Learn About Living With Diabetes With ADA’s Diabetes Care

When you or your loved one is diagnosed with diabetes – either Type I or Type II – you can feel at your wit’s end.  Diabetes requires some substantial lifestyle changes in your diet, your daily routine and to manage new worries.  It is a big task, and you cannot do it alone.  But you can’t go to the doctor every time you have a question or problem – that’s too impractical and expensive!  You might consider checking out the American Diabetes Association’s publication and website, both called Diabetes Care.

Check It Out

Although the print version of Diabetes Care is written for doctors and other health care workers, the online version is more in layman’s language.  And, unlike the print version, which is FABULOSULY expensive, the online Diabetes Care is free.  There is also a button if you prefer to read in Spanish rather than English.

Features

The Diabetes Care website is aimed for families, and has many articles for coping with diabetes.  The many sections include:

Recipe of the Day
Articles from the layman’s magazine on diabetes, Diabetes Forecast
Personal stories about people “inspired by diabetes”
Local events
American Diabetes Association merchandise store
Weight loss tips
Information specifically for parents of diabetic children

Who Are These People?

Diabetes Care and Diabetes Forecast are both put out by the American Diabetes Association, which is a non-profit organization founded in 1940.  Not only do they work to improve the lives of people with diabetes, but they hope to cure both types of diabetes.  So, their ultimate goal is not to exist anymore.  In the meantime, they are one of the country’s major sources of diabetes care information, with a free call help center open 8:30am to 8pm, and an automated system the other hours of the day.  The number is 1-800-DIABETES (catchy, huh?).  If you got rid of your phone for whatever reason, you can email your question:

English speakers: AskADA@diabetes.org
Spanish speakers: Preguntas@diabetes.org
The ADA averages over two hundred million dollars in donations every year.  Charity Navigator Rating only gives them a two out of four star rating for how they distribute their money, but the ADA maintains that by having a core group of full-time paid staff, they can get more work done.

The Charity Navigation Rating website also reports that, unlike some other charities, the ADA has a Privacy Policy like businesses and public services do.  This means if you tell the ADA that you want off of their mailing lists, by law they have to remove your name.

Diabetes Blogs:

• Picking The Diabetes Forum For You
• The Importance of a Diabetes Discussion
• Knowing The Common Symptoms Of Diabetes
• The Possibility of Reversing Diabetes
• Natural Cures For Diabetes Might Help Control A Se…
• Managing Diabetes Requires Thoughtful Planning
• Important Information on Diabetes
• What is Juvenile Diabetes?
• Diabetes Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
• Diabetes Management Reduces Risks Of Complications…
• A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
• Diabetes Control Provides For Long Term Health

Learning About the Possible Complications of Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic and incurable disease, one that affects a significant majority of the general public, worldwide. It is a disease which has been around long enough and learned enough upon that there are really great forms of treatment available for it now, however if left untreated or improperly managed, there can be some incredibly serious complications of diabetes.

Complications of Diabetes

The complications of diabetes can differ quite drastically, depending on how long you have left the disease gone untreated and how serious it has become. Heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for people with heart disease, and this is obviously one of the most serious complications that are possible to occur.

Blindness is another possible complication, one that is actually quite common among people with diabetes even if they are treating their disease properly, and this is why adults who have diabetes always need to make sure that they have annual eye exams in order to ensure the health of their eyes and to protect their vision.

The reason that blindness is a possible complication is because over time high blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels that feed the retina of the eye, and the blood vessels from here will often leak fluid. This may end up causing the retina to swell up and vision to blur, a condition which is known as diabetic macular edema and this is typically the first sign that the person will notice.

Another of the most common complications of diabetes involves kidney failure, and even when drugs and diet are able to control the disease, it is still able to lead to kidney disease and kidney failure. High blood sugar levels, especially over a significant period of time, are able to damage the kidneys, and when the kidneys are damaged they are not able to clean the blood well as they normally do. This allows waste products and fluid to be able to build up in the blood, and can result in incredibly serious side effects.

