DIABETES
Diabetes
is named after the Greek word “Diabainein” which means for “passage through”.
It actually means that nutrients of food (especially sugar / glucose) just pass
through the body with out any utilization accompanied with excessive urination
and voracious thirst. Here as glucose required by body is simply passed in the
urine, tiredness and loss of weight becomes unavoidable. Many people would
think that high intake of sugar causes diabetes. Actually it is not so. It is
because of failure to utilize the sugar with failure in production of insulin
(hormone secreted by beta cells of Islets of langerhan’s in pancreas) or with
the development of insulin resistance in cells. The condition is just like
looking for the water in midst of sea. Here, in spite of having good amount of
water and glucose, more craving for water and sugar occurs due to body need.
Commonly, Diabetes is named as SUGAR against its sweet urine (as it contains
glucose).
Diabetes
is actually a multidimensional disease. It can be treated as a
Ø Glandular
disease (pancreas)
Ø Hereditary
disease
Ø Life
style disorder
Diabetes,
in general refers for Diabetes Mellitus . The other form of Diabetes is
Diabetes insipidus. It is a rare disease where one will have excessive thirst
and excessive urination, but not sweet urine, i.e., glucose will not be there
in urine and also there won’t be any elevation in blood glucose levels.
Insipidus is named after the Latin word tasteless. Diabetes insipidus commonly
occurs due to kidney disorders especially due to lack of Anti-Diuretic Hormone
(ADH – also called as vasopressin – secreted by kidney). Here, kidney cannot
concentrate the urine and the urine will be in excess in much diluted form.
Diabetes Insipidus can also occur due to various prolonged medications (drug
induced). Here most of the symptoms are related with dehydration. Simply, more
amount of water can maintain this condition.
Further,
Diabetes mellitus has two forms
Type I
diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)
Type II
diabetes or Non Insulin Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)
Type I
Diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)
In this
type of Diabetes, the pancreas fails to produce hormone insulin due to which
food is not properly metabolized resulting in high blood sugar level and the
patient need of insulin shots to combat high blood sugar level. This type of
Diabetes also called as Juvenile diabetes is more commonly seen in children. It
may be because of Auto-immune response against Beta cells of Islets of
Langerhans cells in pancreas.
Type II
Diabetes or Non Insulin Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)
In
this type of Diabetes the pancreas produces adequate insulin but here body
craves more and more insulin, since cells fail to make use of it due to
development of insulin resistance. This type of Diabetes is very common and is
commonly seen in elderly people.
Gestational
Diabetes
Diabetes
may also occur temporarily in pregnancy period called as gestational diabetes.
It is just like that of Type II diabetes (NIDDM) troubling mainly because of
hormonal changes. Its incidence is around 5% of pregnant ladies. It most
commonly begins in second trimester of pregnancy and get subsides once the
child is delivered.
Diabetes
is usually called as a silent killer, since most often in initial period, there
won’t be any alarming symptoms at all. Also patients use to get accustomed to
the situation, i.e., with more water and food. So unless otherwise one goes for
screening with lab investigations, one cannot rule out the diabetes. Also, its
symptoms presentation will differ from one another according to heightened
levels of sugar in blood. Any how, common warning symptoms are
·
Voracious thirst and excessive fluid intake (medically termed as
Polydipsia)
·
Increased hunger / appetite (Polyphagia) and craving for sugar
·
Excessive urination and frequent trips to toilet – (Polyuria) – especially
at night
·
Unusual weight loss or obesity
·
Exhaustion / tiredness with tremours
·
Sleeplessness or disturbed sleep
·
Lack of concentration, confused mind, memory loss & irritability
·
Vague pain / cramps
·
Numbness and tingling sensation in extremities or in any parts
·
Burning feet / hands
·
Sweet smelly urine
·
Dryness of skin (with or without itch) and mucous membrane (example –
dryness of mouth)
·
Development of recurrent boils
·
Delay in wound healing / gangrene formation
·
Blurred vision
·
Recurrent urinary tract infection
·
Development of vascular problems – BP, Stroke, Vasculitis, etc
·
Development of foot complaints due to numbness / prone to infection
Symptoms of Diabetes in males
·
Development of cracks in the foreskin of penis due to development of dry
skin
·
Lack of interest in sex
·
Erectile dysfunction and Impotency
·
Early ejaculation
Symptoms
of Diabetes in females
·
Development of cracks in the vagina due to development of dry skin
·
Recurrent cervicitis with white discharges
·
Development of infection with Intra Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)
·
Painful sexual activities
·
Lack of interest in sex
·
Development of Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) due to hormonal imbalance
·
Infertility with ovarian dysfunction
Symptoms
of Diabetes in pregnancy or gestational period –
Sufficient pre-caution and treatment should be taken for this type of diabetes
or otherwise
·
Miscarriages
·
Congenital deformities of foetus
·
Respiratory distress of foetus
·
Intra uterine death or postnatal death of foetus
·
Difficulty in delivering hefty or overweight baby (Macrosomia)
·
Jaundice due to hyperbilirubinaemia can occur. To be in safer side, it is
better to go for Caesarian section to deliver baby in these conditions. Study
shows that these mothers will have tendency to develop diabetes later in their
life.
