“Zach is nine years old. He was born in Newport, Arkansas on June 8, 2000. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in January 2007.  Zach had several febrile seizures as an infant. He spent his first Christmas at Harris Hospital in Newport. He failed kindergarten due to unknown poor eyesight in his first year of school. His poor eyesight has been linked to his diabetes that went undiagnosed for five and a half years. He now has a learning disability that requires a personal tutor. He goes through five to six pairs of glasses a year because of childhood mishaps. We have tried contacts, but they were irritating to his eyes.
He also has been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). We suspect this condition could be the result of five and a half years of type one diabetes that went unchecked. I had initially noticed that he was drinking an unusual amount of fluids, and asked the doctor to check his glucose level. The doctor was hesitant about checking, but with Zach’s maternal and paternal grandmothers having diabetes he went ahead with my suggestion. That day, Zach’s glucose levels was in the upper 600’s, and was immediately sent to Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Most days he has to go with me through the week because of the difficulty of finding a babysitter willing to take on the responsibility of caring for a diabetic child. However there are a few friends willing to take care of him when they can.
Zach’s blood sugar must be monitored constantly. Every time he eats, drinks, or chews anything that has carbohydrates he must check his blood sugar. He can’t have a single candy corn without taking insulin. Any time his blood sugar goes high it has a negative affect on his eyesight. He is close to being legally blind. He misses class time at school because of his blood sugar fluctuating. It is difficult coordinating his breakfast diet during school because we have only had a breakfast menu in the last two months of his second grade. We have no way to know what he has been served without the school giving a daily menu like they do with lunches. The breakfast menu can change without notice like is done with lunches. When Zach was first diagnosed with diabetes, he thought it was cool and fun to check his sugar. He thinks it is boring and repetitive. Now he has calluses and sores on the tips of his fingers. He has the same perspective on taking shots of insulin. We encourage him to calculate the amount of insulin he needs for the carbohydrates he needs and to give himself shots of insulin on a daily basis.
Zach’s peers at school think he is given preferential treatment over them for his illness. He just wants to play and be treated like he doesn’t have a problem. This will never be an option for him. If there is a field trip, I must go or he has to stay home depending on my schedule.
We give Zach insulin every time he consumes carbohydrates. He doesn’t understand the life implications of his condition.  Despite our warnings and trepidations, Zach has a passion for life that is uncharacteristic. He has little or no fear in his actions.”

After hearing Zach’s story I wondered how this site could help him. Zach needs to feel like a normal kid in spite of his disease. We asked Zach for a wish list of things he would like and one of the top things he asked for was a computer of his own. We contacted Nomac Drilling based in Searcy, AR and asked if I could post his story in their National Training Facility. The men and women of Nomac donated generously to help out Zach. In less than 1 week, we raised enough money to buy Zach a new computer. This great outpouring of generosity was from the hard working employees who are facing their own adversity in this economy.

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As a consequence, those with diabetes, including children and teenagers, are encouraged to take a more active approach to managing cholesterol levels. The American Academy of Pediatrics, for instance, recently recommended wider cholesterol screening for children. Underpinning these recommendations is the understanding that elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol in kids can lead to an onset of cardiovascular disease earlier in adulthood. It recognizes that the plaque in an adult’s arteries may have begun developing very early in life.

Healthy Food Pyramid

The AAP also suggested that for a selected group of children, prescribing a statin medication might be appropriate. Drug treatment, according to these recommendations, should be considered for children 8 and older who face multiple risk factors for developing heart disease.

Yet, statins are not typically considered the first line of treatment. Instead, medical nutrition therapy is recommended. Medical nutrition therapy includes the following: decreasing saturated fat (less than 7% total daily calories), avoiding trans fatty acids, decreasing dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg daily, increasing soluble fiber from oats, beans, psyllium or fruits, and adding plant sterols daily.

In a recent study published in Diabetes Education, the role of medical nutrition therapy was evaluated in a patient with Type II diabetes. The patient achieved a desired LDL cholesterols level through nutrition alone. Medications were not required.

