Friday, October 10, 2008

Can We Find a Cure For Diabetes?

Is There a Cure for Diabetes?

Chronic diseases are responsible for seventy percent of all deaths in the United States. According to information at the American Diabetes Association (ADA), because prevention may cause a loss of profits to doctors, surgical or other procedures are more common. But prevention would save a lot of lives and avoid much misery.

Of cancer, heart and artery problems and diabetes, diabetes scares me the most.

According to ADA, "Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life."

I'm afraid that I might lose a foot or a leg after suffering from horrible pain.

I don't have diabetes that I know of, but there is a question that I would like answered: Is there a cure for diabetes?

There is an answer to that question (and I don't like it). The answer is, NO.

Here is another question: Can diabetes be prevented?

That has a better answer: MAYBE.

You can lower your chances of getting diabetes through diet and exercise. A significant loss of weight is a very positive action against diabetes. Yes! Eat right and exercise routinely (not sporadically) and you can lose some weight and help prevent diabetes. Maybe you can't exercise because of certain problems, but you can always eat correctly.

Research

ADA conducts research in genetics, islet cell biology, immunology, diabetes education and behavioral research. Several genes are related to diabetes and that area of research is being conducted in several countries. That may be where the cure is found. We need to contribute to ADA to help eliminate this disease.

Some people think that there is already a cure for diabetes but that the pharmaceutical companies are hiding it so they can sell more drugs.

This kind of thinking occurs often. For example: There is an engine hid in a walk-in-safe at a big oil company that runs on water.

It doesn't help the situation.

Prevention and Treatment

According to ADA, "While diabetes and pre-diabetes occur in people of all ages and races, some groups have a higher risk for developing the disease than others. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population. This means they are also at increased risk for developing pre-diabetes.

"There are two different tests your doctor can use to determine whether you have pre-diabetes: the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The blood glucose levels measured after these tests determine whether you have a normal metabolism, or whether you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. If your blood glucose level is abnormal following the FPG, you have impaired fasting glucose (IFG); if your blood glucose level is abnormal following the OGTT, you have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)."

Here is some additional information from ADA (http://www.diabetes.org/): "Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. The good news is that the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program study conclusively showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range.

"While the DPP also showed that some medications may delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes."

Conclusion

We have the information we need to prevent pre-diabetes and to lower the impact of diabetes.

Prevention is the way to go!

Fly Old Glory!

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com - a retired college professor and business executive, former editor of an international engineering magazine. Writer, novelist, painter of landscapes. Lots of grand-kids.

Keep Healthy. Strip That Fat will help you lose a few pounds quickly or 100 pounds more slowly. Find Both a Stop-Smoking-Programs Review and a Diet-Plans Review at: More info: http://www.magicwater.biz

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Help I Am Diabetic! Planning Your Meals, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner - Ensuring You Eat Healthy

If you are diabetic then you do not suddenly need to go on a strict diet, cutting out different types of food and eating radically different types of meals. Rather, the important thing is to plan your meals and get used to good eating habits and balanced portions of the major food groups. Here are some tips about planning your meals effectively if you have diabetes.

When it comes to breakfast you usually do not have to do too much adapting, as all cereals are fine for diabetics to eat. There are some cereals that have added sugar so try to stick to the more natural brands, where you can always add fruit to make it a little sweeter. Apart from cereals you can also eat breakfast foods such as toast and crumpets, but try to use low-fat margarines and spreads.

Make sure that you have three meals a day, which means making time for a proper breakfast and lunch as well as dinner. It is important to spread food out over the day to control your appetite as well as your blood glucose levels. If you want snacks in between meals then low fat yoghurt or a piece of fruit is a good idea.

You should try to have one main meal each day and make sure that it is balanced, with larger amounts of foods such as rice, bread and potatoes, and lower amounts of meat, eggs and so on. In every meal the largest part of the meal should be made up from fruit or vegetables.

When planning your meals you will get the best nutrients following balanced, specially adapted diabetic recipes. This is especially true for your main meals. This advice will make planning your meals that little bit easier each day.

If you want easy to make tasty free diabetic recipes sent straight to your email inbox every week then you can by subscribing to my free diabetic newsletter here

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Balancing Your Diet When Your Diabetic How to Cope With Diabetes by Using the Right Recipes

When you are diagnosed with diabetes you may think that your diet has to change completely. The truth is that you can still enjoy your favourite foods so long as they are part of a generally balanced and healthy diet. Here are some tips to make sure you have a balanced diet each day.

When cooking you should bear in mind the fact that foods are divided into five groups, which need to all be included in our daily eating habits. A diabetic diet is the same sort of balanced diet that everyone is recommended to eat, where it should be lower in fat, salt and sugar and higher in fruit and vegetables.