Symptoms
of Diabetes in children
·
Dullness and Poor concentration
·
Behaviour problems
·
Flabby child
·
Frequent urination
·
Abdomen pain
·
Nausea and Vomiting
·
Changes in vision
·
Delay in wound healing
·
Fast breathing
As
Diabetes, in general can promote infections, boils, ulcers, poor wound healing,
heart attack, stroke, nervous disorders, eye disorders, fungal infections, one
need to take care of health with proper analysis, treatment and hygienic
measures, otherwise complications are inevitable.
Incidence
of diabetes is globally alarming due to stressful life style. High level of
glucose in blood often remains as a source of infection and lay foundation for
many other diseases also. Even though symptoms can give clue to diagnose
diabetes (excessive urination / excessive fluid intake / craving for sugar /
weight loss / obesity / fatigue / tremour / irritability, etc.), confirmation
can be made only after proper testing, since those symptoms can also be a part
and parcel of lot of other diseases too. As persistent high level of sugar
usually damages nerves, kidney, heart, eyes, etc and many patients used to
remain asymptomatic in initial period, routine screening tests / health
checkups are absolutely essential to avoid complications, i.e., it is better to
get checked if one has
·
Crossed the age of 40
·
Family history of diabetes
·
Past history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
·
Any symptoms of diabetes
·
Over weight / drastic weight loss
·
Hypertension and High cholesterol levels
Diabetes
Testing is very simple and can be done very quickly now, i.e., it can be done
within a minute. Also it is no way expensive. Tests can be classified in two
ways i.e., screening tests and diagnostic tests. Diabetes can be assessed with
blood and urine tests. To start with analysis, one can go for urine test (
Semi-quantitative Urine Test / Quantitative 24 hours urine tests) as it is very
simple and can showoff the very high level of blood sugar level and elimination
/ presence of sugar in urine. But it can no way provide confirmation as it is
often treated as one of the screening tests. Further in diabetic patients,
urine should be screened for protein (microalbuminuria) and ketone bodies.
Microalbuminuria in urine indicates diabetic nephropathy and Ketone bodies
indicates fat metabolism and ketoacidosis.
It can be
done by any time, but testing after 2 hours of food intake can
provide clue about the utilization of foods / glucose in our body. Also
collecting of mid-stream urine is important for accurate analysis. Presence of
sugar is analyzed by two methods now, i.e. one by old benedict’s reagents and
another by latest dipsticks. In case of Benedict’s test, if results shows
·
Blue colour – urine sugar is Nil
·
Green colour – + (0.1- 0.5 g/dl)
·
Yellow colour – ++ (0.5- 1.0 g/dl)
·
Orange colour – +++ (1.0- 1.5 g/dl)
·
Brick red colour – ++++ (1.5- 2.0 g/dl)
Blood
test for sugar
Unlike
urine tests, blood test can provide exact sugar concentration of the blood.
