Diabetes, from new diagnosis to management.

First, I'll define the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes:
Type 1: Only about 15% of Diabetics are considered Type 1 Diabetes. With Type 1 Diabetes, the patient has trouble producing insulin. The purpose of insulin is to facilitate the absorption of glucose in our blood, to be metabolized and assigned various duties throughout our bodies on a cellular level. Short of providing a biology class, we'll focus on one branch of our topics at a time. Where is insulin produced? Well our pancreas produces our insulin. Now I see your cogwheels turning, be patient, we'll get there soon. The average patient who has Type 1 diabetes is someone who has to take insulin regularly to stay alive.

Type 2: With Type 2 insulin, our bodies do not properly respond to insulin, leading the pancreas to believe not enough insulin is being produce, and ultimately causing the pancreas to overproduce.

Let's take a basic glimpse of the path of glucose. Glucose enters the body, knowing our cells love it so much. The thing is, it can't get into our cells by itself, it needs a transport mechanism, a catalyst. Well, proteins are catalysts. Hormones are proteins. Insulin is a hormone. The pancreas recognizes the glucose, sends the insulin out to give it a shove into our cellular triphospholipid bi-layers (I couldn't help myself, I just had to say it), at which time cellular respiration occurs metabolizing the glucose to become glycogen for our liver and skeletal muscles and triglycerides for our fatty cells. Now, we come to the topic of dieting.

We've all heard about sugars stored around our tummy fat. Well, there are truths hidden inside popular myths. This happens like the whisper game in a circle. By the time the original (or factual) statement reaches the first person, the statement is completely distorted. Happens with gossip too, actually, lol. So anyway, this is the thing. The fat in the tummy doesn't cause Diabetes, the fat is the result of non-metabolized triglycerides which just sit there and pile up and pile up and pile up and pile up, because our bodies have been tricked to believe we don't need to produce insulin. How did we trick out bodies? Well, we consumed things, that contains chemical agents which act as the catalyst to send those sugars into cellular metabolism. In doing this, the pancreas says, "hmmm, I don't have produce any insulin to transport glucose, so I'll just relax for a while". The body goes, "Wow, my cells are getting a ton of sugar, pretty soon I won't be able to keep up". Eventually, the pancreas begin to fail at producing insulin very much at all.

We absolutely MUST think about our consumption of processed foods, food and beverages containing "enhanced" sugars, and definitely eat and drink in moderation. Quality wins over Quantity hands down, in all areas of life. Eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible daily. Eat grains in moderation. Drink plenty natural fluids and water. Teach your body, to respond naturally to what you ingest, as it was designed to.

Managing Diabetes doesn't have to be very difficult. Most people who have been diagnosed with diabetes, are aware of what's called the A1C. This number is different from the blood sugar number we take daily or in some cases, multiple times daily. This is assessed over a period of time, typically every 2- 3 months. Take the questions asked at your clinic visits for your check ups very seriously. The sooner we are aware of our complete health snapshot, the better we can do at managing our overall health. We all should do a fasting glucose level when we get our annual check ups. Cholesterol isn't the only reason why you cannot eat or drink anything the night before that clinic visit.

Non-compliant or confused???

"Do you understand what we just discussed about your discharge planning and documents/instructions provided"?

Welcome

Welcome to Kettle Talk, a blog addressing health concerns in our communities. As a foreword, I would like to say, always consult your physician regarding your health regimen or if you have any changes in response, effects, moods, and/or symptoms. Definitely consult your physician before making changes to your current treatment plan. NEVER, ever, ever abruptly STOP taking a medication. This can prove to be very dangerous, even deadly depending on the risks associated with your condition!

When taking antibiotics, NEVER share your medication. These prescriptions are written to be taken in its entirety. Infectious agents can and will build a resistance to prescribed drugs, when you do not follow your doctor's/pharmacist's advice. When these agents become resistant, it will become more difficult to fight infection which can develop in your system, for one reason or another.



Temperature does not cause a cold, flu, pneumonia. For the cold or flu, we would have to have exposure to these particular viruses. When the weather changes, depending on how healthy and nourished we are, we can become more susceptible to these viruses when going out in public and touching public items; i.e., handrails, faucets, phones, money, tables, chairs, doors, handles, etc. In addressing pneumoniae, learn exactly what type of pneumonia you have and learn more about the origin. We'll talk more about pneumonia later. Stay healthy. Follow your health regimen. Follow doctors' orders. You're on your way to a healthier YOU.

Always keep yourself well hydrated. Fluids containing high sugar content can be just as dehydrating as sodas, caffeinated beverages, and/or alcohols. In addition, find out about the sugar content in the alcoholic beverages you consume. You will be amazed when you research this information. That's not to say, it's better to drink that beer than to have that can of soda.

These are just a few helpful tips I want to kick things off with. I'll always provide additional tips as we move along in the seasons.

Here's to your health.......(raising my cup of tea)!