Top Tips to Avoid Diabetic Hypoglycemia

Diabetic hypoglycemia is very dangerous and even life threatening. Living as a diabetic for over a decade, I have learned from experience and from the advice of my health care provider tips to avoid diabetic hypoglycemia. It is important for anyone living with diabetes or with a diabetic person to learn tips to avoid diabetic hypoglycemia.

What is diabetic hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia is when your blood sugars drop abnormally low. With diabetes there is a condition called diabetic hypoglycemia. Diabetic hypoglycemia typically occurs when a diabetic is having too tight a control of their blood sugars. The blood sugar level becomes too low for the diabetic, even though it's normal range for a non-diabetic. Diabetic hypoglycemia results when the blood sugar range is below what is normally kept in that particular diabetic's body because of the sudden drop in overall sugar levels.

Don't Skip Snacks or Meals

As a diabetic, it is imperative that you keep a scheduled and regular eating routine. Your body needs food and fuel in order to function. Too much blood sugar can cause long term damage. But not enough blood sugar can cause diabetic hypoglycemia. Skipping meals or snacks can drop your blood sugar levels and induce diabetic hypoglycemia.

Drink Plenty of Water

Water enables your body to better use your insulin that you either inject or take orally. A danger is becoming dehydrated because you don't want to make constant runs to the bathroom. Water also helps to regular your sugar levels if you're diabetic. Not enough water and you run the risk of getting diabetic hypoglycemia.

Know the Warning Signs of Hypoglycemia

Learn, memorize and know the warning signs of diabetic hypoglycemia. Knowing the warning signs can mean the difference in life and a coma. If you go into diabetic hypoglycemia and sugars plummet too low, you're at risk for a coma. Sugars below 70 mg per dl should be treated immediately. Warning signs include pounding heart, headache, dizziness, sudden fatigue or alertness, nightmares if asleep, sweating and less awareness of your surroundings.

Write Down Your Medication Times

One way that you can accidentally get diabetic hypoglycemia is taking too much insulin. Write down your medication times. This will prevent you from double dosing because you forgot that you took a dose of insulin. Just get in the habit of doing this on a daily basis.

Count Your Carbohydrates Instead of Guessing

If you use fast acting insulin at meals and snacks, count your carbohydrates and sugars instead of guessing. If you guess, you run the risk of taking too much insulin for what you ate and getting diabetic hypoglycemia. This can be extremely dangerous.

Lower Your Overall Sugars Slowly

With tight diabetic control, some of us want to lower our A1C scores quickly. We get excited to be back on control and end up lowering the overall sugars too quickly. This can send our diabetic bodies into diabetic hypoglycemia. Your sugar doesn't have to go as low as 70 if your body had been used to the 250 or higher range to be susceptible to diabetic hypoglycemia.

Protein Snack Prior to Exercise

Eat a small protein snack prior to exercise. My doctor and I have been working on losing weight to lower my overall need for insulin. I walk several miles a day. Prior to each walking session, I was told to have a small protein snack. This will give your body the fuel it needs to keep you from hitting a diabetic hypoglycemia attack during your exercise.

(Bukisa ID #32564)

Content Source: Top Tips to Avoid Diabetic Hypoglycemia - Bukisa.com

Diabetes Symptoms? How To Get A Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free

If you or someone you know may have diabetes, or you suspect you may be suffering from the symtoms of diabetes, click here to get a Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free.

People who are prone to diabetes—especially those who have the disease in their family's history—should consider that there is a great possibility that they or their kids might inherit the illness. So, the best way to go about it is become very informed about the condition. The following are some the things that people who are prone to diabetes must consider:

1. TYPE OF DIABETES. Experts say that the severity of diabetes can be determined through its types including "type 1diabetes" also known as "juvenile diabetes" or "insulin-dependent diabetes" which is an auto-immune type targeting the body's immune system and the least common type; the "type 2 diabetes" also known as "non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" or "adult-onset diabetes" which is affects the amount of insulin produced in the person's body, and "gestational diabetes" which is common among women who are conceiving or pregnant.

2. SYMPTOMS. To know if you are suffering from diabetes or not, knowing the symptoms for each type would help you a lot. Those who suffering from type 1diabetes would experience 1diabetes exceptional thirstiness, dryness of mouth despite taking in lots of fluid, the urgent need to urinate more often, drastic loss of weight even is they are eating fairly well, exhaustion or feeling of being weak or tired despite less workload, and blurring of vision in most occasions. For type 2 diabetes, sufferers experience often blurring of vision, wounds, sores, or cuts that takes a long time to heal, itchiness of skin in many parts of the body, frequent development of yeast infections, increased or onset thirst, drying of mouth, frequent urination, and mild to extreme leg pains. Gestational diabetes symptoms are also alike with other types it's just that they are short termed because the disease ends once the woman gives birth. However, people who have this type of diabetes should be more careful because it can lead to type 2 if not monitored and treated immediately.

