Diabetes is a serious disease that affects millions of Americans, and that number is going to astronomically grow as the baby boomer generation ages further. Complications associated with diabetes can be devastating, and can lead to organ failure and even death. Foot-related complications in particular are very common in diabetes, and unfortunately cause the majority of leg amputations performed by surgeons. Comprehensive care by a podiatrist can identify foot problems early before they lead to leg loss, and in many cases can prevent those problems in the first place. This article will discuss the ways a podiatrist can protect diabetic feet, and ultimately save a diabetic’s limb and life.

Diabetes is a disease in which glucose, the body’s main source of ‘fuel’, is not properly absorbed into the body’s tissues and remains stuck in the bloodstream. Glucose is a type of ‘sugar’ derived from the body’s digestion of carbohydrates (grains, breads, pastas, sugary food, fruits, starches, and dairy) The body needs a hormone called insulin, which is produced in the pancreas, to coax the glucose into body tissue to fuel it. Some diabetics are born with or develop at a young age an inability to produce insulin, resulting in type 1 diabetes. The majority of diabetics develop their disease as they become much older, and the ability of insulin to coax glucose into tissue wanes due to a sort of resistance to or an ineffectiveness of the action of insulin. This is called type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can also develop from high dose steroid use, during pregnancy (where it is temporary), or after pancreas disease or certain infections. The high concentration of glucose in the blood that remains out of the body tissue in diabetes can cause damage to parts all over the body. Organs and tissue that slowly are damaged by high concentrations of glucose stuck in the blood include the heart, the kidneys, blood vessels, the brain, the nerve tissue, skin, and the immune and injury repair cells. The higher the concentration of glucose in the blood, and the longer this glucose is present in the blood in an elevated state, the more damage will occur. Death can occur with severe levels of glucose in the blood stream, although this is not the case in most diabetics. Most diabetics who do not control their blood glucose well develop tissue damage over a long period of time, and serious disease, organ failure, and the potential for leg loss does eventually arrive, although not right away.

Foot disease in diabetes is common, and one of the more devastating and taxing complications associated directly and indirectly with high blood sugar. Foot disease takes the form of decreased sensation, poor circulation, a higher likelihood of developing skin wounds and infections, and a decreased ability to heal those skin wounds and infections. Key to this entire spectrum of foot complications is the presence of poor sensation. Most diabetics have less feeling in their feet than non-diabetics, due to the indirect action increased glucose has on nerve tissue. This decreased sensation can be a significant numbness, or it can be a mere subtle numbness that makes sharp objects seem smooth, or erases the irritation of a tight shoe. Advanced cases can actually have phantom pains of burning or tingling in addition to the numbness. With decreased sensation comes a much greater risk for skin wounds, mostly due to the inability to feel pain from thick calluses, sharp objects on the ground, and poorly fitting shoes. When a wound has formed as a result of skin dying under the strain of a thick corn or callus, from a needle or splinter driven into the foot, or from a tight shoe rubbing a friction burn on the skin, the diabetic foot has great difficulty starting and completing the healing process. Untreated skin wounds will break down further, and the wound can extend to deeper tissue, including muscle and bone. Bacteria will enter the body through these wounds, and can potentially cause an infection that can spread beyond the foot itself. A diabetic’s body has a particularly difficult time defending itself from bacteria due to the way high glucose affects the very cells that eat bacteria, and diabetics tend to get infected by multiple species of bacteria as well. Combine all this with decreased circulation (and therefore decreased distribution of nutrients and chemicals to preserve foot tissue and help it thrive), and one has all the components in place for a potential amputation. Amputations are performed when bacteria spreads along the body and threatens death, when wounds and foot tissue will not heal as a result of gangrene from advancing tissue death and infection, and when poor circulation will not allow the tissue to thrive ever again. The statistics following a leg amputation are grim: about half of diabetics who undergo one amputation will require an amputation of the other foot or leg, and about that same number in five years will be dead from the heart strain endured when one’s body has to expend energy to use a prosthetic limb.

