HEALTH: DIABETES (DIABETICS - BLOOD SUGAR - SYMPTOMS)

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HEALTH - DIABETES (DIABETICS - BLOOD SUGAR) DIABETES SYMPTOMS (INSULIN) DIABETES CURE

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood, or blood sugar. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both. Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is vital to your health because it's the main source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It's your body's main source of fuel.

If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the reasons may differ. Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems.

Normally, blood glucose levels are tightly controlled by insulin. Insulin lowers the blood glucose level. When the blood glucose elevates (for example, after eating food), insulin is released from the pancreas to normalize the glucose level. In patients with diabetes, the absence or insufficient production of insulin causes hyperglycemia. Diabetes is a chronic health condition, meaning that although it can be controlled, it lasts a lifetime.

Over time, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. These types of damage are the result of damage to small vessels, referred to as microvascular disease. Diabetes is also an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), leading to strokes, coronary heart disease, and other large blood vessel diseases.

This is referred to as macrovascular disease.  Diabetes affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States. In addition, an estimated additional 12 million people in the United States have diabetes and don't even know it, (approximately 29 million overall affected).

Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include pre-diabetes — when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes — and gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy.

To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process by which food is broken down and used by the body for energy. Several things happen when food is digested:

• A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body. Glucose is a main source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and other tissues. Glucose comes from two major sources: the food you eat and your liver. During digestion, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Normally, sugar then enters cells with the help of insulin.

• The role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel. The hormone insulin comes from the pancreas, a gland located just behind the stomach. When you eat, your pancreas secretes insulin into your bloodstream. As insulin circulates, it acts like a key by unlocking microscopic doors that allow sugar to enter your cells. Insulin lowers the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. As your blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from your pancreas.

People with diabetes have high blood sugar. This is because:

• Their pancreas does not make enough insulin
• Their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally
• Both of the above

There are three major types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. Many patients are diagnosed when they are older than age 20. In this disease, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed.  Genetics, viruses, and autoimmune problems may play a role. In type 1 diabetes, your immune system — which normally fights harmful bacteria or viruses — attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This leaves you with little or no insulin. Instead of being transported into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.  However, the exact cause is unknown.
  

• Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. It makes up most of diabetes cases. It usually occurs in adulthood, but young people are increasingly being diagnosed with this disease. The pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, often because the body does not respond well to insulin. Many people with type 2 diabetes do not know they have it, although it is a serious health condition. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to increasing obesity and failure to exercise.

• Gestational diabetes - during pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones to sustain your pregnancy. These hormones make your cells more resistant to insulin. As your placenta grows larger in the second and third trimesters, it secretes more of these hormones — making it even harder for insulin to do its job.

  Normally, your pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this resistance. But sometimes your pancreas can't keep up. When this happens, too little glucose gets into your cells and too much stays in your blood. This is gestational diabetes.

Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans.  Over 40 million Americans have pre-diabetes.

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                                                                                                   HOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE FROM DIABETES

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Health: Risk Factors of Diabetes (Diabetic - Blood Sugar)

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes
Although the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, family history may play a role. Your risk of developing type 1 diabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling who has type 1 diabetes. Other factors have been proposed, as well, such as exposure to a viral illness.

Risk factors for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes
Researchers don't fully understand why some people develop pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes and others don't. However, it's clear that certain factors increase the health risk, such as:

• Obesity. The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells become to insulin.

• Lack of exercise. The less active you are, the greater your risk. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin.

• Family history. Your risk increases if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.

• Race. Although it's unclear why, people of certain races — including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans — are at higher risk.

• Age. Your risk increases as you get older, especially after age 45. Often, that's because you tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as you age. But type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.

• Gestational diabetes. If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes later increases. If you gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4 kilograms), you're also at risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Polycystic ovary syndrome. For women, having polycystic ovary syndrome — a common health condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity — increases the risk of diabetes.

