Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has highblood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)

Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)

Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.

Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.

Now Chinese Medicine on Treating Diabetes,And it is very useful.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed inChina and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage (Tui na), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy. These practices are a common part of medical care throughout East Asia, but are considered alternative medicine in the Western world.

The doctrines of Chinese medicine are rooted in books such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon and the Treatise on Cold Damage, as well as in cosmological notions like yin-yang and the Five Phases. Starting in the 1950s, these precepts were modernized in the People’s Republic of China so as to integrate many anatomical and pathological notions from scientific medicine. Nonetheless, many of its assumptions, including the model of the body, or concept of disease, are not supported by modern evidence-based medicine.

For the treatment of diabetes, doctors and patients mainly have the following targets.

First, we need to correct the high blood sugar, hyperlipidemia and other metabolic disturbance so as to promote the normal metabolism of sugar, protein and fat.

Second, we need to relieve the symptoms that caused by the metabolic disturbance of blood sugar.

Third, we need to prevent the diabetic ketoacidosis and other acute complications. At the same time, we need to prevent from the cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease, diabetic eye disease, nerve disease and other chronic complications, so as to prolong the patients’ life.

Forth, for the obesity patients, they should lose weight positively and keep the normal weight. And for the pregnant patients, we should make sure the safe delivery.

After knowing these targets, the patients need to adopt correct treatment methods.

Usually, the patients will need to take insulin and some medicine to keep the blood sugar in normal range. And they also will need to develop reasonable dietary and living habits as the adjuvant methods. Surely, there are many patients live a very good life by taking regular medicines. However, these medications just aim at the symptoms and complications of diabetes.