A podiatrist can ensure that all the above complications are significantly limited, and in some cases prevented all together. Podiatrists are physicians who specialize solely in the care of foot and ankle disease, through medicine and surgery. The attend a four year podiatric medical school following college, and enter into a two or three year of hospital-based residency program after that to hone their advanced reconstructive surgical skills, and to study advanced medical. Podiatrists are generally considered the experts on all things involving the foot and ankle, and their unique understanding amongst other medical specialties of how the foot functions in relationship to the leg and ground (biomechanics) allows them to target therapy towards controlling or changing that function in addition to treating tissue disease. A great majority of the problems that lead to diabetic amputations start off as problems related to the structure of the foot and how it relates to the ground and to the shoe worn above. Controlling or repairing these structural problems will often result in prevention of wounds, which in turn will prevent infection, gangrene, and amputation.

To start with, a podiatrist will provide a diabetic patient with a complete foot exam that takes into account circulation, sensation, bone deformities, and skin issues, and pressures generated by walking and standing. From this initial assessment, a protection and treatment course can be created specific to the individual needs of the diabetic for maintenance, protection, and active treatment of problems that do develop. Commonly performed maintenance services include regular examinations several times a year to identify developing problems, care of toe nails to prevent a diabetic with poor sensation from accidentally cutting themselves when attempting to trim their nails, regular thinning of calluses to prevent wounds from developing, and repetitive education on diabetic foot problems to ensure proper habits are followed. Preventative services include using special deep shoes with protective inserts in diabetics at-risk for developing wounds from regular shoes, assessment of potential circulation problems with prompt referral to vascular specialists if needed, and possible surgery to reduce the potential of wounds to develop over areas of bony prominences. Active treatment of foot problems performed by a podiatrist involves the care and healing of wounds, the treatment of diabetic infections, and surgery to address serious foot injury, deep infections, gangrene, and other urgent problems. Because of a podiatrist’s unique understanding of the way the foot structure affects disease and injury, all treatment will be centered around the principles of how the foot realistically functions in conjunction with the leg and the ground. This becomes invaluable in the struggle to prevent diabetic wounds and infections, while allowing one to remain mobile and active at the same time.

The essential goal of a podiatrist in caring for a diabetic patient is to prevent wounds, infections, and the amputations that result. This philosophy is called limb salvage, and it is accomplished through the above listed methods. Because of the severity of foot disease as a complication of diabetes, a podiatrist is an integral part of a diabetic’s care, and sometimes can even be the physician that diagnoses diabetes in the first place if foot disease appears as an early symptom of undiagnosed diabetes. For these reasons, all diabetics should be assessed by a podiatrist for potential problems, and those at-risk for foot wounds and infections should have regular foot examinations and preventative treatment. As a final note, online resources by podiatrists discussing diabetic foot issues abound, including a regular blog by this author ( thediabeticfoot.blogspot.com ). While these resources do not replace a diabetic foot exam, they do help educate diabetics on how best to care for their feet, and what to do if problems develop. This can lead to better knowledge and understanding of foot issues when diabetics begin to see a podiatrist regularly, and can help prevent early foot complications from developing.

Dr. Kilberg provides compassionate and complete foot and ankle care to adults and children in the Indianapolis area. He is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. He enjoys providing comprehensive foot health information to the online community. Visit the website of this Indianapolis foot doctor for more information.

Author: Scott Kilberg DPM
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Are you suffering from diabetes? Using herbs for diabetes treatment is not a new option for the treatment of diabetes. People were using plants and plant extracts to fight this severe disease called diabetes. This article will tell us the kinds of herbs that have been approved by scientific research and they appear to be relatively non-toxic, most effective and have considerable certification of efficiency.

Let’s consider some of those diabetes herbs for curing diabetes

*Cinnamon for diabetes: Using cinnamon is one the best way to get rid of diabetes. It is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and India. This has insulin-like properties, which is capable of reducing the blood glucose levels including cholesterol and triglycerides, all of which arevital most especially for diabetes Type 2 sufferers. You may be surprise that half a teaspoon of cinnamon in your every day diet as a diabetic can decrease blood your glucose levels a lot. You can easily buy it at any food shop in a convenient powdered form add it to your meals.

