Archive for the 'blood sugar control' Category

If alcohol lowers blood sugar why don’t Diabetics use it to control high blood sugar?

July 29th, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 8 Comments »

Just wondering if they can.

* While moderate amounts of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level — sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels.
* Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar.
* Alcohol stimulates your appetite, which can cause you to overeat and may affect your blood sugar control.
* Alcohol can interfere with the positive effects of oral diabetes medicines or insulin.
* Alcohol may increase triglyceride levels.
* Alcohol may increase blood pressure.
* Alcohol can cause flushing, nausea, increased heart rate, and slurred speech.

most beers, wines and liquors contain HIGH amounts of sugar and carbs. most doctors (like mine) recommend if your going to drink, make sure your sugar is controlled at a good level and u drink a low carb drink i.e. michelob ultra. there are other beers that are specifically targeted for diabetics also.

Has inulin been shown to help control blood sugar in diabetics?

July 15th, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 1 Comment »

I’m asking about inulin not inSulin. It’s supposedly a fiber of some sort and I’ve looked it up online but none of the sites have really touched on the topic of blood sugar.

I’ve never heard of Inulin, but if it is fiber it WILL help — slightly.

Fiber in your diet binds with sugars and fats in your diet, and keep them from being digested. The pass through your system and out the other end before they have any effect. PLEASE be aware of the nasty smelling and colorful damage to your clothing that too much fiber and fat in your diet can do to your clothes!!!!

BUT — this effect is sooo small that it is NOT effective for a diabetic. They have blood sugars FAR too high to be helped with a little fiber. They need medications and maybe inSulin.

Fiber in the diet will help a NORMAL person KEEP their blood sugar under control.

But why by something special?? Eat a bowl of Cheerios every morning, and eat Whole Grain breads instead of white bread. This will provide MUCH more fiber, at a much cheaper cost.

What are some ways to control BLOOD SUGAR naturally?

July 3rd, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 5 Comments »

I am 17 years old and male. I haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes. I often feel tired, lightheaded and dizzy and want to feel better.

What are some ways to control my blood sugar level naturally to prevent these symptoms?

Please help.

Cheers.

Why are you assuming your symptoms have anything to do with abnormal blood sugar? Light headed and dizzy may have nothing to do with your blood sugar at all.
However, low glycemic level foods can keep your blood sugar stable. Do a Google search for "glycemic index" and include more low GI foods in your diet. If that doesn’t help, then your problems probably aren’t associated with your blood sugar level.

About Blood Tests and Treatment in Diabetes

June 1st, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 9 Comments »

In order to determine if a person has diabetes, there are some blood tests that can be performed.

To perform the fasting glucose test, the doctor will take blood from a vein in the patient’s arm, but it is important that the patient has not eaten in the last 8 hours. The red blood cells are separated from the sample, and in the remaining plasma it is measured the amount of glucose. Diabetes can be indicated by a plasma level of 7.8 mmol/L or greater. To confirm the results, this test must be taken again in another day.

In postprandial glucose test, the blood must be taken right after the patient has eaten a meal.

In what concerns the oral glucose tolerance test, there are taken blood samples from a vein before and after a patient drinks a thick, sweet syrup of glucose and other sugars. It is known that in a non-diabetic, immediately after the drink the glucose level in the blood goes up, but then decreases gradually, because the insulin is used by the body to metabolize or absorb the sugar. In a diabetic, the things are different: the glucose level in the blood goes up and stays high after drinking the liquid. When it had passed two hours after drinking the syrup, and also at a point during the two-hour test period, a plasma glucose level of 11.1 mmol/L or higher confirms the diagnosis of diabetes.

The doctors can say a patient has diabetes if there are symptoms of diabetes and a plasma glucose level of at least 11.1 mmol/L, a fasting plasma glucose level of at least 7 mmol/L, or a two-hour plasma glucose level of at least 11.1 mmol/L during an oral glucose tolerance test.

Patients with diabetes can monitor their own blood glucose levels with the help of some home blood glucose monitoring kits.

It is known that there is no cure for diabetes, but patients can live a relatively normal life if they are carefully managing the condition. The treatment for diabetes has as main purposes preventing the long-term complications, and keeping blood glucose within normal range.

The use of insulin or oral medications are important in preventing complications of diabetes, but a careful monitored diet and exercise are also important.

In many cases of type II diabetes, loosing weight is important. There must be followed a diet that consists in 50-60% of calories from carbohydrates, approximately 10-20% of calories from protein, and calories from fat should be less than 30%. It is known that the number of calories depends on the age of the patient, but also depends on the activity level and weight.

A nutritionist or dietitian should be consulted, and there can be made a diet plan for each individual.

In order to lower the blood glucose levels in type II diabetes, there can be used oral medications. Usually, the first drugs prescribed for type II diabetes are in a class of compounds called sulfonylureas. We can mention tolbutamide, tolazamide, acetohexamide, and chlorpropamide. Glyburide, glimeperide, and glipizide are some newer drugs, that are included in the same class mentioned before. Seems that the role of these drugs is to stimulate pancreas cells to produce more insulin.

There also appeared some new medications to treat diabetes: metformin, acarbose, and troglitizone. It is known that all drugs have side effects: can stimulate weight gain, cause stomach irritation, or present increased risk in other situations.

It is known that there are made constant advances in the development of new oral medications for patients with diabetes. For example, in 2003 was developed Metaglip, a combination between glipizide and metformin. There was approved another drug, Avandamet, which combines metformin and rosiglitazone.

There exist a lot of drugs nowadays, and the doctor will decide which suits best for every individual.

It is known that patients with type I diabetes need daily insulin injections, to help their body use glucose; the amount and type of insulin depends on every individual. In what concerns the patients having type II diabetes, some of them may need to take insulin injections if they cannot control their diabetes with diet, exercise, and oral medication.

Usually, the most commonly used is the purified human insulin, but there exists also insulin from beef and pork. There can be mixed different types of insulin and given in one dose or split into two or more doses during a day. Also, insulin pump can be used in patients who need multiple injections over a day. Regular insulin is fast-acting, starts to work within 15-30 minutes, has a peak- effect at about 2 hours after it is injected, and the effect lasts 4-6 hours. Neutral protamine Hagedorn and Lente insulin are intermediate-acting, start to work within one to three hours, and last for 18-26 hours; ultra-lente, a long lasting form of insulin starts to work within four to eight hours and lasts 28-36 hours.

Alcohol consumption, too much insulin, too little food or increased exercise can lead to hypoglycemia, and the person having this may be hungry, cranky, confused, and tired. There ca appear other symptoms as well.

In what concerns surgery, the transplantation of a healthy pancreas into a diabetic patient is a successful treatment, but it is not clear if the potential benefits outweigh the risks of the surgery and drug therapy needed.

So, if you want to find out more about diabetes or even about diabetes treatment please follow this link http://diabetes-info-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/about-blood-tests-and-treatment-in-diabetes-130854.html

Natural Cure For High Blood Pressure

May 22nd, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 3 Comments »

Dealing with high blood pressure is a serious matter that needs to be addressed. We will endeavor to put your mind at ease about this serious subject and find some natural products that you can use to lower your blood pressure. Fortunately for most people, high blood pressure is not difficult to control.

The main causes of high blood pressure are diet, hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, diabetes and other factors including genetics and the environment. Once you have it what can you do to help your heart to pump your blood more efficiently and to get your blood pressure down. What we want is to find a natural cure for high blood pressure.

Your Diet
You will need to cut down or eliminate animal fats and table salt. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and get one of the salt substitutes that is in any grocery market. Cut down on your consumption of coffee and alcohol. Quit smoking. Your diet also needs to be low in sugar but high in foods containing potassium, magnesium and calcium. Add foods that are high in fiber or take a fiber supplement. Also any food that belongs to the onion family such as garlic should be in your diet. Watch for high salt content in canned and processed foods.

Nutritional Supplements
If you don’t think you are getting enough of the right vitamins/minerals in your diet then you may want to consider nutritional supplements. Some of the more beneficial supplements are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and niacin. Take B vitamins in a balanced B-complex and extra B6, folic acid, and B12. Take a good multivitamin supplement. Add magnesium, calcium and potassium.

Herbal Medicines
Hawthorn (also known as thorn-apple) is one of the most commonly used herbs for high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems and is a natural cure for these conditions. Some of the other herbs often used are cayenne pepper, coenzyme Q10, gotu kola and borage.

