Exercise? Great for Diabetics

Why Exercise?

Exercise is beneficial for diabetics by helping you manage blood  glucose levels. Blood capillary beds are increased and that increases the efficiency of your body cells. This makes the cells use of insulin better.

Activity, through exercise, helps you "burn"' calories. This requires you to provide glucose that eventually creates products that muscles use for movement. It also lowers your blood glucose that aids in glucose management.

Exercise distributes your blood into the increased blood capillary beds. This lowers your blood pressure and reduces your chance of stroke. 

Your heart is a wonderful muscle and, it too, increases its' capillary beds. This lessens the chance for heart related problems tied to oxygen deprivation.  The effects of a heart attack are minimized and recovery is quicker,

On a chemical basis, exercise raises good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. Keep in mind fat is necessary to provide insulation to myelinated nerves. Your body produces cholesterol naturally for this purpose. Too much fat in your diet is the problem. Anytime you can exercise is good for heart health.

Insulin need is reduced through exercise by reducing the amount of blood glucose. The pancreas produces less insulin because of exercise.

Weight control is better through exercise. Losing fat, a source of stored glucose in the form of glycogen, prevents the body from turning to this potential source of glucose. That, in turn, lowers blood glucose.

Exercise leads to quicker working energy by supplying glucose, needed for normal activities, faster. It also converts chemicals that make muscles "sore" faster. Your recovery time from good exercise is shorter.

Weight bearing exercise is excellent for other systems in your body. Blood flow back to the heart from lower extremities, like your legs, is enhanced by the "milking action" of muscles contracting in your lower legs and thighs. Bone health is enhanced by better blood circulation and repair of tissues in better and more efficient.

Swimming, a form of low-impact exercise, is very effective for increasing cardiovascular health without the risk of join damage associated with walking, jogging and running. The older you get the chance of damage or injury is greater with impact exercise.

Sleep, of course, is very important to your health. Exercise helps you achieve deep sleep which is necessary for psychological recovery. 

Stress, anxiety and depression recovery are alleviated through exercise and proper sleep habits.

The local gym, personal coach and, especially good, a physician trained in exercise programs for diabetics is a great place to begin your exercise program.

Diabetes and Pregnancy

Diabetes and Pregnancy

Several normal physiological changes occur in pregnancy. Increased hormonal secretions influence blood glucose levels.  Remember, hormones are "global" since they are carried by the blood stream to all parts of your body. 

One effect is a "glucose drain" from your system through the placenta to the fetus. The emptying of your stomach is slowed, an increased excretion of glucose by the kidneys occurs and there is a resistance of cells to insulin.

The risks to a developing fetus from a diabetic mother include:

• Miscarriage
• Growth restriction
• Fetal obesity
• Mild neurological deficits
• Birth defects

Building on the above risks, mild neurological and cognitive deficits in offspring include increased symptoms of ADHD, impaired fine and gross motor skills and impaired explicit memory performance are linked to Diabetic Type 1 mothers. A mechanism for the above deficits may involve prenatal iron deficiency. 

High blood sugar is harmful to both the mother and her fetus. If you plan on a pregnancy try and maintain the blood sugar level close to a normal range two to three months in advance of becoming pregnant.

Type II diabetics need insulin instead of oral diabetes medication. Type I diabetics need extra insulin during pregnancy. You need more frequent blood glucose checks to carefully manage your glucose levels in pregnancy.

Tips for diabetics before and during pregnancy.

• Coordinate with your health care team to monitor and achieve blood glucose normal levels
• See a physician experienced in diabetic pregnancies
• Monitor your eyes and kidneys - pregnancy may increase damage to them
• Stop smoking, drinking alcohol or the use of harmful drugs
• Follow the dietary plan of an experienced dietician

If you are already pregnant consult a physician right away. It is not too late to bring blood glucose levels to a normal range so you and your fetus stay healthy during the rest of your pregnancy.

Screening for Glaucoma - Preventive Medicine

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is silent and early detection is essential. Permanent loss of vision is the end result. Yearly examinations by a vision specialist, of your choice, will screen for the early onset of glaucoma.

Your body keeps you in balance without your knowledge. This is called homeostasis. In the eye a fluid keeps the shape of the eye perfect for you to see well. Fluid balance maintenance is very important. 

In your eye, fluid enters the internal chamber from small blood vessels called capillaries. These capillaries are found at the arterial end of blood vessels that supply fluid to your body systems. These small tubes are only one cell layer thick. At the same time, fluid is reabsorbed back into the circulatory system through venous capillary beds that return blood to the heart. 

This inflow and outflow of fluid from the chamber of the eye is perfectly balanced. Why is this important? Liquids are not compressible. This is why early detection is essential. If the rate of fluid formation, in the eye chamber, is greater than the rate of reabsorption internal pressure in the eye increases. This slowly increasing pressure destroys the optic nerve of the eye if it is allowed to continue undetected. Glaucoma is abnormal pressure buildup in the internal chamber of the eye. 

