Health Promotion - Blood glucose monitoring Essay

Health Promotion - Blood glucose monitoring - Essay Example He frequently works during unsocial hours and has a very unhealthy life style as he relies on fast foods from cafes for his meals. He is overweight with Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and is finding it challenging to maintain a normal blood glucose level. He is also concerned that he may lose his job should he be commenced on insulin. John stated that his weight and little exercise might have been a contributing factor for his newly diagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body can’t use glucose, a type of sugar which isnormally the main source of energy for the body’s cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone called insulin which is made by the pancreas & which helps glucose to move from the blood into the body’s cells. Diabetes is caused when there is resistance to or deficient production of insulin.When the body does not produce or use enough insulin the cells cannot use the glucose for energy and the blood glucose level rises. This means that the body will instead start to break down its own fat and muscle for energy Aryangat, AV. Gerich, JE. (2010).There is two primary types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that create insulin. As a result the body makes very little or no insulin of its own, which means that people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body cannot properly use the insulin it does create. Eventually the pancreas may stop producing insulin altogether. Type 2 diabetes can affect people at any age. In men and women, the more overweight an individual is the greater the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (Jarrett, RJ. et al. 1976). The purpose of this paper is to discuss health promotion in nursing practice, the evolving roles and responsibilities of the nurse in health promotion and the implementation of these roles. Health