Info About Diabetes

You’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. After the shock, when you take a look at how you should be eating, a question comes to your mind. Diabetes and sweets — are they OK to eat? Or should you stay away from them forever?

You’re looking at a new way of eating for the rest of your life. How will you handle sugar?

A Diabetes Diet: Cutting Out Sugar

The first thing to understand that a diabetic diet doesn’t mean that you will spend the rest of your life never even daring to look at anything sugary ever again.  It’s about moderation and making wise choices.

If you’re overweight, part of the reason you may be diabetic is because you’ve overloaded your body with sugar to begin with.  And the more sugar, and sugar-like foods, you eat, the more you crave them.  The reason is that it sends your blood glucose on a roller-coaster ride,

Once you cut out the excess sugar in your new eating style, you’ll find that you crave it less and less.  Strange, but true.  And the less you crave, the more stable your blood sugar.

But What About Special Occasions?

Does having diabetes mean that you’ll never be able to eat a slice of cake or have a scoop of ice cream?  Unless your blood glucose is unstable even when eating right, there’s likely no reason you can’t enjoy a little treat now and again.  But now and again doesn’t mean every day or even every week. 

And when you enjoy your treat, keep an eye on the portion.  Unfortunately, we’re so used to “super sizing” everything that we’ve lost our sense of proportion.  Read labels to see what a serving really is; not what you’ve become used to.

Diabetes and Sugar Substitutes

What about sugar substitutes?  After all, they were originally invented for people with diabetes, not for dieters.  But are they really wise? 

The substitutes we are familiar with — Equal, Splenda and Sweet ‘N Low — are artificial sweeteners.  And while they haven’t been banned like cyclamates were, it doesn’t mean that the sweeteners don’t have their own side effects.  All of them, especially aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), have other effects on the body,

So it’s a catch 22 — you shouldn’t eat sugar because it’s bad for your body, but then the artificial sweeteners are as well, just in different ways. 

One natural sweetener that you might want to give a try is stevia.  It’s finding its way into the mainstream grocery store shelves.  It takes a little getting used to, as its sweeter than the others.  But because a tiny bit will sweeten, it doesn’t raise your blood sugar sky-high.  And it doesn’t have the detrimental affects of the artificial sweeteners.

 Sugar:  should you or shouldn’t you?  Sugar isn’t something that you need to shun for the rest of your life, but now you do need to plan for sweet treats.  If you take medication, you need to take it into account.  If you don’t take diabetes drugs, you need to know your body’s reactions ahead of time.  And remember to watch your portion size

Should you or shouldn’t you take diabetes drugs?  It really depends on the type of diabetes, how well your blood sugar is controlled, and how well you follow a good diet (and exercise).

For some people, drugs in the form of insulin is a life-saving necessity.  Especially with type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas just flat out can’t make the insulin, or makes a tiny amount.

But a lot of people have type 2 diabetes, and do make sufficient insulin; their bodies have just become insulin-resistant.  Are diabetes drugs a foregone conclusion?

About Diabetes Drugs

The most common diabetes drug is insulin, in either natural or synthetic form.  This is for people who just don’t make enough insulin on their own.

However, if your body is insulin-resistant, drugs like Actos and Avandia help your body become more sensitive to the insulin it does produce, and be able to use it better.  However, one of the side effects of these particular drugs that is seen too often is weight gain — exactly what you don’t want, if you are already overweight.

Metformin, in all its forms (the most common which is Glucophage) acts to reduce the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.  It does this by decreasing the amount of sugar produced by the liver.  One side effect can be stomach cramps, but can be minimized by building up the amount slowly.  However, Metformin stresses the kidneys, so shouldn’t be taken by anyone who has compromised kidney function.

DPP-4 inhibitor drugs like Januvia work by both decreasing the blood sugar and increasing insulin production in the body.  The more common side effects are upper respiratory issues (stuffy nose, sore throat), but also include an allergic reaction which can be anything from mild (some itching) to life-threatening (e.g. swelling of the airways cutting off oxygen).

The Best Diabetic Drug

Really, it’s diet and exercise, along with getting enough of the proper vitamins and minerals.  Diet, exercise and nutrition don’t have side effects, except for making you feel better.

However, there are times when diet and exercise might not be enough.  If this is the case, you and your doctor need to work together to find the drug that’s right for you, in the lowest possible dose.

Just remember that if you are currently overweight and need a diabetes drug in addition to your diet and exercise, that amount may decrease or vanish over time.  It’s important to keep watch over your blood sugar readings as you lose weight.

