As FOH has already mentioned, the health situation of a patient on a given day of a progressing disease is not a collective of all the symptoms and signs prevailing at that time. We must remember that we are assessing health status of human being the homo sapiens, a species which has managed to thrive this long and should be having many unimaginable qualities of health maintaining mechanisms. These whole set of signs and symptoms may be of several character. Of all the symptoms in a patient at a time few of them are symptoms of real crisis. Some are causes of the disease, some are signs which represent adaptability of our body. Some symptoms gives us clue that disease is getting worse and others recovery.
Increased appetite, thirst, increased frequency of urination, increased blood sugar concentration, numbness of limbs, aching muscles, retinopathy, renal failure, wasting of muscles, skin complaints, symptoms of cardiac arrest and stroke are all major symptoms and signs related to diabetes. But all of them are not symptoms of true diabetes. Intelligent health expert can from these information asses the current health status of a patient quiet simply.
In previous chapters we identified many causes for a single sign ” increased blood sugar concentration” and we call it diabetes. This ultimately is a result or product of many reactions. Todays diabetes can hardly be called as scientifically explained phenomenon as it has no clear cut edge. Various reasons put forth with many uncertainties and mind it that ” all roads lead to Rome” is a philosophy not science.
As mentioned already Glucose in the blood need not be reduced to an extend of hypoglycemia. Because this glucose is the only power supply to any action or reaction in animals. The excess presence simply shows that some tissues are much in need of glucose. The crises of glucose is informed by negative mechanism to the centre. But the only way of supplying glucose is through blood. Hence as the demand for glucose at various sites increase the glucose level rise in the blood. This is usually done by liver depleting glycogen. And hence reducing the blood glucose in the name of diabetes is dangerous. In highly insulin dependent patients show symptoms of hypoglycemia. Readers with a bit of idea can now understand which organ is feeling the heat of hypoglycemia.
In type 11 diabetes you may notice in the beginning that there occurs an insulin resistance. In this diabetes you know that the target tissues are different from that of type 1. Big striated muscles are not in the list. But still the glucose rise in blood. This is because of the excessive demand of glucose in tissues which are not dependent on insulin such as brain, skin, kidneys, eyes, extremities etc. We know now that this is because of narrowing of minute blood vessels to these target cells. The body mechanism is so adaptable that the depth of the crisis is not seen outside due to the induced increased blood sugar level otherwise the death would be very fast.
As the narrowing of blood vessels are too rapid body tries to increase the blood sugar concentration so that the minimal blood supply could carry more glucose as per demand. But when the sugar supply is not adequate insulin resistance sets in( insulin in blood circulation is adequate to absorb glucose to muscle and liver cells but this process temporarily stops). This assures that the glucose supply to insulin dependent organs is tapered.. This is for helping the body not to collapse quickly, Muscles, liver etc need much large amount of sugar but in the crisis if supply of glucose is not checked the vital organs may not get glucose, stop functioning and this may lead to death.(This explains why hypoglycemia is common in insulin dependent patients)
In type 1 and later stages of type 11 diabetes insulin therapy is suggested. No objection to that strategy, and it is essential too but reducing the blood sugar to normal range should not be the aim of this intervention because this unnatural rise in insulin concentration would enhance sugar absorption into liver and muscles and this absorption reduce the blood sugar concentration in blood and this creates shortage of glucose supply to vital organs (brain, eyes, kidneys and skin) which are not insulin dependent. As glucose is absorbed into muscles in the presence of injected insulin the shortage of glucose in blood causes Hypoglycemia which may affect majorly the brain.
So FOH suggests that insulin therapy is great idea but checking the blood sugar without ingesting carbs and medications that reduce blood glucose simultaneously would be dangerous to brain, liver and kidneys( Non insulin dependent tissues) And maintaining a higher blood glucose level is a need for so called Diabetic persons.
Insulin therapy help absorption of blood glucose into those tissues dependent on it. This increases muscle mass and check loss of weight. But now other non insulin dependent tissues run out of sugar. To overcome this ample amount of food preferably carbs should be taken as the body parts like brain, liver, kidneys, skin and adipose tissues are dangerously in need of glucose. If not met quickly an acute hypoglycemia sets in which might kill the individual. This crisis is managed by body creating (automatically) appetite. And if this is not met by eating carbohydrate, maintaining health would be a deadly endeavor.