This is not temporary. It results in permanent blindness. A vision specialist will prescribe a liquid medication that prevents the pressure buildup. You have to take the medication for the rest of your life.

There are non-profit groups that routinely test people with a machine called a tonometer. It measures internal eye pressure. They screen for values that may indicate you need to see a vision specialist for further tests.

Glaucoma may indicate a capillary condition that results from diabetes. Diabetes is controllable but there is not a cure for diabetes. If you are diabetic your chance of suffering from glaucoma is high.

A Different Way to Look at Oxidation and Reducton

Oxidation and Reduction

Glucose is a simple sugar that provides, in small steps, a way to produce energy (ATP) . Cellular Oxidation or Cellular Respiration is:  Oxygen + Glucose breaks down into Carbon Dioxide and Water and Energy. The reverse of this equation is Photosynthesis where the Energy is supplied by the Sun that raises an Electron to a Higher Energy Level.

Oxidation is a gain of Oxygen
Reduction is a loss of Oxygen

That explains Oxidation and Reduction. It also means, in an Equation, if something is Oxidized then something else is Reduced. There are Cycles in our cells that make this possible by rearranging atoms and molecules to make  it all possible.

This means there is another way to state what happens to a atom or molecule in an Oxidation and Reduction reaction.

Here is a summary of the different ways to view Oxidation and Reduction.

Oxidation is:

A Gain of Oxygen
A Loss of Electrons
A Loss of Hydrogen

Reduction is:

A Loss of Oxygen
A Gain of Electrons
A Gain of Hydrogen

Household Cleaner, like Chlorine Bleach, is a good way to see Oxidation and Reduction in action. Chlorine, by itself, likes to steal electrons from whatever it touches. If it grabs an electron form something else, the Chlorine atom is reduced. The substance that losses its electron is oxidized. That why they say Chlorine Bleach is a great oxidizing agent used in cleaning.

To the Chemists, well, it is a little simple.

If you look at The Periodic Table that lists all the Elements you find an arrangement of particles found in each element. These particles make up the nucleus of each and every atom and contribute to a hazy electron cloud that surrounds each atom.

The nucleus is comprised of Protons (+) and Neutrons (No Charge) while the Cloud contains Electrons ( - ). In elemental form each atom of an element is neutral as far as a electrical charge.

Chlorine is placed in a group of elements that are very reactive. (They all like to steal electrons)
Why? In nature we all try to achieve an equilibrium of comfort. Thats life! Atoms have a different way to achieve comfort.

In an atom, when it is "neutral" as far as charge is concerned,  the number of Protons (+) in the nucleus is the same as the number of Electrons ( -)  zipping about in the electron Cloud. The overall charge is Zero on the Chlorine Atom. Why can't Chlorine just behave itself?

For an Element, like Chlorine, the Electrons whirl about the Chlorine Nucleus in several different rings or Energy Levels. To achieve stability, hence peace and quiet, an atom needs just 8 electrons in that outermost ring. Chlorine only has 7 electrons in its outermost ring. It is so reactive it steals another electron from some other element.

Keep in mind, the  number of Protons in the Nucleus doesn't change. Forget the Neutrons for this discussion.

When Chlorine "steals" an Electron from some other Element it now has 8 Electrons in its outermost Energy Level. It now has achieved electronic stability. Now,the overall Charge on the Chlorine Atom, before stealing, was Zero. What is it now? Remember, originally the number of Protons and Electrons were the same. If you add one electron the overall charge on the Chlorine is a negative ( - ) 1.  Due to stealing the electron the Chlorine Oxidizing Agent (used in disinfecting or cleaning) is Reduced (gained an electron) and become a negatively charged Ion! Therefore, all Elements or Molecules with an overall Charge are ions. Some simple and some Complex!

A Sodium Atom is the opposite of a Chlorine Atom. Sodium, using a line of reasoning like for Chlorine, needs to lose an Electron for stability. Guess where Chlorine got its Electron it needed. You are right! From Sodium. Sodium now has an overall Positive charge and become a positive charged Ion. When Table Salt is formed a Chlorine ion and a Sodium Ion unite in what is an Electrostatic Bond that forms a molecule of Sodium Chloride.

Isn't this fun! Since Chlorine was reduced by gaining an electron the Sodium is the Reducing Agent and Sodium was Oxidized (lost its electron) to Chlorine. Hence Chlorine is the Oxidizing Agent.

Whew! See how easy this was? I will leave the discussion now. The above is an Oxidation - Reduction Reaction. One of many that occur in the Oxidation of Glucose to eventually form ATP, a source of storable chemical energy.