3. DIAGNOSIS. For a person to finally know whether he or she suffers from diabetes, tests for diagnosis are a must. Although the symptoms can give you a hint whether you are suffering from the illness or not, relying on these are not enough. Experts say that only way to confirm if one has diabetes or not is to get a test. Now, there are so many types of tests that one can get including:

• 
  

  fasting plasma glucose test which, is considered as the most preferred test for people with diabetes and requires a person to go fasting at least eight hours or ideally the night before the test to ensure that the blood sample that will be drawn and examined for glucose levels is accurate;

  
  


• 
  

  random blood glucose test which, unlike the Fasting Plasma Glucose test, doesn’t require fasting but the blood samples should be drawn out immediately after the person has eaten or has drunk something;

  
  


• 
  

  oral glucose tolerance test which requires the person to fast not less than 8 hours and prohibits him or her to smoke cigar and drink coffee before drawing the blood sample for the testing;

  
  


• 
  

  glucose challenge test is for women who are prone to gestational diabetes when they are pregnant;

  
  


• 
  

  impaired fasting glucose test which is considered as a new diagnostic category for people with diabetes. Here, blood sugar levels are and can determine the probability of the person to have diabetes.

  
  

If you or someone you know may have diabetes, or you suspect you may be suffering from the symtoms of diabetes, click here to get a Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free.

(Bukisa ID #73889)

Content Source: Diabetes Symptoms? How To Get A Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free - Bukisa.com

Diabetes Treatment: Get A Blood Glucose Diabetes Test Meter Free Of Charge

If you or someone you know may have diabetes, or you suspect you may be suffering from the symtoms of diabetes, click here to get a Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free.

Medications and treatments for diabetes

What is sad about people who are suffering from diabetes is that many of them remain undiagnosed mainly because of lack of knowledge on the disease and lack of resources to even visit a doctor and know their real condition. In fact, more often than not, "diabetics" or the people who are suffering from diabetes only know about their condition once their bodies exhibit signs and symptoms that can no longer be ignored. These include extreme blurring of vision, excruciating pains especially in the legs, and cuts or sores that takes time to heal and worse, wounds that don’t heal at all and needs to cut to avoid other affected cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

Treatment and medical options

Since diabetes is a chronic disease, people who are suffering from it should be more vigilant about their health more than ever. It means that they should visit their doctors more often, maintain a healthy lifestyle and take the necessary medications or undergo needed treatments for them to stay healthy.

Before taking in any medication or undergoing a specific treatment, it is a must that person knows what type of diabetes he or she is suffering from. Basically, there are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes wherein the person's body doesn’t have the capability to produce insulin, which is crucial for sugar to turn the food into energy; the type 2 diabetes—the most common type—restricts the person's pancreas to produce enough supply insulin for the body to use well; and the gestational diabetes which occurs among pregnant women and can lead to type 2 diabetes eventually if not monitored immediately.

Experts say that people with diabetes should aim for healthy diet and getting regular exercise to control the illness. At times, there will be the need to take in some medications or undergo treatments. The following are just some of the common medications advised for people with diabetes:

• 
  

  Insulin shots. Since insufficient insulin levels in the body cause diabetes, insulin itself can solve the problem. For diabetics, insulin is very important because it lowers the blood sugar in the body by moving the sugar from the person's blood into the cells. Insulin should be taken at least two times daily to ensure that there will be stable blood sugar control. It should be taken at least 30 minutes before each meal or should be taken before one eats especially if she or he takes a fast effecting type.

  
  


• 
  

  Oral medications. People with type 1 diabetes are not advised to use oral medications since insulin shots are injected in their bodies 24/7 in order to survive. Oral medications work best to people with type 2 diabetes—especially those who have high blood sugar—because these can serve as a supplement for them. The most common oral medications include sulfonylureas which forces the pancreas to produce more insulin to lower the blood sugar levels; siguanides which helps achieve lower blood sugar by stopping the liver in producing too much sugar; metformin which helps the person lose weight which is the common cause of diabetes; thiazolidinediones which helps the cells develop higher sensitivity to insulin which moves the glucose from the blood; and meglitinides which is responsible for helping the pancreas produce more insulin immediately after each meal to effectively lower blood sugar levels.

  
  

If you or someone you know may have diabetes, or you suspect you may be suffering from the symtoms of diabetes, click here to get a Diabetes Blood Glucose Test Meter Absolutely Free.

