Diabetes
Very high blood sugar leads to diabetes. A century before this was an incurable disease. But since 1921, all forms of diabetes have become treatable. This can be controlled through various medicines. In the case of morbid obesity gastric bypass surgery is very useful. There is one form of diabetes known as gestational diabetes which is usually caused during the time of pregnancy and is usually resolved after the delivery of the baby. If there is no proper treatment given to diabetes then it causes various complications. Hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, is the acute complication of diabetes.
There are also a few long term complications which include problems like cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal failure, retinal damage and few more like these. Diabetes may also lead to increase in the patient’s body weight. Thus this diabetes should also be cured for the prevention of increase of the body weight. Pancreas transplant can be used as an effective measure to cure this diabetes. In few cases diabetes is caused when the body’s tissue receptor cells which are present in the spinal cord do not respond to insulin. This form of diabetes is very uncommon. Any particular disease which causes damage to pancreas, will lead to some or other form of diabetes. During the time of diabetes a number of rashes can be found on the skin. This is known as diabetic dermadrome. Therefore deficiency of insulin or damage in receptors is very dangerous.
Medication type 1 diabetic patient
Are you a type 1 diabetic patient? Are you looking for better information about the medication? Aren’t you sure about the dosage and side effects of the medicine you are using? Do you want to know more about the do`s and don’ts of the medication you are taking? Are you thinking about the diet?
Well that’s a huge list of questions to be answered first let’s see the medication needed. In the last article you would have seen I gave you about the types of diabetics and theirs symptoms as well as their causes. Now the medication for each is quite different from other.
Type 1 diabetics medication is a lifelong commitment to it. Intake of regular insulin and regular exercise is very important and as this is commonly seen in younger people, they have to be very careful with the diet they take. And now let’s see the medication; the main goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible to delay or prevent complications. Although there are exceptions, generally, the goal is to keep your daytime blood sugar levels between 80 and 120 mg/dL (4.4 to 6.7 mmol/L) and your bedtime numbers between 100 and 140 mg/dL (5.6 to 7.8 mmol/L). Insulin must be injected under the skin — in the fat — for it to get absorbed into the blood stream where it can then access all the cells of the body that require it. Insulin cannot be taken as a pill because the juices in the stomach would destroy the insulin before it could work. But one thing you must remember is, insulin is a hormone, and like all other hormones, insulin is a protein and therefore it has a very important 3-dimensional structure which is destroyed by the acid in the stomach. Even if it did make it through the stomach, the digestive enzymes secreted by the digestive part of the pancreas would digest the insulin protein molecule. Scientists are looking for new ways to give insulin. But today, shots are the most widely used method. Some new insulin pumps are being developed and tested. Some people say there is no long term side effects for using insulin where as some others say that you gain weight but scientist say that using insulin is better than using drugs. And I was looking for some answer for side effect I found something interesting! Here it says that there is a natural cure for type 1 diabetics i.e. slice up a Plantain Banana and soak it in cold water (Ice Cream Pale) for 2 days drink one cup in the morning and one at night. Try if this could help you!
Not taking insulin or rather not controlling your blood sugars can cause: blindness, loss of limbs, heart disease, and death. So I think that the side effects of not taking insulin are much worse than taking it.
Risk factors of diabetes
The risk of getting diabetes for a person varies depending on the conditions of the environment or place he lives in, the situations or conditions in his family, and the sudden change it the life style. As per the studies and researches conducted there are more than 35% of men and 40% of women from the country like USA who are mostly effected and tend to face the risks of getting diabetes.
Here are some of the risk factors causing diabetes to a person that is a concerning issue.
• It is estimated that for those people who are affected with diabetes, the life expectancy of a female is decreased by 19 years whereas in men it is decreased by 13 years. This matter is a real concern for everybody who is suffering from diabetes.
• The risk factor of causing diabetes is more for those people whose elders are having the background of diabetes disease. Diabetes can also cause to those people who are with metabolic syndrome.
• The population of United States especially in the community of Caucasian the prevalence of diabetes is 7.2 percent and later it increased to 11 percent whereas the prevalence of diabetes is up to 35 percent in the prima Indians of United States.
• Another important thing is that the diabetes can be caused to those babies who are born with overweight which is above than the normal.
• Obesity is the most important risk factor of causing diabetes. Obesity makes body to depend on insulin for resistance. A person with obesity can control his weight by the reduction of his over weight.
The signs of problems of developing blood sugar metabolism were found before the development of overt diabetes. Patients who are at risk of developing diabetes are kept in observation by the doctors of endocrinology department.
