What Is Diabetic Ketoacidosis
If you think you may have low blood sugar, check it even if you dont have symptoms.
When too many ketones are produced too fast, they can build up in your body and cause diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. DKA is very serious and can cause a coma or even death. Common symptoms of DKA include:
- Fast, deep breathing.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Stomach pain.
If you think you may have DKA, test your urine for ketones. Follow the test kit directions, checking the color of the test strip against the color chart in the kit to see your ketone level. If your ketones are high, . DKA requires treatment in a hospital.
DKA happens most in people with type 1 diabetes and is sometimes the first sign of type 1 in people who havent yet been diagnosed. People with type 2 diabetes can also develop DKA, but its less common.
What Is The A1c Test
The A1C test is a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2 or 3 months. The test is done at a lab or your doctors office in addition tonot instead ofregular blood sugar testing you do yourself.
A1C testing is part of the ABCs of diabetesimportant steps you can take to prevent or delay health complications down the road:
- A: Get a regular A1C test.
- B: Try to keep your blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg .
- C: Manage your cholesterol levels.
- s: Stop smoking or dont start.
The A1C goal for most adults with diabetes is between 7% and 8%, but your goal may be different depending on your age, other health conditions, medicines youre taking, and other factors. Work with your doctor to establish a personal A1C goal for you.
Monitoring And Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
Use home blood sugar tests to determine whether your blood sugar is in your target range. Work with your doctor to set your individual treatment goals. If you can consistently maintain this level of control, you will have very few blood sugar level emergencies.
Parents can help their child learn how to prevent low blood sugar levels and high blood sugar levels.
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Instant Effects Of Healthy Choices
You probably know that a single meal or snack can dramatically affect blood sugar. Just think of eating a handful of candy on an empty stomach. There is a burst of energy when blood sugar shoots up, followed by a crash or sugar cravings when blood sugar drops below normal levels.
Luckily, just as some choices can get blood sugar out of control, other choices can help stabilize it. For example, including fiber or healthy fat, such as olive oil or nuts, with a meal or snack can prevent blood sugar from spiking as high.
A single exercise session can have a dramatic effect, too. It can lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. Effects can last for up to a day, which can be good motivation to exercise most days!
With these types of choices, you can see the effects immediately with blood sugar tests, if you were to take them regularly.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Losing weight helps control blood sugar levels. Being overweight is linked to increased incidents of diabetes and greater occurrences of insulin resistance.
Studies show that reducing weight by even only 7 percent can reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 58 percent.
It is important to note that a person does not need to achieve ideal body weight to benefit from losing 1020 pounds and keeping it off. Doing so will also improve cholesterol, reduce the risk of complications, and improve a persons general sense of well-being.
Eating a healthful diet full of fruits and vegetables and getting enough exercise can help a person lose weight or maintain their currently healthy weight.
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Learn How To Deal With High Blood Sugar Levels
Be sure to know the steps for dealing with high blood sugar and how fast your insulin medicine will work to bring your blood sugar down. Some insulins work very fast while regular insulin takes a little longer to bring the sugar level down. Knowing how fast your insulin works will keep you from using too much too quickly.
Here Are Some Common And Uncommon Tips On How To Control Sugar:
1. Lose Those Extra Kilos
According to Dr. Shashank Joshi, Endocrinologist, Lilavati & Bhatia Hospital, “Being overweight causes insulin resistance and makes it difficult for the body to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels. For those who are overweight, dropping 5- 10 per cent of your weight can help. Work with your doctor to manage your weight and if necessary consult a dietician.”
How to control sugar: Being overweight can cause insulin resistance
2. Follow a Balanced Diet with Complex Carbs
According to Preeti Rao, Health and Wellness Coach, “Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and good sources of fat. Foods to avoid are those rich in trans fats , processed food, and sugar. Complex carbohydrates are rich in fiber and are not highly processed like refined carbohydrates. They take longer to digest and hence provide a sustained source of energy for a longer duration.”
How to control sugar: Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables3. Benefits of Barley
A recent study done by Lund University in Sweden states that eating a special mixture of dietary fibres found in barley can help reduce appetite and blood sugar levels. According to the researchers, barley can also rapidly improve people’s health by reducing risk for cardiovascular disease.
How to control sugar: barley can also rapidly improve people’s health4. Benefits of Resistant Starch
How to control sugar: there are benefits of resistance starch5. Try Nuts
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How To Control Prediabetes
Very few patients with prediabetes take medications to lower blood sugar. Instead, in many cases, lifestyle changes can be enough to manage prediabetes and get blood sugar under control.