(Bukisa ID #73890)

Content Source: Diabetes Treatment: Get A Blood Glucose Diabetes Test Meter Free Of Charge - Bukisa.com

All you wanted to know about Diabetes-in nutshell!!!

Diabetes mellitus, often referred to simply as diabetes, is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin.

Types of Diabetes:

*Type I Diabetes: It is a condition where patients do not produce their own Insulin, which is required for uptake and processing of sugar by body cells. Here the patient has no option but to take Insulin shots daily.

*Type II Diabetes: Also known as Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus(NIDDM).Here the cells in the body become resistant to action of Insulin, also Pancreas produces too little Insulin. This type of Diabetes usually occurs in adults at age 40 or older.

Signs of Diabetes:

*You are often thirsty

*You pass urine frequently

*You suddenly start losing weight

*You do not have enough energy.

*You cannot see well.

*You are more prone to infections

*Your cuts and bruises heal slowly

*You feel tingling or numbness in your hands of feet

Long term complications of Diabetes:

*Heart Disease: The arteries become blocked and narrow. This can lead to High Blood Pressure, strokes, heart attacks and poor blood circulation.

*Retinopathy :It is damage to retina of eye.

*Neuropathy: It is the damage to nerves producing weakness, numbness and burning particularly in feet and hands.

*Nephropathy: It is damage to Kidney.

*Type I Diabetes can cause a potentially fatal condition called as Diabetic Ketoacidosis which can lead to “Diabetic coma”.

Tests for Diabetes: A fasting Blood sugar in excess of 126 mg per cent or post prandial (after meal) sugar of more than 200 mg per cent indicates presence of Diabetes. A person suffering from Diabetes must also carry out these tests to rule out other complications:HbA1c(Glucose memory test),Lipid Profile, Cardiac Risk Markers, Liver Profile, Renal profile.

Managing Diabetes: *Eat more of complex carbohydrates like cereals(wheat, jowar, bajra),high fibre (vegetables) and avoid refined sugars and fat.

*Exercise, like simple walking daily is a must.

*Take your medicines regularly.

*Tobacco, in any form and alcohol must be avoided.

*Skin and foot care is very important.

*Regular checking of Blood Sugar level is must.

*Visit your family doctor regularly to avoid long term complications.

*Carry an identity card that you are Diabetic every time.

Food for Diabetics:

*Totally avoid sugar, glucose, jaggery, honey, all sweets, ice creams, chocolates, alcohol,soft drinks.

*Restrict use of rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, mangoes, fried food, biscuits, puris, parathas, ghee, mayonnaise, butter and other milk products.

*Consume more of whole grains and cereals like wheat, jowar, bajra, oats and also dals, sprouted legumes and curd.

*Also consume a lot of vegetables like cabbage, green peas, carrot, lady’s finger, cucumber, radish, bitter gourd, lemon, tomatoes and other green leafy vegetables and fruits like jamun(rose apple) apple, watermelon, figs and pomegranate, besides clear soups, buttermilk, salads, lime water without sugar and salt.

*Cook your meals by methods like boiling, grilling, baking rather than frying.

*Non vegetarians should consume low fat foods like egg white and lean portions of chicken and fish over egg yolk and red meat. Avoid gravies cooked with coconut and groundnut.

*Have 4-5 small meals in a day, giving lot of importance to a very healthy breakfast. Diabetes and exercise: *Exercise helps in stabilizing and controlling blood sugar level.

*Exercise also strengthens your heart and helps in lowering blood pressure, triglyceride level and increases HDL(good cholesterol).

*Remember that you should only stick to low impact exercises like walking, cycling, swimming, Yoga, etc. Start your exercise program only after consultation with Doctor.

Medicines used in treatment of Diabetes:

*Modern Medicines: For type II Diabetes, Sulphonyl urea like Glibenclamide,Glimepiride,Gliclazide,Chlorpropramide,Glipizide,etc,Biguanide like Metformin, Phenformin, Thiazolidinedione like Pioglitazone, Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitor like Acarbose. When Monotherapy fails, combination of Sulphonyl Urea and Biguanide, Biguanide and Thiazolidinedione, Sulphonyl Urea and Thiazolidinedione may be used.

For Type I Diabetes daily Insulin Injection has to be taken.

*Ayurveda: Ayurvedic Medicines for Diabetes are Vasant Kusumakar Ras, Chandraprabha vati, Arogyavardhini, Shilajit Vati, Gokhshuradi Guggul, Asanad tablets, Trivanga Bhasma,etc.

