Natural disaster can strike at anytime. Severe weather affects us all. For those with Diabetes, these natural disasters that are major inconveniences for most of us can be life threatening situations. If you or a loved one has Diabetes, there are a few precautions you should take so that you are prepared in times of disaster.

" First and Foremost, pack an emergency kit with enough supplies to last for a minimum of one week. Your emergency supplies should include the following items.

*Medical supplies including tissues, rubbing alcohol, syringes, cotton balls, testing strips, blood glucose meters and any other items you use in day to day management of your diabetes. In addition, it is a good idea to include a pencil and notebook for tracking your blood sugar levels. Be prepared for emergencies by planning to store your insulin or other medications in a cooler. By keeping ice or freezer packs on hand, you will always be prepared in the event of a power failure disabling your refrigerator.

*Keep plenty of non-perishable drinks and snacks on hand. Bottled water, granola bars, canned nuts, peanut butter crackers, dry cereal, juice boxes or other snacks that you have found useful in controlling your blood sugar level should be kept with your emergency supplies. Plan ahead by realizing that your body may require more food at times when your activity or stress level is increased.

*The regular emergency items found in most disaster kits such as a first-aid kit, whistle, candles, matches, gloves, flashlight and radio with spare batteries. These items can be a major comfort in times of disaster.

* Copies of your updated medical records are a great idea as well. By packing copies of your insurance card and prescriptions in a waterproof plastic bag,along with a list of your health care providers and emergency contacts, you will be prepared should you need medical attention. It is also imperative to remember copies of your diabetic children's medical records, particularly if they are of school age and may be at school rather than home in the event of an emergency.

After assembling an emergency kit, store it in a suitable place where it can be safely accessed in a time of need. Notify everyone in the house of the exact location, along with relatives, friends and neighbors who may need to assist you in an emergency. Do a thorough inspection of the supplies at least annually, updating medical records and replacing items that are past their expiration dates, as needed.

" Make sure other people know you are a diabetic.
If you are forced to evacuate to a shelter or other location, identify yourself as a diabetic as well as relating any related complications. By sharing this information immediately you are more likely to get the medical attention you need. As an extra precaution, it is a very good idea to wear some type of medical alert jewelry at all times.

" Keep your medications safe.
Insulin should be kept as cool as possible without freezing, as well as being protected from direct heat and sunlight. Extremes of temperature and humidity can affect medications, blood glucose monitors and test strips so these items should be kept in temperature regulated areas as much as possible. Package inserts and medication containers should be kept for reference and it is a good idea to check for information on how to use these items in emergency or survival situations. As long as you possess the original prescription containers, you might be able to get refills of your medicine without a prescription in times of disaster. Dispose of any medications contaminated by flood water or other sources of contamination. The only exception to this rule is the case of life saving medications. If the pills are still dry and clean, it is probably safe to use them until you can find replacements.

" Dehydration can be deadly.
High blood sugar can quickly lead to dehydration and if you have been exposed to high temperatures, sweating will quickly cost you precious body fluids. Be prepared to boil drinking water if possible. If this is not an option, the water in your emergency kit may very well save your life. In addition to your bottled water supply, use bottled drinks that don't include sugar or other carbohydrates that might adversely effect your blood glucose levels.

" Prevent is the best medicine.
Diabetes causes severe problems with blood flow in the body and makes it very difficult for you to recover after suffering a wound or a bout of infection. For this reason it is imperative to avoid being injured. Especially in the unsanitary conditions that often follow natural disasters, you should check your feet daily for sores, cuts and blisters. Keep an alert eye for signs of infection, such as swelling, redness or discharge from a cut and seek medical treatment immediately if you notice any of these problems. Early treatment of your injuries may save your life by preventing infections.

" Wash your hands.
Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do to preserve your health in an emergency situation. Be sure to wash your hands often and after any situation that could cause even a slight level of contamination. Hand washing is especially important before administering any of your medications or eating as this will do much to keep you healthy until the disaster has passed.

Excess sugar and stress are the two main cause of diabetes. This excess sugar causes the pancreas to secrete high levels of insulin. Insulin removes this excess sugar out of the bloodstream, converts it to fat and stores it in fat cells.

What's the cause of insulin resistance?

Insulin becomes less efficient to process sugar due to increase in fat cell. This triggers insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Pancreas ability to secrete natural insulin hampers in this case.

