undue thirst and hunger, and rapid weight loss. These symptoms provide clues to the diagnosis of diabetes.

Men and women with Type-2 diabetes may not have the above symptoms. Some of them may experience an increase in the frequency of urination and abnormal thirst. They may however feel tired, irritable, lack concentration at work, proneness to infection, delay in wound healing, intense itching and need for frequent change of eye glasses.

At the age of 45yrs or later, if you foresee the risk of developing diabetes, get your fasting blood glucose test, 2-hrs after a drink of 3.527 oz of glucose, at least once a year. Blood glucose values of 200mg/dl and higher would suggest the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes cannot be cured completely, but can be effectively controlled. People with diabetes can lead a healthy life if, their blood glucose level is under control. The decrease in life span of a diabetic is restored to normal by maintaining good blood glucose control (90-130 mg/dl at fasting and with less than 180 mg/dl 2hrs after meals).

Sometimes, patients may not need any tablet/insulin or, even diet control to keep their blood glucose in control. This period is called honeymoon phase (in Type-1 diabetes). The duration may vary from a few days to over six months. Some patients mistake this for cure of diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease accounts for 70-75% deaths in diabetic people with acute myocardial infarction being responsible for 30% mishaps. Diabetes typically doubles heart attack risk in men and triples in women. Diabetes causes more extensive coronary atherosclerosis with triple vessel involvement. Long-duration diabetes and diabetes in elderly people is more likely to cause silent heart attack (painless MI) with increased chances of death.

It had been observed that diabetes changes the chemical composition of some substances found in the blood and leads to blood vessels narrowing or sometimes clogging up completely. This is nothing but atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and diabetes increases the pace of it. Heart disease occurs twice frequently in those suffering with diabetes than in people without diabetes. Cardiovascular complications occur early in diabetics, and often result in premature death.

Preventive management includes life style modification (quit smoking, regular exercise, and limitation of fat and energy intake) to control blood sugar, lipids and hypertension.

The diabetes patients were thought of yoga exercises for half an hour and the session took place two or three days per week. The patients were asked to continue the exercises daily in their home. The exercises included spinal twist, breathing and bows. This continued for 12 weeks and at the end of twelve weeks, the blood sugar level of all the patients chopped down significantly. But for the patients who did not take part in the yoga sessions, the blood sugar remained almost same. On analyzing the report, the doctors came to a conclusion that 30 minutes of yoga practice daily can reduce the blood glucose levels significantly.

Other forms of exercises are also helpful to control diabetes but the therapies in yoga can reduce the stress and can lower the tense of diabetics. What happens mostly is, patients fed up with yoga and leave practicing. But continuous practice should be done to attain benefit. The other problem most of the people have is money which is needed to avail these yoga sessions. The exercise sessions cost low whereas the therapy package may be a little expensive. Stress hormones increase the blood sugar level in the body. So stabilization of mind and relaxation plays important role to reduce the glucose level in the body.

In what could revolutionise healthcare for the rising diabetes population worldwide, scientists claimed to have developed a 15-minute non-surgical treatment that could lead to drastic weight loss and reverse the onset of the disease.

The breakthrough treatment, considered a cheap and safe alternative to surgery, involves a device called EndoBarrier — a plastic sleeve that is inserted into the intestine of a patient to prevent food being absorbed into the body.

The device, developed by a United States-based company, is fed through the mouth using an instrument called an endoscope while the patient is awake, the Daily Express reported.

"Obesity surgery can be risky simply because of the patient's weight and the fact that you are giving them a general anaesthetic. That's why it's so good to have a non-surgical approach," said Keith Gersin, head of obesity surgery at Carolinas Medical Centre in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has been trialling the EndoBarrier sleeve for 18 months.

"It is so quick to fit that you can get lots more patients treated. The patients loved it so much they didn't want us to remove it at the end of the trial period. We had no significant side effects and it was easily removed."

Extensive tests of EndoBarrier have been carried out in the US and Europe and last week the new device was given a licence for use on European patients.

In a 12-week trial in the Netherlands, patients fitted with the EndoBarrier lost an average of 16kg compared with a control group of patients who dieted and lost just 5kg.

According to its developers, the treatment, which costs £2,000, is about half the cost of the cheapest obesity operation.

