By Elizabeth Sitotombe

LIVING with diabetes can be pretty daunting. Tafadzwa (not real name) recounts her experiences as a diabetic patient, having been diagnosed with the chronic disease at the tender age of 28. Tafadzwa describes the day she got sick and started vomiting.

Under suspicion that she was a victim of food poisoning, she was ferried to the hospital where further results showed that she required intravenous insulin therapy, a method of delivering insulin directly into the bloodstream when a per- son has high blood sugar levels.

Insulin is a hormone that allows cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Thereafter, Tafadzwa has had to inject herself with insulin each morning and every night.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• excessive hunger;
• excessive thirst;
• extreme fatigue;
• frequent urination;
• delayed wound healing; and
• blurred vision.

People with diabetes become more susceptible to infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), upper respiratory tract infections or thrush.

There are three kinds of diabetes, and

they all have different causes.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, once labelled ‘juvenile diabetes’ or ‘insulin-dependent disease’, is an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly attacks cells that pro- duce insulin in the pancreas, causing the pancreas to make little or no insulin at all.

Other factors that cause Type 1 diabetes include genetics and exposure to viruses. The disease tends to appear during child- hood or adolescence, though it can occur later in life.

With this type of diabetes, production of insulin (which balances the amount of sugar in the bloodstream) is limited, meaning glucose cannot be released into the bloodstream, causing a build-up of

sugar in the bloodstream, a threat to life.

Type 2 diabetes

This ensues as a result of insulin resis- tance. The body cells respond poorly to the insulin provided by the pancreas.

Therefore, there is inadequate regula- tion in the movement of glucose in the body. As a result, the pancreas tries to compensate by producing more insulin, but the process is barely sustainable.

It is usually found in adults. However, the increase of obese children has led to a rise in the cases of Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes screening is recommended for everyone aged 45 and above, as well as young persons with risk factor for the disease.

Types 3 diabetes

This is also known as a ‘brain-specific type of diabetes’ because of its link to Alzheimer’s disease and features of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Around 2005 certain features of brain function in Alzheimer’s disease matched those that occur when one has diabetes.

However, the theory of Type 3 diabetes is still questionable.

Symptoms can be likened to those of

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, yet again, early diagnosis and treatment are recom- mended to tackle these effects.

Gestational diabetes

It occurs only in pregnancy. If a routine check-up shows high blood sugar during pregnancy, the doctor will monitor the person’s condition until a few weeks after delivery.

In most cases, blood sugar levels return to normal immediately after delivery,

but studies show that around 50 percent of females with this form might go on to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Prevention of both diseases includes making crucial decisions in life. Lifestyle plays a pivotal role in treating high blood pressure.

Risk factors

• Weight — being overweight or obese is a main factor.
• Inactivity — physical activity is what enables good usage of glucose as energy and increases insulin sensitivity in cells.
• Family risk — one’s risk may increase if related members have diabetes.
• Age — risks of diabetes usually begin at 35 years of age.
• Pregnancy-related risks — especially if the individual suffered from gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
• Prediabetes — this is a condition where the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not enough to be diagnosed as diabetes and may later on advance into Type 2 diabetes.

Treatment

Currently, there is no permanent cure for diabetes, so, ‘prevention is better than cure’.

Here are some tips to help prevent dia- betes and reduce symptoms of diabetes:

• consistent exercise;
• high fibre diet;
• staying hydrated;
• consulting medical professionals if there is a family history of diabetes;
• andearly diagnosis and treatment can help slow or even reverse the disease.

According to the National Library of Medicine, at least four billion people living in developing countries use medic- inal plants to manage the disease. Scien- tists’ reports have shown that medicinal plants have been successfully used to lower blood sugar levels in the shape of pre-clinical and clinical studies, for exam- ple, the Galega officinalis is a traditional medicinal plant that can be traced back to the making of the common anti-hypergly- cemic drug metformin.

According to the American Diabetes Association (2022) Standards of Med- ical Care in Diabetes, there is no clear evidence of herbs or supplements bene- fitting people with diabetes without addi- tional conditions. But supplements have shown promise in improving blood sugar management and other diabetic-related

complications, such as green tea and cin- namon, among others.

The complications that come from di- abetes include kidney failure while some of the herbs have toxic side effects that also target these organs. At the end of the day, diet management and regular intake of one’s medication will help control di- abetes.

A medical doctor, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity for pro- fessional reasons, says that herbs should not be used to replace diabetes treatment as that can put patients’ health at further risk, adding that it is important for one to consult healthcare providers before using any alternative medicines.

“As some herbs may interfere with one’s treatment and medications, and just because a product is natural it does

not mean it is safe to use,” he says.