Diabetes 100: What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how a person's body can turn food into energy through the use of insulin, to maintain a healthy glucose level. Sounds simple, right? Diabetes and the complications of it, are far from simple.

Your pancreas is the organ that assists your body to break down all forms of food; and maintain a healthy body through secreting a hormone called insulin. We need insulin to survive, because it is vital part of our metabolism. Without a constant source of insulin, your body would slowly break down. And with an over- constant source of insulin, in the body would not be able to function. Diabetes is a challenging chronic illness because of the need to keep finding balancing your health throughout all of the struggles of everyday life.

Picture a train making its way down a railroad track. All the parts have to work properly, in order for the train to continuously move. Now think of your body as the train, and the ability to turn food into energy as the coals, and life being the tracks. One obstacle on the tracks can stall the train. Diabetics are constantly faced with obstacles that can force them to break their routine, and can cause their body to not be able to effectively process food.

Our bodies are all connected through numerous body systems and parts that keep our entire body moving, and functioning. The minute there is one disruption within the body- everything becomes affected. It is a difficult pill to swallow, but people with diabetes are at risk for both long-term and short- term problems that affect things such as their eyes, kidneys, heart, brain, feet, and nerves, just to name a few. The best way to prevent or delay these problems is to control your blood sugar and take good care of yourself.

As with all things- change is necessary, in order to adapt. This is no different with diabetes. Regardless of who you are or which type of diabetes a person has- a lifestyle change is required, in order to help a diabetic lead a somewhat normal life. Because normality can be such a positive. So why not make your train the most awesome train on the tracks?