Diabetes

Diabetes is quite a common condition whereby your body is lacking in the hormone insulin. Insulin helps you convert the sugar in your diet into fuel for energy, a lack of it results in you having too much glucose in your blood and your body not knowing what to do with it. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 is when your body does not produce any insulin at all and type 2 is when your body either does just not produce enough insulin or the insulin it does produce doesn't work properly. Type 2 is the more common form of diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes is increased if you are over 40, overweight or if the condition runs in your family. The symptoms There are many symptoms and some people may suffer from all of them or just a few so you really do need a diagnosis from your doctor to determine that you have diabetes and what type you suffer from. Here are the most common, ü You are feeling thirsty all the time ü Weight loss ü Increased need to urinate ü Unexplained tiredness ü Blurry vision ü In women a tendency to thrush or an uncommon but repetitive itch in the pubic area ü Cuts and scrapes taking a long time to heal The treatment People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections and those with type 2 can normally be treated with tablets or injections. There are many different types of monitoring devices available today that allow you to keep an eye on your sugar levels and allow for more freedom for sufferers. Doctors agree though that apart from the treatments above one of the most important factors of living with diabetes is a healthy, specific diet and taking lots of exercise.