*Another natural remedies for diabetes is Genera Sylvestre: This is well known as a “sugar destroyer” and it is a native to the tropical forests of India. In order to treat diabetes with it, the dried leaves are jointly pounded with the fruit of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.); extract the juice and take it orally. In India this herbal remedy has been in use for treating diabetes. It is being used mainly to treat Type II diabetes and also Type I in India even up till now.

*Using Gymnema is as well one of the diabetes natural remedies. It improves the ability of insulin to lower blood sugar in both Type ll and Type I diabetes. This particular herb is showing up in more and more over the counter weight loss products and blood sugar balancing formulas.

*Another proven herbs for diabetes treatment is Indian Kino (Pterocarpus marsupium). Indian Kino is a big deciduous tree. It usually grows in southern, western and central parts of Sri Lanka and India. Pterocarpus marsupiumreduces the assimilation of glucose from the gastrointestinal tract, improves insulin and pro-insulin levels. It is as well very effective in beta cell regeneration. I must say thatno other drug or natural agent has been shown to generate this activity.

The heart wood is anti inflammatory, anthelmintic, astringent, bitter acrid, anodyne. This particular diabetes treatment we are talking about is also good for rectalgia, diarrhoea, elephantiasis, greyness of hair, cough, leucoderma and dysentary. It is one the best natural cures for diabetes to consider.

*Bitter melon “Momordica charantia” is as well another great diabetes remedies to consider. Bitter melon is as well known as karela, bitter cucumber, balsam pear, charantin and bitter gourd. It is a tropical vegetable widely cultivated in South America, East Africa and Asia. It has been extensively utilized in folks medicine as a remedy for diabetes. A number of compounds have been separated from bitter melon that are understood to be in charge for its blood-sugar-lowering properties. They include an insulin-like protein referred to as polypeptide-P and charantin.

A word of caution about bitter melon:Extremely high doses of bitter melon juice can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. Little kids or anyone with hypoglycemia ought not to take bitter melon, given that this herb could theoretically trigger or worsen low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. In addition, diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs (such as chlorpropamide, glyburide, or phenformin) or insulin should make use of bitter melon with care.

*Diabetics should also use blueberry which is one of the herbs for diabetes treatment. Blueberry (vaccinium myrtillus) is connected to the bilberry from European, V. corymbosum and V.pallidum are the species of blueberries. Theleaves are the principal part of the plant used medicinally. Diabetics should easily make use of it as one of the treatments of diabetes.

Just steep 2 or 3 handfuls of leaves in 4 cups of hot water for about 30 minutes and drink 3 cups a day.

This herb is a natural method of lowering blood sugar levels or controlling diabetes once they are slightly elevated. Blueberry’s leaves have shown an active element with a notable ability to get rid of the unnecessary sugar in the body.

Dave Woodgate was a victim of diabetes as well and after setting himself free with Herbs For Diabetes he felt he should help others and battle this severe disease through his articles.

You can learn how he used Diabetes Reversal Report to set himself free at his blog and how he did it at http://www.diabetes-reserval-report.blogspot.com/

Author: Dave Woodgate
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The word diabetes was coined by the 2nd-century A.D. Greek physician, Aretus the Cappadocian, meaning ‘the siphon’ as the condition is characterized by excessive urination.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. The word mellitus was added to diabetes in 1675 by Thomas Willis. Mel in Latin means honey and refers to the excess of glucose in the urine and blood of people with diabetes.

Types of diabetes

According to WHO, there are three main types of diabetes:

Diabetes Type 1 – The body does not produce insulin at all. Also called early onset or juvenile diabetes, it requires the person to inject insulin throughout his/her life. People suffering from this types of diabetes are also very prone to ketoacidosis. The cause is not certain and could be genetic, viral, or multifactorial.

