For people who need to keep an eye on their blood sugar level, a glucose meter is a handy thing to keep around. There are many different types of glucose meters available with continuous glucose monitor being one of them. Unlike other glucose monitoring devices that merely detect the amount of glucose present in your system, a continuous glucose monitoring device also detects trends and patterns thus, gives your doctor a more comprehensive picture of your condition.

A continuous glucose monitor is not available over the counter and will need to be prescribed by your doctor. It uses a tiny sensor that is placed under the skin of your abdomen to measure the glucose level in the fluid within your body. This insertion is quick and quite painless. The sensor has a transmitter that sends the information about your glucose levels to a small pager like device. The data collected can be seen in the form of readings every 1,5 or 10 minutes. If your sugar levels drop to an extremely low level to go up to a very high level, the monitor will sound and alarm to notify you.

The data collected by a continuous glucose monitor can also be downloaded to your smartphone, laptop or tablet. By looking at the readings over a period of time, you will be able to notice trends and patterns in your sugar levels. This data helps diabetic patients and their doctors to decide on a number of things such as:

How much insulin is needed?
What is the optimum dosage of medication required for you?
What is the optimum number of meals needed per day?
How much should you eat in every meal?
What is the right exercise plan for you?
Diabetics who use an insulin pump can also link this to the continuous glucose monitor so that they do not need to manually program the pump. This is known as a sensor augmented pump. This device can also help record blood sugar levels as you sleep thus, detecting spikes and lows that would otherwise go undetected. It also helps understand the relationship between your diet as well as exercise and your blood sugar levels.

A continuous glucose monitor needs to be changed every 3 to 7 days. Also, it cannot be used to replace finger sticks or traditional home monitors. You may also need a little training on how to use the device correctly.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring - How It is Helpful?

Diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can easily be managed by controlling our diet. Along with being aware of your sugar intake, your diet should help you lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, this does not mean you have to resign yourself to a lifetime of tasteless food.

Here are a few diet tips that can help manage diabetes: 

Choose high fiber carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are an essential element of the daily diet but have a huge impact on blood sugar levels. Hence, it is important to pick the right carbohydrates. Your diet should have a limited amount of refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, soda etc. and should be focused more on high fiber carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, rolled oats and bran flakes that are digested slowly. This prevents your body from producing excessive insulin.
Be sweet smart: The key to indulge your sweet tooth and controlling diabetes is moderation. Abruptly, removing sugar from your diet can make you crave for it. Instead, gradually lower your sugar intake. If you can't miss out on the dessert at the end of a meal, reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your meal. Adding healthy fats like peanut butter, yogurt or nuts to your dessert can also slow down the digestive process and thus control blood sugar level.
Keep a food diary: When you are diabetic, it is very important to eat at regular intervals. Eating frequent, small meals are often better than fewer large meals. Try and maintain a food diary to keep track of your calorie intake. This helps identify problem areas of where your body is getting excessive calories from. When you are aware of the calories associated with things you eat, it is easier to cut down on snacks and replace unhealthy snacks with healthier options.
Choose fats wisely: It is impossible to completely cut out fats from your diet. While some fats such as liquid vegetable oils and commercial baked goods are unhealthy, others have important health benefits. Unsaturated fats are the healthiest and safest. Replacing your vegetable cooking oil for olive oil and biscuits with nuts are easy ways to make smart choices with your fat intake.
Go green: Green leafy vegetables are low on carbohydrates and high on nutrients. Thus, make them an integral part of your meal. Vegetables like kale, spinach, lettuce, etc. can be eaten raw or cooked. Along with being nutritious, they also add texture and color to your meals, thus making them more visually appealing.
If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

5 Tips To Control Diabetes Through A Diet!

Diabetes might not be the end of the road for you. While it is a chronic disorder, there are a number of steps you can take to minimize its effects. Before that you should know what diabetes is and its various types.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where the sugar in your blood is not metabolized by the body. This leads to a situation wherein sugar accumulates in your blood; this condition is known as high blood sugar. Now, this can happen in two ways:

Type 1 Diabetes: In this type, the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin (the hormone that metabolizes sugar) are destroyed by the immune system of the body. This leads to a reduction in insulin levels, causing blood sugar to shoot up.

Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is a condition wherein the body cannot effectively utilize the insulin to metabolize sugar. This again leads to the accumulation of sugar in the blood.

Apart from these two types, there is a third type that is known as  gestational diabetes . Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy wherein the body produces hormones that inhibit insulin.

Now that you know the various types of diabetes, it is time to focus on preventive measures. The various tips for a high blood sugar level are:



Steer Clear of Sugar: Think of sugar as your enemy, as it is something that you have to stay away from. Sugar will only add to the high blood sugar content that you are already diagnosed with.

Welcome whole grains with open arms: Refined grains are a big no; that means no more of those delicious white bread sandwiches. Instead, opt for whole grains such as brown bread, brown rice and oats. Refined grains come under simple carbohydrates that cause your blood sugar levels to shoot up.

Avoid overconsumption of fruits: While fruits are healthy, they do contain fructose which is again, a form of sugar. So, yes eat them but limit their consumption to one serving a day.

High time you realize nothing substitutes exercise: Regular exercise can help you burn calories and also keep your blood sugar levels low. It allows you to maintain healthy weight levels and improves your overall wellbeing.

Take no stress: Stress has been shown to increase blood sugar, so if you are feeling stressed and can t seem to get out of with, take steps to deal with it. Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation that can help you reduce stress and improve focus.

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

Diabetes - Types and Tips to Control Your Blood Sugar Level

Sugar is an all pervasive substance that is found in most food items although specific ones such as candies, colas and sweet delicacies tend to have more of it. While it may taste great on the tongue, it may not be so good for your body as well as your teeth. Teeth are especially affected by sugar as an ingredient in all items of food. Some of the ways it affects your dental health are discussed below  

Sugar from colas, sodas and other carbonated beverages: Sugar that gets into your body in the form of carbonated beverages are the worst in terms of the nooks and crannies that it gets into. As it is in liquid form, it can swirl around the toughest corner and deposit sugar there. This will encourage the growth of harmful bacteria, causing a host of problems.

Dissolving tooth enamel: Tooth enamel is the topmost layer of teeth. This is the layer which is visible to the naked eye and is white in color. Foods such as chewy candies can leave a hard lump of sugar lodged in your teeth which the saliva in your mouth will not be able to dissolve away. This will keep producing acids and result in the dissolving of the enamel. Enamel protects the nerves of the teeth and thus will result in extreme pain and even tooth decay.

Encourages the growth of plaque: Plaque is an obstructive and sticky substance that forms on many parts of your body, including the teeth. Plaque is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and these bacteria feed and grow on the sugar from the foods that you eat. These bacteria can cause cavities, gum infections, bad breath, destroy the enamel among causing other dental problems as well.

Some of the other related problems that can be caused by sugar on your dental health are:-

Reduction in the size of your back teeth due to erosion from acids formed from sugar.

Gum infections of various kinds which may end up requiring surgery.

Changes in the bite of a person i.e. the way upper and lower teeth come together.

Sugar may also affect the growth of bacteria in the mouth, which in turn may also cause digestion problems.

Causes bad breath due to buildup of bacteria.

Sugar - How It Affects Your Teeth?

How many of us know that a deficiency of Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine can make you susceptible for heart disease, brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer s as well as muscle pain, depression and dragging fatigue?

Vitamin B6 is one of the most crucial vitamins for health and it s a part of the vitamin B complex family. Now, all B vitamins, including vitamin B6, play an important role in a number of life-altering physical and psychological functions. All of them have a vital role to play in helping to maintain a healthy metabolism, nerve and liver function as well as skin and eye health, as well as good amount of energy levels.

