What is Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms and Cure


Diabetes is an issue that can ail you life-long but does it really need to? The way you handle your health and blood sugar levels decides whether you subdue this disorder as it tries to take over your body.

Now, how does Type 2 diabetes occur?

About 27 million U.S. residents suffer from diabetes and another set of 86 million have been known to be diagnosed with prediabetes. Among prediabetics, the blood sugar levels is above normal, but not very high to be considered as diabetes.

Your pancreas tends to make a highly crucial hormone named insulin. This is what allows your cells to extract the glucose from the food you consume and turn it into energy. Now, people suffering from Type 2 diabetes create insulin, but the cells fail to use it in a way that they should. Doctors term this issue as insulin resistance.

At the initial stage, your pancreas makes more amount of insulin in order to get the glucose inside the cells. However, the pancreas fails to keep up and the sugar amount builds up in the blood.

Watch this Video to Understand 8 Early Signs of Diabetes That You Shouldn’t Ignore.

What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?

Now, Type 2 diabetes isn’t something that stems from a single reason. It is a disease that develops with time from the entire system in your body going haywire. The array of risk factors that lead to the onset of Type 2 diabetes includes:

Genetic Predisposition:

Over time and after several researches, scientists have noted that genetic predisposition could also increase your chances of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. If you have a close relative like mother, father, sister, or first cousin suffering from diabetes, chances are you could also be affected with the same. The closer your genetic relation with the patient, the higher the chances of you having the same set of genetic code which can lead to higher amount of American diabetes population.

Being Obese:

Being at a weight which is higher than the recommended normal BMI could increase your chances of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, it can make you insulin resistant. This is especially true if you happen to carry some extra pounds close to the middle section of the body like stomach. Not just the adult section, even teens and kids can be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

This issue stems from childhood obesity. If you are planning to evade your chances of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it is better you start losing weight. Even 10 percent of the existing body weight when reduced helps a lot.

Higher Glucose from Liver:

When your body’s blood sugar levels are low, the liver starts making and sending out higher amount of glucose. After you take your meal, the blood sugar content in the body goes up. This is when the liver slows down & stores the glucose for use later.

But, for someone who could be diabetic or pre-diabetic, the liver doesn’t slow down or store the glucose for use later. They keep producing sugar and thus leading to higher blood sugar content.

Metabolic Syndrome:

People who have been diagnosed with insulin resistance have a combination of several conditions which includes high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure, triglycerides, high cholesterol, and extra waist fat. Such patients have risk of type 2 diabetes, especially if you have a slowed down metabolism.

Bad Cell Communication:

Sometimes it so happens that the cells in your body send out wrong signals and don’t pick the messages in the right manner. When these issues affect the way your cells create & use insulin/glucose, the body starts a particular chain reaction leading to the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Broken Set of Beta Cells:

If your cells that create insulin tend to send out an incorrect insulin amount when the time isn’t right, the blood sugar level goes haywire. High level of blood glucose in the body can also damage the beta cells in your body, hence leading to diabetes.

Now that you know the causal factors of Type 2 diabetes, let’s understand the symptoms and prevent complications.

Signs & Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes symptoms that you need to keep an eye on include:

1-Frequent Urination:

Frequent Urination

When your blood sugar levels go up than normal, the kidneys tend to remove excess amount of sugar with use of filtering technique. Now, diabetics tend to suffer from heightened amount of blood sugar all the time. Diabetes may cause kidney disease.

This is why; the kidneys are required to filter out on a regular basis. This can lead to the person feeling an urge to urinate more often than needed. This is especially true at night.

2-Increased Thirst:

Increased Thirst

Another common one among the symptoms of type 2 diabetes is enhanced thirst. The heightened frequency of urination which is necessary for removal of excess sugar in the blood results in your body losing more water. With loss of water from the body, it is obvious that your body would require more water. In time, this can lead to dehydration & make the person feel thirstier than normal.

[Also Read What Causes Excessive Thirst in Diabetes?]

3-Hunger Pangs:

Hunger Pangs
Hunger Pangs

People suffering from diabetes generally do not receive proper amount of energy from the meal they consume. Your digestive system tends to break down the food into simpler for of sugar known as glucose.

This is used by the body as fuel. Among people suffering from diabetes, enough amount of glucose doesn’t move from your bloodstream to the cell inside your body. This is why you get constant hunger pangs.

4-Constant Tiredness:

Constant Tiredness

Among people suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the energy level as described above tends to be very low. This is why you feel constantly fatigued and tired. The key to get rid of this long-term fatigue is opting for better diet and regular exercise or you may say physical activity. You can also practice yoga with Ayurveda treatment to ensure that these diabetes symptoms can be taken care of.

5-Blurry Vision:

Blurry Vision

An excess amount of blood sugar in the stream can damage your tiny and thin blood vessels surrounding the eyes. This can lead to blurry vision for people with type 2 diabetes. This damage to the blood vessels in your eyes can either damage just one or both your eyes. Additionally, the blurry vision can come and go depending on the way you control your blood sugar levels.

