Alarming Symptoms
Mold may not be hailed as a friendly, beneficial presence, but in the case of early warning signs for diabetes, it could just save your life.
Do you or a loved one experience any of the following symptoms?
- Bedwetting (in children who previously didn’t wet the bed before)
- Blurred vision (before eating or soon after eating)
- Extreme hunger (this can occur before and after eating)
- Fatigue and weakness
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst (especially after eating)
- Irritability and other inexplicable mood changes
- (In females) Vaginal yeast infection
-OR-
- Areas of darkened skin
- Blurred vision (before eating or soon after eating)
- Frequent urination
- Increased hunger (often intense and not long after eating)
- Increased thirst (especially after eating)
- Slow-healing sores or frequent infections
- Weight loss (without even trying)
- Unexplained fatigue
The first set of symptoms belongs to Type 1 Diabetes, while the second set belongs to Type 2 Diabetes.* As you can see, both types of the disease share specific indicators and cause similar reactions in the body. In fact, not only do they share similar symptoms, they also share a common cause: improper insulin utilization.
To better understand both types of diabetes, you must first understand the proper process of glucose (sugar) and insulin.
Glucose
Glucose comes about from the conversion of food into blood-sugar, which is where insulin steps in. (Note: All food types are processed and broken down into glucose. Glucose conversion is not dependent upon the ingestion of literal sugar.)
Insulin
Insulin is secreted into the bloodstream via the pancreas, when signaled by the taste buds and stomach. It then circulates and enables sugar to enter the cells, where it can benefit the various functions of the body as a whole.
The Liver’s Role
The liver is the storehouse of glucose (sugar). It was designed to store glucose in the form of glycogen and convert it back to glucose in the case of starvation (meal-skipping or delayed eating). It’s a wonderful defense-mechanism for those occasions when food is not readily available at the time of hunger.
In an ideal situation, this entire process not only feeds the body its much-needed glucose on the cellular level, it also lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, and consequently, lowers the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. In simple terms, this process was designed to be a supply-and-demand relationship between blood sugar (glucose) and insulin. The body was never designed to circulate or handle an abundance of either. Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes are caused by this improper balance of insulin and glucose.
Type 1 Diabetes
In the case of Type 1 Diabetes, the body’s immune system has often malfunctioned and is mistakenly attacking the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. This causes the pancreas to release little to no insulin in the bloodstream to aid in the conversion of glucose to the cells, which means that the bloodstream is overrun with sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes
In the case of Type 2 Diabetes, the body becomes resistant to insulin or, most commonly, the pancreas stops producing enough insulin as a result of prolonged high-level blood-sugar and the repeated failure of the cellular-conversion process. Once again, this results in an improper balance, with the body overrun by sugar.
The Liver, Improper Insulin, and “Starvation Mode”
While the liver’s role is to safeguard the body against a drop in blood-sugar levels, its assistance (by releasing glucose into the bloodstream) can actually cause damage to the body if the insulin is not actively doing its part by taking that glucose and transferring it to the cells. So, in the case of diabetes, the liver’s attempt to thwart “starvation mode” actually overwhelms the body with glucose, causing many of the symptoms listed at the beginning.
If this improper balance between insulin and glucose is not monitored and controlled by the individual, either through a proper, compensating diet or medication, there is a chance that various organs and systems in the body will malfunction as well. This is a very serious scenario as it could lead to limb loss, organ failure, unconsciousness, coma, or even death.
What Does Mold Have to Do With Diabetes?
Nothing. Mold has nothing to do with the direct cause of diabetes. It does, however, provide an early warning sign to diabetics who aren’t properly monitoring their blood-sugar levels and those who aren’t even aware that they have diabetes.
Mold, an opportunistic fungus that generally wreaks havoc on the human body, is finally—in a rare act of consequential benevolence—proving to be useful. The mere fact that mold thrives on organic material, especially organic material that consists of sugar, is precisely why it is important to observe its presence and whereabouts—not just to remove and prevent it but to gain a glimpse of our own state of health.
Many mold victims complain of mold growing in their clothing and in their toilet bowl. This mold can appear fuzzy, slimy, and gray, black, or brown in color. While this can easily occur from infrequent washing and sanitation of either the person, the clothing, or the toilet bowl, and is also a sign of an overall mold infestation throughout the home, it is a major indication of blood-sugar levels in the sweat and urine of the individual.
If the body is overwhelmed by glucose, it will attempt to flush as much of the excess out of its system by means of sweat, exhalation, and urination. It is quite plausible that the mold found in your clothing or in your toilet bowl is a sign that your body is truly suffering from an abundance of glucose and needs help. It’s a commonly overlooked correlation, but it has the potential to save your life.
*This article is not intended to diagnose or treat Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. It is merely suggesting a point of observational correlation between a specific type of mold growth and the potentially-dangerous blood-sugar levels found in urine. If any of the information or symptoms discussed within this article resemble your personal experiences, please consult a doctor immediately.
Amanda Mott is the mother and personal chef of two boys, the domestic technician of a three-bedroom town home, and occasionally, a freelance writer and editor. Feel free to follow her on Twitter @TheWifesLife
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