Other health conditions associated with diabetes include:

• High blood pressure

• Heart disease

• High blood cholesterol level (bad cholesterol)

• Low blood cholesterol level (good cholesterol)

• High levels of triglycerides, another fat in the blood

• Previous impaired glucose tolerance

• Some ethnic groups (particularly African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic Americans)

When these conditions — high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal blood fats — occur together with obesity, they are associated with resistance to insulin.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes
Any pregnant woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk than are others. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• Age. Women older than age 25 are at increased risk of diabetes.

• Family or personal history. Your health risk increases if you have pre-diabetes — a precursor to type 2 diabetes — or if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You're also at greater health risk if you had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a very large baby or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.

• Weight. Being overweight before pregnancy increases your risk of diabetes.

• Race. For reasons that aren't clear, women who are black, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Health: Symptoms of Diabetes (Diabetic - Blood Sugar)

Diabetes symptoms vary somewhat, depending on what type of diabetes you have. If you have pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes, you may not experience symptoms. Or you might experience some or all of the symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar in a diabetic include the following symptoms:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Extreme hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing sores
• Frequent infections, such as gum or skin infections and vaginal or bladder infections

Although type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, it typically appears during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, can develop at any age and is often preventable.

Tests for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
In June 2009, an international committee composed of experts from the American Diabetes Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the International Diabetes Federation recommended that type 1 and type 2 diabetes testing include the:

• Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates the average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It works by measuring the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The higher a your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you have with sugar attached. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests indicates you have diabetes.

If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain health conditions that can make the A1C test inaccurate — such as if you're pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin (known as a hemoglobin variant) — your doctor may use the following tests to diagnose diabetes:

• Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time. Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) — 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) — or higher suggests diabetes.

• Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level between 70 and 99 mg/dL (3.9 and 5.5 mmol/L) is normal. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you'll be diagnosed with diabetes.

Tests for gestational diabetes
Screening for gestational diabetes is a routine part of prenatal care. Most health care providers recommend a blood test known as a glucose challenge test between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy — or earlier if you're at particularly high risk of gestational diabetes.

You'll begin the glucose challenge test by drinking a syrupy glucose solution. One hour later, you'll have a blood test to measure your blood sugar level. A blood sugar level above 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) usually indicates gestational diabetes, but you'll likely need a second test to confirm the diagnosis.

For the follow-up test, you'll be asked to fast overnight. Then you'll drink another sweet solution — this one containing a higher concentration of glucose — and your blood sugar level will be checked every hour for a period of three hours.

Tests for prediabetes
The American College of Endocrinology suggests prediabetes testing for anyone who has a family history of type 2 diabetes and for those who are obese or have metabolic syndrome. Women with a personal history of gestational diabetes also should be tested.

The primary test to screen for prediabetes is the:

• Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It works by measuring the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached. An A1C level between 6 and 6.5 percent suggests you have prediabetes.

If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain conditions that can make the A1C test inaccurate — such as if you're pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin (known as a hemoglobin variant) — your doctor may use the following tests to diagnose diabetes:

• Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes.

• Oral glucose tolerance test. A blood sample will be taken after you fast for at least eight hours or overnight. Then you'll drink a sugary solution, and your blood sugar level will be measured again after two hours. A blood sugar level less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. A blood sugar level from 140 to 199 mg/dL (7.8 to 11 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. This is sometimes referred to as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). A blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher may indicate diabetes.

Health: Complications of Untreated Diabetes (Diabetic - Blood Sugar)

Diabetes complications vary depending on the type of diabetes that a diabetic may be experiencing.

Complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in a diabetic
Short-term complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes require immediate health care. Left untreated, these conditions can cause seizures and a state of unconsciousness (coma).

• High blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Your blood sugar level can rise for many reasons, including eating too much, being sick or not taking enough glucose-lowering medication.

• Increased ketones in your urine (diabetic ketoacidosis). If your cells are starved for energy, your body may begin to break down fat. This produces potentially toxic acids known as ketones.

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). If your blood sugar level drops below your target range, it's known as low blood sugar. Your blood sugar level can drop for many reasons, including skipping a meal and getting more physical activity than normal. However, low blood sugar is most likely if you take glucose-lowering medications that promote the secretion of insulin or if you're receiving insulin therapy.

