Type 1 Diabetes - All About Type 1 Diabetes Causes and Treatment

Read this article to know about Type 1 Diabetes Causes and Type 1 diabetes Treatment

We can call Type 1 diabetes an autoimmune disease in which the body destroys or damages insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Once those cells are destroyed, they won't ever create insulin again. This type of diabetes usually occurs under the age of 30 and often in childhood.

Type 1 diabetes normally develops in children or young adults, but can found at any age. Type 1 diabetes can cause many problems. It is a life-long disorder that can happen in children or adults. It is a totally different disease than Type 2. Type 1 diabetes occurs normally in children, adolescents or young adults, and most often at puberty. This type of diabetes is also called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes symptoms:

Type 1 diabetes often appears abruptly. However, each individual may experience symptoms in a different way. Type 1 diabetes symptoms may include:

• high levels of sugar in the blood and urine when tested

• unusual thirst

• frequent urination

• extreme hunger but loss of weight

• unclear vision

• nausea and vomiting

• extreme weakness and tiredness

• bad temper and mood changes

In children, type 1 diabetes symptoms may be alike to those of having the flu.

Type 1 Diabetes Complications:

Type 1 diabetes can cause different problems, but there are three key complications:

1. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar; also called an insulin reaction) occurs when blood sugar drops too low level.

2. Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) occurs when blood sugar is too high, and can be an indication that diabetes is not well forbidden.

3. Ketoacidosis (diabetic coma) is loss of consciousness due to untreated diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes Causes:

Type 1 diabetes is the result of the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to enter the cells of the body to provide fuel. Insulin is a protein that is speedily broken down in the digestive area. In type 1 diabetes, the body can no longer create insulin, so the glucose can't acquire into the body's cells.

Although no one knows for certain why this occurs, scientists think it has something to do with genes. But just getting the genes for diabetes isn't usually sufficient. A person most likely would then have to be exposed to something else - like a virus - to get Type 1 diabetes

It's important to also be alert of the different myths that over the years have arise about the Type 1 diabetes causes. Eating sweets or the wrong kind of food does not cause diabetes but it can cause obesity which is the cause of Type 2 Diabetes.

Stress does not cause diabetes, although it may be a cause for the body turning on itself as in the case of Type 1 diabetes. It does, however, make the signs worse for those who already have diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes Treatment:

Type 1 Diabetes Patient need to monitor and control their glucose levels. They need to:

• give themselves insulin injections or use an insulin pump

• eat a balanced, healthy diet and pay special attention to the quantities of sugars and starches in the food they eat and the timing of their meals

• get habitual exercise to help manage blood sugar levels and help avoid some of the long-term health problems that can cause diabetes like heart disease

Insulin therapy is the origin of type 1 diabetes treatment. When insulin was first discovered and made accessible for people with diabetes, there was only one type of fast-acting insulin and this required several injections in a day. Today, there are a variety of insulins that can be selected and/or combined to help you best control your diabetes.

Drug Used To Treat Diabetes In Texas May Kill Patients

The state's propensity to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer doesn't help. The prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. increased a staggering 49% between 1990 and 2000, and Texas was hit hard, possibly linked with an obesity rate hovering just above 60% of the adult population. Thirty-five percent of children are now clinically obese statewide, and Houston boasts a population in which 86% of its residents are either overweight or obese. This is significant due to the problems that often accompany the condition, including heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and, of course, type 2 diabetes.

For Texas, none of this is good news. With one-quarter of the state going without health insurance, 60% of the population obese, and over half a million diabetic, any problem affecting a large number with any of these conditions could completely overload the already stressed system. A flood of Avandia patients coming in with complications, uninsured, and possibly suffering from other conditions as well, just might send the healthcare system of Texas into meltdown.

Much of the problem, it would seem, stems from the FDA itself, which is slowly but surely nurturing a reputation of extreme negligence into maturity. Once a drug is approved, its actual effects on the population are not as closely monitored as they should be, according to many in the industry.
Dr. Jerry Avorn, of Harvard Medical School, believes that such problems with the FDA will continue to exist "until we are able to get a better system of drug approval and surveillance." That's a powerful statement, considering that this is precisely what the FDA is supposed to do.

