Diabetes

"Diabetes" is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease." American Diabetes Association

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Excerpt from article by Pamela Eliowitz as published in April 2009

CLOGGED PIPES?
Arterial Disease: Its Causes and Consequences!

by Pamela Eliowitz, RN, Acute Dialysis, UCSD

DIABETES is a major contributor in arterial disease, especially when it is not well controlled. It is defined as the inability of the pancreas to release enough of the hormone insulin to reduce the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. Insulin is actually produced by Islet cells within the pancreas. Its function is to move blood sugar into the cells to nourish them. If insulin is not available, the blood becomes stickier and the cells become deprived of nourishment. They start to break down. This causes chemicals to be released in response to this irritating substance which then causes further blockages in the smaller circulatory areas. Plaque buildup on the lining of the artery walls is the result of the inflammation process that this chemical reaction and malnutrition causes. The integrity of the lining diminishes over time. This is called an endothelium (arterial lining) injury. When there is an injury to the arterial lining, repair work must begin in order to keep the person from bleeding to death.

The immune system sends out repair molecules and cells, such as the red blood cells, white blood cells, fibrin, lipids (fats), amino acids, inflammatory chemicals, bone building substances to patch up and reinforce the lining of the arterial walls. Constant injury becomes harder and harder to repair.

Additionally, if blood sugar becomes too high, a person can go into a diabetic coma. These are just some of the reasons why it is important that a person with diabetes learns as much as they can about the disease process, and how to keep it well controlled.

Blood Sugar Levels
Low Blood Sugar	< 60
Well-Controlled Blood Sugar	61 to 110
High Blood Sugar	> 110

Source: www.ama-assn.org