In medical terms, often diabetes is mentioned as diabetes mellitus. This term denotes a collection of metabolic disorders, wherein the patient suffers from high levels of glucose in the blood stream (also known as blood sugar). This may occur owing to the body's failure to produce sufficient amounts of insulin or when the cells in our body do not respond to insulin in the right way. It may be either one of these conditions or both. Generally, people who have high blood sugar levels also endure a condition called polyuria (wherein the patient urinates frequently). At the same time, such patients feel thirstier (a condition called polydipsia) and also have more craving for food (polyphagia).
Diabetes is classified under the broad category of metabolic disorder. When we talk about metabolism, we mean the manner in which our bodies utilize the digested foods to generate energy as well as stimulate growth. Most of the things we consume are broken down into simpler sugars or glucose within our body. Basically, glucose is a type of sugar found in our blood stream and it is the main source of the energy required by our body to carry out the various vital functions.
Following the digestion of the food, the resultant glucose is absorbed by the blood stream. The cells in our body utilize the glucose to generate energy and stimulate growth. Unfortunately, glucose is unable to enter the cells in the absence of insulin, because insulin facilitates the cells to take up glucose produced from the metabolism of the ingested foods.
Insulin is basically a hormone produced in our pancreas. After we eat something, the pancreas releases sufficient amounts of insulin mechanically to allow the glucose enter the cells from the blood stream. The level of glucose in the blood stream drops when it moves into the cells.
The level of glucose in the blood stream of people suffering from diabetes is unusually high. In medical terms, this condition is known as hyperglycemia. This happens when one's body does not produce enough insulin or no insulin at all. Hyperglycemia may also occur when the cells in the body fail to properly respond to the insulin produced in the pancreas. As a result, there is excessive accumulation of glucose in the blood stream. The surplus glucose is eliminated from the body through urine. This means that though one's body has sufficient glucose, the cells are not receiving it adequately. This result in lack of essential energy for various bodily functions as well as those required for healthy growth.
Self-testing the blood sugar levels (blood glucose) may prove to be a vital means for people with diabetes to keep their condition in check. It is also useful for developing an effective treatment plan and avoiding any long-term problem arising out of diabetes. In fact, it is easy to check one's blood sugar levels at home using a glucose meter - a portable electronic device. You need to prick your finger and take just one drop of blood to measure your blood sugar levels with glucose meter.
Precisely speaking, a glucose meter is a medical device that is used to find the glucose concentration in your blood stream. The reading of a glucose meter is considered to be fairly accurate. Alternatively, a glucose meter may also be a glucose paper strip immersed into a chemical substance and calibrated to a glucose chart. For people suffering from diabetes, the glucose meter is a vital aspect for home blood glucose monitoring (HBGM). It is useful for both with diabetes mellitus (type-2 diabetes) and hypoglycemia. Prick the skin on your finger using a lancet to obtain a little drop of blood and put it on a non-reusable test strip, which is read by the glucose meter to determine the level of blood glucose.
If you are suffering from diabetes you need to undergo frequent blood testing to find the level of glucose in your blood stream. This can be done by pricking your finger with a needle and take a drop of blood for determining the blood glucose level. However, the process of pricking the finger can prove to be painful for diabetics and it may take a relatively longer period for the prick to heal.
Many people suffering from diabetes have reported that applying creams or lotions on the pricked area helps them to get relief. In addition, they may also use gels especially made for application on the hands and feet of diabetics. It is worth mentioning here that Elma 01 is a wonderful cream for healing pricked fingers. Using Elma 01 helps in facilitating the healing of such wounds.
