Monday, January 12, 2009

Awareness Can Beat Deadly Diabetic Neuropathy

By Ned Dagostino

Thanks to lifestyle vices, diabetes has reached epidemic proportion in many countries. Severe and deadly as it is, diabetes gives rise to a number of even deadlier complications. Diabetic neuropathy, one such complication, is capable of turning the patient into a vegetable, and even causing a fatality. This disease attacks the nervous system, effectively deactivating the patient's ability to sense and respond to his surrounding, and, more importantly, to control his body's functioning.

Awareness is the prime weapon against any disease. So let it be with diabetic neuropathy! Here, we shall provide the most crucial informational facts about diabetic neuropathy, its symptoms, and its prophylaxis to help you to prevent getting it, or to mitigate it if you already suffer from it.

The core of a living organism is its nervous system. Destroy that, and it lives no longer. The brain is nothing more than the hub of the nervous system. Autonomic diabetic neuropathy attacks the autonomic nervous system controlling the core functions essential to life. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy attacks the peripheral nervous system controlling the normal body functions. Focal diabetic neuropathy attacks nerves individually and selectively, these generally being localized to the lower limbs.

The predominant symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are given here for your information.

Temperature fluctuations, ranging from shivering to profuse sweating, and, sometimes, very rarely, even a simultaneous occurrence of both.

Loss of control over the bladder, with the patient experiencing sudden and strong urges to void the bladder.

Digestion-related problems like flatulence, belching, and vomiting.

The patient suffers from sexual disorders which prevent sexual functionality.

Disorders of the circulatory system, like poor circulation, heart fluttering, and heart seizures.

Since the nervous system is damaged, the patient may not be aware of wounds, cuts, and bites. He may not feel a rat nibbling at his feet. Wounds and sores on his back or the soles of his feet may go untended only because he can't feel their pain. This is potentially dangerous. What if he gets a severe cut on his foot and he bleeds away without realizing it?

Symptomatic relief of diabetic neuropathy is possible in a number of ways. Symptomatic relief does not imply relief of the underlying condition causing the symptom. The condition will remain, but its attendant side-effects can be relieved.

The main mode of treatment lies in vigilant monitoring of blood glucose to make sure it remains within the prescribed norms. This controls and reduces the underlying cause of diabetic neuropathy. Drug therapy is an important method of treating diabetic neuropathy. Medications include pain relievers when the damaged nerves generate erratic pain signals, blood thinners to help restore the blood chemistry to its normal state, and creams and lubricants to restore sexual functionality. Diabetic neuropathy is a severe disorder and can be fatal if left untreated, or if it is mistreated. Therefore, a patient of diabetic neuropathy must always follow the doctor's orders, and avoid self-prescription. The risk of fatality should be uppermost in the patient's mind, and this should prompt him to do everything under proper medical supervision.

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