Through a series of experiments, a group of researchers discovered that the brain produces insulin and that this substance produced by brains of patients with Alzheimer’s illness tends to fall below normal levels.

For the neuropathologist at Rhode Island Hospital and professor of pathology at Brown University Medical School, Suzanne M. de la Monte, insulin disappears early and dramatically in Alzheimer’s disease and many of the unexplained features of Alzheimer’s, such as cell death and tangles in the brain, appear to be linked to abnormalities in insulin signaling. This demonstrates that the disease is most likely a neuroendocrine disorder, or another type of diabetes.

During the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, brain levels of insulin and its related cellular receptors fall precipitously, as her group of researchers explained. They believe that Alzheimer’s might be a new form of diabetes since the evidence shows insulin levels continue to drop progressively as the Alzheimer’s disease becomes more severe.

The team led by de la Monte also found that low levels of acetylcholine are directly linked to this loss of insulin and insulin-like growth factor function in the brain. Acetylcholine is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers team autopsied the brain tissue of 45 patients diagnosed with different degrees of Alzheimer’s called Braak Stages and compared those tissues to samples taken from individuals with no history of the disease.

Here’s what to look for and some prevention ideas.

If your feet are constantly cold, your legs are sore when you walk, or your feet hurt
in bed at night, you may be suffering from poor blood circulation. This, in turn, can
slow down the process of healing when you have cuts or other damage to your feet.

Staying physically active is one way to help improve your circulation. You also need
to control your blood fat and sugar levels, as well as your blood pressure. And of
course, don’t smoke.

If your feet are numb, you have a burning sensation on the soles of your feet or pins
and needles in your feet, you have signs of possible nerve damage.

Foot nerves are the longest in our bodies and are therefore susceptible to damage
by diabetes. If these nerves are damaged, the feelings are lessened, so diabetics could have the cuts or blisters that can lead to ulcers, and wouldn’t even know about it.

Check your feet regularly to be sure there are no signs of injury. If you develop
corns or calluses, have them treated immediately by a podiatrist. Wash and dry
carefully between your toes, and keep your nails trimmed and smooth.

Everyone likes to have their feet pampered, but for diabetics it not only feels
good, it also prevents serious health problems in the future. So book that foot
massage now!

A BMI of 30 or over is considered obese. The higher end of the scale for overweight
people (25 to 29.9) and people that fall into the obese category are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Other danger indicators are waist circumferences. If you are a man and your waist measures 40 inches or more and if you are a woman and your waist measures 35 inches or more, there is an increased abdominal fat risk factor for diabetes and other diseases.

Maintaining a healthy BMI is all about maintaining a weight that is right for your height and body type. Both of these goals will result in better controlled blood glucose levels as well as other health benefits. You will also have increased energy, can reduce the amount of insulin you need, and give yourself a longer life expectancy.

Reduce your total body fat to bring your BMI into a healthy range (18.5-24.9). Consult your doctor and get advice on how to meet your goals. And if you are just starting an exercise routine, get the okay from your doctor first. You do not want to overtax yourself at the beginning so by consulting your doctor first, they may give you some restrictions to ensure you do not suffer from injury or hypoglycemia.

It is ideal to wait to exercise if your blood glucose level is too low or high. You can do more damage than good exercise when your blood sugar is not at an optimal level. It is especially dangerous if your blood sugar is on the low side and you begin to exercise, the physical exertion can cause your blood sugar to drop even further which can cause an emergency situation. As a precaution, if you are exercising at a gym make sure the staff are aware of your condition and have emergency instructions and numbers to call. If you walk or run on your own outside, keep identification on you that advises you are diabetic, along with contact phone numbers, a snack, and instructions.

It is important to stretch before and after exercising, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t push yourself too hard. It is important to check your blood sugars before and after exercising and if you are feeling light-headed during your work-out, you should check it then too.

As feet problems are common in diabetics, wear proper footwear and socks. If you
notice any sores on your feet that are not going away on their own, see your doctor. If they are not healing they can lead to an infection and other related complications. Even though there are risks involved to exercising, the benefits make it worth it and can greatly improve your health.

The first step to losing weight is to set a short-term goal for yourself. You can do this on your own but can also get help from your doctor or a dietician. A good goal when starting to lose weight is to take a small percentage of your overall weight and aim to lose that much in your time frame. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds aim to lose weight 5% of your body weight to begin (10 pounds). When you lose weight as a diabetic you are helping your body by lessening your insulin requirements. Weight loss will also assist you in keeping your blood sugar levels under control.

Another method to lose weight is physical activity and exercise. Getting your body
moving will increase your metabolism and that act will assist in losing weight too. Not only will increased metabolism aid in weight loss, it will also help in controlling blood glucose levels. Your body will be processing food more efficiently.

Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand with weight loss. It also takes patience and time but as you begin the road to weight loss the benefits you will derive as a diabetic will begin right away. And as you reach your goal weight you will gain better control of your blood sugars. If you are having difficulty losing weight on your own, speak to your doctor about other options that are available to you such as medication or possibly surgery.

However, Type II Diabetes has become nearly an epidemic in this country. Many in the medical community believe that one of the reasons many people acquire this potentially life threatening condition is from obesity. The diabetes epidemic has mirrored the obesity epidemic currently overtaking the United States as well as other countries. People consume foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugars and low in nutrients at an alarming rate. We often think of diabetics as being people with a sweet tooth who crave sugar. This is not the case. More often, a person who is obese has more of a chance of getting diabetes than a person who maintains his or her weight.

One way how to prevent diabetes is by managing your weight. Although there is little you can do about having a genetic disposition to the disease, there are ways you can prevent becoming one of the millions of Americans who develop diabetes each year.

When seeking how to prevent diabetes, the first thing a person can do is watch your weight. Studies indicate that people who are overweight are more prone to developing diabetes. How to prevent diabetes. Rule number one is manage your weight. One way to manage your weight is to stay way from foods laden with saturated fats, and sugars. Stay away from fast food, which is usually high in fats, carbohydrates and sugars. Most fast food offer little in the way of nutrition but are high in fat and carbohydrates.

Another way how to prevent diabetes is to exercise. Exercising regularly improves blood sugar control. Because active muscles dispel glucose from blood quicker than non-exercised muscles, regular exercise can do wonders in staving off or preventing diabetes. In addition, regular exercise also helps to maintain stable weight, another factor in preventing obesity.

Again, the misconception that people contract diabetes through excessive consumption of sugars is inaccurate. It is not only sugar that contributes to the disease. While it is good to eliminate the use of excessive sugar in your diet, carbohydrates are also contributory to the onset of diabetes. One way on how to prevent diabetes is becoming aware of the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index was developed in 1981 and rates which carbohydrates are more difficult to eliminate glucose from the blood.

When asking yourself how to prevent diabetes, focus your attention on your weight, exercise and diet. In many cases, simple lifestyle changes can prevent someone from getting this potentially life threatening disease.

It is a common misconception that someone suffering from hypoglycemia should be given something sweet to alleviate the condition. The truth of the matter is that those suffering from hypoglycemia are usually lacking protein and a food high in protein can alleviate their symptoms. Peanut butter is an excellent choice in helping someone suffering from hypoglycemia.

In some cases, however, hypoglycemia is a disease as it occurs for many different reasons in a person. The best way to define hypoglycemia is to say that it is the opposite of diabetes. While people with diabetes need to avoid sugar as they have an abundance of glucose in their blood, those with hypoglycemia have low glucose levels and need to replenish the sugar or glucose in their blood. In many cases, those with diabetes may develop hypoglycemia as a reaction to insulin or diet. This is different than someone who experiences hypoglycemia on an occasional basis, usually the result of not eating properly.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include shakiness, anxiety, heart palpitations, sweating, dilated pupils, coldness, feeling of fainting, clamminess. These symptoms are triggered by the loss of glucose that affects the brain If untreated, a person with hypoglycemia can fall into a diabetic coma and even die from the hypoglycemia. If someone is suffering from hypoglycemia, they should be given something to eat rich in protein to avoid falling faint or, in the worst case scenario, falling into a coma.

Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include physical symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pains as well as hunger. As hypoglycemia continues, neurological symptoms may include difficulty speaking, slurred speech, fatigue, anxiety, lethargy, delirium, headache, stupor, abnormal breathing and finally, coma.

One of the first things that a doctor will do to treat someone with hypoglycemia is to determine the circumstances that caused the disease. A physical examination is necessary and blood samples will usually be taken. Many cases of hypoglycemia are unexplained as no sample is taken from the blood before glucose is given to relieve the symptom.

In many cases, hypoglycemia is nothing to be concerned about. It can simply be the reaction of malnutrition or fasting. Many people experience hypoglycemia without even knowing it. If it continues to be a problem, however, many people will seek medical attention to determine the underlying cause of the illness.

For the most part, hypoglycemia has many common causes and for those who experience the symptoms, testing by a medical professional is necessary to determine the etiology of the cause of hypoglycemia. In a good number of cases, the cause for hypoglycemia is never determined and the situation resolves itself.

