In The Heat

Managing Diabetes in the Heat

How to keep your cool during the hottest time of year.
Did you know that people who have diabetes—both type 1 and type 2—feel the heat more than people who don’t have diabetes? Some reasons why:
Certain diabetes complications, such as damage to blood vessels and nerves, can affect your sweat glands so your body can’t cool as effectively. That can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.
People with diabetes get dehydrated (lose too much water from their bodies) more quickly. Not drinking enough liquids can raise blood sugar, and high blood sugar can make you urinate more, causing dehydration. Some commonly used medicines like diuretics (“water pills” to treat high blood pressure) can dehydrate you, too.
High temperatures can change how your body uses insulin. You may need to test your blood sugar more often and adjust your insulin dose and what you eat and drink.
Drink plenty of water.
Test your blood sugar often.
Keep medicines, supplies, and equipment out of the heat.
Stay inside in air-conditioning when it’s hottest.
Wear loose, light clothing.
Make a plan in case you lose power.
Have a go-bag ready for emergencies.
It’s the Heat and the Humidity
Even when it doesn’t seem very hot outside, the combination of heat and humidity (moisture in the air) can be dangerous. When sweat evaporates (dries) on your skin, it removes heat and cools you. It’s harder to stay cool in high humidity because sweat can’t evaporate as well.
Whether you’re working out or just hanging out, it’s a good idea to check the heat index—a measur Continue reading

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Say Goodbye To Diabetes With These Amazing Home Remedies For Diabetes

Many common herbs and spices are claimed to have blood sugar lowering effects, it is often argued that use of natural therapies could reduce blood sugars. Read on to know about the home remedies for diabetes.
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Diabetes is a widespread and persistent problem and India, which is why India is called the world capital of diabetes. In general, there are two main types of diabetes - type 1 diabetes in which the body does not produce insulin at all and type 2 diabetes in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin that is produced does not work properly to absorb sugar from our blood. Diabetes affects more than 62 million Indians today. This hormonal disorder can lead to heart diseases, strokes, kidney failure, liver damage and cataract, apart from other less serious health problems. With the sweet disorder becoming increasingly common and life-threatening, there are some simple lifestyle changes you can make to prevent diabetes from taking your life.
Here are the top 10 home remedies you should use to fight diabetes:
1. Bitter Gourd (Karela)
Bitter gourd is helpful in controlling diabetes because of its blood glucose lowering effects. This happens because of its chemical called Charantin. Karela tends to influence the glucose metabolism all over the body and not just of a particular organ. It increases pancreatic insulin secretion to prevent insulin resistance. Thus, bitter gourd is beneficial for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, it cannot be used to entirely replace insulin treatment. It’s ideal to drink bitter gourd juice on an empty stomac Continue reading

Remedies to Treat Diabetes Naturally

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Diabetes is among the most common disorders in the world today. Despite various researches done and precautions taken, one cannot predict who will suffer from diabetes. Depending on the type and severity, every diabetic patient should be given medications.
Here are a few natural remedies that can be helpful in reducing the sugar levels in a diabetic patient.
Fig Leaves- Figs leaves are very commonly used in treating diabetes. They are believed to have anti-diabetic properties that help them to reduce the sugar levels in the blood. Fig leaves can be directly chewed on an empty stomach, or the leaves can be boiled in water and the water can be drunk like tea. Done on a regular basis, the need for insulin gets reduced.
Fenugreek- Fenugreek seeds are rich in sugar-lowering properties. Even the leaves of this plant can be made as curry and consumed regularly. Fenugreek helps to reduce the insulin dependency when taken in regular intervals. A teaspoon-full of seeds should be soaked in a glass of water over night and the water along with the seeds should be drunk on empty stomach. No foods or medications should be taken for the next 30 minutes after consuming the water. This treatment is recommended for 2 – 3 times per week.
Cinnamon- Cinnamon is the common spice used in every Indian cooking. The taste and the aroma enhancer also has beneficial anti-diabetic properties where it is believed to have the same properties like insulin in lowering the blood glucose level. It is recommended to take half spoon of cinnamon powder everyday to get the desired effect. It can also be c Continue reading

Why Diabetes Is Dangerous: How to Recognize the Signs of this Metabolic Disease

In 2010, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the US, according to the American Diabetes Association. During that year, over 69,000 death certificates of Americans listed diabetes as the underlying cause of death.
The most current data, provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that as of 2012, 29 million people were diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Also in 2012, 1.7 million people – ages 20 or older – were diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes for the first time.
These astonishing statistics show that diabetes is a major problem in our society today. With the unhealthy eating habits and statistics of obesity in the United States, millions of Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. However, patients still do not take this metabolic disease as seriously as they should.
In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2030, the number of people living with diabetes will more than double.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes, also formally known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic diseases. With diabetes, the affected individual has high blood glucose (or blood sugar) due to one or both of the following reasons: their insulin production is inadequate, or their body’s cells do not properly respond to the insulin.
The pancreas, an organ located near your stomach, is responsible for producing the hormone called insulin. Insulin is then responsible for aiding glucose in getting into your cells. The majority of the food we eat is transformed into glucose, or sugar, to be used as energy fo Continue reading

Prednisone and diabetes: What is the connection?

Prednisone is a steroid that works in a similar way to cortisol, which is the hormone normally made by the body's adrenal glands.
Steroids are used to treat a wide range of conditions from autoimmune disorders to problems related to inflammation, such as arthritis.
They work by reducing the activity of the body's immune system and reducing inflammation and so are useful in preventing tissue damage.
However, steroids may also affect how the body reacts to insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar in the blood.
Contents of this article:
How do steroids affect blood sugar levels?
Steroids can cause blood sugar levels to rise by making the liver resistant to the insulin produced by the pancreas.
When blood sugar levels are high, insulin is secreted from the pancreas and delivered to the liver.
When insulin is delivered to the liver, it signals it to reduce the amount of sugar it normally releases to fuel cells. Instead, sugar is transported straight from the bloodstream to the cells. This process reduces the overall blood sugar concentration.
Steroids can make the liver less sensitive to insulin. They can make the liver carry on releasing sugar even if the pancreas is releasing insulin, signalling it to stop.
If this continues, it causes insulin resistance, where the cells no longer respond to the insulin produced by the body or injected to control diabetes. This condition is called steroid-induced diabetes.
Steroid-induced diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. There are two main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabete Continue reading