Recent research suggests that new treatments for diabetes may not necessarily be better or more effective than older ones. A relatively common drug that has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for more than 15 years still works just as well as a number of newer and more expensive diabetes medications and may have fewer side effects. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found out that metformin,...

Researchers are now trying to find a way of treating diabetes using stem cells. According to a new study, it may just be a step or two away. Researchers from Novocell Inc., a stem cell engineering company in San Diego reports that they may have found a way to convert human embryonic stem cells into insulin producing cells. According to Dr. Emmanuel Baetge, chief scientific officer at Novocell Inc. and the primary ...

For diabetics, monitoring blood sugar levels becomes a daily habit. It is a good thing that more and more people can now do it at home with a portable blood glucose monitor. Having one at home is essential for diabetics. That is why choosing a good blood glucose monitor is important. Blood glucose monitors are usually the size of today’s mobile phones and can even be smaller. Their main use is to monitor the ...

A study has shown that a heat shock protein, which increases in expression when cells are exposed to high temperatures or stress, is able to reverse the loss of function in the nerves of diabetic lab mice. The research, written by Michael J. Urban and colleagues at the University of Kansas, suggests that the protein, Hsp70 (pictured), can be used in the future to cure the numbness of the limbs that affects many dia...

The Sanford Project has recently began a research study to determine whether the medications can rescue the few beta cell that remain after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes; and whether new beta cells can even be regenerated. “The investigational combinations of these medications could possibly allow patients to decrease or no longer need to inject insulin to keep their blood levels under proper control,̶...

One of the major struggles people with diabetes face is fighting infections.  Because of the high levels of sugar in body tissues of diabetics, bacteria grow more rapidly, making infections develop more quickly.  Infections are commonly seen on the feet of people living with diabetes, although the problem can also appear on the genitals, gums, skin, bladder, and kidneys.  The earlier these infections...

There are many symptoms associated with diabetes; one of them is nerve pain or peripheral neuropathy, characterized by pain, numbness, or discomfort in the feet and hands.  This has made many diabetics unable to live through their lives comfortably.  Fortunately, there is a variety of choices to treat the discomfort. Apart from controlling the blood sugar level, regular exercise, and maintaining a normal ...

How does it work? The advent of humalog insulin or human insulin analog has brought about a new type of diabetic. It is one that is free from the trivialities of taking one’s insulin shot many minutes before one decides to eat or take in something that might be able to elevate his or her blood sugar levels to significant degrees. It has given diabetics the option to at least not think of their disease in adva...

So you’ve already agreed that proper foot care is necessary in order to address the possibility of having your feet amputated because of diabetes. Well, how does a diabetic exactly tell when they already need to see a doctor about their foot. After all, you might just have had a really bad buy when you bought those new pair of slip-ons for your Saturday night out with your friends. Well, here are a few sympt...

If you’re a diabetic who’s taking insulin, you might be well aware of the fact that taking it becomes such a hassle. Injecting oneself with regular insulin essentially reminds you constantly that you are a diabetic because you would normally need to take it around 30 to 45 minutes before chowing down on your meal. That type of maintenance already has an alternative. For the diabetic who wants to have mu...

For health organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, they emphatically claim that "there are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people or nearly one-third of the population are unaware that they have the disease". There are approximat...

Knowing there is something wrong with your bodily functions can creep one out. Nobody wants feeling sick since everything seems to be an effort. Your activities are limited. One appear imprisoned because of his or her inability to perform. Diabetes can just do that. A diabetic is pliable to so many complications that sheer disregard of the disease results to further body dysfunctions. Diabetes is mainly caused by ...

Diabetics are not free from the prison of having infections on the foot. Thus foot care is essential otherwise expect a batch of complications even to the point of amputation. But what causes complications on the foot? How susceptible are diabetics to foot complication? What can one do to avoid such complication? One of the other complications brought by diabetes is peripheral neuropathy. It is a condition wherei...

If there is a lack of  insulin in the body, where does one get it? Once the pancreas fails to produce insulin to the body, bodily functions start to deteriorate. Insulin, though just one of the many important hormones of the body is necessary for the regulation of calories in the body. Without insulin, our body is not energized. The cells of our body are neglected by not being able to absorb the proper g...

Plan the pregnancy. Unplanned pregnancies are more common among women with diabetes than among women who do not have diabetes.. It is very important for a woman with diabetes to get her body ready before she becomes pregnant. See her doctor. Her doctor needs to look at the effects that diabetes has had on her body already, talk with her about getting and keeping control of her blood sugar, change medications if ne...