Type2

Forty-year-old Gerald instinctively knew something was wrong with his health, although the signs were mostly elusive and inconsistent. He was becoming more lethargic and his energy came in bursts that soon faded. He seemed ever-thirsty and was mentally and physically fatigued. Then, even though the active, sporty days of his youth were a thing of the past and he’d gained a few kilos over the years, he inexplicably started losing weight. And in his sex life, there was a noticeable loss in performance. One blood test later, type-2 diabetes was confirmed.

 

The news was devastating, since a reversal of the condition is rare. But it’s also not the end of the world. In fact, the day-to-day life of people with type-2 diabetes need simply be closely managed… with due trepidation for the consequences of negligence.

 

Men are especially prone to ignoring symptoms, to continuing their lives in the belief that the pain, the poor performance or the extra gut will simply go away. It’s a potentially deadly trait and specialists deal with the consequences of it every day. If diabetes is left unmanaged, long-term complications are hard to avoid and can be life-changing in their impact. Take blindness for starters, then add nerve damage, sexual dysfunction, stroke, heart attack, kidney damage and even amputations.

 

Scary Stats

 

Type-2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions worldwide and, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), currently affects 250 million people, a figure expected to top 380 million by 2025. In fact, the IDF has shown that diabetes is one of the leading causes of death worldwide through its effects on cardiovascular disease: 70 to 80 percent of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease.

 

Millions currently live with diabetes, many of them undiagnosed. Even more alarming, is that type-2 diabetes used to be considered a disease of middle age, but one third of new cases of diabetes in children aged 10 to 19 years are now type-2. The irony of this is that the disease is both preventable and controllable for those who have it. It’s a life of constant checking and self discipline: monitoring blood and urine glucose, blood pressure and weight on a monthly basis. More importantly, it points to a deeper problem: something has gone terribly wrong when a disease we know so much about continues to flourish. There is something about the way we live our lives that is killing us.

 

In short, there are two kinds of diabetes: type-1 and type-2. People with type-1 diabetes have a total lack of insulin while those with type-2 have too little insulin or cannot use it effectively. Type-l diabetes is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It is a result of the body’s immune system destroying the pancreatic cells that release insulin, eventually halting insulin production from the body. Without insulin, cells cannot take up glucose needed to produce energy. Type-1 diabetics are the guys who are dependent on insulin and who go hypo-glycaemic if the timing of their eating isn’t quite right.

 

Type-2 diabetes is generally diagnosed during adulthood, although it is becoming more common in teenage and childhood years. When glucose builds up in the blood (instead of going into cells) because of a lack of insulin, it causes the short-term problem of starving an individual’s cells of energy, and the long-term problem of high blood glucose resulting in organ damage.

 

The Fat Wagon

 

The two surest methods of getting diabetes are eating too much and not exercising enough. Our record in both is pretty impressive. However, some people are born with a predisposition to type-2 diabetes, expressed more readily in certain ethnic groups.

 

Indians have a 30 percent chance of developing type-2. If one or both parents are type-2, then the off-spring’s chances of developing the condition leaps up to 50 to 60 percent. But lifestyle is all-important. As soon as you start putting on weight, especially abdominally, then you’re at risk. If you’re in the genetically high-risk group, lifestyle becomes more critical.

 

Be careful what you’re eating – is it food or food-like? Choose unprocessed foods or those as close as possible to their natural state.

 

Side-Stepping Type-2

 

Beating back diabetes, or avoiding it altogether, requires a multi-pronged attack. The mother of all tips is to eat less and move more. We have to change the way we live by changing small things and setting simple goals.

 

People with typical symptoms of type-2 diabetes need only take a few clearly defined steps and life will be easier: control your weight – or lose five to 10 percent of your body mass if you are overweight; do regular exercise: quit smoking: limit alcohol and salt intake while increasing fiber.

 

All specialists give similar advice. There are three crucial ways to control diabetes or avoid type-2. Exercise, exercise, exercise – then, for those already diagnosed, add a sensible diet and drug therapy.

 

Drugs, though, are only one part of a much needed bigger plan of action and do not negate the need for lifestyle changes. Far too many people are sent away from doctors having simply been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and prescribed what they believe to be a life-saving drug. They end up not changing their lifestyles at all.

