There are two types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes generally sets in during adulthood and type 1 diabetes can occur even in children. Another type of diabetes, closely related to type 2 diabetes, is called gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, it can occur when the body’s own immune system turns against it. This happens when the body’s immune system actually destroys the beta cells that a person’s body creates in the pancreas.
An Overview of Diabetes
Diabetes is caused when there is instability in the hormone insulin in a person’s body. In a healthy person’s body, insulin is secreted by the pancreas in proper amounts for the amount of food the person has consumed. The main goal of this insulin is to help put certain nutrients, particularly glucose, into the body’s cells. The body cells then use these nutrients as fuel in a healthy person.
Then, the amount of glucose in the blood is lowered because the cells are full of nutrients. When this occurs, a person’s beta cells will be notified in the pancreas that they need to lower the amount of insulin secreted. This helps a person avoid hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar. However, in a person’s body that has type 1 diabetes, these beta cells are destroyed. When this occurs, it throws a person’s entire body into confusion. When a person has type 2 or gestational diabetes, however, the causes for it are different.
Type 1 Diabetes
Generally people afflicted with type 1 diabetes find themselves with this disease prior to age 20, it can however occur at any age. While this disease is somewhat uncommon, it does afflicted great many people. Unfortunately, no one knows what causes type 1 diabetes, at least not an exact cause. However it is obvious that at least general tendency toward this disease is inherited. There are also environmental factors that can make a person more prone to this disease. It seems to occur when something in the environment, perhaps a virus, causes a person’s immune system to attack the pancreas to the point where the person cannot produce insulin correctly. This seems to confuse the body and is not curable when it becomes type 1 diabetes.
The symptoms for all forms of diabetes can include many different things. Some of them are very unnoticeable others may make living a normal life difficult. Some of these symptoms include increased thirst, increased appetite even after eating, pain in the abdomen, nausea, unexplained weight loss, exhaustion, blurry vision, and urinating far more often than normal.
Living With Type 2 Diabetes
Many people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every day. Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases to affect people in the world today. When a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes they may feel overwhelmed and confused by the diagnosis. It is important for people who are diagnosed to understand that with some basic changes in life style and with careful monitoring living with the disease is completely achievable.
Getting Educated
The first thing a person with type 2 diabetes should do is begin to get educated about the disease, its effects, complications and ways to control it. The physician should help the patient by beginning some basic teaching and be able to recommend further information resources. The person should speak with a registered dietician and with a certified diabetes educator to learn about the disease. People will need to learn many aspects of the disease and the best life style changes to make for their own circumstances. The type 2 diabetic can also subscribe to monthly magazines that are geared towards diabetes and its treatment.
Dietary Changes
The newly diagnosed diabetic will need to get diet counseling from a registered dietician. The dietician can help the type 2 diabetic to learn about the foods they eat and what changes can be made for the best benefit to their body. There are also several cook books and web sites that offer diabetic recipes that will enable a person to eat tasty and healthy meals. The dietary changes will need to be seriously addressed by the diabetic.
Monitoring Blood Sugars
The type 2 diabetic will need to acquire a glucometer so that they can monitor their blood sugar on a daily basis in their own home. There are many types of glucometers available on the market today that are very accurate as long as the person uses them correctly. Most insurance companies will provide a monitor with the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. By closely monitoring their own blood sugar a person can easily see what types of food and activities are having the biggest impact and make changes accordingly.
Exercise For The Type 2 Diabetic
A great thing for any person and especially a type 2 diabetic to do is to establish some type of exercise program. Exercise has a direct affect on lowering the blood sugar levels. The exercise does not have to be highly complex or hard to do. The diabetic can simply start up a walking, swimming or biking regimen. Taking a walk around the neighborhood several times a week will be very beneficial.
Taking Medications
The type 2 diabetic will want to follow all the advice of their physician and take medications as they are prescribed. There are many great oral medications that work well to control diabetes with the use of dietary changes and exercise. For some people insulin injections will be the best way to control the disease. Type 2 diabetics need to take whatever medications are necessary in their individual case to control the blood sugars and maintain a high quality of life.
Getting Educated
The first thing a person with type 2 diabetes should do is begin to get educated about the disease, its effects, complications and ways to control it. The physician should help the patient by beginning some basic teaching and be able to recommend further information resources. The person should speak with a registered dietician and with a certified diabetes educator to learn about the disease. People will need to learn many aspects of the disease and the best life style changes to make for their own circumstances. The type 2 diabetic can also subscribe to monthly magazines that are geared towards diabetes and its treatment.