Additional Reading

Here are some searches on the drugs mentioned in this post.  Click to see the information available online, including dosage, side effects and other useful information:

• Actos
• Avandia
• Metformin
• Januvia

Vitamins for hypoglycemia and diabetes; is it possible?  Yes, believe it or not, there is at least one vitamin that everyone knows about, and that most everyone is deficient in.  It’s amazing but true, and it can help you.  This wonderful substance is…vitamin D!

What Do You Mean I’m Deficient?

I thought I was getting enough vitamin D as well; isn’t it in everything?  Then I looked in my cupboards and in the fridge.  With the exception of one breakfast cereal and the bottle of milk, I didn’t see vitamin D listed on any container.  I challenge you to do the same.

Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin”, but how many of us get the sunshine we need each week?  You need less sun than you think (between 15 and 40 minutes, depending on how light or dark your skin is), but you have to skip the sunscreen, long sleeve shirts and pants.  Think shorts and a T-shirt, and think between 10 and 2.  How often do you do that, especially in the winter?

If you take a vitamin D supplement, you may still not be getting all you need!   The MDR (minimum daily requirement) is up for debate as being far too little for adults.  Here’s where you can read more about the vitamin D facts for nutrition.

Vitamin for Hypoglycemia and Diabetes

There’s a link between vitamin D and diabetes.  This also includes hypoglycemia and metabolic syndrome (syndrome X).  Virtually all people suffering from these diseases suffer from vitamin D deficiency, usually severely so.  And when vitamin D is present in sufficient amounts, the blood sugar stabilizes.

There have also been ongoing studies as to a link between adequate vitamin D as a baby and future risks for obesity and diabetes.  The infants who did not get enough were at a much greater risk of developing diabetes and becoming overweight as they grew older.

Now you can’t turn back the clock if you didn’t get enough vitamin D as a baby, but you can do something right now.  On the vitamin D link referenced in the previous section, you can find out how much vitamin D you should be getting.  Vitamin D supplements are very, very inexpensive.

Vitamins for hypoglycemia and diabetes?  While you should be getting enough of all your vitamins, the big one is vitamin D.

Additional Reading

Here are some other sites you might find interesting.

• The B Vitamins discusses the various Bs.  Included are foods they’re found in and deficiency symptoms.
• Vitamin D Facts is all about vitamin D and how it effects you and your health.
• Wikipedia has some interesting information on vitamin C and being an antioxidant.
• A post I wrote about early symptoms of adult diabetes.

Diabetes and feet - it’s one of the more widely-recognized issues of having diabetes.  But why are the legs and feet affected, and what makes it worse?  And can you avoid diabetes foot problems?  Let’s take a look

Diabetes and Feet:  Cause of the Problem

The general term for diabetes-related foot and leg issues is called diabetic neuropathy.  While neuropathy can relate to any nerve problem, it’s most commonly an issue in your extremities — especially your feet.

Here’s a simplified version of the problem.  With diabetes, several things happen.  The excess sugar attacks your blood vessels, impeding circulation.  This makes it harder for blood to get to where its going.

Because of the distance from your heart to your feet, circulation is especially poor.  This can lead to swelling of the feet and legs by blood pooling.

Now the second part of the diabetes and feet equation is your loss of sensation.  Say for example you have a sore on the side of your foot, where you don’t normally look, and because of the neuropathy, you can’t feel it.  You don’t take are of it; the sore gets infected, and you may still not realize it.  And that can lead to further complications, up to and including gangrene and death.

Diabetes Foot Care

It’s extremely important to examine your feet on a regular basis, to make sure there are no sores that aren’t healing.  If you do find sores that aren’t healing well, notify your doctor.

If you are finding a problem with your feet and ankles swelling, support hose are part of your treatment.

Drink plenty of water, which helps to release water retained in your body — that can also help with the swelling.

Eat reasonably; as a diabetic you know what you should and shouldn’t eat.  If you don’t know, a visit to a dietician who is familiar with diabetes may be in order.

Exercise regularly, even if it’s just a walk or two around the block.  You need to get your blood circulating.  Not to mention exercise helps to stabilize your blood sugar.

Diabetic foot care may seem like a small issue at first.  But take care of your feet (and your body) and it may never become a big issue.

What are the warning signs of a diabetic coma?  If you or someone you know has diabetes, you need to know the signs and symptoms.  Hopefully it will never occur, but swift action is necessary if it does.

