Diabetes

This is my first post about Diabetes. I've been a type 2 diabetic for 3 years, and I was married to a type 1 diabetic for over ten years.  I helped her with her insulin shots and blood testing so I got to know about diabetes from the inside.

First, I'd like to point out that I do not say someone "has diabetes", because it is a condition and not a disease.  We are diabetics, or have become diabetic, but we do not have diabetes.  There is no diabetes germ--it is absolutely not contagious. 

The two types of Diabetes are quite different so I'll start with a quick description of each.

Type 1 Diabetes is caused by a persons immune system destroying the insulin manufacturing organs.  This is like an amputation and no amount of change in life style or wishful thinking will make it go away.  The Type 1 Diabetic is dependent on injected insulin, and must balance her food intake with her insulin intake to regulate her blood sugar.  Many type 1 diabetics start at a fairly young age.

Type 2 Diabetes is caused by insulin resistance which is caused by, at least from the bodies point of view, the excess intake of carbohydrates.

When someone eats a carbohydrate like sugar his blood sugar goes up as the sugar is digested.  Insulin helps the sugar go from the blood into the cells where it can be used, and thereby lowers blood sugar.   Of course this happens over and over whenever we eat carbohydrates.  It's thought that the cells eventually start to resist what to them must be a glut of sugar, and are said to become insulin resistant. 

Unlike type 1, type 2 diabetes can often be improved or even reversed with life style changes.  This is especially true when diabetes is associated with obesity because in this case weight loss can have a profound effect.

All type 2 diabetics can benefit from reduced carbohydrate intake, and I have personally found that a very low carb diet (along with medication and blood testing) can be very effective for controlling blood sugar.

I plan to write a lot more about my personal experiences with diabetes in future posts, but I think this is enough to chew on for now, and anyway I'm tired.