Is Diabetes Dangerous to us?
Abstract
In recent years, the medical experts and practitioners have expressed alarm over the growing number of diabetes related deaths. While most agree that the issue deserves attention, the unison agreement revolves on how to respond to the problem of diabetes management. This paper approaches the problem of diabetes management through the enforcement of dietary measures and new lifestyle approaches. The paper compares the response to diabetes management measures across the sexes with examination focused on the glycaemic and stress levels. The examination indicates the effects of the current diabetes management system that combines medical, social and dietary approaches to this multidimensional problem.
Is Diabetes Dangerous to us?
Diabetes, within the field of biology, is described as a disorder in which bloodstream levels of sugar and carbohydrates are excessive since the entire body doesn’t relieve them. In today’s situation, there may be an increasing number of individuals that have problems with diabetes; which is often one of the many explanations for blindness. In addition, it has had an effect on 19 million individuals in the United States, and nearly 18% of the Canadian population. As a result of these worrying numbers, individuals ought to focus on these kinds of concerns about diabetes. Diabetes is a life threatening disease that kills millions of people each year. Nevertheless, as a disease, it is manageable and thus measures can be put in place to reduce the life threatening effects on the lives of people.
Diabetes can be a devastating problem for both an individual and the society. Diabetes puts a number of individuals under the risk of impending death among other medical complications. According to Tsujii, Hayashino & Ishii (2012), those that have diabetes may be critically mired because of the continual smothering nature of the illness because of its requirements regarding daily self-management, which leads to diabetes-related over emotional distress as well as lowered standard of living. Diabetes distress provides an adverse impact on one’s life thereby involving suffering and may even affect adherence to self-care as well as glycemic command. Researchers Donald, Dower, Baker and Mukandi (2013), have noted that diabetes has complications and capabilities on the mental health of the diabetic patient. It also poses serious problems for the society struggling to cope with the rising health care costs. The cost of treatment of diabetes stands at more than $114 billion per annum- a price that is extremely high. More males than females who develop diabetes are likely to lose their lives; long-term costs of health care will increase.
The scope of diabetes stretches beyond the age limit of the older generation. The widening of the scope prompts medical practitioners to rethink the previous concepts of the disease and its effects. Researchers Melo and Gucciardi (2013) have explained that diabetes was a disease much more prominent in men than women due to the sex differences. This view has however shifted. Many medical practitioners now consider the disease as a problem prominent in both sexes influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Melo and Gucciardi (2013) have further noted that the development of weight medication in the early twentieth century may have influenced the spread of the disease in the female cases. Researchers Li, Drury and Taylor (2013) conducted a research in Singapore and identified that out of every ten people: three females are affected by diabetes, some people coping with diabetes; others are caring for themselves and others in diabetics.
Management
The search for the right long term measure for the management of diabetes has been a complicated process. Diet has had adverse effects on the development of diabetes. Percy and Rubin (2014) identified that the intake of high glucose is the main cause of diabetes. Experiments conducted on mice established that mice that eat plenty of sugar easily suffer from diabetes that may results in complications of organs such as the heart, limbs and eyes. Many of the measures imposed are limited to administration of drugs and dietary measures. Many of the drugs have proven to be a disappointment with adverse side effects such as massive weight gain and effects on the mental health of the patients. According to Melo and Gucciardi (2013), women are able to respond better to control nutrition therapy. The reason for this is that females can control the food intake by avoiding food with high calories than males. Despite this, the anxiety distress levels due to the dietary measures were higher in women than men.
