· Increased thirst

· Increase in appetite or excessive hunger

· Increased urination, during night times

· Weight loss or gain which is unexplained

· Blurred or unclear vision

· Sores and wounds that do not heal

· Dry itchy skin

In more complicated cases diabetes leads

· Blindness

· Kidney failure

· Nerve damage and

· Micro vascular and macro vascular diseases.

· Micro vascular disease are related to small blood vessels.

· Macro vascular diseases are related to arteries i.e. hardening of arteries  and narrowing them and leading to strokes, heart attacks.

Diabetes is mainly classified into two types i.e. type 1 and type 2 diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes is mainly due to halt in production of insulin which is due to  autoimmune system of the body, it destroys the beta cells of the pancreas which  are responsible for secretion for insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also known as  insulin dependent diabetes mellitus because insulin is a must dose over here. It  is also by name Juvenile diabetes because it is more common among young adult  and teenagers.

Diabetes type 2 is due to low production of insulin or the receptors of the  cells not reacting with the insulin produced. This condition is known as insulin  resistance. Here the body secretes more and more insulin rigorously and so it  develops a resistance by itself.

The good news about diabetes is that it can be controlled or maintained  naturally by taking well balanced diet, doing regular exercise.

Balanced diet in the sense diet should be rich in nutrition. For diabetes  diet rich in fiber is recommended. Examples of diet rich in fiber are carrot,  broccoli, peas, beans, apples, bananas, apricot, dates.

Vitamin C – Vitamin C is considered highly beneficial in treating diabetes. Because of stress, urinary losses and destruction by artificial sweeteners, the vitamin C requirement is usually high in diabetics. Large amounts of this vitamin sometimes bring very good results. Dr. George V Mann in Perspective in Biology and Medicine recommended extra vitamin C for diabetics. Natural insulin output increases in diabetics with supplementary doses of vitamin C.

The intake of vitamin C in the form of dried Indian gooseberry (amla), the richest known source of vitamin C, or tablets of 500 mg or from natural sources of vitamin C besides amla, are citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouted Bengal gram and green grams.

Vitamin E – This vitamin reduces considerably the devastating vascular damage accompanying diabetes. Dr. Willard Shute in The Complete Book of Vitamins recommends 800-1600 IU of vitamin E a day to prevent arterial degeneration in diabetes.

A Swedish study also supports vitamin E therapy for treating diabetes. Vitamin E helps diabetics decrease their insulin requirements. It would be advisable for a diabetes patient to take a daily dose of 200 IU of this vitamin for a fortnight at a time.
Rich Sources of Vitamin E. Valuable natural foods sources of this vitamin are wheat or cereal germ, whole grain products, fruits and green leafy vegetables, milk and all whole raw or sprouted seeds.

Other rich sources of vitamin E are cold pressed crude vegetable oils, especially sunflower seeds, safflower, and Soya beans oils, raw and sprouted seeds and grains, alfalfa, lettuce, almond, human milk etc.

Vitamin A – Diabetics are unable to convert beta-carotine to vitamin A.  A supplement of this vitamin, therefore, becomes necessary. A dose of 15000 IU on alternate days is considered adequate by some authorities.

Normal fasting blood glucose levels are less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Fasting blood glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl on two or more tests on different days indicates diabetes. A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or higher, taken randomly at any time of day, also indicates diabetes.

A fasting blood glucose level that stays above 100, but below 126 is known as impaired fasting glucose (IFG). While these patients do not have the diagnosis of diabetes, it is important that it be addressed so that diabetes may be delayed or prevented.

Diabetes Symptoms:

Symptoms noticed by patients at the onset of diabetes range from no symptoms at all to extreme thirst, extreme fatigue, frequent urination, rapid weight loss, difficulty losing weight (common in the pre-diabetic stage), eye pain or blurry vision, foot pain, dry mouth, dry skin, sweaty spells, weakness, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, bladder infections, tingling in the legs, gum disease, vomiting/upset stomach, extreme hunger, headaches and dizziness.

So you see, it can get quite difficult to diagnose this on your own.

An explanation of the most common symptoms:

High amounts of glucose in the urine causes frequent urination, which leads to dehydration. Dehydration causes excessive thirst, so you drink more water, which adds to the frequency of urination…and so around it goes.

