Discovering you have type 2 diabetes is a life-changing experience. It can be a life-change that is good or it can be disastrous. And popping pills to control your diabetes may not be the answer, but, it's up to you. Let me explain...
The majority of newly diagnosed people have type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle is believed to contribute hugely to the development of this type of diabetes; the wrong lifestyle for your body. Eating the wrong foods - and often too much; a sedentary lifestyle - too much sitting around at a desk, watching TV or sitting at a computer or just general inactivity all contributes. Your body loses the battle to keep your blood-sugars at a safe level for you and you develop insulin resistance; type 2 diabetes.
Drastic life-saving changes are needed. So what do we do? 'Pop a pill' and carry on (almost) as before. Sure you might make some token changes, like not eating so many cakes, sweets and biscuits. Or you might cut down on the sugary drinks.
But, for the vast majority of us, that's about as far as it goes.
And that's not good news for our health.
How do I know this?
Because I have type 2 diabetes - diagnosed in 1982.
But I wasn't particularly overweight and I did have a reasonable amount of physical activity in my daily life. So I followed the (then) current expert thinking on the 'ideal diabetic diet', which included a high proportion of high-complex-carbohydrate foods, such as potato, bread and pasta. I didn't make the connection between this type of diet and my constant high blood-sugars.
So I popped the pills prescribed and avoided the obvious sugar-laden enemies; cakes, sweets and sugary treats.
So where's the problem?
The problem is the constant underlying, grinding effect of continuing the wrong lifestyle and eating habits and the consequences it generates. My condition very gradually, almost insidiously, got worse. Yet I was following the eating guidelines I'd been given.
You see, taking drugs to control your diabetes, instead of changing your eating pattern and lifestyle can create an extreme yo-yo effect on your blood-sugars. It did for me. I ranged from a high of 17.6 mmol/l to 2.8 mmol/l (the safe range is between 4mmol/l and 7mmol/l).
And I had no idea of what was happening between my own blood testing sessions - but the overall effect on my HbA1C was not good. Keeping within the 'safe range', for me, was a nigh-on impossibility.
But that was OK, as my overall condition got worse I was prescribed more medication to try to keep my HbA1c levels in control - more pills! Until I reached the stage where the only way forward, if I was to continue using medication to control my sugar-levels, was to go onto insulin injections.
That's when I decided to take proper control of my type 2 diabetes and find out more about it and what it was doing to me.
THAT WAS SCARY I can tell you!! I found out about all the other health risks my diabetes was opening me up to. Serious risks I didn't know about, because I hadn't taken much interest other than 'I need to pop a pill to control it'. Risks such as heart disease; kidney failure; neuropathy (nerve-end damage); retinopathy (eye-damage) and more made me realise how important it is to understand as much as possible about diabetes. (That's why I set up my website; http://www.your-diabetes.com/)
What to do? Well I decided it was safer, healthier and more sensible to change my lifestyle and eating pattern and reduce my reliance on pills. Instead of using drugs to control my type 2 diabetes I decided to do it in a natural and healthy way.
I've changed my meal contents - I now follow a low-carbohydrate diet. Yes, it took a bit of getting used to at first, until I'd got it sorted in my head what I could eat safely - after all you don't break the eating habits of a lifetime overnight. But it's not a difficult eating style to follow and there's plenty of help and advice available (you can read more about exactly how I did it in the complimentary 86-page PDF guide on my website - see below).
My medication? I've gone from popping 5 pills a day to just 2. And I'm working on reducing that even further. More importantly, my blood-sugars are now consistently within the safe range - my current average test reading is 5.9mmol/l. I'm just waiting to see what my HbA1C levels are at my next check-up.
My advice to you? If you have type 2 diabetes decide NOW - would you rather pop pills and have your health gradually degraded? Or would you rather take control of your diabetes and live a longer, fuller, healthier life?*
I know which I chose.
*PLEASE NOTE, this is reporting my own personal experience. You should not drastically change your eating pattern or your medication without consulting your diabetic medical team.
© 2006 Carol Ann
Carol Ann created http://www.your-diabetes.com/ to present information on diabetes from a diabetic's viewpoint
Discover How to Take Control of Your Diabetes with this complimentary 86-page guide, including a 53-page list of carbohydrate values of different foods. Get your copy now
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
Learn To Recognize The Signs And Symptoms Of Type Two Diabetes Before It Gets To Be To Late
One of the main elements in people suffering from type two diabetes is thought to be obesity. It is thought of the increase in diabetes, the role of obesity in these sufferers may be up to eight or nine out of ten. Being overweight is thought to make the sufferer more resistant to the effects of insulin and helping to metabolize sugars. But it is not only the amount that the person is overweight that can cause the problems. It is also the way that the weight is disturbed that may be the problem. If the fat is more in the higher section of the body then it is more likely to be associated with type 2 diabetes. Of course this is not the reason for all of the type 2 diabetes but it does affect a large proportion of the type 2 suffers.