Source of Glucose

Source of glucose is carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables are the best source of sugar because these are natural fructose sugars.

Threat from sucrose

Man made foods such as candies, soft drinks, breads, processed meats, pastries have high sugar and these are dangerous. These foods enter straight into the blood stream and increase sugar level immediately.

Glucose that is not immediately burned for energy, stored as fat in fat cells by Insulin. In the process, blood sugar begins to drop and you started feeling hungry.

Solution to maintain your blood sugar

First recommendation is to eat carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, which digest more slowly.

Proper diet increases blood sugar slowly and glucose is available as energy for several hours. Benefit is glucose is not needed to rush in to turn the sugar into fat.

Blood sugar level stays even and excess sugar does not have to be stored as fat; you don't feel hungry just a few hours after eating. Added benefit is some carbohydrates contain nutrients such as fiber, which also help you lose and control weight, and remove waste from your colon.

Monitor your patient's blood glucose levels frequently. As her kidney function deteriorates, she may need less insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs. That's because one-third of insulin is metabolized and excreted by the kidneys, and as her kidney function deteriorates, insulin is available in the bloodstream for a longer time. Monitor her for signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as diaphoresis, nausea, or vomiting. If she shows signs of hypoglycemia, the physician may reduce her insulin dosage. Or, if your patient takes an oral antidiabetic drug, the physician may prescribe glipizide, which has a shorter half-life than other drugs and is metabolized by the liver to inactive metabolites for excretion by the kidneys.

If your patient has hypertension, assess her for factors, such as obesity or alcohol consumption, that may contribute to hypertension. Also, review her current drug use. Many drugs can increase blood pressure, including corticosteroids, NSAIDs, nasal decongestants, appetite suppressants, and tricyclic antidepressants. During physical examinations, monitor your patient's blood pressure and compare the readings to those in her medical record.

Assess your patient for signs and symptoms of UTI. Frequent infections can speed the progression of nephropathy. If diabetic neuropathy affects her bladder, she may not be able to empty it completely. This may result in urinary stasis, which can increase the risk of infection. To help prevent UTIs, encourage your patient to empty her bladder at least every 2 hours.

Determine whether your patient is taking any nephrotoxic drugs. If she is, inform her physician. If she must undergo a procedure that requires the use of radiographic dye, administer mannitol as prescribed to induce osmotic diuresis and minimize the dye's nephrotoxic effects. Also, make sure your patient drinks all prescribed fluids after the procedure to dilute her urine, which may decrease the chance of nephrotoxicity from the dye.

If your patient is receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, help her adhere to the pre­scribed diet and fluid restrictions. If she must follow a low-protein diet, advise her to minimize her intake of eggs, meat, and milk products and to eat more starchy food, fats, fruits, and vegetables. If she has difficulty consuming sufficient calories to maintain her weight, suggest that she use a high-calorie nutritional supplement. Keep in mind, however, that peritoneal dialysis can increase calorie absorption from the dialysate as it sits in the peritoneum. If this causes your patient to gain excess weight, urge her to reduce her total calorie intake but not her protein intake. Monitor your patient's fluid and electrolyte status by checking her weight every day.

During each dialysis treatment, assess your patient's arteriovenous CAY or peritoneal access site for signs and symptoms of infection, such as redness, tenderness, or purulent drainage. Also, assess circulation at the AV shunt or fistula by checking for a palpable thrill; auscultating for a bruit, which should be present; and feeling for warmth over the access site. Don't take a blood pressure reading in the arm that has the AV access site because you may occlude it.

Remember that treatment options for end­stage renal disease may involve difficult choices for your patient and her family. Provide your patient with the information she'll need to make an informed choice. Keep in mind, however, that her ability to concentrate and think clearly may be affected by uremia. Therefore, if appropriate, delay important decisions about treatment options until after a dialysis treatment.

Provide support and encourage your patient to talk about her feelings and concerns. People respond in various ways when they hear the diagnosis of kidney disease. Your patient may develop depression, anxiety, or stress. So include meetings with a mental health professional, such as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist or psychologist, as part of your treatment plan. If appropriate, refer your patient and her family to support groups.

