Among the most common chronic diseases, diabetes mellitus is far from the last place in the modern world. This disease is expressed in an increased level of glucose in the blood cells. In a healthy person, the corresponding level is always normal, regardless of the amount of sweets consumed. It's all about the presence in the body of insulin - a special hormone that secretes the pancreas. It is he who breaks down glucose.
Patients with diabetes also have insulin in the blood, but it is either not enough, or it is not able to cope with its functions due to a special pathology of blood cells. The statistics are disappointing: many people skip the early stage of the development of the disease, starting its course, and turn to specialists only when the symptoms become so severe that they interfere with normal life and work.
Disease types
The disease is expressed by multiple symptoms. Different forms of this disease occur for different reasons and have different pathogenesis. In itself, the concept of "diabetes" is quite extensive. Experts distinguish 2 types of the disease.
type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent. It is most often diagnosed in young people, whose age does not exceed 40 years. This is a disease in which the blood cells are filled with sugar. The reason for this is the antibodies that destroy insulin. The disease, whose occurrence is associated with the presence of such antibodies, is not completely cured.
Diagnosis of this disease involves the conduct of serious laboratory tests. Such a diagnosis is not made from the photo, so you should not trust people who are trying to tell a person about his illness without even seeing the test results. At the first suspicion of a disease, you should immediately contact a medical institution.
People suffering from type 1 diabetes tend to have a lean physique. They need regular insulin injections from the time the disease is diagnosed until the end of their lives. The medical history of such patients is standard. The disease is hereditary.
Those who have had diabetes in their family have a genetic predisposition to this disease. A chronic variant of this type of disease occurs in them under certain circumstances. It can be provoked by a variety of viruses and bacteria, as well as strong or long-term stress. Due to such negative factors, antibodies are formed that can destroy the cells responsible for the presence of insulin.
type 2 diabetes
Insulin-independent, the second type of the disease is often diagnosed in older people. This is a variant of the disease, characterized by the inability of insulin to cope with its main function. Sugar cannot decompose on its own and accumulates in the blood. Gradually, the cells of the body develop a "addiction" to insulin. The hormone itself is produced, there is no shortage in it, but glucose in the cells is not broken down.
The insulin-independent variant of this disease has its own progressive development. As a rule, this disease is detected in people over forty years old, but sometimes it is found even in children. Patients suffering from this type of diabetes mellitus are overweight. The blood cells of such people cease to be able to perceive any effect of insulin.
Features of type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is the result of insufficient secretion (release) of insulin by the pancreas. Specialists indicate characteristic symptoms that make it possible to suspect the presence of this disease in a person even in the early stages. Among them: a constant feeling of thirst, excessive urination, fatigue, a chronic feeling of weakness. It is necessary to determine the level of glucose and insulin in the blood. If the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment is immediately prescribed, otherwise the patient may develop ulcers and a wide range of other complications.
Why does type 1 diabetes develop? The classical medical school gives an unequivocal answer to this question. The main cause of this disease is a disorder of the pancreas, in which the formation of insulin stops or significantly slows down. It is also worth noting that pregnant women have so-called gestational diabetes, associated with the risk of developing an insulin-dependent form of the disease.
Let's not forget to discuss topics and very specific symptoms. Often type 1 diabetes is accompanied by the formation of the smell of acetone in the oral cavity. These are the first bells of the body, which should alert and encourage a person to contact a specialist. The sooner in this case the patient gets to the doctor, the more likely it is that the disease can be detected at an early stage. However, often people, and especially men, neglect to visit a specialist and live for a year or several years, not even knowing about their diagnosis, until it becomes completely unbearable.
Indirect signs of diabetes mellitus form 1 include:
- Complications in the treatment of infectious diseases;
- Poor wound healing;
- Heaviness in the legs;
- Pain in the calf muscles;
It is also important to remember that people suffering from this disease must constantly monitor their own blood pressure and maintain its normal state with modern medications. Specific drugs should be prescribed exclusively by a specialist, based on the diagnosis and the individual characteristics of the patient.
How to detect type 1 diabetes?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the procedures that people need to go through if they suspect the presence of this disease. Their list includes:
- Blood test for glucose;
- Glucose tolerance study;
- Detection of glucose levels in urine;
- Calculation of the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin;
- Detection of insulin and C-peptide in the blood.
You should know that blood must be taken for analysis on an empty stomach. The results of the study are compared with the values of the glucose level in a special table. If this level:
- Does not reach 6. 1 mmol / l - there is no hyperglycemia, the disease is excluded;
- It is in the range from 6. 1 to 7. 0 mmol / l - the level of glycemia is close to the maximum allowable;
- Exceeds 7. 0 mmol / l - the presence of an ailment is very likely, but an accurate diagnosis requires additional confirmation.
