Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat.

Diabetes occurs when one of the following occurs:

• When the pancreas does not produce any insulin
• When the pancreas produces very little insulin
• When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called “insulin resistance”

Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have the disease and almost one third (or approximately 5.2 million) are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy.

To understand diabetes a little better you need to understand why insulin is important in diabetes. It helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, the cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into simple sugar called “glucose.” Then, glucose is transported through the bloodstream to the cells of your body where it can be used to provide some of the energy your body needs for daily activities. The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is tightly regulated by the hormone insulin. Insulin is always being released in small amounts by the pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises to a certain level, the pancreas will release more insulin to push more glucose into the cells. This causes the glucose levels in your blood to drop. To keep your blood glucose levels from getting too low, your body signals you to eat and releases some glucose from the storage kept in the liver.

There are three types of diabetes:

• Type 1 Diabetes – occurs because the insulin – producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. People with type 1 diabetes produce no insulin and must use insulin injections to control their blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes most commonly starts in people under the age of 20 but may occur at any age.

Symptoms can include:

o Increased thirst
o Increased hunger (especially after eating)
o Dry mouth
o Frequent urination
o Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
o Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
o Blurred vision
o Labored, heavy breathing (Kussmaul respirations)
o Loss of consciousness (rare)

• Type 2 Diabetes – Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin. However, the insulin their pancreas secretes is either not enough or the body is resistant to the insulin. When there isn’t enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose can’t get into the body’s cells. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting almost 18 million Americans. While most of these cases can be prevented, it remains or adults the leading cause of diabetes – related complications such as blindness, non – traumatic amputations, and chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in people over age 40 who are overweight but can occur in people who are not overweight. Sometimes referred to as “adult – onset diabetes,” type 2 diabetes has started to appear more often in children because of the rise in obesity in young people.

Symptoms may include:

o Maybe the same as listed above
o Slow – healing sores or cuts
o Itching of the skin
o Yeast infections
o Recent weight gain
o Numbness or tingling of the hands and feet
o Impotence or ED

• Gestational Diabetes – is triggered by pregnancy. Hormone changes during pregnancy can affect insulin’s ability to work properly. The condition occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies. Pregnant women who have an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes are those who are over 25 years old, are above their normal body weight before pregnancy, have a family history of diabetes or are Hispanic, black, Native American or Asian. If left untreated it can increase risks for both mother and her unborn child. Usually, blood sugar levels return to normal within six weeks of childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Symptoms may also include:

o This condition shows no or almost negligible symptoms
o Rare symptoms are increased thirst or increased urination

There are many ways that you can manage diabetes because at this time there is no cure. The goals to managing diabetes are to:

o Keep your blood sugar levels as near to normal as possible by balancing food intake with medication and activity
o Maintain your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels as neat their normal ranges as possible by avoiding added sugars and processed starches and by reducing saturated fat and cholesterol.
o Control your blood pressure. Your blood pressure should not go over 130/80
o Slow or possibly prevent the development of diabetes related health problems
o Plan what you eat and follow a balanced meal plan
o Exercise regularly
o Take medicines as prescribed
o Monitor your blood sugar and blood pressure levels regularly
o Keep your appointments and testing with your doctor

For people who suffer from diabetes, life can be a daily struggle when it comes to controlling blood sugar. It can feel like life revolves around regular insulin shots and unceasing attention to detail when it comes to consuming food. However, many diabetes suffers around the world are finally finding relief from their symptoms thanks to a potentially therapeutic compound in the hemp plant called cannabidiol. Hemp oil has been proven to lower blood sugar levels and prevents type 1 diabetes by stimulating regulatory TH2 cell responses. In addition, hemp oil tested in lab mice show potential to neutralize the body’s sugar imbalances. The human has both TH1 and TH2 regulatory cells. The acronym stands for T helper 1 and T helper 2 cells.

TH1 and TH2 cells are mutually suppressing within the human body. Meaning, that you need balance between these two types of helper T cells, and one cannot suppress or dominate the other. Several studies indicate that individuals with type 1 diabetes show a shift towards a TH1 response verses TH2. Individuals with type 1 show TH1 dominance. Hemp oil can lower blood sugar levels by increasing the levels of TH2 and creating balance. This not only important for our bodies to create antibody responses essential to the resistance of microbial antigens, but also preventing the body’s immune system from destroying beta cells. As a result, sugar levels within the blood stay at a normal level assuming the individual is following a healthy diet. Hemp oil can act as a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of diabetes. People who use hemp oil for type 2 diabetes have reported that they have more energy and are able to exercise more. Diabetics who use hemp oil report they have better control of their blood sugar, experience better sleep and see an overall improved sense of well – being.