High blood sugar (Hyperglycaemia) can be clearly monitored from time to time or
day after the day with series of blood tests. It can also help physician to
adjust the dosage of medicine and to assess the plan of treatment. Blood tests
can be done by collecting blood sample from finger prick or from vein in hand.
Finger
prick test
is very
simple and time saving test. This gives the exact concentration of sugar in
blood by analyzing a single drop of blood with glucometer (here for accurate
readings, one should wipe off the first emerging blood drop since it may
contain tissue fluids). It can be done during fasting / postprandial or in
random period.
Even
though, blood tests can be done by any time, normally it is analysed with
·
Fasting blood sugar (after 8-10 hours fasting) &
·
Postprandial blood sugar (2 hours after taking food)
Other
than these, if necessary, to have standard value, Glucose Tolerance Test – GTT
will also be conducted with series of blood tests with the administration of
75gms of glucose after having fasting blood sugar level. Generally, in random,
the values of
·
70 -120mg/dl can be considered for blood sugar under control or normalcy
·
120 – 180mg/dl – can be considered for borderline diabetes
·
180-300mg/dl need to considered for High blood sugar
·
Over 300mg/dl needs immediate attention as blood sugar is very high
Fasting
sugar test
usually helps to fix the diagnosis. Normally
fasting blood sugar level varies between 70-100 mg/dl. The result of fasting
blood sugar level over 100mg/dl needs to be closely watched as it may be a
borderline or pre-diabetes condition and over 125mg/dl can be taken as
confirmation for presence of Diabetes. Any how, it should be re-confirmed after
one or two days.
Glucose
Tolerance Test
It is
commonly called as GTT. It is commonly done when there is suspicion for
diabetes. This test can help to diagnose the tendency of diabetes or
pre-diabetes condition too. It gives better idea about the utilization of
glucose in our body. It should be done in continuation of fasting blood sugar
test. Here series of blood sample (every half an hourly for 3 hours) will be
collected after administering 75gms of glucose to analyse the blood sugar level
and body utilization.
In these
tests, maintaining high sugar levels after one and half hour needs to be
considered for borderline or pre diabetes condition and persistent rise of
blood sugar level over 200mg/dl even after 2 hours can be confirmed as
Diabetes. For day today management, finger prick test and urine test can
provide valid informations, however for analyzing the history of sugar control
– Glycated Haemoglobin test comes as a new evolution in diabetes testing.
Glycated
haemoglobin test
Glycated
Haemoglobin test is commonly done after fixing the diagnosis of Diabetes. It is
also called as Glycosylated Haemoglobin or HbA1c or Glycohaemoglobin. Unlike
other blood tests which reflect blood sugar level or condition then and there,
Glycated haemoglobin test can provide better idea about mean / average blood
sugar level for the past 2-3 months (around 120 days – supposed to be life
cycle period of Haemoglobin). This test measures the sugar concentration
attached to the haemoglobin (of red blood cells). So in this test one can have
very good idea about sugar control over past 2-3 months. Regarding test results
of this Glycated Haemoglobin test, Normal is supposed to be 6.1mmol/l
(110mg/dl) or of lower value. Over this value, up to 8mmol/l, one can consider
Borderline Diabetes or pre diabetes condition, whereas over 8mmol/l indicates
dangerous high sugar levels of diabetes.
Every
one should aware that, all positive tests are needed to be re-confirmed by
repeat test in a week time since there are various factors which can affect
accuracy of the results. Also, o ne should aware that early treatment / early
control can avoid complications in future. For that, repeated health assessment
/ treatment assessment with lab tests are very essential.
Complications of Diabetes
As a
silent killer, diabetes can run its symptoms silently to end in its
complications. For example – one might not show any symptoms until he / she
develop a heart attack or stroke. So, one need to go for proper analysis and
check ups yearly or with any mild discomfort then and there to tackle any
presumed complications. Also, in diabetic patients, when there arises any
discomfort or tiredness or any alarming symptoms, sufferers should care for
those symptoms immediately and should maintain sugar levels at desirable level
always. In case of improper care or ignorance, development of damages to heart,
kidney, eyes, feet, and skin are inevitable.
