ALL YOU HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT DIABETES

Diabetes is a disorder in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body's needs. Contrary to what some may have believed about diabetes, it is not a condition in which the kidneys are diseased. The pancreas is a fairly large gland located behind the stomach. When it does not produce enough insulin, all the sugar in the blood is not utilized and thus it begins to build up an over supply which the kidneys have to throw off as excess.

Some symptoms that may cause one to suspect diabetes are passage of large amounts of urine, increased thirst, excessive appetite and loss of weight and strength. Others are itching of the skin, infections that do not heal, disturbances of vision, numbness and tingling and neuritic pain, especially in the legs.
PRECAUTIONS:
The patient should be extremely careful not to injure his feet. He should wear shoes or sandals and be careful not to trim the toe-nails too close or injure the skin while trimming them. While there are exceptions, most diabetics have decreased resistance to infection. For this reason their wounds or bruises should be well treated and covered. Under no circumstances should the patient allow anyone to talk him out of taking his medicine or adhering to his special people. He must report regularly to his doctor regularly for check ups.
TREATMENT:
If tests confirm the presence of diabetic condition, treatment with injections of insulin is indicated. These make up for the deficiency of this protein pancreatic hormones in the body.
We must emphasize that diabetes cannot be cured. That is, we have no way of causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin. The treatment indicated above merely controls the condition for the day. For this reason a person taking insulin should plan on taking it as long as he lives. To the new diabetic this may sound discouraging but after one has taken it for a time it becomes the least of his worries. All you have to do is take the above precautions and don't hesitate to call your doctor when you notice some changes in your body.

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