Heat-Related Illnesses: Prevention, Symptoms, and Treatment

Posted by Medi-Station Urgent Care on November 22nd, 2020

Many of us can go through our entire life without having any aversions to sugar, but that doesn’t mean that we are in the clear. At the tender stages of infancy, sugars are introduced into our nutrition. What’s sad and very concerning is that as children move into the pivotal stages of development, the sugar intake increases, whether in the form of juices or fun kid- friendly snacks.

Research has proven that sugars cause developmental delays and, in some cases stunts the developmental growth. What we don’t realize is that as we grow older, sugar continues to be a huge deterrent to living our optimum life. In our adult life, many people struggle with lack of energy, malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, high-blood pressure, among many other health-related concerns and, in many of these, sugar is at the root of it all.

We are not going to solely blame all ailments and diseases on sugar, but we will say that it plays a huge part in the decline of the health conditions in the states.  There is a reason why sugar is referred to as the silent killer.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and we at MediStation know the importance of educating the community about the types of diabetes, prevention, lifestyle changes and mitigating complications. About 30.3 million people in the United States have diabetes. About 5 to 10 percent have type 1 diabetes, while 90 to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes.

The most common types of diabetes are Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. Here we share with you the difference between the three types of diabetes along with the symptoms and how prevention plays a role:

Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune condition. This is when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. The damage is permanent and prevention really doesn’t play a role here, most cases are known to be passed down genetically and/or due to environmental reasons. Symptoms may occur as early as childhood and young adults.

Type 2 diabetes is basically when the body can’t produce enough insulin to keep up with the demand. Prevention can play a role here as in many cases that we see of type 2 diabetes derive from lack of exercise, poor nutrition, overweight, poor lifestyle choices, as well as genetics, other health factors and environmental reasons. Symptoms may occur in people passed 45 years of age, however, symptoms are starting sooner due to poor lifestyles and nutritional choices.

Gestational diabetes only occurs during pregnancy and is due to insulin-blocking hormones. However, prevention does play a role and the best way to prevent gestational diabetes is by maintaining a healthy exercise routine as well as selecting healthy food choices. In this type of diabetes, symptoms are rare, a blood sugar test determines the results.

It’s always a good idea to drop on by and get your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels tested. But if you are experiencing any symptoms such as excessive thirst or hunger, blurry vision, frequent urination, drowsiness or fatigue, dry or itchy skin, notice slow healing wounds, and/or extreme weight loss then there could be a chance that your blood sugar levels are off. We urge you to drop in if in the area, for a quick check-up, you’ll be in and out in just a jiffy and with an action plan to keep you healthy and living your optimum life.