Diabetes type 1 & 2
Diabetes is characterised by high blood sugar. When chronic, high levels can cause damage to your body’s organs and systems.
Diabetics manage this condition by taking insulin – the hormone that synthesises blood sugars. People with diabetes have difficulty making insulin, or in using the insulin they produce.
Pancreatic beta cells help create insulin. In diabetes 1, the immune system attacks beta cells, preventing the pancreas from creating enough insulin for the body.
In diabetes 2, the body is resistant to insulin. This is due to eating lots of sugary and fatty foods over time. The pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, but eventually, cells stop responding to this insulin.
Timing medication is important for those with diabetes, as low blood sugar levels can be as harmful as high levels.
Diabetes can make you very thirsty and make you wee more than normal.
It can also make you feel tired, and make your weight fluctuate.
Another symptom is slow wound healing which can cause further problems, particularly when it comes to foot health.
Diabetes reduces blood flow, especially to feet, reducing sensation. This combination of symptoms can lead to ulcers and infection as unhealed wounds may go unnoticed.
Diabetes can also affect your vision, causing blurry eyesight. High and low levels of blood sugar can cause diabetics to go into a coma. Other complications include heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, hearing and vision loss.
The emotional stress of diabetes can lead to mental health conditions like depression or anxiety.
Diabetes 1 and 2 have different causes. In both conditions there is an inherited factor, but it’s your environment that triggers the onset.
Though diabetes has a genetic factor, it’s uncommon for those with diabetes to have a familial history of it. 90% of people with type 1 diabetes have no familial links.
The key triggers of diabetes 1 are viruses, your gut microbiome and diet. Exposure to pollutants, hygiene, maternal age, vaccines and stress have also been theorised as potential triggers.
Being overweight, not exercising, poor diet and age are major factors for developing type 2 diabetes.
If you had diabetes during pregnancy, you’re more likely to develop the condition.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors which can increase your likelihood of developing diabetes.
Our naturopaths can test for metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes (the condition that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes) and insulin resistance.
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