Diabetics

[Tigist Hab]

I want to know more about diabetics. Is it possible to control
the sugar level with out taking insulin ? If you know
something please give me some information.

Tigist

[Quentin Gr]

This post not CC'd by email On Tue, 29 Oct 2002 11:24:15
+0100, Tigist Habtamu <thabtamu@vub.ac.be> wrote:

> I want to know more about diabetics. Is it possible to
> control the sugar level with out taking insulin ? If you
> know something please give me some information.
>
>Tigist

G'day G'day Tigist,

There is more than one disease referred to as diabetes. Type
one, (T1) is the type where insulin is vital for life, so
vital that this type is called Insulin Dependent Diabetes
Mellitus, IDDM This type can occur at any age but is the
only form that strikes very young people so it is sometimes
referred to by its older name, Early Onset Diabetes.

A second, much more common disease, also known as T2 diabetes,
does not at first require insulin so it is called Non Insulin
Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, NIDDM. In this disease the
pancreas at first makes sufficient insulin but is unable to
use it. This is called insulin resistance. The pancreas works
harder to produce more insulin to overcome the insulin
resistance. If in time the cells producing the insulin die
then even T2s require insulin. Before that happens T2s can
improve their chances of avoiding complications such as
blindness, kidney failure, loss of feeling in feet, heart
attacks and stroke by changes in diet, losing weight, regular
exercise and taking appropriate oral medication.

This summary is very brief. If you have any personal reason to
be asking the questions then it is really important to have a
doctor perform tests to find out if one has diabetes and to
identify the type. One thing that has become apparent is that
some aspects of treatment have to be individualized and this
take professional help. Complications need to be detected
early while remedial measures are still possible.

Best wishes,

--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ / New Zealand, >#,#< [ / \ /\ "... and the
blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin