The Link Between Diabetes and Depression

Among the earliest signs of diabets problems is a continuous sensation of feeling fatigued and listless. You may find that you easily become fatigued while doing tasks that used to take no effort whatsoever. In the early stages of a disease, in most cases, the body will give subtle hints like this signaling that something may be not quite right with it.

But even if you see your doctor because you suspect something is wrong, it can still be a shock to be told by your doctor that you have diabetes. You may go through a stage of denial and a stage of anger, but eventually you will come to acceptance of the fact that you do have diabetes.

Diabetes has many physical symptoms but it has a possible emotional one as well. Most people upon learning that they have a serious illness will go through one or more initial bouts of depression. But with diabetes, there seems to be some additional psychological and physical connection to depression. And, over the years researchers have documented a strong linkage between diabetes and depression.

There have been many peer group studies that show a person diagnosed with diabetes increases his or her risk of depression by 100 percent. Even taking into account that the psychological stress of learning that someone has diabetes will account for a small amount of the depression, a 100 percent increase is a huge number.

To date, there have been no studies that identify exactly why there should be a link between diabetes and depression, but there are a couple of theories that may provide us with a clue.

One such theory is that those suffering from depression are simply more likely to develop diabetes. According to this theory, there is some common metabolic disposition in the bodies of those with depression that puts them at risk for diabetes and vice versa. But there may also be a direct dietary cause. A depressed person, especially one not taking medication for his depression, is not caring for himself normally. He has more of a tendency to eat poorly, especially eating carbohydrate laden junk foods that have been demonstrated to increase blood sugar levels. A depressed person will also typically exercise less. In combination, these two factors can lead to obesity which, in turn, can lead to him developing type-2 diabetes.

A second theory is that diabetes itself is the spark. Studies have proven that diabetes causes the body's sugar levels to vary wildly. Researchers of depression also know that depression is directly related to the body having poor and erratic blood sugar control. Knowing this connection, it would come as no surprise that a high number of diabetes sufferers could also experience depression.

The crucial matter to keep in mind, however, is that many effective treatments exist for both diabetes and depression. Many doctors observe that when treating depressed patients with psychotherapy and/or medication, that their blood sugar levels are also improved. And, even though, its yet to be proven, it's probably true that successfully treating diabetic patients will simultaneously help with their depression.

Hopefully, understanding that depression is a possible side effect of diabetes will help diabetics to better understand why they're feeling the way they do and encourage them to seek help for their possible depression symptoms as well.

An Early Diabetes Symptom That Is Easy to Miss

Diabetes is not only an epidemic among many American adults, it's also becoming increasingly common and on the rise in teenagers. Diabetes is caused when the body's ability to handle glucose is compromised leaving it unable to properly regulate it's sugar levels. But are there any warning signs indicating that you might have diabetes?

There are many diabetic symtoms including tiredness, a sense of numbness in the limbs such as the feet and hands, blurred eyesight, and slow healing of injuries. But among the first signs is a need for frequent urination accompanied by incessant thirst.

Frequent urination and thirst can be caused by many things, but it is also a symptom of type 2 diabetes. In fact, many times diabetes is first noticed in children when they suddenly begin bedwetting out of the blue. The combination of the need to urinate and thirst create a vicious cycle. Here's how it works.

Diabetes is an excess of sugar in the blood, and when someone's blood sugar level becomes extremely elevated the body needs to get rid of some of it. In a normal person, the body gets rid of excess glucose by eliminating it through the urine. In order to make the urine, however, the body needs water - so it makes the person thirsty.  The thirst causes them to drink more liquids - water, juice, or whatever. Of course, drinking more water increases the need to urinate - which they do, thus eliminating some of the excess glucose from the body. The excessive urination, however, also drains necessary water from the body, leading to dehydration which causes the person to become thirsty again. The cycle then repeats.

A person not suffering from diabetes will not go through this cycle. He will become thirsty, drink water to quench the thirst, and that's the end of it. Many people that have diabetes, however, never notice the cycle as it is gradual. And before too long they perceive their thirst and urination needs as normal.

