Archive for September, 2022

Diabetes – Three Natural Ways to Prevent Control and Treat

September 12th, 2022

Learn three natural ways to prevent, control and treat diabetes. Almost everyone knows someone with diabetes. From 1980 through 2004, less than one-quarter of a century, the total number of Americans with diabetes more than doubled! Estimates show that about six percent of the American population or about 18.2 million Americans suffer from this life-long illness. Learn the three ways to prevent, control and treat this deadly disease.

Almost everyone knows someone with diabetes. From 1980 through 2004,Guest Posting less than one-quarter of a century, the total number of Americans with diabetes more than doubled! Estimates show that about six percent of the American population or about 18.2 million Americans suffer from this life-long illness. And about 6 million of those people haven’t been diagnosed yet.

The causes of diabetes are well known. Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body has lost its ability to regulate the levels of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. This is usually due to some interruption in the production of insulin. Insulin is the hormone in our body that lowers blood sugar levels. Without the hormone in our body, our blood sugar levels increase to dangerously high levels. Since all the organs in our body rely on a steady supply of glucose so they can function properly, any disruption blood sugar levels can have dire consequences. Diabetes often leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage.

There are two major types of diabetes – Type 1 which is often called juvenile diabetes and Type 2 which is often called adult diabetes or adult-onset diabetes. Although diabetes can strike at any age, Type 1 diabetes usually strikes children and young adults. In Type 1 diabetes, cells in the pancreas called beta cells, these are the ones that make insulin to control blood sugar levels in our body, do not function. So in order to maintain or manage blood sugar levels, people with Type 1 diabetes must inject insulin or have it delivered by a small pump into their body. In effect, they must supply the insulin that the beta cells in their pancreas are not supplying. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about five to ten percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is more common than Type 1. Type 2 diabetes generally affects adults. Type 2 adult diabetes usually begins as the body starts to resist the effects of insulin – sometimes called insulin resistance. The body just doesn’t use the insulin it makes effectively or efficiently. This inefficiency puts extra demands on the pancreas where insulin is made by the beta cells. Over time, the pancreas and beta cells can’t keep up and gradually begin to lose the ability to make insulin at all.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that nearly 6 million Americans are currently living with undiagnosed diabetes. The effects of an adult with diabetes may first appear as problems with their vision, nerves, kidney failure, heart attack, or stroke. It isn’t until these life threatening conditions occur that they realize they have been living with the chronic disease of diabetes. The symptoms of an adult with diabetes and the symptoms of a child with diabetes are recognizable: excessive thirst, craving for sweet foods, passing urine frequently, tiredness and weight loss. Although the onset of Adult Type 2 diabetes is gradual, the onset of Juvenile Type 1 diabetes is usually very rapid and sometimes life threatening when they first appear.

Why would anyone develop Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes? Can diabetes be passed down? The answer is maybe. Genetics and other family histories are being examined to determine whether Type 1 or Type 2 are hereditary, but the cause of Type 2 diabetes is more associated with lifestyle habits. Type 2 diabetes is often seen in people who don’t exercise, are obese, have a poor diet, and lead stress-filled lives.

Diabetes is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States but may be underestimated. The reason is that more than 60 percent of those with diabetes often die as a result of heart disease or stroke. And it is the heart disease or stroke that is listed as the cause of death. Because the causes of Type 2 diabetes are associated with lifestyle habits, there may be a NATURAL TREATMENT for Type 2 Adult Diabetes. There may be a natural treatment for the CONTROL of diabetes.

Here are three natural lifestyle habits to prevent, control, and treat diabetes.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. 90 percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes are overweight. According to the American Diabetes Association, even 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight can result in a tremendous reduction in the risk or severity of diabetes. For most people, that’s only a loss of 10-20 pounds.

2. Exercise. Physical activity can lower your blood sugar (glucose) and help insulin work better for your body. That means your body is less susceptible to the development of diabetes. If you’re trying to lose weight as a natural way to prevent, control, or treat your diabetes, a combination of physical activity and wise food choice can help you reach your target.

3. Nutrition. Eating habits contribute significantly to the current increase in diabetes. Over the past 50 years, people have been eating more and more carbohydrates and sugar-filled foods. Eating a lot of carbohydrates each day puts stress on the pancreas which must work harder to maintain blood sugar levels. As the pancreas degrades, and you continue to eat the carbohydrates, you make yourself prone to Type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and proper nutrition are important. They are three natural lifestyle habits that you can do today to prevent, control and treat diabetes. Eating healthy and getting the proper nutrition means a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and taking a nutritional supplement. Taking a nutritional supplement on a regular basis ensures you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, including your pancreas, to rebuild, regenerate, and operate at peak performance levels.

Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe

September 12th, 2022

… African … Deadly … is having a … effect on the African American … Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African … and African …

Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and African Americans’ death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don’t know they have the disease. In addition,Guest Posting twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 – 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease

The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.
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Heredity

Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a “thrifty gene” from their African ancestors.

This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.

This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, commonly know as “sugar diabetes”, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don’t exercise and who have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.

Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

•excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom
•increased thirst
•increased appetite
•blurred vision
•unusual weight loss
•increased fatigue
•irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease
“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations
Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness
African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called “Diabetic Retinopathy”, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 – 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease
People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don’t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity
Family history of diabetes
Pre-diabetes
Low physical activity
Age greater than 45 years
High blood pressure
High blood levels of triglycerides
HDL cholesterol of less than 35
Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.

African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes y