Sugar, sugar and more sugar, when it comes to diabetes, the first culprit is SUGAR! So many people avoid soft drinks; skip sugar from their tea or coffee in order to avoid this disease condition. But is that good enough? What exactly is diabetes, what causes it and how can it be treated or prevented, as with many other health conditions, prevention is better than cure. Other than a few health conditions that are hereditary, most health issues are caused by what we put in our mouth or what we avoid eating, the saying that “You are what you eat”, is no joke, you really are what you eat.
Diabetes, referred to by medical experts as diabetes mellitus, DM for short, is a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (Blood sugar), wither because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both.
SYMPTOMS
Excessive thirst, Extreme Hunger (even just after eating), Increased Fatigue, Blurred Vision, Unusual weight gain or weight loss, Irritability, Frequent urination, Slow healing of wounds
TYPES OF DIABETES
*Diabetes is a long- term condition that causes high blood sugar levels
*Type 1 Diabetes: the body does not produce insulin, approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type *Type 2 Diabetes: the body does not produce enough insulin fir proper function, about 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type
*Gestational Diabetes: this type affects females during pregnancy
CAUSES OF DIABETES
Diabetes causes vary depending on your genetic makeup, family history, ethnicity, health and environmental factors. There is no common diabetes cause that fits every types of diabetes. This is because the cause of diabetes varies depending on the individual and the type.
TYPE 1 DIABETES CAUSES
This is caused by the immune system destroying the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, This causes diabetes by leaving the body without enough insulin to function normally. This is called an autoimmune reaction because the body is attacking itself. The following triggers may be involved: Viral or bacterial infection, Chemical toxins within food, Unidentified component causing autoimmune reaction.
TYPE 2 DIABETES CAUSES
Type 2 diabetes causes are usually is multi-factorial; more than one diabetes cause is involved. Often the overwhelming factor is a family history to type 2 diabetes. There are a variety of risk factors for type 2 diabetes, these include: Obesity, Living a sedentary lifestyle, Increasing age, Bad diet, Depression, Family history of diabetes, Overweight or obesity, Certain health conditions associated with insulin resistance
.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES CAUSES
The cause of diabetes in pregnancy remains unknown; however there are a number of risk factors that increase the chances of developing this condition: Family history of gestational diabetes, Overweight or obese, Suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, Other diabetes causes: Pancreatitis or pancreatectomy
Cushing’s syndrome, Glucagonoma, Steroid induced diabetes
All types of diabetes are treatable. Diabetes type 1 lasts a lifetime, there is no known cure. Type 2 usually lasts a lifetime, however, some people have manages to get rid of their symptoms without medication, through a combination of exercise, diet and body weight control.
TREATMENT
Patients with Type 1 diabetes are treated with regular insulin injections, as well as a special diet and exercise
Patients with Type 2 diabetes are treated with tablets, exercise and a special diet, but sometimes insulin injections are also required
If diabetes is not adequately controlled, the patient is at risk of developing complications, below is a list of possible complications caused by badly controlled diabetes:
*Eye complications: glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and some others
*Foot complications: Neuropathy, ulcers, and sometimes gangrene which may require that the foot be amputated
*Skin complications: people with diabetes are more susceptible to skin infections and skin disorders
*Heart Problems: ischemic heart disease, when the blood supply to the heart muscle is diminished
*Hypertension: common in people with diabetes, which can raise the risk of kidney disease, eye problems, heart attack and stroke
*Mental health: uncontrolled diabetes raises the risk of suffering from depression, anxiety and some other mental disorders
*Hearing loss: diabetes patients have a higher risk of developing hearing problems
*Stroke: if blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood glucose levels are not controlled, the risk of stroke increases significantly
*Erectile dysfunction: male impotence
*Healing of wounds: cuts and lesions takes much longer to heal
Lifestyle Tips for Diabetics: · Exercise, *Eliminate grains and sugars ( Avoid pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, corn), *Avoid processed red meat and stick to unprocessed red meat such as beef, pork or lamb
New Story
Emir Of ILORIN Reconciles BUKOLA & GBEMI SARAKI
The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, last week took it upon himself to reconcile warring siblings, the Senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki and his sister, a former Senator herself, Gbemisola Saraki. The two are the most popular children of the late Ilorin born politician and a former Senator himself in the second republic, Olusola Saraki. The reconciliatory attempt between the two comes after years of bickering. At a closed-door meeting with the Emir, the two siblings were asked to put the past behind them. When they came out of the meeting, they were received by a mammoth crowd who had gathered at the entrance of the Emir’s palace. They both walked out and rode in the same vehicle, Bukola’s vehicle precisely, to their father’s house. The Emir and some notable northern figures who were friends of Bukola and Gbemiosla’s late father felt concerned about the lingering bad blood and worked quietly for years to reconcile the feuding siblings.
Recall that their disagreement began in 2006 when Bukola, who was on the verge of completing his eight-year tenure as Kwara governor, declined to support his father’s wish to have Gbemisola succeed him. Instead, Bukola who was then in the PDP, backed the current Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed as his successor. In anger, Gbemisola and her father left the PDP to form a new party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, on which platform she ran for governor. Unfortunately, she was defeated by the incumbent in what appeared to be a political humiliation of some sorts for the elder Mr. Saraki, who died in 2012 and who was for several years, in total control of Kwara politics.
Expectedly, the bad blood continued with the two refusing to see eye to eye. Bukola took over Gbemisola’s seat in the senate thus leaving her in the political cold. But when President Muhammadu Buhari took over power, he attempted to compensate her by making her the Pro Chancellor and Chairperson of the Federal University Otuoke, Baylesa State, the home town of former president, Goodluck Jonathan. The feud between the two became even more glaring when Gbemisola, an economics graduate of the University of Sussex, UK, didn’t attend the wedding of her brother’s daughter last year.
All through the week long celebrations where her brother hosted the cream of Nigeria’s business and political elite for the ceremony, Gbemisola was conspicuously absent. Curiously, when the family held a fifth year memorial for their father last year, she was very visible. Perhaps with the recent attempt by the Emir of Ilorin to reconcile the warring siblings, they may likely sheathe their swords especially now that Bukola is gearing to run for the highest office in the land.
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