A blood glucose meter is used to calculate the approximate amount of glucose in the blood. If you suffer from diabetes or hypoglycaemia, it is a vital part of your wellness program, as the level of glucose in your blood is critical to your well being. It works by placing a small drop of blood on a testing strip, which is of course disposable. The blood itself is obtained by pricking the skin with a sharp scalpel. The blood glucose meter uses the blood on the testing strip to calculate the level of glucose in the blood.

The main goal for diabetes sufferers is to manage their blood sugar levels themselves on a daily basis if necessary. The body usually has this responsibility, but for diabetes sufferers, this is not possible. Some manual control is therefore required, and the blood sugar meter is essential for this purpose. By keeping a close control over the amount of blood glucose one has, a reduction in the occurrence rate and severity of long-term complications from hyperglycaemia as well as a reduction in the short-term, potentially life-threatening complications of hypoglycaemia are possible.

Whilst the function of a blood glucose meter will be much the same from machine to machine, there will be some differences in the models that you are offered.

On average, a blood glucose meter will fit on the palm of your hand, although there of course variations to this. They are usually battery powered and therefore portable, which is essential to the management of your blood sugar. You may well need to check the level of glucose in your blood after every meal, or perhaps if you suddenly start to feel unwell for no explicable reason.

The test strips themselves are disposable and can only be used once. You need to ensure that there is a regular supply of these strips available for your use. The blood glucose meter will be useless without them. The strips themselves are usually made of plastic and are embedded with chemicals that allow the blood glucose meter to check the level of sugar in the blood. Some machines do use discs rather than strips, which do allow multiple readings from a single disc, but either way, the over-riding concern is that you have access to a continued supply for your machine.

The amount of blood required to take a reading may vary between machines, so check with the supplier before you use the machine, to ensure that you get accurate results. If necessary, consult with your Doctor to make sure that the machine that you are using is being used correctly.

Whilst you will be advised how and where to obtain your blood from, some parts of the body reflect changes in glucose levels more quickly than others. This is usually why the finger is used. However, if for any reason you are going to obtain blood from another part of the body, make sure that you know how long it will take for that part of the body you are using to indicate fluctuating blood sugar levels. Again, a chat with your Doctor should ensure that you are fully informed before you start to use your meter.

The amount of time required to produce a result will vary from machine to machine, Please read the manufacturer's notes carefully to ensure that you are fully conversant with the operation of the meter. Some machines also require a code to be entered into the meter, which is obtained from the batch of test strips that you are using. This allows your meter to calibrate itself with the strips to ensure accurate results.

You may ask, what is the glycemic index? A couple of years ago, I asked the same question. The glycemic index is the meassue of how much food (in the form of carbohydrates ) will increase a person's blood sugar level. The higher the number measures, the worse the food is for you. A high glycemic index gives a quicker, higher rise in blood sugar. These items with the high index, break down very quickly in the digestive tract. The lower index products are broken down slower in the digestive tract. they give a slower more even rise in blood sugar.

Eating foods with a high glycemic index leads to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, cancer, and diabetes.

How does this apply to people with diabetes? Foods with a low glycemic index, will help your blood sugar lower and more even keel. The lower index foods will reduce the risk of diabetes, as well as the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

When a diabetic person eats a high glycemic index food, it triggers a rapid rise in blood sugar level. In a normal individual, the pancreas quickly releases a large amount of insulin to cover the rise in glucose. The insulin quickly cleans up the excess glucose, and the blood sugar level often drops lower than our normal level. Shortly thereafter, we feel hungry again, creating a cycle which can lead to obesity and diabetes. Lower glycemic index foods keep the stomach fuller, because they are broken down slower.

A lower glycemic index diet can help us lose weight, and improve on the body's sensitivity to insulin. An advantage of a high index intake, is it refuels carbohydrates after exercise. But, this is not true in diabetics, because the levels of blood glucose don't go down to start with.

So, low glycemic foods keep you fuller longer. They prolong physical endurance. they give a slower, more stable, rise in blood sugar after eating. They help people lose weight.

Low carbohydrate diets ( Metabolic Diet, Atkins Diet, and others ) are reflective of this lower glycemic index. There are other factors in a healthy diet. Fiber content, the total amount of carbohydrates, How much fat and what kind of fats, we are using, should be considered.

Carbohydrate are give a glycemic index to show the rate glucose is released into the blood. Lower is slower and better for your body. you should switch to a low glycemic index, specially if you have diabetes. You can get all the necessary information at your local bookstore or on the internet. I will leave you with a few examples to help you improve on your diet.

-Eat breakfast cereals with oats, barley or bran.