Some
complications may be very mild (i.e. just tiredness), some may be very annoying
(for example – burning pain of feet and hands) and some may be life threatening
(for example – coma, heart attack, stroke, etc). Also some complications will
be very acute in nature (for example – Coma, Stroke, etc) and some other may be
very chronic and slow in progress (for example – Diabetic nephropathy / Renal
failure, Diabetic neuropathy, Diabetic Retinopathy, etc). Most often, Diabetic
symptoms gets started with tiredness, urinary tract infections or skin lesions.
In due course it affects heart, kidney, blood vessels, nerves, fertility, etc.
Common
complications in infants / children are
·
Jaundice due to hyperbilirubinaemia
·
Dullness and poor concentration
·
Behaviour problems
·
Flabbiness
·
Vision problems
Common complications
in adults are
In males
·
Development of cracks in the foreskin of penis due to dry skin and painful
sexual activities.
·
Erectile dysfunction and Impotency
In
females
·
Development of cracks in the vagina due to dry skin
·
Recurrent cervicitis with white discharges
·
Painful sexual activities
·
Development of Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) due to hormonal imbalance
·
Infertility with ovarian dysfunction
·
Miscarriages / Intra uterine death or postnatal death of foetus
·
Congenital deformities of foetus
·
Jaundice due to hyperbilirubinaemia
Common
complications in elderly people are
·
Exhaustion / Tremours / profuse sweating / dizziness / fainting
·
Depression
·
Distorts figure with drastic weight loss or obesity
·
Sleeplessness or disturbed sleep
·
Lack of concentration / confused mind / memory loss / irritability
·
Numbness and tingling sensation in extremities (impaired sensations –
sometime there will be loss of sensations)
·
Development of foot complaints due to numbness or loss of sensations
·
Development of recurrent boils
·
Delay in wound healing
·
Vascular problems in extremities / gangrene formation
·
Blurred vision or loss of vision due to retinal problems / Glaucoma /
Cataract /
·
Diabetic coma / Heart attack (Triple vessel disease) / Stroke
Almost
all the complications of diabetes are irreversible unless otherwise cared in
initial period itself. The most horrible of all are
·
Gangrene (leading to amputations)
·
Retinopathy (leading to blindness)
·
Triple vessel disease (leading to heart attack)
·
Nephropathy (leading to renal failure)
To
prevent diabetic complications, one needs to
·
Control sugar level in blood and maintain it in desirable level
·
Should never ignore treatment or medicine
·
Need to work actively
·
Need to take advised / diet food at regular intervals
·
Finally, foot care need to be essentially followed by diabetic patients,
since any damage can curb one’s movement.
Regarding
treatment of diabetic complications, Homeopathy with its symptomatic and
constitutional treatment can treat these complications very well. Some times,
in spite of keeping good readings with proper treatment / medications,
complications can crop up (for example – impotency, burning feet, etc). In
those occasions also, Homeopathy can work well not only to control sugar level
but also to arrest those complications..
Management and Treatment of Diabetes
Now-a-days,
as we advance fast in this fast world with fast foods and tensed life with lack
of sleep and exercise, every one use to get ageing disorders (Musculoskeletal,
hormonal, etc) somewhat early. As a hormonal disorder, Diabetes can also come
early in one’s life (if there is tendency) as a reward for lifestyle changes /
tension culture. The persistent job tension, lack of sleep / exercise, worries,
anxiety, tension-filled life, overeating, fatty diet, fast foods, smoking,
drinking alcohol can often provide a ladder to diabetes to complicate life. So,
certainly it needs modification with life style and food along with treatment
to keep it under control.
Usually,
when high blood sugar is detected in blood / urine, sufferer will get upset and
worry a lot for this incurable condition. Actually, they need not be bothered
at all, since nothing will go wrong unless until they ignore diabetes and its
treatment. Anyhow, one needs to be more cautious, when diabetes joins hands
with hypertension and high cholesterol levels, since they can damage heart and
kidney at a faster rate. So it is better to go for regular yearly checkups
after the age of 40 to detect them early and get treated properly in initial
stage itself. Also sufferers need to aware well about Diabetes and Diabetes
related disorders to maintain body in good health.
