Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold'em poker, casino games, or lotteries? Then understanding your odds of winning is part of the challenge.

Are you planning on living a long and healthy life? A life free of aches and pains? A life full of excitement and adventure? Great, then understanding the odds of developing diabetes will surely cause you to take immediate action.

It is estimated that one in three Americans born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes. Those are terrifying odds.

Already, more than 18 million Americans live with diabetes and that number is growing. What is even more alarming is the fact that 5 million people don't even know they have diabetes.

A new buzz in the medical community calls it- Pre-Diabetes. Today, roughly 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes which left undetected and untreated, progresses into full-blown diabetes.

The challenge with pre-diabetes is the fact that the condition doesn't like to reveal itself with noticeable symptoms. Because there are few, if any symptoms, most people will not bother having screening tests performed. With pre-diabetes, noticeable symptoms like frequent thirst and urination may not occur until the disease has progressed and is already causing considerable damage to your body. Most Type 2 diabetics don't have symptoms because the onset of diabetes is so slow.

Don't gamble with your health. The odds of developing diabetes are stacked against you.

The goal with identifying pre-diabetes is to prevent the onset of diabetes from ever happening.

Your physician can determine if you have pre-diabetes with two common tests. The fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Both require an overnight fast.

The good news is that you can greatly improve your odds and likely prevent diabetes with early detection and proper care.

Your car has an early detection system and so does your body. Take 3 minutes to read this article and learn how you can save yourself a life time of aches, pains, and costly medical bills.

Have you ever had the "Check Engine" warning light come on in your car? Most newer cars have a system that monitors the performance of your car. If something is not working properly, the "Check Engine" light usually comes on.

The good news is that this "pre-warning" system can help you avoid costly damage, which may be occurring with your vehicle, by detecting small problems before they become big problems. However, the only way to be certain is to have your car inspected by an expert mechanic when the "Check Engine" light comes on.

Did you know that your body has a "pre-warning" system?

With many diseases, your body will start producing symptoms such as aches, pains, fatigue, frequent thirst, and so on. These symptoms are your body's "Check Engine" light, warning you about problems.

However, with diabetes, pre-warning signs don't always show up so easily. The medical community is calling it: Pre-Diabetes.

Today, roughly 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes which left undetected and untreated, progresses into full-blown diabetes.

The challenge with pre-diabetes is the fact that the condition doesn't like to reveal itself with noticeable symptoms. Because there are few, if any symptoms, most people will not bother having screening tests performed. With pre-diabetes, noticeable symptoms like frequent thirst and urination may not occur until the disease has progressed and is already causing considerable damage to your body. Most Type 2 diabetics don't have symptoms because the onset of diabetes is so slow.

Don't wait for your "Check Engine" light to come on. Have your blood tested. Call your doctor today and make the appointment.

The goal with identifying pre-diabetes is to prevent the onset of diabetes from ever happening.

Your physician can determine if you have pre-diabetes with two common tests. The fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Both require an overnight fast.

The good news is that you can greatly improve your odds and likely prevent diabetes with early detection and proper care.

Here is some commonsense thinking:

I can't understand why anyone who has diabetes wouldn't exercise and watch what they eat.

The down side is that you may have to get an entire new wardrobe since exercise and healthy eating causes weight and size reduction.

When it happens, people tell you how great you look and that motivates you even more.

Other side effects: you'll also sleep better and feel more rested than before you started walking and eating better.

I prefer walking outside, especially when the weather is nice. I even designed a walking path about 2.5 miles long around my neighborhood; part flat and part hilly.

You'll find that a walking program helps more than your body.

"For me, walking time is good thinking time. Nobody is there to interrupt my thoughts. And even when I walk on the treadmill in front of the TV, I find it helps me get ready for the day."

Exercise and healthy eating.... A powerful duo for diabetics!

Ask your doctor about diabetes and have your blood sugar checked several times a year.

This is the second article in a series I am writing about how to raise happy diabetic children. You can find the first article titled Help Your Child Develope Self-Confidence in our article archives.

