DIABETES
Doctors and people with diabetes have observed that infections seem more common if you have diabetes. Research in this area, however, has not proved whether this is entirely true, nor why. It may be that high levels of blood sugar impair your body's natural healing process and your ability to fight infections. For women, bladder and vaginal infections are especially common.
Diabetes mellitus, also known as simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period.This high blood sugar produces the symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger. Untreated, diabetes can cause many complications. Acute complications include diabetic ketoacidosis and nonketotic hyperosmolar coma.[4] Serious long-term complications include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, foot ulcers and damage to the eyes.Slow-healing sores or frequent infections.
symptoms of diabetes
Tingling hands and feet
Excess sugar in your blood can lead to nerve damage. You may notice tingling and loss of sensation in your hands and feet, as well as burning pain in your arms, hands, legs and feet.
Red, swollen, tender gums
Diabetes may weaken your ability to fight germs, which increases the risk of infection in your gums and in the bones that hold your teeth in place. Your gums may pull away from your teeth, your teeth may become loose, or you may develop sores or pockets of pus in your gums — especially if you have a gum infection before diabetes develops.
Take your body's hints seriously
If you notice any possible diabetes signs or symptoms, contact your doctor. The earlier the condition is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin. Diabetes is a serious condition. But with your active participation and the support of your health care team, you can manage diabetes while enjoying an active, healthy life.
Excessive thirst and increased urination
Excessive thirst and increased urination are classic diabetes symptoms.
When you have diabetes, excess sugar builds up in your blood. Your kidneys are forced to work overtime to filter and absorb the excess sugar. If your kidneys can't keep up, the excess sugar is excreted into your urine along with fluids drawn from your tissues. This triggers more frequent urination, which may leave you dehydrated. As you drink more fluids to quench your thirst, you'll urinate even more
Fatigue
You may feel fatigued. Many factors can contribute to this. They include dehydration from increased urination and your body's inability to function properly, since it's less able to use sugar for energy needs.
Weight loss
Weight fluctuations also fall under the umbrella of possible diabetes signs and symptoms. When you lose sugar through frequent urination, you also lose calories. At the same time, diabetes may keep the sugar from your food from reaching your cells — leading to constant hunger. The combined effect is potentially rapid weight loss, especially if you have type 1 diabetes.
Blurred vision
Diabetes symptoms sometimes involve your vision. High levels of blood sugar pull fluid from your tissues, including the lenses of your eyes. This affects your ability to focus.
Left untreated, diabetes can cause new blood vessels to form in your retina — the back part of your eye — and damage established vessels. For most people, these early changes do not cause vision problems. However, if these changes progress undetected, they can lead to vision loss and blindness.
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Other preventive tips:
• Protect your feet with comfortable shoes that fit well. Before you put on shoes, always check to make sure there are no pebbles or other objects inside.
• Test water temperature before you put your feet in to prevent burns.
• Wash your feet daily with soap and water and dry them thoroughly to help prevent infection.
• After bathing, moisturize dry skin on your feet with lotion, petroleum jelly, lanolin, or oil to prevent skin from cracking, which can lead to infection. Don't put lotion between your toes.
• Ask your doctor to show you how to trim toenails. Soak your feet in lukewarm water to soften nails and trim them straight across to avoid ingrown toenails.
• If you have corns or calluses, have them checked and removed by a podiatrist, a health care professional who specializes in managing foot diseases.
• Exercise regularly and avoid smoking to promote good circulation.
• Don't walk around barefoot.
Five herbal remedies for diabetes
Fenugreek or Methi
Used in paranthas and various Indian curries, Methi has many health benefits. It has been used as a galactogogue – a substance used to increase the secretion of milk in breast-feeding mothers. Read about why women should include methi in their diet
Anti-diabetes action:
In recent times, clinical trials on people with type 2 diabetes show that fenugreek has the valuable property of reducing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the stomach during the process of digestion; it also appears to be capable of stimulating the pancreatic cells to increase insulin production. Both these actions are believed to be a result of the action by an amino acid present in fenugreek called 4-hydroxyisoleucine.
Tip
Soak the methi seeds in water overnight and drink this water and chew on the seeds first thing in the morning.
Place methi seeds in a skillet and dry roast using medium heat for about two minutes, with constant stirring. Allow the seeds to cool and then powder; add one teaspoon of this powder to hot or cold water and take once or twice in a day.
Boil one cup of water and add 2 tablespoons of methi seeds, steep for about 10 minutes and then strain and consume the liquid. Do this twice every day to see a reduction of blood glucose levels.
Bitter Gourd or Karela
Most people are familiar with bitter gourd – an unpalatable yet healthy vegetable that is typically cooked in tangy gravy to offset the bitterness.
Anti-diabetes action:
Several studies have found that karela extracts have the ability to reduce the activity of the alpha glucosidase enzyme and this helps to reduce the hyperglycemia that typically follows a meal. This insulin-like action is believed to be due to a substance called polypeptide-P. Bitter melon has also been found to contain a phytonutrient called charantin that allows the glucose from the blood to be moved into the muscles, adipose (fat) tissue and liver, lowering blood glucose levels in diabetics. Also read emerging natural treatments for diabetes in India
Tip
Select a green bitter gourd, slice it lengthwise, and scrape away he flesh to remove the seeds. Then add the vegetable to a blender and run it to obtain a juice. Drink one small glass of this juice first thing every morning.
Take some pieces of dried bitter gourd, boil in one cup of water and consume this tea once or twice in a day. This tea is not as bitter as the fresh juice and easier to consume.
Cut a few slices of bitter gourd and add to stir-fry dishes, especially in combination with vegetables that have a sweetish taste of their own – this will help mask their bitter taste.
Pterocarpus or Vijaysar
A deciduous tree that occurs widely in the Deccan peninsula, Pterocarpus marsupium of the Fabaceae family is considered especially useful in people with type 2 diabetes.
Anti-diabetes action:
Studies have found that pterocarpus extracts may be able to reduce the glucose absorption by the intestines, making it effective in diabetes type 2. This anti-diabetic action has also been noted in some clinical studies carried out on humans.
Tip: Use a wooden glass made from the pterocarpus bark to store water overnight and drink the brownish-coloured water early the next morning. Replace the glass with a new one after about one month or whenever the water stops changing in colour. Immerse a piece of pterocarpus wood in a glass of drinking water at night and drink the water the next morning. The same piece of wood can be used for two or three days.
Gymnema or Gurmar
As the name indicates, Gurmar is a climbing shrub and the leaves have been traditionally believed to be capable of destroying sugar.
Anti-diabetic action:
Gymnema leaves contain saponins and gymnemic acids that have anti-diabetic action. Studies have found that gymnemic acids show the ability to reduce the amount of sugar absorbed by the intestine during the process of digestion. Chewing on a few leaves of gymnema can reduce your power to sense the sweetness of foods and this observation has led researchers to conclude that this remedy may play a role in suppressing appetite – an effect that is useful to diabetics who seek to control their dietary intake. In some studies, gymnema also appears to increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas.
Tip: Commercially available as tablets and capsules, gymnema may also be made into a tea by boiling a handful of dry leaves in a glass of water, along with some cardamom to mask the bitterness. Add about one teaspoon of gymnema leaf powder when preparing green tea and drink once or twice in a day.
