The first known written records of diabetes were found in Egypt around 1550 B.C., in China during the second century and in India in the fifth century. The term diabetes is shortened from the medical term diabetes mellitus, which is Greek for ‘to pass through’ and Latin for “honeyed or sweet.”
Ancient practitioners prescribed many different forms of therapy including exercise, overfeeding and starvation.
The word diabetes refers to any abnormality affecting the body’s insulin and glucose functions. It has been discovered there are multiple causes and types of diabetes.
While the term blood sugar is popular, it is incorrect. The correct term is blood glucose. The word sugar is an umbrella term for all sweet molecules including glucose, sucrose and fructose. Glucose is a simple sugar known as a monosaccharide and cannot be broken down any further. It is unique in that it absorbs directly into the bloodstream while other sugars must go through the digestion process before entering the bloodstream.
Glucose is an important source of energy for the muscles and tissues, and it is the brain’s preferred source of energy. As a side note, the liver cannot use ketones but must rely solely on glucose for its energy source. Also there are parts of the brain which can only burn glucose.
Type I diabetes is genetic. The main reason so many family members develop type II is because of the same lifestyles.
Having high levels of glucose in the bloodstream for long periods of time is dangerous because too much glucose weakens the blood vessels. This causes those vessels to distort and collapse, creating a loss of blood flow throughout the body. The end results are conditions such as blindness, gangrene and strokes.
Sleep deprivation can disrupt insulin and glucose functions which can cause diabetes, and having diabetes makes it difficult to obtain quality sleep.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) says if a person’s diabetes is severe enough to hinder normal life functioning then it qualifies as a disability.
Researchers continue to realize diabetes is more complex than traditionally believed with various underlying causes and manifestations, some of them rare.
Examples of rare diabetes conditions are neonatal diabetes, which develops in babies under six months old due to a genetic mutation, and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, a form of diabetes that develops as a direct result of having cystic fibrosis and Wolfram Syndrome. This rare, inherited genetic disorder causes various health issues, including diabetes.
Recent research is exploring possible connections between diabetes and Alzheimer’s as it appears the same conditions which cause diabetes II are the same conditions which cause Alzheimer’s. Other research is looking into the correlation between diabetes and the lack of specific nutrients.
It is wise to talk with a trusted and knowledgeable healthcare provider with questions and concerns as there are many other diseases which have the same symptoms as diabetes. These include beriberi syndrome, multiple sclerosis, thyroid issues, and even bipolar disorder
Feel free to share your diabetes story at info@WellnessWithAge.com. I personally reply to each email.
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Crystal Linn is a multi-published author and an award-winning poet. When not writing, or teaching workshops, she enjoys reading a good mystery, hiking, and sailing with friends and family. See WellnessWithAge.com.