Someone with diabetes can go into a coma when any of the following happens:

1. Severe diabetic hypoglycemia — when the blood sugar drops to extremely low levels.
2. Diabetic ketoacidosis with a combination of severe hyperglycemia, dehydration and shock, and exhaustion.
3. Hyperosmolar nonketotic coma in which extreme hyperglycemia and dehydration alone are sufficient to cause unconsciousness.

 Warning Signs of a Diabetic Coma

 The most common signs that can precede a diabetic coma are:

• Feeling dizzy and/or light-headed.
• Sweating beyond what’s normal for you.
• Sudden fatigue, sometimes extreme.
• Pale skin, rapid heartbeat.

While any one symptom doesn’t necessarily mean a diabetic coma is looming, it is a sign that you want to test the level of sugar in your blood — pronto.

What Levels?

So now you want to know what your levels of blood sugar are — what’s normal for you, and what can signal hypoglycemia?

In general, a drop of roughly 30 points below your normal fasting levels can bring on symptoms of hypoglycemia (although this just a guideline and isn’t set in stone).  A blood sugar level of 40 or under is likely to bring on a diabetic coma, although it can occur before then.

Preventing a Diabetic Coma

Obviously, keeping your blood sugar within your normal range is your first step in preventing a diabetic coma. 

Evaluate your meals and eating times.  You don’t want a “roller coaster” blood sugar with large peaks and dips; this means watching what you eat, and how often you eat it.  Smaller, more frequent meals helps to keep levels on a more even keel.

Exercising also helps to regulate the glucose levels in your blood, especially if your normal readings tend to be high.  And what holds true for eating, holds true for exercise — moderation and consistency. 

Is reversing diabetes really possible?  Not just reversing the symptoms, but the condition itself?

Yes, it is possible.  You can naturally turn back the clock on diabetes type two, and win the diabetes game.  But there is a catch; you have to want to do it.

I know, I know — why wouldn’t you want to reverse diabetes?  Because it takes work on your part.  There is no “magic pill” you can swallow that will get rid of your diabetic condition once and for all.  But there are things you can do, inexpensively at home, to banish diabetes from your life.

Diabetes Natural Treatment and Your Diet

Natural treatment for diabetes starts with the food you put into your body.  That doesn’t mean you have to eat like a rabbit for the rest of your life — far from it!  You can even enjoy chocolate and other sweets from time to time, but the key is moderation.

Diet is the biggest natural treatment in your arsenal for reversing diabetes.  What you put into your mouth has a huge effect on how much (or little) excess sugar gets into your bloodstream.  The key is eating foods that release sugar slowly into your blood, preventing both too much (hyperglycemia) or too little (hypoglycemia) sugar.

 So what are the natural diabetes-fighting foods?  Some of them include low-fat dairy, eggs, lean meats, poultry, fish.  What else?  Apples are good, as are strawberries (without the sugar).  Sweet potatoes, all kinds of veggies.  Also, olive and flaxseed oils are great!

Stay away from foods include rice cakes, white rice, anything made with white flour, anything with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  Most cold breakfast cereals fall into this category as well, but there are a few that are made with whole grains and little or no added sugar that are fine.

Chocolate is on the list for occasional goodies.  True, it does have a lot of sugar, but it also has fat, which helps to slow down the sugar release.  Dark or semi-sweet chocolate, please — less sugar than milk chocolate.

Reversing Diabetes and Exercise

Exercise is important for reversing diabetes.  Why?  Because your muscles utilize sugar for fuel when you exercise them!  It draws sugar out of the blood and puts it where its needed — to  keep you moving and feeling better.

Yes, daily exercise is best — 30 minutes.  But even if you can only manage 20 minutes three times a week — that’s a help!  Do what you can now, and aim to increase the amount as time goes on.

Has diabetes left you with unsteady footing or feeling dizzy?  Yes, you can exercise, too.  There are balance ball exercises, chair exercises, resistance bands — these can be done by anyone who can’t walk far or much.  There’s no excuse for not exercising in some way, shape or form.

Give it a Try if You Dare to be Healthy

If you really, really want to beat diabetes type 2 you have to take responsibility for your body.  And it works, because I’ve seen it time and again — even people dependent on insulin have been able to reduce or eliminate it.  There are also natural supplements you can take that will help stabilize the glucose in your blood.

But it won’t happen magically; it starts with you.

Cinnamon and diabetes; is there a connection? Can cinnamon really help control your blood sugar, like you may have heard? Or is this just another folk tale? Let’s take a look at what effect cinnamon has on the blood glucose.