Carbohydrates are a diverse group of foods and all have different ways of breaking down in the system. People with diabetes have a difficult time breaking down certain foods, particularly those high in carbohydrates, in their system. Digestion is slow and sugars and starches are absorbed into the blood stream, causing an excess in blood glucose. Diabetics are often warned to limit their carbohydrate intake because it takes such a long time for most carbohydrates to digest. However, this is easier said than done and it is difficult, if not impossible, for many diabetics to eliminate carbohydrates from their diet. This is one of the reasons many diabetics are non-compliant in their treatment. Because diabetes does not often cause serious complications at onset, many patients refuse to take their medicine and continue eating foods that are high in sugar and starch.

The Glycemic Index is very helpful because it rates different carbohydrates based upon their effect on the different levels of blood glucose. Those foods that digest rapidly cause the less harm to the system and have a low glycemic index. The carbohydrates that take a longer time to digest have a higher rate as they cause more harm to the blood glucose level.

The Glycemic Index ranges from one to one hundred. A low food in the glycemic index has a rating of below 55. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and some pastas. Foods that fall between the 56 to 69 range are considered “medium” in the Glycemic Index. They include candy bars, croissants and some rices.

Surprisingly, although a candy bar scores in the medium classification of the glycemic index, it is not as harmful as those carbohydrates that score in the high glycemic index range. These include corn flakes, white rice, white bread and baked potato. In other words, it is easier for a diabetic to digest a candy bar than a baked potato.

Knowledge of the glycemic index is imperative for anyone who has diabetes or who has been diagnosed as borderline diabetic. To be able to understand which foods have the most impact on blood glucose levels is crucial for anyone fighting this potentially life-threatening condition.

If you or a loved one suffers from diabetes, become familiar with the Glycemic Index so that you learn about the different categories of carbohydrates and which groups should be avoided. There are many substitutes for carbohydrates that rate high in the Glycemic Index and are available at most grocery stores. While diabetes is currently without a cure, there are many different ways that people with this disease can life long, productive lives.

An insulin pump is a medical device continuously delivering insulin under the skin through a catheter. It usually connects somewhere in the waist area. There is a new generation of insulin pumps, called a patch pump. Patch pumps adhere directly to the skin with no catheter tubing showing. It then infuses insulin directly under the skin.

Both pumps deliver insulin at an hourly rate. For instance, the rate might be 1.1 units an hour. However, the pump delivers different rates at different times of day depending on the patients insulin infusion (or basal) rates that are programmed into the pump.

The amount of insulin delivered depends on two things. First by the amount of carbohydrate a patient eats using an insulin to carbohydrate ratio, and then by the correction factor, or the ratio of the number of milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) a patients blood sugar will be lowered by one insulin unit.
If a patient eats 60 grams carbohydrate at meals and has an insulin-carbohydrate ratio of one insulin unit to 15 grams carbohydrate, the patients insulin injection at that meal would 4 units.

However, if a patient has a correction factor of one unit to 50 points of blood sugar, the pump should give an additional injection of 2.5 units to lower his blood sugar from 245 mg/dl to a needed level of 120 mg/dl.

To use an insulin pump a patient must be able to manage it. This involves knowledge of the device and how it works at several levels. First, patients must understand how to insert the catheter when using the pump, or how to attach the newer patch pump to their abdomen. They must also be able to push the right buttons on the pump to deliver proper insulin doses and adjust the basal rates.

Then the patient needs to be skilled in carbohydrate counting so they are able to deliver correct insulin doses at mealtimes. And they should be willing to check their blood glucose levels at least four to six times a day. This assures that they detect a pump failure and prevent hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA, in type 1 patients).

Patient attention is important because no long-acting insulin is used in type 1 patients who use pumps and they need to correct high- or low-blood sugars before they are clinically observable and symptomatic.

Insulin pump therapy is almost never needed to maintain life because insulin can be easily injected under the skin. Most insurers will cover insulin pump therapy in situations where insulin pump therapy will significantly improve the level of diabetes care and control over and above multidose insulin (MDI) therapy. This includes cases where:

The glucose control in multidose insulin therapy is not optimal with glycated hemoglobin (Hba1c>) than the ADA (American Diabetes Association) recommended goal of 7%. An endocrinologist, who will be able to help the patient learn how to use and the pump and adjust basal and correction doses, prescribes the pump.

The patient has type 1 diabetes. However, in many situations patients with type 2 diabetes will benefit from the pump as well. Presence of hypoglycemia despite adjustments in insulin doses and utilizing carbohydrate counting to help decide pre-meal insulin doses in patients who are using MDI therapy.

Presence of hyperglycemia-especially as revealed by high morning readings (Dawn phenomenon) where increasing basal rates of insulin in the early morning hours would help to better control blood sugar levels.

Insurers require medical charts from the prescribing doctor as well as blood sugar logs from the patient to prove that there is real medical necessity.