Retinopathy:Diabetic Blindness

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that can cause decreased vision and blindness. Depending on a patient's condition, diabetic retinopathy can progress quickly or slowly. Factors that may hasten the progress include heavy smoking and poorly controlled hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).
It occurs when the eye vessel leaks and the retina becomes ischaemic, or half-dead. Since the retina lacks oxygen, it produces a substance which induces the formation of new blood vessels which are abnormal.
These abnormal blood vessels can bleed suddenly and lead to immediate blindness. It is not easy to reverse this as it requires major surgery.

Tips-Continued

7. Read the labels of processed food before buying,either low in, or free of fat and sugar.
8. Eat sensible amounts of complex carbohydrates: rice, noodles, bread, tubers, etc.
9. Eat more beans, vegetables and fruits as these yield low amounts of calories.
10. Get your doctor/dietitian to design the diet plan for you.

Diabetes Complications

Diabetes affects the way the body handles fats, leading to fat accumulation in the arteries and potential damage to the kidneys, eyes, heart, and brain, and statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) may be prescribed to prevent heart disease. It is the leading cause of kidney disease. Many patients require dialysis or kidney transplants. Most cases of acquired blindness are caused by diabetes. Diabetes can also affect the nerves, causing numbness or pain in the face and extremities. A complication of insulin therapy is insulin shock, a hypoglycemic condition that results from an oversupply of insulin in relation to the glucose level in the blood.

Symptoms of Diabetes

1. Dry mouth.
2. Increased thirst
3. Frequent urination
4. Increased appetite (Type 1 only)
5. Unexplained weight loss (Type 1 only)
6. Feeling week, tired and dizzy
7. Frequent skin infections
8. Slow healing wounds
9. Recurrent vaginal infections
10. Blurry vision
11. Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
12. Fast, shallow breathing
13. Fruity-smelling breath

Tips-Continued

4. Avoid oily and fatty food (e.g. deep fried dishes, chicken skin and fatty cuts of meat;they're rich in calories.)
5. Cut down on sugar and highly sweetened foods and drinks.
6. Resist the urge to snack unnecessarily.

How to lower your blood sugar levels

The bittergourd is famous for its ability to help diabetics in decreasing sugar levels. This is not a joke but a reality where I and my mother have benefited a lot from its juice. Believe it or not, I managed to bring down my blood sugar level from 20 to 7 in just a month, naturally without pills.
Here is the recipe of the healing juice:

1. Wash and clean 1 kg of bittergourds
2. Peel off the skin and cut them into small pieces.
3. Put all the pieces of the bittergourd into a mixer or a blender and blend them until you get a smooth solution.
4. Don't strain the juice and don't add sugar or honey into it.
5. Now, the juice is ready for you to drink;drink once daily and regularly.
6. Keep the remaining juice in your fridge.


diabetic recipe

Bittergourd-The Wonder Vegetable for Diabetics

The bittergourd is the climbing crop and needs support.When young, the seeds of this plant are white and are coated by aril that is red after ripe. This unique vegetable is eaten during the period of the young level and has bitter taste.The bittergourd or so called 'peria' in Malay language, is eaten as 'ulam' or salad boiled with chilli sauce or is mixed in cooking like curry or stir-fry ketchup.

Tips-How To Fight Diabetes

1. Don't overeat.
2. Eat smaller than normal portions.
3. Stick to breakfast, lunch and dinner times.