Insulin resistance, which often leads to diabetes, promotes fat storage because glucose cannot properly enter the cells to be used as energy. The body keeps producing more insulin to try to get those cells to open up and since insulin is a hormone that likes to store fat, this can lead to weight gain, which leads to obesity, which worsens insulin resistance, which accelerates the development of Pre-Diabetes, which, left unchecked can lead to type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, obesity can be what initiates the insulin resistance in the first place. Another chicken/egg situation. This diabetes is tricky stuff.

Diabetics experience weight loss, despite their increased appetite, when the body is no longer producing any, or not enough, insulin. This lack of insulin keeps the sugar in your blood instead of letting it into the cells where it can be converted to energy. If your blood sugar is very high, you urinate a lot and that causes weight loss, plus a muscle breakdown can occur, causing unhealthy weight loss. Many patients find out they have diabetes when they have experienced unexplained weight loss.

Some untreated diabetes patients complain of nausea and vomiting. The nausea and vomiting could be because of a condition called gastroparesis, which is caused by high blood sugars that can, over time, damage the vagus nerve which controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. When this nerve is damaged, food moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract. Nerve damage also leads to problems of the feet.

If fatigue is paired with any of the other classic diabetes symptoms, you need to schedule a diabetes screening test. The reason diabetics experience fatigue is because their glucose is just floating around in their system instead of being converted to energy. Without enough insulin, the cells don’t allow the glucose in, so you feel drained all the time. This fatigue can only be alleviated by returning the blood sugar to its normal levels.

Diabetics are prone to all kinds of infections, but women with diabetes, in particular, often notice frequent urinary tract infections. According to an article on DiabetesInControl.com, women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have bacteria in their bladders than women without diabetes (not true for men). Poor circulation in diabetics reduces the ability of infection-fighting white blood cells to get where they need to go. When they get there, they are less likely to ingest the offending bacteria and kill them than normal white blood cells. Many people with diabetes also have bladder dysfunctions that contract poorly, allowing urine to remain in static pools where bacteria can grow.

Diabetics also have more skin problems and other infections that often lead to a diagnosis.

And last but not least, an early symptom of eye problems relating to diabetes is blurred vision. High blood sugar changes the shape and flexibility of the lens of the eye, distorting the ability to focus which causes blurred vision. Other symptoms include double vision, cloudy vision, floating spots and curtain-like shadows in the eye.

If you have any of these concerns, please see your doctor and get a simple blood test. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to some really hairy complications including high blood pressure, heart attacks and heart failure, blindness, kidney failure, coma, nerve damage and amputation. Not to mention death.

The good news is, if diabetes is caught in its early stages, and it is still considered mild, your doctor may start treatment by having you drop excess body fat, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol through diet and exercise. If your diabetes is more complicated, or at a more advanced stage, you will be treated with oral medications or insulin injections.

Type 1

Between 5 percent and 10 percent of people with diabetes have Type 1. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the insufficient production by the pancreas of the hormone known as insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually recognized in childhood or early adolescence, often in association with an illness (such as a virus) or injury. Type 1 diabetes symptoms may seem harmless at first. Some diabetes symptoms include:
Frequent urination
  Excessive thirst
  Extreme hunger
  Unusual weight loss
  Increased Fatigue
  Irritability
  Blurry vision
Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are usually dramatic and come on suddenly.

Type 2

Type 2 is associated with insulin resistance rather than the lack of insulin like seen in Type 1. Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes tends to be hereditary in contrast to Type 1 diabetes. Sometimes, people with Type 2 diabetes don’t notice any symptoms or the symptoms are experienced gradually. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes are often subtle and may be attributed to aging or obesity. The most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes are:
Greater need to urinate
  Frequent hunger or thirst
  Weight loss
  Blurred vision
  Tingling/numbness in hands or feet
  Feeling tired
  Very dry skin
  Slow-healing sores
  Infections.
Since the inception of diabetes diagnosis, doctors have diagnosed it based on abnormally high levels or urination, thirst and appetite. Typically your doctor will make a diagnosis of diabetes based upon your symptoms and the results of a simple blood test. Diagnosis is often prompted with the onset of the symptoms. People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis.

Understanding possible diabetes symptoms can lead to early diagnosis and treatment – and a lifetime of better health. If you find yourself experiencing many of these symptoms on a consistent, long-term basis, you should visit a doctor to be tested for diabetes.