Insulin sliding scale
Diabetes is characterized as a metabolic disorder. It is the condition in which the patient’s body does not produce insulin or body becomes resistant to the drug. Insulin is secreted by the pancreatic beta cells of the endocrine part.
Insulin is the natural hormone which helps in carbohydrate metabolism; and energy production. Insulin sliding scale is given to the patients who are with dangerous drop of blood sugar and increases the other complications.
The following are the instructions that the diabetic patients should follow; they are,
• Regular check up of the blood sugar levels usually after one hour of consuming breakfast, and meals.
• This is an injection with the patient should be taken in variable amount; based on the severity of the patient the insulin units are planned.
• If the patient is suffering with elevated blood sugar levels like 150-200 mg; the patient should be injected with 2 units of insulin.
• Patients should be follow strict dose regimen; diet regimen and exercises in order to control the blood sugar levels.
• The insulin is injected in the sub-cutaneous route only; bedtime insulin must be administered half of the indicated dose.
• Based on the insulin chart; blood glucose mmol/L. The low insulin, intermediate, and high insulin resistance levels are also calculated.
• Then the patient is NPO or tube feeding. This may be initiated or stopped. There are some side effects with this the patient may suffer with nausea and vomiting, and giddiness. Blood sugar levels must be checked for every 3 consecutive days.
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that needs a long term medication for treatment and to limit the complications in the patients. Diabetes Mellitus differs from the Diabetes Insipidus by abnormal increased of sugar levels in urinary output.
Reasons of diabetes:
Improper production of the insulin hormone by the beta cells of the pancreatic gland. This may be due to the damage of the pancreatic gland either by surgery or by the lifestyle of the patient.
Insulin resistance by the body is the condition in which the insulin which is secreted by the pancreatic body is not receptive to the other cells; therefore there is an increased level of insulin and glucose in the bloodstream in the patients.
Symptoms:
The following are the symptoms that are seen with this carbohydrate metabolic disorder:
- Elevated blood sugar levels: Therefore the urine of the diabetic patient is called as “sweet urine”.
- Dehydration: Excessive loss of water and mineral salts from the body in urine, this leads to increased thirst.
- Increase in appetite.
- Loss of weight: Due to improper secretion of insulin by the pancreatic gland the stored fats are metabolized by the liver, thereby causing decrease in the body weight.
- Acidic urine: Due to the metabolism of the fats and proteins, results in the accumulation of the Ketone bodies in the urine, thus it makes the urine acidic.
- Infections: Patients develop infections due to the glucose levels in the bloodstream and urine. The microorganisms invade the areas like urinary bladder, vagina, gums and skin.
- High levels of glucose may lead to disturbances in vision, body metabolisms, and functioning.
Insulin extraction from pancreas
Insulin is an anabolic hormone which is secreted by the beta cells of the pancreatic gland. The extracted insulin helps in maintaining the elevated blood sugar levels when injected in sub-cutaneous route. They can be manufactured with zinc metal for better bioavailability. The amount of insulin extracted from pigs’ pancreas; is relatively lesser than that of fetal beef pancreas. Pregnant cows will have the best secretion amount of insulin.
Source:
- Natural: The external insulin is obtained from the fermented pancreas of pigs and cattle.
- Artificial: These are laboratory prepared insulin similar to human insulin. These synthetic insulin structures are with di-sulfur bond linkage and linked up with different amino acids.
- Recombinant-DNA technology: The genetic engineering method obtained by biotechnology of microorganisms. The production from this technology is more and accurate.
Method of Extraction: The extraction of insulin from the pancreas involves one kilogram of fresh ox pancreas, or pancreas of pigs. It is minced into 1000ml of 95% of ethylaclohol, it is stirred well. This mixture is allowed to stand for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Filtered and squeezed into a cloth, the filtrate is neutralized and filtrated with glacial acetic acid and the mixture is heated on water bath. Then the preparation is homogenized using a homogenizer. Incubated at -20 degree; and centrifuged at 2000 rpm. Assay is carried out for the extracted insulin; Bradford assay.
Storage: Keep away from heat and light as it may undergo oxidation and protein damage.
Dosing: As directed by the medical practitioner, dose-dependent.
Gastro paresis
Gastro paresis is a condition, where stomach takes a very long time to empty it. The stomach moves down the food into the small intestine for digestion. The vagus nerves have the control of moving the food from the stomach through the digestive tract. When these nerves are damaged, the intestine will not work properly, leads to Gastro paresis.
