Type-2 Diabetes-Symptoms & Management

Diabetes is the fastest growing disease in India. It is expected that more than 100 million people in India may have type-2 diabetes by 2030. These alarming trends are attributed to one or a combination of factors such as bad diet, lack of exercise, rapid urbanization, unhealthy lifestyle to name a few.

What is type-2 Diabetes

Our Pancreas secret a hormone called insulin which helps body cells convert glucose present in the blood into energy. Type-2 diabetes is a condition in which the cells cannot effectively convert blood sugar into energy. This results in increased level of glucose in the blood. Over the period, the cells become resistant to insulin that further increases the amount of blood sugar.

The early you detect it the better! In the early stages there are no clear indications of it, so regular health check-up is the key. Also observing some of the listed symptoms might help you cope with it.

1. Increased urination and subsequently increased thirst-High levels of blood sugar forces kidneys to filter out excessive sugar. This results in more urination and as a result more thirst and dehydration.
2. Constant hunger-As the body is not able to completely breakdown the glucose into energy, the person experiences more hunger. The lack of energy results in fatigue and low stamina.
3. Blurred vision-The person experiences blurred vision due to increased sugar levels in the body. In chronic cases there might be complete loss of eyesight.
4. Slow healing of cuts and wounds-High sugar levels prevent nutrients from energizing cells and make the immune system less efficient. This results in slow soars recovery.
5. Unexplained weight loss-As the cells don’t receive an adequate quantity of glucose, the body starts burning fat and muscles into energy leading to steep weight loss.
6. Nausea-High levels of sugar causes toxic acids to build up in the blood making person feels nauseous.

Diabetes is the fastest growing disease in India. It is expected that more than 100 million people in India may have type-2 diabetes by 2030. These alarming trends are attributed to one or a combination of factors such as bad diet, lack of exercise, rapid urbanization, unhealthy lifestyle to name a few.

Managing type-2 Diabetes

Though there isn’t any permanent cure for Type-2 diabetes, but it can be handled or controlled following some simple ways.

1. Regular Exercise and weight control greatly help in curbing diabetes as the absorption of sugar increases a little more during the mild cardiac activity and a well-managed weight keeps blood pressure in control and lowers bad cholesterol. This helps a diabetic to boost his stamina naturally.
2. Healthy diet in diabetes plays a big role in controlling blood sugar. Inclusion of whole foods with low glycemic index such as whole grain, lean meat, fish etc. as part of daily diet helps a lot. Avoid having processed foods, starchy foods, sweets fruits such as mangoes, pineapple etc. Inclusion of ayurvedic herbs as part of daily intake is an easy and effective way to keep diabetes at bay!
3. Lifestyle changes play an important role in managing type 2 diabetes. Quitting smoking and drinking may greatly help a diabetic improve his deteriorating condition.
4. Stress is another factor that increases blood pressure, blood sugar and chances of cardio disease. Involving oneself in a hobby or meditation and avoiding negative thoughts increase you chances of overcoming type-2 diabetes. So keep yourself jovial and have fun!
5. Last but not the least keep in regular touch with your doctor who educates and motivates you to keep up with your current condition. A sugar monitoring system at home may be a great support to keep an eye on your sugar .It would also work as an auto-guide mechanism to settle your daily routine by suggesting where you went wrong (if the sugar is high) and where you did well (if the sugar is comparatively low).