Dietary Changes
The newly diagnosed diabetic will need to get diet counseling from a registered dietician. The dietician can help the type 2 diabetic to learn about the foods they eat and what changes can be made for the best benefit to their body. There are also several cook books and web sites that offer diabetic recipes that will enable a person to eat tasty and healthy meals. The dietary changes will need to be seriously addressed by the diabetic.
Monitoring Blood Sugars
The type 2 diabetic will need to acquire a glucometer so that they can monitor their blood sugar on a daily basis in their own home. There are many types of glucometers available on the market today that are very accurate as long as the person uses them correctly. Most insurance companies will provide a monitor with the initial diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. By closely monitoring their own blood sugar a person can easily see what types of food and activities are having the biggest impact and make changes accordingly.
Exercise For The Type 2 Diabetic
A great thing for any person and especially a type 2 diabetic to do is to establish some type of exercise program. Exercise has a direct affect on lowering the blood sugar levels. The exercise does not have to be highly complex or hard to do. The diabetic can simply start up a walking, swimming or biking regimen. Taking a walk around the neighborhood several times a week will be very beneficial.
Taking Medications
The type 2 diabetic will want to follow all the advice of their physician and take medications as they are prescribed. There are many great oral medications that work well to control diabetes with the use of dietary changes and exercise. For some people insulin injections will be the best way to control the disease. Type 2 diabetics need to take whatever medications are necessary in their individual case to control the blood sugars and maintain a high quality of life.
What is Diabetes and How Does It Work?
Diabetes is a disease that affects many people; this leads to the question, what is diabetes and how does it work? The question of what is diabetes cannot be answered easily, as there is more than one distinctive form of this disease. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There are also some other forms of diabetes including gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes resembles type 2 diabetes in many ways, for example, many of the causes of it are the same.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This disease generally strikes people under the age of 20 years old. It is incurable, and there seems to be no way to prevent it. This is a disease that is caused when the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in a person’s pancreas. These are the cells that regulate the amount of glucose in a person’s blood. By attacking these cells, the immune system throws the body out of balance. In a healthy person’s body, the amount of glucose released into the bloodstream is equivalent to the size of the meal that person just ate. In a person’s body that has type 1 diabetes, the cells that notify the body of how much glucose to release are damaged, therefore the amount of glucose is not appropriate.
Although type 1 diabetes is not curable or preventable, there are treatments out there that can help people manage this disease. Generally, the only indicator a person may be more likely to come down with type 1 diabetes is a family history of this disease. This indicates that this disease may have a hereditary factor, although this connection is not absolute. There seem to be several factors working in conjunction that decide whether or not a person will become afflicted with this disease.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, generally occurs in adults. Although there is no cut and dried method to figure out who will come down with type 2 diabetes and who will not, there are certain behaviors that can increase a person’s risk. For example, being overweight, eating a diet heavy in fatty foods, smoking, and drinking excessively are all known contributing factors. Individuals with certain ethnic backgrounds and a family history are also more prone to become afflicted with type 2 diabetes
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes has much in common with type 2 diabetes. Women that are overweight prior to becoming pregnant are more likely to be afflicted with gestational diabetes. Also, women who have had gestational diabetes during prior pregnancies are more likely to become ill with this disease. In most cases, gestational diabetes will go away once the woman is no longer pregnant.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This disease generally strikes people under the age of 20 years old. It is incurable, and there seems to be no way to prevent it. This is a disease that is caused when the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in a person’s pancreas. These are the cells that regulate the amount of glucose in a person’s blood. By attacking these cells, the immune system throws the body out of balance. In a healthy person’s body, the amount of glucose released into the bloodstream is equivalent to the size of the meal that person just ate. In a person’s body that has type 1 diabetes, the cells that notify the body of how much glucose to release are damaged, therefore the amount of glucose is not appropriate.
Although type 1 diabetes is not curable or preventable, there are treatments out there that can help people manage this disease. Generally, the only indicator a person may be more likely to come down with type 1 diabetes is a family history of this disease. This indicates that this disease may have a hereditary factor, although this connection is not absolute. There seem to be several factors working in conjunction that decide whether or not a person will become afflicted with this disease.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, generally occurs in adults. Although there is no cut and dried method to figure out who will come down with type 2 diabetes and who will not, there are certain behaviors that can increase a person’s risk. For example, being overweight, eating a diet heavy in fatty foods, smoking, and drinking excessively are all known contributing factors. Individuals with certain ethnic backgrounds and a family history are also more prone to become afflicted with type 2 diabetes
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes has much in common with type 2 diabetes. Women that are overweight prior to becoming pregnant are more likely to be afflicted with gestational diabetes. Also, women who have had gestational diabetes during prior pregnancies are more likely to become ill with this disease. In most cases, gestational diabetes will go away once the woman is no longer pregnant.
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