Diabetes involves high glucose levels in the blood. This is a very common disorder that often plagues people in the United States. It’s mainly because of all the fatty food and lack of exercise that our bodies are prone to diabetes. Plus, this disorder is often genetic, so if your family has diabetes, then you are most likely to have it as well. In addition, diabetes can lead to other risk factors like coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and low thyroid level. That is why, it’s essential to understand the disease and know the strategies to treat it, so it does not escalate any further.
What is diabetes
The pancreas plays an important role in releasing insulin that functions to decrease glucose or sugar level in our blood. It also helps release glucose in the blood as well. That means, if the pancreas senses that there are low blood sugar level, it will release glucose (MedLine, 2018). If the pancreas senses that there is too much glucose in the blood, it will release insulin. The problem with diabetes is that there is either a low insulin level or that the insulin is not working properly. Type one Diabetes Mellitus often occurs at a young age where the antibodies attack the insulin from the pancreas; therefore, the individual is born with low levels of insulin. Type two diabetes Mellitus, on the other hand, occurs at an older age (MedLine, 2018). This is where the individual has accumulated a lot of fat through a horrible diet and lack of exercise that it disrupts the insulin sensory system, which resulted in low insulin sensitivity or high insulin resistance. That means, there is enough insulin in the body, but they are not working properly. When there is a high blood glucose level, the insulin just ignores it. Because of these issues, the diabetics are left with high blood glucose level as well as glucose in their urine.
How to treat it
Before treatment, the doctor will do a fasting blood glucose test and an HbA1c. If you’re fasting blood glucose is more than 126 and that your HbA1c is more than 6.5, then that means you have diabetes. For type one diabetes, individuals are often treated with insulin (Mayo Clinic, 2019). Type two diabetes is treated with Metformin to increase the sensitivity of the insulin. It’s essential to be compliant with the medication and to watch out for side effects. Insulin can cause the side effect of low blood sugar level or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia has symptoms of sweating, dizziness, anxiety, headache, shakiness, and dizziness. Metformin is known for its side effect of lactic acidosis that is very detrimental to the kidneys (Mayo Clinic, 2019). Your doctor would have to do a creatinine test to check your kidney function. If the creatinine is really high, then that means the doctor will have to prescribe you with an alternative medication. Overall, it’s the combination of diabetic medication and lifestyle modification that can help keep your blood sugar levels under control.
How to prevent it
The best way to control diabetes would be through exercise and proper diet. You want to exercise on a daily basis and eat the right food. The proper diabetic diet entails low sugary food, low-fat, and low carbohydrate. You want to focus on eating more lean meat, high-protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, and healthy nuts (WebMD, 2019). With the proper diet and exercise, it can help you lose weight and reduce glucose level in the blood. When you lose weight, it improves the sensitivity and reduces the resistance of your insulin. In addition to weight loss, it’s also vital to reduce stress in your life (WebMD, 2019). This is mainly because high stress can lead to the release of cortisol, which can increase your glucose level. Luckily, daily yoga and meditation can help reduce stress, therefore, decrease blood glucose in your body.
conclusion
Diabetes is a very common disease in the United States. Practically everyone has it. If your child has diabetes, then it’s most likely type one where they are born with antibodies against their insulin. Therefore, they will have low insulin levels. If diabetes manifested at a later stage in life, then it’s most likely type two diabetes where the insulin sensory system is damaged so it does not react to glucose levels in the body. All types of diabetes can be managed adequately with the right medication from your healthcare provider and with the proper lifestyle modification such as exercise, diabetic diet, and relaxation techniques. With the right mindset, anyone can keep their diabetes under control.
Reference
MedLine (2018) Diabetes. Retrieve from: https://medlineplus.gov/diabetes.html
Mayo Clinic (2019) Diabetes. Retrieve from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444
WebMD (2019) Diabetes Health Center. Retrieve from: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/default.htm
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