Long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually. The earlier you develop diabetes — and the less controlled your blood sugar — the higher the risk of complications. Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening for a diabetic.

• A diabetic is subject to cardiovascular disease. Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis). If you have diabetes, you are twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke.

• A diabetic is subject to nerve damage (neuropathy). Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves, especially in the legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and over a period of months or years gradually spreads upward. Left untreated, you could lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs. Damage to the nerves related to digestion can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. For men, it may lead to problems with erectile dysfunction.

• A diabetic is subject to kidney damage (nephropathy). The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters (glomeruli) that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.

• A diabetic is subject to eye damage. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness in a diabetic.
  

• A diabetic is subject to foot damage. Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections. Severe damage might require toe, foot or even leg amputation.

• A diabetic is subject to skin and mouth conditions. Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial infections, fungal infections and itching. Gum infections also may be a concern, especially if you have a history of poor dental hygiene.

• A diabetic is subject to bone and joint problems. Diabetes may put you at risk of bone and joint problems such as osteoporosis.

Complications of gestational diabetes in a diabetic
Most women who have gestational diabetes deliver healthy babies. However, untreated or uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause health problems for you and your baby.

Complications in your baby can occur as a result of gestational diabetes:

• Excess growth. Extra glucose can cross the placenta, which triggers your baby's pancreas to make extra insulin. This can cause your baby to grow too large (macrosomia). Very large babies are more likely to become wedged in the birth canal, sustain birth injuries or require a C-section birth.

• Low blood sugar. Sometimes babies of mothers with gestational diabetes develop low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) shortly after birth because their own insulin production is high. Prompt feedings and sometimes an intravenous glucose solution can return the baby's blood sugar level to normal.

• Respiratory distress syndrome. If your baby is delivered early, respiratory distress syndrome — a condition that makes breathing difficult — is possible. Babies who have respiratory distress syndrome may need help breathing until their lungs become stronger.

• Jaundice. This yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes may occur if a baby's liver isn't mature enough to break down a substance called bilirubin, which normally forms when the body recycles old or damaged red blood cells. Although jaundice usually isn't a cause for concern, careful monitoring is important.

• Type 2 diabetes later in life. Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.

• Death. Rarely, untreated gestational diabetes results in a baby's death either before or shortly after birth.

Complications in you can also occur as a result of gestational diabetes:

• Preeclampsia. This condition is characterized by high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. Left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious or even life-threatening complications for both mother and baby.

• Subsequent gestational diabetes. Once you've had gestational diabetes in one pregnancy, you're more likely to have it again with the next pregnancy. You're also more likely to develop diabetes — typically type 2 diabetes — as you get older.

Complications of pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes may develop into type 2 diabetes.

Health: Treatment of Diabetes (Diabetic - Blood Sugar)

Depending on what type of diabetes you have, blood sugar monitoring, insulin and oral medications may play a role in your treatment. A pancreas transplant may be an option for select people.

But no matter what type of diabetes you have, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and keeping a healthy weight are all keys to managing your diabetes.

Treatments for all types of diabetes
An important part of managing all types of diabetes includes maintaining a healthy weight through a healthy diet and exercise plan:

• Healthy eating. Contrary to popular perception, there's no diabetes diet. You won't be restricted to boring, bland foods. Instead, you'll need plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains — foods that are high in nutrition and low in fat and calories — and fewer animal products and sweets. In fact, it's the best eating plan for the entire family. Even sugary foods are OK once in a while, as long as they're included in your meal plan.

  Yet understanding what and how much to eat can be a challenge. A registered dietitian can help you create a meal plan that fits your health goals, food preferences and lifestyle. Once you've covered the basics, remember the importance of consistency. To keep your blood sugar on an even keel, try to eat the same amount of food with the same proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at the same time every day.

