Diabetes – also known medicaly as diabetes mellitus – is a group of diseases that affect the way the body uses blood sugar (glucose).
This sugar is vital to your health because it’s the body’s main sourse of fuel.
Diabetes is a chronic condition resulting from low levels of insulin and high levels of glucose in the blood.
Simply stated, diabetes means the body has lost its main source of fuel, and the body cannot survive without fuel.
Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas, a little organ near the stomach that produces insulin (a hormone), can’t make enough insulin or the body can’t use the insulin properly.
Insulin is important because it helps our bodies to produce glucose (a sugar that comes from most of the foods we eat), which our bodies use for energy. With diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy.
Diabetes is a serious and growing problem.
Diabetes can lead to serious, even life-threatening complications and serious damage to many parts of the body: the heart, eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, gums and teeth, feet and legs.
Unfortunately, many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of these problems. Women with diabetes face special concerns, like an increased risk of vaginal infections and complications during pregnancy.
The three main types of diabetes are:
- Type 1 diabetes: also known as juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
- Type 2 diabetes: also known as adult-onset or non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)
- Gestational diabetes.
Related Topics:
Type 1 diabetes
usually occurs in children and young adults and is considered an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results when the body’s system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns against a part of the body.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin, thereby preventing cells from taking up sugar from blood.
Someone with type 1 diabetes needs daily injections of insulin to live. She also needs to follow a strict diet and monitor her blood sugar levels.
Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme tiredness. If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person can lapse into a life-threatening coma.
Type 2 diabetes
is the most common form of diabetes. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40 and is most common among adults over age 55. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually produces insulin, but for some reason, the body cannot use the insulin effectively. The end result is the same as for type 1 diabetes—an unhealthy buildup of glucose in the blood and an inability of the body to make efficient use of its main source of fuel.
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually and are not as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Symptoms include feeling tired or ill, frequent urination (especially at night), unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of sores.
Gestational diabetes
develops or is discovered during pregnancy. This type usually disappears when the pregnancy is over, but women who have had gestational diabetes have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their lives.
… the combination of Vedic Meditation, for twenty minutes twice a day, with a good diet – especially a low fat, low salt diet – and physical exercise, should see a dramatic change in your health.
Vedic Meditation is one of the most powerful techniques available for reducing stress and anxiety. It is also one of the easiest to learn and simplest to practice.
If you are in Auckland (NZ) call me, Warwick Jones, on 09 419 5380, or email to to find our how Vedic Meditation could help you achieve better health.