Losing about 5% of body weight if you are overweight, and increasing physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week, can lower risk for diabetes by over 50%. Lark can help with these and other effective changes, such as getting more sleep, managing stress, and selecting more nutritious foods.
Key Lifestyle Changes to Manage Prediabetes
Diabetes And Your Immune System
When your blood sugar is higher than it should be, that defense system starts to break down. One effect is increased inflammation throughout your body and especially in your blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
A weakened immune system also means you have an increased risk of contracting common infections like colds, flu, skin infections or pneumonia, and more serious ones like bone, joint, or heart infections. In fact, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, found that people with diabetes are twice as likely to be hospitalized or die from a serious infection compared to those without diabetes.
Thats an important reason to manage your blood sugar. The closer to normal it stays throughout the day, the easier it is for your immune system to do its job. Heres what to aim for:
- If you have prediabetes, try to keep your fasting sugar below 100 mg/dL, and your A1c below 5.7%. Those numbers are considered normal no diabetes.
- If you have diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends working to keep your fasting or premeal blood sugar under 130 mg/dL, and your A1c under 7.0%.
Luckily, there are a few natural ways to improve your blood sugar and support your immune system at the same time. And hey, anything that kills two birds with one stone is good in my book!
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Take Steps To Control Your Blood Sugar Level
Although high blood sugar and low blood sugar have very different symptoms and treatments, they are both caused by blood sugar and insulin imbalances. The steps you take to control your blood sugar level will help prevent both high and low blood sugar levels.
Be sure to have identification that says you have diabetes, such as a medical alert bracelet, with you at all times. This will help other people take steps to care for you if you are not able tell them about your medical condition.
You can take steps to prevent high and low blood sugar emergencies.
- Follow your treatment plan.
- Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly to detect early changes before an emergency develops. Treat your symptoms of high or low blood sugar quickly to prevent more problems.
- Control your stress to prevent your blood sugar level from increasing slowly over several days.
- Limit how much alcohol you drink. Do not drink alcohol if you have problems recognizing the early signs of low blood sugar.
- Take precautions when you are driving and do not drive if your blood sugar is low.
How Long Does It Take To Reverse Diabetes
When Jeff first came to the Pritikin Longevity Center several years ago, he was a type 2 diabetic.
But by his third day of eating and exercising Pritikin-style, his blood sugar had plummeted to normal, non-diabetic levels. By the third day it happened that quickly! recalls the Pritikin guest.
There is much we can do with a healthy lifestyle alone, no medications needed, to prevent diabetes. How long does it take to control diabetes with food and fitness? Find out below.
And by the third day, I got this burst of energy, says Jeff. I felt as good as I did when I was in high school. And all this without taking any medications just eating healthy and exercising. Thats all it was!
Not everyones blood sugar tumbles as quickly as Jeffs, but there is plenty of research affirming that a healthy diet like the Pritikin Eating Plan combined with daily exercise can profoundly reduce blood sugar levels in just two to three weeks time.
Guests at the Pritikin Center learn about the best foods for reversing diabetes at a Diabetic Luncheon with Kimberly Gomer, Director of Nutrition.
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How Can I Pay For Tests And Diabetes Supplies
Medicareexternal icon, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans pay for the A1C test and fasting blood sugar test as well as some diabetes supplies. Check your plan or ask your health care team for help finding low-cost or free supplies, and see How to Save Money on Diabetes Care for more resources.
If Your Blood Sugar Is High
Losing weight is the best way to get high blood sugar under control. Food is energy, McEvoy explains. If what goes in doesnt get burned off, it accumulates on your body. This leads to a buildup of fat, particularly in the abdomen, which can cause diabetes. Two effective tactics for helping lose extra pounds and prevent diabetes:
- limiting your carbohydrate and sugar intake.
- doing heart-pumping, heavy-breathing aerobic exercise.
If youre just getting started with diet changes and exercise, work with your doctor to come up with a combined plan thats best for your needs. Be sure to get your blood glucose levels monitored as recommended.
We can often cure type 2 diabetes before you need insulin, with weight loss and changes in lifestyle. Its reversible, especially when your glucose levels are in the mild range, McEvoy says. If your glucose levels are above normal, consider it a wake-up call.