As part of maintaining a balanced diet you may have heard of 'portions' of the main food groups. It is recommended that we eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and this usually means about a handful's amount of the food. Of course, each of us is different and as such will need different sized meals to keep us healthy. However, it is always a good rule to follow that excess fats should be cut out whenever possible, and this may include reducing the portion of one food in the meal (such as the meat) and increasing the size of the vegetables to make up for it.

You will also need to make sure that you eat regular meals, and don't skip meals such as breakfast. This will help diabetics to help control their blood glucose levels as well as maintaining a healthy appetite.

If you think that you may have a hard time remembering what foods you should eat, and keeping track of the main food groups, then it will be a good idea for you to use specially formulated diabetic recipes that will do most of the work for you. It can be extremely easy to maintain a balanced diet, and only takes a little thought and awareness.

You can receive free diabetic recipes each and every week via my free diabetic newsletter all you need to do is sign here. Its totally free and you will receive recipes each week as well as other bonuses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Blears

Diabetes in Children - A Wake-Up Call

We have been constantly made aware of the fact that people who are obese and overweight are putting themselves at high risk to a number of medical conditions. Among the two most cited conditions are cardiovascular or heart diseases and diabetes. As we view the numbers,the fact that the statistics include an increasing number of children, is indeed worrying.

It may not be surprising to learn that children are affected as many of them make poor food choices. Instead of healthy and nutritious choices, they prefer junk food and sweet fizzy drinks such as colas and sodas due to convenience,trend or to "hang around" their buddies. An unhealthy diet is one of the main reasons for them being obese or overweight.

It has been reported that globally,there are nearly half a million children under 15 with Type 1 diabetes. Sadly,it is estimated that 200 children develop Type 1 diabetes all over the world each day.

While Type 1 diabetes is increasing fastest in pre-school children,Type 2 diabetes has been reported in those as young as eight. According to experts,diabetes is one of the most chronic diseases affecting children of all ages even toddlers and babies. Those with diabetes will develop complications within 15 years. Such complications include heart and vascular disease,eye and kidney complications damage to nerve cells and high risk of infections.

In order to control diabetes,the recommendation is first,to deal with the issue of children being obese and overweight. Measures that have been suggested include food regulations such as better labelling and a curb on the marketing,advertising and promotion of junk food. Parents and guardians have a very important role in helping in this fight. They can do so by helping their children deal with the factors that make them obese and overweight. One crucial factor that they can influence is diet.

In planning a healthy weight loss diet, parents generally can promote a healthier lifestyle for the whole family. In fact,getting the whole family involved in a the diet is better than preparing a special diet for the child who is obese or overweight. In addition to a diet,exercise or physical activity is a must for weight loss which will help them manage the problem of being obese and overweight.

In helping their obese or overweight children win the battle with diabetes through weight loss,parents need help. Such help can be found in the top weight loss programs that are available. If the requirement is a diet system that incorporates exercises,they would be better able to help in learning more about a diet system which is a leader in the weight loss industry.

Help your children lose weight and prevent or manage diabetes with a diet system that has been proven to be suitable for everyone. Register for a your free guide that reveal the 5 secrets that weight loss companies do not want you to know. Use the potential weight loss calculator and enjoy many other benefits. Use a diet that allows you to create 40,000 variations for losing weight and keeping it off in the long term. Thousands all over the world have benefited. Choose the system and help your child be healthier and enjoy a better quality of life. Express your love in a meaningful way. Delay is your worst enemy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Azhar_Victor

Diabetes - Can it Be Reversed?

Diabetes. It has an effect on most every part of your body, if you have it. A lot of people have diabetes and don't even know it. Even greater amounts of people have pre-diabetes, and don't even have a clue that they are at risk for diabetes! Want to prevent, reduce, or eliminate diabetes and its' horrible effects?

There is a way. It is not an overnight method, or a super pill that you take and diabetes just goes away. You will actually have to work at it, and take some serious action steps along with a shift in lifestyle. But, you probably secretly wanted that anyway. Who wouldn't like to feel better, look younger, have more energy, lose weight and gain vitality?

With knowledge, creating a plan, and taking action, you can turn this "beast" called diabetes, into a manageable puppy on a leash. This is a nutritional learning process combined with a dash of physical exercises. (Yes, you do have to exercise) The exercises can be fun. You don't have to do the same thing everyday. Make it fun, but be active.

Another key aspect is learning about supplements that will work in conjunction with your nutritional meals. There are many herbal, and natural products such as Bitter Melon, Cinnamon, Gymnena Sylvestre, Fenugreek, Ginseng, and several others that will help, but do your homework.

Other supplements are almost "required"; they are Chromium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Calcium. If you are diabetic, you probably are deficient in one or more of these. Check with your health practitioner if these will affect you and your medication schedule. Some of these can lower your blood sugar pretty fast.