It's a wakeup call, really. While it shouldn't be as a result of government agency negligence, in all reality, we should be more responsible for our health on an individual basis -- going for annual physicals, asking our doctors as many questions as we need in order to feel comfortable with a diagnosis or prescription, and doing what we can to take care of ourselves. Simple, common sense principles of nutritional eating and exercise may cut off many conditions requiring drugs before they even have a chance to exist.
Until the nation's health catches up with better habits, however, make sure to keep up with the latest recalls.

When Diabetes Is Not Diabetes

Mention the word diabetes and the vast majority of people will assume that you are talking about either type 1 diabetes, which affects about 10% of diabetes sufferers, or type 2 diabetes, which is the most commonly seen form of the disease and is currently growing alarmingly. But did you know that there is a third type of diabetes which has no connection whatsoever with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, apart from sharing the name diabetes.

There are four types of diabetes insipidus:

Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus

Gestagenic Diabetes Insipidus

Gestagenic diabetes insipidus (also known as gestational diabetes insipidus) occurs during pregnancy and is often the result of destruction of vasopressin within the placenta.

Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus occurs when, in spite of the normal production of vasopressin, the kidneys still fail to properly concentrate urine. This form of diabetes insipidus can be inherited and can also be the result of kidney disease and taking certain types of drug.

Dipsogenic Diabetes Insipidus

There is also a second type of primary polydipsia known as psychogenic polydipsia which, as its name would suggest, has a variety of psychosomatic causes.

Despite the fact that there is some similarity in the symptoms of diabetes and diabetes insipidus it seems strange, and more than a little confusing, that the medical profession should have decided to give these two quite different conditions the same name.

Nine Surprising Diabetes Risks For Texans

Many individuals in Dallas, Houston and other places around Texas don't know that they may be slowly working toward a permanent, chronic disease -- diabetes. Untreated, diabetes can lead to heart and blood pressure problems, dependence on insulin shots, blindness, neuropathy and an early death. Here are nine risks for you to evaluate:

1. Watching two plus hours of TV daily.

Increases your risk: 14%

How: More hours in front of the tube equals less activity.

The fix: Limit TV time to 10 hours a week and get off the couch and move around. Take a walk. Go for a swim. Enjoy life outdoors.

2. Drinking one soda daily…if at all.

Increases your risk: 83%

How: Soda adds extra and empty calories, which can easily lead to weight gain. Most non-diet pops are full of sugar. More than you'll probably add to your coffee.

The fix: Switch to water, diet soda, or even better, unsweetened tea, which actually protects against disease. Green teas are gaining in popularity because of their health benefits.

3. Skipping breakfast.

Increases your risk: almost 50%

How: Not having that morning meal increases the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, making you hungrier and, as a result, you're actually more likely to eat more.

4. Major depression

Increases your risk: 23%

How: Depression may alter body chemistry in a way that makes us more prone to developing diabetes.

The fix: Exercise. Even taking a walk, just 30 minutes, three times a week, has been shown to improve symptoms of depression.

5. A large waist line, even if you are of a normal weight.

Increases your risk: 330%

How: Fat in the abdomen produces compounds that make cells insulin-resistant. Women should keep their waist size below 35 inches and 40 inches for men.

The fix: A half-hour to one hour of cardio, three to five times a week.

6. Waking up in the middle of the night.

Increases your risk: 98%

How: Middle-of-the-night awakenings means you're not getting enough sleep, making you more prone to developing insulin resistance, leading to diabetes.

The fix: No caffeine in the late afternoon and evening. No TV and alcohol right before bed. Try yoga or meditation to relax.

7. Consuming fast food more than twice weekly.

Increases your risk: 100%

How: Individuals who eat burgers, fries and soda more than twice a week put on 10 extra pounds and were twice as likely to become resistant to insulin.

The fix: Stay away from fast food dining. And if you have to eat it, satisfy cravings with smaller portions.

8. High stress.

Increases your risk: 184%

How: Constant high stress can interfere with your ability to make insulin and process glucose.

