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submitted: Jul 16th 2008 | by: JuliaHanf | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 527 | |

Without proper treatment, diabetes can have negative short-term and long-term health effects. With care it is possible to nearly avoid most effects.

Rapid spikes or dips in blood glucose level can result in several unpleasant effects: dizziness, disorientation, muscle weakness, nausea and others. For some diabetics, it's very difficult to prevent this from happening at some time. But there are practices that can improve the odds.

Monitoring is sometimes painful and burdensome, but is an absolute must. Many glucose monitoring devices now reduce or eliminate the need for painful finger pricks.

The newer devices may have a laser which makes a hole in the skin from which to obtain blood; these are painless, producing a gentle tingling sensation. Another monitoring device can measure the glucose level by sending an infrared beam through the skin, drawing no blood.

The intent of monitoring is to keep the glucose-insulin balance near normal. In people without diabetes, the fasting blood glucose level is under 99 mg/dL. Eating a big meal may cause the level to rise to above 200 mg/dL, but normal functioning releases enough insulin to bring the level down within a few hours. So a little variation in the glucose reading is normal; keeping the proper balance is the goal.

Part of a long-term glucose monitoring strategy should encompass regular physician visits with a quarterly A1C test. Several tests exist to measure blood glucose level at a given time. The A1C test provides a picture averaged over a period of months. The name comes from HbA1c, an abbreviation for glycated hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin's role is to carry oxygen from the red blood cells to the tissues. Hemoglobin is glycated when there is extra glucose in the blood. The A1C test can give an average glucose level, because glycated hemoglobin remains.

The effects of diabetes continue over the long-term. In the past, many diabetics would suffer from kidney damage, blindness, nerve damage and ills within a decade or so of the condition's onset. Luckily this need not occur. Modern medical knowledge enables most diabetics to lead nearly normal lives, with few ill effects.

Much of this management is disciplined exercise and diet. Many diabetics can keep their glucose-insulin balance nearly normal through diet and exercise, without medicine.

Because diet and exercise help keep body fat low, the effects of diabetes are minimized. Body fat plays a role in hormone production and release and it also interferes with the body's reaction to glucose levels. Several studies show a definite correlation between the degree of diabetes and the degree of body fat, but the mechanisms for this are unclear.

Proper weight and body fat maintenance will also help keep blood pressure at the right level. Chronic high blood pressure is one of the major elements in increasing the risk of common diabetes problems: heart attack and stroke, eye and nerve damage, and others.

With diligence a diabetic can lead a normal life, one very much like those fortunate enough not to have the condition. A little attention a few times a day can lead to not having to pay too much attention at all.

About the Author

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.

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