Lifestyle Changes
One of the best things you can do to lower blood pressure is to lose weight. Helping to lose weight by exercise is a double whammy. Exercise helps by helping you to lose weight and reducing stress which is also a factor in high blood pressure. Find an exercise that you enjoy and do it every day. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any kind of exercise program. Some hospitals have very good exercise programs, check with a hospital near you, your doctor is probably aware of these and can recommend one for you. Managing stress is very important, some techniques are biofeedback, yoga, meditation and relaxation exercises.

By using these suggestions your blood pressure should be monitored closely, you will need to purchase a home blood pressure monitoring kit and use it often to keep tabs on how you are doing to use these natural cures for high blood pressure.

William Weaver
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/natural-cure-for-high-blood-pressure-85694.html

Would You Like To Hear About A High Blood Pressure Remedy?

April 28th, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | No Comments »

This article emphasizes the preventative steps that you can take to avoid the onset of high blood pressure.

A high blood pressure remedy is something that is used to help prevent high blood pressure from occurring in the first place or else to help control blood pressure levels.

The high blood pressure remedy most doctors recommend is one that anyone can put into play so long as they have patience, perseverance and a healthy dose of self-control. This means making lifestyle changes that can improve the functioning of your circulatory system and get you into better shape physically

Often lifestyle changes also have a positive impact on psychological health as well because healthy people feel better and are more able to deal with the ups and downs of life.

The first high blood pressure remedy is the foods you eat. Always try to follow as closely as possible a heart healthy diet that can greatly lower your potential for developing any kind of circulatory problem

Some suggestions for this high blood pressure remedy include limiting the amount of trans fat and hydrogenated oils you consume daily in items such as fried foods, margarines and foods purchased from fast food restaurants as well as limiting the amount of refined sugar you eat in foods such as cookies, cakes, doughnuts, candy, et cetera

Other suggestions include using both garlic as well as olive oil (extra virgin is the best) when you cook to lower your cholesterol levels and adding omega-3 fatty acids to your daily diet as much as possible. The very best sources of omega-3 are fish oil or cold water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.

Another high blood pressure remedy is exercise. Make it a goal of yours to get exercise on a regular basis. Get off the couch, put your sneakers on and get out there and get as much physical activity as possible. It is recommended that you at least three to four times during the week (and more if you can) for an average of 30 minutes at a time. Try to do stretching exercises before and cool down exercises after your run or work out.

If you are new to exercise, please do not overdo it. Start off slowly and work up to more as time goes by. Keep in mind that you do not have to go to the gym all of the time to get the required exercise your body needs to keep blood pressure at a normal level. Go for walks around your neighborhood, walk the dog in the park, go for a run around the block, play a game of tennis, throw a ball around the yard with your son or daughter once a week, and so one. Try to vary the activities you do as much as possible so you do not get bored and abandon them. Also remember that drinking plenty of water when you are exercising and stopping for breaks is imperative.

Verlyn Ross
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/would-you-like-to-hear-about-a-high-blood-pressure-remedy-91638.html

How can diabetes control blood sugar levels? :/ Full star :)?

April 28th, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 2 Comments »


For Type 1 Diabetes, you have to take life long shots of insulin. But you can lower the doze by a low carb diet and exercise.

Type 2 Diabetes can be easily controlled by diet and exercise. When I was diagnosed with diabetes my fasting blood glucose level was over 400. I was given a cocktail of drugs and doctor was planning to put me on insulin.

Then I met a good Endocrinologist and followed his advise of diet and exercise. I did wonders and in just one month I was able to control my diabetes. Now my fasting sugar level always around 90-100 and after meals below 130. Doctor has already stopped my most of the medications and I am only on 1000 mg Metformin at bedtime.

To start with high carbohydrate foods cause blood glucose level to rise by breaking in to sugars. Also foods high in glycemic index break in to sugars very rapidly causing blood sugar to shoot up immediately. Therefore, a diabetic meal plan should be low on carbohydrates and rich in protein and fiber. Fiber delays breakdown of carbohydrates and helps in slow release of glucose in blood. I would suggest not more than 120 grams of carbohydrates per day (a typical asian lunch or dinner has thrice of it)

Foods to completely avoid are boiled or baked potato, white bread, potato chips, and some high carbohydrate fruits like watermelon, mango, and pine apple.
Take high protein diet like chicken and fish.
Take large portions of green vegetables and fruits.

