Type 2 Diabetes - Why Do Many Diabetics Choose to Ignore Their Disease?

Are you living with or caring for a person with a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis who isn't taking care of themself? If can be worrisome to see someone you care about ignore their disease while their health continues to decline. To best help your family member to start paying attention to their Type 2 diabetes and any complications they may be experiencing, it can be helpful to first understand why Type 2 diabetics may choose to ignore their condition.

It can be very difficult for someone to accept they have diabetes when they're first diagnosed. There are a few different reasons...

• one possibility is the symptoms may be so minor they feel they can deal with them.
• maybe the only symptom at first is getting up at night to urinate more frequently, and it feels easier to live with this inconvenience than deal with changing their lifestyle.
• another option is the possible complications of high and unstable blood sugar, like blindness and limb amputations, are unreal or just too scary to think about.

Denying these complications altogether could be another outcome, and ignoring the disease altogether can just be easier than accepting any complications could actually affect to their body.

Finally, another reason is it could bring up memories of friends or family members who have struggled with this disease. After watching someone else trying to control their blood sugar levels for years, the newly diagnosed diabetic is familiar with the process. And the thought of going through the same process is too scary to face so, it seems simpler to think about the diagnosis sometime in the future.

As you know, it's dangerous for uncontrolled high blood sugar levels to continue to be ignored and untreated. Even if symptoms are minor at first, the extra sugar in the bloodstream is causing damage that may not show up for several years. Besides eye complications and foot problems, high blood sugar causes damage to the cardiovascular system. Almost three-fourths of people with Type 2 diabetes die of a heart attack or stroke. So, it's important to control diabetes to keep blood vessels healthy, even if the damage isn't showing right now.

So how can you help someone to stop ignoring their Type 2 diabetes diagnosis? One idea is to support your family member by making it a total family approach. Make healthy changes for the family to follow together. For example, instead of eating three large meals every day, eat three small meals with healthy snacks between meals. This will help maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, and help with weight loss. Studies reveal even if the weight loss is not significant, perhaps only 5 to 7 percent of body weight, the complications of diabetes - the nerve, artery, heart, and vascular damage - can be reduced.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

The 411 On Cinnamon And Diabetes

Many diabetics have asked the question "does cinnamon help diabetes?" as this seems to be one of the common natural remedies that seems to be floating around. This article seeks to understand the relationship between cinnamon and diabetes and the rationale as to why cinnamon is usually recommended for diabetes.
Cinnamon
Also known as Ceylon cinnamon, Saigon or Chinese cinnamon (also known as Cassia), the parts used for culinary purposes and healing are the inner bark. More than a sweet treat, cinnamon has been used for many centuries to help treat many health conditions and more recently to fight diabetes.
Cinnamon Recommended Uses
1. Infection
Cinnamon helps to fight decay and disease causing bacteria, fungi and viruses. It is also a very powerful antiseptic. This is why it is commonly used in tooth paste, dental floss, applied to minor scrapes and cuts, etc.
2. Digestive issues
Cinnamon helps with digestive issues because it is able to help the body digest ice cream, cakes, cookies and many other high fat sweets and treats.
Some studies have shown that cinnamon is able to break down fat in the digestive system and is endorsed in some parts of the world as an effective natural remedy for bloating, indigestion, flatulence and abdominal distress.
3. Pain
The eugenol that cinnamon contains which is a natural anesthetic oil can help relieve the pain associated with minor cuts and scrapes.
4. Cholesterol
Some research studies found that consuming cinnamon can help lower cholesterol by up to 26 percent which can help lower the risk of heart disease.
Cinnamon and Diabetes
Cinnamon and diabetes have been shown to have a beneficial link because it appears that cinnamon helps to increase insulin sensitivity. One of the causes of diabetes is thought to be insulin resistance which is when inexplicably, the body rejects the insulin produced by the pancreas.

Cinnamon may be able to fight against insulin resistance and thereby help reduce blood sugar (glucose).
To Use Cinnamon for Diabetes
Cinnamon can be easily added to food or a beverage.

