What is Diabetes ?

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).

Diabetes is a complex group of diseases with a variety of causes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose, also called high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.

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Diabetes is a long-term condition that causes high blood sugar levels.

• In 2013 it was estimated that over 382 million people throughout the world had diabetes (Williams textbook of endocrinology).

• Type 1 Diabetes – the body does not produce insulin. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.

• Type 2 Diabetes – the body does not produce enough insulin for proper function.

iabetes is a disorder of metabolism—the way the body uses digested food for energy. The digestive tract breaks down carbohydrates—sugars and starches found in many foods—into glucose, a form of sugar that enters the bloodstream. With the help of the hormone insulin, cells throughout the body absorb glucose and use it for energy. Diabetes develops when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or is not able to use insulin effectively, or both.

Insulin is made in the pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach. The pancreas contains clusters of cells called islets. Beta cells within the islets make insulin and release it into the blood.

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Causes of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin due to the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease—the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful foreign substances. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. In type 1 diabetes, beta cell destruction may take place over several years, but symptoms of the disease usually develop over a short period of time.

1 Genetic Susceptibility

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Causes of diabetes

1. Genetic Susceptibility

2. Destruction of beta Cells

3. Environmental factors

4. Viruses and infections

5. Infant feeding practices

eredity plays an important part in determining who is likely to develop type 1 diabetes. Genes are passed down from biological parent to child. Genes carry instructions for making proteins that are needed for the body’s cells to function.

2 Autoimmune Destruction of Beta Cells

In type 1 diabetes, white blood cells called T cells attack and destroy beta cells. The process begins well before diabetes symptoms appear and continues after diagnosis. Often, type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed until most beta cells have already been destroyed. At this point, a person needs daily insulin treatment to survive.

3 Environmental Factors

Environmental factors, such as foods, viruses, and toxins, may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, but the exact nature of their role has not been determined.

4 Viruses and infections. A virus cannot cause diabetes on its own, but people are sometimes diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during or after a viral infection, suggesting a link between the two. Also, the onset of type 1 diabetes occurs more frequently during the winter when viral infections are more common. Viruses possibly associated with type 1 diabetes include coxsackievirus B, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, rubella, and mumps.

5 Infant feeding practices. Some studies have suggested that dietary factors may raise or lower the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. For example, breastfed infants and infants receiving vitamin D supplements may have a reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes, while early exposure to cow’s milk and cereal proteins may increase risk. More research is needed to clarify how infant nutrition affects the risk for type 1 diabetes.

 

• Symptoms and Complications of Diabetes

A high blood sugar level can cause several symptoms, including:

• Blurry vision

• Excess thirst

• Fatigue

• Frequent urination

• Hunger

• Weight loss

Because type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood sugar have no symptoms.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop over a short period. People may be very sick by the time they are diagnosed.

After many years, diabetes can lead to other serious problems. These problems are known as diabetes complications, and include:

• Eye problems, including trouble seeing (especially at night), light sensitivity, and blindness

• Sores and infections of the leg or foot, which untreated can lead to amputation of the leg or foot

• Damage to nerves in the body, causing pain, tingling, a loss of feeling, problems digesting food, and erectile dysfunction

• Kidney problems, which can lead to kidney failure

• Weakened immune system, which can lead to more frequent infections

• Increased chance of having a heart attack or stroke

 

 Treatment

• Full body massage: Massage therapy is a widespread intercession involving a range of techniques to manipulate the soft tissues and joints of the body. The purpose of massage therapy is to prevent, develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function or relieve pain1 (Massage Therapy Act, 1991). It is a clinically-oriented health option that achieves undeniable results in the relief of an array of discomforts stemming from stress, muscular overuse and many chronic pain syndromes.

In diabetes the digestive system get feeble get contracted and due to this circulation of blood in body gets impede. Therefore Massage acts as best treatment for this.

Massage should carry out daily till permanent relief.

• Steam bath: Steam bath is very excellent treatment in naturopathy. It not only open all the joints in the body but also calm mind as well as body and thereby relax muscles. Due to this metabolism in the body increases. Steam bath cleanses the skin very deeply thereby eliminate toxins as a result it increase immune system. It removes congestion of upper respiratory system as well as discomforts of asthma, allergies and arthritis.

Therefore steam bath should carry out alternate days to get rid of diabetes for ten to twenty minutes.

• Hipbath bath: The spinal bath is another important form of hydrotherapic treatment. This bath provides a soothing effect to the digestive system and thereby influences the central nervous system. It is given in a specially designed tub with its hip immerse in water so as to provide proper support to the front part. The bath can be administered at cold, neutral and hot temperatures. The water level in the tub should be an inch and a half to two inches and the patient should park in it for three to 10 minutes.

• Spinal bath: The cold spinal bath relieves irritation, fatigue, hypertension and excitement. It is beneficial in almost all nervous disorders such as hysteria, fits, mental disorders, loss of memory and tension.

• The neutral spinal bath is a soothing and sedative treatment, especially for the highly strung and irritable patient. It is the idealtreatment for nerves and muscles  and also relieves tension of the vertebral column. The duration of this bath is 20 to 30 minutes.

• The hot spinal bath, on the other hand, helps to stimulate the nervous, especially when they are in a depressed state. It also relieves vertebral pain in spondylitis and muscular backache. It relieves sciatic pain and gastrointestinal disturbances ofgastric origin.

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