Patients often feel alarmed after being diagnosed with diabetes. But understanding the condition and how to deal with it helps them and their family members feel better. Patients are given different diabetes treatment options in Provo to manage their blood sugar levels. They are also advised to make long-term changes in their lifestyle and eating habits.
Diabetes is a condition that you must take seriously because it slowly affects and damages vital organs in the body over time. Making small but significant changes can help you better manage the condition as well as enjoy a normal life.
What Diabetes Is
Diabetes is a medical condition where your body is incapable of properly using insulin. Insulin is the hormone responsible for moving glucose from your bloodstream and onto the other cells of the body. It creates energy for all of the body’s functions.
Diabetes Classification
Type 1 Diabetes – This kind of diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, where insulin is produced, making the pancreas produce very little insulin or cease completely from making them. It is also called juvenile diabetes because it presents early in life and is often hereditary.
Type 2 Diabetes – This is more common, with over 30 million people affected in the United States alone. It occurs when the body is unable to use or absorb the insulin it produces. This is also known as insulin resistance. It happens to overweight people or those who have problems with their thyroid hormones.
Gestational Diabetes – This occurs when the blood sugar levels during pregnancy become higher than the pre-pregnancy levels. Medical experts say that the hormones that are produced in the placenta inhibit pregnant women from using their own insulin. If left untreated, the baby can be affected. Pregnant women cannot take oral medicine for diabetes, so they are given injections of human insulin until they give birth.
What to Do If Diagnosed With Diabetes
As frightening as it may sound, diabetes is not a life sentence. You can still work, stay active, and do the things you enjoy the most as long as your blood sugar levels are managed. If you are type 1 diabetic, you will need insulin every day. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to manage with oral hypoglycemic, proper diet and regular exercise.
Keeping your sugar levels under control is key in managing the condition. Most diabetics are asked to consult a nutritionist for diet modification. They are taught portion control and how to balance their meals so that sugar or glucose is distributed evenly throughout the day.
Having too little glucose in the system is also not ideal. It can cause hypoglycemia, which can lead to shock and coma. Moderation is key. Patients are advised to have six small meals spread out through the day. They are also advised on what fruits they can eat as well as how much they can consume in a single meal.
People can cure and fight diabetes with the right mindset, healthy diet, lifestyle modifications, exercise and medication. Regular visits to the doctor for evaluation and adjustment of medication is highly advised.
