Pre-diabetes, also known as metabolic syndrome, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), is an early sign that you may be at risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is a stage where there is high insulin levels, high triglycerides. low HDL (good) cholesterol, insulin resistance, a growing waistline and blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. In other words, you are in the gray zone between "normal" and "diabetic". You are a pre-diabetic if your blood glucose levels are between 5.6 mmol/l and 6.9 mmol/l.

Symptoms of pre-diabetes develop so gradually that most people affected by this condition often don't recognize it until it is too late. At this stage, vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, arteries, nerves, eyes would have started to deteriorate due to the high insulin level in the blood caused by the body cells being insensitive to the insulin. People who are pre-diabetic have a 40% to 50% chance of developing into type 2 diabetes within 10 years. A good percentage of pre-diabetic people are over 40 years of age.

Pre-diabetes is caused by a combination of a weakened secretion of insulin and reduced sensitivity of the body cells to insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance occurs when the pancreas secretes normal amount of insulin to regulate sugar but the body cells do not respond. If no preventive measures are taken to bring down the blood sugar level to a normal level, the pancreas would over a period of time becomes totally overworked and would be unable to produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance, resulting in your sugar levels rising to abnormally high levels. The excess sugar build up in the blood would then spills over to the urine and passes out of the body and eventually, this would lead to type 2 diabetes.

Although pre-diabetes is a serious condition but it can be reversed by making modest changes in their daily routines such as increasing the level of physical activity, achieved a healthy weight and follow a healthy balanced diet by eating fewer calories. Take action to prevent it from progressing to full blown diabetes as once you have it, there is nothing much you can do except that for the rest of your life you will have no choice but to change the way you eat and the way you live.



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Generally, all women at some point in their lives will suffer through a yeast infection, however those who also have diabetes will be especially vulnerable. The normal environment in the vagina is acidic. Yeast cells are kept in balance there by the lack of available nutrients and this acidic environment.

Women who have diabetes have higher amounts of glucose, or sugar, in their blood. This causes vaginal secretions to also contain more glucose, which changes the environment. This change provides nourishment to yeast cells and as they feed on this extra glucose, they are able to multiply and turn into a yeast infection.

Another thing that helps to prevent candidiasis, yeast infections, is a normal immune system. Hyperglycemia can interfere with your immune system. If you get a yeast infection and you are diabetic it could mean a couple of things; One, your glucose levels are not completely under control, your blood glucose levels are too high; Or two, there is another area of your body suffering from an infection, and your immune system cannot handle assaults from both locations.

Yeast Infection Can Have Serious Effects On People With Diabetes

A yeast overgrowth in the vagina, or other parts of the body, may prevent the body's own defense mechanisms from effectively fighting off other types of infection. Women who are diabetic and have a yeast infection will be more vulnerable to other infections like cold and flu.

The body's ability to ward off other viruses and bacteria is inhibited by the combination of high blood glucose levels and yeast overgrowth.

An infection of any kind in people with diabetes can pose a serious risk. Blood sugar levels can fluctuate higher or lower than usual when the body is trying to fight off the infection; this of course causes complications with trying to control the diabetes. We are all aware of the risks to a diabetic person if their blood sugar spikes high or drops very low.

What Are the Treatment Options?

There are antifungal medications that can be gotten by prescription and over the counter, but you should definitely consult with a health care provider before taking any of these because of the risk of interaction with your regular medications. That is why it is so much better to go with a natural option to cure your yeast infection; there is so much less risk.

There is also the option of using a vaginal suppository; however you must be certain that you actually have a vaginal yeast infection, as misdiagnosis can actually lead to fungicide resistant yeast. Women with diabetes who have yeast infections may require longer than average treatment to ensure that all the yeast is brought under control.

Yeast infections can happen in other areas of the body and can be treated by topical or oral antifungal agents, or as we prefer, natural methods to cure yeast infections. One very important thing you need to remember when you are treating a yeast infection, for people with diabetes especially is the need to ensure that whatever regime you follow you continue right to the end of the course of treatment. This will ensure that the yeast is under control. If you stop taking treatments early because you feel somewhat better, you run the risk of having the infection return even stronger than before.

If you have diabetes, or know someone who does then please check out our resource box for more information. You owe it to yourself to do the right thing and seek help for this debilitating, and potentially fatal condition.



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There still appears to be alot of confusion concerning whether or not persons with insulin diabetes are able to obtain a CDL license. For years, there was a ban that prevented those with diabetes who used insulin from driving commercial vehicles within interstate operation. However, in 2003, the FMCSA introduced the Diabetes Exemption Program which allowed individuals with insulin treated diabetes the ability to operate a CMV in interstate commerce.

In the beginning, this new regulation still had its problems. Mainly, it still required that people with insulin diabetes must have already driven commercially for the previous three years. If not, they would not be qualified for the exemption. Therefore, this three year rule made the new regulation, basically worthless for any new, potential CDL holders. This three year rule made it so difficult, that from 2003 to 2005, only four exemptions were issued.

Then, in late 2005, everything changed for the better. Due to the effort by the American Diabetes Association, President Bush signed into law, doing away with the three year requirement. There is no longer any need to show previous commercial driving experience, even if you are on insulin. However, there still are 57 other screenings, guidelines and provisions that one must pass in order to be granted the exemption. Also, one must abide by any particular state requirements in regards to the commercial driver license.

There are many questions and answers floating around the net stating that it is not possible to receive a CDL if you have insulin diabetes. The Truth is . . . YES YOU CAN! Thanks to the new regulations of the Diabetes Exemption Program, signed into law in 2005.

Until the physical qualification standards within the regulations are amended by the FMCSA, you will have to apply for the exemption. You can find the 16 page Diabetes Exemption Form you can download and fill out from the FMCSA site.

You will have to be evaluated by an Endocrinologist and an Ophthalmologist or Optometrist, and the form has areas that will need to be filled out by the doctors. The FMCSA must grant or deny an exemption within 180 days of receiving your application.

According to the law passed by Congress, individuals with insulin treated diabetes will have to demonstrate that they have control of the diabetes while on insulin. For those with Type 1 diabetes, they are required to have been on insulin for two months before they can apply for the exemption. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes are required to have been on insulin for at least one month. But, as you can see, one or two months is much better than the three year rule!


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