Posts Tagged ‘health complications’

Lifestyle Changes For Type 2 Diabetics – Part 1

October 12th, 2009 Admin

Changing your lifestyle is an integral part in preventing Type 2 Diabetes or ensuring your condition does not deteriorate.

It may seem like a burden to make changes to your comfort zone, but remember that diabetes brings with it a host of Type 2 Diabetes complications to every organ – from the eyes to the heart to the kidneys.

Here are some lifestyle modifications you need to make.

Switch to a Heart-Healthy Type 2 Diabetes Diet. Heart disease is a major complication of diabetes.

Start by cutting out fatty and fried foods. If you are a fast-food freak, you may want to try reducing your visits to these places. Increase your fibre intakes, by packing up on fruits and vegetables.

Quit Smoking. If you tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking in the past, try again and make sure it works this time!

We all know the health hazards of smoking, including the damage it has on blood vessels. A combination of Type 2 Diabetes and smoking can double your risk of developing heart disease.

Your doctor can suggest ways to stop smoking, so schedule an appointment soon.

Protect Your Immunity. Did you know that high glucose levels can adversely affect your immune system? So, make sure you are up-to-date on all your immunisations, including your annual flu vaccination.

Speak to your doctor on how to better protect your immune system.

Stop Being a Couch Potato. Exercise helps the body use insulin better, resulting in well-controlled blood sugar levels.

Exercise is also important in preventing obesity, a common risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes.

You need not participate in strenuous activity, which can sometimes do more harm than good. Instead, take brisk walks in the evening and use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

Just like a balanced diet, physical activity can help keep your blood glucose at acceptable levels and prevent diabetes-related health complications.

Read Lifestyle Changes for Type 2 Diabetes People – Part 2.

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Type 2 Diabetes – Symptoms & How To Manage It

August 17th, 2009 Admin

Type 2 Diabetes is far more common than Type 1, with 90% of people with diabetes suffering from this type.

This disease is a condition where the body is unable to automatically regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose sugar in the blood.

Unlike Type I Diabetes which is caused by the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin, Type II Diabetes is a result of body tissues becoming resistant to insulin. It is usually hereditary.

To know if you have it or may have it in future, pay attention to the Type 2 Diabetes symptoms. The most common symptoms of diabetes are as follow:

* excessive thirsty;
* frequent urination;
* increased hunger;
* extreme fatigue;
* blurred vision;
* recurrent skin infections very difficult to heal;
* tingling or numbness of legs;
* gums disorders;
* hair loss.

Type Two Diabetes, if without proper management, can lead to various health complications such as visual impairment, kidney damage, heart disease, nerve damage, hypoglycemia, gum and teeth disease, and amputation of legs should you get a cut, bruise, or they begin to swell or blister.

Type 2 Diabetes is a life-long disease, but it can be brought under control with a combined approach of proper Type 2 Diabetes diet, sufficient exercise, weight maintenance and possibly medication.

1. Eat Healthy Type 2 Diabetes Diet. Adjusting to eating healthy and controlling the amount and the types of foods is important.

Staying within the proper food groups of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits is a help.

2. Regular Exercise. A routine exercise plan to keep you active and to help maintain an acceptable weight level helps effectively manage Type 2 Diabetes.

3. Monitor the Levels of Blood Sugar Daily. A commitment to monitor the levels of blood sugar everyday is imperative.

With diabetes monitoring kits that are easily available and used, recording your blood sugar level results every day should be an easy task.

4. Take Medication Without Fail. Keeping your blood sugar regulated and under control is important with medication. Once your doctor has provided you pills or insulin shots to keep your blood glucose levels under control, take your medication without fail.

By working with your healthcare provider, taking your medication religiously, changing to healthy diet, doing regular exercise and keeping track of your blood sugar levels, it’s for sure that you can manage your Type 2 Diabetes and reduce health complications.

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8 Early Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes

August 13th, 2009 Admin

Type 2 Diabetes SymptomsEarly Type 2 Diabetes symptoms are almost the same as Type 1. However, the major difference is that symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes typically develop rapidly over a few days or weeks while Type 2 Diabetes symptoms may take a few months or years to develop.

According to research, as many as 33 percent of the people who have the disease are not yet diagnosed.

As the symptoms for Type II Diabetes take longer time to develop and are frequently reasonably mild before it is diagnosed, paying attention to early diabetic or pre-diabetes signs gives you a fighting chance of preventing diabetes altogether.

If two or more of the 8 pre-diabetes symptoms are noticed, you should consider consulting a doctor and having a checkup.

1. Excessive Thirst. You find you are excessively thirsty throughout the day, not just hot weather or after extreme exercise workout.

2. Dry Mouth. You seem to constantly have a dry mouth even if you’ve just had a drink.

3. Frequent Urination. You seem to urinate very frequently.

4. Unexpected Weight Loss or Gain. You have unexpected weight loss or gain in spite of constantly feeling hunger and eating well.

5. Increased Fatigue. You feel lethargic. You always feel as if you’ve got no energy; you are weak and tired all the time.

6. Blurred Vision. You seem to have blurred vision. Be careful, untreated eye problems caused through diabetes can lead to blindness.

