Getting diagnosed with diabetes or its complications (heart disease, kidney failure, stroke etc) can be scary and confusing. There’s too much inaccurate information on the internet, and too many home remedies that usually make the illness worse. Get advice from an expert now:
Our experts have also made this list of important questions and things to know about diabetes. Click on any topic to read more:
What is DiabetesDiabetes is a disease of hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when:
1. Pancreas does not produce any insulin
2. Pancreas produces very little insulin
3. Body does not respond appropriately to insulin (this condition called “insulin resistance”)
Types of diabetes
1. Type 1 diabetes: Caused by immune-system mediated destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. It most commonly affects younger people (age less than 20 years), but may occur at any age. Because their bodies produce no insulin, patients must use insulin injections to control their blood sugar.
2. Type 2 diabetes: Caused because either the body makes too little insulin or there’s insulin-resistance (which means that insulin doesn’t work normally.) It usually occurs in middle (30 to 60 years) age. Some people can manage their type 2 diabetes by controlling their weight, watching their diet, and exercising regularly. Others may also need to take a pill that helps their body use insulin better, or take insulin injections.
3. Gestational diabetes: Caused by hormone changes during pregnancy that affect insulin’s ability to work properly. The condition occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies and can cause significant complications with pregnancy. It usually resolves a few weeks after delivery, but these patients are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
Risk factors for diabetes
- Age 45 or older
- Family history of diabetes
- Overweight (over 20% ideal weight)
- High or low blood sugar
- Limited physical exercise
- Previous diabetes with pregnancy or you’ve had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth
Treatment of diabetes
- Eat healthy – Plan what you will eat. Consume balanced, low-carbohydrate diet with no more than 2000 calories a day.
- Exercise regularly – 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a day for 3 days a week.
- Taking medicine as prescribed. If you have questions about the medications, our experts can help.
- Monitor your blood sugar and blood pressure levels at home
- Keeping your appointments with your doctor and get periodic laboratory tests to check how well your diabetes is controlled.
Is diabetes curable?
At this time, diabetes is considered to be a life-long disease without any available cure. A very small proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes who lose significant amount of weight can live without taking diabetic medications. Treatments to potentially cure diabetes are undergoing active clinical research worldwide.
Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean life will be worse. When motivated patients like you are treated by experts like us, there’s hope.
Don’t wait for complications… take the first step in the right direction now!