• Physical activity. Everyone needs regular aerobic exercise, and people who have diabetes are no exception. Exercise lowers your blood sugar level by transporting sugar to your cells, where it's used for energy. Exercise also increases your sensitivity to insulin, which means your body needs less insulin to transport sugar to your cells. Get your doctor's OK to exercise. Then choose activities you enjoy, such as walking, swimming or biking. What's most important is making physical activity part of your daily routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes or more of aerobic exercise most days of the week. If you haven't been active for a while, start slowly and build up gradually.

Treatments for type 1 and type 2 diabetes in a diabetic
Treatment for type 1 and type 2 diabetes primarily involves monitoring of your blood sugar along with insulin, other diabetes medications or both.

• Monitoring your blood sugar as a diabetic. Depending on your treatment plan, you may check and record your blood sugar level several times a week to several times a day. Careful monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar level remains within your target range.

  Even if you eat on a rigid schedule, the amount of sugar in your blood can change unpredictably. With help from your diabetes treatment team, you'll learn how your blood sugar level changes in response to things like food, physical activity, medications, illness, alcohol, stress and — for women — fluctuations in hormone levels.

  In addition to daily blood sugar monitoring, your doctor may recommend regular A1C testing to measure your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Compared with repeated daily blood sugar tests, A1C testing better indicates how well your diabetes treatment plan is working overall. An elevated A1C level may signal the need for a change in your insulin regimen or meal plan. Your target A1C goal may vary depending on your age and various other factors. However, for most people, the American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C of below 7 percent. Ask your doctor what your A1C target is.

• Insulin. A diabetic, who has type 1 diabetes needs insulin therapy to survive. Some people with type 2 diabetes need insulin, as well. Because stomach enzymes interfere with insulin taken by mouth, oral insulin isn't an option for lowering blood sugar. Often, insulin is injected using a fine needle and syringe or an insulin pen — a device that looks like an ink pen, except the cartridge is filled with insulin.

  An insulin pump also may be an option. The pump is a device about the size of a cell phone worn on the outside of your body. A tube connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter that's inserted under the skin of your abdomen. The pump is programmed to dispense specific amounts of insulin automatically. It can be adjusted to deliver more or less insulin depending on meals, activity level and blood sugar level.

  Many types of insulin are available, including rapid-acting insulin, long-acting insulin and intermediate options. Depending on your needs, your doctor may prescribe a mixture of insulin types to use throughout the day and night.

• Oral or other medications. Sometimes other oral or injected medications are prescribed as well for a diabetic. Some diabetes medications stimulate your pancreas to produce and release more insulin. Others inhibit the production and release of glucose from your liver, which means you need less insulin to transport sugar into your cells. Still others block the action of stomach enzymes that break down carbohydrates or make your tissues more sensitive to insulin. Your doctor might prescribe low-dose aspirin therapy to help prevent cardiovascular disease.
• Transplantation. In some diabetic(s) who have type 1 diabetes, a pancreas transplant may be an option. Other types of transplants are being studied as well. With a successful pancreas transplant, you would no longer need insulin therapy. But pancreas transplants aren't always successful — and the procedure poses serious health risks. You'd need a lifetime of potent immune-suppressing drugs to prevent organ rejection. These drugs can have serious side effects, including a high risk of infection, organ injury and cancer. Because the side effects can be more dangerous than the diabetes, pancreas transplants are usually reserved for diabetic(s) whose diabetes can't be controlled or those who have serious health complications.

Treatment for gestational diabetes in a diabetic
Controlling your blood sugar level is essential to keeping your baby healthy and avoiding complications during delivery. In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and exercising, your treatment plan may include monitoring your blood sugar and, in some cases, using insulin.

Your health care provider will also monitor your blood sugar level during labor. If your blood sugar rises, your baby may release high levels of insulin — which can lead to low blood sugar right after birth.

Treatment for prediabetes (blood sugar)
If you have prediabetes, healthy lifestyle choices can help you bring your blood sugar level back to normal or at least keep it from rising toward the levels seen in type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight through exercise and healthy eating can help.

Sometimes medications — such as the oral diabetes drugs metformin (Glucophage) and acarbose (Precose) — also are an option if you're at high risk of diabetes. This includes if your prediabetes is worsening or you have cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease or polycystic ovary syndrome.

