Some useful tips for parents/teachers:

Meals should be as close as possible the same time every day with three main meals and light snacks in between and at bed time.

Children should prefer homemade food or choose only healthy and well balanced food from the school canteen like sprouts, mix-vegetable sandwich, poha, fruit chaat etc.,

Encourage children to take part in sports or exercise as it will help control blood sugar, provided they take extra precautions like checking blood glucose value using glucometer or having a snack before exercising to prevent low blood sugar.

Teachers should ensure the child eats meals and snacks on time in classrooms or during examination. Involve friends and teachers to recognize any emergency symptoms and contact parents immediately.

Children should carry an ID card mentioning they have diabetes and contact number of their parents and doctor.

Hypoglycemia is a condition in which blood sugar becomes too low, resulting in headache, weakness, sweating, odd behaviour and confusion. If a child experiences any of these symptoms, check blood glucose using glucometer. If sugar value is low, give any of the following: 2-3 teaspoon glucose or sugar, or 2-4 pieces of candy, half a glass of cold drink or fruit juice.

During illness, blood glucose levels should be checked frequently. Insulin administration should be continued in consultation with the doctor and avoid prolonged fasting. If not able to take solid food, have fluids like buttermilk and coconut water.

While traveling long distance, keep insulin syringes/insulin pen with ice packs and glucometer, and some glucose biscuits or candies in case of any episode of low blood glucose.

Factors responsible for diabetic retinopathy:

Duration of diabetes is the most important factor. About half of diabetics develop diabetic retinopathy after 10 years. After 20 years, almost all diabetics may develop diabetic retinopathy. Duration of diabetes is important for development of diabetic retinopathy, not the severity.

Incidence is more in females as compared to males.

Severity of diabetic retinopathy is not related to levels of blood sugar.

It is transmitted as a recessive trait without sex linkage.

Prevention:

An eye specialist can diagnose diabetic retinopathy with the help of fundus examination of eye.

For every diabetic whether he or she has no diabetic retinopathy. Yearly follow-up of vision and fundus is must.

Control your blood sugar. There is increasing evidence to suggest that good initial control of diabetes delays the development of diabetic retinopathy.

Control of hypertension is essential in all diabetic patients to prevent detrimental effects to retinal circulation.

Anaemia should also be treated as it’s presence may worsen diabetic retinopathy. So take diet rich in iron like green leafy vegetables and other iron supplements.

Avoid fatty diet.

Aspirin and dipyridamole decrease platelet stickiness and may have beneficial effects but use after consulting a doctor.

Exercise at least thrice a week. Do brisk walking.

Avoid smoking and alcohol as they are harmful for a diabetic person.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in which there is resistance to the action of insulin and later on decreased insulin release from the pancreas. The most common cause of insulin resistance is obesity. Therefore diabetes management is incomplete without weight management. Interventions to be taken by the people.

Setting the goals

The goals should be reasonable, achievable and practical. Weight loss of at lest 2-3 kg per month is desirable in most of the obese individuals. And remember it is not absolute weight loss but a decrease in waist circumference and Body Mass Index which are more important.

Motivation

Some individual are not able to lose weight despite sincere efforts for initial few months. Therefore continuous motivation from family members and friends is important.

Dietary therapy

A low calorie diet – with a deficit of 500 to1000 calories/day depending on the initial body weight – is recommended. The dietary counseling should be done by a dietician trained in Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). Crash dieting or internet- based diet plans should be avoided as this might lead to deficiency of certain essential for the body.

Physical activity

30-45 minutes of brisk walk per day for at least five days a week is recommended. For busy executives it is to better to indulge in lifestyle modification like taking stairs instead of lift. Also one may park the car away from the office and walk to the destination. If one has a sitting job getting up every half an hour from desk to reach for water, etc.will be useful.

Behaviour modifications

This is a useful adjunct when incorporated into treatment for weight loss and weight maintenance. Avoid watching television or reading books while eating food, eat a fruit or salad before going to a party, snack on vegetables and fruits if you must.

Weight loss surgery is an option for carefully selected patients with clinically morbid obesity and when conservative methods of weight loss have failed and the patient is at high risk for obesity – associated illness or death.

1. Heart and coronary blood vessel disease. Increased risk of cardiovascular problems, including:

i. Coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina)

ii. High blood pressure

iii. Heart attack

iv. Narrowing of the arteries

v. Heart failure

2. Brain and cerebral blood vessel disease. Increased risk of strokes due to narrowing, blocking or hardening of the blood vessels that go to brain.

3. Nerve damage injury to wall of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves in every organ system.

Peripheral neuropathy: Pain or loss of felling in toes, feet, legs, hands and arms.

