Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body does not respond appropriately to insulin. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy.
With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually makes some insulin. But either the amount made isn't enough for the body's needs, or the body's cells resist it. Insulin resistance, or lack of sensitivity to insulin, happens mainly in fat, liver, and muscle cells.
Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes, because it often begins in childhood.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. It's caused by the body attacking its own pancreas with antibodies. In people with type 1 diabetes, the damaged pancreas doesn't make insulin.
This type of diabetes may be caused by a genetic predisposition. It could also be the result of faulty beta cells in the pancreas that normally produce insulin.
A number of medical risks are associated with type 1 diabetes. Many of them stem from damage to the tiny blood vessels in your eyes (called diabetic retinopathy), nerves (diabetic neuropathy), and kidneys (diabetic nephropathy). Even more serious is the increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
By far, the most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, accounting for 95% of diabetes cases in adults. Some 26 million American adults have been diagnosed with the disease.
Diabetes symptoms are caused by rising blood sugar.
The general symptoms of diabetes include:
men with diabetes may have a decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction (ED), and poor muscle strength.
Women with diabetes can also have symptoms such as urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and dry, itchy skin.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can include:
It may also result in mood changes.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
It may also cause recurring infections. This is because elevated glucose levels make it harder for the body to heal.
Most women with gestational diabetes don’t have any symptoms. The condition is often detected during a routine blood sugar test or oral glucose tolerance test that is usually performed between the 24th and 28th weeks of gestation.
In rare cases, a woman with gestational diabetes will also experience increased thirst or urination.
Diabetes symptoms can be so mild that they’re hard to spot at first.
Different causes are associated with each type of diabetes.
Doctors don’t know exactly what causes type 1 diabetes. For some reason, the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Genes may play a role in some people. It’s also possible that a virus sets off the immune system attack.
Type 2 diabetes stems from a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight or obese increases risk too. Carrying extra weight, especially in belly, makes cells more resistant to the effects of insulin on blood sugar.
This condition runs in families. Family members share genes that make them more likely to get type 2 diabetes and to be overweight.
Gestational diabetes is the result of hormonal changes during pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones that make a pregnant woman’s cells less sensitive to the effects of insulin. This can cause high blood sugar during pregnancy.
Women who are overweight when they get pregnant or who gain too much weight during their pregnancy are more likely to get gestational diabetes.
Both genes and environmental factors play a role in triggering diabetes
Certain factors increase risk for diabetes.
type 1 diabetes effecty the child or teenager, if you have a parent or sibling with the condition, or carry certain genes that are linked to the disease.
High blood sugar damages organs and tissues throughout your body. The higher your blood sugar is and the longer you live with it, the greater your risk for complications.
Complications associated with diabetes include:
Uncontrolled gestational diabetes can lead to problems that affect both the mother and baby. Complications affecting the baby can include:
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism -- the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
First of all, homeopathic treatment can help improve the general health of a person with diabetes. If a person with diabetes is in good health, his or her insulin requirements will be steady and the blood glucose well controlled. If the general health is poor, it can be very difficult to achieve good control.
This can be helped by administering a “constitutional” remedy, based on the totality of the patient’s symptoms and characteristics. The effect will be to improve the general sense of well-being, to improve diabetes control, and maybe to lower the insulin or drug requirements
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