The pre-diabetic state of a person is indicated by violations of glucose tolerance - increased glycemia, which, however, has not yet gone beyond the permissible limits. A patient with such findings needs further monitoring and prophylaxis.
How is type 1 diabetes treated?
There are the following treatments for this disease: a special diet, exercise, medications.
Properly selected nutrition system helps to alleviate the main symptoms of diabetes. The main task of the diet is to limit the intake of sugar into the body as much as possible.
How to treat the disease? In situations with type 1 disease, in most cases, regular insulin injections are indispensable. Experts determine the optimal daily dose of this hormone for each patient individually.
Preparations containing insulin are absorbed into the blood at different rates and act for different times. It is necessary to choose the right places for injections. There are several varieties of this hormone:
- Short-acting insulin: its effect can be noticed almost instantly;
- Intermediate insulin is delivered to the body through a special preparation containing substances that slow down the absorption of the hormone. This drug works for about 10 hours;
- Long acting insulin. It is supplied to the body through a number of special drugs. It should take about 14 hours to reach the peak of effectiveness. The hubbub is valid for at least one and a half days.
As a rule, patients make the introduction of drugs on their own, having learned how to give themselves injections under the guidance of a specialist.
The doctor builds a treatment regimen in a special way based on the presentation of the patient, reflecting factors such as:
- Growth;
- The weight;
- Age;
- Susceptibility to insulin.
If a patient with diabetes is overweight, then a mandatory measure of treatment and prevention is to reduce the percentage of high-calorie foods in the menu. It is harmful to use canned food, fatty meats, smoked foods, sour cream, mayonnaise, nuts, and many fruits. We'll have to forget about sweets. This is especially difficult if the disease is diagnosed in children or in women who tend to pamper themselves.
We need to look for ways to reduce the amount of high-calorie foods. There is an energy deficit, and the body consumes adipose tissue. However, it should be remembered that you can not bring yourself to energy exhaustion.
Physical activity helps lower blood sugar levels. Moderate workload required. Exercises should be done regularly, dosed. No need to exhaust yourself with heavy weights. Enough aerobic exercise.
The so-called insulin pumps can significantly improve the quality of life of patients. These are devices from the world of electronics that accurately determine the level of sugar in the blood, and on the basis of the readings received, they independently carry out dosed injections of insulin. They make the treatment more effective and minimize the risk of complications.
How to store insulin preparations?
Open vials can be stored at room temperature for no more than six weeks. They should be kept in places where sunlight or artificial light does not penetrate. Do not store preparations containing insulin in close proximity to heat sources.
The inadmissibility of using the medicine is indicated by the formation of a film or characteristic clots inside the vial, visually similar to flakes. This signal plays an important role. The use of an expired drug threatens to increase problems with the disease and can even lead to fatal consequences.
diabetes mellitus type 2
The pancreas of those with type 2 diabetes produces enough insulin on its own, but the body is unable to absorb this hormone due to malfunctioning cell receptors. Glucose is not processed properly, as a result, blood vessels are damaged, as well as internal organs. This can be especially dangerous during pregnancy. However, the non-insulin-dependent form is typical for older people.
Diabetes of the second variety is formed for certain reasons, the main of which are considered to be overweight and a genetic predisposition to this disease. According to statistics, about 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes are obese. Can you fully recover by reducing your own body weight? The answer here will be negative, but as a preventive measure, this measure can be very effective. According to the generally accepted scientific concept, an excess of fat cells prevents the body from utilizing insulin.
Symptoms and complications of type 2 diabetes
The symptoms of the first and second types of the disease are similar in many respects: strong thirst is accompanied by excessive urination, a person constantly feels unwell - weakness and fatigue, bouts of irritability, sometimes nausea and vomiting.
Particular attention should be paid to possible complications. According to the latest International Classification of Diseases (MBC 10), their list is quite extensive and inspires significant concern in patients. If the blood is full of glucose, then pathological changes in almost any internal organs are inevitable. In the advanced stages of the disease, patients are even given disability.
In patients with type 2 diabetes, the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, all kinds of kidney diseases, and visual impairment are significantly increased. Even minor wounds do not heal for a long time. Sometimes the disease becomes capable of leading to gangrene, which may require amputation of the injured limb. The list of complications for men completes impotence. Such a serious list of negative aspects obliges specialists to continue to find ways for the most effective therapy today.
What does it make sense to do when you find signs of illness?