-Eat only, whole grain breads ( preferably with the seeds still in it ).

-Reduce the amount of white potatoes you eat, although the skins are good fore you.

-Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, excluding potatoes.

-Eat salads, and use a vinaigrette dressing on them.

Happy eating and good health to you.

It is of crucial importance for a diabetic to protect his feet from injury and infection. Loss of sensation, reduced circulation and delayed wound healing are potential complications that might result from diabetes. Investing in a sock specifically designed for a diabetic might be the first step for a diabetic towards protection from these complications. Such a sock has continuous direct contact with the skin of the foot throughout the day and thus, might help in preventing complications.

Initially, it was believed that the wearing of socks by a diabetes patient would help in avoiding potential harmful effects by protecting the foot. However, recent medical research has shown that if the sock is not properly designed, it could actually cause negative results for diabetic patients.

Elasticized form-fitted socks will not slide down the ankle or wrinkle inside the shoe. At the same time, a form-fitted sock with a mild amount of compression can promote circulation and reduce swelling. It is nearly unthinkable that a sock could restrict circulation in anyone's foot. However, this is possible if the sock is not properly designed and is too tight.

In order to ensure proper blood circulation in the foot, the sock should be tight fitting, but at the same time, it should not be excessively tight. Improperly designed socks that have an elasticized ridge at the top cause the “red line” commonly seen on the skin of the leg of a patient with edema. Properly made socks for a diabetic should have an upper with minimal elastic at the top to avoid such skin irritation.

The recommendation of cotton socks for diabetic patients is also mistaken. Compared to newer synthetic fibers such as Duraspun acrylic, cotton fibers lose shape and take a longer time to dry up inside the shoe. Cotton fiber socks are also rough and become abrasive with multiple wash-wear cycles.

Therefore, for a sock to be protective or therapeutic for the diabetic foot, it should:

1. Contain synthetic moisture-wicking fibers such as Duraspun acrylic or Coolmax polyester to remain soft and provide cushion. Pure cotton fiber socks should be avoided for patients with diabetes as far as possible.

2. Be form-fitted and snug (not tight), with sufficient elasticity to prevent the sock from slipping inside the shoe and stay up on the ankle.

3. Have no harmful dyes or additives, as they might cause skin irritation.

Wearing properly fitted shoes would go a long way in protecting a diabetic’s foot.

For a diabetic, keeping the feet in shape in the long term takes knowledge and vigilance. For those who fail to protect their feet, the price is severe. Each year, thousands of people with diabetes have amputations. However, most of those amputations are the result of minor injuries that were left untreated and allowed to develop into ulcers. This means that most of those amputations could have been prevented.

As more and more of us are leading less active lives and, for example, sitting all day long in our ergonomic chairs in front of a computer, health problems associated with this change in our lifestyle are rising.

I don't think that anybody would dispute the fact we need to take some regular exercise, but only about 30% of people in the United States are currently getting the recommended level of thirty minutes exercise a day and it is frightening to discover that 25% of Americans today take very little or no exercise at all.

So what does this have to do with type 2 diabetes?

In recent years, in large part as a result of lower levels of activity, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who are overweight in the United States and indeed obesity in America has now reached epidemic proportions. One major side-effect of this is that, as weight rises, so does insulin resistance and the onset of type 2 diabetes.

If you are skeptical about the connection between weight and diabetes then you only need to look at the latest statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services which show that a staggering 80% of people suffering from type 2 diabetes are also classed as being clinically overweight.

If we are to reverse the rising trend in the number of people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes then we must attack one of its root causes which is increasing weight. In turn, this means looking carefully at our diet but, just as importantly, looking at the amount of exercise we take to burn off the calories we are eating.

Perhaps the biggest problem whenever anyone mentions exercise is that it conjures up a picture of having to put on a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt and jog around the local park or join those fitness fanatics down at the local gym. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Of course you can go jogging if you want to, or join your local gym, but there are numerous other options open to you.

The secret is simply to add activity into your daily routine which stretches you physically. Not to the point at which you feel you are about to collapse, but simply to the point at which you are aware of making your body do a bit of extra work.

So what sort of things are we talking about?

Well, if you live in an apartment on the fifth floor, use the stairs instead of taking the lift. If you ride the bus to work, get off a couple of stops early and walk the last part of your journey. If your garden is in need of attention, get out once or twice a week and push the mower around, do some weeding or dig over the vegetable patch.

This list of exercise opportunities is virtually endless and it doesn't really matter how you get your exercise. What is important is that you look carefully at your lifestyle and, in particular, at your daily routine and try to work in at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Combine this with taking a close look at your eating habits and both your weight and the problems associated with type 2 diabetes will begin to fall.