Phantogeusia is a neurological phenomenon rarely mentioned, let alone discussed. It is a phantom taste perception: often a metallic or salty taste in your mouth where no stimulus can be found, and is especially problematic for diabetics, both Type 1 and Type 2.

When people don’t have diabetes, an odd bitter taste in their mouth is usually due to blood. There can be sores and cuts or fissures in the gums that take time to heal, and until they do, they bleed. Blood has a bitter taste, and when the sores or fissures heal, the bad or bitter taste disappears.

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The most serious complication of diabetes involving the urinary tract is nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy is kidney damage that occurs in 20 to 30% of people with type 2 diabetes. If no action is taken to stop it, this condition can progress to end-stage renal disease. 80% of all people with end-stage renal disease have Type 2 diabetes, so diabetic nephropathy is a major concern for lifelong Type 2 diabetics.

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Coronary artery disease is a fairly well known condition. However, it has a cousin that is much less well known; peripheral artery disease. Both conditions can do the same things, become constricted by plaque and throw blood clots. One of the problems is that P.A. D. is harder to detect, particularly when it involves blood vessels deep in the legs.

Symptoms:

Many people with this disorder have few or no symptoms at all. However, some may occur especially as the problem progresses. Pain when walking, loss of hair on the legs, a reduction in toenail growth and shiny skin can all indicate P.A.D. Weak pulse in the legs and feet or cold skin in the region also may occur.

Causes:

The most common cause is hardening of the arteries. As mentioned above, most of the focus for this problem is on the heart, but it can and does affect every blood vessel in your body. As the plaque builds up, it restricts blood flow. Continue reading →

The glycemic index measures how quickly a particular kind of food is digested into glucose that increases blood sugar levels. Some foods, for instance, warm mashed potatoes, raise blood glucose levels even more quickly than sugar itself. Other foods, such as raw spinach, hardly raise blood sugars at all, even many hours after they are consumed.

Isn’t this information of vital interest to all diabetics?

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Diabetes is one condition that must be treated as soon as it is diagnosed, even though in its early stages it doesn’t hurt, or cause inconvenience, or create any worrisome symptoms. But ignoring it is a mistake, because the blood sugar imbalance we diabetics live with can cause a variety of complications, even leading to other serious health conditions.

One major cause for concern is adverse effects on our hearts. Our unstable blood sugar levels can cause poor circulation—a big step on the road to heart problems. Here are some things to watch for.

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