 

To really take control of this disease you have to get proficient at self-managing. Many people are simply not equipped to deal with it after diagnosis. They’re sent out into the world without the necessary tools. The result is often grinding depression when medication does not make them feel much better and nutritional and exercise aspects of treatment are avoided. There’s a lesson for all of us in this – we should always keep moving and eating better. This thing can be beaten, but it’s up to you.

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If you’ve noticed the news, Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise in the USA, and around the world, for both kids and adults. If you don’t have it, it’s not too late to take steps to prevent it. And if you already have it, there’s a new way to help manage it. Studies have proven the earlier you tackle any blood sugar problems, the better your chances are for success. It has also been made clear that losing excess weight can help ward off diabetes. If you could lose weight without being hungry, and if you could eat something that tasted however you wanted it to, would you do it?

Who wouldn’t answer ‘yes’ to that?
You don’t have to change your habits or start taking expensive pills. All you need are Chia Seeds. The Chia Seed, while not well known, is actually a Superfood. It was lost for centuries, ever since the ancient Aztecs used its super-nutrition for their armies. With the ability to keep people feeling full, and being 23% protein by weight, it isn’t any wonder they were able to conquer so many lands. Every tiny seed was a powerhouse of nutrition, vitamins and essential omega-3 oils.

How easy is it to use?
Chia Seeds are actually one of the easiest things you can possibly add to your diet. It’s as simple as sprinkling them onto anything you already like to eat or drink. Chia Seeds don’t have a flavor of their own. Instead, they distribute the flavors of food or drink that you add them to. This property lets them take on the taste of that food, or amplify the flavor of liquids. (Meaning when you cook with them, the food will actually taste better!)
For example, you could sprinkle them onto: breakfast cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, juice, milk, pizza, salad dressing, pasta, sandwiches….really, anything that’s moist enough to get the seeds to stick to the surface…and you stay full much longer, from eating much less food!

It seems far fetched, how can little seeds do all that and more?

Get ready for a double shot of weight-loss benefits:
First: Chia Seeds help you feel full longer, and you can actually watch the process work! Diet pills may ask you to believe they work, but MySeeds Chia shows you. If you take 1 tablespoon-full of Chia and add it to 9 tablespoons  of water, stir, and wait 15 minutes, you’ll see that each seed has formed a big bead of gel on the surface and the water is now thick like a gelatin. Notice how much larger this solid form is? This is what happens when you eat the seeds. The gel won’t come off the seed easily, and is made of pure water. This feels like food in the stomach, but replaces calories with water (which has 0 calories)

Second: Chia is a fiber-rich seed. It has soluble and insoluble fiber. In fact, you can literally SEE the fiber of the Chia Seed in action, if you place it in liquid. (it will form a big bead of gel around the seed) Fiber-rich foods are processed more slowly by the body. This is a great benefit if you’re trying to lose weight without starving! When foods process more slowly, you feel ‘satisfied’ or ‘full’ much faster than normal. This makes it easy to eat less at mealtime.

By packing in fiber, the food you eat is less calorically dense. The fiber fills you up, and performs its important roles in the colon, but ISNT absorbed by the body to turn into extra calories and fat. Insoluble fiber is not digested. It is sometimes called ‘roughage’ and helps to clean the colon.

But what about glucose? Glucose and insulin levels are important for preventing type-2 diabetes. Starchy foods, sugary drinks, and other modern-day diet options that convert quickly into sugars in the body spike insulin levels. You can give your system a break with fiber. Viscous fiber (that which appears like a gelatin) slows down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugars and helps normalize blood glucose levels. That means it’s beneficial to mix Chia Seed in with food you already like to eat.

Blood sugar naturally rises and falls through out the day. It can also be what makes you drowsy in the afternoon. Dips and spikes aren’t good for consistent, healthy energy. The slowing of conversion of carbohydrates into sugar has the ability to create endurance. Carbohydrates are the fuel for energy in the body. Prolonging their conversion into sugar stabilizes metabolic changes, diminishing the surges of highs and lows creating a longer duration in their fueling effects. Protein fuels energy as well, and the protein in chia is complete. Once again, a double benefit for you.