If your patient is waiting for a kidney transplant, keep in mind that finding a suitable organ donor takes a long time and places a significant strain on the patient and her family. After yourpatient undergoes the transplant, her physician will prescribe immunosuppressant drugs. The patient will need to take them for the rest of her life, and they can have serious adverse effects, such as increased risk of infection, weight gain, hallucinations, and increased kidney damage.

The physician will probably adjust your patient's insulin dosage after a kidney transplant because of improved kidney function. And your patient will be taking drugs, such as glucocortiosteroids and cyclosporine, that will increase her blood glucose levels.

Indeed, gestational diabetes is an uncommon situation during pregnancy when placenta produces some substances that make mother's insulin not to work properly. Usually, this might happen at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, so there is no worry for baby malformation.

After giving birth you'll not worry to have diabetes again, but there is a risk for you to have it later in future. That's why you should care a lot.

Actually, mother's pancreas produces insulin correctly, but somehow this insulin cannot work properly. This leads to increased blood sugar level, and you may have all the signs and symptoms of high blood sugar level, such as

- being most of the time thirsty, and this leads to increased urine frequency

- at the same time you're feeling hungry, but still have weight loss

- Frequent uro-genital [bladder, vagina] and skin infection, and so on.

Not all the pregnant women can face the gestational diabetes problems. If somehow, you're facing them, keep in mind that they're not life threatening. They recall your attention of what you're eating or doing, but are not harmful for you.

On the other hand, what your baby will face is the problem of overweight that will lead to a cesarean birth.

One common problem that your baby will face after birth is hypoglycemia. The medical team will take care of it.

Anyway, you should care of high blood sugar level and keeping it at normal range. How can you do this?

As a diabetic mother you should care of what you're eating. Try to follow the most recommended diet for gestational diabetes. That will help you in lowering blood sugar level. You should do a lot of exercise too, such as yoga, walking in fresh air.

You have your body under your responsibility. Don't throw away the opportunity to be a good mother, even if your child is still inside you, and you cannot see. What you eat, what lifestyle you follow can determine how healthy your baby will be.

The diabetic should not be afraid to each fresh fruits and vegetables which contain sugar and starch. Fresh fruits contain sugar fructose, which does not need insulin for its metabolism and is well tolerated by diabetics. Fats and oils should be taken sparingly; for they are apt to lower the tolerance for proteins and starches, for they are apt to lower the tolerance for proteins stimulates and increase insulin production. For protein, home made cottage cheese, various forms of sourced milks and nuts are best. The patient should avoid overeating and take four or five small meals a day rather than three large ones.

The following diet should be serving as a guideline.

Upon rising: A glass of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Breakfast: Any fresh fruit with the exception of banana, soaked prunes a small quantity or whole meal bread with butter and fresh milk.

Lunch: Steamed or lightly cooked green, vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, turnip, asparagus, and mushrooms, two or three whole wheat chapattis according to appetite and glass of butter milk or curd.

Milk after noon: A glass or fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

Dinner: A large bowl of salad made up of all the raw vegetables in season. The salad may be followed by a hot course, if desired, and fresh home-made cottage cheese.

Bedtime snack: A glass of fresh milk.

Flesh foods find no place in this regimen, for they increase the toxemic condition underlying the diabetic state and reduce the sugar tolerance. On the other hand, a non-stimulating vegetarian diet, especially one made up of raw foods, promotes and increases sugar tolerance.

Celery, cucumbers, string beans, onion and garlic are especially beneficial. String bean pot tea is an excellent natural substitute for insulin and highly beneficial in diabetes. The skins of pods of green beans are extremely rich in silica and certain hormone substance which are closely related to insulin. One cup of string bean tea is equal to one unit of insulin. Cucumbers contain a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin. Onion and garlic have proved beneficial in reducing blood sugar in diabetes.

The Bad News...

When I was 5, I learned that I had Type I diabetes, which at that time meant 2 shots a day and 3-4 finger sticks a day, along with getting vials of blood drawn every 3 months or so, and no sugar. My dad had to give himself shots of water to teach him how to give my injections correctly. So I began my journey on Humilin and Novilin.