Our eating habits are what got us here in the first place. So nutrition is probably the biggest change you will have to make. Eating the right carbohydrates, combined with proper amount of proteins and fats is so important. Once you learn how food affects the blood and how insulin works, it will make sense. When you make a change to proper nutritious food, you will notice an improvement in your overall well-being. More energy and concentration is what I noticed. And then the weight started dropping off!

I learned a lot from from a variety of sources. I took what away the best methods or techniques from each source and developed them into a very beneficial program for myself. It worked wonders for me and I am sure it can for you. I put all this information into an ebook that will be released Oct/Nov. 2008. Very good, step-by-step, (possibly lifesaving) information.

I truly suggest that you look into getting as much knowledge as you can on just what diabetes does to your body and what you can do to prevent it. Always make the decision yourself as to what is best for you.

Get your free PDF copy of "59 Tips on Eats, Meats, Treats, and Feets". And get on the list to receive notice of the release date of my ebook "Reverse Diabetes?". You will qualify for the early bird bonus.

Thomas Fouts is a former building inspector who decided to get out of the 8 to 5 rat race. Since working from home, starting an online business, and getting my health back, my wife has told others that she got the person she married back. It has been a wonderful change. Just start. Go here to get a free PDF "59 Tips on Eats, Meats, Treats and Feets" http://www.diabetespanicbutton.com

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Diabetes - A Disease You Can Fight

Diabetes has become one of the most wide-spread killers in the United States. The American Diabetic Association estimates that 23.6 million children and adults (or approximately 8% of the current U.S. population) has diabetes. And of that amount of people, approximately 25% are unaware they have the disease. Diabetes has been identified as one of the most common undiagnosed diseases.

How does this affect you? Well, it affects you in several ways.

First, if you currently are not diagnosed with diabetes, you may know of someone in your family who has the disease. It is also possible that you may be diagnosed with diabetes in the not too distant future. The number of diagnosed cases has increased about 14% since a study done in 2005-2007.

Second, the economic cost of someone diagnosed with diabetes is staggering. People diagnosed with this disease incur average medical expenses of over $11,700 dollars per year. This is approximately 2 ½ times higher than the medical expenses of someone without diabetes.

Third, your ethnicity may make you more susceptible to getting the disease. Diabetes is more common among African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian-American/Pacific Islanders. The National Diabetes Education Program, for instance, has stated that about 16.5% of the Native Americans seen by the Indian Health Service have been diagnosed to have diabetes.

Fourth, even if you do not fit into one of these ethnic groups, the older you get, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with diabetes. It has been said that 18% of those 60 and older have diabetes and an estimated 50% of all diabetes happens in those who are 55 and older.

However (and this is a big However), the news is not all bleak. There is good news. Recent studies have showed conclusively that individuals with pre-diabetes can make some simple changes in their lifestyle to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. By making a few simple changes in your diet and increasing physical activity, you can knock out diabetes.

A Diabetes Prevention Program study showed that while some medicines delayed the development of diabetes, diet and exercise had a much more beneficial impact on diabetes. This study found that 30 minutes of moderate physical activity plus a 5 - 10% reduction in body weight produced a 58% reduction in diabetes. And when you factor in that it will cost you over $11,700 in medical expenses per year, getting up off the couch and losing some weight doesn't seem such a bad deal.

"Sure, physical activity probably would be good for me, but I don't want to spend all day at the gym."

It's really is not all that hard to get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity.

The Center for Disease Control states that moderate-intensity physical activity is an activity where a person would experience some increase in breathing or heart rate or any activity that burns 3.5 - 7 calories a minute.

Activities that fit this description would include walking briskly, playing golf while pulling a cart or carrying your clubs, recreational swimming, mowing your lawn with a power mower, playing doubles tennis or bicycling 5 - 9 mph on level terrain.

And you don't have to do these things 30 minutes straight. You can break up your daily physical activities into 3 sessions of 10 minutes each if that fits your lifestyle better.

Besides exercise and diet, another major factor in fighting diabetes is making your doctor a central part of your fight. Keep your doctor informed and make sure that you meet with your doctor on a regular basis.

Diabetes is a dreadful disease. It can sneak up on you without you even being aware of the damage it is doing to your body. But you can knock out diabetes. Exercise, diet, and conferring with your doctor are all methods for putting diabetes down for the count.

Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include the resource box.

The author, Merle Zunigha, has a personal interest in diabetes having watched his father fight the disease and as a result of his currently fighting diabetes himself. For more information on fighting this devastating disease go to http://adea-diabetes.com

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Gestational Diabetes Baby Risks

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that is characterized by insulin resistance that occurs primarily during the second and third trimester of a woman's pregnancy. It is believed to be caused by the rapid and excessive hormone production that women go through during their pregnancy. It is also thought that pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to deal with rising blood sugar levels which leads to hyperglycemia. Left untreated a gestational diabetes baby is placed at a higher risk for a variety of health problems.