If there are first suspicions of diabetes of the second form, it is urgent to undergo a medical examination. People who are aware of their genetic predisposition to this disease should regularly monitor the sugar content in the blood and urine. This is especially true for people aged 50 and over, as well as all those who are overweight.
If the diagnosis is already established, the patient should be under medical supervision and visit a specialist periodically.
For people with type 2 diabetes, doctors prescribe:
- Control glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as body weight;
- Change your own diet by adding low-calorie foods to the menu, in which there should be as little sugar as possible. You need to eat more complex carbohydrates and foods with vegetable fibers;
- Exercise regularly.
Patients need to learn how to independently determine the level of glucose in the blood. Today, there are specialized devices that make it easy to do this at home. They are called glucometers.
It is necessary to constantly adhere to strict self-control. Treatment is inextricably linked with diet therapy and exercise. These points effectively complement therapy based on the use of sugar-lowering drugs, referred to in medicine as incretin mimetics. Most often, these are tablets, not injections, as is the case with drugs containing insulin.
A specific medicine should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, based on all the data he has about the patient. He must individually determine the frequency of subsequent visits. It is necessary to conduct a lot of tests, to establish what the general condition of the patient is, whether there is a risk of developing complications, the prevention of which will require additional treatment.
With the help of the results of numerous scientific studies, experts were able to find that, along with weight loss, the disease takes on a weaker form. As a result, its symptoms are less tormenting for patients, and their quality of life improves significantly.
Recently, a new remedy, the Chinese diabetes patch, has been widely advertised in the media. Its manufacturers promise an almost miraculous effect, urging you not to spare money and buy their products. However, conventional medicine practitioners are skeptical about this treatment option. If you read reviews on the Internet about this patch, they are extremely contradictory. Some write that they allegedly helped. Others are completely disappointed in this remedy.
Measures for prevention
Authoritative experts in the field of medicine have long proved that stress is a provoking factor in the development of many diseases. It can also contribute to the onset of diabetes, so you should avoid worries and try not to react less to any troubles in life.
As mentioned above, you should exercise and watch your own diet. There are specially designed diets that are beneficial for the health of such patients. If you strictly adhere to the doctor's recommendations, you can significantly improve the quality of your own life, getting rid of a significant part of the symptoms that accompany this disease.
It is necessary to exclude certain products from the menu. Often, specialists prescribe the so-called diet 9. Its goal is to minimize the consumption of foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates. It has been proven that in patients using this diet, the work of the pancreas improves significantly.
What products are allowed to be consumed? Their list includes: low-fat varieties of meat and fish; cabbage, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes and zucchini; buckwheat, barley, millet and oatmeal. Apples and strawberries are also allowed, but in moderation. Dairy products can only be consumed low-fat. After such a meal, the level of sugar in the blood will not rise by an unacceptable level.
In the medical selection of the menu, the structural composition of the food is necessarily taken into account. The diet should include:
- 55% animal grade proteins (80-90 grams).
- 30% vegetable fat (70-80 grams).
- 300-350 grams of carbohydrates.
- 12 grams of table salt
- One and a half liters of liquid.
Do not consume more than 2200-2400 kcal per day. You need to eat 5-6 times a day, evenly "spreading" the consumption of carbohydrates over time. Sugar will have to be eliminated. Sweet dishes are prepared in small quantities, and only with sugar substitutes such as stevia, sorbitol or xylitol.
Salt intake should also be limited. The method of cooking is important. Boiled and baked dishes should prevail in the diet. Fried and stewed food is acceptable for consumption in a minimum amount. There are recipes specifically designed for diabetics. Following them, you can cook delicious dishes that will not harm your health.
On the day you need to adhere to a certain menu. So, diet number 9 can be represented by:
- In the morning: tea, buckwheat porridge, fat-free cottage cheese, milk;
- Second meal: wheat bran (boiled);
- Lunch: cabbage soup with sunflower oil (vegetarian), fruit jelly, boiled meat with milk sauce;
- Afternoon snack: a small amount of apples;
- Evening meal: boiled fish baked in milk sauce, as well as cabbage dishes.
What do they eat during the week
Table number 9 is the fruit of the work of Soviet nutritionists. They created a food option suitable for specialized sanatoriums. The ninth table significantly increases the effectiveness of complex therapy.
The menu for the week looks like this:
Monday
- Breakfast: chicory, fat-free cottage cheese with milk, porridge (buckwheat).
- Lunch: 200 ml milk.
- Lunch: vegetarian cabbage soup, white bird breast, fruit jelly.
- Afternoon: apple.