Breakfast:
1 Apple and a cup or oats with milk /or two slices of whole what bread with butter and two eggs

Lunch:
2 Whole wheat bread or a bowl of rice, fish/chicken, vegetables, salads.

Dinner:
2 Whole wheat bread or pasta, fish/chicken, vegetables, salads, sprouted beans

Snacks:
Salted peanuts or fruits

Since rice is high in carbohydrates, it is advisable to switch to Basmati rice which is lower in glycemic index than the normal polished rice. Chickpeas , and legumes are good source of protein and low in carbohydrates.

Bitter Gourd (bitter melon) is a scientifically proven remedy for diabetes. A study shows that a 100mg/kg by body weight dose per day is comparable to 2.5 milligrams of the anti-diabetes drug Glibenclamide taken twice per day. Bitter melon contains a lectin that has insulin-like activity. The insulin-like bioactivity of this lectin is due to its linking together 2 insulin receptors. This lectin lowers blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and, similar to insulin’s effects in the brain, suppressing appetite.

The other things are Cinnamon and Fenugreek seeds which can be taken a teaspoon each in powered form. Both are proven anti diabetic herbs.

Exercise does wonders and brings down sugar level. You should do cycling, running/brisk walking or other cardio vascular exercises for 30 to 45 minutes five days a week.

I wish best of luck and am sure that if you follow it, you will have a good control on your blood glucose.

How to Keep Diabetes Under Control?

April 21st, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 6 Comments »

In order to improve the diabetic patient’s condition the doctor needs to apply a treatment which will reduce the level of glucose in blood and will keep it constant. This way the symptoms will disappear gradually and the patient will feel better. In this way complication given by diabetes can be avoided and the life can be prolonged.

Before resorting to medication the doctor will try to reduce the symptoms with a diet and daily exercises. The doctor will help the patient to test his level of glucose in blood by its own; will let him know what he is allowed to eat and what he must avoid; will advise him what to do when he feels sick and will tell him where he can procure his diabetes supplies.

Adopting a new lifestyle is not an easy thing to do and people suffering of diabetes must have patients and will in educating themselves.

Testing the level of glucose in blood can be done by the patient without the doctor’s help. These tests are usually done before meals and at bedtime. Sometimes they can be done more frequent if the patient feels sick or is under stress. The patient will monitor its level of glucose in blood with the help of a glucometer. The patient will prick his finger with a small needle attached to the glucometer and a drop of blood will appear on the finger. The finger will then be placed on a test strip and then the test strip will be placed in the glucometer. After 30 seconds the blood test results will appear on the screen of the glucometer.

By keeping a record of the values obtained in several days the doctor will be able to set a more adequate treatment scheme for the patient.

The diet will be also set by the doctor and a nutritionist who will choose healthy foods for the patient, in adequate amounts, and will also set a schedule for taking meals. In most of the cases, loosing weight can do a lot of good in diabetic patients and by this way they can renounce taking medications even though they still have diabetes.

Daily exercising is essential for a diabetic patient. In this way the weight can be kept under control and the glucose level in blood will be reduced. It also decreases I the insulin resistance, making it more effective in the process of reducing the level of glucose in blood.

Before adopting certain exercised the patient should talk with the doctor to see whether those exercises are suitable for him or not. Also, before, during and after exercising the patient should drink fluids that do not contain sugar, and should monitor the level of glucose in blood before and after exercising.

If exercising and diet do not help the patient in lowering the level of glucose in blood, then the doctor will recommend medication like: oral sulfonylurea, Biguanides, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, Thiazolidinediones, Meglitinides.

In the worse case insulin injections will be prescribed. These injections must be done from one to four times a day depending on the product and on the type of diabetes the patient has.

So, if you want to find out more about juvenile diabetes or even about diabetes mellitus please follow this link http://diabetes-info-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-keep-diabetes-under-control-122766.html

Diabetic Blood Glucose Monitoring

April 14th, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 2 Comments »

The most important part of any diabetes symptom management is monitoring blood glucose levels. There are three main ways that glucose levels in the blood can be monitored.

1. Fasting Blood Glucose:

Fasting blood glucose or fasting blood sugar is taken after an eight hour fast and measures the level of glucose in the blood at that time. Depending on the lab conducting the test the normal value of this test should be between 70 to 110 mg/dl. If the diabetes is uncontrolled these fasting glucose levels are much higher then normal.

