Treatment for Diabetes

Treatment of Diabetes:-

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• Early on in type 2 diabetes, you may be able to reverse the disease with lifestyle changes. Also, some cases of type 2 diabetes can be cured with weight-loss surgery.
• There is no cure for type 1 diabetes.
• Treating both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes involves medicines, diet, and exercise to control blood sugar levels and prevent symptoms and problems.

Getting better control over your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels helps reduce the risk of kidney disease, eye disease, nervous system disease, heart attack, and stroke.  

Complications :-

Acute complications :-

1.       Hypoglycaemia or Insulin Shock

2.       Ketoacidosis

 Long term complications ;-

1.       Infections

2.       Diabetes and heart disease

Diagnosis:-

Several tests are used in the diagnosis  of diabetes :-

1.       Glycosuria :- it is necessary to observe the following procedure to detect  early diabetes :

Urine is voided just before the meal.

Breakfast or lunch is taken with usual helpings of carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, chapathis, rice, fruits.

Two or three hours after the meal  urine is voided and examined for sugar.

2.       Ketonuria

3.       Random blood sugar :- a random blood glucose exceeding 200 mg/dl is almost certain to indicate diabetes.

4.      Glucose tolerance test  :- glucose tolerance test is a confirmatory test.

      WHO recommends for the test that  75g to be used as the glucose load for adults and 1.75 g/kg body weight for children with maximum of 75g.

herbal remedies for diabetes

Fenugreek or MethiFenugreek or Methi

• Used in paranthas and various Indian curries, Methi has many health benefits. 
• It has been used as a galactogogue – a substance used to increase the secretion of milk in breast-feeding mothers.

Tips :-

• Soak the methi seeds in water overnight and drink this water and chew on the seeds first thing in the morning.
• Place methi seeds in a skillet and dry roast using medium heat for about two minutes, with constant stirring. 
• Allow the seeds to cool and then powder; add one teaspoon of this powder to hot or cold water and take once or twice in a day.
• Boil one cup of water and add 2 tablespoons of methi seeds, steep for about 10 minutes and then strain and consume the liquid. 
• Do this twice every day to see a reduction of blood glucose levels.

Bitter Gourd or Karela

• Most people are familiar with bitter gourd – an unpalatable yet healthy vegetable that is typically cooked in tangy gravy to offset the bitterness.

Tips:-

• Select a green bitter gourd, slice it lengthwise, and scrape away the flesh to remove the seeds. 
• Then add the vegetable to a blender and run it to obtain a juice.  
• Drink one small glass of this juice first thing every morning.
• Take some pieces of dried bitter gourd, boil in one cup of water and consume this tea once or twice in a day. 
• This tea is not as bitter as the fresh juice and easier to consume.
• Cut a few slices of bitter gourd and add to stir-fry dishes, especially in combination with vegetables that have a sweetish taste of their own – this will help mask their bitter taste.

Plant-based therapies that have been shown in some studies to have anti-diabetic properties include: 

• Aloe vera
• Bilberry extract
• Bitter melon
• Cinnamon
• Fenugreek
• Ginger

Exams and Tests

• A urine analysis may show high blood sugar. However, a urine test alone does not diagnose diabetes.

Your health care provider may suspect that you have diabetes if your blood sugar level is higher than 200 mg/dL. To confirm the diagnosis, one or more of the following tests must be done.

• Blood tests:

Fasting blood glucose level :- diabetes is diagnosed if it is higher than 126 mg/dL twice. Levels between 100 and 126 mg/dL are called impaired fasting glucose or pre-diabetes. These levels are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Hemoglobin A1c test :-

•                         Normal: Less than 5.7%
•                         Pre-diabetes: 5.7% - 6.4%
•                         Diabetes: 6.5% or higher

Oral glucose tolerance test :-

•             Diabetes is diagnosed if glucose level is higher than 200 mg/dL after 2 hours of drinking a glucose drink. (This test is used more often for type 2 diabetes.)

Screening for type 2 diabetes in people who have no symptoms is recommended   for:

•           Overweight children who have other risk factors for diabetes, starting at age 10 and repeated every 2 years
•            Overweight adults (BMI greater than 25) who have other risk factor Adults over age 45, repeated every 3 years.

           

Clinical criteria :-

•           Relief from symptoms
•           Reduction in obesity and maintenance of normal body weight depending upon height and built.
•           Prevention  or retardation of both acute and chronic complications of diabetes.
•           Presence of adequate energy and endurance for work performance.
•           In childhood diabetes, normal or near normal growth and development including physical, mental, emotional, and sexual development.
•           In pregnancy with diabetes, delivery of a normal baby without any medical complications in the mother.