Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat.Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. 
With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. 
With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.
Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 diabetes.
 

With Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin.
 Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood.
Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

Type 1 diabetes happens most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age. 

Symptoms may include

    Being very thirsty
    Urinating often
    Feeling very hungry or tired
    Losing weight without trying
    Having sores that heal slowly
    Having dry, itchy skin
    Losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
    Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. If you do, you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes may include
fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes.
You should also monitor your glucose level and take medicine if prescribed. 

When you are pregnant, too much glucose is not good for your baby.Gestational diabetes is diabetes that happens for the first time when a woman is pregnant.Gestational diabetes goes away when you have your baby, but it does increase your risk for having diabetes later.
If you already have diabetes before you get pregnant, you need to monitor and control your blood sugar levels.

Either type of diabetes during pregnancy raises the risk of problems for the baby and the mother. To help reduce these risks, you should follow your meal plan, exercise, test your blood sugar and take your medicine.

If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are too high.Over time, this can cause problems with other body functions, such as your kidneys, nerves, feet, and eyes.Having diabetes can also put you at a higher risk for heart disease and bone and joint disorders.Other long-term complications of diabetes include skin problems, digestive problems, sexual dysfunction, and problems with your teeth and gums.

Diabetic retinopathy happens when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside your retina. You may not notice at first. Symptoms can include

    Blurry or double vision
    Rings, flashing lights or blank spots
    Dark or floating spots
    Pain or pressure in one or both of your eyes
    Trouble seeing things out of the corners of your eyes



If you have diabetes, you should have a complete eye exam every year. Finding and treating problems early may save your vision. Treatment often includes laser treatment or surgery. 


If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your kidneys. Your kidneys are filters that clean your blood. If they are damaged, waste and fluids build up in your blood instead of leaving your body.

Healthy kidneys clean your blood by removing excess fluid, minerals and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. But if the kidneys are damaged, they don't work properly. Harmful wastes can build up in your body. Your blood pressure may rise. Your body may retain excess fluid and not make enough red blood cells. This is called kidney failure.

If your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work they normally do. The treatment options are dialysis or a kidney transplant. Each treatment has benefits and drawbacks. No matter which treatment you choose, you'll need to make some changes in your life, including how you eat and plan your activities. But with the help of healthcare providers, family and friends, most people with kidney failure can lead full and active lives.

Kidney damage from diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy. It begins long before you have symptoms. An early sign of it is small amounts of protein in your urine. A urine test can detect it. A blood test can also help determine how well your kidneys are working.If the damage continues, your kidneys could fail. In fact, diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. People with kidney failure need either dialysis or a kidney transplant.

You can slow down kidney damage or keep it from getting worse. Controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, taking your medicines and not eating too much protein can help.

Very high or very low blood sugar levels can also lead to emergencies in people with diabetes. The cause can be an underlying infection, certain medicines, or even the medicines you take to control your diabetes. If you feel nauseated, sluggish or shaky, seek emergency care.






 

Life


Birth means when a baby animal comes out of its egg, or out of its mother after pregnancy. It is sometimes thought of as the beginning of life.

Life is mainly a biological idea that has no simple definition. The study of life is called biology and people who study life are biologists.A lifespan is the average length of life in a species. All life is directly or indirectly powered by solar energy. Without energy from the sun no life could exist.
All known life on Earth is based on the chemistry of carbon compounds. Some say that this must be true for all possible forms of life throughout the Universe;others describe this position as "carbon chauvinism".

Death is the end of life in a living system, or in a part of it.

Healthy lifestyle 

You hear a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but what does that mean? In general, a healthy person doesn't smoke, is at a healthy weight, eats healthy and exercises. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
The trick to healthy living is making small changes...taking more steps, adding fruit to your cereal, having an extra glass of water...these are just a few ways you can start living healthy without drastic changes. 


Foods Considered Healthy 


  • apples, pears
  • citrus, banana
  • lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, kale
  • cabbage, root vegetables (carrots, beets, etc.)
  • beans, peas
  • milk with 0.5% or 1.5% fat, yogurt with 1.5% fat
  • whole grain bread, crisp bread, oats
  • salmon, herring, tuna, other fish excluding shellfish 
Foods Considered Less Healthy
  • meat, meat stew, minced meat
  • bacon, sausages, blood pudding
  • cold cuts, pate, liver, kidney
  • fried potatoes, French fries, chips
  • cheese, butter, margarine
  • white bread
  • pancakes/Belgian waffles
  • cookies, ice cream, candy, sugar