The Study’s author concluded that evidence-based nutrition guidelines have been evaluated and reviewed to demonstrate the effectiveness of heart-healthy eating for children with hyperlipidemia and type 1 diabetes.

Source: http://www.kardeanutrition.com/blog/2009/04/juvenile-diabetes-cholesterol.html

Having Juvenile Diabetes is a balancing act but it is manageable if you take the time to learn how. As long as you are eating the right amount of healthy foods and you are avoiding all of the sugar that you are not allowed to eat you will be well on your way to staying healthy in spite of diabetes.

The Right Diet Can Give You Great Benefits

There are certain rules that you should follow to ensure you stay healthy with Juvenile Diabetes.  Proper nutrition is essential and must become part of your lifestyle.

• You should follow the nutrition guidelines in the Food Pyramid, with special attention to carbohydrate intake. You also eat at regular intervals and always exercise portion control.
• Starches are allowed in your juvenile diabetes diet but you should also watch how much you eat.  Common sources of starchy foods are bread, cereal, and some vegetables.
• Ensure that at least five servings of fruits and/or vegetables are included in your diet everyday.   This is easier than it sounds.  You can simply include a piece of fruit for snacks during the day and by eating vegetables during dinner.  Soups, stir-fries, and chili are good hidden sources for vegetables if you want to get creative.
• Soluble fibers can be very beneficial to a juvenile diabetic since they help to slow down the absorption of glucose from the digestive system.  These are also found in many fruits, vegetables, and seeds.  Cooked Kidney Beans are an excellent sources for soluble fibers.
• Contacting a dietician is the best way to put together a good juvenile diabetes diet. Everyone is different, so keeping in contact with your physician and nutrition consultant will ensure your diet plan is the optimum one for you. A professional will take into account your lifestyle, medication, weight, other medical issues, and your favorite foods to come up with a plan that will keep you healthy and satisfy your cravings for particular flavors.
• Absolutely no smoking or alcohol consumption as it can aggravate diabetes and make it more difficult to cope with the disease.

Healthy Food Pyramid

Keeping an eye on your sugar intake is key to good diabetes diet management. This will mean learning all of the best sugar replacements and sugar free foods. This used to be a lot harder than it is now. These days there are all kinds of great sugar replacements, many are even perfect for baking, and the sugar free products are becoming ever so popular. Even people without diabetes are choosing them over the sugar filled alternatives. Sugar free products taste delicious, which makes the easy to eat and enjoy while still maintaining a good blood sugar level.

You will also need to watch how much food that you eat. Eating too much or too little can have a negative impact on your diet and health. Talk to your doctor about how much food you should be eating each and every day and what times are optimal. Your diabetes diet will have to be set just right if you want to stay in perfect control and health. As long as you eat right every day you will stay feeling good and healthy for years to come.

Insulin is a hormone that is needed by our body to process the sugar in the foods we eat for energy.  But since Juvenile Diabetes destroys the insulin making cells, the body will stop making it and the affected individual will be unable to metabolize blood glucose.

The most effective course of treatment for Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes) is to inject insulin.  The insulin must be injected into the fatty tissue of the affected individual on a regular basis to control their blood sugar levels.

With the necessary insulin injections, a proper diet and exercise, a Type 1 (or Juvenile) diabetic can live a normal life.

Recognizing Symptoms Can Save A Life

For children diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, regular insulin injections are needed to survive. It could be challenging having contracted the disease. For one thing, it might be difficult finding a private place to monitor one’s blood glucose levels and give oneself the insulin shot. In settings like the school or other public places when the child or teenager is with their friends, this can happen. One’s diet plays a crucial role in the management of the diseases as well. It’s best that junk and fast food are then avoided, and so is pigging out in parties. The key is to eat right- the right foods at the right time.

