Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way your body uses food for energy. Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. The glucose then circulates in your blood where it waits to enter cells to be used as fuel. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps move the glucose into cells. A healthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose. But, if you have diabetes, this process breaks down, and blood sugar levels become too high.
Diabetes is expected to affect more than 48 million people in the U.S. by the year 2050. The most common kind of diabetes is Type II. It is a chronic medical condition that frequently affects adults and their ability to metabolize glucose, or sugar in the body. The disease can be life-threatening if left untreated. Controlling diabetes can be challenging for anyone combating the disease. It requires careful monitoring of food and medicine intake to avoid high blood sugar and the feelings of illness that come with it. An abundance of homecare medical supplies are now available to help people combat the disease at home in conjunction with healthy diet, exercise and prescription medications received from their doctor when necessary.