For those who have diabetes, you know what blood glucose means and how important it is in your everyday life. But, for many people, they really don’t understand what glucose really is, or why they should know what their glucose levels are. Here is a short Q & A that will give you the answers you’re looking for and let you know why this is so important.

Glucose – What Is It Anyway?

Glucose, in simple terms, is a form of a carbohydrate. The energy that your body has comes from carbohydrates. They are basically a simple sugar, and are found in all kinds of foods such as bread, soda, juice, pasta, cereals, etc. The more carbs that are in a food that you eat, the higher your blood glucose level goes up after eating them.

Where Do We Get Glucose From?

It is important to note that our bodies don’t just come with glucose. Our body produces it based on the foods we eat. So, when your body starts to feel run down and out of energy, it usually means your glucose level is low. You need to be ‘recharged’ so to speak.

In order to give your body the energy it is seeking, you eat more foods with carbohydrates. For most people they do this and don’t even know it. Few people understand how many carbs a food contains. After eating, your body then takes the carbohydrates from your food and turns them into glucose. Presto! You now have more energy.

How Do I Get High Glucose Levels?

For most everyone, glucose levels are not a problem whatsoever. Where the problem comes into play for diabetics, or pre-diabetics, is when their bodies can’t burn up the extra glucose. The glucose stays in their system and doesn’t burn off. This issue is compounded with every meal they eat. This is exactly the reason why it is so important to know what your glucose level is.

If you don’t pay attention to your glucose level and let it go, it can easily turn into diabetes. If you still don’t do anything about it, diabetes will cause severe health problems and even death. As you can see, it’s very serious.

Don’t confuse blood glucose with the commercial glucose you can buy that is made from corn starch. I know that many people can get confused with this and the two are totally unrelated.

What Is A Normal Level Of Glucose?

This is hard to answer. Your glucose levels will vary throughout the day, and before, during, and after eating. Doctors will tell you that a good level to be at is under 120mg in the morning before eating or drinking. This is known as your fasting blood sugar level. Anything above that level and you should see a doctor. If you haven’t had your blood glucose checked, it is a simple procedure. The doctor will poke your finger and check a tiny drop of blood in a glucometer. It takes all of 10 seconds. But, by checking your glucose level, you could be saving yourself from serious medical issues in the future.

You can find out more about Glucose [http://www.diabetes.infofroma-z.com] as well as much more information on diabetes issues at [http://www.diabetes.infofroma-z.com].

Author: Terry Edwards
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The kidneys are two fist-shaped organs located on either side of the spine. They filter your blood in order to rid the body of impurities that can cause damage to your body. Kidneys also work to control blood pressure and produce hormones critical to bodily function.

Kidneys are comprised of smaller structures called nephrons which contain blood vessels that remove impurities from the blood in the form of urine. As we age, the nephron’s ability to filter blood degrades which can lead to kidney disease that requires treatment to filter the blood more efficiently. This is a long term process, so senior citizens are especially prone to kidney disease.

It is important to detect malfunctioning kidneys early, but since this disease cannot be felt in its early stages, you should see your doctor regularly who can perform blood and urine tests to trace early signs of declining kidney function.

If your doctor or other health care professional involved in your eldercare has indicated that you are at risk for kidney disease, it is recommended that you keep blood pressure low (below 130/80 mmHg), take appropriate medications prescribed by your doctor, or keep diabetes under control which is commonly paired with kidney failure.

Diabetes

Diabetes occurs when the body can no longer produce insulin, which leads to cells being unable to metabolize sugar in the blood. The high levels of sugar then cause damage to the kidneys as well as other organs. Like kidney failure, diabetes has different stages of severity, so people who have very early and less severe stages of diabetes may not be diagnosed, especially if they fail to get regular tests to identify it. For this reason, many people will not treat kidney disease or diabetes until it is in advanced stages where serious symptoms begin to surface. Because of this, it is important that senior citizens, those caring for the elderly, and doctors work together to identify kidney disease at its early stages in order to treat it more effectively and avoid more extreme damage.

Tests for Checking Diabetes:

• Levels of Serum Creatinine / (GFR – glomerular filtration rate): this is monitored by doctors to check the rate the nephrons in the kidney are filtering blood – which means a lower rate would indicate symptoms of kidney disease
• Levels of Protein in Urine / (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio): increased protein indicate kidney disease due to inefficient filtering; also referred to as a check for “proteinuria” or “albuminuria”
• Blood pressure

Senior citizens who have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a family history of kidney failure are more at risk for kidney disease.

Kidney Disease Treatments

Degradation of kidney function is irreversible, which is why early identification and treatment is most important for avoiding kidney failure. Fortunately, treatment for kidney disease is very effective when it is identified in its early stages.

Treating other conditions like diabetes by monitoring blood glucose levels and taking medications for high blood pressure are important for preventing the advancement of kidney disease. Common medications for blood pressure includes either ACEi (angiotension converting enzyme inhibitors) or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers).

