Foot Care for Diabetics

By Bill Schuchman

If you have diabetes then you are at increased risk for serious foot complications. Elevated blood sugar levels causes impairment of blood circulation in the legs and feet. To heal an injury requires a higher then normal blood flow to the injured area. This increased blood flow in not always available to those with diabetes.

Without proper blood flow the injury can become infected and that infection can spread up the leg. Non-healing diabetic ulcerations are the major cause of leg, foot and toe amputations. The best preventive measure you can take is to take care of your feet to prevent injury to them. Listed below are guidelines to prevent foot injury and reduce the chances of complications from diabetes.

1. Follow your doctor's instructions and take care of your diabetes. Keep your blood glucose within a good range.
2. Inspect the insides of your shoes daily for foreign objects that could cut or irritate your feet.
3. Don't wear sandals with thongs.
4. Check your feet everyday. Look for cuts, blisters or swelling. If required see you doctor to address anything found.
5. Wash your feet every day in warm water; be sure to dry between your toes.
6. Keep your skin soft by rubbing a thin coat of lotion over the tops and bottoms of your feet but don't put any lotion between the toes.
7. Try to change to a different pair of shoes each day of the week.
8. Gently smooth corns and calluses away or see your doctor to have them removed before they turn into something more serious.
9. Be active every day. Keep moving this will help to keep the blood flowing.
10. Keeps the blood flowing to your feet by elevating your feet when you're sitting? You should also wiggle your toes and move your ankles up and down for several minutes three times each day.
11. Don't smoke.
12. A daily foot massage will help to keep the blood circulating.
13. Don't cross your legs for long periods of time.
14. Protect you feet from the cold and hot.
15. Wear shoes and socks at all times to protect them from injury.
16. Trim your nails straight across.
17. Do not soak your feet in water unless instructed to do so by a doctor. This can cause macerated skin which can break down more easily.
18. Don't wear wet shoes. If your feet get wet in the rain change them as soon as you can and dry your feet.
19. Do not use any medications such as iodine or corn removal products unless instructed to do so by your doctor.
20. Contact your doctor immediately if you have any injury to your foot. Even a minor injury can develop into something more serious if not treated correctly.

These guidelines are essential for all diabetics to follow to prevent foot injury and potential consequences.
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What Is Hyperglycemia Diabetes?

By Alma Apostol

Hyperglycemia means high blood sugar. If you have diabetes, from time to time you will experience this condition. When you ingest carbohydrates such as sugar and starches, it triggers the release of the hormone insulin from the pancreas.
Insulin facilitates the body to turn sugars into energy. Hyperglycemia occurs when your body does not have enough insulin or when the insulin is not properly used by your body. Hyperglycemia is a serious condition. Ketoacidosis (diabetic coma) can occur if hyperglycemia is not treated.
Diabetes hyperglycemia symptoms
When your blood sugar levels rises too high, sugar spills into the urine. Your kidneys must excrete additional water to dilute the sugar. You urinate large volume (polyuria). When you loss water due to frequent urination, you create abnormal thirst (polydipsia).
Other symptoms include: headaches, feeling tired, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision, drowsiness, decreased endurance during exercise, lightheadedness. Rapid breathing with fruity-smelling breath is a sign of ketoacidosis (diabetic coma). Hyperglycemia is also a result from failing to take drugs to control your sugar.
Diabetes hyperglycemia treatment
The main purpose of hyperglycemia treatment is to control the occurrence of the symptoms. Take your prescribed insulin and other medication to keep your blood sugar level within the safe range and take them as directed.
Before making any changes in your medication talk to your doctor. Monitor your blood sugar glucose levels at different times of the day and keep a record of those measurements. Exercise can lower your blood sugar levels but first check your urine for ketones. The presence of ketones will make your blood glucose level higher if you exercise. If you eat a proper diet it can help your blood glucose levels within safe range.
Risks imposed by hyperglycemia
If you have diabetes, you succumb from cardiovascular event rather than the disease because of the stress imposed upon the heart and vascular system by your diabetes. Hyperglycemia can induce damage to the heart and blood vessels. Hyperglycemia diabetes can also impair the activity of nitric oxide that results in endothelial dysfunction such as increased inflammation, impotence, depression, cataracts, glaucoma, and dementia. Prevention of hyperglycemia diabetes
In order to prevent hyperglycemia, you have to manage your diabetes. Take your medication as prescribed. Keep a record of measurements of you blood glucose levels taken at different times of the day, the contents of the meals and the time when you eat the meals, as well as the kind of exercise and how long the exercise took place. The record will show how your body react to the food you eat and the exercise. You and your doctor can then decide a treatment plan that will keep your blood sugar levels within a safe range.
Conclusion
You can control the occurrence of the hyperglycemia diabetes if you take your prescribed insulin and other medication to keep your blood sugar level within the safe range and take them as directed.
(C) copyrights 2007. Alma B. Apostol is an accomplished Health and Wellness Consultant and inspirational writer of fiction and nonfiction. She has 30 years experience as a medical and clinical researcher. She has Co-authored several informative articles published in Scientific Journals. Alma is devoted to finding new technological discovery, latest research work, natural means, alternative to drugs and eventually a cure of diabetes. For more information visit http://www.diabetestomorrow.com/

