A lot of people aren't aware they have type 2 diabetes because symptoms are insidious and threaten their health slowly. So, it is not surprising that when they experience a chronic cough and consult a physician, they are given a diagnosis of tuberculosis and diabetes. Or when they undergo a routine urinalysis they discover that they have a urinary tract infection or vaginitis and diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes has so much to offer in terms of diseases. Not only does type 2 diabetes predispose people to lethal cardiovascular, kidney and eye complications but to infections as well. While the development of a foot ulcer is a combination of destruction of nerves and blood vessels, and consequent infection and death of tissue, other infections are common. Diabetics are prone to develop pneumonia, tuberculosis, asymptomatic urinary tract infection, fungal vaginitis, dental caries and other infections.

Bacteria love to thrive in a sweet environment, which is actually what your blood is like if you are diabetic. And treating these problems takes more time and difficulty than in non-diabetics and at times end fatally.

The best way to prevent this scenario is to:

* lower your blood sugar levels to normal every day of your life
* consult a competent health care provider, (an endocrinologist or a family physician)
* get started on the right medication, a herbal supplement or a food supplement can be added
* stick to your diabetic diet, eat more vegetables and fruit,
* exercise, lose those unwanted pounds (kilograms), and
* avoid smoking

These are always the keys to managing type 2 diabetes and avoiding infections.

Here are important things to remember to avoid infections:

* visit your health care provider regularly. When you see him for a follow up, he will always request a routine urinalysis and blood count. So your check up will include screening for infections
* keep yourself and your environment clean
* take good care of your feet. Be sure they are always clean. Wear comfortable shoes. If you love pedicures take your own instruments and sanitize them before and after use. Choose a sanitary salon and tell your pedicurist not to cut deeply through the cuticles. Even small nicks can cause infection
* strengthen your immune system. Even if you follow your diet, multivitamins help your immune system. Make sure you have enough rest and sleep. And manage your stress
* stay away from infected people; avoid crowded and closed areas such as elevators or bars, especially during the flu season
* take care of your teeth; brush and floss after each meal and visit your dentist regularly.

These are simple and achievable steps to prevent infections when you have type 2 diabetes. It doesn't mean that you live an isolated life ... you can enjoy your social life and the things that you love but with some precautions.

It just takes simple common sense to be healthy; the rewards are great!

Type 2 diabetes slows down your body's ability to fight infection. Prevention and/or early treatment of infections can really prevent more serious complications. Most infections can be treated successfully but you must take notice of your symptoms early and contact your health care provider, especially if you have an elevated temperature.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverleigh_H_Piepers

Have you ever really thought about the foods that are on our planet? Have you ever given any thought to why certain foods show up on multiple continents? Or have you ever wondered why each country has its own unique foods or what types of medicinal constituents are in those foods? And which of those foods will help you with your type 2 diabetes?

The fact is foods can be found to help almost every ailment that man has! For every disease, there are foods that will make the condition worse, and foods that will help the condition heal.

Type 2 diabetes is no different than other diseases that can be healed with food. One great food for diabetes is cactus fruit.

You may be thinking to yourself, "cactus fruit ... that red prickly fruit on the top of the cactus plant"? It's a vegetable, fruit and flower, all in one!

However, you can reassure yourself that this is true by doing a Google search for "cactus fruit diabetes". Look around the internet long enough and you'll find actual research studies that substantiate the viewpoint that this fruit can help diabetics regulate their blood sugar level.

There is one catch, though. You can't add sugar to it! You can't add it to your cookies and ice cream before bed! And you can't dip it in honey, fry it or heat it on the BBQ and expect to get good results.

Cactus fruit is such a great aid to diabetics, doctors at an Indian hospital in Arizona have created a way that this fruit can be given via intravenous therapy to bring down the blood sugar levels of those with blood sugars in the diabetic coma range of 300 mg/dl (16.7 mmol/l) to 400 mg/dl (22 mmol/l). This spiny fruit is a lifesaver to these diabetics.

