Glucose testing is a constant activity for diabetics. Testing the blood sugar level helps the diabetic maintain a safe glucose level and continue on living a happy and healthy life. Monitoring the blood sugar can help the diabetic take better control of his or her condition. The diabetic will then be more knowledgeable on how his or her various lifestyles are all interconnected and affect their condition. This way, the diabetic can make healthier choices to properly manage this chronic condition.

For diabetics to properly check their blood sugar levels, they will need the following tools and supplies:

1. A glucose meter

2. Alcohol pads

3. Sterile finger lancets

4. Sterile test strips

Glucose meters in the market nowadays provide the complete set of tools for the diabetic to use. Various glucose meters have different prices and features. It is recommended for the diabetic to check with his or her doctor in advising a specific type and brand for the diabetic’s use. Different glucose meters cater to different diabetics’ needs. Some are more portable, have more memory, etc. But every added convenience comes with a price. The doctor can help you choose the perfect glucose meter for you. Before actually conducting a self-test, the diabetic must follow these SOPs-

1. Wash your hands carefully and completely with soap and water.

2. Use an alcohol pad to wipe the area to be pricked.

3. Prick the finger using the sterile lancet.

4. Place a drop of blood on the sterile test strips.

5. Follow the glucose meter for proper testing and checking.

It may be a good idea for the diabetic to keep a notebook to monitor his or her glucose levels at different intervals of the day or week. The frequency of testing should be given by your doctor. Blood sugar testing can be a painful experience for the diabetic due to the pricking involved. Here are some tips on how to make the pricking less painful-

1. Do not prick the tip of the finger. This is really painful. Always prick the side of the finger. Another thing to remember, only prick fingers. Never prick your toes. Not only is this inconvenient, this will also increase the possibility of infection.

2. Do not ever squeeze your fingers if the blood refused to come out. Let the blood come out naturally. If it does not, let gravity do its work. Never force the issue. Ask your doctor what you can do to encourage sufficient blood flow.

3. Do not prick the same finger every time. This will stress the area out making that specific finger sore.

4. Do not use the same finger lancet over and over again. This is unhygienic and incredibly stupid. Bacteria have already accumulated in the used lancet. Reusing the same lancet encourages infection.

Do not fool yourself by not eating and exercising more when you know you will check your blood glucose level that day. This will lead to inaccurate results and is not really helpful in helping you control diabetes.

Technorati Tags: Blood sugar testing, Diabetic information, Types of diabetes

The environment nowadays contributes immensely to the people’s state of health. Lifestyle requirements have changed also. We have more junk food in our diets. We intake more trans-fat, more preservatives, and more sugar too.
All of these present several changes in how our body normally works. One change is the incidence of diabetes amongst us. According to the American Diabetes Association, there is a 13.5% prevalence increase in the United States alone from 2005-2007. One factor is that people are more knowledgeable now when it comes to health concerns. However, we cannot discount the fact that the 21st lifestyle presents more risks to the disease also.
Take a survey from your small community and most likely one of them is suffering from this condition. Why? Because not only is diabetes environmentally-caused, it can also be genetically-inherited. Deaths due to diabetes complications are not unknown anymore. Even worst news, diabetes is a chronic syndrome, meaning, it has no cure.
But thankfully, diabetes is very much controllable. Anyone with diabetes can still live up to a ripe long age as long as they properly manage it.
Besides knowing what type of diabetes one has (because one might need to take special medications for it), one only has to discipline oneself with the 3 lifesaving diabetic tips and practices.

Regular Exercise
It is important for diabetics to be physically active. Exercise can help control our weight, glucose levels, blood pressure making sure that people with diabetes would not run into other risks such as heart problems which are typical for people with the condition.
Exercise can also raise the good cholesterol levels and lower the bad cholesterol levels in our body. Basically, in the long run, exercise will really do our body good not just in managing diabetes but also in preventing unwanted ailments.

Proper Diet
A type of diabetes is caused by the foods that we eat. Not all diabetics got them from Mum and Pop. For example, if one consumes sweetened soda and cake every day, the risk for diabetes is heightened. Diabetes after all is “sweet urine” or from the Greek term Diabetes mellitus which is “to pass through urine”.
Proper diet means controlling the amount of sugar that passes through one’s mouth. Sugar is not just in the form of the sugar cubes we put in our coffee. Carbohydrates also contain sugar.
Diabetics can use the glycemic index to check the consequence of eating a specific food on one’s blood sugar as diabetics have abnormally high blood sugar or glucose levels.
Basically, the glycemic index is measured by comparing the effect of a food on one’s blood sugar with the effect of an amount of pure glucose. Pure glucose has a GI of 100. For diabetics, low GI foods are better than high GI foods. Low GI foods are digested more slowly and thus making the rise of one’s blood sugar slower and steadier as compared to foods with higher GI’s.
Low GI foods include wheat breads (not white bread!), oatmeal, fruits, and vegetables. High carb diets are definitely a no-no for diabetics.
Proper diet also means controlling the amount of fats one consumes. Fats, especially trans-fat (those which can be found in junk foods), gives another risk which is high cholesterol levels and heart diseases. These are the associated diseases of diabetes.

Weight Loss
Diabetes has some associated risks like heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Thus it is very important that the person involved apply himself to a rigid weight loss program.
We are not talking about participating in fad diets for miracle weight changes. This supposed miracle programs present more harm than good. Recall that I mentioned that there several types of diabetes. One type is insulin-dependent where the patient needs to continuously inject himself with insulin. People with this type are “starved” and thus need a continuous source of energy for them to have normal glucose levels.
These Type 1 diabetics lose weight quickly. Going on fad diets will not help for losing more weight.
Even with those non-insulin dependent types, fasting would not do as this can cause one to consume more food in the end which will deter one’s management program. Remember, proper diet is also very important!
With these 3 “LIFESAVING TIPS”, a diabetic can go on living a normal life. Regular exercise, proper diet, and sufficient weight loss will ensure a happy and long life.

Technorati Tags: diabetic info, Diabetic information, Types of diabetes

Diabetes and short breath?

Hey Guys,

My dad is a diabetic, he suffered a stroke last year but soon enough got better. he is always working and he just called me now saying he has been finding it hard to breath all day today. the doctors are closed so i'm just trying to get some input on here

Technorati Tags: Diabetic information