One of the factors in is though to be a condition called metabolic syndrome. This is characterized by weight gain around the waist and can be associated with heart disease as well. This condition is very prevalent in the US where up to 25% are now thought to have this condition. This condition is thought to be the cause or to contribute to a wide variety of illnesses and conditions. Type 2 diabetes also has an element of inheritance for around a third of sufferers. This does not mean that all of the suffers that have families that have diabetes have inherited it. It might also be that the lifestyles of the sufferers might have something to do with it. Families very often have similar diets and lack of exercise and this might well contribute to the figures as well.
Testing is very important for those that are thought to be at risk of diabetes and is sometimes carried out on a regular basis. If someone has a family that has diabetes, or is very overweight, or is in any of the other risk areas, then they are likely to be tested. The most common test for diabetes is the fasting plasma glucose test. This is where the patient is tested for blood sugar levels that are not correct after eight hours of fasting. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, but with the right care and a good diet is treatable and should not affect the lifestyle of the sufferer too much. But it is important to get diagnosed and treated by a doctor as soon as possible.
For more important information on type 2 diabetic symptoms please visit Information-on-Diabetes.info where you will also find additional resources on diabetic food plans, diabetic cooking, the diabetic food pyramid, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic shoes.
One of the factors in is though to be a condition called metabolic syndrome. This is characterized by weight gain around the waist and can be associated with heart disease as well. This condition is very prevalent in the US where up to 25% are now thought to have this condition. This condition is thought to be the cause or to contribute to a wide variety of illnesses and conditions. Type 2 diabetes also has an element of inheritance for around a third of sufferers. This does not mean that all of the suffers that have families that have diabetes have inherited it. It might also be that the lifestyles of the sufferers might have something to do with it. Families very often have similar diets and lack of exercise and this might well contribute to the figures as well.
Testing is very important for those that are thought to be at risk of diabetes and is sometimes carried out on a regular basis. If someone has a family that has diabetes, or is very overweight, or is in any of the other risk areas, then they are likely to be tested. The most common test for diabetes is the fasting plasma glucose test. This is where the patient is tested for blood sugar levels that are not correct after eight hours of fasting. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, but with the right care and a good diet is treatable and should not affect the lifestyle of the sufferer too much. But it is important to get diagnosed and treated by a doctor as soon as possible.
For more important information on type 2 diabetic symptoms please visit Information-on-Diabetes.info where you will also find additional resources on diabetic food plans, diabetic cooking, the diabetic food pyramid, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic shoes.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
How ALOE Helps Heal Type 2 Diabetes!
As a Type 2 Diabetic who injected insulin for 10 years I know the severe pins and needles PAIN of peripheral neuropathy in my feet… the pounding ache in my head… the throbbing in my kidneys… the fear that my eyesight was growing dim.
Worst of all - my doctor confessed that, besides monitoring my blood glucose levels, taking insulin shots, exercising and perhaps laser surgery for my eyes, there was nothing more modern medicine could do for me.
That's when I got mad and started doing my own research. My investigation lead me to specific PRIMAL Foods, whole food concentrates and other natural remedies that allowed my body to heal diabetes on its own!
I quickly lost 119 pounds by doing less exercise than before! And I've kept the weight off. I don't experience any more stabbing pins and needles foot PAIN. My kidneys don't pound anymore. My eyesight has stabilized. I'm much stronger and energetic. My life is my own!
To share these findings with other diabetics, I started my own monthly, 8- page diabetes newsletter - The Diabetic Warrior™ to share with others the truth I learned for myself:
If you have diabetes, your only real chance of avoiding complications is to give your blood vessels, your pancreas, and your whole body the support they need with whole primal foods and natural remedies such as aloe vera.
In Type 2 Diabetes, restricted blood flow in your arteries chokes off the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your extremities such as your legs and eyes. The result? Tingling and pin-pricks.
Left unchecked, that tingling can progress to numbness, then infection, ulceration, gangrene and finally amputation of toes, feet or legs. In addition, in order to clear excess glucose from the blood, your body initiates massive urination that depletes minerals, vitamins and amino acids, which only speed the deterioration of your eyes, legs, kidneys, nerves and heart.
Aloe Opens Blood Vessels!
Aloe Vera contains mannose that acts to open blood vessels and free-up blood flow. Glucomannan, another ingredient, promotes healthy levels of blood triglycerides. The combination of mannose and glucomannan helps blood vessels to deliver life-sustaining nutrients and oxygen, to revitalize your legs, eyes, kidneys, heart and brain.
Aloe is also a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and complex carbohydrates. By delivering more nutrients, aloe helps support retinal health and nerve function. And that's not all. Scores of minerals and enzymes support many metabolic functions, including healthy sugar metabolism, so your body can nourish and cleanse itself!
Once you're a diabetic, you will always be a diabetic. But that doesn't mean there is nothing you can do. You too can take your health in your own hands… discover the power of primal foods and natural wonders like Aloe Vera… and turn your life around.
Patrick Lecky is the author of the new book: "How To Fight Type 2 Diabetes & WIN!" - PRIMAL Foods & Natural Remedies That Empower You To Heal Diabetes & Its Complications! To learn more, Click here now http://www.diabeticwarrior.com/
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