6-Wounds Healing Slow:

Wounds Healing Slow

High blood sugar level in your bloodstream can damage nerves in your body as well as the blood vessels. This can eventually lead to impaired form of blood circulation. Eventually, even the smallest wounds and cuts can take you months or weeks to heal.

Now, as a diabetic patient, you need to remember that slow healing wounds can increase your risk of being infected. Hence, you need to take care of the general cleanliness in the area of the cut to ensure that there is no infection.

7-Numbness, Tingling, or Pain in feet and hand:

Numbness, Tingling, or Pain in feet and hand

Given the fact that high blood sugar level can damage the nerves in your body and affect proper blood circulation, you can experience pain in various parts of the body. People suffering from Type 2 diabetes have issues with tingling sensation, numbness, or pain in the feet and hands. This particular condition is termed as neuropathy. Things when not controlled can get worse with time leading to serious complications of diabetes.

8-Dark Skin Patches:

Dark Skin Patches

If you ever notice dark skin patches forming over the creases in the armpit, neck, and groin, it can signify that you are at a higher risk of suffering from diabetes. These particular patches might feel velvety and soft. This particular condition is termed as acanthosis nigricans.

9-Yeast and Itching Infections:

Yeast and Itching Infections

Excess blood sugar & urine acts as a food for the yeast to infect your privates which is also one among the diabetes symptoms. This form of infection generally occurs on moist, warm areas in the skin. Additionally, you can also experience itching in areas such as genitals, mouth, and your armpits. At times, without proper treatment, you can experience redness, burning, as well as soreness.

Treatment/Cure for Type 2 diabetes

Managing diabetes can be a life-long commitment. You can commit to a healthy diet and amazing lifestyle with healthcare options such as:

Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Losing weight tends to be one among the best form of treatment for type 2 diabetes. Even if you happen to lose 5 or 10 percent of the existing body weight, it can aid you in better control over Type 2 diabetes progression. The best way to do so is eating healthy and controlling portions.

Regular Exercise:

Regular ExerciseRather than going with a single form of exercise, people with type 2 diabetes need to opt for mixed version of exercises. Divide it in proper proportions like if Monday is all about strength training, make the next day about aerobics or yoga. This way, you create muscles for better metabolism and amp up the heart rate to bring down your existing weight.

Healthy Diet:

Healthy DietRemember, instead of skipping things, you need to opt for portion control. Reduce the amount of calories you consume per day and replace it with fiber and healthy fats. Opt for lowered amount of refined carbohydrates. Add more fruits, vegetables, and fiber-based foods to your diet and take control over Type 2 diabetes with your healthy eating habits.

Diabetes Medication/Insulin Therapy:

Diabetes Medication/Insulin TherapyNow, the herbal approach sure does work but some patients also require the modern medications. This includes possible treatments such as metformin, meglitinides, sulfonylureas, Thiazolidinediones, DPP-4 inhibitors, and insulin therapy.

Blood Sugar Monitoring:

Blood Sugar MonitoringDepending on the treatment plan you follow, it is required that you keep a check on the blood sugar levels. Regular monitoring helps you ensure that the medications and treatment plan you have opted for actually works for you and if not, you can change it accordingly.

Apart from the diabetes medications, the doctor might also prescribe a low-dosage of aspirin along with cholesterol and blood pressure lowering medications. This helps prevent blood vessel and heart related disease.

  • If you recently experienced any of the diabetes symptoms, your doctor might suggest you bariatric surgery. This is applicable for people suffering from type 2 diabetes with BMI that is higher than 35. You can notice dramatic changes in your blood sugar. In this surgery, the doctors bypass a section of small intestine that aid in lowering the blood sugar level.
  • Additionally, women diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes might be required to alter the treatment protocol during pregnancy. Many pregnant women might be required to hop on to insulin therapy. Medications such as aspirin, cholesterol-lowering medications, and blood pressure lowering drugs should be avoided when pregnant.

With Type 2 diabetes, you need to look for certain trouble signs such as:

  • Hyperglycemia/High Blood Sugar- Look for signs & symptoms like frequent urination, dry mouth, fatigue, blurred vision, nausea, etc.
  • HHNS or Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome can be a life-threatening issue that denotes a reading for blood sugar which is more than 600mg/dl. HHNS might cause extreme thirst, drowsiness, dark urine, confusion, as well as convulsions.
  • Increased toxic acids in the urine known as ketones.
  • Low level of blood sugar doesn’t always suggest that you are gaining control over your diabetic status. Sudden hypoglycaemia suggests that something is very wrong with you. So make sure you look for signs such as headache, blurred vision, irritability, weakness, and slurred speech.

Bottom Line

Until and unless you commit to yourself and make a promise to lead a healthy lifestyle, medications will only provide temporary relief. Try alternative medications such as Ayurvedic treatment that treats your body as a whole. Make sure you get in touch with a certified doctor to ensure you get access to proper treatment protocol.



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