Autonomic neuropathy: Changes in digestion, bowel and bladder function, sexual response, sweating, BP, function of lungs and eyes.

Proximal neuropathy: Pain in thighs, hips or butts and weakness in legs.

Focal neuropathy: Affects any nerve in the body, results in sudden muscle weakness.

Kidney damage: Damage to the delicate filtering system of the kidneys that contain tiny blood vessel clusters, leading to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or transplant.

Eye damage: Damage to the blood vessels of the retina, potentially leading to blindness. Increases the risk of cataracts and glaucoma.

Foot damage: Nerve damage and poor blood flow to the feet, increasing the risk of infection, delayed healing of cuts.

Skin: Increased risk of bacterial and fungal infections.

Oral complications: Gum infection, ulcer and dry mouth.

Complication in sexual function:

Males:
Erectile dysfunction

Retrograde ejaculation

Females:

Decreased vaginal lubrication causing vaginal dryness

Uncomfortable or painful sexual intercourse.

Decreased or absent sexual desire and response.

Osteoporosis. Increased risk due to lower than normal bone mineral density.

Increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

There are 3 main types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by loss of insulin production by pancreatic cells. The prime cause behind this inefficiency of the body to produce insulin is still not clearly known. Diabetes type 1 generally onsets in childhood. However it can attack the person at any age that ranges from few months to adult age.

The diabetic body rejects the insulin producing cells by forming antibodies against them. The symptoms of this type of diabetes are
• Excessive urination
• Sudden weight loss
• Dehydration

This type of diabetes accounts for around 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by increased level of glucose or sugar in blood. This form of diabetes is the outcome of insufficient amount of insulin and the ineffectiveness of the provided insulin for maintaining the level of sugar in blood within normal range. Type 2 diabetes is caused by the obesity, unhealthy lifestyle, alcohol abuse and lack of exercise.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

As implied, this type of diabetes is usually diagnosed with pregnant women and their babies. This can be caused by several factors like genetic traits and again, obesity. And since this is developed during the course of pregnancy, use of prescribed medication is often avoided to keep the child inside the womb healthy. Most of the time, the mother is only asked by the doctor to again watch her diet throughout and after the pregnancy.

Diabetes Symptoms

1. Tiredness and fatigue
2. Dry and itchy skin
3. Excessive and unquenchable thirst
4. Excessive hunger specially soon after eating
5. Vomiting and nausea
6. Unusual weight loss without even trying for it
7. Excessive urination, one has to visit restroom after each hour
8. Slow healing wounds and cuts
9. Recurrent infections
10. Itches in groin or vaginal area
11. Blurriness in vision
12. Recurrent vaginal infection especially yeast infection

Natural Cures for Diabetes

Adopting natural cures Diabetes can be brought under control occasionally demanding medical intervention. Researches have revealed that the natural cures are more effective in curing Type 2 Diabetes than the Type 1.

1. Butter-beans..You need a good fibre intake, such as beans and lentils, Brown rice, coarse wheat flour, leafy vegetables are rich in fiber and so they must occupy the major part in the daily food

2. Food rich in carbohydrates and fats must be totally avoided.

3. Turkey…High in protein, hailed as a super food, it is super-sustaining and low fat-especially in the saturated fat that raises cholesterol.

4. Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and anti oxidants. These help in improving the body immunity system. But fruits with high carbohydrate content may be avoided.

5. Low-Salt Peanut Butter…A study found that women who frequently eat nut products had more healthy levels of blood fats which diabetics need to keep under control.

6. Cinnamon…Research suggests that cinnamon helps control blood sugar by decreasing the insulin required. Another study showed that it can reduce diabetics’ heart disease risk.

7. Taking bitter melon juice twice a day in empty stomach reduces blood sugar levels, as these are high sources of insulin.

8. Bran Flakes With No-Added Sugar..Great for weight loss, high in fibre, very filling and low-GI too, highly recommended.

9. Studies have revealed that garlic and onion when eaten raw reduced the blood sugar levels.

10. Pure Fruit Spread…Lower in sugar than jam, and high in antioxidant-rich fruits. This will protect the artery walls and lower heart risk.

11. Extract of Banaba herbs and plants help a lot in beating the war of Diabetes. Popularly known as the plant insulin it is a good natural cure of the disease.

12. Halibut..White fish is high in magnesium, so up your intake of it. Studies have shown that low magnesium levels in your body will increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

13. Cold Cooked Potatoes…Yes, they actually contain a substance called resistant starch. Not only does this have the GI-lowering effects of fibre, but also increases the body’s response to insulin.

14. Tea…Yes, our faithful cuppa contains theaflavins and thearubigins, which mimic the action of insulin, helping to control blood sugar.