The fix: Allow 10-15 minutes a day to relax. Try yoga or meditation.

9. Consuming lots of processed meats.

Increases your risk: 43%

How: These meats, like hotdogs, bacon and salami, are loaded with preservatives that may destroy insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.

The fix: Cut back on these meats or eliminate them from your diet altogether. A recent Harvard University study found that women who ate these meats less than once a week had the lowest risk. If you need to satisfy a craving, try preservative-free brands.

Glucose Meter - Living With Diabetes

It is important to understand that a glucose meter is a pretty complicated piece of machinery in the sense that you need to be very meticulous about many things about it. For one thing, you will need to take extra care in storing and keeping the blood glucose tester and the accompanying test strips. Heat and humidity can affect the performance of your blood glucose monitor and may very well ruin your test strips. When this happens, you will no longer have accurate readings from your blood glucose meter.

You will also have to take special care in understanding and practicing the correct procedures surrounding testing with a glucose meter. For instance you will need to know whether your blood glucose tester accepts blood samples from alternative sites aside from your fingertip. Some glucose monitors will readily be able to read results accurately from alternative testing sites such areas from the thigh, upper arm and the like. However, not all blood glucose meters will be able to the same. Besides, the general accuracy of testing from blood samples from other than your fingertip can really produce results that are askew.

Taking blood as samples from alternative sites other than from your fingertip will show varying degrees of results especially if you have just eaten or taken an insulin shot. The best place to draw samples from to use on your blood glucose meter is still the tip of your finger. If your fingertip has become sore from previous testing, vary the finger that you use to prevent the same soreness on other fingers.

Remember that the fingertip that you will be taking blood samples from must be completely clean. Even a minute trace of food or sugar can throw the test results completely off mark and this could mean trouble. Make sure that you thoroughly clean your finger and hands before doing a self test with your glucose meter.

If you suffer from diabetes and do not have a glucose monitor, go ahead and get yourself one. Having a blood glucose tester if you have diabetes is essential to proper diabetes care. This is a special tool that can help you cope and live with diabetes so it is important that you have one.

If you are having difficulty in deciding on what brand or type of glucose meter to use, consult your health care profession on what are the possible types that you can use easily and readily.

Begin Weight Training To Lower Blood Sugar

As we get older our bodies change. Our hormonal system produces less of the hormones than it did in our teens or twenties. Our metabolism, in most cases, slow down. Our body and its defenses become more vulnerable to outside stresses. But, during this time in life, our stresses seem to grow exponentially. We are going place with our careers. We have families. These families have demands on us physically and psychologically. Homes, automobiles, vacations, as well as many other thing s add to the stress load. This creates a downward spiral for our health. That is, unless we take measures to counteract the stresses that affect us daily.

Lets see how this affects a person afflicted with diabetes, in particular. We are going to narrow it down to the exercise factor. We will even narrow it more to just weight training. Everyone knows, or is in denial, that exercise can only be beneficial in diabetes care. The importance of weight training has not been emphasized enough to the diabetic world. Let us address this.

As we get older, our bodies change, unless we act to prevent that change. After the age of 30 years, our body adds one pound of fat each year. Not only that, but we lose about one-half pound of lean tissue mass (muscle ) each year. Add these up and we gain 15 pounds of fat every 10 years. This is preventable. This is the reason for weight training.

Muscle is a major factor in clearance of circulating blood glucose. As lean body mass increases, greater amounts of blood glucose are cleared from the blood. Muscle tissue takes in the blood glucose and stores it as glycogen. And even cooler, the greater the proportion of muscle mass to fat, the more calories are burned at rest. And weight training further increases metabolism, even after working out.

Remember, if you have diabetes, Eat a snack prior to workings out. Hydrate during and after working out. Check your blood sugar level before and after working out to prevent any episodes of hypoglycemia.

Discover Vitamins and Herbs for Diabetics

Indeed, many sufferers of diabetes have an interest in learning all about vitamins and herbs for diabetics in order to help or ward off the risk of complications that can arise if insulin levels are not maintained at a constant level. However, before we delve into vitamins and herbs for diabetics, we would be remiss if we didn't make a few dietary recommendations. As such, the following are a few suggestions:

Become good friends with fiber-rich plant foods. Eat a diet rich in fiber as it seems to be helpful in reducing blood sugar surges.