You should have regular eye checks, especially as you get older because your eyes can be the early warning signal for many diseases.

7. Slow Healing of Wounds. The cuts, sores or bruises on your feet seem to take a long time to heal.

8. Persistent Itchiness or Yeast Infections. If you experience persistent itching or soreness in the genital area or yeast infections, it may be a sign of too much sugar in your urine.

Health complications such as stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, retinopathy, leg amputation and peripheral neuropathy will result if your symptoms turn out to be from Type 2 Diabetes and they are ignored.

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4 Reasons Why Smoking Is Hazardous For Type 2 Diabetics

August 10th, 2009 Admin

Are you a Type 2 diabetic who is a smoker as well? Smoking is a direct cause of cancer, but do you know that if you have Type II Diabetes, smoking worsens your condition and other health problems?

Let me share with you 4 reasons why mixing Type 2 Diabetes with smoking is a very bad idea:

1. Cause Nerve Damage or Neuropathy. Your chance of getting nerve damage or neuropathy is higher if you are a smoker.

Smoking affects your blood circulation and that in turn means your nerve endings do not get the nutrients they need. If the nerve endings, especially those in your feet, fail to get the nutrients they need, your feet will start getting sores and infections.

And if the sores, foot ulcers, and bacterial infections are not taken care of properly, they will lead to serious leg and foot amputations.

2. Limit the Mobility of Your Joints. There is an increased risk – double in fact – of you getting limited joint mobility. Imagine each time you bend your body, climb up or down the stairs or lift something, your joint is painful!

3. Increase the Risk of Kidney and Heart Diseases. Being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes means that you are already faced with health complications such as stroke, kidney failure and heart disease. Smoking helps speed up your risk of developing kidney and heart diseases.

According to research, diabetics who smoke are 3-fold as likely to die of heart or cardiovascular diseases as are other people with diabetes.

4. Increase Your Blood Sugar Levels. Smoking makes controlling your diabetes condition even harder because of the dramatic fluctuation of blood glucose levels. This, in turn, leads to other health problems such as stroke, kidney failure, heart disease, liver damage and the amputation of legs.

In short, smoking has a seriously detrimental effect on the ABC’s of diabetes management:

A1C – the measurement of your blood glucose over a 3-month period
B – your blood pressure, which should be below 130/80
C – your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels include LDL, HDL and triglycerides. Your LDL should be below 100. HDL levels should be above 40 for men and above 50 for women. Tryglycerides should be below 150.

Now you see the reality of the danger of smoking and why as a Type 2 diabetic you should quit smoking, approach your health care provider as soon as possible for information on quitting smoking.

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Can Type 2 Diabetes Diet Include Sweets & Sugary Foods?

June 21st, 2009 Admin

“Can Type 2 Diabetes diet include sweets and sugary foods?” - This is perhaps one of the most common questions people with Type Two Diabetes and their family members tend to ask.

As diabetes is a disease which can bring about many health complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation of feet and legs, it’s understandable that you fear for your Type 2 Diabetes.

The answer to the question is YES. Yes, Type 2 Diabetes patients can eat sweets and sugars.

It used to be this old idea that sweets are a no no for those with diabetes and diabetics should try to shut out all sweets and sugars from their Type 2 Diabetes diet, but that’s no longer correct.

According to researchers, it’s not the types of sweets that affect your diabetes the most, but the carbohydrates. The carbohydrates in sweets can raise your glucose levels, so does an equal amount of starch.

Feel like eating your favorite cookie or piece of candy? Well, go ahead, but just make sure that you substitute another carb out of your diet for it, say a roll or a tortilla.

Or wanting a sweet treat in your meal? Well, go ahead, but just make sure that you replace another carbohydrate in your meal with the sweet, or swap a carbohydrate in your meal with something with fewer carbs in it.

You can have sweets and sugars without it being too interfering on your blood sugar glucose levels if you just do it in moderation.

As a Type 2 diabetic, you now don’t have to run around looking for sugar-free candies or insist that your families bake you sugar-free cakes. You just need to be smart about sugary foods and sweets.

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Type 2 Diabetes Complications

June 2nd, 2009 Admin

If you have been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, a disease in which the body cannot produce or properly use insulin, the hormone the body needs to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy, it’s important for you to keep your blood glucose at reasonable levels with a healthy diet for Type 2 Diabetes, regular exercise or medication to avoid the risk of health complications.

Maintaining good blood sugar levels over time reduces the risk of serious complications such as strokes, heart diseases, eye damages, kidney failures and foot problems that can lead to amputations.

Strokes. Type 2 diabetics are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer from strokes.

Heart Diseases. 3 out of 4 diabetes-related deaths are caused by heart and blood vessel or cardiovascular diseases.

Eye Damages. Every year, as many as 24,000 people go blind due to the Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetics are also 40% more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes.

Foot Problems. More than 60% of leg and foot amputations result in people with diabetes.

Kidney Failures. According to year 2000′s statistic, approximately 41,046 diabetics started treatment for kidney failure.

According to a diabetes prevention study, a healthy Type 2 Diabetes diet combined with a 30-minute daily exercise and a 5% to 10% weight loss can lower the risk of serious complications that lead to death.

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