Dangers of Using an Electric Blanket If You Have Diabetes

A patient with diabetes lacks the ability to produce insulin. Insulin provides the body with a way to get glucose out of the blood and into the body's cells. Where does the glucose come from, and why does it need to enter the cells of the body?

The body breaks down the carbohydrates in the diet. The product or that breakdown is glucose. The blood has a high level of glucose after a meal. The glucose in the blood can provide the cells with energy, provided that it can get into those cells.

Glucose does not normally travel across the cell membrane into the cell. Glucose in the blood stream will enter the body cells only when those cells have been acted on by insulin. Insulin is normally produced by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

In the absence of insulin, the blood circulates through the body, carrying a high amount of glucose at all times. At the same time the body fails to get the amount of fuel that it needs. The cells of the body suffer from their lack of a fuel source.

Nerve cells suffer when they do not get a sufficient amount of glucose. Eventually, the nerves cells cease to function properly. Eventually, a diabetic patient could develop what is known as neuropathy, the medical term for damaged nerves.

There is an additional way by which diabetes can damage the nerve cells. High blood glucose can lead to a rise in fat levels in the blood stream. Fat in the blood can damage the blood vessels. Damaged blood vessels do a poor job of providing cells with needed oxygen. When cells, especially nerve cells, fail to get an adequate amount of oxygen, they do not function properly.

Diabetics who fail to take the needed medication can develop signs of neuropathy. They can notice numbness or tingling in their feet. They might feel weak or dizzy. A male diabetic might develop erectile dysfunction. These are all signs that the diabetics nerve cells no longer work as well as they should.