Role of Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine has a number of derivatives, including pyridoxal, pyridoxal 5-phosphate and pyridoxamine. And all of these are involved in major body functions like movement, memory, energy use and blood flow. This is the primary reason why a vitamin B6 deficiency can show up in a range of symptoms from physical to psychological, temporary to chronic and serious.
Vitamin B6 also helps your body to

Maintain a healthy nervous system

To make more hemoglobin, blood cells that carry oxygen in blood
To provide energy from our food
To balance blood sugar levels
To act as a natural pain relief
To boost mood
To create antibodies for self-protection
Preventing a Vitamin B6 Deficiency
The recommended amount of vitamin B6 for an adult under the age of 50 is 1.3 milligrams. Normally, this amount is easy to get from your diet, assuming you are eating a balanced diet with enough calories. However, the amount the body s requirement for vitamin B6 jumps up as you age. Experts recommend that adults over 50 get up to 1.7 milligram daily of this vitamin.

As this requirement is not met, older people get more prone to a vitamin B6 deficiency and so do malnourished children and adults. Foods like poultry, pork, nuts and beans contain high levels of vitamin B6 and you can include more of these to get the recommended dose of vitamin B6. However, since vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin, so you need to replenish your body with it daily as it doesn t get stored in the body.

Symptoms of Vitamin B6 deficiency:
Lack of energy and chronic fatigue: Vitamin B6 helps supply your body with energy by improving your metabolism. It has a vital role to play in protein metabolism   it helps your body break down the protein that you eat and produce energy quickly. So one very important pointer that you have a vitamin B6 deficiency is when you get fatigued quickly during exercise.
Brain function decline: Vitamin B6 vitamin helps your brain communicate with other parts of the body more efficiently. So, if you have a decline in muscle efficiency it could be a sign of vitamin B6 deficiency.
High Levels of amino acid Homocysteine: High levels of amino acid Homocysteine do not cause any symptoms that you can detect by yourself but tests can tell you if you have high levels of this amino acid in your body. And these high levels are directly linked to vitamin B6 deficiency. What high levels of homocysteine can do is cause heart attacks. But vitamin B6 helps keep a check on these levels to reduce your risk for a cardiovascular event.

Other symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency are:

Changes in mood, such as depression, irritability, and anxiety
Confusion
Muscle pains
Fatigue
A worsening of PMS symptoms
And worsening of symptoms of anemia
As vitamin B6 is so important for nerve function, a deficiency is linked with neuro-psychiatric disorders like seizures, migraines, and chronic pain.
An increased risk of heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis
Higher risk for Alzheimer s disease and other forms of dementia.

Vitamin B6 Deficiency- Signs You Are Suffering From It!

Diabetes is something which has become so common over the past few decades and this is said to be a cause of worry as most people don't understand how to prevent and manage it. This has led to some myths, gaining more than their fair share of popularity. So, wouldn t it be a good idea to get to know a little more so as to separate the myths from the facts?

Weight & watch: One of the most common myths when it comes to diabetes is the belief that a person is going to have his or her life adversely affected if he or she is overweight. While it is true that being overweight happens to be one of the risk factors related to diabetes, it is important to keep in mind the fact that there are other risk factors which are responsible, as well. Some of these factors are age and family history, as well as the ethnicity of the person. Taking this into account, it should not come as too much of a surprise to know that there are quite a few people who are not overweight, but are still fighting diabetes.
Packaged tricks: Considering the rise in the number of people who are suffering from diabetes, this has led to food being marketed specifically for their consumption. However, in reality, whatever represents a healthy diet is sufficient for a person who is diabetic. So a diet which does not have a high amount of saturated fats and trans fats and does not go overboard with starch and sugar, but features a fair amount of lean protein works well too. All the fancy diabetic food, which a person buys, is only likely to drive a great hole in the wallet and not have any additional health benefits. Therefore, the extra spending is nowhere close to being worthwhile and should be avoided.
Fruits punch: Many people are of the opinion that it is the processed and sugary food items, which cause diabetes and this is true to a significant extent. However, some people are of the view that since fruit is natural, diabetics can eat as much of it as they like. This is where the thinking gets dangerous. Some fruits are rich in carbohydrates and so it should be consumed in a reasonable quantity, as part of the daily meal plan. After all, too much of any good thing is bad!

Diabetes - 3 Myths Decoded!

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