Advanced Treatment Trends For Diabetes

Like obesity, diabetes is now considered by many health experts and professionals as an “epidemic” because more and more people suffer from it. The age ranges of people who become prone to it become younger and younger. And the people who are at risk are those who do not only have diabetes history in their families but also those who have developed the disease over time.

Experts say that people who have a history of diabetes in their bloodlines are the primary set of people who are at risk for this disease. But, they are not the only ones who can suffer from this chronic illness. In fact, almost everyone—especially those who have high glucose content in their blood and unable to use it—is prone to having this disease.

Trends are changing

Before, when you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is synonymous to loss of limbs, total loss of vision or blindness, kidney failure, and worst, early death. But now, this is no longer the case. Because of the trends in modern technology and advances in the medical field through research, many people with diabetes are seeing hope that they will enjoy longer and healthier their lives just like the regular people.

1. Insulin. Since diabetes is caused by lack of supply of insulin among diabetics, more and more people come up with variations with the way insulin can enter the body such as:

- implantable insulin pumps which makes it possible for the blood sugar levels to be measured so the and exact amount of insulin needed is delivered instantly;

- insulin inhalers which can aid the daily injections of insulin by providing instant relief by using rapid-acting insulin which is sprayed and inhaled through the mouth—including its coats, the throat and the tongue to pave the way for insulin to enter the into the bloodstream quickly;

- insulin pill which will use a new type of polymer can help the diabetic get insulin faster because it can allow insulin to get into the person’s bloodstream without being destroyed by the digestive system; and

- new insulins which are designed to minimize the regimens and to better control glucose for people including “glargine” which is a basal insulin, the “aspart” which is a very-rapid-acting insulin, and the “75/25 lispro mixture” containing a very-rapid-acting content.

2. Monitoring and tests. These are very important to know how well the diabetic is doing. The new trends when it comes to monitoring and tests include:

- pain free glucose tests which allows the diabetic to monitor their own blood sugar without the excruciating pain of literally sticking their fingers to be able to get blood samples;

- continuous monitoring device which is a “wristwatch-like” device that give more information in how to mange diabetes effectively;

3. New treatments. Since diabetes is a chronic disease, there’s no definite treatment to cure it. However, there are more and more treatments that promise better results like:

- islet cell transplant which can be effective for people with the rare type of diabetes—the type 1 diabetes—because it uses the Edmonton technique which utilize uses cells from the pancreas or islet cells coming from a donor to help the person to produce insulin;

- gene therapy which identifies that a gene called “SHIP2″ can regulate the production of insulin;

4. Vaccine. Through the vaccine—containing a peptide—that stops the destruction of pancreatic cells in the human body, more and more diabetics are now hoping that they can live longer lives despite the illness.

Medications and Treatments For Diabetes

What is sad about people who are suffering from diabetes is that many of them remain undiagnosed mainly because of lack of knowledge on the disease and lack of resources to even visit a doctor and know their real condition. In fact, more often than not, “diabetics” or the people who are suffering from diabetes only know about their condition once their bodies exhibit signs and symptoms that can no longer be ignored. These include extreme blurring of vision, excruciating pains especially in the legs, and cuts or sores that takes time to heal and worse, wounds that don’t heal at all and needs to cut to avoid other affected cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

Treatment and medical options

Since diabetes is a chronic disease, people who are suffering from it should be more vigilant about their health more than ever. It means that they should visit their doctors more often, maintain a healthy lifestyle and take the necessary medications or undergo needed treatments for them to stay healthy.

Before taking in any medication or undergoing a specific treatment, it is a must that person knows what type of diabetes he or she is suffering from. Basically, there are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes wherein the person’s body doesn’t have the capability to produce insulin, which is crucial for sugar to turn the food into energy; the type 2 diabetes—the most common type—restricts the person’s pancreas to produce enough supply insulin for the body to use well; and the gestational diabetes which occurs among pregnant women and can lead to type 2 diabetes eventually if not monitored immediately.

Experts say that people with diabetes should aim for healthy diet and getting regular exercise to control the illness. At times, there will be the need to take in some medications or undergo treatments. The following are just some of the common medications advised for people with diabetes:

1. Insulin shots. Since insufficient insulin levels in the body cause diabetes, insulin itself can solve the problem. For diabetics, insulin is very important because it lowers the blood sugar in the body by moving the sugar from the person’s blood into the cells. Insulin should be taken at least two times daily to ensure that there will be stable blood sugar control. It should be taken at least 30 minutes before each meal or should be taken before one eats especially if she or he takes a fast effecting type.

2. Oral medications. People with type 1 diabetes are not advised to use oral medications since insulin shots are injected in their bodies 24/7 in order to survive. Oral medications work best to people with type 2 diabetes—especially those who have high blood sugar—because these can serve as a supplement for them. The most common oral medications include sulfonylureas which forces the pancreas to produce more insulin to lower the blood sugar levels; siguanides which helps achieve lower blood sugar by stopping the liver in producing too much sugar; metformin which helps the person lose weight which is the common cause of diabetes; thiazolidinediones which helps the cells develop higher sensitivity to insulin which moves the glucose from the blood; and meglitinides which is responsible for helping the pancreas produce more insulin immediately after each meal to effectively lower blood sugar levels.