DIABETES

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, the process that turns food we eat into energy. Insulin is the most important factor in this process. During digestion food is broken down to create glucose, the main source of fuel for the body. This glucose enters the blood, which allows insulin to enter cells. (Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas, a large gland that lies behind the stomach).

In people with diabetes, two components of this system fails:

     * The pancreas does not produce, or produces too little insulin (Type I), or
     * The body's cells do not respond to insulin that is produced (Type II).

Types of Diabetes

There are two main types of diabetes. In type I, insulin dependent, it is sometimes called juvenile diabetes because it usually comienxa childhood (although it can occur in adults). As the body produces no insulin, people with type I diabetes must inject insulin to live. Less than 10% of those affected by diabetes have type I.

In type II, which occurs in adults, the body does produce insulin but either does not produce enough or can not exploit it produces. Insulin can not escort the glucose into cells. Type II usually occurred mainly in people from forty years of age.
The importance of good diabetes control

This defect of insulin causes the glucose in the blood is concentrated, so that the body is deprived of its primary energy source. Besides the high levels of glucose in the blood can damage blood vessels, kidneys and nerves.

There is no cure for diabetes. Therefore, the method of health care for people affected by this disorganization, is control: maintaining levels of blood glucose as near as possible normal. Good control can greatly assist the prevention of diabetes complications related to heart and circulatory system, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

A good control of sugar levels is possible by the following basic steps: a planned diet, physical activity, take medications correctly, and frequent the level of blood sugar.
How to improve your diabetes control

Through a series of technological advances of recent years is easier to improve control of blood sugar in the blood.

Many people with type I diabetes could improve their control by intensive insulin therapy by multiple daily injections or insulin pumps meiante. The The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Humalog, a new type of rapid-acting insulin should ahyudar to control the rise of sugar that occurs immediately after eating. The most advanced research seeking to develop a small implantable insulin pump to do the injections unnecessarily.

A new pill for treating type II diabetes. The Glucophage (metformin) work by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin. Unlike other íldoras, which tend to cause weight gain, the Glucophage often causes a drop in weight. Some people with type II diabetes who have been taking insulin, they may stop taking it when you add to your program Glcóphago. Precose (acarbose), another novel type of pill, works by blocking the absorption of starch, thereby reducing the sugar surge that occurs immediately after eating.

Continued progress in the manufacture of devices with which patients can measure your blood sugar at home. Increasingly, smaller and faster than older models, and work with smaller blood samples.

One of the best indicators of diabetes control is the glycosylated hemoglobin TEST, which shows your average blood sugar over a period of three months. You can use the results of this test to improve your diabetes control, and thereby reduce the risk of complications from diabetes.

To find out how your diabetes control reduces the risk of complications enter your most recent HbA1c in this section:% and click to see its potential reduction in risk.


The importance of diabetes education

Despite all the advances in the treatment of diabetes, patient education about their own disease remains the main tool for controlling diabetes. People suffering from diabetes, unlike those with many medical problems, can not simply take some pills or insulin in the morning and forget about his condition the day. Any differences in diet, exercise, stress levels, or other factors can affect the level position of sugar in the blood. Therefore, the better conozacan patients the effects of these factors, the better the control that can win on his condition.

It is also necessary that people know what you can do to prevent or reduce the risk of complications of diabetes. For example, estimates that with proper foot care, we could dispense with 75% of all amputations in people with diabetes!

Although diabetes education classes provide useful general infomración in the Diabetes and Hormone Center of the Pacific believe that every patient should receive an education tailored to their specific needs. Our Center provides a comprehensive assessment of each patient's medical condition, their activities and diet. The team that prepared this assessment includes a physician, a tutor of diabetes, and a dietitian. Then develops a treatment plan that meets the physical, emotional, dietary and educational for each person.
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     * Diabetes and sexual performance
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     * Sexual concerns of men with diabetes