A Massage Minute-Diabetes

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of living in America is that we don’t want for much; we have good public schools, excellent health care professionals, and are well fed. But with every good comes it’s bad. Due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, high levels of obesity, and fast food culture, diabetes is on the rise and is now the sixth most common cause of death.

While there are several types of diabetes, types one and two diabetes mellitus are the most common. Both involve excessive levels of sugar in the blood. While type one is caused by pancreatic dysfunction leading to insufficient production of insulin, in type two, the body no longer responds to the insulin the pancreas does produce. In both cases the body is no longer able to process sugar, the bodies major source of energy. Unable to process sugar the body eats its own fat, protein, and eventually muscle, leading to a host of side effects.

People with diabetes may suffer from heart disease, edema (swelling), ulcers, kidney disease, impaired sensation, and neuropathy. The treatment for diabetes largely depends on which type of diabetes is present. Type one is typically treated with insulin injections to supplement the bodies lack of insulin. Type two diabetes is largely treated through diet and exercise, and less commonly insulin.

No matter which type of diabetes the client has massage may be helpful. First and foremost, it is imperative the client be healthy enough to receive treatment. Ulcers, heart disease, kidney failure, and loss of sensation all rule out massage. If the client is healthy enough, massage can aid in maintaining tissue health, and can help lower blood sugar.