Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to properly use glucose. Glucose levels can be regulated by exercise and diet, and even by medication if necessary. It must be monitored and controlled in order to avoid health risks.  When you eat anything, your pancreas produces the correct amount of insulin to move the glucose through your bloodstream into your cells. Diabetics produce little or no insulin, which means that the cells are non-responsive to the insulin that the body generates. Thus, glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine and passes out of the body.  This causes diabetics to lose their main source of energy.

Fat and muscle tissues absorb glucose and use it for energy with the help of insulin, a hormone that is created by the pancreas after a meal. This natural reaction is due to the increase in glucose that occurs when we eat. Your body needs enough insulin to provide energy for your body, as well as the ability to use the insulin properly so that it can be used by the cells instead of being wasted.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Organic Specific

This kind of disease affects certain tissues in the organs, such as the pancreas (Type I Diabetes).

Non-Organic Specific

This kind of disease affects the body’s tissues in general (Type II Diabetes). There are bunches of autoimmune diseases that tend to go together. For instance, a large portion of those with Type I Diabetes also has some sort of thyroid problem.

Type I Diabetes (insulin-dependent)

High blood glucose levels are common in this type of diabetes. The immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. White blood cells flood the pancreas and cause Insulitis, or inflammation. The body loses the ability to produce insulin, and also loses the ability to control glucose levels in the blood. This type is mostly found in children and young adults.

Type II Diabetes (non-insulin-dependent)

The high blood sugar levels in this type of diabetes are due to insulin resistance, meaning the body is not properly using the insulin that is produced, and the pancreas is not producing enough insulin. This type of diabetes is typically associated with an older age group. Recently, there has been a significant increase in Type II diabetes in children and teenagers. Some believe that obesity, inactivity or laziness, and poor diets may be responsible.

Gestational Diabetes

4% of all pregnant women (approximately 135,000 cases each year), develop gestational diabetes, which occurs during the later months of pregnancy. Hormones released during the pregnancy affect the ability of the insulin to function properly in the body. Respiratory problems or high birth weights in the baby may be a side effect. This form of diabetes, diagnosed during pregnancy, usually disappears after childbirth and comes back during a later pregnancy. Those with gestational diabetes run a higher risk of developing Type II Diabetes.

Insulin Resistance

There is an increased risk of getting a heart disease even without Type II Diabetes if a person has resistance to insulin. The body needs extra insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level. Type II Diabetics are insulin resistant in addition to having abnormal insulin secretions. Normally, the liver will decrease glucose levels when necessary. When a person is insulin resistant, either the liver produces too much glucose or the body tissues fail to use the blood sugar efficiently. The pancreas might produce extra insulin, and then, due to the insulin resistance, it will not succeed in using it all as fuel.

Hypoglycemia

This is a distinctive factor of diabetes. Diabetics have glucose levels that are too high, (the lower the glucose, the better). However, there is a point where glucose levels can be too low to fuel the body’s daily activities. Severe hypoglycemia can lead to heart attacks, stroke, and can even cause a coma. Typically levels below 70 mg/dl (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood) are too low, but it depends on the individual. The normal range of glucose levels should be between 60 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl, depending on when you last ate. If you have not eaten for a few hours, the glucose level can fall below 50 mg/dl without posing a threat. This may occur when a person:

• Skips meals or eats too little food for the amount of insulin injected
• Takes too much medicine
• Exercises too strenuously
• Drinks an excessive amount of alcohol