Diabetes Type 2 – Also called maturity onset, Type 2 diabetes is a result of insulin resistance. The body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or is not able to utilize insulin effectively.

Gestational Diabetes – A form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy.

Diabetes Types 1 & 2 are chronic, lifelong medical conditions. Gestational diabetes usually disappears after the birth of a child but can later lead to type 2 diabetes.

Juvenile diabetes may be either Type 1 or Type 2, and is seen in children or adolescents.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of diabetes are:

• Frequent urination
• Disproportionate thirst
• Intense hunger
• Weight gain
• Unusual weight loss (More common among people with Diabetes Type 1)
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurred vision
• Cuts and bruises don’t heal properly or quickly
• More skin and/or yeast infections
• Itchy skin
• Red or swollen gums
• Numbness or tingling, especially in the feet and hands

Diabetes is typically detected by carrying out a urine test, followed by a blood test

High risk groups of diabetes

Certain people are at higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. High risk groups include those who:-

• Are over 55
• Have a family history of diabetes
• Are overweight or obese
• Have high blood pressure
• Had diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a big baby (more than 9 pounds)
• Are Southeast Asian, Asian Indian, Afro-American, Hispanic American or Native American
• Have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Have heart disease

There is only one way to check if you have diabetes: get your blood sugar level tested.

Diabetes related complications

Diabetes is a chronic, life-long condition that requires careful monitoring and management. Left untreated, it can lead to various complications such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and blindness in some cases. Diabetes causes about 5% of all deaths globally each year. Diabetes deaths are likely to increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years without urgent action and preventive measures.

Short-term complications:

Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)

Anyone who suffers from diabetes and takes insulin is going to face the problem of blood sugar falling too low at some point. This state is called hypoglycaemia and can be corrected quickly by eating something sweet, like candy or plain sugar. If it is not corrected, hypoglycaemia can lead to the person losing consciousness.

The typical signs of hypoglycemia are:

• hunger
• shakiness
• sweating
• dizziness or light-headedness
• confusion
• weakness

Ketoacidosis
This is a severe condition caused by lack of insulin. It mostly affects people with type 1 diabetes. Acidic waste products called ketones are produced when the body breaks down fats. In the absence of insulin, the body cannot release all the ketones and they build up in your blood, causing ketoacidosis.

Lactic acidosis
Lactic acidosis is the build-up of lactic acid in the body. Too much lactic acid in the body makes people feel ill. Otherwise, Lactic acidosis is a rare ailment. It mainly affects people with type 2 diabetes.

Bacterial / fungal infections
Patients are more prone to fungal and bacterial and infections like boils, boils, athlete’s foot, sties, ring worm, and vaginal infections.

Long-term complications:

Eye disease (retinopathy)
As per statistics, about 2% of all people who have had diabetes for 15 years or more become blind, while about 10% develop a severe visual impairment.

Kidney disease (nephropathy)
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease (nephropathy) and failure. About one third of all people with diabetes develop kidney disease and approximately 20% of people with type 1 diabetes develop kidney failure.

Nerve disease (neuropathy)
Diabetic nerve disease, or neuropathy, affects at least half of all people with diabetes. Common complaints are loss of sensation in the feet or in some cases the hands, pain in the foot and problems with the functioning of different parts of the body including the heart, the eye, the stomach, the bladder and the penis. A lack of sensation in the feet and hands can lead to patients to injure themselves without realizing it.

Diseases of the circulatory system
The risk of heart disease is 2-4 times higher in diabetes patients than for those who do not have diabetes. It is the main cause of disability and death for people with type 2 diabetes in industrialized countries.

Amputation
Diabetics are more likely (20 to 35 times) to require lower-limb amputation.

Prevention & Lifestyle modification

Experts and doctors believe that while there is yet no evidence to suggest that Type 1 diabetes can be prevented, primary prevention of type 2 diabetes is possible.

Weight control, a balanced diet, and increased physical activity are important in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The benefits of reducing body weight and increasing physical activity also play a role in reducing heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.

