Posts Tagged ‘diabetes’

Insulin Pumps: Is it for you?

Many people with diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 are taking insulin injections. If you are taking 4 or more injections a day you may consider using the insulin pump. Insulin pumps allow your insulin to be delivered to you without the repeated injection. Every three days, you will need to insert a cannula (a tube surrounding the needle that is then removed). The pump holds one type of insulin that will provide a basal rate (a long-acting peakless insulin) and then you will input a bolus amount (a short-acting insulin) to cover your meals and/or snacks. The basal and bolus’ can AND WILL be adjusted by your physician, according to how you respond to the dosage. The pump gives you the most flexibility and a large majority of people who switch from injections to the pump are in better control and are pleased with their decision. There are many pumps on the market like the Minimed insulin pump, Animas insulin pump, Deltec insulin pump and the Omnipod insulin pump (to name just some).
There is a lot of learn about the pump and to get used to. Once you have a good understanding of how the pump works you will see how much more flexibility you have with your life. Your healthcare team will provide you with a carbohydrate to insulin ratio. This means you must count your carbs! You may begin with a carb to insulin ratio of 15:1. This mean that for every 15 grams of carbohydrates you consume you will need to bolus 1 unit of insulin. This is just one example of what you would be learning if you choose the insulin pump. Insulin pumps are something to consider to help you in your diabetes self-management. Ask your healthcare team and do some research on your own. Many new devices are being introduced every year and it is a very exciting time.

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Managing Your Diabetes

To manage your diabetes it is important to consider your food choices, increase your activities, reduce stress (try deep breathing!), take your medication(s) on time and test your blood sugar. Fortunately, there are many blood sugar monitors on the market today that make it easier and affordable to test your glucose levels. All the monitors need diabetes test strips, a tiny drop of blood and about 5-30 seconds for the glucose results. This information is life-saving and allows your healthcare team to determine the best course of treatment for you.

There are many blood glucose monitors and test strips with different features so that you can pick the one that you feel most comfortable with. One choice is the Accu-chek monitor which uses the Accu-chek Aviva test strip. The lancets for this meter are all contained in one small cartridge. People with dexterity issues may find it easier to utilize this all-in-one cartridge as opposed to inserting each individual lancet into their lancet device. The test strips take very little blood and the accuracy is outstanding.

Testing your blood sugar is an important aspect of diabetes control. It gives you specific information regarding your blood glucose levels throughout the day and how each meal and snack may affect you. By checking your glucose levels before meals and 2 hours after you start eating your meal you will understand how that particular meal impacted you. Everyone is different so your friend, neighbor or relative may have a completely different reaction to a rice and beans dinner than you would. If your blood glucose rises over 50 points you may want to reconsider the food choices you have made. You must be reasonable with these choices by thinking about carbohydrate amount as well as heart healthy protein, fat and sodium levels. Find out how many carbohydrates you body will tolerate at each meal by checking your blood glucose levels. You may also find out how certain exercises impact your blood glucose levels as well as the affect of stress levels. This information is invaluable and will place you more in control of your diabetes. In addition, medication can be adjusted as needed by your physician.

Diabetes is a self-managed disease because you can obtain information daily by using the tools described above.

7 Diabetes Home Treatments

How sweet (I know a bad choice of words) would it be if you were eating foods that contributed to your better health? Home remedies that worked in your favor instead of creating diabetes.

Using these diabetes home remedies puts you in the driver’s seat. Your cupboard can give you choices.

Here are a few diabetes home remedies.

Fenugreek – How do you use the seeds to help with you with your diabetes?

You can take the seeds like I did and run them through a coffee grinder. This powder is what I use to sprinkle over my salads and cereal. Use about one teaspoon per application. Besides aiding diabetes it will help to reduce cholesterol levels.

Diabetes solutions from your cupboard and refrigerator

Boil 15 fresh Mango leaves in 1 glass of water. Leave overnight. Filter this water and drink when you first get up in the morning.

Diabetes can also be controlled by drinking water left overnight, with tender leaves of guava tree and sadabahar plant soaked in it. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the link between diabetes and erectile dysfunction?

diabetes_resizeWhen you visit your doctor to report erectile dysfunction, one of the standard tests you will be given is to determine whether you have diabetes. In fact, this is one of the most common ways in which the first diagnosis of diabetes is made in both men and women. For women, the symptoms are loss of libido, dryness in the vagina, and a loss of sensitivity. Men find it increasingly difficult to get or maintain an erection. In fact, men who have diabetes are up to four times more likely to have erectile dysfunction than other men. If you do not have treatment for the diabetes, the result is damage to the nerve endings and blood vessels in various parts of the body including the penis. Once the damage is sustained, it cannot be repaired. The choice is therefore no choice. Once the diagnosis is made, men should have treatment for the diabetes or end up frustrated and depressed.

Medical science has been making good strides over the last twenty years. There is a better understanding of the process that occurs when diabetes develops. The first stage is for your blood vessels to narrow and then begin hardening. This reduces the flow of blood around the body. In the case of your penis, the result is quick to appear. An erection is formed when the muscle walls of the arteries carrying blood into your penis dilate. Once the walls begin to harden, they cannot dilate and so the erection fails. Secondly, the chemistry of the blood itself changes as sugar levels rise. This prevents the proper release of nitric oxide which is also critical to the formation of an erection. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates up to 85% of men with diabetes may experience some degree of erectile dysfunction. But the situation is not without hope.

The first step is effective control over your blood sugar level. The better the control, the less likely damage to the nerve endings and blood vessels. You should also have a complete review of all the drugs you are taking. Some antidepressants and for reducing high blood pressure can induce erectile dysfunction. As to lifestyle, cut out smoking and come down to just the occasional drink of alcohol. Reduce stress and deal with any sources of anxiety. Begin a program of regular exercise. The better the muscle tone and blood circulation in your body, the stronger your erections. If you exercise regularly, strike a good balance and rest more. Do not overtire yourself. With all this in place, now is the time to consider taking cialis. This is the best of the drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction because its effects last the longest but discuss it with your doctor first. You cannot mix this drug with other medication used to treat high blood pressure and some heart problems. If everything is safe, buy cialis online. You do not need a prescription and you save a truck load of dollars on the price. With a good supply to hand, you can safely resume full activity with the absolute confidence your sexual power will remain on track for years to come. Do not spoil this by ignoring your blood sugar control, smoking or excessive drinking. If the diabetes runs on unchecked, you will become impotent and nothing will save you.