Diabetes is a condition that people suffer from for life. The condition means that people do not produce enough insulin or cannot use it properly. This means that sugar can build up in the body to dangerously high levels and it untreated can cause significant damage to a sufferer’s health. There are two types of diabetes and the details are below:

• Type 1 – often called insulin dependent diabetes is a condition usually diagnosed in childhood and is when the body does not produce enough insulin.
• Type 2 – this is a form that develops in adulthood and many people do not know they have it. Again it means the pancreas is not creating enough insulin.

The cause of type 1 diabetes is not known, Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood and is often caused by obesity where people become resistant to insulin over time and so need to produce more.

It is important to get medical treatment if you have diabetes as you will need to monitor your sugar levels regularly and possible use insulin injections to increase you levels. Doctors will also prescribe a number of lifestyle changes in order to help you manage the condition. These include dietary changes with the aim of reducing the sugar intake. In addition exercise can be very important in controlling diabetes.

It is also worth mentioning that diabetes can be worse at times of stress so it is important to keep your stress levels low. That means alternative therapies like yoga, meditation and massage among others could be very beneficial for diabetes sufferers. Diabetes can cause nerve damage which can be painful and in a number of studies acupuncture has proved very effective in reducing the pain and improving sleep in sufferers. There are also a number of herbs that can be used to control and reduce blood glucose and so these could be a valuable option for you.