Other foods that help you heal are good, wholesome foods such as:

* nuts and okra ... these help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease which is very real for type 2 or adult onset diabetics
* onions and garlic ... garlic keeps infections away. As you know Infections are something else diabetics are prone to develop
* tomatoes, and carrots. Tomatoes are great for your eyes; it's easy for people with diabetes to develop cataracts. Carrots provide the body with beta-carotene, a precursor compound to vitamin A in the body.

Now that you know some of the foods that help reverse type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications, what are you going to do?

Take control of your health. Most of the diseases and disabilities we suffer, and that includes type 2 diabetes, are related more to what we do each day. The food we eat, the amount of physical activity we engage in, and the way we handle the stress in our lives ... almost more than anything else. Make a commitment to take whatever measures are necessary to get a handle on your type 2 diabetes.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverleigh_H_Piepers

Diabetes is still the number one cause of blindness and kidney failure. But they're no longer inevitable. In fact, complications usually don't occur until after 5 to 10 years of high blood glucose problems. Here's what you can do on the way to acceptable blood sugar levels to keep key parts of you healthy.

* Care for your eyes. After your kidneys, your eyes are the second major organ of the body affected by uncontrolled blood glucose over the long term. But blindness is no longer an inevitable correlate of diabetes. Here's what you need to do to keep your eyes in good shape. See your ophthalmologist or optometrist annually at least. As long as you are controlling your blood glucose, your eyes will stay normal. If not, you're most likely to show signs of cataracts (a cloudy or opaque lens that can block your vision), glaucoma (high pressure inside the eye that can damage the nerve), or retinopathy (which has a variety of effects). The long and short is that you'll need to start controlling your blood glucose and likely your blood pressure. Alcohol may worsen eye disease. Smoking certainly raises blood glucose levels in diabetics. You can stop or reverse damage if you stop smoking now. Detecting and treating diabetic eye disease with laser therapy can reduce the development of severe vision loss by an estimated 50 to 60 percent.
* Don't go soak your feet. You want your feet to be soft and comfortable. Soaking works against you. It dries your feet, makes them crack, and opens them to infection. Use a good moisturizer instead. Wash your feet every day with a moisturized soap (then dry them thoroughly). Inspect your feet for nicks, pierces, or ulcers. Poke them with a 10-gram filament to see if you've lost feeling in the fine nerves. Finally, apply a thick (not thin) watery moisturizing lotion. That's all you need.

You have more resources than ever to reverse the damage glucose is doing to your body. Here's your third way to live better:




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Healy

Diabetes in one of the most prevalent diseases in today's generation. With the changes in the eating habits, and unhealthy intake of junk foods a condition of kids to experience diabetes has set inside our culture. There were days were sugar complaints are usually prevalent among elders, but today there is no such restriction. Diabetes is generally addressed as the deficiency in the digestive hormone, the insulin or recently a few discoveries show that though insulin is present in a good amount the cells have the inability to acquire them. Both these conditions lead to diabetes. As diabetes causes problems in the metabolic rate, it is called as the metabolic disease.

Causes for Diabetes

Diabetes is caused mainly due to the overweight factor. Parents consider that kids who are obese are very chubby and healthy. This is a very wrong notion that people should change their mind. The obese factor is one of the main factors to cause diabetes and blood pressure at later ages or even at an early age. These further leads to heart attack and further absorbs more diseases. Intake of more food and protein content will result in unnecessary accumulation of energy, which would again be a metabolic problem. The other major cause for diabetes is heredity. We cannot have any control over this particular cause. It is natural that a son might have diabetes if his grandfather or father has. Depending on how the genes pass on to the child the diabetes gets more prevalent. It is said that diabetes due to heredity cause could be very easily avoided if we are cautious about the food we eat. There are many available precautions that one should take to avoid the diabetes that passes on through heredity.

Control Diabetes

The best way to control diabetes is to look forward to stop eating the bad food, like junk and refined food available today. The civilization has changed the eating lifestyle of people and this gets a much more problem in the digestion and damage of the pancreas. It is always advisable to take drugs only with the recommendation of a physician. Intake of drugs that is not good for body will damage your pancreas. Damage to the pancreas will lead to slow secretion of insulin and this again leads to lower metabolic rate and hence diabetes.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irsan_Gao