End Stage Kidney Disease: Kidney Failure

Kidney failure, or when either or both of the kidneys shut down completely, is also referred to at end-stage renal disease (ESRD). When the body can no longer filter wastes, symptoms like fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and itching can result. Kidney failure is treated with a kidney transplant or another procedure known as dialysis:

• Hemodialysis involves an external device that runs blood out of the body, filters it, and pumps it back into the body (usually must be performed at least three times a week)
• Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of the abdominal cavity to filter blood (can be done at home, usually during every night)

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Author: David Crumrine
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I was trying to get to the Verrazano Bridge. I turned down a street, toward the bridge, but it looked unfamiliar. I drove further and there was wide-open slate-blue highway in front of me, so I accelerated toward it. But it wasn’t road. It was water. I felt my stomach drop as my car soared through the air and then made forceful impact with the dark water. God, is this real??? I panicked. The car tipped and began to fill with water. I saw a news segment once in which a reporter performed a reenactment of a car plunging into water. I tried to remember what he said to do. Was it try to open the doors? Or don’t try to open the doors? I couldn’t remember. My heart was beating so fast. I was so scared. I tried to open the windows, but it wasn’t working. Water was pouring in. Holy shit! Is this really happening??? Am I about to die?

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Too often our preconceptions of work-limiting disabilities are confined to suddenly devastating conditions, such as spinal cord injury or stroke. We rarely consider how diseases such as diabetes can be just as debilitating and just as costly to a family. With November being recognized as National Diabetes Awareness Month, we should remember the people who are unable to work due to the complications of diabetes and who need the benefits to which they are entitled under Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Did you know that more people are diagnosed with diabetes in the colder months of the year? Also, type 1 diabetes is more common in European countries than in African or South American countries.

University of Oklahoma heart scientists have discovered a hormone that might help millions of diabetes patients.

Dr. Clara Massey, co-chief of the division of cardiology and a professor of medicine at the University of South Alabama, has been testing her patients for Vitamin D, and found that about 80 percent of them have a deficiency.

If high insulin levels make you fat, then would lower insulin levels make you thin? Well… the answer is yes. Stopping your insulin levels from spiking is the main solution to you losing weight. Insulin turns on your fat switch and one of the reasons you put on more and more weight is due to insulin being a powerful fat-building hormone.

What is Insulin and how does it affect you gaining weight?

Insulin is one of the most important hormones that affects your metabolism. It is secreted by the cells of your pancreas in response to a rise in your blood sugar level. It has many functions… one is it’s effect on the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat.

Insulin…

• promotes the uptake of sugar into your resting muscle, fat and liver cells
• promotes the storage of sugar as fat
• prevents the breakdown of fat
• promotes the formation of protein
• prevents protein breakdown

In summary, insulin promotes fat and protein formation and also prevents the breakdown of protein and fat.

What affect does a high-GI eating plan have on your insulin level?

If you are looking to lose weight it is important you be aware of this…

• the normal secretion of insulin increases by up to 25 times when you eat a high-GI meal
• insulin levels increase in direct response to the rise in your blood sugar levels
• the faster and higher the rise in your blood sugars, the larger the rise in the level of your insulin secretion meaning you will have a large amount of insulin floating around in your bloodstream
• insulin secretion does not just rely on the GI of food, it also reacts to the amount of food you eat
• after eating high-GI foods, your insulin levels will remain high for several hours. During this period no fat is broken down or used by your muscles as fuel

The lesson here is high-GI foods encourages the storage of fat and also prevents the breakdown of fat. This, of course, can occur in anyone but is a particular problem in anyone with insulin resistance which is the precursor to type 2 diabetes.

What can you eat to lower both your blood sugar and insulin levels?

To cut out carbohydrates altogether would lead to several problems…

• your insulin level would definitely be low leading to fat being broken down and used as fuel, and
• your body’s protein would also be broken down.

Protein in your body…

• forms the building blocks for the structure of your body including your muscles
• so a lack of insulin would give you a loss in your muscle mass and
• this would lead to a drop in your metabolic rate and less muscle mass would means you burn up less fat

An eating plan without carbohydrates means you will lose weight but the majority of that weight loss would be your muscle mass.

Following an eating plan where your insulin level is neither too low or too high means…

• eating snacks and small meals often, and
• eating small amounts of carbohydrates with a low-GI index and carbohydrates that breakdown slowly

The idea is to allow a steady flow of sugar into your bloodstream without stimulating high levels of insulin. By avoiding large meals containing starch or sugar, you will avoid an insulin surge and lose weight.

Would you like more information about alternative ways to handle your type 2 diabetes?

To download your free copy of my E-Book, click here now: Answers to Your Questions… its based on questions many diabetics have asked me over recent months.

Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who would like to help you understand how to live easily and happily with your type 2 diabetes.

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Author: Beverleigh H Piepers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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