On the previous post, I have discussed the different diabetes signs and symptoms. This current article will touch on how to go about identifying prediabetes.

Prediabetes is a stage between normal and diabetes stage given by the US department of Health and Human services and ADA in year 2002 with the intension to create awareness to people the seriousness of diabetics. According to the ADA statistics 17 millions US citizens are diabetic and 16 millions are prediabetic. ADA defines as a stage before the development of diabetes, with normal glucose tolerance, but with an increased risk of developing diabetes in near future.

Prediabetes is a condition when your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not so high by which we can justify as type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 million U.S. adults aged 40 to 74 have prediabetes. And the same reports from, The American Academy of Pediatrics show that, one of every 10 males and one of every 25 females have prediabetes aged from 12 to 19 years.

Some of the signs and symptoms of prediabetes can take a long time to change and finally characterised as diabetes. However, a vice versa conversion from prediabetes to normal glucose level was also observed under careful control of diet and sticking to exercise regime. People suffering from prediabetes may show same symptoms as in diabetes but, they will be erupting occasionally like:

1. Excessive thirst
2. Excess Hunger
3. Frequent Urination
4. Irritability
5. Frequent infections
6. Blurred vision
7. Skin itching

In addition, some of the risk factors or people in risk zone of prediabetes than others are due to the incorporation of one or more of the below mentioned factors:

1. Being overweight or obesity

2. Family history of prediabetes - genetic inheritance

3. Waist hip ratio - Increase fats accumulation around the abdominal region

4. Depression and stress - trigger the release of hormones such as cortisol and norepinephrine which result in the disruption of metabolic system and increase glucose.

5. Dysfunctional pancreas - result in the incapability to release pancreatic enzymes which include insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. Without proper secretion of these pancreatic enzymes, patients are more susceptible toprediabetic where individual suffers from little high sugar than normal patients. The reason behind high sugar is entry of glucose into the blood cells due to disturbance in the mechanism of insulin. Thus sugar is circulating in the blood stream but unable to penetrate into cells and tissue, to produce energy. The exact reason of this is uncertain but it is considered that overweight and fatty tissues along with sedentary lifestyle are the correlating factors.

Type 2 diabetes is closely associated with being overweight. Simply put if you are overweight you greatly increase your chances of developing it. It is one of the biggest health risks to overweight people and one of the biggest reasons that you should start a diet today if you are currently overweight. The sooner you start to diet, the less chance you have of developing this condition which of course can lead to many health problems.

What Are The Different Forms Of Diabetes?

Type 1 -

Formerly known as juvenile or insulin-dependent, type 1 is usually diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. This form is not related being overweight. If you are an adult and have not yet developed the condition then type 1 should not a concern for you.

Type 2 -

Formerly known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent, type 2 is the most common form. It is far more likely to develop in people who are overweight. Avoiding Type 2 should be one of your top concerns if you are now overweight. It's important to realize that losing weight is not just a "vanity thing," it's also a health thing.

Gestational -

This is a temporary form that sometimes effects women late in pregnancy. It normally goes away after the birth of the baby but it does increase the chances of the woman developing Type 2 later on in life. A woman who has had Gestational Diabetes should make a special effort to stay healthy.

Starting A Diet Today

The sooner you start a healthy diet the better for your health. If you have not yet developed diabetes, you can likely still avoid it by starting a diet today. It's important to start a healthy diet that you can stick with such as The Day Off Diet.

Diabetic ketoacidosis or (DKA) is a complication of diabetes. When the individual's blood sugar gets very high and they are profoundly deficient in insulin, the body becomes unable to utilize blood sugar efficiently. The body then begins to burn fat stores for food. As these fat stores are burned, a by product is released called Ketones. It is ketones that are responsible for lowering the body's pH level below 7.35. Metabolic acidosis occurs when the pH of the body drops below 7.35. The body attempts to excrete the ketones via the kidneys, causing ketones to be released in the urine, a term called ketonuria. However along with the negative ketones, the body's positively charged electrolytes are also excreted. This leads to an electrolyte imbalance. The body continues to burn other glucose stores in the body such as proteins, causing nitrogen losses.