In other cases, medications to control cholesterol — statins, in particular — and high blood pressure medications are needed. Your doctor might prescribe low-dose aspirin therapy to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Healthy lifestyle choices remain key, however.

Some people who have moved over to a vegetarian diet are convinced that it has been responsible for curing their diabetes but can this really be the case or is there something else at work here?

Diet is a very important factor when it comes to diabetes but here we are normally talking principally about controlling the level of sugar in the bloodstream and so we are looking at changes to our dietary habits which control our intake of sugar.  So can a vegetarian diet help in this respect?

Vegetarians fall into three categories - vegans, lacto-vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegans eat no animal products, including products derived from animals such as eggs and milk, and their diet is confined solely to plant-based foods.  Lacto-vegetarians add milk and some milk based products to an otherwise plant-based diet, but exclude eggs.  Finally, lacto-ovo-vegetarians add milk, milk based products such as cheese and yogurt and eggs to a plant-based diet.

In all of these cases, because the diet is essentially centered on fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and possibly some dairy products, it is essentially a low cholesterol, low fat, high fiber diet and tends, by its very nature, to reduce sugar intake and so assist with the control of diabetes.

However, in many people who convert to a vegetarian diet there is something else hard at work in combating diabetes.

The substantial rise in diabetes, especially in the West, is due in no small measure to the fact that we are gaining weight at an alarming rate and that obesity has now reached epidemic proportions in many co

untries, with the United States leading the field.  Weight gain is a major risk factor for diabetes and many people are developing the disease for no other reason than the fact that they are gaining weight.

The solution of course, in the first instance and before the problem gets out of hand, is simply to go on a diet, start taking some exercise and lose weight and what could be better for accomplishing this than a low cholesterol, low fat, low sugar, high fiber vegetarian diet.

So, returning to our original question - can I cure my diabetes by becoming a vegetarian?  The simple answer is yes!  But it is not the diet itself which will cure your diabetes, but the fact that it can both help you to control your sugar intake and lose weight which is doing the trick.  To this end it is a change in diet which is the answer and, while this could be to a vegetarian diet, this does not have to be the case.

Can I cure my diabetes?  An overweight America may be fixated on fat and obsessed with carbs, but nutritionists say the real problem is much sweeter, we're a wash in sugar.  Sugar is one of the main factors that contribute to diabetes.  With diabetes growing at an incredible rate there are many different views on treating diabetes.  In 2007 the amount of sugar being consumed grew exponentially.  Did you know that the average American consumes 63 pounds of sugar a year?  The issue is not that we consume sugar, but it is the amount of sugar we consume without even realizing it.  For example a can of soda contains 13 teaspoons of sugar.  People have turned to artificial sweeteners as an alternative to sugar.

Aspartame (NutraSweet) is produced from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine and is 180 times sweeter than sucrose.  If you are currently using aspartame please pay close attention to the following.  Studies have shown that Aspartame, an artificial sweetener commonly put into processed foods and diet soft drinks is a very dangerous chemical.  Also known as NutraSweet, Equal, and Spoonful, wood alcohol (methanol) which coverts to formic acid (formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants), which in turn causes metabolic acidosis when heated above 86F.  The methanol toxicity mimics other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, tinnitus and systemic lupus, especially among Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi Drinkers.

If you are using ASPARTAME and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have aspartame disease!  The Congressional Record states that they make you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT.

The formaldehyde stores in your fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.  The only reason that it continues to be promoted is that the companies that have patented this drug have very deep pockets.  There are companies making literally millions of dollars selling aspartame.  There has been clinical studies that have evidence that aspartame not only causes you to gain fat but it also responsible for a plague of neurological diseases.  If you are still not convinced by what I have mentioned PLEASE do some reading and find out for yourself the implications of using this deadly poison.