Insulin injections are also given in time with the meals. Having a healthy routine is essential, too, especially when sleeping. Sleeping in late is much better done away with. Blood glucose levels can drop dangerously low during an extended snooze. There are other means of coping with juvenile diabetes, such as with the use of an insulin pump. This allows for more freedom all throughout the day when administering insulin to the body. Having to deal with the disease entails having several injections in a day. As for the diabetic pump, a small needle is inserted under the skin, often on the left side of the abdomen.

And all throughout the day, the bloodstream would absorb a small, steady dose of insulin. When a teenager has juvenile diabetes, it is still possible to stay on top of it. One can still enjoy having a normal life as a teenager, doing what most teenagers do. Provided of course one keeps to the appropriate measures in managing the disease. Having juvenile diabetes and living and coping with it is a team effort- that of the patient, the doctor, the dietitian and the family. They all compose the team which would help the patient enjoy a better quality of life despite being afflicted.

Certain factors can get in the way, though, such as peer pressure. When one has diabetes, they must take time and have the resolve to be disciplined. More so, they have to give more fore thought before making decisions. The key is to have the patient control the disease, and not the other way around. It takes more effort and some lifestyle modifications, but living can still be worthwhile. In fact, one can have more will and resolve to live better and healthier and have more discipline. One is compelled not to indulge in disobliging habits, and this is one good thing in a sense, looking on the brighter side.

1. Lack of adequate production of insulin
2. Reduced sensitivity of insulin by glucose

The former causes juvenile or type 1 diabetes and the latter causes type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus.

Juvenile diabetes

Living With Juvenile Diabetes

The pancreas are glands in the body near the digestive system, specifically the liver which secretes insulin. The beta cells in this gland are responsible for this production. Due to some accident or injury if the beta cells are affected or destroyed, the production of insulin is reduced. Moreover if the body is exposed to cell toxins which interfere in the normal functioning of the beta cells, again the insulin production is affected. It is also seen that there are hereditary factors which increase the chances of developing diabetes, type 1 type. This is also called diabetes insipidus.

Symptoms

• Increased urination: Due to the excess glucose content in the blood, the kidney has to function repeatedly with greater pressure in order to filter off the glucose, though many times some glucose concentration is still seen in the urine. This leads to an increased urge to urinate which may cause bed-wetting in children too.
• Increased thirst: Since more water is being excreted from the body in the event of getting rid of body glucose, the body needs to replenish this by drinking more water. Hence, there is a thirst.
• Increased hunger: Since glucose is not used to provide energy, the body requires more nourishment in form of carbohydrates and nutrients to release energy. This causes an increase in hunger.
• Weight loss: Since body fats and proteins in the storehouse are broken down to liberate energy, there is a reduction in weight.
• Mental stress and lack of memory or/and low body mind coordination: The glucose is not able to reach the cells of the brain and liberate energy. This causes a deficit of energy in these sensitive cells and reduced energy supply results in poor functioning of these cells. However, this can be avoided if proper control and management is done.
• Fatigue: The body is struggling for energy and is continuously working for the same, there is an element of tiredness and this is fatigue. Moreover, on account of low body weight , the fatigue becomes severe.
• Flu like symptoms: At times, immunity is also affected by diabetes as every response of the immune function is dependent on energy supply and demand. The lowering immune response gives rise to flu like symptoms.

What can you do for your child?

1. Stop treating your child as a patient. Diabetes is a condition and not a disease. However if not managed it may lead to complications.

2. Don’t differentiate him from his peers. The capabilities and performance should not be benchmarked or compared to others as this would add to stress for your child.

3. The diet plan should be set in association with a dietician by tracking the number of calories and sugar consumed. Some liberties could be given to the child but in consultation with the dietician.

4. Never describe the condition as an inability or illness of your child and help your child take normal insulin. Motivating your child to take the doses referring it as a supplement, or tonic might help initially. But as the child grows, some facts need to be explained on how the insulin helps to energise the kid and function healthily.

5. Normal physical exercise would improve the metabolism of the body. Hence walking, running and swimming would definitely be beneficial as long as they are not strenuous.