*Homeopathy: Medicines like Uranium Nitrate, Bryonia, Baryta Carbonica, Plumbum, etc are used.

*Herbal Therapy: Herbs like Salacia oblonga,Gudmar, Turmeric, Neem leaves, Tulsi(Holy Basil) leaves, Amla(Indian Gooseberry),Guggul, Arjuna, Fenugreek seeds, Bilva, Bitter Gourd, Triphala, Gokshura, Vidanga, Asan, Jamun(Rose Apple) and its seeds, Cinnamon, Wheatgrass powder, etc are used.

*Yoga:Yogasanas like Sarvangasana and Pachimothasana, Halasana, Shirsasana, etc have proved beneficial.

*Pranayama(Yogic Breathing Techniques):Kapalbhati Pranayam and Anulom-Vinolom Pranayama has proved to be beneficial in controlling Blood Sugar.

*Other Alternative Therapies: Accupuncture, Magneto-Therapy has also shown some promise in controlling Blood Sugar. Research is going on in use of Stem Cells for treating Diabetes. If it succeeds then there will be a permanent cure for this dreadful disease. Vitamins, Minerals And Other Supplements for Diabetics:

*Methylcobalamin, Alpha lipoic acid, Inositol, Benfotiamine, Pyridoxine have shown to retard progression of Diabetes related complications.

*Homocysteine lowering Vitamins like B Vitamins, Folic acid, Antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, E, Selenium, Carotenoids, Flavanoids also help.

*Chromium Picolinate, an essential trace metal micronutrient must be taken regularly.

CAUTION: These medicines and supplements must only be taken only under supervision of qualified physician.

(Bukisa ID #119395)

Content Source: All you wanted to know about Diabetes-in nutshell!!! - Bukisa.com

Eight Nutritional Supplements That May Help Diabetics

More and more diabetics are taking diabetes nutritional supplements in an effort to control their diabetes and prevent progression of the disease. While not all diabetes nutritional supplements live up to their claims, there are some supplements that seem to have benefit in diabetics. Do you need to take diabetes supplements if you have the disease? That would all depend upon your particular medical history. Before taking any nutritional supplements, it's best to check with your doctor. Here are some nutritional supplements shown to have a positive impact on diabetes control in some studies:

1. Multivitamin

Studies have shown that diabetics who take a multivitamin supplement on a consistent basis have a significantly lower risk of developing infection compared to those who don't.

2. Chromium

Chromium is a mineral that plays a critical role in keeping your blood sugars normal. Supplementation with at least 200 mcg of chromium per day in diabetics has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels as well as improve their lipid profiles by lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL cholesterol levels. (the good cholesterol). Chromium supplements even improve the ability to process glucose in patients who are prediabetic.Some diabetics may need higher doses of chromium than the recommended 200 mcg, but it would be best to check with your doctor before exceeding this amount.

3. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

ALA supplementation in diabetics has shown it may have the ability to make the muscle tissue more sensitive to glucose so it can better utilize it. It's also a potent antioxidant which may help to prevent some of the free radical damage that occurs in diabetics. Free radical damage is thought to lead to some of the complications seen in diabetes such as diabetic nerve, eye, and kidney disease..

4. Magnesium

This particular mineral shows mixed results in trials. Diabetics have been shown to be deficient in magnesium when blood levels are measured. In support of supplementation, are studiesthat show insulin requirements are reduced in diabetics who supplement with 500
mg. of Magnesium per day. On the negative side, one trial showed no effect of magnesium supplementation on a group of patients with type 2 diabetes. There is some evidence that magnesium supplemented patients develop fewer diabetic eye related complications than those who don't take supplements. Does it make sense to supplement with this mineral? It probably wouldn't hurt to do so as the predominance of evidence supports its role in helping to normalize blood sugars. Plus, it's a relatively inexpensive and harmless diabetes nutritional supplement .

5. Cinnamon

This one is a real bonus! Most of us have cinnamon hiding somewhere in our cabinets and it can now be put to good use. Studies have shown that adding as little as 1/4 teaspoon to your diet two to three times a day can lower blood glucose levels by increasing insulin sensitivity . Cinnamon supplementation has also been shown to cause positive changes in the lipid profiles of diabetics. Be aware that cinnamon supplementation may take up to 30 days to produce results. Be sure to let your doctor know you're supplementing with cinnamon as this may alter your insulin requirements.

6. Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is an important component needed for normal carbohydrate metabolism. It's also a powerful antioxidant that may help to prevent some of the complications of diabetes. Both people and animals with diabetes have been show to have lower levels of Coenzyme Q10. Some studies have also shown that supplementing with Coenzyme Q10 at between 100-200 mcg per day lowers blood glucose levels, while others have shown no improvement in glucose levels or insulin sensitivity. The verdict is still out on whether this supplement is a truly beneficial diabetes nutritional supplement. Hopefully, future research will clarify this.

