Being diabetic poses many problems to people who are recovering from a wound on the skin. This is due to the effect of a disease like diabetes on the immune system and healing process. Diabetics are also more prone to getting hurt as well as to infections because; diabetes interferes with the nerves in the leg. This disruption causes a lack of sensation of pain. When you cannot feel pain, you will not know when you are hurt and this is usually the root of the problem during a diabetic wound that eventually leads to ulceration.
Diabetes is a disease that is not caused by an infection or injury, but rather by the body’s own immune systems that destroy the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, or the body becoming resistant to the power of insulin. In either eventuality, one of the systems that subsequently suffer is the immune system. This results in a situation in which a patient is more prone to infections and wounds do not heal. Most wounds go through phases of healing which start with clotting and sealing the wound, cleansing the wound of bacteria and debris, repair of the vessels in the area, and finally the body lays down new skin. In diabetics who do not control blood sugar, wounds could take months and sometimes years to heal with the wound stuck in an inflammatory state. This can lead to the loss of tissue and limbs with tissue necrosis also being a possibility. In a case of runaway diabetes, even a simple mosquito bite to the leg can be a dangerous incident.
Diabetics have to keep their blood sugar levels in check at all times but more specifically when they are injured. Because of a lack of sensation in the foot that is a symptom of diabetes, a diabetic must be careful when walking and one must ensure that no injury or skin perforation occurs. Keeping bacteria at bay is the next priority that one can do by rubbing tea tree oil on exposed limbs at all times. The additional intake of garlic that acts as herbal antibiotic and antifungal bolsters the protection against bacterial infection. There is an interesting supplement, which can help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels low, this is a protein from the bitter melon vegetable called lectin. Lectin has the same effect on the body of prompting tissues to use up blood glucose.