Sometimes the phrase "happy diabetic kids" seems to be an oxymoron. Often it seems all of the dark powers of the diabetes universe are aligned against you. You wonder if there isn't some evil house elf behind the scenes just making everyone's life miserable on purpose. Not being graduates of Hogwarts School Of Magic we can't just wave a magic wand and make it all better. We must prepare for life with diabetes and we must prepare our children. Self-Reliance is a critical skill for diabetic children to master. Think of all of the responsibilities that go into daily diabetes care. We all realize that we must keep the responsibilities we put upon our children age appropriate. Non the less, in most school aged children the ability to take some responsibility for their own care goes a long way in giving them some feelings of control over their diabetes. Last month I mentioned there are three components to raising happy children. Self-Confidence, Self-Reliance and Self-Control. No I still haven't forgotten Self-Esteem we'll get there. I'm still of the opinion that with these first three components your child can't help but develope Self-Esteem.

What is Self-Reliance?

Self-Reliance is the ability to manage on your own: to know how to manage your time, to function and think independently, combined with the ability to solve problems. With self-reliance, there is no need for other people's approval before moving forward or doing something new. It's also un-neccessary for constant guidance on how to achieve a goal. you can rely on yourself. Self-reliance is about tasks and skills -- knowing how to do things, how to achieve things or how to manage things. It also includes the ability to be alone and to think things through on your own. Self-reliance is broader than self-confidence. Self-confidence relates to what we can do, to specific skills. Self-reliance is about being independent, creative and self-sufficient; having confidence in our inner-selvs to enable us to adapt and manage on our own.

Self-Reliance helps us become:

Self-reliance is also having confidence in your own ideas. It is about being able to see things through to completion. It is about not being afraid of setting goals, and not being stopped by fear of failure. There is a common belief that the world is made up of three diffrent types of people:

those who make things happen;

those who watch things happen;

those who notice nothing until after then ask, "What happened?"

Those who have good self-reliance (and self-confidence, and self-control) develope self-esteem and make things happen. If we want our children to be able to make things happen, we don't have to think on a grand scale. It doesn't mean we all should want our children to be like Bill Gates, or Nobel Prize winners. We don't need to have our children achieve on a scale that makes a difference to others, We should aim to give our children a measure of self-reliance that allows them to keep better control of their own lives and keep choices open for them.

Self-Reliant at What?

We can encourage self-reliance in our children from a fairly early age. As soon as your child shows they can manage things for themselves, however slowly or clumsily, we should allow them to do so. Self-reliance is best introduced and experienced stage by stage, starting early and building up slowly as they become more more competent and responsible. When children are very young they have this almost unstoppable drive to become independent. Before they learn adult concepts of failure, they are willing to try over and over until they master whatever they are trying to do. This is especially true if they have older brothers or sisters. They desprately want to do what the older kids can do. If we stand in the way of letting them try or show disapproval when they don't do it quite right we can damage their belief in themselves. The more we do for them the more we prevent them from developing the ability to make judgements and decisions for themselves. The stages of self-reliance are fun to watch. The first time your baby grabs a hand full of baby food and finds their own mouth with it. When they learn to "go potty" all by themselves. When they put their own shirt on, usually backwards after wrestling with it for ten minutes. When they pick up their own room. When they start to earn an allowance. When they do their homework without you holding a gun to their head. When they go off on their first baby-sitting job. When they show you their first apartment, where you should promptly go through it turning on and leaving on every light in the place, leave the refridgerator door open and put your feet up on their new furniture. These stages progress until they present you one day with a grandchild. Clearly you cannot encourage self-reliance in your child if you are not prepared to stand back and progressively let go. Doing that in the right amounts and at the right times is hard to judge. Add the dangers of their not managing daily diabetes treatment into it and you realize just how careful you need to be. Giving them responsibility and independence depends on the age and personality of your child and on your own particular circumstances. Children can become self-reliant only if we have encouraged their independence, given them practice in making decisions that concern themselves and their health, and shown them that they can be relied upon.

