The individuals who make the conscious decision to remain in the lifestyle that helped to bring about Type 2 diabetes do so because they choose to. But if they were fully aware of the consequences of this decision, perhaps more of them would change their mind and adapt a better way of life. It might be tempting to imagine that simply popping a few pills or taking insulin injections will take care of your problem. But Type 2 diabetes is a disease for which medication alone is not enough.

The management of your diabetes needs to be supported by:
    * a good diet,
    * enough exercise, and
    * proper medications.

When a Type 2 diabetic ignores a healthier lifestyle, they risk a multitude of complications. To begin with, they can experience episodes of low blood sugar: although this is rare for people with Type 2 diabetes who are not taking hypoglycemic drugs or insulin. High blood sugar is the greatest single danger for people with Type 2 diabetes.

When blood sugars are not stable, the organs of the body most likely to be damaged by diabetes are those that do not require the presence of insulin to metabolize blood sugar.

Organs that can be damaged:
    * eyes
    * kidneys
    * nerves
    * blood vessels

Organs generally not damaged:
    * brain
    * liver
    * muscles

Several eye disorders are possible. Glaucoma, cataracts and retinopathy are common conditions that come from diabetes raging out of control. Left untreated, some of these can inflict permanent harm to your vision and even produce total blindness.

Large blood vessel complications can affect the brain, heart, legs, and feet in people with diabetes. Small blood vessel disease can lead to problems with the eyes, skin, kidneys, and nerves, and can slow-down healing.

Vascular problems are usually related to atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries resulting from a buildup of deposits along blood vessel walls. This also impedes blood flow. While this can destroy tissue, it also limits oxygen flow. One of the areas receiving less oxygen is an area that you always want to be well-oxygenated: the brain. Without proper oxygen, the brain experiences dizziness, lethargy, and an inability to reason and think clearly. Memory is also dramatically affected.

Restricted blood flow puts additional work on the heart, too. Now, it has to compensate for partially blocked vessels by pumping harder. This means an unnecessary strain being placed on it. This situation can cause a heart attack.

Let's not forget the kidneys. The body's filtering system has to overcome all of the extra glucose passing through it. Instead of releasing the normal amount in the urine, now it doesn't have the ability to keep up with the excess volume of sugar. The kidneys become damaged because of it and the individual has to be placed on dialysis permanently until a transplant can be arranged.

Another area where the extra sugar will attack is the nerves. All over the body, the sugar that is supposed to be burned for fuel is overwhelming the body. There is too much of it and it has to go somewhere. So it ends up in the bloodstream, coursing its way through the body and attacking nerves everywhere. These nerves will eventually fold under the constant barrage and become permanently damaged. This results in numbness, tingling and pain.

But the damage is not over yet. Even your hearing isn't spared damage. Tiny hairs in the inner ear are not able to process the sugar and you start to develop hearing loss. Your hair also begins to fall out. Your skin on your arms and legs thickens and glazes over. Your nails become brittle and sometimes yellowish. You develop bad breath and you experience severe gum disease and periodontal disease.

Not enough? Men suffer impotence, women develop yeast infections and urinary tract infections, while both increase their risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

If that isn't enough reasons to keep your Type 2 diabetes under control, nothing will convince you.

By Beverleigh H Piepers