7. Zinc

Diabetics tend to have lower zinc levels than the average population. Combine this with the fact that zinc deficiency appears to play some role in the development of diabetes and you can see why this supplement might be recommended. Zinc has been shown to decrease glucose levels in those with Type I diabetes, but has shown rather disappointing results in improving blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics. Type 2 diabetics should still consider taking this diabetes supplement since they tend to be zinc deficient which can cause impaired immune function. The standard dose is between 15 and 35 mg per day.

8. Garlic

Garlic has been shown to help normalize blood sugars by stimulating the release of insulin. It also appears to have positive benefits on the lipid profile of diabetics. If you don't want to take a supplement, consider adding more garlic to your diet.

It's encouraging to know there's growing evidence that simple and inexpensive diabetes nutritional supplements may play a role in controlling blood sugars. It will be interesting to see what additional research will show in this area. As always, consult with your doctor before taking any nutritional supplements.

(Bukisa ID #82957)

Content Source: Eight Nutritional Supplements That May Help Diabetics - Bukisa.com

all you need to know about diabetes

How It's Caused

Diabetes is a disease which is caused by the lack of insulin production in the pancreas and that is caused either by 2 reasons. One reason is the genes which come from another family member. For example if any of your family member has diabetes then there is a chance that you might also get diabetes because of them as the genes will get transferred. One more reason by which diabetes is caused is the internal weakness pancreas cells. This means that there is a chance that by birth you might be having weak pancreas cells. If this happens then you might get diabetes at any age when your pancreas cells become weak and when they cannot burn glucose.

When the pancreas gets weak then you might get diabetes

Types of Diabetes

Diabetes is mainly of 2 types. The first type of diabetes is diabetes type 1. It is also caused due to the same reasons but the basic difference is that in this type of diabetes your pancreas cells might be very weak and they might not be producing any insulin which will not help you in controlling your glucose. . The second type of diabetes is called diabetes type 2 in which the pancreas will create a very little amount of insulin or sometimes no at all. In this type of diabetes it is still easy for a person to control his glucose as some insulin is produced by the pancreas but still the insulin production is not sufficient. That is why that person will need to take some amount of insulin externally.

Symptoms of Diabetes

There are few symptoms of diabetes which will let you know that someone who shows such symptoms might have caught diabetes. A few of those symptoms are-

1. Feeling of too much thirst- this usually happens in the initial stages of diabetes when you don't even know and your pancreas will not be creating any insulin so you might feel thirstier.


2. Too much of urination- When diabetes starts then all he glucose which comes out of your body comes out in the form of urine so you will get more urine than normal if you have got diabetes.

How to Control Your Diabetes

Diabetes is not a very easy disease to control. There are many sacrifices which a person has to do if he wants to control his diabetes. Now technology has developed and there is a new machine called a glucometer which helps in checking blood sugar and it will allow you to know what is your blood sugar. You need to just prick your fingers and then put the blood and it will tell your glucose content in your blood. There is a new invention which is called insulin pump in which you don't need to do anything but you just need to connect it to your stomach and adjust the doses and then the insulin will go in your blood.

The picture show a person pricked his finger so to check his glucose.

Injections

Being a diabetic you not only have to eat plain foods but you also need to bare the pain of insulin injections. If you get diabetes then according to your diet, age and weight you will need to take different number of injections per day. You can put injections ate the arms, abdomen, thighs and arms.

Below is a picture which shows how young people are taking injections.

She is taking an injection in her arm.

Taking injection in the abdomen is very painful.

My Experience with Diabetes

I am a diabetic since 8 years and I have still not been able to control my glucose. Being a diabetic I am not at all allowed to take any sugary or any fatty food as this will increase my glucose. Being a diabetic is a real tough job and I have to be real careful with my diet. At the present I am taking insulin injections 3 times a day. I have to be very active so that I can burn all the extra sugar and glucose from my body. It is a difficult job to be a diabetic. I am not allowed to eat any sweets or any food like butter in a high quantity as this will increase my glucose.

Feel free to take a look at my other articles-

download full and free songs

download full and free videos

add subtitles to any movie

download full and free psp games

download free movies

convert and put videos in your ipod

learn to put videos on your psp

put multimedia in your ipod

10 ways to maintain your aquarium

all you need to know about an aquarium

(Bukisa ID #55055)

Content Source: all you need to know about diabetes - Bukisa.com