Essay Sample about Diabetes

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to letting the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.

If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can help. Taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education and support, and keeping health care appointments can also reduce the impact of diabetes on your life.

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects Canadians of all ages. If left uncontrolled, diabetes results in consistently high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which can lead to serious complications such as cardiovascular disease, vision loss, kidney failure, nerve damage, and amputation. Fortunately, it is possible to remain healthy with diabetes through appropriate management and care.

If you have any of the following diabetes symptoms, see your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested, urinate often at night, dehydrated, lose weight without trying, are very hungry, have a blurry vision, have numb or tingling hands or feet, feel very tired, have very dry skin, have sores that heal slowly and have more infections than usual.

People who have type 1 diabetes may also have nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains. Type 1 diabetes symptoms can develop in just a few weeks or months and can be severe and usually starts when you’re a child, teen, or young adult but can happen at any age.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms often take several years to develop. Some people don’t notice any symptoms at all. It usually starts when you’re an adult, though more and more children and teens are developing it. Because symptoms are hard to spot, it’s important to know the risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes usually doesn’t have any symptoms. If you’re pregnant, your doctor should test you for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If needed, you can make changes to protect your health and your baby’s health.

After thorough research into my family history, I’ve realized that my family has a history of developing diabetes. There are different types of diabetes such as type one, type two, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes. Diabetes affects over 382,000,000 people worldwide, so in perspective that’s every one in eleven Americans has some form of diabetes.

My family has a history of health problems. I am mindful that control of diabetes is very much linked to lifestyle and diet. One should not despair because he/she has diabetes. Life can still be enjoyed but not without controlled eating habits and exercises. One ought to be a bit watchful and regimented as far as what is to be consumed is concerned. Careful planning of eating habits and exercise can control diabetes.

My maternal grandmother died of type 2 diabetes. It was back home in Somalia, and this was in the early 1990s. 1993-2001 when she passed. Due to civil war, poverty, there were no doctors, or glucose testing machines. She was diagnosed late in Kenya. It was too late, and she refused to alter her lifestyle as she was a religious person who did not believe much in doctors or medicine. Three of my brothers develop diabetes in their late 30s. It's mostly due to stress, poor diet, and an unhealthy lifestyle. they're all North American, and thus have access to doctors, medicine, support, and education, unlike my grandmother. they're all living healthy lives and on insulin. 

My older sister developed gestational diabetes during her 7th pregnancy, which turned into type 2 diabetes after she had her baby. She lives in America and is living with it through medicine and diet management. Our traditional/cultural food that we consume daily is very heavy on processed carbohydrates. We grew up around drinking extra sweet teas multiple times a day and some of my family members still add huge amounts of sugar in milk, juice, coffee and so on. It's culturally ingrained in us, if there is no rice or sugar or red meat, there is no food. Now that we're finding out the health consequences of these foods, it's hard to alter generational old habits especially when you're living with them or amongst them. 

When you have a special need in your community, it is difficult to discuss it with people in your community. However, my family at large is concerned about the people in my family and their health and well-being. This is an illness that requires lifelong maintenance. Unfortunately, you cannot remove the disease, but the people in my family offer support, comfort in several ways.

Some people living with type 2 diabetes manage their illness with insulin therapy or other diabetes medications, whereas others don’t need to take medications. Whether or not they take medication(s), it’s crucial to make healthy lifestyle choices, which include adopting good eating habits.

For someone who is newly diagnosed, a change in eating habits can be a challenge, but it is critical to normalize blood sugar and avoid complications. Be a source of encouragement by first joining their education classes or meeting with their dietitian and learning the best diet strategies, and then helping them make better meal choices and doing it alongside them.

There’s no specific diabetes diet, but together you can plan meals including vegetables, whole grains, fruit, low-fat dairy, healthy fats, and lean protein sources. You’ll help your friend or relative manage their disease, plus improve your health. A healthy and balanced diet can help you shed excess pounds and reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses.

Sometimes, people with type 2 diabetes experience a drop in blood sugar. This can cause cloudy thinking, fatigue, and weakness. Find out if your loved one is at risk for low blood sugar, and then learn what the symptoms are and how to treat them if they are. Be mindful of these symptoms and speak up if you notice a change in their behavior. You may become aware of low blood sugar symptoms before they are.

If so, encourage them to check their blood sugar levels. It’s also helpful to discuss (in advance) what to do in the event of a blood sugar drop. Since low blood sugar can confuse, your loved one may be unable to articulate the steps to raise your blood sugar now. Regular physical activity is just as important as a healthy diet for those managing type 2 diabetes. Being active and losing weight can lower blood glucose. And while sticking to a regular exercise routine can be challenging, it’s often easier to exercise when you’re accountable to someone. Offer to become workout buddies and get together a few times a week.

The most important thing is to pick something you both like to do. This way, you will stick with it, and it won’t feel like such a chore. Exercise options include aerobic activity like walking or biking, strength training, and flexibility exercises. This benefits both of you. You’ll have increased energy, less stress, and a lower risk of developing illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. A diabetes diagnosis can be scary, especially since there’s always the risk of complications. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although life-threatening complications can happen, you should keep conversations positive when speaking to someone living with type 2 diabetes. They are most likely aware of the possible complications, so they don’t need to hear about people who died from diabetes or had limbs amputated. Offer positive support, not negative stories. You may feel helpless when a loved one is diagnosed with diabetes, but your strength and support can help this person get through the toughest times. Be positive, offer specific help, and learn as much about the disease as possible. These efforts may seem insignificant from your vantage point, but they can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems.   Although diabetes has no cure, you can manage your diabetes and stay healthy. Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects Canadians of all ages. Fortunately, it is possible to remain healthy with diabetes through appropriate management and care. There are different types of diabetes such as type one, type two, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes. One ought to be watchful and regimented as far as what is to be consumed is concerned. My maternal grandmother died of type 2 diabetes. My older sister developed gestational diabetes during her 7th pregnancy, which turned into type 2 diabetes after she had her baby. When you have a special need in your community, it is difficult to discuss it with people in your community. Whether or not they take medication(s), it’s crucial to make healthy lifestyle choices, which include adopting good eating habits. A healthy and balanced diet can help you shed excess pounds and reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses. Be mindful of these symptoms and speak up if you notice a change in their behavior. If so, encourage them to check their blood sugar levels.