About 4 percent of all pregnant women will be afflicted with gestational diabetes but it usually goes away after the baby is born. Left untreated this form of diabetes can pose a dangerous risk to both the mother and unborn baby. The biggest risk is caused by excessive sugar that crosses the placenta to the baby. Insulin on the other hand does not cross this barrier.

High blood sugar levels in the mother means the same for the baby. The developing baby's pancreas compensates for this by producing more insulin to remove the excess sugar from its blood stream. The sugar is stored away as fat which leads to macrosomia, also known as fat baby syndrome.

Babies born with macrosomia can have a whole host of health issues, some of which can be life threatening. Because babies born with this condition tend to be larger then normal they are most often require a cesarean birth. If they are born naturally they can damage their shoulders because they are too large for the birth canal. They can also be born with extremely low blood sugar levels and their respiratory system may not be fully developed, causing breathing problems.

To prevent gestational diabetes baby risks every woman should be tested during the second trimester of their pregnancy. If they are found to be suffering from this condition treatment and control needs to be started quickly. In most cases it can be controlled through gestational diabetes meal planning and exercise but in more extreme cases medical intervention may be necessary including daily insulin injections.

For more information about the symptoms of gestational diabetes please visit the web site Diabetic Diet Plans by Clicking Here.

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Warning Signs of Diabetes? Ignore the First Signs of Diabetes at Your Own Peril

Any major ailment occurring in the human body can be diagnosed and detected in early stages in case one pays attention to its warning symptoms. The same is true for the warning signs of diabetes. Diabetes is a serious medical condition characterized by presence of excess glucose in the blood. Worldwide, millions of people tend to suffer with the symptoms of diabetes. Interestingly, a major percentage of these people could have diabetes for months or even years and not even aware about it. However, it is possible to gain complete relief from the disease by getting proper medical assistance at the right time only if people pay due attention to the warnings signs diabetes is associated with.

First Signs of Diabetes:
In most cases, early symptoms of diabetes are so minor that they go unnoticed or overlooked. Due to this reason, many people tend to suffer with some serious complications and find it extremely hard to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle. Some of these first signs of diabetes that appear during early stages of diabetes are listed below:

* Lifestyle changes characterized by noticeable alterations in the diet patterns such as excessive hunger and unquenchable thirst
* Unexplained weight loss even though one consumes excessive amounts of food
* Increased frequency in the occurrence of yeast or skin infections
* Frequent urination
* Behavioral changes such as fatigue, irritability and mood swings
* Finally, individuals with diabetes even suffer with eye problems like blurred vision.

Diabetes Complications:
Any person suffering with diabetes symptoms must have a test done on their blood sugar levels. Most importantly, all the warning signs diabetes is associated with must never be ignored or left untreated. Otherwise, they can lead to more serious medical complications that are broadly divided into different categories. Some of these are explained below.

* Complications of the Eye - Symptoms of diabetes are a leading cause of various eye-related problems that can even result in blindness. Some of these complications of eye include cataract, retinopathy and glaucoma. Reason for these complications is that excess concentration of glucose in the blood tends to imbalance the osmolarity of the body and affects the fluid levels inside the eye.

* Renal Complications - Kidney is the chief excretory organ of the body that filters any thing excess present in the blood, including glucose and removes it through the urine. Interestingly, persons with diabetes are highly prone to urinary tract infections that can cause various kidney problems. Another renal problem that is highly common in diabetics is nephropathy. In this, kidneys tend to deteriorate slowly and ultimately cease to function, thereby causing death.

* Cardiovascular problems - Diabetics suffer with double the risk of getting heart diseases such as cardiac stroke, atherosclerosis, myocardial infraction, and hypertension than normal individuals. This is because excess glucose results in increased cholesterol and fat deposits along the inner lining of blood vessels, thereby causing problems in blood circulation from the heart to body tissues.

* Neuronal Complications - The most common one in this category is neuropathy or nerve damage. Also, excess glucose concentrations can even harm the autonomous nervous system of the body, thereby causing problems in respiration and other bodily functions such as blood circulation, urination, sexual function and even body homeostasis.

By keeping these thoughts in mind, there is no reason why you should ignore the warning signs of diabetes. At the first signs of diabetes, you should get tested immediately and starting making changes to your diet and physical exercise level. Your goal should be to act quickly to prevent further harm. Doing so will significantly reduce the risk of full blown diabetes and allow you to keep the symptoms of diabetes in check.

For more information on Warning Signs Diabetes, try visiting http://www.curefordiabetes.org - it is a website offering solid tips and information on different diabetes treatments and diabetes in general.

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