We have been given a special task, raising a diabetic child. This makes us special people. If we weren't up to it we wouldn't have been entrusted with it. Self-reliance is a critical part of raising any child, diabetic or not. Diabetes just makes it more difficult and more important we help our children develope this skill.

By the time many type 2 diabetics (and often their doctors) realize action is necessary, the disease, with its destructive high blood sugars, has been silently damaging their body for years.

Complications to the blood vessels and tissues of your eyes, feet, heart, kidneys, and other organs, are likely well underway.

You visit the doctor because you feel bad, and you wish to feel better. You react to the symptoms of perceived illness. This is understandable, but does not allow much room for prevention or early detection of diabetes.

Of course this idea, “Don't see the doctor 'til it hurts,” comes from our “busier-then-ever” lifestyles. But to blame, to point fingers after the damage has started is as pointless as is the leaping bungee-jumper's complaint that his equipment has just failed. It's a little late to talk about why. Some problems are better prevented.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you know most of the time you don't feel very bad. You might think that because you don't feel very bad, it isn't very serious, and you don't have to do anything about it just now. "I'll wait 'til it hurts" ...You couldn't be more wrong.

Diabetes damages your body with high blood sugars. It doesn't care whether your sugars are high from type 2, type 1, or some other cause — if they're up, they're doing damage. Type 2 diabetics who let their sugars run “because they don't feel bad” are doing serious damage to their eyes, kidneys, hearts, and nervous systems.

Suppose you have diabetes, and don't want the complications. Suppose you don't know you have diabetes, but you're from a high-risk group (maybe someone in your family has or had diabetes), and you want to cut the risks. Or, suppose you just want to feel better.

It's all the same — Your early detection, education, and prevention work best.

Don't wait 'til it hurts. Ask your doctor about diabetes and have your blood sugar checked several times a year.

Humulin or Lantus? When my daughter, who was 8, was first diagnosed the Children's Hospital that was treating her put her on an insulin program of short acting Humalog NPH and long acting Humalin N. You should have seen me that first day of training after a long night in the emergency room where she was diagnosed. I was a raving lunatic to begin with so my brain was mostly mush at that point. Add to that everything began with "H". Mix this "H" with that "H" but first charge this "H" with air, then draw this "H" first followed by that "H" but make sure you roll this "H" between your palms and for crying-out-loud don't shake that "H". Anyway I guess osmosis worked and all of that information finally seeped in. We were officially diabetic now.

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Humalog and Humalin (short and long acting insulins) are mixed in the same syringe and injected 3 times a day usually before meals. Your child is allowed a certain amount of carbohydrates for each meal that the doctor figures out based on age, weight, etc., and that's your number. My daughter's was 65 carbs max per meal and 35 max per snack. However your child hits their magic number that's it. Whether it's 65 slices of ham or half a pop-tart. Plus she had to eat 6 times a day at certain times everyday.

Well the time came when she decided she wanted a little more freedom of choice and asked me about trying Lantus. My first thought was if it's not broke don't fix it. But I can have a cupcake whenever I want so I decided my opinion was secondary. So we looked into it. Lantus is a long lasting insulin. One shot at night and she had a 24 hour basal dose of insulin. "One shot" I'm thinking to myself "that's great". But wait, you also have to take a shot of short acting insulin (a bolus) everytime you eat. 10 meals 10 shots, 3 meals, 3 shots. Even I could figure that out. You base the amount of short acting insulin on the number of carbs you are about to eat. Talk about freedom! Compared to what she had been doing it was like being re-born. she didn't care that it would mean more shots. All she heard was she could eat what she wanted when she wanted. Birthday cake, pizza parties, popcorn at the movies, boy she was ready to go. The first thing she wanted to have was a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. I looked at the chart on the wall and it read 125 carbohydrates. That was half a days carbs in a paper cup! After a couple of days of gluttony things got back to normal pretty quickly.

