|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
What Is Diabetes? Diabetes Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Gestational Diabetes Pre-Diabetes How Does Flax Help Diabetics? How Much Should You Take? *****************************************
According to the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Dr. Herb Joiner-Bey explains that diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder involving carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, and characterized by highly increased levels of sugar in the blood and, subsequently, in the urine. In ancient times, the urine of diabetic patients was described as tasting like honey, sticky to touch, and strongly attracting ants. In diabetes, either the pancreas fails to secrete adequate ammounts of insulin or else the body's cells become unresponsive or resistant to insulin. When blood sugar cannot enter cells and instead is left in the blood, this causes the complications associated with diabetes, including increased risk for heart and circulatory disease, stroke, kidney malfunction, blindness, and loss of nerve function. People with diabetes urinate much more than normal. Such excessive loss of fluids and high concentration of sugar in the blood cause people to become very thirsty. When people drink sugar-sweetened beverages, they urinate even more and become ever more thirsty. Because the cells (especially neurons in the central nervous system that depend on sugar to function) are internally deprived of glucose, fatigue and weakness, accompanied by apathy, are often found in people with diabetes. Some people may not be able to even get up in the morning. Tingling may occur in the hands or feet (diabetic neuropathy). There may be reduced resistance to infections such as boils, urinary tract disorders and vaginal fungal infections because the excess blood sugar interferes with the white blood cell utilization of vitamin C. 'Healing Power of Flax' page 79-80 - Dr. Herb Joiner-Bey There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease. For more info, visit http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp .
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results when the body's system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns against a part of the body. In diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. At present, scientists do not know exactly what causes the body's immune system to attack the beta cells, but they believe that autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors, possibly viruses, are involved. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes in the United States. It develops most often in children and young adults, but can appear at any age. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop over a short period, although beta cell destruction can begin years earlier. Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person with type 1 diabetes can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma, also known as diabetic ketoacidosis. Reference this material at http://www.diabetes.webmd.com/ . According to WebMD.com, the most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. This form of diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and ethnicity. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents. However, nationally representative data on prevalence of type 2 diabetes in youth are not available. When type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for unknown reasons, the body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. After several years, insulin production decreases. The result is the same as for type 1 diabetes--glucose builds up in the blood and the body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually. Their onset is not as sudden as in type 1 diabetes. Symptoms may include fatigue or nausea, frequent urination, unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people have no symptoms. For more info, visit their web site at http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/diabetes-overview . Gestational diabetes develops only during pregnancy. Like type 2 diabetes, it occurs more often in African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and among women with a family history of diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years. Reference this material at http://www.webmd.com/ . Many Americans, even if not fully diabetic, are nevertheless insulin resistant and prone to pre-diabetes symptoms. Indeed, virtually everyone who is overweight or suffers high blood pressure also suffers insulin resistance, says Dr. Simopoulos. She estimates that as many as half of the adults in this country suffer from some degree of insulin resistance. How Does Flax Seed Oil Help Diabetics? Recent new evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids like those found in flax seed oil can have an extremely positive influence on the health of diabetics. In Austrailia, researcher Leonard H. Storlien discovered people with muscle cells low in Omega 3 fatty acids like those found in flax seed oil and high levels of Omega 6 fatty acids were most likely to be both insulin resistant and obese. As the imbalance became more magnified, so did their weight and metabolic problems. According to Dr. Joiner-Bey, 55 persons with pre-diabetes symptoms were assigned to a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids. After one year, their insulin sensitivity had improved, they lost weight, and their blood pressure and triglyceride levels decreased. A second study of 48 people assigned to either a low-calorie but high-carbohydrate diet or a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids found dramatic health differences between the two groups. After one year, those consuming low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets had higher glucose levels and reduced insulin sensitivity. Persons consuming the omega-3 fatty acid-rich diet had enhanced insulin sensitivity with lower blood sugar levels, elevated high-density lipoproteins (HDLs, the "good" cholesterol), lower triglycerides and blood pressure. The key to enhancing insulin sensitivity and curbing problems related to pre-diabetes symptoms is to consume a diet low in simple, refined carbohydrates (such as those found in sweets, desserts, processed baked and prepared foods) and rich in omega 3 fatty acids from flax seed oil and wild fish. Please emphasize in your diet green leafy vegetables, highest lignan content flax seed oil, legumes, whole grains and some nuts such as walnuts. Exercise is vital. 'Healing Power of Flax' page 79-80 by Dr. Herb Joiner-Bey How Much Flax Seed Oil Should You Take? Dr. Johanna Budwig, 7 Nobel Prize Nominee, suggests 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed, unrefined flax seed oil mixed with a cup of low-fat cottage cheese every day. You may also substitute low-fat yogourt for low-fat cottage cheese. It seems that this is the best preventitive medicine in the world to ward off degenerative diseases.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