Causes
Thought, there are many causes for gastro paresis; diabetes is one of the common causes. In people who have high sugar levels, the nerves and blood vessels are damages that are used to carry oxygen and other nutrients to the nerves. After a time, the high blood sugar levels can damage the vagus nerve, leading to gastro paresis.
Other causes for gastro paresis are
- Surgery done to stomach or vagus nerve
- Various viral infections
- Due to certain medications
- Due to metabolic disorders
- Various nervous system related diseases
- Muscles disorder
Complication of gastro paresis
If food stays too long in the stomach, it leads to growth of bacteria’s. Even that food becomes harder and causes nausea, vomiting and disturbance in the stomach. Gastro paresis becomes even more complicated if blood glucose levels are not controlled. When the foods stays in the stomach for too long time, it will slowly enter into small intestine and leads to high blood sugar levels.
Gastro paresis diagnosis
Gastro paresis can be diagnosed by performing various tests like
- Upper endoscopy: After giving anesthesia, doctors will an endoscope the mouth, until it reaches stomach. Through the endoscope, the doctor will check for any abnormalities.
- Ultrasound: it is the best test to identify all gallbladder and pancreas related diseases. They use sound waves to identify the abnormalities.
Other test that are performed to confirm gastro paresis are
- Breath test
- Smart pill
- Barium X ray
Cure for gastro paresis
The basic treatment for gastro paresis is to control the blood sugar levels. This can be done by changing the food habits, using insulin, oral drugs and in severe cases, a feeding tube and parenteral nutrition.
Diabetes Insipidus and Vasopressin
This disease helps in increase in urination and thirst, this type of diabetes is referred as water diabetes when compared with diabetes mellitus. This Diabetes Insipidus is divided into four types, and must be treated differently depending upon the type. Generally this disorder is caused due to lack of vasopressin.
The following are the types of diabetes Insipidus; they are:
Pituitary Diabetes Insipidus: This is caused due to destruction of the posterior part of the pituitary gland, where the hormone vasopressin is produced. The destruction may be due to the head injuries, infiltrations, tumors, and infections.
Gestational Diabetes Insipidus: This is caused due to the lack of vasopressin during pregnancy, the damage may be seen due to the placenta or the pituitary of the mother.
Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus: This is the condition in which the inability of the renal glands to respond to normal amounts of vasopressin.
Dipsogenic Diabetes Insipidus: This condition occurs due to the suppression of the excessive intake of fluids.
The patients suffer with loss of water from the body, in the form of urine in excess amount than the normal amount. The vasopressin is the posterior pituitary hormone. The major causes for this type of disorder are infiltrative lesions, malformations, tumors, and due to some neurosurgical procedures.
This disease can be diagnosed by performing water deprivation test and by checking ADH levels. Treatment can be done with Desmopressin; the treatment is done with hormone replacement therapy. This drug is with vasoconstrictive nature.
Natural and Herbal Herbs for Diabetes Patients
For many years, herbal treatment has been a part of habitual medication. The work of the herbs is to reduce blood sugar in your body and to prevent from further symptoms of Diabetes.
Herbal supplements will work effectively only if you have proper nutrition, if you have a regular exercise and checking your sugar levels very frequently. It is best to take the help of a good experienced doctor for the treatment of Diabetes. Once diagnosis is done, proper care should be taken and the best treatment suggested by the doctor.
Herbal Remedies for Diabetes
Insulate Plus: This has a group of medical herbs with other natural herbs which supports pancreatic health and the Islets of Langerhans present in pancreas in charge for the production of the insulin.
Natural Herbs for Diabetes
Cinnamon: This herb is found to be the best treatment for Diabetes patients. The natural ingredient methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP), present in Cinnamon increases the cells in the body sensitive to insulin. This helps glucose to convert into energy. If taken naturally or if injected into your body, Cinnamon triples the efficiency of the insulin. It also contains many properties to decrease the effect of Diabetes on your body.
Bitter Melon: This medication is used long back for treating Diabetes. It has the capability of lowering the blood sugar. Due to which, they used Bitter melon. Charantin, which is one of the natural ingredients present in Bitter Melon, is a strong hypoglycemic substance. It has the same effects as in many hypoglycemic agents used to treat diabetes. Momordica is another natural ingredient which helps you to lower blood sugars. This herb should be taken carefully due to the effect of these strong hypoglycemic drugs.
Gymnema Sylvestre: As this herb is used to reduce sugar levels, this is also known as sugar killer. This is used to increase insulin in type 2 diabetes.
Usage of natural herbs to treat diabetes is very important. If you want any difference in your medication, it’s better to speak with your health care providers.
