Diabetes Support Products - Alternative Health Supplements

Diabetes can seem to be an overwhelming disease because it impacts so many areas of your daily life. It's important to have support from family, friends and from other people with diabetes. Don't underestimate the importance of peer support.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing all around the world and becoming an alarming situation. The number of existing cases and the number of new cases are both increasing. Most of this increase is not due to the growing population of the elderly but rather to a middle aged population and the youth. According to WebMD, "There has been a 10-fold increase in the number of children with Type 2 diabetes during the past five years." Over 85% of the children with Type II are also overweight.

Diabetes is a disease that is related to the improper function of energy metabolism in the body. Generally, there are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II. Type I diabetes commonly occurs in younger people. It is a condition in which the body is unable to produce insulin and so the blood sugar level of the person can then rise to extremely dangerous levels. Type II diabetes is more common and accounts for about 90% of all diabetic patients. This second type usually doesn't show up until later in life and it is associated with overweight people and people with a family history of the disease. About 30% of people who have Type II diabetes eventually require insulin, but often it can be controlled through diet, exercise and medication.

Type I diabetes, which is more prevalent in young people, can only be controlled by using insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar and other food into the energy that you need for your daily life. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body and insulin is the hormone that takes the sugar from your blood into your cells. When there isn't a proper amount of insulin, the sugar is not carried to the cells and the situation can grow very dangerous. The problems are either that your cells may be starved for energy or, over a longer period of time, your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart may be damaged. It is not known what brings on Type I diabetes but we do know that there is a slight genetic element at work. Still, the risk of Type I diabetes in an identical twin is only about 35-50%. It cannot be completely explained in terms of genetics.

Type II diabetes, which is also called late-onset diabetes, usually occurs in adults and mainly people over 40 . It is more common in certain ethnic groups such as Blacks, Hispanics, Native American Indians, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the elderly. This type of diabetes has a slower development so it is possible that you may not even notice that you have it for several years. Symptoms may be very slight or even nonexistent for certain people. In other cases, it is extremely obvious in that there is frequent urination, excessive thirst, weight loss, general fatigue and frequent vaginal infections in some woman. The term “diabetes” comes from the Greek word "siphon". It originated because the Greeks used to detect the symptoms of people who were drinking lots of water and then urinating all the time like a "siphon". Today we have many advanced methods for determining the presence of diabetes in a patient.

Diabetes Type II is often related to obesity. People who are obese have a condition known as "hyperinsulinemia". This means that they have a high level of insulin in their blood and so the cells in their body build up a tolerance to insulin and become virtually "insulin resistant". In the extreme case, the body is required to produce more insulin to keep its blood sugar levels in a safe range but the extra body fat makes the muscle cells particularly "insulin resistant". Because of this resistance, the blood sugar cannot be broken down. This creates a situation in which the pancreas works even harder to produce the insulin. Losing weight improves the body's sensitivity to insulin and so the ability to convert the glucose is greatly improved.

Gestational diabetes is another rare form of the disease that affects about 4% of all pregnant women. In gestational diabetes, hormones from the placenta that help the baby develop sometimes block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. In the same way that insulin resistance causes problems for obese people, it also makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin to remain in a safe zone during her pregnancy.