"The patients who used it have continued to lose weight. It gave them the incentive to diet and eat sensibly," said Gersin.

The EndoBarrier device is fitted to the first two feet of the small intestine where most food is absorbed.

During trials the sleeve was able to reverse Type 2 diabetes within weeks by reducing patients' blood sugar levels so they no longer needed to take drugs. Nadey Hakim, a leading UK consultant in weight loss surgery, said: "I would love to be able to cure a patient's obesity with a 15-minute procedure. It's a very clever idea".

The EndoBarrier digestive tract liner won CE Mark approval in December, 2009, clearing the way for sales to begin in the European Union this year.

For diebetes patients CGMS technique is very beneficial, which monitors blood sugar level each minute.

In diabetes patients both conditions either it is low blood sugar or high blood sugar can be dangerous to the patient.  Hence it is necessary to check sugar level while fix duration.  To perform this task, CGMS technique (Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) can be very helpful.

CGMS is easy to use.  This small instrument can be applied anywhere on patient's belly skin.  This does not interfear in patient's daily movement so he/she can work very easily.  With the help of its EyePro Monitor change in blood sugar level is monitored continuously (288 times in a day.)  Because this instrument gives sugar level statistics whole day continuously, so it can easily be found that what effect has occured on the blood sugar level of patient's movements like eating, exercise etc.

With the help of CGMS stored results is shown in a graph.  So every person can understand it easily.  Moreover, doctors also feel it easy that why and what blood sugar levels of patient are changing in whole day.  On its basis the patient is advised to correct the routine.

Doctors say that this instrument is more effective specially for those children who are possible victims of type-1 diabetes.  Other than that for diabetes affected pregnant women and patients facing problem of chronic low bloodpressure, the use of CGMS can be very beneficial.

Glucose is a source of instant energy. But the body's cells require insulin to enter it rather our body opens the way for the entry of glucose into cells. When body cells can not use the food produced by the body, then glucose level in blood get increased which leads to onset of diabetes. 

Take advice from your doctor before exercising.  For patients with diabetes walking and jogging are the best exercises, but also tennis, badminton, cycling can do.

In diabetes even greater importance of the diet with medication.

- Avoid any type of sugar.

- Some foods can be eaten in any quantity like lemons, water, and vegetable soup, coconut water.  Should stay away from smoking, meat, do not drink alcohol.

- Diabetic patients should take carbohydrates in the food with more calories.  Take fibrous food. 

- Food should have well crushed.

- For patients with diabetes bitter gourd, onion, cucumber, tomato, Amaranth, jackfruit, coconut water, oranges, berries, fenugreek is beneficial.

- Diabetic patients should reduce intake of eggs, ginger, papaya, pomegranate, dry fruits, nuts, cabbage, sweets, pastries, sweet biscuits, chips, nuts. Avoid over riped fruit it increases the sugar. As far as possible, try to eat some raw fruit.

- Neem, bitter gourd, sycamore, amla in any form, berries and seeds of the dry powder and onion etc is beneficial.

It would be better to consider the same before the time or the young age.

Cure for diabetesDiabetes is the most severe and common disease throughout the world. There is a report which says that more than 5 percent of world’s population is affected by diabetes of various forms. The important fact to be noted here is there are 12 million diabetes affected people in Europe alone. Frightening isn’t it?

Majority of people are affected by NonInsulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) which is a genetic disease. The disease is referred as Type – II diabetes by doctors. This disease attack due to various reasons like obesity, inactive lifestyle and nutrional imbalances.

Regular practice of yoga reduces the risk of diabetes and yoga can even cure diabetes. Doctors all over the world recommend diabetes patients to practice yoga. The yoga exercises that suit for diabetics differ from normal hatha yoga. The exercises should be customized for diabetics and it should involve stretching exercises, relaxation exercises and meditation.

Those who doubt the yoga’s potential in curing diabetes read the following news about a study and then you may amend your thoughts. Recently a study was jointly conducted by an Indian Yoga Research organization and Yoga Biomedical Trust.

The percentage of diabetic patients all over the world is increasing day by day. Diabetes is the third widespread and serious disease after heart disease and cancer.