Yet another of the most major complications of diabetes is erectile dysfunction, this condition includes the total inability to have an erection, the inability to sustain an erection, or the occasional inability to have or sustain an erection. Men who have diabetes are actually three times as likely to have erectile dysfunction than women, and among those men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, those with diabetes are likely to have experienced the problem much earlier than the men who do not have diabetes.
Diabetes Blogs:

• Knowing The Common Symptoms Of Diabetes
• The Possibility of Reversing Diabetes
• Natural Cures For Diabetes Might Help Control A Se…
• Managing Diabetes Requires Thoughtful Planning
• Important Information on Diabetes
• What is Juvenile Diabetes?
• Diabetes Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
• Diabetes Management Reduces Risks Of Complications…
• A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
• Diabetes Control Provides For Long Term Health

Understanding the Connection Between Diabetes and Depression

Diabetes is a chronic lifelong disease for which there is currently no cure however there are various methods of treatment available that can be used in order to properly control the disease. There are many mild and many much more serious side effects caused by diabetes, one in particular which is depression.

Diabetes and Depression

The connection between diabetes and depression is one of great importance, for a variety of reasons but namely because the depression that is caused by diabetes is much more intense and severe than any other type. Depression is actually twice as common in people who have diabetes than it is with others, and major depression is present in at least 15 percent of the cases here.

As well in regards to the connection between diabetes and depression, the association is actually still unclear. It is thought that the depression may occur because of stress, but then it is thought by others that it only occurs due to certain metabolic effects of diabetes on the brain. There are further studies which have been conducted that suggest the idea that people with diabetes who have a history of depression are much more likely to develop diabetic complications than those without depression.

Treatment

Diabetes and depression requires serious and immediate treatment, and the particular treatment that you should use will depend on your particular situation and circumstances. Treatment for this diabetes and depression should only be managed by a certified mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist. This is especially important when antidepressant medication is suggested or required.

Herbal supplements and products are also available, which offer you an alternative method of treatment to the much more common prescribed medications that are typically recommended and used, however even these should only be taken after you have discussed it with a physician beforehand.

It is incredibly important to remember that depression is a disorder of the brain, and so you should always seek help for your depression, regardless of whether it is caused by diabetes or not. You should never try to take care of a depression problem on your own, because it is an incredibly serious issue and can really only be taken care of properly with the help of a trained medical professional.

You should never lose hope or feel that there is nothing you can do for your depression problem, and by working together with your doctor and a mental health professional, you will be able to find proper treatment for your problem.

Diabetes Blogs:

• Knowing The Common Symptoms Of Diabetes
• The Possibility of Reversing Diabetes
• Natural Cures For Diabetes Might Help Control A Se…
• Managing Diabetes Requires Thoughtful Planning
• Important Information on Diabetes
• What is Juvenile Diabetes?
• Diabetes Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
• Diabetes Management Reduces Risks Of Complications…
• A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
• Diabetes Control Provides For Long Term Health

Learning About Diabetes Medication

Diabetes is an incredibly common disease, one which afflicts over five million people in North America alone. Basically what happens with this disease is that the body’s ability to produce the proper amount of insulin is interfered with somehow, and in turn the body is not receiving enough sugar, and thus the body’s cells are not able to function properly.

This results in a series of different malfunctions, and over time diabetes can even lead to life threatening and debilitating complications. Although as of yet there is no cure for diabetes, there are methods of treatment available that can be used and namely this refers to the diabetes medication that is available to help control the disease.

Diabetes is actually a leading cause of death by disease, as if left untreated or improperly managed, the high levels of blood sugar associated with the disease are able to slowly damage both the small and large blood vessels in the body, and eventually result in a variety of complications.

Diabetes Medication

The type of diabetes medication that you will be prescribed will be determined on a number of different factors, including your age, general health, and type of diabetes. There is type 1 and type 2 diabetes which are similar in ways but very different in others.