2. Glycosylated hemoglobin:

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HgbA1c) is produced through a process that is irreversible. Hemoglobin combines with glucose as the red blood cells circulate through the blood stream and forms glycohemoglobin. Depending on the amount of glucose in the blood stream a certain amount of glycohemoglobin is formed during the red blood cells 120 day life span. Because of this the amount of glycosylated hemoglobin is a good measure of the average amount of blood glucose level over that 100 to 120 day time span before the test. The more glucose in the blood stream the greater the end value. Short term factors such as food, exercise and stress will not affect this value making it easy to take a blood sample at any time and is much easier then scheduling a fasting blood glucose test.

3. Self-monitoring.

This type of blood glucose test can be done in the diabetics own home with a glucometer or blood glucose meter, which is available for purchase at any pharmacy. This device is used to monitor glucose levels at any time but in particular before and after eating and before bedtime. The glucometer is used with a drop of blood obtained through a finger prick to measure blood glucose levels at specified times during the day. By self monitoring the diabetic can chart their glucose level which is important to maintain glycemic control. Through this method the affects of their meal plan, exercise program and other factors can be evaluated to see if the goal of their medical nutrition therapy is being met.

These charts generated from the self monitoring should be reviewed by the diabetic’s health care team to make determinations about their food intake, insulin requirements and exercise plan. This allows their doctors and nutritionists to individualize the care plan to the particular diabetic’s needs. This makes the older method of offering general diet plans and tear-off diet sheets a thing of the past.

The type of diabetes and treatment that is prescribed will determine the number of times the diabetic will need to test the glucose levels in their blood. Some may even need to monitor up to ten times a day, before and after each meal and again at bed time.

Diabetic blood glucose monitoring is the lifeline that allows all diabetics to control their disease and live a normal life.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/diabetic-blood-glucose-monitoring-122154.html

Diabetes: Take Control With Physical Activity

March 31st, 2010 -- Posted in blood sugar control | 5 Comments »

Exercise is an integral part of life for everyone. This becomes especially true in the case of a person with diabetes, in which case it is part of the treatment of diabetes as well. For a diabetic exercise should be a daily routine. Daily exercise would help a diabetic person to have good blood sugar control in addition to making him or her physically fit. Daily exercise also would make a diabetic person less susceptible for a heart attack and nerve damage from diabetes.

Exercise improves blood sugar control

Exercise provides great benefits to diabetics and it plays an excellent role in controlling the blood sugar. A properly designed exercise schedule in combination with a healthy diet is the recipe for success for a person with diabetes. When you do physical activity your muscles take up the glucose from the blood circulation and use it for the muscular activity thus maintaining a normal blood glucose level. Exercise also increases the tissue sensitivity to insulin making the effect of insulin more effective thus further helping to reduce the blood glucose level.

Exercise reduces weight

Exercise is also helps people with diabetes to reduce weight. Weight gain is closely associated with type-2 diabetes. Exercise decreases the fat stores and thus decreases the extra demand that is put on the already compromised beta cells.

Exercise decreases the need for diabetic medication

Exercise reduces insulin resistance of the tissues and makes body tissue more responsive to the action of insulin. If you have only mild diabetes, a combination of exercise and dietary control may be the only form of intervention needed for your diabetes control. Even in persons who have more severe degree of diabetes exercise would decrease the need for diabetic medication because of decreased insulin resistance.

Exercise improves circulation

Most of the complications that are associated with diabetes are related to impairment of circulation that is caused by diabetes. This is especially true for those who develop diabetic foot as a complication of diabetes. Exercise improves circulation especially to arms and legs and thus may prevent development of diabetes related complications.

Exercise improves cholesterol level

Heart attack (myocardial infarction) is one of the major causes of death in people with diabetes. Exercise would increase the good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and lower the bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). Exercise also reduces the triglyceride levels. By improving the cholesterol values exercise provide increase protection from heart attack diabetic patients.

Exercise lowers blood pressure

Diabetic patients are highly prone to complications of high blood pressure. Regular exercise would lower blood pressure and thus may protect diabetic patients from hypertension (high blood pressure) and its complications.

It is clear from the above discussion that exercise is a very crucial component in the life of a person with diabetes. Regular exercise, in combination with a healthy diabetic meal would prove to be of significant benefit for a people with diabetes.

Sean
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/diabetes-take-control-with-physical-activity-248836.html

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