HEALTH TALK ON "DIABETES."

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Diabetes is a problem we all as humans, should be well acquainted about. Many false ideas about the disease are prevalent and as a result mismanagement is too often seen.

WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a disorder in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body's needs. Contrary to what some may have believed, it is not a condition in which the kidney are diseased. The pancreas is a fairly large gland located behind the stomach. When it does not produce enough insulin, all the sugar in the blood is not utilized and thus it begins build up an over-supply which the kidney have to throw off as excess.

Scientifically the blood stream contains 100 to 120 mg of sugar per 100 cc of blood. When insulin is insufficiently produced, this amount may increase to 300 or 400 or even higher. When sugar are not oxidized as they normally should be, fats also are incompletely oxidized. As a result diacetic acid and acetone are produced. These substances absorbed into the blood cause one to go into coma.

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DIAGNOSIS
Usually a diabetic condition can be correctly diagnosed by doing a simple urinalysis. But this does not always revel the presence of the disease. The absence of sugar in the urine is no absolute proof that one does not have diabetes.

The positive test is done by studying the blood sugar level and the way the body handles sugar., because if an examination of blood sugar done under fasting conditions reveals a level of 70 to 120 , one is considered normal.

So a very good screening test is also being done nowadays, which consists in doing a blood-sugar test two hours after administering 100 grammes of carbohydrates. A reading of 150 or less is good evidence that the patient does not have diabetes.

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SYMPTOMS
Some of the symptoms that one should look out for are;

• Large amount of urine.
• Increased thirst.
• Lost of appetite.
• Excessive lost of weight and strength.
• Infections that do not heal.
• Disturbances if vision.
• Numbness, tingling and neuritic pain, especially in the legs.

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TREATMENT
If tests confirm the presence of a diabetic condition, treatment with injections of insulin is indicated. These make up for the deficiency of this protein pancreatic hormones in the body.
The doctor will observe his patients and adjust the dosage so that the body can take care of the sugar eaten. Since insulin is digested if given by the mouth, it must be given by injections.

Note: There are tablets that can be taken by mouth. But it is useful only for mild adult cases.

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MYTH ABOUT DIABETES.
It is a myth to say that diabetes is curable. Diabetes can not be cured. That is, we have no way of causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin.
The treatment above merely controls the condition for the day. For this reason a person taking insulin should plan on taking it as long as he or she lives.

Often a diabetic is told in tones indicating alarm, "if you start taking insulin you have to keep on." Just like the way a HIV patient is been told on ART drugs. True! Because unless you start, your health will degenerate rapidly and your life expectancy will be greatly shortened.

COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES.
One of the earliest complications of diabetes is the change in the retina of the eyes. Minute hemorrhages occur and sometimes result in impairment of vision, or even complete loss of sight.
Also, cataracts may develop. Hardening of the arteries progresses faster than normal and diminishes the circulation in the heart, kidneys, brain and feet. Check also occur in the nerves and frequently result in painful neuritis.

PRECAUTIONS.
Besides making sure that a diabetic diabetes is kept under good control, the patient should be extremely careful not to injure his feet. The patient should endeavor to wear shoes or sandals and be careful not to trim the toe-nails too close or injure the skin while trimming them.

While there are exceptions, most diabetics have decreased resistance to infection. For this reason they should wash all cuts and bruises with soap and water and cover them with sterile bandages. If these are not readily available, freshly laundered white strips of cloth may be used.

Under no circumstances should the patient allow anyone to talk to him or her out of taking his medicine or adhering to his special diet. The individual should take no stock in cures offered by untrained people.

He or she must stay on the programme prescribed by his doctor year in and year out, and report regularly to the doctor for check-ups.

CAUSES OF DIABETES.
The actual cause of diabetes is unknown, but heredity and obesity are the two main factors contributing to it's development in the body.

      **DIET IN DIABETES.** 

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Diabetic patient and non diabetic patient should adopt a diet that will bring him/she to his/her ideal weight and hold him there. It should be a diet that also contains all the essential elements in proper proportion for good health. In many of our homes there is far too much use made of fried food, butter, margarine, sugar and polished rice. The use of fats should be definitely restricted, as should also the use of sugar, and this includes honey.

Saturated fats are now known to contribute to hardening of the arteries and since diabetes also contributes to the same, it is doubly Important that they should not be used by a diabetic patient. Saturated fats come from animal sources and unsaturated fats from vegetable source. Even the latter should be used cautiously, for they may also contribute to increase of weight. It is customary in some places to serve very sweet drinks. Some even mix sugar with milk. This is a bad combination and should be avoided.

The amount of protein needed in the body was once estimated to be about 120 grammes a day, but now half of that quantity is considered adequate. Recent investigations have shown that it is very possible to get adequate protein, if a variety of vegetarian foods is eaten. Such a diet, supplemented with milk, assures one of good nutrition. It provides the further advantage of eliminating or greatly reducing the intake of animal fat.
A recent study of vegetarians in California revealed that they suffered less coronary disease than non-vegetarians, and heart attacks among them., if any occurred on an average of 15 years later in life. For those who choose such a diet, dietician suggest vegetarian foods that are high in protein. Such foods fall into three groups;

1. Those high in fats.
2. Those high in carbohydrates.
3. Those high in neither.

Also canned fruits or fresh fruits makes a good dessert for diabetic individuals. The canned fruits should be the kind put up without sugar, and if sweetening is necessary one can use sucaryl (Abbott). Unfortunately most desserts are high in fats and carbohydrates, so one must be careful about them. It is good for you to get away from desiring very sweet foods and juices.

And sugar should never be added to milk even for the non-diabetic.

It is important we should educate ourselves, to know the amount of food we can take and then test periodically to see if we are "spilling" sugar.

**THE ROLE PROPER SELECTION OF FOOD PLAYS. **
Protein is our body building food. It is found in varying amount in many articles of diet. Meat, milk, cruds, cheese, eggs, nuts, grams, beans, peas and whole grains are the most common sources. The daily requirement for an average individual is about one grammes per kilogramme of the body weight.

Carbohydrates are sugar and starches. They are abundant in foods such as bread, cereals, bananas and other fruits, potatoes and other tubers and some vegetables. They should constitute about 40% of our food intake. It is from them we get our energy.

Fats make up the balance of our food. They are found abundantly in meat, fish, eggs, nuts, butter, margarine, cooking fats and oils. This food is used for insulating the body and rounding it out. Fats also produces heat and energy. It is the main form in which food is stored in the body. Fats can be changed to carbohydrates and carbohydrates to fats. This is the reason we gain weight do easily by eating an abundance of either.

SIMPLE RULES TO ENABLE A DIABETIC PATIENT TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH FOOD HE/SHE SHOULD EAT AND WHAT KIND.

1. First and foremost maintain the body weight as near the idea as possible. In calculating the amount one should eat, the patient should consult a weight chart and find what his ideal weight should be. If the chart gives the weight in pounds, change it to kilogrammes, which can be done, roughly speaking, by dividing by two.

2.Plan your basic diet by figuring 25 calories per kilogrammes of the body weight daily. Those doing hard physical labour should add 50 to 75% more for adequate nourishment. Those wishing to reduce should subtract a little.

3.Provide one grammes of protein per kg of body weight daily. Each grammes of protein gives 4 calories.

4.Calculate the amount of carbohydrate needed on the basis of 40% of the total calories for the day. Each grammes of carbohydrates gives 4 calories.

5.Make up the balance of the daily requirement of calories in fats, remembering that each grammes of fat gives 9 calories.

6.Note that for purpose of calculation, one ounce equal 30 grammes.

Stay Healthy.
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