Diabetes Diet

Diabetes Control - What to Know

Diabetes control ormal blood sugar is about 60-115 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) in the fasting state. It is normal to have some blood glucose in the blood, and abnormal to have too much or too little. Normalizing blood-glucose levels is the best treatment at present. There are several medications that have power to help this problem, although none will cure it.

Diabetes control is achievable when families have the needed professional assistance from

their health care providers and if they have adequate financial resources. Expectant mothers are usually motivated to achieve the best outcome. Diabetes control is more possible today than it was many years ago and the possibilities for diabetes management continue to increase as medical research continues. Diabetes control depends on the patient afflicted with this terrible condition.

Type 2, also commonly referred to as adult onset diabetes mellitus or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, develops when cells become resistant to insulin. And gestational diabetes occurs late in pregnancy when a mother’s hormones interfere with her ability to utilize insulin. Type 1 diabetes control is a constant balancing act of food, exercise, and insulin. Blood glucose monitoring is the tool for maintaining this balance. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a leading cause of death and disability in both developed and developing countries. A study conducted in 2000 projects that the worldwide T2DM estimated prevalence of 2.8% will rise to 4.4% by 2030

Managing diabetes requires a constant balancing of diet, exercise and medication to maintain blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. It attempts to replicate what happens in someone without diabetes, whose body produces insulin as required in response to food intake, diet and other variables. Management of diabetes mellitus involves attempting to keep the blood sugar in normal ranges without causing potentially dangerous hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. In type 1 diabetes, insulin usually has to be injected several times a day under the skin to maintain blood sugar control.

Poor circulation (blood flow) can make your foot less able to fight infection and to heal. Diabetes causes blood vessels of the foot and leg to narrow and harden. Poor diabetes control is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease, blindness, lower extremity amputation, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, older people who have diabetes are more likely to have several other chronic medical conditions that may worsen or interfere with their diabetes.

Eating the proper amounts of food is important, as well, as being overweight not only causes diabetes but aggravates it. Eating seconds or thirds at dinnertime or pulling into the drive-through at the doughnut shop may run through our heads many times a day. Not acting on these impulses is a form of self control that characterizes the best-controlled diabetics I know.
Patients with diabetes type II can eat 1500-1800 calories/day and even more if they are obese. Patients who understand how different nutrients affect their blood glucose level may be more receptive to strategies designed to improve blood glucose control. Working with patients on an individual basis, I am able to tie diabetes management therapies into their daily experience. Patients simply put 2 drops of blood on the test paper, let it dry overnight, fill out the appropriate information, and mail the sample back to the lab within 24 hours.

Women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk for later developing Type 2 diabetes. In some studies, nearly 40 percent of women with a history of gestational diabetes developed diabetes later. Women with diabetes should aim to achieve the best control of diabetes possible in preparation for pregnancy. This should include achieving blood glucose levels as close to the normal range as possible, while avoiding hypoglycaemia.

By Alexis Kenne

Rapid Weight Loss

Rapid Weight Loss - Is it Possible?

By Mark Neustedt

Rapid weight loss, it is only natural to want to look good. Our society places a lot of emphasis on beauty, and scientific studies show that we naturally react positively toward attractive people. Nothing gets attention quicker than a hot body, so if you're feeling unappreciated it makes sense to give yourself a physical makeover.

Unfortunately, while makeup and clothes are a quick fix, reshaping your body is a long and demanding process.
People in general are not good at committing to things they don't enjoy, thus a large percentage of the population remains overweight despite our obvious beauty standards. Several companies are exploiting this weakness by offering rapid weight loss products. And millions of hopeful souls have bought the scam already.

The bad news is that there is no such thing as natural rapid weight loss. Sure, there are some surgical procedures that can literally suck the fat right out of your body, but there are few other things you can do that will magically erase the extra weight. Here are a few popular products that claim (falsely) to do just that:

• Crash diets. These diets at least are appropriately named, because after you starve yourself for several weeks you'll be doing exactly that-crashing. Extensive studies have shown that diets that promote rapid weight loss more often than not actually result in the opposite: rapid weight gain. When you starve your body, it reacts by slowing your metabolism. Not only that, but because your appetite goes unsatisfied, you are more likely to binge during and after your diet, effectively consuming all the calories you denied yourself for days in one sitting.

• Weekend diets. These diets claim that using their product can help you to shed several pounds in just a few days. The truth is that you are not losing fat but water. Our bodies naturally retain a certain amount of water, and the active ingredients in these diet products flush that water out of our body, showing an immediate but temporary weight loss.

• Slimming soaps. Similar products include lotions and creams. Supposedly these cosmetics contain ancient ingredients that emulsify the fat in your body through the skin. While these ingredients won't hurt you and may at least improve the health of your skin, there is no scientific proof that they stimulate weight loss in any way.

• Magnets. These are perhaps the most ridiculous rapid weight loss products on the market. By wearing "magnetized" jewelry like earrings, a pendant, or a bracelet, you are supposed to create equilibrium in your body, causing your metabolism to rise and your hunger to abate. Some companies even claim that their magnets reduce other aches and pains. There are no scientific studies to support these claims.

The bottom line is that there is no such thing as rapid weight loss. With dedication and perseverance you may lose anywhere from one to three pounds a week, but don't expect to drop a pant size every time you work out.

Mark Neustedt is the founder of CB-Product-Reviews.com and after reviewing more than 20 diet programs reveals exactly which weight loss programs are the top ones.

Check out my other on Health Article