Remember that freedom I mentioned, it came at a price. This insulin regime is a lot of shots. Add those to the required blood tests and your talking about a lot of holes per day in a little girl. One more thing, her nighttime Lantus shot was 19 units. that's a lot of insulin all at once. In her case it went in like battery acid. These shots are no fun. However, after several months on the Lantus regime her life and the rest of my family's lives are pretty close to pre-diagnosis normal. All in all it was the right thing to do. If your doctor is suggesting Lantus or your child is asking about it, consider all of the above. We're glad we did it.

Insulin has two critical roles in the body that we cannot live without, yet it can be the root of many health problems, including diabetes. Insulin carries sugar (glucose), fat and protein into your cells where they are used for energy and the repair of your cells. When you eat, a certain amount of the food will be converted into glucose and enter the bloodstream. As the sugar levels rise, the body senses it and the pancreas secretes insulin to lower the sugar. This is insulin's second main function.

If you eat too much of any food, especially carbohydrates (starch and sugar) the levels of glucose in the blood rise to very high levels. In turn this triggers a large release of insulin from the pancreas. Your cells will take what they need and then insulin will begin the process of converting the excess glucose, fat and protein into fat and then put it all away in your fat cells. By combining foods the right way for your body, you will maintain optimum levels of insulin throughout the day.

The best way to control insulin and fight sugar cravings is to eat protein snacks when you are hungry or when you have severe "sweet" cravings. Also, try to limit yourself to three carbohydrate-containing meals per day and try to eat vegetables with most meals and snacks.
A particularly good snack is non-fat cottage cheese and salsa. The only vegetables to avoid in the evening are corn, yellow or orange squash, peas, beets and carrots. They have high simple carbohydrate (sugar) content.

Good natural sources of protein for meals or snacks are:

Chicken breast
Turkey
Fish
Lean Pork
Lean Steak
7% or less Ground Beef
Egg whites
Egg Beaters
Tofu
Non-fat cottage cheese
Non-fat cheese
Non-fat cream cheese
Non-fat sour cream
Fat-free Ham or Canadian bacon

You can also try protein powder and protein bars.

I recommend Labrada ProPlete Protein powder. It is low fat, low carb and high protein. It comes in several flavors and you can probably get it at GNC stores or any vitamin store. It does not have artificial sweeteners. It is sweetened with Stevia, which is all-natural and it made from the root and leaves of the Stevia plant.

Labrada also makes good low-carb, sugar free protein bars. Other good protein bars are Ultimate Lo-Carb, Ultimate Lo-Carb2 and Premiere Elite. These are good as a "pretend candy bar" when you're having a craving. Just don't over do it. The last three bars I mentioned do have artificial sweeteners. You can find them at GNC, Trader Joe's and many vitamin stores.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes) is a disease characterized by the body's inability to produce or regulate the production of the hormone Insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas and used by the body to regulate glucose. When the body fails to produce sufficient insulin the glucose rises and can get dangerously high. If the body produces too much insulin a person can have a condition known as hypoglycemia whereby the blood glucose levels are too low. The blood glucose level being too high or too low can be extremely dangerous and in some cases even fatal if not corrected.

What Causes Diabetes Mellitus Type 1?

The cause of diabetes mellitus type 1 or any type of diabetes is not known for sure. It is thought that diabetes may be an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are those in which the body's defense system attacks the body's own cells. In type I diabetes the cells in the pancreas are often destroyed this keeps the pancreas from doing its job of regulating insulin.

What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?

Probably the most notable symptoms are a severe increase in thirst and frequent urination. Other symptoms often include a sharp increase in appetite, losing weight without trying, and sometimes blurred vision.

How is Diabetes Mellitus diagnosed?

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is diagnosed using blood tests. Usually a physician will do an exam then have blood taken for a FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar) he may do other tests such as a Lipid or Liver profile at the same time to be sure there are no other health problems. If the FBS runs high the physician then may order an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test or GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test). The GTT and OGTT are the exact same test; it is just that different facilities use slightly different terminology.