Effective management of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 relies on the adherence to medication and life style changes. Ineffective management of the disease could lead to life threatening effects that could result to death or crippling. As a disease, Diabetes may lead to blindness, high blood pressure and other eye problems. Li and Taylor (2013) conducted a study on the people living in Singapore. From the study, it is easy to establish that the lifestyle choices adopted by women have enabled them to cope with diabetes. According to Li, Drury and Taylor, Family members play an important role in the lives of the people living with diabetes. They are a source of support. In the self-management practices, the family members should be provided with education in order to facilitate the management of the disease. It is important to identify their role in making the person comfortable in the new life adopted as well as the dietary measures
Chronic disease management (like diabetes management) involves a support by health professionals, patient and family. The disease management involves self-management that facilitates the management of the disease through patient education and support groups. The patients’ share insights and experiences that enable them to adopt a positive outlook to life. According to Li, Rudy& Taylor (2013), the Singapore women were more optimistic taking up the choice to be happy about their current life at the present time. The optimism is a way of coping with diabetes that offers a chance for proper treatment and confidence in the curative measures of the diabetes medication. According to Marrero et al (2014), the measure of diet is important in the improving of the quality of life. The choice of sugar for bodily intake is important. In the study, researchers Marrero, Pan, Barrett-Connor, Groot, Zhang, Percy & Rubin established that mice that ate plenty of sugars suffered easily from diabetes. The effects of this were that the intake may hurt the heart, limbs and other problems. Additionally, the findings suggested that people should eat healthy and eat appropriate sugar well. Human body needs time to digest the sugar and it is not very appropriate to eat too much.
The qualities of life that people with diabetes live are influential in the control and management of the disease. The complications associated with the disease have caused limiting capabilities in patients. People with diabetes are constantly conscious of their weight and diet in an attempt to control the levels. According to Tsujii, Hayashino & Ishii, (2012), the connection between glucose and stress levels in the body is associated with the development and treatment of the disease. Essentially, people have to understand the connection between a healthy body and mind. They are supposed to limit their uptake of sugars and their stress levels in order to maintain balance. According to Tsujii, Hayashino & Ishii, (2012), mental health problems such as anxiety contribute to advancement of the disease leading to complications. Research by De Melo and Gucciardi, (2013), indicates that men are less likely to worry about their diet intake thus experience less anxiety distress than females. Lifestyle choices adoptable in the self-management include the dietary changes to make the food healthier, doing more exercise and developing a positive mood. Researcher found that some cultures experience more difficulty in maintaining the established dietary measures. Li, Drury and Taylor (2013) established that women in Singapore placed their family’s dietary measures over the established measures. This is because the cultural tradition in Singapore differs from the Western tradition of home cooking. Separate meals were a difficult measure to impose. However, other dietary difficulties are resultant to problems arising from dietary preference, the lack of self-control to temptation from food challenges with diet management as well as financial limitation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, diabetes as a disease can have life threatening effects such as high blood pressure, blindness and problems with internal organs. The disease is prominent and can be identified in persons of all ages. Diabetes stress has a strong correlation to the glycerin control within the body. However, the disease is controllable through the adoption of different measures including medication and dietary measures. The choice to take healthier food, doing exercise and adoption of an optimistic point of view include the self-management measure. The support systems adopted by medical professionals offers support for the patients in order to keep them living. Diabetes can be managed and thus reduce the diabetes related deaths in the world over.
References
De Melo, M., de Sa, E., & Gucciardi, E. (2013). Exploring differences in Canadian adult men and women with Diabetes management: results from the Canadian community health survey. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-19. Retrieve from Web.a.ebscohost.com
Donald, M., Dower, J., Coll, J. R., Baker, P., Mukandi, B., & Doi, S. R. (2013).Mental health issues decrease diabetes-specific quality of life independent of glycaemic control and complications: findings from Australians living with diabetes cohort study. Health & Quality Of Life Outcomes, 11(1), 1-17. Retrieved from web.a.ebscohost.com
Li, J., Drury, V., & Taylor, B. (2013). 'Diabetes is nothing': The experience of older Singaporean women living and coping with type 2diabetes. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 45(2), 188-196.Retrieve from Web.a.ebscohost.com
Marrero, D. D., Pan, Q. Q., Barrett-Connor, E. E., Groot, M. M., Zhang, P. P., Percy, C. C., &
Rubin, R. R. (2014). Impact of diagnosis of diabetes on health-related quality of life among high-risk individuals: the Diabetes Prevention Program outcomes study. Quality
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Tsujii, S. S., Hayashino, Y. Y., & Ishii, H. H. (2012). Diabetes distress, but not depressive symptoms, is associated with glycaemic control among Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes Distress and Care Registry at Tenri (DDCRT 1). Diabetic Medicine, 29(11). Retrieve from Web.a.ebscohost.com
