The Brain & Neurons

Mayo Clinic. “Diabetic Neuropathy - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 29 Apr. 2022, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20371580.

Summary: Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that causes numbness in the hands, feet, and legs. More than 50% of people with diabetes suffer from this due to consistent high blood sugars. However, this can be avoided all together if one maintains their blood sugars in a healthy way. 

There are four different types of diabetic neuropathy. There is peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, proximal neuropathy, and mononeuropathy.  Peripheral neuropathy is the most common form of diabetic neuropathy. It is the dysfunctionality of the legs and feet which then lead to the numbness of the arms and hands. People with this type suffer from touch sensitivity, muscle weakness, and feet problems. 

Autonomic neuropathy is more about the blood, eyes, and digestive system. A person with this type cannot detect when their blood sugars are low (hypoglycemia), they start getting dizzy with fast movements, or they can experience gastroparesis.

 Proximal neuropathy mostly affects the waist down (butt, hips, thighs, or legs). People with this type struggle with having a strong muscle feel in these areas and they might have trouble standing up from a sitting position.

 Mononeuropathy is where a specific nerve is damaged. People with this condition may have difficulty focusing, paralyzed in the face, and weakness in the hands.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “What Is Diabetes?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Apr. 2023, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html.

Summary:  Diabetes is a condition where your body can’t properly turn food into energy. This condition can be long-lasting and can start at any age. The pancreas in the body stops doing it’s jobs which can lead to high blood sugars after eating or drinking anything. If it is left untreated, it could lead to some serious problems like heart disease, kidney disease, and vision loss. 

There are three types of diabetes, and they are Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs when the body’s immune system starts attacking the body’s cells by accident. About 5-10% of diabetics have this type. This leads to people having to take insulin through shots after every meal. Type 2 diabetes is where people can make insulin. However, their body doesn’t know how to properly use it to turn food into energy. About 90-95% of diabetic people have type 2. This type means that one should maintain their weight and stay active. The last type is Gestational diabetes. This is when pregnant women get diabetes even if they have never had it before. Having this could cause harm for the baby after delivery but the diabetes could go away.

Stangor, Charles, and Jennifer Walinga. “5.3 Putting It All Together: The Nervous System and the Endocrine System.” Openpress.usask.ca, University of Saskatchewan Open Press, 28 June 2019, openpress.usask.ca/introductiontopsychology/chapter/putting-it-all-together-the-nervous-system-and-the-endocrine-system/.

Summary: The endocrine system is in charge of chemicals releasing in the body. The nervous system is responsible for the electrical signals in the body that sends messages to the endocrine system. The endocrine system includes the pancreas and the central nervous system includes the brain. These both work together to help a healthy person turn food into energy with insulin. The pancreas is a storage unit for energy. The pancreas is also located right behind the stomach. The thyroid gland can be at risk for people with type 2 diabetes. This can further problems with obesity and the maintaining of weight. 

Mayo Clinic. “Diabetic Ketoacidosis .” Mayo Clinic, 6 Oct. 2022, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20371551.

Summary: When there isn’t enough insulin around, the body has to find another way to make energy. The body starts turning to the fat which leads to a lot of acid build up in the blood. This is when a person's ketones increase. This is a very serious condition as it can lead to a coma, liver failure, or even death. If one has diabetes, they need to regulate blood sugars otherwise they will urinate often, feel nauseous, and feel thirsty. The usage of alcohol regularly and drugs like cocaine will also lead to ketoacidosis. This condition can severely hurt the neurons in the brain as well.

CDC. “The Effects of Diabetes on the Brain.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 May 2022, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-and-your-brain.html#:~:text=In%20the%20same%20way%20that.

Summary: Diabetes can cause damage to the nerves due to high blood sugars. Some of these nerves would be the eyes, hands and feet. These could further lead into other memory loss problems like Alzheimer’s. Having frequent high blood sugars can lead to brain cells dying due to the lack of oxygen reaching the brain. This is what is called Hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar is often too low which can also cause dizziness and the sensation of fainting. This can lead the brain to often feel stressed. To prevent these symptoms, one must maintain their stress levels, exercise, eat right, adjust medication doses, quit drinking/ smoking and keep monitoring their blood sugar levels.