With Chia Seeds you can deal a powerful 1-2 punch against Type-2 Diabetes risk-factors: excess weight and insulin spiking foods. Of course, there are many other benefits to Chia as well, such as healthy omega-3 oils, micro-nutrients, a full range of b-vitamins and more calcium by weight than milk. If you already have Type-2 Diabetes, it’s important to watch your blood-sugar closely and ask your doctor about adding Chia Seeds to your diet. If you don’t have this problem, it’s not too late to stop it from ever hitting you. If you have risk factors, or, if you’re just looking for a way to feel better every day, and improve your health, you need to take action right away. You need Chia Seeds!

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Diabetes is the inability to transfer sugars in blood into the sugar-storage sites of your body, the muscles and liver. Sugars, called carbohydrates, are found mainly in cereals, rice, bread, pastas, potatoes, milk products, fruits, fruit juices and sweets. When we consume these foods, they pass from the stomach into the intestines and get broken down to the most basic sugar form, glucose. Glucose (sugar) normally moves into the blood via a web of blood vessels that are connected to the intestines. When the movement of glucose into the blood stream raises its average level above 100 points (mg/dl), it triggers the secretion of a hormone called insulin from the pancreas. When insulin is secreted into the blood, it causes the excess glucose (sugar) to be stored in muscles and liver cells. It is stored in a form called glycogen, which may be used at a later time as an immediate source of energy.

This energy is used for activities of up to three minutes: lifting or throwing an object, running away from danger, sprinting, stop-and-go actions such as a short walk, or any sports activity. Some people have impairment in their insulin production or in the functioning of their insulin. This insulin impairment causes the level of glucose to rapidly rise above the 100-point mark, and that is the condition we call diabetes. High sugar levels, left untreated, can gradually cause damage to vital tissues, such as blood vessels, the nervous system, kidneys, heart and arteries. This can cause debilitating strokes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, loss of sensation or pain in the feet and hands, leading to leg amputations, kidney failure and blindness.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes is when someone can produce little or no insulin, due mainly to immune and genetic (inherited) defects in the pancreas. People with Type 1 Diabetes create approximately only 10% of all of people diagnosed with diabetes. Type 1 can occur at a relatively young age, especially during childhood. At the time of diagnosis, people are usually of average weight, experiencing weight loss; frequent urination, blurred vision and dry mouth and their blood fasting sugar are way above 125 points (mg/dl). Type 1 diabetics have to depend on insulin use for the rest of their lives, in order to survive and making good lifestyle choices is integral to diabetes control. Oral Diabetes medications that are Sensitizers (see detailed discussion of this group of drugs in Action Step 2 right after the Insulin section) can be prescribed along with Insulin for people with Type 1 which can help reduce the amount of daily insulin used. Also leading and maintaining an active Lifestyle and making favorable food choices and raising your fiber intake can all help bring Diabetes under control and reduce the amount of total daily insulin dose (decisions about insulin dosing can ONLY be made by your doctor). Refer to Action Step 4 for a detailed discussion on how to start and maintain an active Lifestyle and make favorable food choices.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance or Pre-diabetes

This is a condition where glucose levels are higher than normal but not enough to be diagnosed as diabetes namely at a range from 100 to 125 mg/dl on a fasting state (first thing in the morning before eating). Typically, the more than 54 million people in this category are overweight or obese. They are people who consume large amounts of “junk food” (nutrient-deficient foods and drinks such as soft drinks and all other sugar containing juices and drinks. Foods that are loaded with sugars and unfavorable sources of fat such as animal fat, butter, margarine and Trans Fatty Acids that are found in the majority of packaged processed sweet and or salty snacks) and lead totally sedentary lifestyles; they also have high cholesterol and triglycerides and have low HDL (the good cholesterol). Studies show that these people will eventually develop diabetes and other preventable chronic ailments, such as: high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease, “unless” they are identified early and they start making favorable lifestyle choices.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes affects some women during pregnancy and is characterized by consistently higher than 95 points (mg/dl) on a fasting state first thing in the morning, and over 120 points 2 hours after a meal. Most women who suffer from Gestational Diabetes will return to having normal blood glucose levels after delivery. Up to 45% of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy may progress to having full-blown diabetes later in life unless they make favorable lifestyle choices and change their eating and activity habits. The main predisposing factors for gestational diabetes are family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyles . It is crucial that women at risk be identified, since high blood sugar causes fetal harm.

