World Diabetes Day (14 November) reminds us of the the growing problem of this largely preventable and very serious disease.
There are two types of diabetes, which differ in their cause but not their effects. Both are caused by an excess of blood glucose caused by a shortage of insulin, the chemical which controls levels of glucose in the blood. Glucose, essential for energy for the brain and important for energy for the body, causes damage to the body if uncontrolled or inadequately controlled, resulting in health problems such as vision loss, kidney disease, sexual problems, skin conditions, heart and blood vessel problems, infections, problems with the gums, mouth and teeth, and loss of circulation and nerve damage leading to loss of limbs.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body’s immune system destroying the pancreas, the organ which makes insulin, and requires insulin to be injected since the body can no longer make its own.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by slow production of insulin or the body developing insulin resistance, which in turn is mainly caused by weight gain and can be treated with weight loss. If it goes untreated, it becomes more serious and eventually may require insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the more common form and is becoming more common as western lifestyles (high sugar intake, high calorie intake, low physical activity) spread.
The Indian medical sage Sushruta was not only aware of the disease in the sixth century BCE, but identified it with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle and recommended exercise as a treatment. Proof if proof were needed that knowledge is one thing, acting on it is quite another.
If you are overweight and not physically active, you could be at risk of developing diabetes. Check your country’s diabetes organization for further information – Diabetes New Zealand, for example, has a very fine and informative website – and consult your doctor.
My Healthy Lifestyle hypnotherapy tracks Positive Eating and Eager to Exercise are designed for people who want to change their eating and exercising behaviours by changing their thoughts and feelings. If you need to make those shifts because you are living with or at risk of diabetes, check them out.
Technorati Tags: diabetes, health, diet, exercise
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