If you are the patient you will go to the lab or collection center after fasting a given length of time, usually 8-12 hours. The lab may require you to be on a specific diet for 1-2 days prior to the collection. You would have a blood sample drawn and the fasting blood sugar would be run. Once the result of the FBS is determined you will likely be required to drink a liquid that has a predetermined amount of glucose in it. You will then have blood drawn at 1 hour intervals for the duration of the test period. The GTT can last anywhere from 1 to 5 hours but 3 hours is the most commonly ordered.

What is the treatment?

The most common treatment for type 1 diabetes is the use of insulin by injection. In fact Diabetes Type I is often referred to as IDDM or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. It is also sometimes referred to as juvenile onset diabetes since it does occur more often in children, but can occur at any age.

If you are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 it is very probable that you will have to make some adjustments to your life style. You will need to be very careful of your diet and you should set up a regular exercise schedule. You will also need to monitor your blood glucose levels. Most people diagnosed with diabetes check their glucose with a blood glucose meter at least one and more often 2 times daily.

Can it be cured?

The simple answer is No; at this point we can not cure diabetes of any type. Most types of diabetes can be controlled and if they are not controlled then other problems such as kidney failure, nerve damage, heart attack and stroke may follow.

You would control the diabetes by controlling the blood sugar and control the blood sugar by the use of insulin. You would also want to eat healthy foods and try to keep a reasonably good exercise routine to help control your weight.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which body does not produce or produce less insulin compared to healthy individual or body develops resistance to insulin (body does not respond to insulin).

Most foods that we consume finally enter into the blood in form of carbohydrate, fat & protein. From blood, these nutrients enter into cells. Insulin is required for this entry of glucose into cells. Body cells utilize carbohydrate & fat for energy & growth.

Because of less insulin or resistance to insulin in diabetes, blood sugar cannot enter into cells & remain in blood resulting in high blood sugar.

Studies have shown that supplements like chromium, alpha lipoic acid & vanadium plays an important role in the management of diabetes.

Chromium supplements in diabetes:
Diabetes is associated with low concentrations of chromium in blood, so, an early, long-term addition of chromium to the standard therapy has been recommended in several studies. Some latest clinical reports also support the safety and therapeutic value of chromium supplementation for the management of high cholesterol and sugar in subjects with diabetes.

Chromium increases insulin receptor numbers & insulin binding to cells. Since chromium acts by increasing insulin efficiency, so lower amount of insulin is required in presence of chromium.

A clinical study published in ‘Diabetes Care. (2006, August)’ has shown that chromium supplementation in subjects with type 2 diabetes significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Chromium supplementation also reduced body weight gain and fat accumulation

A latest review article published in Diabetes Technol Ther. 2006 December has mentioned that 13 of 15 clinical studies involving a total of 1,690 subjects reported significant improvement in at least one outcome of glycemic control. (Glycemic control is a medical term used for blood sugar levels in a person with diabetes) Beneficial effects of chromium supplementation included reduced blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and reduced requirements for drugs for diabetes.

Reduction in blood sugar & improvement in insulin sensitivity with chromium results in decrease risk for diabetes complications.

Alpha lipoic acid in Diabetes:
Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant, which is produced in the body & also present in food. High blood sugar in diabetes increases free radical formation in body, which leads to additional complications of diabetes like atherosclerosis, heart problems, nerve damage & cataract. Antioxidant decreases free radicals in body & decreases risk of complications.

There are number of publications confirming beneficial effect of lipoic acid in therapy of many diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, degenerative processes in neurons, diseases of joints,

A recent clinical study on diabetic patients treated with alpha lipoic acid was published in ‘hormones (Athens). 2006 Oct-Dec 5(4)’. The result of the study has proved that short-term oral alpha-lipoic acid treatment increases peripheral insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Improvement in insulin sensitivity could improve both blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Peripheral insulin sensitivity gives an idea about how body cells respond to insulin. In diabetes, because of decrease response to insulin by body cells, blood sugar cannot enter into cells causing high blood glucose. Alpha lipoic acid enhances glucose uptake by cells in type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage is a complication of diabetes. It is a progressive disease, which can cause pain, loss of sensation and weakness, in the feet and sometimes in the hands. Studies have shown that alpha lipoic acid is effective in management of diabetic nerve damage called neuropathy and it reduces pain associated with neuropathy.

