Diabetes Natural Remedies

Diabetes is a chronic disease which is distinguished by a distortion to the metabolism and increased levels of blood sugar which give rise to reduced insulin levels. The symptoms of diabetes can look very much like those of a host of other conditions and the disease can go undetected for years. Diabetic screenings are important because early diagnosis and treatment greatly improve the quality of life for those who have this disease.

There are two key forms of diabetes that those individuals who are unfamiliar with the disease often find it hard to separate and these are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells which itself is caused by an auto-immune attack. It cannot be prevented and accounts for roughly 10 percent of all cases of diabetes (or more accurately diabetes mellitus) in North America and Europe. This type of diabetes can be found in children and adults and is often called juvenile diabetes.

It is possible to treat type 1 diabetes very successfully by closely monitoring levels of blood glucose and adjusting the level of insulin in the body. Both forms of diabetes can require the enhancement of the body’s insulin level and diabetic coma can result if the body’s insulin level falls too quickly.

Aside from administering insulin, the best form of management for type 1 diabetes is a program of diet and exercise. Individuals with this disease must know their glucose level and be sure that insulin is replaced by injection or use of an insulin pump.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, the type 2 form of this disease occurs as a result of insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity combined with the body’s reduced insulin production. Type 2 diabetes is commonly seen in people who are obese, are advanced in age, have a family history and who take little or no exercise.

Type 1 diabetics have to use medication because their bodies cannot make insulin. Type 2 diabetics however have several different choices in terms of controlling their condition. Diet and exercise might well be enough to keep type 2 diabetes under control but oral medication and insulin might also be included in treatment.

There are several treatment choices available but the most critical part of the equation is the patient. This may well be chronic but that does not mean that it is a lost cause and there are many ways to keep the body healthy when you have diabetes. Indeed, the diabetic himself or herself is the key player when it comes to fighting the side effects of this all too common disease.