According to the American Diabetes Association's 2010 Standards of Care, checking blood glucose at home is an important component of effective diabetes therapy. Blood glucose numbers give important information about how well diet, medications and...
Diabetics quickly learn that monitoring their blood glucose is more than just a convenience---it can literally save their lives. Fortunately, the makers of glucose monitors have made it easier and less expensive to check your glucose throughout...
Diabetes is a disease that prevents the body from making or using insulin well enough to prevent high blood glucose levels. The three types of diabetes -- type 1, type 2 and gestational -- can cause serious conditions and life-threatening...
The precise amount of sugar in food can be determined from the nutrition fact label found on packaged food or from USDA food charts. However, you can also determine the amount of sugar in foods by performing an easy science experiment. Doctors use...
For many diabetics it is essential that they have the right supplies on hand at all times to take care of their disease. Having to follow a diet, taking medications and getting enough exercise each day are also part of living a healthy lifestyle...
People with diabetes must monitor their blood sugar closely throughout every day to make sure that it remains within a normal range. EndocrineWeb explains that a fasting blood sugar--that is, a blood sugar measurement taken when the individual...
The Atkins Diet is designed to force your body into ketosis by limiting carbohydrate intake. Ketosis is the process of burning fat instead of carbohydrates, your body's preferred energy source. Most dieters have no trouble achieving ketosis...
Regular monitoring of your blood glucose is the main tool you have for managing your diabetes. This is recommended for anyone who takes insulin, has a difficult time controlling their blood sugar, experiences low blood sugar without warning or who...
Uninsured and under-insured diabetics often are not able to pay for their diabetic supplies. Carolyn Robertson from the Gonda Diabetes Center at UCLA expresses her concern that diabetics will "skip a test in order to cut down the costs of strips,"...
The Ascensia Contour is a home blood glucose meter made by Bayer HealthCare. It offers diabetic patients a simple way to test their blood sugar because it doesn’t require users to code the monitor. It is available in five colors and provides...
Diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are chronically elevated. One of the most dangerous complications of diabetes is a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, which is caused by the body being unable to use glucose as an energy...
When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, it's a big challenge for the entire family to adjust to constantly monitoring blood blood glucose levels, sticking to a healthy diabetic diet and ensuring that exercise is a part of the daily routine. ...
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is a primary symptom of diabetes. When glucose levels rise, symptoms such as increased hunger or thirst, blurred vision, headache or fatigue may occur, indicating need for treatment. If left untreated,...
According to the Mayo Clinic, what all types of diabetes have in common is their influence on the body’s blood glucose. Levels of glucose in the body are crucial to health because glucose serves as the key energy supply for cells. All types...
Glucose is the body's primary fuel source, and when glucose intake is severely restricted, the body will begin burning fat for fuel. Ketones are produced in the liver as a byproduct of the fat-burning process, and the condition of producing...
The OneTouch Ultra 2 is a hand-held machine that measures blood sugar. It is generally used by people with diabetes who are trying to control their blood sugar levels. Keeping glucose levels as close to normal as possible helps diabetics maintain...
Tracking your blood sugar levels is an important part of diabetes management. The food you eat is converted into glucose for your body to use as energy. Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which allows glucose to enter your cells. If your...
A regular daily regimen for diabetics is testing their own blood to ensure glucose measures are uniform and adequate to provide proper blood sugar levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports there are more than 25 types of glucose...
Prior to the discovery of insulin in the early 1920s, people with type 1 diabetes died shortly after the disease manifested, explains the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. Today both types of diabetes can be treated in a variety of ways....
The OneTouch Ultra 2 is a compact blood glucose monitoring system that allows you to quickly and effectively check your blood sugar levels after meals and throughout the day. Doing so helps monitor the impact that your diet and medications have on...
Diabetes causes blood glucose levels to rise. The disease affected around 23.6 million people in the United States in 2007, the American Diabetes Association reports. Keeping blood glucose levels within a more normal range prevents damage to...
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how your body handles sugar, or glucose. Type 1 diabetes often presents in childhood as a result of the pancreas producing no or little insulin. Type 2 diabetes presents when your body becomes resistant...
Most low-carbohydrate plans will encourage ketosis. Ketones are the by-products of body fat loss that come out in your breath, pores and urine when you lose body fat, no matter if you lost it on a low carbohydrate diet or not. Ketones have gotten...
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat accumulates. Approximately a third of American adults are currently obese, and it is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world, according to MedlinePlus. It's a problem that, as it...
Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is the result of carbohydrates breaking down during digestion. In America, blood sugar levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL. Fasting blood glucose levels are the measurements taken after you...
Customarily called urinalysis, urine analysis is an inexpensive way to recognize and monitor disease. This is so effective large populations are screened using this technique. For example, a 2007 paper published by researchers from the Osaka...
Diabetes affects 26.3 million individuals in the United States, costs $174 billion and is the seventh leading cause of disease-related death in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite new drugs that have...
Because your Medicare benefits often require a copayment or may be limited in the amount of coverage per year, a Medicare supplement insurance plan can be purchased to cover the gaps in Medicare coverage. These supplemental insurance plans--called...