In my research I have found that there is one alternative that may be step above all the rest.  This is a natural herb called Stevia.  This herb Stevia is derived from a South American shrub (Stevia rebaudiana).  A good quality leaf is estimated to be 300 times sweeter than cane sugar, or sucrose.  Also known as honey leaf and yerba dulce.  This South American herb Stevia is very low in calories and does not affect diabetics.  It is not absorbed through the digestive tract, and is therefore non-caloric.  This is a huge find for a person with diabetes.  Stevia is not only a natural substitute for sugar but it also carries medicinal properties.  Preliminary evidence suggests that it may lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse diabetes and possess anti-viral properties.

Used throughout most of the world, it has not been approved by the FDA as a food additive due mainly, it would appear, to lobbying by the American sugar corporations.  This is understandable, since mass substitution of sugar by Stevia in processed foods is entirely possible, but would cost the sugar corporations billions.

However, it is available to purchase from health food stores or online websites, and does not appear to possess the problems that aspartame does.  Unlike that sweetener, it can be used in baking and cooking, and is ideal for diabetics and people suffering from yeast infections such as candida. Such infections are aggravated by sugar in the colon, since yeasts love sugar, but they cannot survive on Stevia.  The safety of Stevia has been proven through hundreds of years of popular use without any problems.

Many people ask me well, why have I not heard of this before, the answer although much to vast to cover in this article, attributes many of these natural remedies not being told to the public due to the monetization of big companies that focus on nothing but maximizing profits.

If the mass population remain sick, the money will continue to flow by the billions.  Nevertheless, the question is, can I cure my diabetes by becoming a vegetarian?  The physical body has the capability of healing and repairing itself given the time and the right tools to do so; and that has been proven time and time again.

Health: Lifestyle Changes and Personal Care for a Diabetic (Blood Sugar) 

Diabetes is a serious disease. Following your diabetic treatment plan takes round-the-clock commitment. But your efforts are worthwhile. Careful management of diabetes can reduce your risk of serious — even life-threatening — health complications.

Lifestyle for all diabetes
No matter what type of diabetes you have:

• Make a commitment to managing your diabetes. Learn all you can about diabetes. Make healthy eating and physical activity part of your daily routine. Establish a relationship with a diabetic educator, and ask your diabetic treatment team for help when you need it.

• Take care of your teeth. Diabetes may leave you prone to gum infections. Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. And if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, schedule dental exams at least twice a year. Consult your dentist right away if your gum bleed or look red or swollen.

Lifestyle for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
In addition, if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes:

• Identify yourself as a diabetic. Wear a tag or bracelet that says you are a diabetic. Keep a glucagon kit nearby in case of a low blood sugar emergency — and make sure your friends and loved ones know how to use it.

• Schedule a yearly physical and regular eye exams. Your regular diabetes checkups aren't meant to replace yearly physicals or routine eye exams. During the physical, your doctor will look for any diabetic-related complications, as well as screen for other health problems. Your eye care specialist will check for signs of retinal damage, cataracts and glaucoma.

• Keep your immunizations up-to-date. High blood sugar can weaken your immune system. Get a flu shot every year, and get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years. Your doctor may recommend the pneumonia vaccine or other immunizations as well.

• Pay attention to your feet. Wash your feet daily in lukewarm water. Dry them gently, especially between the toes. Moisturize with lotion, but not between the toes. Check your feet every day for blisters, cuts, sores, redness or swelling. Consult your doctor if you have a sore or other foot problem that doesn't start to heal within a few days.

• Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol. Medication may be needed, too.

• If you smoke or use other types of tobacco, ask your doctor to help you quit. Smoking increases your risk of various diabetic complications, including heart attack, stroke, nerve damage and kidney disease. In fact, smokers who have diabetes are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than are nonsmokers who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop smoking or to stop using other types of tobacco.

• If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly as a diabetic. Alcohol can cause either high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and if you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation and always with a meal. Remember to include the calories from any alcohol you drink in your daily calorie count.

• Take stress seriously as a diabetic. If you're stressed, it's easy to abandon your usual diabetic management routine. The hormones your body may produce in response to prolonged stress may prevent insulin from working properly, which only makes matters worse health wise. To take control, set limits. Prioritize your tasks. Learn relaxation techniques. Get plenty of sleep.

Above all, stay positive. The good habits you adopt today can help you enjoy an active, healthy life with diabetes.

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