The Cinnamon Effect

Yes, it does appear that cinnamon affects the amount of sugar in your blood. It seems that scientists have determined that cinnamon actually has insulin-like properties. These properties decrease blood glucose levels as well as triglycerides and cholesterol. Cinnamon has health-giving properties, and a great taste, too!

Cinnamon’s active ingredients are comprised of polyphenols. These polyphenols can boost levels of three key proteins, which are crucial to promoting normal insulin-signaling processes. The polyphenols also can stabilize your immune response and transport glucose efficiently in the body.

Cinnamon: Diabetes Requires How Much?

A small amount of cinnamon will do the trick, when it comes to leveling out the sugar in your blood. As little as a half a teaspoon worked into your daily diet can significantly reduce blood glucose levels. Now this doesn’t mean you can go eating cinnamon buns and get the good effect, but it does mean that using cinnamon as a spice is good for more than just your tastebuds!

Do you drink coffee or tea? Why not try adding a little cinnamon to it? Just get some stick cinnamon and use it to sit in and stir your beverage. There are also herbal teas that contain cinnamon as an ingredient.

Like making stir fry dinners? Add a little cinnamon to spice it up!

Testing Cinnamon

Two groups of volunteers having type 2 diabetes were tested over a period of 40 days. The two groups ate the same food, but the differences were in the amount of cinnamon that was consumed in capsule form.

The first group was the control group; they didn’t get any cinnamon, so as to provide a baseline. The other group was divided up, with the volunteers given one, three, or six grams of cinnamon powder in capsules after meals.

Within a short period of time (just a few weeks), the cinnamon group responded with blood sugar levels that averaged 20% lower that a control group. In fact, some of the test subjects even achieved a normal blood sugar levels!

The cinnamon therapy was stopped, and shortly thereafter the glucose in the blood started to rise again.

Cinnamon Diabetes: Inexpensive and Effective Therapy

If you have type 2 diabetes, or are worried that you have it, consider giving cinnamon a try. You can sprinkle it in your food and drink, or take it in capsule form.

Cinnamon is easy to get; every grocery store has it for sale, in both powder and stick form. Many of the same grocery stores also carry the capsule form. If not, you can find it in a health food store, or order it online.

Cinnamon diabetes treatment is a inexpensive and effective therapy for offsetting health problems related to diabetes. It’s more than just good-tasting; also helps in preventing and fighting diabetes type two.

Should you give cinnamon a try? If it’s not already part of your daily diet, it’s definitely worth careful consideration. Just remember that it normally takes a couple of weeks to start showing its results in the blood.

One diabetes complication that far too many people suffer from is a change in eyesight. Think for a second; has your vision changed in recent months? Are objects blurry, or do you have problems focusing?

Now I’m not talking about the vision changes that most of us go through, where we need reading glasses as we get older. I’m talking about things that used to be clear now look fuzzy. Or possibly that you’ve used (for example) +1.25 reading glasses and now you notice you need a +2.5 to read comfortably.

Diabetes can very definitely affect eyesight, but why is that? Let’s find out.

Blood Glucose and Vision

In diabetes type 2 (and type 1as well), the excess sugar in your blood acts a bit like a corrosive in the body. It tends to irritate and eventually destroy nerves. This includes the nerves in your retinas.

But the extra glucose also irritates the blood vessels in your body — and yes, this includes the veins and arteries in your eyes. Small (tiny in fact) bulges appear in your blood vessels, and these can “weep” (leak) slightly. This diabetes complication ends up costing your your vision when too many of the blood vessels leak or even close up.

This condition is called diabetic retinopathy.

More advanced cases of diabetic retinopathy involve blood vessels growing into the eyeball where they shouldn’t. Scar tissue can form due to the abnormal vessel growth. The scar tissue can eventually cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye.

Symptoms of a Visual Diabetes Complication

Now the scary thing here is that most times in the very early stages of diabetic retinopathy there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are very slight.

This fact alone is a very compelling reason for you to get checked for diabetes, if you are at all concerned that you might have it.

OK, let’s say you are one of the lucky few who do have early symptoms — what are they? These are what the effects on your eyesight might be.

• Blurry vision.
• Bad night vision, or worsening of existing night vision problem.
• Spots or streaks in your vision.
• Darkening vision or filmy vision.

Like I said previously, if you are at all concerned that you might have diabetes, please schedule an appointment with your health care professional!

