To prevent diabetes you will get a real jolt when you follow the prescription offered up in the “Journal of the American Medical Association.”

This ‘prestigious’ organization reported on separate studies of coffee drinkers in Sweden and Finland.

Whiz-bang medical researchers discovered that women could decrease their risk of diabetes by 29 percent when they followed a regimen of drinking three to four cups of coffee a day.

The ladies who had the fortitude to drink 10 or more cups of coffee a day fared even better. They reduced their risk of diabetes by 79 percent.

The men participating in the studies also reduced their risk, but not to the extent as did the women.

When men drank three to four cups a day, they reduced their risk of diabetes by 27 percent. The men who drank 10 or more cups of java per day reduced their risk by 55 percent.

These results confirm a January report by the equally ‘prestigious’ Harvard School of Public Health. That report concluded that drinking six 8-ounce cups of coffee a day could reduce diabetes risk in men by about 50 percent and in women by 30 percent.

If the numbers have any connection to reality, the more coffee you drink, the better off you are. And that is the rub.

The numbers have nothing to do with reality, nothing to do with the truth.

Here in America the rate of adult-onset diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes, is growing incrementally. Nowadays it typically shows up in middle-age populations, but the disease is on the rise among ever-younger age groups.

Do not step up your coffee consumption in the belief it will help you prevent diabetes. This disease has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of coffee drinking.

Science and truth are not synonymous. Medical scientists do not deal with truth. The medical scientists who monkey around with coffee drinking merely play with limited and approximate descriptions of reality. In this case, extremely limited and hardly approximate.

If you are serious about preventing diabetes, you have to look at the differences between the people of the past who did not get diabetes, and the people of today who get diabetes. This entails more than merely harping on the fact the younger generation is becoming more overweight and less active.

We have plenty of newly discovered diabetics who are active and on the thin side—and they drink lots of coffee.

The primary difference between the people of the past who did not get sick and die like we do, and the present lot who become diabetics, is poor nutritional status.

The diabetic-in-process has an inadequate intake of nutrients and/or excessive intake of nutrient-poor foods. Conversely, his/her healthy ancestors had a nutrient-dense diet.

The nutrient-dense diet of the past contained, minimally, four times the amount of minerals, and ten times the amount of fat-soluble vitamins found in the American diet of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.

Folks who learn where health comes from and practice prevention won’t become diabetic, and will not need the medical community dosing them with coffee, or any other magic bullet.

In the United States there are around 17 million people with diabetes. Each of these people need certain Diabetic Supplies. While this may not seem like a huge number it does afflict around 6% of the population.

When a person’s body cannot produce enough insulin the effect is diagnosed as diabetes. A sobering fact about diabetes is that there are many people who have the illness but are unaware of the fact.

Often diabetes is undiagnosed because the symptoms appear to be harmless, but the effects of the illness can be very serious. Without the proper Diabetic Supplies to control their diabetes, the heart, eyes, feet and kidneys can all be impacted by untreated diabetes.

Today many people who have been diagnosed as diabetic are able to manage their glucose levels by utilizing some of the Diabetic Supplies available.

Glucometers and other home-use analyzing tools are now in common use and can be purchased at reasonable prices.

Exercise, weight control and diet are all foundation stones to use in living a healthy life style.

It’s been a year, and 85 blubbery pounds less, since I was diagnosed with diabetes Type2. The news was especially scary because my mother died of diabetic complications 3 years after diagnosis- the SAME AGE AS ME! EEEK!

The day I was diagnosed, my doctor handed me a glucometer, an 1800-calorie diabetic diet and a handful of prescriptions, mumbling something about being sorry and I should watch after my health better. WHAT!!! I had been on every low-fat diet and was down to eating like an anorexic bird. The injustice of the whole thing was just WRONG.

Over the years, as other fatties joined food addiction support groups, shamefully admitting to secret outings to fast food drive-up windows in the middle of the night and weekends spent with cartons of Haggendaz, I was frigging STARVING!!!

The 1800 calorie diet was AWFUL. I was constantly hungry. The medicine made me run to the bathroom every hour, leaving me even hungrier. I was dizzy from the blood pressure medicine and the tips of my fingers were bruised and tender from blood sugar checks. This was not the way I wanted to live. I now understood why my mother seemed so resigned in the end to inevitable death. Having diabetes was no fun.

I knew the low fat thing didn’t work. A few people at work had some success with Atkins, so I tried it. Although I lost weight, my blood sugar plummeted, leaving me light-headed and spacey. So I decided to modify it. I started with 50 carbs, same problem. 100 carbs a day still resulted in occasional low blood sugars, depending on the day. It seemed related to the type of carb, how much stress and sleep I’d had and how much physical exercise. It was a high-wire act everyday, but I finally found the carb intake that was right for me (100-160).

It’s been a year now and I’ve lost 85 lbs and feel GREAT! No more diabetic or blood pressure meds either! And my blood sugars are PERFECT! My cholesterol and blood pressure are all completely normal. My lab works show absolutely no abnormalities. A farrrr cry from where I was a year ago- elevated liver function tests and all.

I’d like to share with you some new research cited in the Online Nutrition Journal (2004). Have you ever wondered if all calories are the same? How do people on low-carb diets lose weight despite what looks like an increase in calorie consumption? In fact, 10 studies HAVE shown low carb diets can lead to greater weight loss than low calorie/ low-fat diets. This violates everything we now know about how calories are burned, also known as the LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS. This law basically says a calorie is a calorie. If you eat too many you’ll get fat and if you eat fewer than you burn, you’ll lose weight.