When I was 12, I spent Halloween weekend away from home and not taking Insulin and eating tons of Chocolate. Monday, my dad found me unconscious. I was air lifted to the hospital 2 hours away. I remained in a coma caused by ketoacidosis(high blood sugar, I was told it was 1300) for 3 days, and woke to find out that I had pneumonia in both lungs. I had to spend 3 weeks in the hospital where I had to walk every day with a walker around the floor, due to my muscle weakness after only 3 days, to build strength, endure regular "beatings" on both sides of my chest to loosen the phlegm, get stuck with needles to draw blood every hour or so(including throughout the night), have my IV sites changed often due to blown veins, which was extremely painful, it feels like the antibiotics are chemicals burning your insides.

When I did get to leave, I wasn't allowed to go home with my father, which broke his heart, because he was seen as unfit, due to my mistakes. So I moved in with my mother and began a new life. About a year later, she was diagnosed with Non-Hodkins Lymphoma and passed away soon after, which broke MY heart again. My sister who is 10 years older than myself gained custody of me, and I moved in with her, her husband and my niece(who is 10 years younger than me and autistic). I ended up in the hospital again for Dehydration caused by Ketoacidosis the morning of my mothers funeral, which I did not get to attend. I added stress to an already strained marriage, and after a year or so and a couple of unsuccessful suicide attempts on my part, they divorced and my sister took my niece and I, and we moved. I was in and out of the hospital for high blood sugars and low blood sugars several times throughout High School. I forgot to take my Insulin several times due to memory problems(I'm also told are due to uncontrolled BG levels), which landed me in the hospital straight from school several times. The one time I actually made it through the day and got home at around 5pm, apparently I passed out while trying to take my Insulin, my sister came home around 9pm to find that my niece had single-handedly re-carpeted the entire house with rice, catfood, sugar, coffee, flour, cereal etc. and was hiding under the covers in her room, while I was passed out in my sisters bedroom with Insulin Syringes covering the floor. I ended up in the hospital again and was told by the Doctor that if I kept going the way I was I would not make it to 30, and would never be able to have children, which is not very encouraging considering that the only thing I ever wanted was to have a family and be there for my niece if anything ever happens to my sister.

Things got a little better for awhile because my Endocrinologist changed my Insulin to Humalog and Lantus, which are more effective Insulins for people with "Brittle" cases. Humalog starts acting immediately so you can start eating immediately, instead of having to wait 15 minutes for it to take effect, but you have to be careful and make sure that you can sit down immediately to eat or it will drop your blood sugar like a hot potato. Of course that was never a problem with me, because I love to eat, and hated to sit and wait that 15 minutes so I rarely did. And still, I could not get my blood sugars to even be remotely in the vicinity they are supposed to be. So I found a new Doctor, I figured a change of scenery may be what I needed.

Now, are you ready news?

On my first appointment with this new Endocrinologist, he asked me why I was not on the Insulin Pump. I said that I had never had anyone tell me about it, I didn't really know much about it, and he said that with my history I really should consider it, that it had the potential to change my life. So he set me up an appointment with a colleague of his, a woman from Medtronic Minimed, a pump supply company. We met about a week later and she put me on a CGMS(Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) which, yep you guessed it, Continuously monitors your glucose levels, and records them for 24-48 hours, and is then looked at by the doctor to see if your method of treatment is effective at all times of the day and also picks up on any patterns that may be corrected by the pump. This information was reviewed by my endocrinologist and he requested authorization from my Insurance company, and soon after I was on the phone with Minimed picking my color choice and all that fun stuff, and about 2 weeks later, I had my pump and began training. Now, that may sound silly, to "train", but you really do have to change certain things about your life and how you eat and such.

I began learning how to use the pump, which is a little overwhelming at first due to all the aspects of it. I mean, I'd never heard of a Bolus or Basal, let alone what a Carb Ratio or Sensitivity were! Then I learned how to Count Carbs, which is also a little overwhelming at first because you have to think about and analyze every single thing that goes into your mouth, kind of makes you realize what a pig you are at times! It does get easier, and life after the pump is beautiful! I can tell when my blood sugar is even a little off most of the time now, which I hadn't been able to do for years. I can tell it's low by about 70, and when it's high by around 160. I don't dread going to the doctor anymore because he doesn't look disappointed in me anymore, and tell me that I need to do better or I will have all sorts of problems. I actually leave the office smiling because he tells me that I'm doing so well that he doesn't need to see me back for 3 months!