Now the body has depletion in electrolytes. This can cause nausea and vomiting, depleting more electrolytes. The individual is now in a severe hyperglycemic state and is hypovolemic as well. If these conditions are left untreated, the person can go into hypovolemic shock, become comatose and die.

Outward signs and symptoms of DKA include the following; eyeballs are soft and appear sunken, skin turgor is poor, (Dehydration of tissues can be tested by pinching the skin fold on the sternum. If the skin stays in one place or does not loose its shape rapidly, then dehydration can be assumed.), the person is very pale, cold, clammy, and exhibits deep rapid respirations, an effort the body makes to eliminate excess carbon dioxide. The individual may also exhibit severe abdominal pain and tachycardia, (heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute.) Diagnostic laboratory findings from arterial blood gases would indicate a pH less than 7.35, blood glucose level greater than 250 mg/dL, serum bicarbonate level less than 15 mEq/L, as well as ketones in the urine.

Interventions must be immediate to prevent irreversible destruction to the body's organs and prevent coma or death. Ensure a patent airway, and begin to administer oxygen via nasal cannula or mask. Establish an intravenous access with a large bore needle (18 to 20 gauge). Begin fluid stabilization with 0.9 Normal Saline. This is an isotonic fluid, compatible with the body's pH. The purpose of using an isotonic infusion initially is to re-establish blood pressure which was low and to increase urinary out put to 30-60ml/hr. When urinary output is less than 30 ml/hr, kidney failure can rapidly occur. Fluids should continue for one hour or until stabilization occurs. Next begin insulin infusion with a drip rate or 0.1U/kg/hr. During this time it is important to monitor the person's vital signs every fifteen minutes until stable or for at least one hours after treatment begins. If necessary, potassium should be administered to correct for hypokalemia, and sodium bicarbonate to correct for metabolic acidosis, if the pH is less than 7.0. The person should also have electrocardiogram leads placed on chest to monitor heart rhythms.

When the diabetic is at home and feels these bodily signs and symptoms beginning to occur, they should take the following steps; call 911, check their blood sugar, administer insulin per sliding scale, drink an electrolytic fluid, (i.e., sports fluids), breath into a paper bag, use oxygen if available, lie down, raise feet level with the heart and wait for the ambulance.

Preventative measures to avoid DKA include consistent control of blood sugar with administration of insulin per protocol. The diabetic should avoid too much food intake, and avoid taking too much or too little insulin. Stressful life situations can also cause elevations in glucose levels. Therefore the diabetic should prepare to check their blood sugar more often during times of stress and administer insulin as prescribed.

Understanding the complications of diabetes can help the diabetic take the necessary actions to prevent DKA from occurring and help them live a healthy life.

Around 8% of the US Population suffers from Diabetes. This represents around 24 Million Americans. Approximately 57 Million Americans show signs of blood sugar abnormalities that are problematic and are considered pre-diabetes symptoms. While there is not really a cure for diabetes, many people live successfully and healthily with diabetes.

In diabetes, the body typically does not produce enough insulin and does not effectively use the insulin it does produce. Insulin, a hormone that is produced by the pancreas, is responsible for allowing blood sugar to be absorbed into the body's tissue. This blood sugar, or glucose, is used as a form of energy by the body.

One of the most important things a person with diabetes can do is properly monitor their diet. Diabetes has been linked to obesity and it is important to eat healthy foods that will not adversely affect your blood sugar level. Often the prescribed diet will help to limit the carbohydrate intake. A blood sugar testing kit is used that reports the amount of glucose present in the blood stream and it is imperative to keep a close eye on this level. By making good decisions about the foods you eat, you can help to control the level of sugar in your body.

Exercise is also very important and some links have been found between certain types of diabetes and obesity. You should always be careful when exercising though, because diabetes causes wounds to take longer to heal. Proper shoes and clean dry socks should always be used. An open sore on the foot can result in infection and possibly amputation, so it is very important to check your feet before and after you work out.

