Reducing the Effects of Diabetes
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Without proper treatment, diabetes can have negative short-term and long-term health effects. With care it is possible to nearly avoid most effects.
Ups and downs in blood sugar can be unpleasant, resulting in nausea, muscle weakness, disorientation, dizziness, and other effects. Some diabetics have trouble keeping their blood glucose always steady. Certain practices can help minimize the chance of sudden changes in blood glucose.
Monitoring is vital. Pricking your finger three times a day is wearisome, but worth the effort. Some new glucose monitoring devices don’t require painful pricks.
Newer devices may use a tiny laser to make an opening for the blood. This causes a mild tingling feeling. Monitors are available which require no blood; they test the glucose level through your skin via an infrared beam.
The aim is to maintain a normal or near normal glucose-insulin balance. A fasting glucose level of under 99mg/dL is normal in non-diabetics. After a heavy meal, glucose may increase to over 200 mg/dL, but in non-diabetics released insulin will bring the level down within two hours. So keeping a proper glucose level means maintaining a balance, rather than keeping the glucose level at a steady number.
Monitoring must include periodic doctor visits. An A1C test should be taken every three months. Many tests can measure the blood glucose level at a certain time; the A1C gives an average over a several months. HbA1C (glycated hemoglobin) gives the test its name.
Hemoglobin molecules transport oxygen to the tissues from the red blood cells. When the blood has extra glucose, hemoglobin becomes glycated. Since this a long-term effect the A1C test can obtain an average of the glucose levels over time.
Long term the effects will accumulate, good or bad. Over 10-15 years or longer, many diabetes patients of the past would endure blindness, kidney damage, nerve damage and other ill health effects. That no longer has to be the case. With contemporary understanding of the disease and modern technology it’s possible to reduce the odds of those effects nearly to those without the disease.
Much of this management is disciplined exercise and diet. Many diabetics can keep their glucose-insulin balance nearly normal through diet and exercise, without medicine.
This is possible because the lowering of body fat with exercise and diet helps the body maintain a better balance on its own. Body fat affects hormone production and release and it affects how the body responds to glucose levels. There is a definite correlation between body fat and the degree of diabetes, although researchers don’t understand all the factors involved.
One part of the puzzle is role lowering body fat plays in lowering the blood pressure. Chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major contributor to the cardiovascular and nerve problems experienced by some diabetics.
With diligence a diabetic can lead a normal life, one very much like those fortunate enough not to have the condition. A little attention a few times a day can lead to not having to pay too much attention at all.
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