Studies show dieters on a low-carb diet have a metabolic advantage and actually LOSE MORE WEIGHT! Scientists are still studying this phenomenon, but speculate it may be due to the heat generated in processing certain foods. Of the 3 groups studied, the low-carb dieters lost more weight than the low-fat dieters. Even when they deliberately ate 300 extra calories, the low-carbers lost more than the low-fatters. The researchers suggest our bodies may be like cars that burn more efficiently on high-octane gas than low-grade gas.

The low-carb way of eating is not just a fad diet. People wouldn't keep doing it if it didn't work. It worked for me, it has worked for others and it can work for you.

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most costly burdensome chronic diseases of our time and is condition that is increasing in epidemic population in the whole world. The complications resulting from the diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and are associated with failure of various organs such as the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetics are also at a significantly higher risk for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke and they have a greater likelihood of having hypertension dyslipidemia and obesity.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious disorder of the glands, of pancreas to be exact, called Madhumeha in Ayurveda. It is one of the most insidious disorders of the metabolism and, if left undiagnosed, may lead to rapid emaciation and ultimately death.

What are the types of Diabetes?

According to Ayurveda Diabetes is of two types: Diabetes Mellitus- Insulin dependent Juvenile Diabetes (IDDM-Type I) in which the body is unable to produce insulin and Non Insulin Dependent Adult Onset Diabetes (NIDDM-Type II) in which the pancreas produces insulin, but it is insufficient for reducing the blood glucose to normal levels.

What are the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes?

Some of the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes are:

• Excessive Thirst
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss
• Irritability
• Weakness
• Fatigue

What are the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes?

Some of the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes are:

• Loss off weight
• Numbness in hands or feet.
• Uncontrolled infections
• Pain in the limbs
• Inflammatory chest infections
• Dimness of vision, contrast
• Excessive thirst
• Body weakness

What are the different tests for Diabetes?

Urine Test: Some chemicals are added to a few drops of urine. Colour change indicates presence of glucose in urine.

Blood Test: In this, blood is taken to test the glucose level. This is more accurate test to confirm diabetes

Which parts of my body are affected by Diabetes?

Blood Vessels: Higher level of glucose damage the blood vessels. As a result of this most of the diabetic complications occur in blood vessels.

Heart: Diabetes affects the heart by: Increasing the amount of fat in blood and increasing the amount of homocysteine in blood.

Kidney: In diabetes because of increased levels of glucose, kidneys have to do extra work to retain essential substances and separate waste products to produce urine. This affects the small blood vessels and their capacity to filter. After many years of work, it leads to kidney failure.

Eyes: Diabetes affects blood vessels of the eyes. Damage to these blood vessels leads to eye problems like: Damage to retina, Cataract or total loss of vision

Foot: Damage to blood vessels reduces blood flow to the feet and increases risk of developing foot ulcers and infections.

Nerves: High glucose level for a long time damages nerves. Nerve damage reduces sensation in some parts of body which may lead to: Numbness and tingling, Fainting and dizziness

How do I know if my diabetes medicines are working?

Learn to test your blood glucose. Ask your doctor about the best testing tools for you and how often to test. After you test your blood glucose, write down your blood glucose test results. Then ask your doctor teacher if your diabetes medicines are working. A good blood glucose reading before meals is between 70 and 140 mg/dL.

Ask your doctor about how low or how high your blood glucose should get before you take action. For many people, blood glucose is too low below 70 mg/dL and too high above 240 mg/dL.

One other number to know is the result of a blood test your doctor does called the A1C. It shows your blood glucose control during the past 2 to 3 months. For most people, the target for A1C is less than 7 percent.

Home Remedies for Diabetes:

The best remedy for this disease is the bitter gourd, better known as ‘karela’. Eat this vegetable as often as you can or have at least one tablespoon of karela juice daily to reduce blood sugar levels in your blood and urine.

Amla, due to its vitamin C content is effective in controlling diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice, mixed with a cup of fresh bitter-gourd juice, taken daily for two months will secrete the pancreas and enable it to secrete insulin.

Take ten tulsi leaves, ten neem leaves and ten belpatras with a glass of water early morning on an empty stomach. It will work wonders in keeping your sugar levels under control.

The leaves of Butea tree are very useful in diabetes. They reduce blood sugar and are useful in glycousia.

Take two teaspoons of powdered Fenugreek seeds with milk. Two teaspoons of the seeds can also be swallowed whole, daily.

This article is intended to inform people with diabetes in regards to their diabetic supplies. When I found out that my sister was diagnosed with the disease I started to research more and came across some useful information that might be helpful to others.

Diabetes is the country*s sixth leading cause of death by disease. As you may know it is the leading cause of blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and amputations. Diabetes claims the lives of more than 193,000 Americans each year. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have diabetes, but one-third of those are undiagnosed. And many people that do have diabetes pay for their diabetes supplies. If you have insurance and live in the United States, you may be eligible.

As of May 2004, forty-six states have some type of laws requiring health insurance coverage to include treatment for diabetes. The states not included are Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota and Ohio.

As of 2002, two states, Georgia and Wisconsin passed an expansion of current coverage requirements. In 2003 Hawaii adopted a resolution to clarify its mandate of diabetes education coverage. No new laws were passed during the first four months of 2004.

About 17 million Americans have diabetes today, including about 16 million with Type 2. In addition, at least 16 million more Americans have pre-diabetes -- a condition that raises a person*s risk of getting type 2 diabetes. However, a diagnosis of pre-diabetes does not mean that diabetes is inevitable, and the new campaign aims at encouraging people to take modest steps that will reduce their risks. Nationally, diabetes has increased nearly 50 percent in the past 10 years alone, according to CDC estimates.

It is good news that more states are passing laws to further expand health coverage regarding diabetes. If you have diabetes and insurance, most likely you can get your supplies at now cost.