Who Should Test?

All women, early on in their pregnancy, who have the following criteria must be tested for high blood sugar; women who are: overweight, over the age of 25, who have family history of diabetes, those who belong to ethnic groups other than Caucasian, those who have previously had gestational diabetes, or who have previously delivered large babies over 9 pounds.

Treatment

Gestational diabetes is initially treated with Lifestyle interventions such as making balanced food choices and increasing activity as described in Action Step 4. If fasting (first thing in the morning before eating) blood sugar is not brought to 95 points (mg/dl) or to 120 points 2 hours after lunch or dinner then Insulin is the ideal drug that is used. Your doctor will decide which insulin product and dose is appropriate for you. (See the discussion about insulin in Action Step 2).

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, usually affects people later on in life, after the age of 25 or 30. However, Type 2 Diabetes has alarmingly been plaguing children at a much younger age than ever witnessed. Kids as young as 15 and 17 who are obese and leading sedentary lifestyles and commonly seen in grocery stores shopping while riding electric shopping scooters, are now diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. About 90% of people with diabetes have Type 2. People with Type 2 Diabetes produce insulin from their pancreas, but due to lifestyle factors such as obesity and inactivity the insulin is not able to perform and move the extra sugar from the blood into the muscle and liver cells, resulting in the buildup of sugar levels in the blood. This defect is referred to technically as insulin resistance. The diagnosis for Type 2 Diabetes is when people have a fasting (before eating in the morning) blood sugar level of 126 points (mg/dl) and over on 2 separate readings.

Type 2 Diabetes can be of hereditary origin. Non-Caucasians are more predisposed to getting it. But the vast majority of people get it due to inadequate lifestyles such obesity, overeating and sedentary lifestyles. A staggering 75% of people with diabetes are obese and inactive . This lends to the worsening of their conditions. I witness this trend every single day in my pharmacy practice. People drop off several prescriptions for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, and they sit the entire time in the pharmacy waiting area. When I counsel them about their medications and suggest they might increase the amount of daily walking, their invariable answer is, “I don’t have time.” Sometimes, they drop off their prescriptions and go food shopping; they bring back a cart full of bacon, cookies and other packaged snacks such as popcorn, jugs of soft drinks, pretzels, butter, white bread, and let’s not forget the cigarettes!

People with Type 2 Diabetes may be treated with: medications, either taken by mouth and/or through insulin injections, and by making favorable lifestyle choices
. Medications alone without an active lifestyle will never be an efficient way to control diabetes and/or other chronic lifestyle-related diseases. Your doctor has many medication options from which to choose. What is important is to get diabetes under control in order to avoid deadly complications ! Your health is your responsibility, and staying in close contact with your doctor and pharmacist is the only way to avoid diabetes complications and hugely important in keeping your diabetes under control.

The message that I bring you is that, “You are not doomed.” Certainly, you can control diabetes, but you have to be aware of some simple facts and act on them . Inaction will cause these deadly ailments to creep up on you and systematically destroy your internal organs and claim your life prematurely. You can become involved, seriously and consistently, in your health; take the lead and the primary responsibility for managing your health and disease! It is simpler than you think.

If you take charge of this responsibility, you reap the benefits of living your lifespan to the fullest, enjoying the best quality of life. It is very simple. You just have to take charge by starting to apply the reliable, simple, and practical recommendations in LIFESTYLE MAKEOVER FOR DIABETICS AND PRE-DIABETICS

For more detailed information on any of these topics log on to: www.LifestyleMakeoverEbook.com and check out these information packed lifesaving book and e-book volumes: LIFESTYLE MAKEOVER FOR DIABETICS AND PRE-DIABETICS and 4 other e-books: Lifestyle Makeover: Sex, Stress, and Alcohol , Lifestyle Makeover for All Couch Potatoes , Lifestyle Makeover: Defeat High Cholesterol and Blood Pressure , and Lifestyle Makeover for all Tobacco Users . The author of this article is also the author of these volumes

Test your knowledge on these various issues and take a simple True and False quiz by logging on to: www.LifestyleMakeoverEbook.com

Copyright © 2008 by George Tohme All rights reserved.

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