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About Insulin Resistance

By Guin Van Niekerk

This document has been written in order to provide some basic information about insulin resistance and its associated conditions. Where necessary we have supplemented the information with website addresses, and links to certain articles.
WHAT IS INSULIN RESISTANCE?
Insulin resistance is a condition in which some tissues (like muscles) in your body do not respond to insulin as they should – they are resistant to insulin. This results in an increase in the levels of insulin in your blood, which is responsible for most of the problems associated with insulin resistance (e.g. high blood pressure, cholesterol problems).
WHAT CAUSES INSULIN RESISTANCE?
Two things:
· a genetic predisposition (insulin resistance and the conditions it causes – type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and PCOS – tend to run in families.)
· a less than favourable lifestyle, with loads of starchy food and not enough exercise.
WHY IS INSULIN RESISTANCE IMPORTANT?
Many reasons:
· It is very common – it affects at least one in four people.
- about 50% of people who are significantly overweight have insulin resistance.
- about 50% of people with high blood pressure have insulin resistance.
· It is very dangerous – insulin resistance is the underlying cause of conditions such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
· It makes weight loss almost impossible. The irony of this is that weight loss is one of the few interventions that can significantly improve the outcome of the condition.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT INSULIN RESISTANCE?
1. IDENTIFY those people who are at risk of having the condition. People who are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes fall into this broad category. For a more complete questionnaire, go to www.insulinresistancesite.com/questionnaire.html
2. DIAGNOSE insulin resistance and its associated conditions.
· Insulin resistance is a clinical diagnosis, and cannot be diagnosed with any simple, reliable test. Currently an increased waist:hip ratio is the best predictor of a diagnosis of uncomplicated insulin resistance.
· Insulin resistance causes three conditions:
Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and PCOS. Once any of these is diagnosed, it is possible to definitively diagnose insulin resistance as the underlying cause. The first two are fairly straightforward to diagnose ( see www.insulinresistancesite.com/checklist.html ), but PCOS can be a problem in this respect.
3. TREAT the insulin resistance in a holistic way.
· Conditions such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and PCOS will most likely require medication; and it is always a good idea to know what you are taking and why you are taking it. · Treat the underlying insulin resistance with an appropriate lifestyle intervention program: a low carbohydrate diet and regular exercise work wonders. Medications such as metformin, Actos and Avandia are also very useful – they increase the sensitivity of tissues to insulin, thereby decreasing insulin resistance.
4. SCREEN family members for insulin resistance and its associated conditions.
Insulin resistance is primarily a genetic illness, and good screening with early intervention can prevent or delay the onset of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome – and in this way prolong wellness, and ultimately, life.
Dr Guin Van Niekerk is the author of “Why Fat Sticks: An Introduction to Insulin Resistance”
For more information go to http://www.insulinresistancesite.com/ or join our support group ==>"About Insulin Resistance" at Google groups.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Guin_Van_Niekerk

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