Diabetes is when there is too much sugar in your blood. Your body makes insulin to carry sugar from the blood into your cells where it can be burned as fuel. If your insulin is too low or is not effective (insulin resistance), the sugar can't get into your cells and builds up in your blood.

In Type 1 diabetes (most often in younger people), there is too little insulin. This occurs because the cells making insulin were destroyed by your body when it confused parts of those cells with an outside infection. Taking insulin is usually necessary, but we will talk about how to prevent complications of the diabetes. Avoiding both sugar and dehydration (drink water) are critical here. The good news is that there will likely be alternatives to insulin shots and we are even creating the ability to put new insulin-creating cells back into your body in the future. For now though, frustrating and annoying as it is, please stay with your medical program of insulin and monitoring your blood sugar. Instead of sugars, use Stevia and use sugar free candies, ice cream, chocolate, etc. Enjoy your pleasure, but since the Atkins Diet came through, there are sugar free ways to do it.

When blood sugar goes too high, it spills into the urine, pulling water with it. This causes increased urination and thirst. When this happens in Type 1 diabetes, dehydration can cause your blood sugar to skyrocket and put you in the hospital. Stay hydrated!

In Type 2 diabetes (usually in overweight adults) there is plenty of insulin, but the insulin does not work (called "insulin resistance"). This is triggered by being overweight and genetics. In men, if associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it is called "Metabolic Syndrome" and is often caused by testosterone deficiency (a blood level under about 450 should be treated). In women, paradoxically, an elevated testosterone can cause diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition in which you have a higher-than-normal blood sugar level (also called blood glucose level) in your bloodstream. You are diagnosed as having diabetes if your blood sugar level is over 125 mg/dl after you have been without food for 12 hours. You are diagnosed as having prediabetes if your blood sugar range is 100 to 125 mg/dl. An elevated blood sugar level is harmful to all of the arteries in your body; so, over time, if your blood sugar level remains elevated, the organs in your body will start to malfunction and die. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and blindness.

A high blood sugar level is also toxic to your nerves and immune cells and can cause painful, numb extremities; bowel and bladder problems; difficulty with erections if you are a man; poor wound healing; and frequent infections.