Diabetes is one of the most common diseases today, wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of Americans each year.  Fortunately, unlike in previous years,  today there are diabetic testing supplies available to manage the illness to the point where a diabetic can live a pretty much normal life.

Diabetes is often triggered by an insulin deficiency. With such a deficiency, your body is no longer able to store or use glucose. If the body can use it, the only recourse is to hold it in the bloodstream until it can eliminate it. Normally, the kidneys can handle excess glucose in the bloodstream by filtering it out. However, when the glucose level reaches 180 mg/dl or above, a tipping point is reached. At this point the kidneys are overloaded and can no longer perform their filtering function. The excess glucose, having nowhere else to go, begins to enter the bloodstream. It's at this point that diabetes complications usually start to occur.

Usually, due to the overload of blood glucose in their system, people with diabetes manifest a few common symptoms. For one, it causes many diabetics to become thirsty. The reason is that glucose causes water to be extracted from the blood which is then excreted from the body in the form of urine. The loss of water from the blood leads to dehydration and feelings of thirst. Too frequent urination can be a problem because along with the excess glucose, the urine is also carrying out sodium and potassium, important nutrients for the body.

Diabetics often feel "run down" and tired and don't understand exactly why. But because of the effect that glucose intolerance has on the body, it's not that surprising. In just about everyone, the foods that they consume is converted to a glucose. The insulin in their body then converts the glucose into a fuel source (glycogen) that can be used to power the body. The process is different with people with diabetes, however, because of their insulin problems. This prevents the glucose in their body from being changed into glycogen or energy food. In other words, even though they're eating, there body is not able to use the food. It's like putting gasoline into a car where the  carburetor or fuel-injector is not working. The car has plenty of fuel, but is unable to convert it into useable form.

One of the symptoms of diabetes for women is an increase in vaginal infections. The reason is that the deficiency in insulin cause glucose level to rise in the blood, including vaginal secretions. Fungi and bacteria love high glucose areas of the body, it's an excellent food source for them, making it the perfect environment for them to grow.

One of the most devastating facts about this disease is that out of all the people that have it in this country, 50% of them are totally unaware of it. If not treated, it can lead to serious health problems such as blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage, and more. Naturally, if someone doesn't know they have the disease, they can't treat it. Being tested for diabetes is not a huge deal. In fact, many doctors include it as part of a normal yearly physical exam. Ignoring a disease that is so easily treatable is a mistake that may be hard to recover from later in life.