Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most destructive sicknesses that a person can get sick of. The body's dependence on simple sugar as the source of all the energy we need to grow and survive is so great that once a wrench is thrown into the way we absorb and process energy, there isn't much else to go but down.

Insulin is the key element when it comes to keeping your metabolism going, and your body's ability to produce or absorb enough insulin to save your life – literally – is what diabetes is all about. Now, people generally know that diabetes is significant because of the patient's inability to take in sugar in large doses, but there are actually three kinds of diabetic symptoms that identify the particular type of diabetes the patient is suffering from.

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes; this sickness is the inability of the body to absorb insulin. While the pancreas – the organ that produces insulin in the body – are still well and able to produce the sufficient amount of insulin the body needs, the human body just can't seem to utilize the said insulin properly, resulting into a condition called insulin resistance.

Another type of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, has a reversed situation. While the body is still capable of utilizing insulin, the pancreas becomes increasingly unable to produce enough of the chemical to support the body. While this type of diabetes is rare, the disease develops over a relatively short period of time, and if left untreated, can result into diabetic ketoacidosis.

The last type of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes. This type develops only in pregnant women, and usually disappears after the birth of the baby. However, there remains a possibility that the woman could, as a result, develop type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is diagnosed by checking for the sugar content of the blood. Blood glucose levels of 126 milligrams after an eight-hour fast, or a reading of 200 milligrams per deciliter after the oral glucose tolerance test. Treating diabetes involves regular physical activity, healthy eating, and regular insulin shots (blood glucose testing, for type 2 patients) administered to the patient.