- Evening meal: boiled fish, tea, cabbage dishes.
- Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.
Tuesday
- First meal: barley, chicken egg, chicory, stewed cabbage.
- Lunch: a glass of milk (only low-fat is suitable).
- Lunch: mashed potatoes, boiled beef liver, pickle soup, dried fruit compote.
- Afternoon snack: fruit jelly.
- Evening meal: boiled chicken, stewed cabbage.
- Before going to bed: low-fat kefir.
Wednesday
- The first meal: fat-free cottage cheese and milk, chicory, oatmeal porridge.
- Lunch: a mug of jelly.
- Lunch: borscht, boiled meat, buckwheat porridge, tea.
- Afternoon snack: one or two pears.
- Evening meal: salad or vinaigrette, egg, tea.
- Before going to bed: a glass of low-fat yogurt.
Thursday
- The first meal: buckwheat porridge, chicory, low-fat cottage cheese.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: lean borscht, dried fruit compote, boiled meat.
- Afternoon snack: unsweetened pear.
- For an evening meal: cabbage schnitzel, boiled fish of low-fat varieties of tea.
- Before going to bed: a glass of fat-free yogurt.
Friday
- First meal: egg, a little butter, vinaigrette without potatoes with sunflower oil, chicory.
- Lunch: apple.
- Lunch: sauerkraut, stew or boiled meat, soup with peas.
- Afternoon snack: a few fresh fruits.
- Evening meal: pudding with vegetables, boiled poultry meat, tea.
- Before going to bed: a glass of curdled milk.
Saturday
- First meal: millet porridge, chicory, a little doctor's sausage.
- Lunch: wheat bran.
- Lunch: boiled meat, mashed potatoes, seafood soup.
- Afternoon snack: a glass of low-fat kefir.
- Evening meal: low-fat cottage cheese, tea, oatmeal.
Sunday
- First meal: chicken egg, chicory, buckwheat porridge.
- Lunch: one or two apples.
- Lunch: beef cutlet, light vegetable soup, pearl barley porridge.
- Afternoon snack: skimmed milk.
- Evening meal: vegetable salad, boiled fish, mashed potatoes.
- Before going to bed: low-fat kefir.
Folk methods of treatment
In folk medicine, there are many recipes that, with varying degrees of effectiveness, help fight high blood sugar. Certified physicians are often skeptical about such methods of treatment, but do not prohibit patients from using them in conjunction with the main therapy. This "integrated approach" often gives positive results, allowing patients to reduce the manifestation of painful symptoms.
The most effective traditional medicine recipes:
- For prevention, an egg with the addition of lemon juice will help. Shake the contents of a raw egg, add the juice of one lemon. Reception 50-60 minutes before meals, 3 days, in the morning. After ten days, the course can be taken again.
- In the morning, eat baked onions for a month.
- A good way to lower your glucose levels is to have some mustard or flaxseeds daily, plus blackcurrant leaf tea.
- The use of freshly squeezed potato juice contributes to lowering the level of sugar. Raspberries and white cabbage are also used.
- White mulberry tincture (2 tablespoons) is prepared by pouring boiling water (2 cups), infusion time is 2-3 hours, taken 3 times a day.
- Do not forget about such a folk remedy as a decoction of oats. Pour a tablespoon of oat grains with water (one and a half glasses), then boil for 15 minutes, the course is 3 r / d 15-20 minutes before meals.
- Helps cinnamon - half a teaspoon a day. Consume with tea.
- Grind oak acorns until a powder is obtained. Course - 1 h / l on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as immediately before bedtime for seven days.
- Pour walnut partitions (40 g) with boiling water (500 ml) and put on fire. Boil ten minutes. Insist until tender, drink 1 tbsp / l half an hour before meals.
- Pour boiling water (half a liter) aspen bark (2 tablespoons), put everything on fire and cook for about 10 minutes. Having insisted, drink half a glass before eating.
- An effective infusion is prepared from a glass of boiling water, which is poured over cloves (20 pieces). Insist overnight, drink three times a day exactly one third of a glass. Do not remove used cloves, add another pinch to them in the evening, pour boiling water again, etc. The course of treatment is six months.
- Brew half a liter of boiling water two tablespoons of nettle mixture with rowan berries in the ratio: three to seven. Leave for about three to four hours. Take half a glass twice a day.
- Pour burdock roots (20 g) with boiling water (a glass), boil in a water bath for about 10 minutes. The course is 3 times a day for a table / bed before meals.
All information provided to readers in the article is for informational purposes only. Before using the information obtained in practice, be sure to consult about the possible consequences with a competent specialist!