So, I left out a little bit of HUGE information back there. About 3 moths after I started using the pump, I found out I was pregnant! I was ecstatic, but worried at the same time. I told my doctor and he was not very excited, he felt it was too soon, since my BG was not completely stable yet. He stressed to me how much work it was going to be on my part, and of all the many problems that could happen with both myself and the baby if it was not controlled tightly. This brought back memories of Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias, and I was terrified for my baby, and for my health during and after the pregnancy. I began this most recent part of my journey completely unsure and terrified, it seemed that every new doctor I saw after the pregnancy began did not want me to do this. One that I saw actually told me that before meeting me, she reviewed my records from when I was much younger(at that hospital 2 hours away that I mentioned before), and had a nightmare about me because the last A1C I had done there was 11.4! I was seen by 8 different doctors at 2 practices and 3 hospitals, and that's not mentioning the extra special care High Risk procedures that were done, such as Echocardiograms, and many ultrasounds. The extra ultrasounds were great, because we got to watch our little girl grow inside me.

Until about the 7th month I was petrified that my Blood Sugar wasn't as tight as it should be, (which could cause the baby to have to be on a glucose drip for 24 hours, because her body would have gotten used to having high blood sugar in the womb and begin to produce too much insulin, in turn causing her to have low Blood Sugar)because it was sometimes higher than it should have been for a couple of days due to my body's demand for Insulin constantly growing with the pregnancy. I was keeping a strict and accurate journal of EVERYTHING I ate and every BG, and sending this to my Pump counselor for adjustments on my settings every 3 days. She actually told me that when her mother was down visiting her, she helped her clean out her office, and saw my records and told her how impressed she was that I was keeping track of all that information. I was determined to give my baby the best chance at a healthy life possible.

So in my 8th month, I went back to see my Endocrinologist to get a Decreased Insulin plan set up for after delivery, because the need for so much Insulin is gone as soon as the placenta is out of the body,and he hadn't had a chance to review my record from the other doctor yet. He fully expected to get onto me because they were too high, but looked very suprised when he saw my paperwork and the A1C was 5.7. He didn't really say too much after that, he just gave me my Insulin plan and said to make an appointment after delivery. I was starting to feel a little more confident now, because he's not one to tell you how great you've been doing, more the opposite actually. But he did NOT tell me how bad I'd been doing, this is the important thing. So then I went for my last ultrasound the day before delivery, and they said that the baby looked healthy, but would probably be big, which is no suprise because diabetics normally have 10 lb babies. I was told that she was at least 8 1/2 lbs, but that could vary by 1 lb, that she could possibly be 9 1/2 - 10 lbs, but not any smaller. She turned out to be 7 lb 7 oz, and needed no glucose drip!

So, now I am a happy, healthy mother of a happy, healthy baby girl! And I had my A1C tested last week, and again was worried because it has not been as tight as I would like it to be. It is remaining at a healthy 5.7, and my doctor actually did tell me that I'm doing really well. The moral of my story is that if you are doubting switching to the pump, because of some trivial worry(like I was) such as having something attached to you 24/7, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives.

And the only bad thing about the pump is that if you wear pants without pockets, it doesn't work as well. But they also make several different holders for it, that I haven't gotten around to getting because it's not really a big deal to me, that allow you to wear it around your arm, thigh or bra. That one little insignificant thing is the ONLY bad thing that I have to say about the pump after 15 months of continuous wear.

In the U.S. alone, more than 20 million people have diabetes. This is about 8% of the total population- a significant statistic. A third of these people have yet to be diagnosed and possibly do not even know or suspect they have the disease. With numbers this high, it's likely you know someone with diabetes.

Older men are the most likely to have the disease, as well as American Indians. Non-Hispanic whites are the least likely. Diabetes ranks as about six on causes of death in the United States- researchers feel that number is reserved as there are so many undiagnosed individuals and a lack of reporting.

As if Diabetes weren't a complicated disease anyway, having it makes you more prone to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, diseases of the nervous system leading to amputation and carpal tunnel, blindness, periodontal disease, difficulty becoming pregnant, and more likely to attract illnesses like the flu and pneumonia.

These are daunting figures, and the health risks tied to diabetes are staggering. Each year more than a million new diabetes diagnoses are reported. It's a very prevalent disease, and yet no where near as highly discussed as cancer or AIDS.

