diabetes
Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy is Manageable But Still a Cause for Concern
You find out you’re pregnant. It’s the greatest day of your life. You and your husband have been trying for years and finally you are going to be able to continue your family. If at around 28 weeks into your pregnancy your OB/GYN tells you have gestational diabetes, it can nearly crush your spirit. Your doctor goes over the causes and tells you how your gestational diabetes is going to be managed. You might leave the doctor’s office realizing you didn’t hear anything your doctor said.
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that presents itself during pregnancy. Having this form of diabetes doesn’t mean that the mother had diabetes before her pregnancy or that she’ll have it after giving birth to her child. The mother’s high blood sugar or glucose levels during pregnancy alerts her doctor to gestational diabetes. Of all the women pregnant, only about 4% of them have this diabetes. There are roughly 135,000 causes in the United States every year.
Research hasn’t been able to conclude what causes gestational diabetes. Many believe the placenta that helps babies grow could be the problem. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop correctly, but it also blocks the mother’s insulin, causing insulin resistance to occur. Insulin is extremely important in the body. It helps convert the glucose in the blood to energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood, causing hypoglycemia.
Without treating the gestational diabetes or doing so correctly, both the mother and her child are at risk. When a mother has gestational diabetes, her pancreas works hard to form insulin to lower her glucose level that it cannot do on its own. The child is affected because it shares the nutrients from its mother. If the mother has large amounts of glucose in her blood, her child will absorb the glucose. The child will have more glucose than it needs to burn, leading to its body storing it as fat, or macrosomia. Infants with macrosomia face many problems, including damaging their shoulders during birth, having low blood glucose levels, having a higher risk of breathing problems, and being at risk for obesity and Type 2 diabetes later in life.
A new study from the research and evaluation department at Kaiser Permanente Southern California found that women who had gestational diabetes in their first and second births are more likely to continue having it in other pregnancies. The researchers looked over more than 65,000 women’s medical histories. They found having gestational diabetes in the first couple of births increased the risk substantially in later births. These women were 26 times more likely to develop gestational diabetes in their third pregnancy than mothers who didn’t have the diabetes while they were pregnant. If a mother had gestational diabetes in their first birth but not their second, the risk lowered to six percent for their third birth. Gestational diabetes increases the need for c-section deliveries, increases the risk for an early delivery, and increases the risk of the mother developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. The study was published on the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology website in July, 2010.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_100943.html
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/how-to-treat-gestational.html
The Connection Between Anemia and Diabetes
There is a connection between anemia and diabetes that is important to learn about. Almost 21 million people in the USA have diabetes. A large percentage of them also have anemia. Such a blood disorder can drain the body of energy and it can also make it hard to get out and exercise. Anyone that has diabetes has to exercise often in order to ensure they lose weight and that they have good circulation. Being overweight can cause serious health problems for anyone with diabetes.
It is estimated that approximately one quarter of all diabetes patients have serious complications due to anemia. Yet many of them don’t even know that they have the problem. While many doctors do check for it, not all of them do so. Be an advocate and ask for such a test to be conducted. All you will have to do is give some blood that is then taken to the lab for analysis.
The kidneys as well as your nerves can be seriously affected when you have anemia and diabetes. If your kidneys don’t function like they should, there could be waste in your body that won’t be successfully filtered out. When this occurs, toxins can get into your bloodstream and adversely impact your health. Nerve damage can occur as well, which makes circulation inadequate to your extremities. Both of these scenarios are very serious so you want to do all you can to prevent them from occurring.
The connection between anemia and diabetes has helped many medical professionals to carefully select medications they offer to patients. They don’t want to give them anything for diabetes or other health problems that could cause them to suffer from anemia down the road. Proper nutrition is also very important when you have diabetes so that you don’t develop problems with anemia. By eating foods that are full of vitamins and nutrients, anemia problems are less likely to come about.
If you seem to get tired out too quickly, then you may have anemia. If you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, you should automatically be tested for anemia as well. It doesn’t hurt to ask questions to make sure you have been tested for anemia so that you can be doing what is best for your long term health.
The connection between anemia and diabetes is high so you need to be well aware your own health picture. Should you be anemic, you do need to realize it could increase your risk of diabetes developing. Make sure you do all you can to keep the anemia under control so it doesn’t escalate. You also want to make sure that if you have diabetes, then your doctor should be aware of it and be taking measures to get control over the problem. Make sure your blood is checked too because if you are anemic it could be harder for you to follow such orders.
http://www.anemia.org/patients/feature-articles/content.php?contentid=000367§ionid=00015
The Link Between Anxiety Disorders and Heart Disease
Anxiety disorders affect more people than most of us think. In society, though, anxiety disorders are commonly misunderstood. As a result, many people try to hide them. They don’t go out socially and their personal relationships suffer. It is important to get help for anxiety disorders, though, so you can enjoy life to the fullest. You don’t want to miss out on great activities due to anxiety.