Trim the saturated fat and cholesterol. Put simply, eat less or eliminate animal products and eat more whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

Say hello to antioxidant-rich foods. Antioxidants are disease-fighting substances that mop up the continuous onslaught of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells as they travel through the body and are responsible for laying the groundwork for the most serious complications of diabetes if left unchecked. Plant-derived foods are rich in antioxidant nutrients.

Get nuts and seeds. Include in your diet nuts and seeds.

Slash the refined sugars. Your diet should be low in refined sugars.

Now, before we discuss vitamins and herbs for diabetics it's important that we make a few comments. Indeed, there are many nutrients that may help aid a person who suffers from diabetes, but one should never stop taking their insulin or any medication prescribed. However, it may be possible to take these vitamins and herbs for diabetics as well as other nutrients in conjunction with your prescription medications or insulin if you consult your physician first. Moreover, you need to make sure these herbs or nutrients are appropriate for your condition.

That said, let's delve into vitamins and herbs for diabetics. In fact, let's begin with the herbal kingdom.

Become familiar with Ayurvedic medicine. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia), gudmar (Gymnema sylvestre), and gulvel (Tinospora cordifo), are highly respected herbal remedies used to regulate blood sugar levels in Ayurvedic medicine. In addition, gudmar (Gymnema sylvestre) reduces the cravings for sweet foods. As such, it is known as the "sugar killer."

Look into this exciting new herbal called Banaba Leaf. Banaba is a medicinal plant grown in the Philippines and Asia where its leaves have long been used as a folk remedy for treating diabetes as well as kidney disease. New research has shown this medicinal plant can lower unwanted levels of glucose in the blood.

Meet the berry family. Cedar berries are excellent nourishment for the pancreas and huckleberry may help promote insulin production. Juniper berries have been found to lower blood glucose levels and bilberry helps prevent diabetic eye damage. In addition, bilberry has shown to reduce blood sugar levels.

Stop! Don't mow down that nasty back yard weed just yet. Dandelion root is a liver protector, which converts nutrients into glucose. Moreover, some studies have found that it may lower blood sugar levels and, as such, possibly benefiting those with diabetes.

Fill up on fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds have been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels in studies. However, there is a one drawback to this herb. You have to take a lot (15 to 100 grams daily) of fenugreek seeds to obtain an effect, and it is also associated with mild gastrointestinal upset. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to have this knowledge and it is indeed on the list of vitamins and herbs for diabetics.

Discover Gingko biloba. Ginkgo is a well-known powerful antioxidant that is prized for its ability to enhance circulation.

Other herbs that may possibly help lower or improve blood-sugar levels include: Garlic, Ginseng, Psyllium, and Nopal (prickly pear cactus).

Now, let's move forward on our topic of this article, vitamins and herbs for diabetics and discuss vitamins.

Befriend vitamins A, B, C, and E. First, vitamins A, C, and E are antioxidants. Vitamin A with carotenoids is needed to maintain eye health. The B vitamins help produce enzymes that convert glucose to energy. In addition, the Bs may be helpful as an aid in preventing diabetic nerve damage. A deficiency in vitamin C may lead to vascular problems for diabetes sufferers. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids may slow or prevent complications that occur in this condition. Vitamin E improves circulation and helps prevent complications as well.

Check out Inositol. Inositol is considered a B-complex vitamin that has shown to relieve numbness and tingling in the hands in feet. As such, it may be helpful in protecting against peripheral neuropathy.

But wait, there are other helpful nutrients for diabetes that goes beyond vitamins and herbs for diabetics. Let's discover who they are now.

Get real acquainted with Alpha-lipoic acid. Alpha-lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant that helps control blood sugar levels. It has been used as a supplement to treat diabetic neuropathy, the nerve pain or tingling or numbness in the hands and feet that is common among individuals with diabetes. In fact, alpha lipoic acid is approved in Germany as an effective prescription drug for diabetic neuropathy.