Diabetes Treatments

The cells in the pancreas produce an important hormone called insulin. Insulin is the hormone necessary in controlling the glucose levels in the blood. Glucose levels, sometimes referred to as blood sugar levels, should be maintained in normal range or balance because when insulin levels in the body are off balanced, it results to a condition known as diabetes mellitus (DM) or just diabetes, for short. Diabetes is classified to several types; each is the result of different insulin issue.

The most commonly known type of diabetes today is Type 2 diabetes formerly known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin but the body cannot process or respond to it as it normally should. Sometimes the levels of insulin are normal, but the body is just resistant. Other times, the blood sugar levels are too low, even though the hormone is present in the blood. This is known as hypoglycemia. Thus, a person suffering from Type 2 DM, at these times, can be hypoglycemic. Type II diabetes can develop at any stage in life. It is becoming more and more prevalent in children. Type II diabetes can be treated with medications but also by changes in diet and lifestyle.

The other type of diabetes is Type 1 diabetes or juvenile-onset diabetes. This was formerly known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It is different from type 2 because when someone has this type, their pancreas loses its ability to produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is considered an autoimmune disorder because the body turns against itself with the immune system attacking the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin and destroying them. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injections or shots, or sometimes with an insulin pump. There is no cure for it.

The third common type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This occurs during pregnancy and develops in pregnant women that were not previously diagnosed as diabetics. Post partum or after birth, the diabetes often goes away on its own. Though, it does leave these women at increased risk for Type II diabetes later in life.

Diabetes and Insulin
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