What is Diabetes

What is diabetes?  This is a question that does not have a simple answer.  Diabetes for some is a nightmarish misery that involves being constantly poked and prodded with needles and having to adhere to a strict diet in order to maintain a proper blood sugar level. For others diabetes is just another difficulty that needs to be managed.  Of course, the real answer to the question what is diabetes is actually quite simple.  Diabetes is a disorder where the body does not produce enough insulin within the pancreas.  When there is not enough insulin the body food that has been converted into glucose during the digestive process is not getting to the cells that require the glucose for energy and other nutritional requirements.  Many people do not understand diabetes or the implications of having it.  The first step to fighting diabetes is knowledge.  Knowledge of what a proper diabetic diet is, knowledge of how to maintain the proper blood sugar level and of course knowledge to answer the question “what is diabetes?”

While most people are asking what is diabetes, a better question would be how can diabetes be treated?  Treatments depend on the type of diabetes that one suffers from.  What is not known is that there are three forms of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes (no insulin is produced), Type 2 Diabetes (not enough insulin is produced or a person’s insulin is not working properly), and Gestational Diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy only).  Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes last a lifetime however is manageable.  The person receives regular amounts of insulin in order to maintain a proper blood sugar level.  For Type 1 Diabetes the insulin is injected while those with Type 2 Diabetes usually receive tablets of insulin instead of injections.  Of course, it helps to also know what the symptoms of diabetes are in order to begin a proper treatment.

Diabetes is one of those illnesses that can sneak up on people.  Diabetes is one of those diseases where the symptoms can tie together.  The symptoms are frequent urination, excessive thirst, intense hunger, weight gain, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability, blurred vision, cuts and bruises that don’t heal naturally, excessive skin, and yeast infections, itchy skin, red or swollen teeth, frequent gum disease, sexual dysfunction among men, and numbing or tingling in hands and feet.  The excessive thirst ties in with the frequent urination (the body’s attempt to replenish lost liquid), weight gain ties in with intense hunger (the more a person eats the more weight they gain).  The irritability can be attributed to fatigue and sluggishness caused by weight gain.  The symptoms can create a road map to identifying the disease.

While diabetes can be difficult to manage, it is possible.  Many people go on to lead productive lives while continuing to battle the disease.  The key to making diabetes manageable is maintaining a proper level of blood sugar, steady diet and exercise.  So while many are still trying to answer the question what is diabetes?  The answer is something that needs to be found quickly.