• Consider adding ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to your food or drink.
• Make a warm spicy infusion with up to ¾ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon added to boiling water and steeped for up to 20 minutes. You may strain if you desire. Drink this up to 3 times a day.
• For minor cuts and scrapes, sprinkle a little cinnamon on the area.

Precautions with Cinnamon Usage
Cinnamon found in many spice areas of the grocery stores is usually used for diabetes management with no issues. Cassia is the type of cinnamon that is most beneficial for diabetes management and unlike Ceylon cinnamon, Cassia contains a compound known as coumarin which can be toxic to the liver and can interact with blood thinners when taken frequently. So do exercise caution when using this cinnamon and get checked for liver toxicity.
Other recommendations include avoiding this issue by taking cinnamon capsules or using a water based extract which are just as effective but safer than Cassia. A basic water extract you can make is to place cinnamon in a water filter, pour hot water over the cinnamon and serve.
While most powdered cinnamon is nontoxic, cinnamon oil presents problems and when applied to the skin, can result in burning and redness. When ingested, cinnamon oil can cause kidney damage, nausea and vomiting. Avoid cinnamon oil.
If pregnant, exercise caution when using cinnamon outside the normal amounts used in culinary dishes.
Cinnamon And Diabetes, is definitely an area that you should look into if you are trying to manage diabetes naturally. There are certainly many positive testimonials from many diabetics who use cinnamon for diabetes and this is an herb that is easily accessible for most people which makes it a great natural treatment for diabetes.



 

Type 2 Diabetes - Understanding What's On Your Plate Helps Control Diabetes

No matter who you are, what you eat is very important. And as a Type 2 diabetic what you eat directly affects your blood sugar levels and your weight. Controlling what and when you eat is the most important part of your self-management, whether your aim is to lower and control your blood sugar or lose some weight.
You likely hear a lot about carbohydrates, but fat and protein are also important. If you feel a little confused by all the nutrition information you're receiving, here is a brief overview that will help you understand exactly what it is that's on your plate.
Everything we eat can be broken down into three categories...

• macronutrients,
• micronutrients, and
• water.

Macronutrients are components of food that our bodies need in large amounts, while micronutrients are needed in much smaller amounts. The macronutrients are...

• carbohydrate,
• fat, and
• protein.

The micronutrients are...

• vitamins and
• minerals.

Our body needs micronutrients, but in much smaller amounts than the macronutrients.
All three macronutrients - carbohydrates, fat, and protein - have important functions in our body. They are necessary for growth, maintenance, and repair. Each nutrient has a certain number of calories per gram. Carbohydrates and protein both have four calories per gram, while fat has nine calories per gram. There are different ways you can structure your diet to ensure you get enough of each nutrient. For example, you may eat a diet that is...

• 30 percent protein,
• 20 percent fat, and
• 50 percent carbohydrate.

This is less carbohydrate than the typical American diet, so it may be a good choice for Type 2 diabetics who need to limit their intake of carbohydrates.
Alcohol also provides energy to the body - seven calories per gram - but it isn't considered a macronutrient as it is not necessary for our body to function, and it actually has a detrimental effect on growth, repair, and maintenance of the body's tissues. Alcohol is like poison to the body, and our body needs to work hard to get rid of it. If you do drink, drink in moderation, and remember the alcohol you drink will add calories to your daily total intake.
Micronutrients also contribute to growth, repair, and maintenance of your body. They are consumed in small amounts and don't add any calories to food...

• there are 13 essential vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, D, E, K, and all the B vitamins, and
• there are 16 essential minerals, like calcium, fluoride, iron, and potassium.

Eating a healthy diet with lots of...

• fruits,
• vegetables,
• lean meats,
• low-fat dairy products, and
• whole grains

is the best way to get sufficient essential vitamins and minerals. If you're having a hard time taking in certain vitamins or minerals, your doctor or dietitian may recommend a supplement to increase your intake.
And don't forget about water - our body needs lots of it! Water has many roles, like

• lubricating joints and organs,
• regulating our temperature,
• keeping blood volume steady, and
• transporting nutrients throughout your body.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.