Secondary prevention involves the early detection and prevention of complications, therefore reducing the need for treatment. Regular annual check-ups go a long way in timely detection of diabetes. Periodic check of blood glucose levels is a must as are the monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Healthy eating, regular exercise, weight control all contribute to good cardiovascular health. Diabetics should also quit smoking.

According to the Mayo Clinic, daily intake of calories should consist of:

• Carbohydrates 45% to 65%
• Proteins 15% to 20%
• Fats 20% to 35%

Patients are advised to adhere to meal plans for portion sizes and eating times. This will keep blood sugar and your weight ideal.

Treatment

Though there is no known cure for diabetes, all types of diabetes are treatable. The main treatment for a Type 1 diabetic is injected insulin, along with some dietary and exercise adherence.

If you have Type 1 and follow a healthy eating plan, do adequate exercise, and take insulin, you can lead a normal life. Larry King, Halle Berry, and several well known diabetic US baseball and basketball players lead normal lives. Type 2 patients need to eat healthily, be physically active, and test their blood glucose regularly. They may also be prescribed oral medication to control blood glucose levels. Sometimes, Type 2 patients may also require insulin injections.

Herbal Remedies for Diabetes

Indian bitter gourd or karela is very useful in treating diabetes. The bitter gourd seeds help in reducing the sugar in the blood. It may be taken in its natural form or as capsules. Karela contains Gurmarin, a polypeptide that considered to be similar to bovine insulin

Amalaki or Indian gooseberry is a rich concentrated source of Vitamin C and is effective in controlling diabetes. A tablespoon of amla juice, along with a cup of bitter gourd juice, stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin.

Meshashringi

Hyponidd by Charak.

Click here to know more about Herbal Supplements for Diabetes

Neal Kapoor is a keen follower of trends in Ayurveda and Health Supplements. He also has professional interests in the field and manages health related websites and blogs.

Author: Neal Kapoor
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A summary and some stunning statistics
I am a diabetic, a person who suffers from the disease called diabetes, a disease that is growing at a fast rate in North America where in the United States and Canada there are now more that 25 million people diagnosed as being diabetic and where another 6 million are estimated to have the disease and do not yet know it, probably because they have not visited a doctor of late. And it gets worse, the forecast by health authorities is that one in three children born from this moment on will end up with diabetes. And a stunning number of 57 million people have the condition called pre-diabetes, referred to in the text below. And a major problem linked to diabetes is the similarly growing incidence of obesity.

So what is diabetes?
There are three main types of diabetes and a few others less common. There is also a condition referred to as pre-diabetes – and that is a something to be watched for because, as its name suggests, it can lead to the real thing, not a happy prospect for anyone.

No cure
It is generally accepted by the medical profession that there is no cure for diabetes and the condition must be contained and controlled within a specific tolerable range by the adoption of appropriate lifestyle changes. Those include more healthy dietary approaches that are even better if accompanied by exercise and perhaps weight loss and possibly medication to assist in controlling the levels of glucose that enter the bloodstream after eating.

But some say it IS curable
However, having said that there is no cure, I must add that there are a number of quite renowned and successful medical practitioners who insist that by adopting certain dietary approaches the disease can be brought under control until it does not manifest itself and the diabetes will, in effect, not exist for the individual who follows and adheres to that approach. The gestational form of diabetes, mentioned below and not very common, is a temporary diabetic condition suffered by a small percentage of pregnant women.

The three main types of diabetes are known as type-1 diabetes, type-2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes, of which type-2 is by far the most common, making up about 90 to 95 percent of all cases.

In the past, but less so nowadays, type-1 and type-2 were referred to respectively by the more descriptive names of juvenile diabetes and adult-onset diabetes.

Type-1 Diabetes
Sadly, type-1 diabetes is most often a disease that develops in childhood or in young adults, although it sometimes strikes adults. It is called an autoimmune disease that occurs when the individual’s immune system fails to function properly. The immune system is the collection of biological processes in the human body that normally protects us all against disease. But instead, in the case of type-1 diabetes, the immune system actually destroys cells in an organ of the body, called the pancreas, which make insulin. The result is that from that time on, the type-1 person must take insulin each day to stay alive.