Other Resources

I know this diabetes complication is a hard topic to read and think about. We depend on our vision for so many things, and to be deprived of it is heart-rending.

But diabetes doesn’t have to cost your your vision! Keep your blood glucose under control and the corrosive effects of the sugar can be minimized.

Here are some other resources you might like — previous posts and outside material.

• Ideas for how to lower blood glucose.
• Diabetes and vision risks, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.
• More about diabetic retinopathy, from WebMD.

Wondering about the first signs of diabetes may be on your mind these days, especially if you’re over 35 or if your waist has been expanding uncomfortably due to weight gain. What are the warning signs? When should you run, not walk, to see a doctor? What might not be diabetes at all?

The First Signs of Diabetes (Type 2)

OK, you’re concerned that you might have type 2 diabetes; what are some of the signs and symptoms you need to be aware of? Here’s a list of questions to ask yourself.

How’s your vision? Is it normal, or do you find it getting blurry? If it’s blurrier than usual, has it been getting worse? Diabetes affects blood vessels and nerves, which can in turn affect your eyesight.

How do your lower legs feel? Are they tingly or numb in spots? Diabetes compromises nerves and blood circulation, and generally affects your lower extremities first.

How often do you have to urinate? Is it much more or less than usual? Allowing for you taking in more or less liquids lately, do you find yourself having to go a lot more often? Diabetes can affect the kidneys (nerves and blood vessels).

Are you sleepy or more fatigued than usual? For example, do you sit down in order to watch TV or read the paper, and the next thing you know, it’s hours later because you fell asleep? While diabetes is characterized by an excess of blood glucose (sugar), it can also fall too low as well. Obviously, measure this against the amount of sleep normal for you — if you haven’t been getting what you need, then you very well could be sleepy for that reason!

How irritable are you? Again, base this against what’s normal for you. If little things that didn’t used to bother you make you want to scream or burst into tears, take note of it. If you’re under a lot of stress, that may be the culprit. If your stress load is normal, then you may want to look at this further.

Are you thirstier than normal? Again, allow for factors such as hot weather, more exercise and such. Do you find yourself thirstier than is usual for you? A dry, cottony mouth could be a sign to take note of.

Do you have a problem with recurring infections or healing? This could be anything from a sore that doesn’t want to heal properly to a problem with recurring Candida infections. Diabetes compromises circulation and the excess of blood sugar is ideal for Candida to flourish.

How Did You Do?

Understand that these traditional first signs of diabetes could be caused by other conditions as well. However, if you find yourself saying, "Hey, that sounds like me!" then I suggest you pick up the phone -now- and schedule a visit with your doctor.

Actually, if you are even uneasy that some of these symptoms hit too close to home, I still recommend that you schedule a visit. If you don’t have diabetes, great! If you do, you need to get your blood sugar down by diet and exercise (and possibly medication).

Additional Reading

You might find the following reading helpful.

• A general listing for diabetic guidelines .

Diabetes and recurring Candida; yes, there is a link between the two. Candida is the organism responsible for yeast infections, a very uncomfortable and sometimes lethal condition.

Candida is a special concern for people with a compromised immune system, where it causes the most concern.

Candida and Sugar

Like most yeasts, candida thrives on sugar. Unfortunately for diabetics, high blood glucose feeds the Candida, causing it to flourish a little too well.

Now Candida albicans is naturally present in most people, in the digestive system. The problem is when the yeast gets out of control and migrates to other parts of the body. The extra blood glucose that is part and parcel of diabetes provides an ideal medium of transport.

By the way, diabetes is not the only condition that can help spread the yeast. The Candida is out of control due to an underlying imbalance in the body. Most of the times this happens due to lowered immunity. This can be due to another illness, poor health in general, medications, etc.

Diabetes and Recurring Candida

A yeast infection is definitely uncomfortable, to say the least. There are ways you can minimize the effects of diabetes and recurring Candida, and as you probably can guess, it starts with your diet.

Because high blood sugar is part of diabetes, the first step is to starve the yeast by not providing them with extra glucose.

If you have an immediate problem with Candida, you may have to get a prescription antifungal to eliminate the excess in your body.

The next step would be to strengthen your body’s immune system. This can include supplements such as vitamins and other holistic methods. Exercise also falls into this arena; the healthier you can get your body in general, the better chance your body has of fighting off recurring Candida.

Other Resources and Information

• You can read about Candida albicans on Wikipedia
• Take a look at foods you may want to avoid if you have a problem with diabetes and recurring Candida.