VLOG 1 Exciting news

At of the first Monday of May at Altona Acupuncture we will be running type 1 diabetes awareness Mondays where $2 from every treatment will be donated to the Juvenile diabetes research foundation. This is a really important cause for me because my daughter is diagnosed with type1 diabetes. She is 7 years old now and every single day is a challenge to make sure we can keep her safe, well and healthy and to make sure she stays that way. It’s been a very steep learning curve. There were a  lot of things about type 1 diabetes that we just didn’t understand as parents. So I want to share some insights with you as well every Monday about what its like to love with Type 1 diabetes.

I will donate $2 of your appointment to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

This is Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is researching a possible cure for diabetes. It is really important to me that I can tribute in some way and that’s why I am really excited to be sharing this with you. From Monday May 3 until the National Diabetes week in July (14-20 July) I will donate $2 of every Monday appointment to the JDRF

What is type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system is activated to destroy the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. We do not know what causes this autoimmune reaction. Type 1 diabetes is not linked to modifiable lifestyle factors. There is no cure and it cannot be prevented.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach, stops making insulin because the cells that make the insulin have been destroyed by the body’s immune system. Without insulin, the body’s cells cannot turn glucose (sugar), into energy. People with type 1 diabetes depend on insulin every day of their lives to replace the insulin the body cannot produce. They must test their blood glucose levels several times throughout the day.

What happens if people with type 1 diabetes don’t receive insulin?

Without insulin the body burns its own fats as a substitute which releases chemical substances in the blood. Without ongoing injections of insulin, the dangerous chemical substances will accumulate and can be life threatening if it is not treated. This is a condition call ketoacidosis.

What causes type 1 diabetes?

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not yet known, but we do know it has a strong family link and cannot be prevented. We also know that it has nothing to do with lifestyle, although maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very important in helping to manage type 1 diabetes. At this stage nothing can be done to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes.

Symptoms

  • Being excessively thirsty 
  • Passing more urine
  • Feeling tired and lethargic
  • Always feeling hungry
  • Having cuts that heal slowly 
  • Itching, skin infections
  • Blurred vision 
  • Unexplained weight loss 
  • Mood swings
  • Headaches 
  • Feeling dizzy
  • Leg cramps.

These symptoms may occur suddenly. If they occur, see a doctor. Through a simple test, a doctor can find out if they’re the result of type 1 diabetes.

Management, care and treatment

Type 1 diabetes is managed with insulin injections several times a day or the use of an insulin pump. While your lifestyle choices didn’t cause type 1 diabetes, the choices you make now can reduce the impact of diabetes-related complications including kidney disease, limb amputation and blindness. 

source: diabetesaustralia.com.au