Vanadium supplement in diabetes:
Vanadium is a trace mineral required by the body in small quantities. Numerous studies have shown that vanadium has insulin-like effects in liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. It may improve glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.

Along with chromium & alpha lipoic acid, supplement like evening primrose oil, fenugreek & some herbs also help in management of diabetes.

Since diabetes can lie dormant for a number of years without being detected, by the time a person is diagnosed with this chronic illness, complications may have already set in.

Therefore, it is important to have regular checks to make sure that the levels of blood sugar are normal. Taking this precaution can avoid the risks of complications which can affect many other parts of the body, such as the eye, the foot, blood vessels, nerves, the kidney and the heart.

Do not put off seeing a doctor if you experience blurred vision that does not go away for more than two days, feel a pain in the eye or a sudden lost of vision. These may be the symptoms of eye related problems consistent with diabetes.

When there are high levels of blood sugar, the blood vessels found in the retina are subjected to damages, resulting in a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. This is when the blood vessels which are already weak, leak fluid that cause a swelling in the eye. This may lead to blurred vision. When diabetic retinopathy becomes worse, the retina will be stretched further from the other parts of the eye and this can result in total blindness. However, with early detection, laser treatments can be used to retard retinopathy.

The risk of getting complications such as heart diseases and strokes are the main concern of diabetics who are overweight, having a family history of heart related problems, smoke, or suffering from high blood pressures. Do check with your doctor if you have these symptoms, and when diagnosed early, these complications can be put under control.

High levels of blood glucose can also damage the kidney. In the advance stage of diabetic nephropathy, a condition which results from damaged blood vessels in the kidney, regular dialysis and kidney transplants are used to treat this condition. In order to avoid these treatments, diabetics are encouraged to go for tests annually. With early diagnosis, your doctor can prescribe medications that can help contain kidney damage.

Nerve damage is perhaps one of the more common risks associated with diabetes. It is vital for people suffering from nerve damage to make sure they do not have open wounds or sores on the legs or feet. This is related to a condition known as diabetic neuropathy which often affects the feet and legs of the diabetics.

Neuropathy is a problem which makes it difficult for the nerves to send messages to the brain and other parts of the body. As a result, the diabetics may not even know they have sores on their legs or feet. This may lead to infections and in serious cases, result in foot amputations.

The age factor is not a great matter with diabetic patients because diabetes affects all people, even children, in result injuring the heart, kidneys and even nerve systems if left untreated. Treatment for diabetes is necessary for diabetic patients in order to avoid other possible complications. Diabetes is an imbalanced of the sugar levels that affects different people of different ages where proper medication for diabetes patients is important in maintaining their glucose or sugar levels.

Diabetes is the most silent type of disease that can cause death and disability to people of different races all over the world. Significantly speaking, diabetic patients need proper care to help manage their condition to live a normal and satisfying life. As such, diabetic supplies for diabetic patients are acquirable in various medical stores worldwide. These supplies will allow diabetic patients help maintain their blood sugar and at the same time treat their condition.

A variation of supplies for diabetic patients is at hand. For example, self administered test kits for patients without the knowledge that they have diabetes can be bought to make test available to knowing if there are diabetic or not. These self-test kits include test strips and blood glucose meters that calculate glucose levels for individual patients. There are two kinds of meters that can be used to calculate the glucose level: one type is the meter that changes in color to show the glucose level and the other meter displays a digital reading for the glucose level.

Utilizing a self-test kit is easy and very convenient for any patient. Using a lancet or a piercing device with a built-in needle to get blood samples to perform the test can help patients distinguish if they are diabetic or not. These lancets are individual units that are not transposable from one patient to another, costing according to the types of brand ranges from $65 to $70 per unit.

Recommendation for buying blood glucose meters have several options because of the different kinds of features it offers. These features include a memory to help monitor sugar levels while other features a voice systems where a step-by-step procedure for glucose testing is included. Also, another feature includes the action test strip that eventually helps get blood on the strip itself.