People see diabetes as a debilitating intrusion on their lives. Insulin and blood glucose tests, carefully monitoring your diet and managing your overall health can be a full time job. But many diabetics have turned to the Diabetic Living Diet to help manage their diabetes and have better control over their health.

The Diabetic Living Diet encourages diabetics to focus on consistency. It's important to each at the same time every day with similar portion sizes at each meal. Your diet should consist of about 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 20% protein. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins are very important inclusions.

When you become a member at the Diabetic Living Diet, an online diet program, you'll gain a really comprehensive pass to all of the tools and resources. They provide a personalized diet plan, specifically created for your individual needs as a diabetic. You can also access more than 500 recipes, seek advice from diabetes experts, interact with the online community, guides for eating out and more. When you sign up, new members receive a one-year subscription to print magazine.

Your membership to the Diabetic Living Diet is only about $5/week. Considering the staggering number surrounding diabetes- you can't afford not to join. It's an easy and convenient ways to gain personalized information to help you better control your diet and disease.

You can live a full and vibrant life when you have diabetes- you just have to know how to manage it and make that a priority. Millions of people manage their diabetes everyday, and you can, too.

Diabetes is now a global pandemic. Rich, poor, fat and thin people of every ethnic background are found to have abnormal glucose metabolism resulting in elevated triglycerides and often accompanied by high blood pressure and heart disease. The progressive damage may lead to kidney failure, stroke, amputation of limbs and blindness. The sheer volume of cases is staggering to the medical profession.

The "cause" is variously attributed to diet, genetics and life-style. But what if the "cause" is something more insidious, something that is neither tested for nor treated? As I studied the literature on diabetes and its effects, I became aware that there were often contradictory findings. Overnight, as the body "fasted" from foods, and the metabolism slowed down, glucose levels should have dropped to normal or below normal levels. Individuals who undertook three and four day fasts would likewise be expected to have subnormal levels of glucose. Neither group did. In fact, many individuals find that their glucose levels were higher in the morning than they had been the previous evening. Many found that fasting simply brought their glucose readings into a normal range.

If the overnight fast had resulted in the metabolizing of fat into sugars, this might explain the elevated glucose readings. But the science of the day insists that the metabolism of fats do not result in elevated glucose levels. With the three and four day fasts, fat metabolism should be well underway, yet, again, no significant rise in glucose levels were taking place. If reduction in food intake did not cause a reduction in glucose levels, what else would cause elevated glucose? What other biological process produces glucose? The answer is yeast, mold and some forms of fungus.

These life forms are categorized as plants. They grow best in a more acid environment. Refined sugars are strongly acidic. In combination with mold, yeast or fungal spores, there would be a surge in the production of glucose beyond the level of dietary sugars. Let's call the glucose from yeast, molds and fungus "abnormal glucose". In normal metabolism of carbohydrates, the liver and pancreas go through a sequence that triggers release of insulin to enable absorption of the glucose by the body's cells. If this glucose is not used, it is converted into lipids (triglycerides) and if not metabolized and used by the body, into fat.

With abnormal glucose, there is no actual metabolic process in the liver. As a result, it does not trigger release of insulin. It circulates as an acid through the body causing inflammation and irritation to blood vessels and tissue. If it is eventually converted to lipids in the liver or to fat, it has a very different energy signature than normal fat.

In diabetic mice, the abnormal fat has an energy signature of 8,000 calories per pound. Normal fat has an energy signature of only 3,500 calories per pound.

Individuals diagnosed as diabetics face extraordinary resistance to weight loss, increasing inflammation and destruction of blood vessels, damage to all major organs, as the underlying infections progress.

Yeast, mold and fungal infections are stimulated by tissue destruction. As tissue breaks down, it provides new material for rapid expansion of the infection. Progressive deterioration results in damage to all biological systems.

While reducing the intake of refined carbohydrates may slow the active infection, yeast, mold and fungi produce spore that can persist in a latent state for a nearly indefinite period of time. A diet to reduce or eliminate "candida" (yeast) may be needed if the history of the individual indicates that this is the probable infection. An infection with mold or fungus may need added medical and dietary protocols.

Testing for systemic yeast, mold or fungus is expensive and time consuming. Often the careful analysis of a Comprehensive Medical and Personal History will indicate the source of the underlying infection whether it is from yeast or mold or fungus.