There is another reason why you should get the problem under control as well. It has to do with the fact that studies show a link between anxiety disorders and heart disease. Anyone that has an anxiety disorder may also be at an increased the risk of a heart attack or stroke occurring. With heart disease being the number one cause of death in the United States, it is important to address such issues as early as possible.
This information is based on a large study involving 1,000 individuals. The study lasted for 5 ½ years and during that time more than 350 of the participants suffered from a heart attack or some other health problem that caused damage to the heart. There is a great deal of stress on the heart during an anxiety attack and that is where the risk is coming from. The more anxiety attacks that a person has and the longer they last, the higher the risk of permanent damage to the heart.
When anxiety disorders also cause symptoms of depression, there is also additional stress on the heart. When problems of anxiety are combined with other serious health problems, such as diabetes, it can be very serious due to the way in which the nerves that go to the heart are affected adversely. The way in which this all occurs is very complex and there is still a lot of research that has to be done. Still, there is enough information that has been uncovered to explain just how important the link between anxiety disorders and heart disease can be.
Taking steps to treat depression and to alleviate anxiety disorders is very important. There are breathing techniques that you can learn that can help when an anxiety attack is coming on. Therapy to help alter behavior has been very successful as a form of treatment. However, these types of solutions to anxiety problems seem to work best when the patient is also taking some form of medication to assist with reducing anxiety disorders.
It is believed that there is definitely a link between anxiety disorders and heart disease. The risk can increase as much as 75% which is dangerously high. For those individuals with a family history of heart disease, that percentage can be even higher. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, you definitely need to schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the related risk to your heart.
Don’t be afraid to explain the symptoms you are having, their severity, and their frequency. The more accurate information they have, the easier it will be for them to assist you. Be willing to try a combination of different forms of treatment so that you can keep your heart as healthy as possible. Offsetting heart disease can add many more years to your life.
How Diet During Pregnancy Can Affect Genetic Birth Defect Risks
Studies show that birth defect risks can increase if the mother consumes a diet that is high in fat. This refers to what she eats during the pregnancy as well as before it. Most mothers-to-be are very dedicated to having a baby that is as healthy as can be. However, they don’t always have the right information to help make that happen.
It is believed that the fat in a diet can have an adverse effect on the genes that are formed to create the offspring. The risk is even higher in families where there are certain types of genetic health concerns already in place. Poor diet alone is a problem and so is a family history of genetic disorders. Therefore, it makes sense that when both of these issues are present, it could to have a significant impact on the health of baby.
A woman that has diabetes needs to be especially careful about her diet during the pregnancy. Consulting with the doctor and a dietician can help to reduce the chances of birth defect risks. Women with diabetes have an increased risk of their babies being born with congenital heart disease. This is a very serious health problem that can affect a person for their entire life. Some babies are so ill because of it that they require surgery at a very young age.
Some studies have discovered that some genes are turned on and others turned off during a pregnancy due to the diet a mother consumes. This can play a very serious role in birth defect risks occurring. It can also be a reason for a woman to eat right even when she is contemplating getting pregnant. Many of the genes that play a big role in the development of the baby will be in place very early on.
There is still more research that has to be done in order to define the full impact of diet during pregnancy and how that factor can affect genetic birth defect risks. However, there have been numerous tests that involve laboratory mice being subjected to a good diet and others to a poor diet. The results are that those that eat a better diet have a lower rate of babies born with genetic birth defects.
Some women worry a great deal about weight gain while they are pregnant. As a result they don’t eat as well as they should. Others don’t want to cook due to fatigue so they end up eating lots of take out which is often very high in fat. Understanding the need for the mother and the baby to have proper nutrition can help these women to be proactive about their diets and so have a healthier pregnancy.
Since diet during pregnancy can affect genetic birth defect risks, it is very important to eat well. Make sure you are aware of what foods you can eat and those that you need to avoid. By doing so, you will be able to help increase the chances that your child will be born healthy and ready to begin a happy life in your home.
Are There Unacceptable Risks that Come With Diabetes Medications?
We often hear that if you are diagnosed with diabetes, you need to take steps to keep it under control. One of the methods of doing so involves the use of diabetes medications. The problem is that there can be some risks that come with the use of some of these forms of medication. Some of them increase the risk of stroke, heart problems, and in some cases, death.