There are different brand names available for these self-test kits like the accu-check, the one-touch ultra, the one-touch sure step and the freestyle test strips that will help you perform a test if you are a diabetic or not.

Other available supplies for diabetic patients are the different selections for an insulin delivery system. These insulin systems help assist diabetic patient in taking insulin or particular medications. These supplies vary according to the type of medication needed to treat patients with diabetes. The following supplies are: pen and jet injectors, insulin pumps and infusers, and the normal syringe are helpful in taking insulin doses.

Diabetes supplies is really important to people with diabetes, however, these supplies are also costly and can be quite expensive. Due to additional cases for diagnosed patients with diabetes, a surplus of diabetic supplies is needed. Even health care increase, estimating nearly to $100 billion a year, have become a problem, therefore, affecting people with the way diabetes have affected their lives. In a way, diabetic supplies are still helpful and gives diabetic patients an opportunity to lead normal and satisfying lives that is necessary for treatment.

The diabetic has certain challenges with meal planning. If you are taking insulin or pills for diabetes it is helpful to plan in advance the timing of your meals so you can watch your sugar levels. Having a regular eating time each day will make this work well. As you monitor your glucose levels, you'll learn how various foods effect your blood glucose level. By studying how the carbohydrates you eat influence your blood sugar you become sensitive to what your body requires.

A diabetic cook book is helpful to help you with your home cooking so that you can balance fat properly and work with the pyramid food table. You do not have to completely eliminate sugar from your life. Instead , you need to use moderation and see how your body responds.

It is important to not get overweight if you have diabetes because there is a higher risk of heart problems for people with diabetes compared to the rest of the population. Also if you lose weight you can help your natural insulin work more effectively on your glucose levels.

Exercise is very important for the diabetic and fortunately now some fast foods restaurants are eliminating the trans fats and replacing with healthier fats. By making meals at home, you will ultimately have the best control of what you are eating and regulating your blood glucose level. When you choose a cook book, look for one that focuses on the diabetic condition.

Do not feel that this condition will alienate you from others. Yes you need to watch your diet a bit and to exercise moderation but this does not mean you cannot eat out, have snacks and function like everyone else.

Type 2 diabetes is an increasing health problem worldwide. Most of the 194 million people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, which is caused by inability to regular the sugar in the body properly. Diabetics are of high risk of developing other diseases including heart disease, if their conditions are not well-managed.

A recent study revealed that an herbal therapy that has been used for thousands of years may help control blood sugar levels in people suffering from Type-2 diabetes. Milk thistle, a flowering herb, contains several chemicals with possible medical effects. Most current research focuses on one of them, silymarin, which may have specific protective effects on cells in the liver. Milk thistle can also produce modest reductions in cholesterol levels and help to protect the heart muscle from damage caused by certain drugs. However, these potential uses have not been well-studied in humans.

As reported in the Journal Phytotherapy Research, a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Medicinal Plants in Teheran seemed to indicate beneficial effects of silymarin for Type 2 diabetics.

The researchers compared the effects of daily supplements of silymarin against a placebo in 52 diabetics. Half of the patients received 200 mg of silymarin 3 times a day for 4 months or the dummy pill along with conventional treatments. At the end of the study, people in the herbal group had reduced blood glucose levels compared to their earlier levels.

The results were indeed very encouraging but further large multi-center studies were necessary. Although some substances appear to have an effect in people with Type 2 diabetes, it is warned that they should not be used as a cure and should not replace traditional therapies. As the study was very small and still in its early stages, it is not recommended to use milk thistle or any other supplement for people with diabetes.

Women who have cancers of the breast, ovaries, or uterus or who have other hormone-dependent conditions should not take or use milk thistle plant extract due to its possible estrogenic effects. Pregnant women should also not take milk thistle because of it could interfere with normal fetal development. Men who have prostate cancer should not take milk thistle without the approval of a doctor.

Despite the findings, researchers still stressed that the best methods of controlling glucose levels is through a combination of regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and the relevant prescribed medication.