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Diabetes Mellitus
Understanding Diabetes Mellitus Doctors often use the full term "Diabetes Mellitus" rather than "diabetes" alone, to distinguish this disorder from "Diabetes Insipidus" which is another rare disease that does not affect blood sugar levels. There are two types of diabetes mellitus: Type I: Known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas fails to produce adequate insulin. Insulin is the hormone used by the body to make blood sugar (glucose) available to cells. Recent evidence reported by John Hopkins University suggests that consumption of dairy products by sensitive children causes the immune cells to respond with excessive aggressiveness to antigens in cow's milk. These antigens may attach themselves to cells in the pancreas. Once attached, the antigens are attacked by immune cells that, in the process, destroy both the antigens and the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Most people who have type I diabetes develop this disorder before age 30. Type II: The most common form of diabetes, usually occurs in adulthood in people older than forty. For most adult-onset diabetics, the pancreas actually produces more insulin than is necessary, at least in the early stages of the illness. Dietary fat and cholesterol infiltrate the blood and block insulin from making glucose available to cells. As the disorder continues, the pancreas weakens, and production of insulin diminishes until insulin injections may be necessary. Obesity is the main risk factor for developing type II diabetes, and most people with this disease are obese. Because obesity causes insulin resistance, obese people need very large amounts of insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus Type I: In people with type I diabetes, the symptoms often begin abruptly and dramatically. The initial symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and particularly in children¾abdominal pain. Breathing tends to become deep and rapid as the body attempts to correct the blood's acidity. Without treatment, this illness can progress to coma and death, sometimes within a few hours. Type II: People with type II diabetes may not have any symptoms for years or decades before they are diagnosed. Increased urination and thirst are mild initially and gradually worsen. Eventually, the person feels extremely fatigued, may develop blurred vision and become dehydrated. In some type II diabetics, the blood sugar level in their early stages could be abnormally low that it is diagnosed as hypoglycemia. Blood sugar levels can get very high when uncontrolled, causing the person to develop severe dehydration, which may lead to mental confusion, drowsiness and seizures. The two types of diabetes have similar symptoms which include: chronic thirst, excessive urination, excess hunger, muscle wasting, weight loss, fatigue, dry skin, itching, rashes, numbness, tingling of hands and feet, vascular degeneration, atherosclerosis, heart disease, retinopathy, loss of sight, kidney disease and gangrene, due to poor circulation.
Causes of Diabetes Mellitus The causes of diabetes is not totally clear but there are certain risk factors that may heighten the chances of diabetes:
Diet/Lifestyle Suggestions People with diabetes must adjust their diet, exercise and drugs to control blood sugar levels. The goal is to keep their blood sugar levels within the normal range as much as possible to avoid complications.
Diet management is very important in people with either types of diabetes. In general, diabetics should avoid:
What they should do:
Suggested foods:
These foods have an insulin-like action and should be included in a diabetic's diet regularly, varying them in the diet as much as possible:
Asparagus, avocados, bittermelon, black pepper, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cinnamon, cucumbers, fennel, garlic, ginger, grapefruit, guava, parsnips, raw green vegetables, onions, leeks, sweet potatoes, tomato, winter squash, yams.
Even though carrots are sweet, it is also a good blood sugar regulator. Combine cucumber and tomato, which help reduce sugar in urine. This juice tastes good. Juice one medium-sized carrot, half a medium-sized cucumber and two medium-sized ripe tomatoes. Juice yield is about 250ml (using a gear juicer).
Carrots are good blood regulator and also helps eye problems in diabetics. Juice with a green apple (not red) that helps bring down sugar level. Combine with spinach for the powerful synergistic healing potential. Add celery for its good sodium and minerals, at the same time enhancing the taste.
Use one medium-sized carrot and green apple, a bunch of spinach and two ribs of celery.
Guava has very high content of vitamin C that is necessary for diabetics. If you can stand the bitterness, bitter gourd/melon is highly beneficial in lowering sugar level in the blood and urine. Check the bitter gourd page on how to lessen the bitterness.
De-seed and juice one medium-sized guava and half of a large bitter gourd (large ones are less bitter). Optional: add a tablespoon of raw honey.
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