6. You need to be very patient with your child and understand the body changes so that you yourself and hen your kid can adapt to it. Regular clinic visits are mandatory

7. The sugar levels in the child’s blood needs to be monitored regularly. Never describe the levels as good or bad but adapt low or high as adjectives.

8. Learn new recipes of bitter gourd, neem and garlic to reduce the sugar levels naturally.

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There appear to be two main reasons for this increase in Type 2 diabetes among children. Most children these days have a sedentary lifestyle that revolves around watching TV, playing video games, or using their computer to chat with and email their friends. The second issue for many kids is their poor eating habits and nutrition. Living the fast food life style or eating a bag a chips while playing video games is one of the major reasons for the preponderance of overweight kids we see today.

For many years Type 2 diabetes was something that overweight adults had to contend with, mainly because children weren’t having the weight issues they have today. Type 2 diabetes in an adult is also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The primary treatment for this type of this disease is lifestyle changes involving diet and exercise for both children and adults.

One of the main concerns with type 2 juvenile diabetes is the affects it can have later on in a child’s life. Children with type 2 diabetes have been found to have more life threatening complications than type 1 diabetics. Some of the major problems juveniles with this type of diabetes face include heart disease, damage to the nervous system, renal failure, blindness, and limb amputations, particularly of the feet and lower legs.

The first line of defense against juvenile type 2 diabetes is probably the most obvious. Maintain a healthy body weight through proper diet and exercise thus preventing the onset of the disease. For children already diagnosed this same treatment applies if they are to avoid the complications to their health later in life.

For the juvenile diabetic a healthy diet is the cornerstone of their treatment. A well balanced diet low in sugar, saturated fats, and salt is the way to go. High fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables, along with complex carbohydrates are best for the diabetic. Even then foods high in carbs should be eaten throughout the day to help prevent large rises in blood glucose levels. Regular physical activity or exercise is also recommended to help insulin move glucose out of the blood and into the cells.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic all parents should take seriously. The long term health affects of all children are at stake, particularly with an increased risk of juvenile diabetes, a disease that will affect any child for their life time. By making easy lifestyle changes centered on a healthy diet and physical activity the onset of type 2 diabetes can be prevented, or even delayed in children at high risk.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Obesity Epidemic and Juvenile Diabetes

In juvenile diabetes, shortage of supply of insulin and glucose builds up in the bloodstream as cells are unable to use it. The body is unable to use the entire glucose because it is available in the bloodstream only.

This increases hunger. You consume more food, but suffer from fatigue. Frequent urination is another symptom of this type of diabetes. What happens later is insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas are totally destroyed by body’s own immune system. Hence the necessity arises to get the supply of insulin from the outside sources.

Some other specific symptoms of Type I diabetes are:

In women, absence of menstruation, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting mark the arrival of this disease. Unbearable abdominal pain, abrupt weight loss despite normal or increased appetite, exhaustion when you walk short distances, more exhaustion if you climb are the other common symptoms.

Recognizing Symptoms Can Save A Life

You can not arrive at the final conclusion with regard to the diabetes condition with the presence of the above conditions alone. For further confirmation, diagnostic approach is also necessary. The most desirable test is insulin test. This test gives the firm indications/results, whether you have the diabetes or not.

As soon as the symptoms re-confirmed, hospitalization is the initial step to regulate the insulin level. But diabetes is not a disease that has the guaranteed cure. Though, it can be controlled with apt care. There is also the fear of Type I diabetes turning to Type II diabetes. You need to understand your diabetes in proper perspective by knowing about the diabetic related problems. Call it diabetic education. Dietary changes are inevitable as diet is the important factor for curbing as well as increasing the diabetes condition.

Take control of the disease; never allow it to take control of you. If you ignore the disease at the initial stages, it may lead to several other types of serious diseases such as high blood pressure, heart related diseases and paralysis.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Identify The Roots Of Type 1 Or Juvenile Diabetes Early