Diet and
Management – Undoubtedly, nutrition plays a major role in the treatment of
diabetes – But many people will do mistake here.
To avoid
high glucose level
·
Some may starve by avoiding all the foods
·
Some may intend to skip meals
·
Some may do overeating at one time and compensate with skipping meals other
time
·
Some may go on with excess sour / salty / chilly foods to combat sugar in
blood(???)
·
Some may take medicines in empty stomach and skip meals to lower the sugar
level in good manner(?)
·
Some may do exercise vigorously without food to lower sugar level
·
Some may intend to take overdose of prescribed medicines
Actually
all the above are wrong and will complicate the condition more with giddiness
and tremor due to high variation of blood glucose level. Everyone needs to
aware that too much or too little sugar in blood can cause fainting and coma.
·
Having sugar free or low sugar diet
·
Having regular small meals at regular interval
·
Having fiber rich and protein rich foods
·
Having regular exercise
Further
regarding management, one should
Take
Care for
·
Hypertension
·
Cholesterol levels
·
Vision with regular checkups for cataract and glaucoma
·
Foot and genitals to prevent ulcers
·
Numbness and burning in extremities
with
proper medications from qualified medical professionals.
Avoid
·
Smoking
·
Drinking
·
Fatty foods
·
Obesity
·
Ignoring wounds
·
Bare foot walking (to care foot)
If
everyone follows regular balanced small meals with prescribed medicines and
exercise, surely there won’t be any melting down situation in their life.
Treatment
In
allopathy, Treatment of diabetes usually varies depending upon the type and
intensity of sufferings. Concern of the treatment is to keep the blood glucose
levels under desirable levels. As cure cannot be expected in Diabetes, for good
control medicines will be prescribed for life time. Dosage may need to adjust
at variable time according to attained control and complaints. In case of
·
Type I diabetes, insulin will be provided (as injections) as hormonal
replacement.
·
Type II diabetes, treatment will be provided with anti-diabetic drugs,
i.e., with oral anti-hyperglycaemic drugs.
After
starting treatment no one should discontinue diabetic medications for any
reason. In case of any other complaints, concerned drugs should need to be
added along with these drugs and concerned medical professional need to be
informed about diabetes and its drugs.
Homeopathic Approach
Prevention
is always better than cure – every sufferer should always have this in mind and
should never ignore the treatment to avoid complications. Homeopathy with its
symptomatic and constitutional treatment can treat Diabetes and its
complications very well. When all the hope is given up, Homeopathy can surely
open up a new avenue to comfort one’s life.
In case
of startup period of Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes, Homeopathy with treatment can
delay or prevent the startup for few more years. If you happened to provide
hormone supplement for body requirement in the startup phase itself, it is just
like giving poor man money instead of giving him a job or extracting work from
him. What you gave will be enough for him for that day only. You need to give
him again the next day and in fact life long dependency will be created there
itself. In initial phase, homeopathy can help islets cells of pancreas to revive
function and can help cells to combat insulin resistance.
Some
times, in spite of keeping good readings with proper treatment, food habits and
exercise, complications can crop up (for example – impotency, burning feet,
etc). In those occasions also, Homeopathy can work well, not only to control
sugar level but also to arrest complications. As homeopathic constitutional
treatment strengthens our vital stamina and stimulates natural defense
mechanism to gain resistance, it can able to combat and curb Diabetes and its
complications in a better way.
for new hope
Dr. S. Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)
Laxmi Homeo Clinic
24 E. New Mahalipatti Road
Madurai, TN 625 001
India
Tel: +91-984-319-1011 (Mob /
Whatsapp)
Clinic : +91-452-233-8833 |
E-mail: drcheena@gmail.com
(Disclaimer - The contents of this column are for informational purpose
only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional
healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of
healthcare professional for any health problem or medical condition.)