Consult your doctor about finding a good workout that will work for you and determining the right types of snacks to eat before or after exercise. Always make sure you stretch before you begin working out and do not overdo it.

Insulin and other medicines are also used to control diabetes. Insulin has been used since 1921 to treat diabetes. Most often insulin shots are used, but some people make use of an insulin pump. An insulin pump is a device that is worn on the outside of the body and connects directly to the bloodstream. The pump administers a regulated amount of insulin to the body over a set period of time. Oral insulin is also available. Those with Type 1 Diabetes do not produce enough insulin and so supplemental insulin is usually used to treat this type of diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by the improper absorption and use of insulin by the body. Several oral medicines are available that make the body's tissues more receptive to insulin and allow it to be used more efficiently. Frequently though Type 2 Diabetes can be treated by maintaining a proper diet and exercising regularly.

Diabetes can be a very serious disease, but it can be treated successfully in many cases. There is no cure, but it is possible to have diabetes and be relatively healthy.

With the possible exception of when they tell us something we do not want to hear, most of us consider anybody with the title "Doctor" in front of their name to be fairly intelligent. More wise in the subject at hand than we happen to be, hopefully. For instance, I break my leg, and Dr. John Doe strolls into the room to make things right. While he is busy doing whatever it is he has to do to set the bone, I, through gritted teeth, happen to ask, where did you go to medical school, Doctor? Oh, I have my doctorate in mathematics from Ivey Covered University. Great school, but wrong doctorate.

That being said, let's get to the subject of curing and controlling diabetes. What I know about diabetes is what I got from researching the subject. To research a subject, go to the experts, the people doing the research, and the people who work with diabetics.

When they are told they are cured, most people believe the condition is gone. No more problems. I had chicken pox, but it is gone, and I have been cured. I never have to worry about chicken pox again! But, when I look up cured in a medical dictionary, I come up with, "remission of signs or symptoms of a disease especially during a prolonged period of observation" (Merriam-Webster, thank you) as one of the definitions. You tell somebody with a life threatening condition that the disease is in remission, they are happy and hopeful. Happy that the disease is not spreading, and hopeful that it will go away - forever! Once it is gone forever, everybody says that they have been cured - as we understand it. Listen, just about everybody has heard about the old chicken soup cure. You get a bad cold, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and oh, yes, have plenty of mom's chicken soup. I guarantee you, if you follow that advice, in just about a week, your cold will be gone. Since nobody has bothered to patent it, to my knowledge, anyway, I think that I will, and we'll call it Buckley's miracle cure for the common cold. How about, with the exception of the chicken soup, we just call it following the doctor's advice on not making a bad condition worse.

Which brings us to controlled. The same source I used for cure, Merriam-Webster, and I am going to the medical dictionary, tells me that one of the definitions of controlling is "to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels (control an insect population) (a vaccine for controlling outbreaks of cholera." (please note, the <> symbol was changed to () for editing purposes). Such as, if I follow the proper diet, get some exercise, and do what they tell me to do, things will be better.

A long time ago, I was sitting on a rock in the woods and just watching the time go by. It was the middle of winter, and being in New England, it was really cold. Still, it was wonderful. After a while of contemplating nothing in particular, who should appear? It happened to be the most beautiful red fox I had ever seen. I was down wind, and the fox had no clue I was there. I just sat there watching this animal do its fox thing. While admiring that animal and the surroundings I was in, almost as an epiphany, I wondered how anybody, including myself, could doubt the existence of God. From that point on, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that God existed. That is called an act of faith. That being said, if I now told you to do such and such, and you will be cured of your diabetes, you would probably toss some well turned phrases in my general direction.

I believe in God, but unless he personally, or one of his certified heavenly representatives, tells me to stop taking medicines I need for my medical condition, do you think I am going to stop taking them without, say, talking to my doctor, first?

So far, most of the cures I have seen come down to doing what the medical people and dieticians have been telling you to do all along. I have a million things for you to buy at my blog, and I wish somebody would actually do so, but guess what - your health comes first! Keep in mind that there is a difference between curing and controlling.