Insulin and glucose
Without insulin, the glucose produced from the food we eat and that is needed to provide energy for all the body’s cells cannot be delivered into those cells and when that happens, life cannot survive for long. Without a source of insulin, a type-1 diabetic can fall into a life-threatening coma. A parent of a diabetic child lives with that constant fear and concern that such an event might occur.

Type-2 diabetes
The most common form of diabetes, is a condition in which an above normal level of glucose exists in the blood. That can occur for more than just one reason but most likely due either to insufficient insulin being produced by the body or resistance by the cells of the body to the insulin that is being produced. And it may be a combination of both of those factors.

The role of insulin
Insulin is needed to join with the glucose in the bloodstream and aid in the delivery of the glucose to the trillions of cells in the body where it is needed. It is the insulin’s ability to interact with the receptors that exist on the outer membrane of the cells, in a way acting like a mediator, that enable the process to take place to completion.

To illustrate, in the process, the insulin acts like a key that opens a door to a cell allowing the glucose to enter into the cell. Without that key, without insulin, the glucose cannot be absorbed. And that would lead to a dangerous life threatening situation if not remedied promptly.

Gestational diabetes
Is a usually temporary form of the disease developed by some women, usually late in their pregnancy, who may not even be aware of it because no symptoms are exhibited. It is not common, occurring in perhaps about 5 percent or more of pregnancies but one unfavorable outlook for the mother is that there is a 40 to 60 percent chance of them later becoming full type-2 diabetics by about 5 to 10 years later.

What is pre-diabetes?
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 57 million people in the United States who have pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have higher than normal blood glucose levels but levels not high enough for a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes. In pre-diabetes there is an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and research indicates that damage to the body does occur especially in the cardiovascular system, meaning both the heart and the circulatory system, and that can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Important research relating to pre-diabetes
An important clinical research study called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) showed that type-2 diabetes is preventable by adopting lifestyle changes that includes improved eating habits, adding or increasing physically active, and weight management. The weight target is to get down to a body mass index of 25 or less and to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a chart of human body weights related to height and is used by doctors to aid in determining the degree of variance, if any, of a patient’s particular readings with known acceptable index values.

Diabetes is not contagious, it is not a disease that others can catch but in some cases it may have a heredity genetic component so that more than one member of the family may develop the disease. But the cause is really unknown although certain factors are known to increase the possibility of developing diabetes.

Type-2 diabetes is especially associated with obesity and is considered to be a lifestyle disease of the developed western world associated with our generally more sedentary life. The incidence of diabetes is increasing as we, as a population, consume more readily available foods that are rich in fats and contain more calories than we need to sustain our levels of energy output.

Incidence of diabetes
According to data from the Multinational Project for Childhood Diabetes by the World Health Organization, type 1 diabetes occurs equally among males and females but is more common in whites than in non-whites

Type-1 diabetes is uncommon in most African, American Indian, and Asian populations while some countries of northern Europe, including Finland and Sweden, have high rates of type 1 diabetes. The reasons for these differences are unknown. As mentioned above, type-1 diabetes develops most often in children but can occur at any age.

Type-2 diabetes is more common in older people, and overweight people and occurs more frequently in African Americans, indigenous native Americans, and some Americans of Asian origin, Hawaiians and other Americans of the Pacific Islands. Also it is more common among Latin Americans, a segment of the population that is growing faster than the rest.

Author’s Comment:
This article is one of a series dealing with diabetes and its impact on personal health and the cost to public health-care.

I am a diabetic, writing from the perspective of a patient for my fellow diabetics and others.
So for more information on a wide range of diabetes related subject matter, please check out the List of Topics provided on my blogsite by clicking on the following links: Diabetes Information Exchange and Diabetic Food List + Plus Worth a visit, check it out!

Author: James K. Robinson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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