We need energy to carry out any activity by the body. Our body converts glucose into working power and remains active. Digestive process converts carbohydrates from our food into glucose. As the proportion of glucose in the blood increases, immediately pancreas gland situated behind the stomach releases hormones known as insulin. It converts glucose in the form of power and stores the extra glucose in the cells of liver and muscles. Thus the quantum of glucose in the blood remains balanced. Diabetes mellitus is a disease state in which pancreas not functions normally, no sufficient insulin is produced and so, the body is not capable to manage its food intake properly, body’s metabolism gets disturbed.

The sugar, starch and other carbohydrates are not burnt properly because of missing insulin, it leads high blood sugar. The kidneys cannot bear too much sugar (glucose) in the blood and as a result it is filtered out with the urine. Body therefore, utilizes fat instead of glucose. When glucose is converted to strength, the fuel is fully utilized but when fat is utilized as a fuel, poisonous gases like acetone are produced. A diabetic patient becomes comatose called as diabetic coma.

Two major types of diabetes mellitus are:

Diabetes Type I / also called as juvenile Diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)

The patients belonging to this category have their pancreas damaged due to virus. In such cases the cells producing insulin normally get destroyed. Therefore, it becomes essential to get insulin injected from outside. So, It is called as insulin dependent diabetes.

It can occur at any age, though it most commonly occurs during younger age.

Diabetes Type II  / also called as type 2 diabetes mellitus, adult-onset diabetes, Non-Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)

This diabetes is more common than type-I. About 95 to 98% of diabetic patients fall in this class Type-II diabetes mostly occurs in people who are over 40 and overweight. In this type of patients, insulin is produce in the body but its quantum is lower than required. This diabetes can be controlled by proper food, exercises and performance of Yogic exercises.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes also involves a combination of inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness, resembling type 2 diabetes in several respects. It develops during pregnancy and may improve or disappear after delivery. Even though it may be transient, gestational diabetes may damage the health of the fetus or mother, and about 20%–50% of women with gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in about 2%–5% of all pregnancies. It is temporary and fully treatable but, if untreated, may cause problems with the pregnancy, including macrosomia (high birth weight), fetal malformation and congenital heart disease. It requires careful medical supervision during the pregnancy.

Fetal/neonatal risks associated with GDM include congenital anomalies such as cardiac, central nervous system, and skeletal muscle malformations. Increased fetal insulin may inhibit fetal surfactant production and cause respiratory distress syndrome. Hyperbilirubinemia may result from red blood cell destruction. In severe cases, perinatal death may occur, most commonly as a result of poor placental profusion due to vascular impairment. Induction may be indicated with decreased placental function. Cesarean section may be performed if there is marked fetal distress or an increased risk of injury associated with macrosomia, such as shoulder dystocia.

Other types

There are several rare causes of diabetes mellitus that do not fit into type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes:

•Genetic defects in beta cells (autosomal or mitochondrial)

•Genetically-related insulin resistance, with or without lipodystrophy (abnormal body fat deposition)

•Diseases of the pancreas (e.g. chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis)

•Hormonal defects

•Chemicals or drugs

The tenth version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) contained a diagnostic entity named "malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus" (MRDM or MMDM, ICD-10 code E12). A subsequent WHO 1999 working group recommended that MRDM be deprecated, and proposed a new taxonomy for alternative forms of diabetes. Classifications of non-type 1, non-type 2, non-gestational diabetes remains controversial.

Diabetes insipidus (DI)

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disease characterized by excretion of large amounts of severely diluted urine, which cannot be reduced when fluid intake is reduced. It denotes inability of the kidney to concentrate urine. Diabetes insipidus (DI) is caused by a deficiency of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), or by an insensitivity of the kidneys to that hormone.

Effects of uncontrolled diabetes

Diabetes Type 2 may affect all parts of the body causing serious complications as, Atherosclerosis, Retinopathy, Neuropathy, Foot problems, Nephropathy etc...

In comparison to the healthy man, the possibility of having high blood pressure and ailment of heart is 2 to 3 times more for a diabetic patient.

Diabetes is an insidious disease. In fact, moderately high levels of blood glucose (180-200 mg/dl) produce no symptom and may go unnoticed for many months or even years. Most patients with Type 1 diabetes pass large volumes of urine, experience an increase in the frequency of urination,