Type 1 diabetes is the particular type of diabetes that occurs when certain specialized parts of the pancreas are destroyed and as a result are no longer able to produce insulin. The body requires a certain amount of insulin in order to function properly and sustain itself, which is why this is such a serious issue. The most common form of diabetes medication here is simply a regular intake of insulin, which is supplied by way of syringes and needles, injection pens or insulin pumps.

On the other hand, with type 2 diabetes, the types of diabetes medication used differs, as here the diabetes is typically managed by engaging in exercise and properly modifying the diet. There is a number of more serious diabetes medication options offered here as well however, such as: Sulfonylureas, Biguanides, Peptide analogs, Incretin enhancers, and Gastric inhibitory peptide analogs.

During the past few years in particular there have been dramatic advancements in regards to the treatment of diabetes, and in particular this includes drug therapies for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. With proper research and funding, these sorts of advancements are only going to continue and prosper in the future, and it is believed that if we continue this way there will be a cure for diabetes found within the next decade.

Diabetes Blogs:

• Knowing The Common Symptoms Of Diabetes
• The Possibility of Reversing Diabetes
• Natural Cures For Diabetes Might Help Control A Se…
• Managing Diabetes Requires Thoughtful Planning
• Important Information on Diabetes
• What is Juvenile Diabetes?
• Diabetes Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
• Diabetes Management Reduces Risks Of Complications…
• A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
• Diabetes Control Provides For Long Term Health

Current Studies Conducted in Diabetes Research

Diabetes is a disease that currently afflicts millions of people. Although there are current studies underway for diabetes research, they’re still many unanswered questions regarding diabetes. The study of diabetes is made more difficult because there is more than one type of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes Research

Type 1 diabetes research revolves around finding out why this disease happens and finding a cure. The exact causes of type 1 diabetes are currently unknown. Most scientists and doctors believe that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. This disorder seems to be caused first by heredity, and secondly by other unknown factors.

New research, however, suggest that this may not be true. According to a study conducted in December of 2006 on mice type 1 diabetes may actually be a nerve disease. The study suggests that the immune system does not in fact attack the beta cells of the pancreas as previously thought in type 1 diabetes. This diabetes research suggests that instead the immune system is actually attacking and damaging nerve cells. This research is significant because, if proven in humans, type 1 diabetes may actually be treatable with nerve medications and perhaps even preventable or curable. However, this research still has yet to determine whether or not. This nerve damage is actually a cause of the disease or if it is simply a symptom of this disease, which may be caused by other factors.

Type 2 Diabetes Research

Type 2 diabetes research revolves around preventing this disease and curing it. Unlike type 1 diabetes, some of the causes of type 2 diabetes are clear. While scientists cannot pinpoint exactly why certain people will become afflicted with type 2 diabetes that have the same risk factors as other individuals that do not, they can pinpoint what these risk factors are. Some of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes include eating a diet full of fatty foods, being obese or overweight, smoking, drinking excessively, being a part of certain ethnic groups, and a family history of this disease.

Research into type 2 diabetes, focuses on how things like weight loss, exercise, improved diet, quitting smoking, and quitting drinking can reduce the effects diabetes has on an affected person’s life, as well as whether or not this can cure diabetes or prevent it.

Research into gestational diabetes, which is similar to type 2 diabetes, revolves around how weight loss prior to pregnancy can prevent this disease, as well as how other risk factors may affect whether or not a person will become afflicted it with this disorder.

Diabetes Blogs:

• Knowing The Common Symptoms Of Diabetes
• The Possibility of Reversing Diabetes
• Natural Cures For Diabetes Might Help Control A Se…
• Managing Diabetes Requires Thoughtful Planning
• Important Information on Diabetes
• What is Juvenile Diabetes?
• Diabetes Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
• Diabetes Management Reduces Risks Of Complications…
• A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
• Diabetes Control Provides For Long Term Health