According to the American Diabetes Association, many of the diabetes medications that are on the market today do work. However, there is an assumption at times that such forms of medication are the overall solution for diabetes. It is important to realize that diabetes medications are only one part of the overall process. There are many other things you can do in your efforts to keep your diabetes from causing you other health concerns.
The American Diabetes Association promotes the use of medication only when necessary. They encourage changes in lifestyle so that a patient is eating right and getting daily exercise. They also recommend that if the patient does take diabetes medications that they closely monitor their blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
The FDA is still reviewing the information that has been supplied regarding certain diabetes medications. They include Rosiglitazone and Thiazolidinedione. Both of these medications have been prescribed for Type 2 diabetes. While it is understandable that there can be some side effects of any medication, there is a limit to what you should be willing to accept.
Just because a medical professional is willing to prescribe something doesn’t mean it is the best solution. You need to be proactive when it comes to your medications. If you have a family history of heart disease, stroke, or other serious health concerns, you need to make sure you share that information with your doctor. It can make a huge difference when it comes to what they are going to prescribe to help you with your diabetes.
Diabetes medications that could increase stress on your heart should be avoided. Many diabetes medications cause problems for the heart and you don’t want that type of damage to take place. Don’t be intimidated to tell your doctor that you want to take a different type of medication due to any health concerns you might have.
There is no denying that taking care of diabetes is important. However, you don’t want to be compounding your health problems by consuming something that could cause heart problems for you. The fact that the FDA is looking into the issue should be a red flag that something isn’t right with some of these diabetes medications.
Understanding the risks that are associated with any diabetes medications you take is very important. You don’t want to take them without realizing that there can be some risks involved. If the risks seem unacceptable to you, discuss that with your doctor. It is your choice to take medications or not. You may be able to control your diabetes with other forms of treatment combined with lifestyle changes such as eating right and exercising.
The Best Flu Treatments for Diabetes Patients
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, then you need to be very cautious with your health. This includes taking extra care with your health when you may have a cold or the flu. Effectively treating the symptoms of minor illness will help to make sure you are able to keep your immune system as healthy as possible. That is part of a vital strategy to successfully control diabetes.
When you have the flu, some common symptoms include nausea or diarrhea. Both of these problems can cause a significant change in your blood sugar levels. Do your best to stabilize your eating in spite of nausea or vomiting. You need to ensure that you don’t become dehydrated. Small meals and sipping on water and sports drinks can help significantly.
Do your best to reduce stress while you have the flu. Many people worry about what they can’t get done due to being under the weather. Get plenty of rest, as much as you can, when you have diabetes and the flu. Ask someone to come in and care for small children and call in sick to work for a day or so. Not only will you recover from the flu more quickly if you take these steps, you will protect yourself from related diabetes problems.
While there are over-the-counter products for the flu, you need to be selective with what you use. Studies show that some of them will increase your blood glucose levels due to the fact that they have sugar in them. Take the time to carefully read labels so you can avoid such products if you have diabetes and the flu. Talk to your doctor, as well, about which medicines to use from the pharmacy so he can guide you to brands that will not aggravate your diabetes.
Since someone else may go shopping for such products for you when you have the flu, they need to be well aware of the medications to get that will help with your flu symptoms without making your diabetes worse. It may be best, though, for you to talk in advance with your doctor about good over-the-counter products to use for the flu. Keep them on hand if you have diabetes so that they are in your home should you need them.
It is certainly easier for someone with diabetes to prevent the flu, though, than to have to get rid of it. Make sure you wash your hands frequently and that you sanitize door knobs in your home. Getting a flu shot can be a great line of defense so talk to your doctor about that. If you have diabetes, limit your contact with other people during the flu season as well as when germs are more likely to be passed around.
Even though a diagnosis of diabetes is very common in our time, properly controlling it is a key factor. There are many adverse health problems that can occur if you don’t take care of diabetes from the very start. In order to stay in your best overall health, you need to be prepared to offset any type of ailment, including the common cold or the flu. These common health problems can affect someone with diabetes very differently than someone else.
For example, the immune system can already be weak when you have diabetes. Therefore, a simple case of the flu can turn into something more serious. This includes pneumonia, which is a very serious type of infection. Do what you can to offset the flu if you have diabetes. However, if your symptoms get worse, then you should immediately consult your doctor. By taking very seriously any health problem because of your diabetes, you can prevent a “common” health problem from turning into a major medical emergency for you.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/cold-flu-treatments-diabetes