Is Diabetes Causing You Neuropathic Pain & Discomfort?
Are You at Risk of Nerve Damage Or Skin Ulceration?
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a health condition where there is too much glucose in
the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar and the main source of fuel used by
our bodies. Glucose comes from food which contains carbohydrate, such as
vegetables, as well as cereal foods.
The hormone, insulin, produced in the pancreas, stimulates the uptake of
glucose, amino acids and fat from the blood into our body’s cells. For
diabetics, their pancreas either cannot make insulin or the insulin that is
made is insufficient.
There are two main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes usually affects children and young adults.
Type 2 diabetes, or mature onset, is the most common form of diabetes
affecting about 90% of all people with diabetes. While it usually affects
mature adults, more young people are developing type 2 diabetes.
What Are The Common Problems Associated with Diabetes?
When blood glucose levels are too high over long periods of time, damage
to cells within the body can result. Nerve and vascular damage are common.
Can I Relieve The Symptoms of Diabetes?
There are things you can do to prevent or relieve the symptoms of diabetes
that are often associated with feet and skin. Wearing safe, natural soothing
far infrared therapy support garments can assist to relieve the symptoms of diabetes
without the risk of side effects. Protective FIR Therapy support garments can also help
in the prevention of foot ulcers associated with diabetes.
How Can NGL Thermal Therapy Garments Help My Diabetes?
Assist to reduce neuropathic pain and symptoms
Enhance blood circulation in your hands and feet
Avoid foot odour and assist your feet to stay dry and healthy
Improve your quality and enjoyment of life
Provide vital protection against skin damage, ulcers and sores
Help provide compressive limb & joint support to aid gentle exercise
How Can Diabetes Hurt My Feet?
High blood glucose from diabetes causes two problems that
can hurt your feet:
Nerve damage. One problem is damage to nerves in your legs and feet.
With damaged nerves, you might not feel pain, heat, or cold in your legs and
feet. This lack of feeling caused by nerve damage is also called diabetic
neuropathy. Nerve damage can lead to a sore or an infection.
Poor blood flow. The second problem happens when not enough blood
flows to your legs and feet. Poor blood flow makes it hard for a sore or
infection to heal. This problem is called peripheral vascular disease.
Smoking when you have diabetes makes blood flow problems worse.
What Can I Do To Take Care of My Neuropathy Pain?
Keep your feet clean by washing them in warm water and soap.
~ Dry well.
Always wear therapy support garments to avoid blisters, injury and skin damage
How Can Diabetes Hurt My Skin?
Diabetes can hurt your skin in two ways:
If your blood glucose is high, your body loses fluid. With less fluid in your
body, your skin can get dry. Dry skin can be itchy, causing you to scratch
and make it sore. Also, dry skin can crack and allow germs to enter to cause
infection. If your blood glucose is high, it feeds germs and makes infections
worse. The Chitosan in NGL thermal therapy support garments helps combat this.
Nerve damage can decrease the amount you perspire. Perspiration helps
keep your skin soft and moist. Decreased sweating in your feet and legs can
cause dry skin.
What are Diabetic Neuropathies?
Diabetic neuropathies are a range of nerve disorders caused by diabetes.
People with diabetes can develop nerve damage throughout the body. Some
people with nerve damage have no symptoms of diabetes. Others may have
diabetes symptoms, such as chronic pain, tingling, numbness or loss of
feeling in the hands, arms, feet and legs.
Doctors suggest about 70 percent of people with diabetes type 2 have some
form of neuropathy. The risk of developing nerve problems, neuralgia and
the feeling of burning feet increases with age and the duration of diabetes.
What Causes Diabetic Neuropathies?
Nerve damage can be due to a combination of factors:
Metabolic factors, such as high blood glucose or low levels of insulin
Damaged blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to nerves
Autoimmune factors that can cause inflammation in nerves
Injury to nerves, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
Inherited susceptibility to nerve disease
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking or alcohol
What Are The Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathies?
First symptoms are often numbness, tingling, or pain in the feet. Symptoms
are usually minor at first. They can involve the sensory, motor, and
autonomic (or involuntary) nervous systems. For some diabetics with focal
neuropathy, the onset of pain can be sudden and severe. Symptoms may be
worse at night.
Symptoms of diabetes and nerve damage often include:
numbness, tingling, or pain in toes, feet, legs, hands, arms, and fingers
wasting of the muscles of the feet or hands
dizziness or faintness after standing up due to a drop in blood pressure
muscle weakness
a tingling, burning, or prickling sensation
loss of balance and coordination
Natural Foot Care Treatments
People with neuropathy need to take special care of their feet. The nerves
to the feet are the longest in the body and most often affected by
neuropathic pain. Loss of sensation in your feet means that sores or
injuries may not be noticed and could become ulcerated or infected.
Circulation problems can also increase your risk of foot ulcers. Blisters and
sores may appear on numb areas of the foot because pressure or injury
goes unnoticed. Wearing protective NGL thermal therapy support garments
reduces the risk of damage and sores to your delicate and fragile skin.
NGL Bio-Chitosan thermal therapy support garments are also highly effective in
reducing perspiration and foot odour, as well as other symptoms of diabetes.
The natural healing power of thermal therapy can help boost blood
circulation in hands and feet to reduce the risk of nerve damage, tingling
and burning pain to help relieve diabetic foot pain.
Sadly, more than half of all lower-limb amputations occur in people
with diabetes. Many amputations caused by neuropathy and poor
circulation can be prevented with careful diabetic foot care.
Researchers are studying natural therapies in clinical trials. Treatments that
involve FAR infrared therapy may be helpful in the treatment of diabetic symptoms.
and particularly beneficial for those people whose condition is complicated
by other health complaints, such as heart problems.
Medical researchers have found that physical activity lowers the health risks
which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Prevention of metabolic syndrome should start with physical activity.
Even small increases in levels of physical activity can help avoid the health risks
leading to type 2 diabetes.
Wearing NGL thermal therapy supports can assist improve circulation to relieve neuropathy
pain allowing you to enjoy gentle exercise without the burning pain!