Some Basic Facts About The Two Most Common Forms Of Diabetes

The starting point when looking at diabetes is to understand that it is a chronic condition which is distinguished by a distorted metabolism and increased blood sugar levels which lead to lower levels of insulin. It is also important to note that the symptoms of diabetes can look very much like those of a host of other conditions and the disease can go undetected for years. Diabetic screenings are very important because early diagnosis and prompt treatment can greatly increase the quality of life for people who are suffering from this disease.

There are 2 main forms of diabetes that those people who are not familiar with the condition normally find it hard to tell apart and these are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of cells within the pancreas which itself is the result of an auto-immune attack. It cannot be prevented and accounts for roughly 10 percent of the cases of diabetes (or more accurately diabetes mellitus) in Europe and North America. This type of diabetes can be seen in children and adults and is sometimes called juvenile diabetes. 

This form of the disease can be very effectively treated by closely monitoring blood glucose levels and adjusting the level of insulin in the body. Both forms of diabetes can require supplementary insulin and diabetic coma or death can result if the body's insulin level falls too quickly.

In addition to administering insulin, type 1 diabetes is best managed by a program of exercise and diet. People with this condition have to be aware of their body glucose level and ensure that insulin is replaced by injection or use of an insulin pump.

Type 2 diabetes is different from the type 1 form of this disease because it occurs because of a resistance to insulin or insulin sensitivity  together with the body's decreased insulin production. This form of diabetes is common in people who are severely overweight, are advanced in age, have a family history of the condition and who do not exercise.

Individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes must use medication because their bodies are unable to make insulin. But, type 2 diabetics have various different choices in terms of controlling their condition. In some cases exercise and diet may be enough to control type 2 diabetes although oral medication and insulin could also be part of a treatment plan. 

There are various treatment options available but the most critical part of the treatment equation is the patient. This is chronic but this does not mean that it is a lost cause and there are plenty of ways to keep the body healthy when you are suffering from diabetes. Indeed, the diabetic himself is the most important factor when it comes to fighting the side effects of this all too common disease.

If you have questions about diabetes then there is no better place to visit than http://diabetes-treatment-and-cure.com where you will find a wealth of diabetes questions

Problems With Low Cost Diabetes Medications

Managing blood sugar levels requires a balanced and planned diet which must be accompanied by the right diabetes medication to contain the disease and not allow it to worsen. Taking regular exercise seriously is highly recommended together with losing weight and eating a moderate and well-balanced diet although there is no getting away from the fact that diabetes medication are most effective in controlling different the types of diabetes and they can be taken orally or injected.

Helps Bring Down Blood Sugar Levels

It is common for a diabetic to have very high blood sugar levels that persists over a period of time, and which warrants taking diabetes medication and performing other activities as well that will help keep the problem in check and prevent it from worsening. When insulin is not available in the required quantities, and when a person suffers type 1 diabetes, then the best course of action is taking diabetes medication in the form of insulin that can be injected in order to bring down blood sugar levels. On the other hand, for those with a type 2 diabetes problem, the answer may lie in low cost diabetes medications taken in the form of pills which will increase blood glucose.

These pills contain different ingredients and there are five classes of such drugs including sulfonylurea, thiazolidinediones, biguanides, melitinindes as well as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that go into the oral medications used to treat diabetes. Each of these diabetes medications work differently and can reduce blood sugar while also enhancing the production of insulin as is required under different diabetic conditions.

However, as part of your diabetes care you should ensure that the drug you are taking is safe to use and it does not do your body any harm as there have been incidences in the past of drugs that have caused hepatitis and disease of the liver. Due to the known problems with these diabetes medications they were subsequently withdrawn from sale.

One such miracle diabetes medication is the drug named Troglitazone whose main function and use was to reduce type 2 diabetes instances and which was also thought to provide relief from complications arising from resistance to insulin and also from diseases of the ovaries. However, this particular diabetes medication was found to have been the cause of serious damage to the liver, and was till some few years back, available in the form of Rezulin and also Romozin. So, if you come across a diabetes medication such as this you will need to be very careful about using it if you do not want to affect your overall health level.

Thus, you need to act only on the advice of your doctor, who in most cases will be sure to have monitored your liver condition to ensure that no damage is being caused due to low cost diabetes medications when you shop for diabetic medical supplies.