How
To Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetes
mellitus (DM), commonly called “diabetes,” is a group of metabolic
disorders in which there are high blood sugar levels over a long period. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular
disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, and damage
to the eyes. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus
Medical doctor and researcher Paul Norwood, MD has published a new informational article on managing diabetes. The
complete article will be published on the Blog of Dr. Norwood at https://PaulNorwoodMD.blogspot.com/
Let’s
start with a few numbers. According to the American Diabetes Association, as of
2015:
· 30.3 million Americans
(9.4% of the population) had diabetes.
· Approximately 1.25
million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes.
· Of the 30.3 million
adults with diabetes, 23.1 million were diagnosed, and 7.2 million were
undiagnosed.
· The percentage of
Americans age 65 and older remains high, at 25.2%, or 12.0 million seniors
(diagnosed and undiagnosed).
· New Cases: 1.5 million
Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year.
· Prediabetes: In 2015,
84.1 million Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes.
Source:
American Diabetes Association,
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/
Diabetes
is disease characterized by high sugar/glucose levels in your blood. Glucose is
generally found in the foods you eat. The hormone insulin helps this glucose to
enter your cells, and release energy. As per the CDC, there are currently 30.3
million people in America that suffer from diabetes. Diabetes can further be
broken down in Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes.
Type
1 diabetes happens when your body cannot make insulin. People suffering from
Type 1 diabetes need insulin shots on a daily basis.
Type
2 diabetes happens when your body cannot use or make insulin too well. In this
case, you are required to take medicine or insulin shots to manage your
diabetes. This type of diabetes is the most prevalent.
Finally,
gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that happens to some women when they
are pregnant. It usually goes away once they give birth, but even so, these
women are at a higher risk of acquiring diabetes at a later point in their
life.
How
Can You Manage Your Diabetes?
No
one plays a more central role in managing your diabetes than you. You should
seek help from a doctor and discuss the best way to care for your condition and
stay healthy. Some key steps for managing diabetes are:
Step
1: Know the ABCs of Your Diabetes
When
you have diabetes, there are three main things to take care of:
a.
The A1C Test: The A1C test is a blood test used to measure your blood glucose
level over a period of 3 months. Ideally, the result for this test should be
below 7, but you should ask your doctor for specifics as it can be different
for everyone.
b.
Blood Pressure: Your blood pressure is defined as the force of circulating
blood on the walls of your blood vessels. The blood pressure goal for a
diabetic is below 140/90 but as is the case with the A1C test, it may be
different for you. Maintaining your blood pressure at normal levels is very
important because a high blood pressure means more work for your heart. This
can go on to cause a stroke, a heart attack, and damage your eyes and kidneys.
c.
Cholesterol: The cholesterol in your blood can be broken down into 2 parts. LDL
is the ‘”bad cholesterol”. This can
accumulate and block your blood vessels, causing a stroke or heart attack. HDL
is the “good cholesterol”. It helps remove LDL from your blood vessels. As far
as the ideal level of LDL and HDL is concerned, the answer varies for everyone,
and your doctor will be able to advise you better on this.
Step
2: Cope With Your Diabetes
a.
Manage your stress: Stress causes your
blood sugar levels to rise. Learn ways to control your stress. This can be done
by doing breathing exercises, going on a walk, gardening, meditating, or
listening to music. You can also seek help from a mental health counselor, a
friend or family member, or a support group.
b.
Eat well: Work with your doctor and come up with a meal plan that helps support
your condition. Choose low-calorie foods and avoid foods having trans fat,
saturated fat, salt and sugar. Foods that are high in fiber, like breads, whole
grain cereals, rice, crackers or pasta are very good for you. You must also
include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet as well as, low-fat milk
and cheese. Try to consume water over juices and carbonated beverages.
c.
Be active: Being active is a general necessity to lead a healthy lifestyle but
it has numerous additional health benefits for diabetics. You can start by
going on short walks at least 3 times a day. Allocate 2 days to building your
muscle strength. You can do this by using stretch bands, doing yoga, gardening,
or trying push-ups.
d.
Set a routine: Developing some daily habits can go a long way in managing your
diabetes. For one, check your feet for blisters, cuts, swelling and red spots,
on a daily basis. Contact your doctor or health care team at once if you have
any sores that do not disappear. You must also maintain your oral health by
brushing and flossing every day. If you smoke, then you must quit right away.
You must also make a habit of checking your blood sugar once or twice a day.
Keep a record of these results to show to your doctor when you pay a visit.
Step
3: Getting Routine Care
Keep
in touch with your doctor and your healthcare team. Pay your doctor a visit at
least twice a year so that you are up to date with your condition. If any
problems are found, regular visits can help treat them on a timely basis.
At
each visit, you must get:
*
A blood pressure check
*
A weight check
*
A foot check
*
A review of your health plan
Besides
this, you must get an A1C test done at least twice a year. If the result is
often over 7, the frequency may have to be increased.
You’ll
also need to get the following done, once a year:
*
Cholesterol Test
*
Dental Exam
*
Eye exam in case of eye problems
*
Complete foot exam
*
Flu shot
*
Blood and urine test in case of kidney problems
You
can also consider getting the following shots at least once in your life:
*
Hepatitis B shot
*
Pneumonia shot
Diabetics
may get careless about their condition. Proper management of diabetes can help
you live a near-to-normal life, but neglect may result in serious
repercussions. Keeping your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible
has the following benefits:
*
You have more energy
*
You feel less thirsty and tired
*
You heal faster
*
You have fewer bladder and skin infections
Managing
your diabetes will also help you avoid serious health problems such as:
*
Stroke or heart attack
*
Nerve damage, this is usually characterized by pain, numbness or a tingling
sensation in your hands and feet
*
Kidney problems which may lead to kidney failure
*
Eye problems which may lead to losing your eyesight
*
Oral cavity infections which may cause tooth decay or gum disease
The complete article will be published on the
Blog of Dr. Norwood at https://PaulNorwoodMD.blogspot.com/
*** Paul Norwood, MD, leads the
team at Valley Endocrine in Fresno, California. Valued by his community for his
caring and kind personality as well as his skills as a physician, Dr. Paul
Norwood is also respected nationwide for his expertise as an endocrinologist.
In 1993, Dr. Norwood founded Valley Endocrine Clinic, which
specializes in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, as well as Valley
Research, which does clinical trials.
References
Video: Dr. Paul Norwood M.D. of Valley Research discusses treatments
and medicine to treat conditions like diabetes, chronic migraines, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ueoj-gOs5M
Dr. Paul Norwood, medical doctor in Fresno, California, specializing in endocrinology.