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Certain Foods Are Known To Decrease Blood Sugar Levels And Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
If you have high sugar levels or fear having so, a grapefruit a day may be the way to go!
Keep Calm And Enjoy Life
We all know that stress has various health implications raised blood sugar levels, is one of them. Unfortunately, in our daily life, we are faced by several situations that cause short-term stress and thus a spike in our blood sugar levels.
Thus, a good idea would be to try to use soothing techniques such as deep breathing, positive mental imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation whenever stressed.
A study conducted by Duke University has found these and other relaxation exercises to be very effective in controlling blood sugar levels in stressful times.
So stay calm, relax when stressed and be the master of your own blood sugar!
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Measure Your Blood Sugar An Hour Before Bedtime
Dr. Soleimanpour checks his blood sugar before he goes to sleep every night. One of the biggest times of day that a diabetic can get low blood sugar is at night, he says. If you pick up a blood sugar reading that looks a little lower than normal, nows the time to make an intervention before you reach that level.
If you have a bout of low blood sugar before bed, he suggests taking glucose tablets or drinking four to eight ounces of juice. Give your body 20-30 minutes and recheck your blood sugar again before bed to ensure youre back at a normal reading.
Keep in mind that people with type 1 diabetes need to routinely check their blood sugar because they must take insulin to survive. Because of this, people with type 1 are more prone to episodes of low blood sugar.
If you have type 2, the more common form of the disease that can be controlled with healthy eating, exercise, oral medications, and sometimes insulin, check with your doctor as to when and how to check your blood sugar, and what to do about the readings.
You Have Stomach Trouble
Diabetes also damages the nerve that helps your stomach empty and move food smoothly through your digestive tract. When your stomach can’t empty quickly enough, a condition called gastroparesis, you may deal with unpleasant abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, bloating, heartburn, or feelings of fullness right after you start to eat or a long time afterwards. Gastroparesis also can make it harder to control your diabetes.
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How Does Diabetes Affect Metabolism
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, which means it directly impairs the bodys ability to release and store energy from food. This happens due to problems with insulin production.
When a person eats carbohydrates, the body begins to break them down into their simplest form, which is glucose. This glucose then enters the bloodstream, delivering energy to cells around the body.
Usually, if blood glucose levels are too high, the pancreas releases insulin. This hormone tells the liver to remove glucose from the blood and turn it into glycogen, which the body can use later.
However, in people with diabetes, insulin levels become lower than they need to be. This leaves high levels of glucose in the blood, which serious consequences if left untreated.
There are two main types of diabetes:
When To Call For Medical Advice
It is important to note that very high blood glucose levels can be dangerous and it is important to be aware of the symptoms and risk factors of the following conditions:
- Diabetic ketoacidosis a short term complication most commonly associated with type 1 diabetes
- Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State a short term complication most commonly associated with type 2 diabetes
If you are struggling to keep your blood glucose levels under control, speak to your GP or consultant who can advise you or refer you onto a diabetes education course.
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Manage Your Blood Sugar Level
When you have diabetes, whether it is type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes, one of the most important skills you will learn is how to manage your blood sugar level.
Following your doctor’s instructions on the use of insulin or diabetes medicines, diet, and exercise will help you avoid blood sugar problems. You will learn to recognize the symptoms and distinguish between high and low blood sugar levels. It may be hard for a parent of a young child to distinguish the difference between high and low blood sugar symptoms in a child.
When you have learned to recognize high or low blood sugar levels, you can take the appropriate steps to bring your blood sugar level back to your target blood sugar levels.
People who keep their blood sugar levels under control with diet, exercise, or oral diabetes medicines are less likely to have problems with high or low blood sugar levels. Do not drink alcohol if you have problems recognizing the early signs of low blood sugar.
How To Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Under Control
A 2011 study, published in the Lancet, estimates that 347 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, a medical condition caused by raised blood sugar levels. The disease can have severe medical consequences such as heart diseases, kidney failure, nerve problems and in extreme cases, even blindness.
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The Story Of The Pima Indians
Research has found3 that the Pima Indians are a perfect example of how powerfully our environment can dictate who gets obese and diabetic, and who doesnt.
Today, two main groups of Pima Indians live on earth. The first group lives high in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico a rural environment. The second group lives in Arizona on the Gila River reservation. Both groups are thought to be genetically identical. Scientists estimate they were separated about 700 to 1,000 years ago. For DNA evolutionary development, thats a mere pittance of time.
But physically, the two groups today could not be more different.