Diabetes Mellitus: A Complete Guide

Diabetes is a medical condition in which a person has a high blood glucose (Blood Sugar). Diabetes mellitus causes High Blood Sugar either because insulin production is inadequate or the body is not able respond to the insulin.

DIABETES IS A MEDICAL CONDITION IN WHICH A PERSON HAS A HIGH BLOOD GLUCOSE (BLOOD SUGAR). DIABETES MELLITUS CAUSES HIGH BLOOD SUGAR EITHER BECAUSE INSULIN PRODUCTION IS INADEQUATE OR THE BODY IS NOT ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE INSULIN. INSULIN IS PRODUCED IN THE PANCREAS. INSULIN IS RELEASED INTO THE BLOODSTREAM WHERE IT HELPS TO MOVE GLUCOSE FROM THE FOOD WE EAT TO BE USED AS ENERGY. DEPENDING ON THE NEED, INSULIN IS INJECTED ARTIFICIALLY IN MANY CASES.

When my Grandfather was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I began my research on this subject as I wanted to advise him on the best remedy. Surprisingly what I found out was Diabetes mellitus is not only popular in my neighborhood but it’s a global disease. It is common in the US, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, SouthEast Asian Countries, and many others. There are mainly three types of Diabetes Mellitus commonly known as Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes. Diabetes type 1 and type 2 can affect anybody, but gestational diabetes affects only pregnant women and increases the risks of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. These usually happen when the Pancreas is not producing enough insulin or the body is not responding to the insulin produced. In this Urban world, our demands don’t get any lesser but we still manage to complain about all the things that we don’t have. I have always heard my Grandfather whining about how much of a sweet tooth he is and how he misses the taste of life. The idea of a plain, bland meal makes me feel sad for him and I decide to double my research, talk to experts and help him in a better way. Whether Diabetes is a Chronic progressive disease or Reversible and Curable disease is still ambiguous, but it mostly depends on the type of diabetes diagnosed and the kind of treatment facilitated to a person. Type 2 DM is a condition where there is excessive insulin resistance. High insulin resistance means high blood sugar. When the body produces insulin under the condition of insulin resistance, it fails to respond to that and it is unable to use the insulin properly leading to high blood sugar. Some doctors recommend that in Type 2 diabetes insulin should be reduced and in Type 1 Diabetes, which is a condition just opposite to type 2 insulin can be given. Type 2 diabetes is a dietary disease, which occurs because of too much sugar in the blood. It is wise to make important lifestyle choices, to get rid of bad old habits, and to follow a healthy diet if diagnosed with Type 2 DM. Fighting Type 2 diabetes may not be always easy as it is a very complex issue and requires better lifestyle management. Tiredness, unexplained changes in body weight and weight loss, thirst, frequent urination are some of the signs that are usually observed in people with diabetes.

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Oxidative stress due to free radicals causes an array of dysfunctions that may work at the DNA level, up the ladder to the development of diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and skin aging. Free radicals are generated because of strenuous activities like vigorous exercise, due to pollution and unhealthy dietary and lifestyle choices. While our body has an elaborate antioxidant system, the overproduction of free radicals may overwhelm this system and create oxidative stress within the body. Thus, to supplement our defense against oxidative stress, it is vital to consume a diet that is rich in natural and potent antioxidants.

• Curbing those Sugar and carbohydrates from the food we eat is a good start. It is important to steer clear of the food items that have saturated fats. Foods like cookies, chocolates, dairy products, resins, synthetic meat, baked, and fried foods should be avoided to keep the blood sugar level at check. On the other hand fruits and vegetables like Spinach, Broccoli containing Alpha lipoic acid; Berberine; Gymnema; Bitter Gourd, and so on are often prescribed. These ingredients are used in making ranges of medicines to cure diabetes and one of them is Setu’s Sugar Soldier. Sugar Soldier contains all the essential natural- daily supplements to tackle hyperglycemia.
• I started taking out my Grandfather more often for morning walks, as he was recommended by his doctor to be fit. All those online videos about how exercise can help build our metabolism stronger finally convinced him to come along with me. For him, these morning walks are the best way to get connected with nature. He often complains that for a long time he avoided all sorts of physical activities and ignored his health. Physical activity and exercises like Running, Yoga, Brisk Walking can indeed be effective to address diabetes.
• It is also advisable to have a low carbohydrate diet. Foods containing protein, natural fats are good for our health. “ Low- Carb Diet “is also one of the oldest ways to treat Type 2 diabetes. So if we plan to start a low-calorie diet we can always add those mouth-watering Avocado, Zucchini, Spinach, Carrot, Egg white, Mushroom in our diet as they have low Carbohydrate.

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• Some of the recent studies show that fasting is also a good practice to get insulin and the sugar level down. Fasting as opposed to starvation is a practice of not eating any food for a certain amount of time. It is an age-old beneficial method to burn fat, preserve body muscle, and revitalize energy. Some health-conscious people choose to do intermittent fasting, which is a method involving fasting for 14 -16 hours of the day and developing an eating habit for a specific period. Within this 8- 10 hours of the preferable eating time, the food intake can be adjusted. But fasting can only bring effective results if followed properly.
• Lastly, the most challenging way to be healthy is by restricting ourselves from some of the practices like alcoholism, smoking which bring weakness in the body. This is a gradual process and can only be done with a very strong determination.

There is nothing incorrect to choose a healthy lifestyle. We might have to give up on a lot of things that we enjoy but we certainly attain better health management skills.