Controlling Your Diabetes By Taking Action
Diabetes does not have to mean the end of an active life. It does mean, however, that you need to begin controlling your diabetes, altering your diet, begin exercising if you aren't already, monitoring your blood sugar levels and possibly take medicine or injections of insulin.
The first step in controlling your diabetes is get the best information available and it is for this reason that diabetics should take advantage of every resource they can find to educate themselves.
It is important that diabetics stay in continuous contact with doctor(s) to make sure that the current treatments, diet, exercise, medicines, are the most appropriate. With the ongoing research and testing it is possible that changes in your treatment are neccessary. Also be sure to regularly see your doctor and have them be looking at any physical or neurological deterioration in other areas that can occur as a result of suffering from diabetes.
The best way of controlling your diabetes is for diabetics to test their glucose levels regularly – as instructed by their doctor – and to adjust their diet or to take the appropriate levels of medication.
For the type 1 diabetes, typically developes in children, adolescents and young adults under 30 and insulin is the only treatment. The consequences of not taking the insulin required are serious. Type 1 diabetics who do not take the insulin they need and who allow high levels of glucose to build up in their blood, risk their lives.
Type 2 diabetes is a different and it usually develops in older individuals and there appears to be a correlation between obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes. This connection gives the first clue to the simplest form of controlling type 2 diabetes – diet and exercise.
Diet and exercise are factors in controlling diabetes for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However it plays a bigger role for type 2 diabetics.
For type 2 diabetics, in the majority of cases, where people seriously tackle their weight problems by healthy eating and get regular exercise, type 2 diabetes can be completely controlled. However, if the person does not significantly reduce their weight, then blood glucose levels may not come under control, and additional medicine, such anti-diabetic tablets may be necessary. Some even will require insulin injections at some stage to manage their diabetes.
Even if weight loss does not completely control the symptoms of diabetes, it will still help reduce the dosage of medicines required to control the condition and the symptoms. Also the weight loss will also reduce the chance of other weight related health complications, such as heart disease and stroke.
The diabetic will be given dietary guidelines by their doctor, and/or referred to a licensed dietician and these guidelines should be followed closely. However, as every body is unique, it is best for each diabetic to do their own dietary investigations and carefully self-monitor what they eat and how it affects their blood sugar leves peaks and troughs and then make adjustments accordingly.
There is a lot of conflicting advice regarding carbohydrates and fats and with only theories and no clear cut evidence, it is difficult to know what advice to follow.
It has been suggested, and some would say proven, that an Atkins type diet high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrate is the most suitable for a diabetic and it would certainly seem logical that restricting (particularly refined) carbohydrates would help to prevent elevated glucose levels in the blood stream.
Where as the American Dietetic Association recommends that a diabetic consume a good amount of starch. Starches such as cereal, bread, and certain types of vegetables should be consumed at the rate of at least six servings per day. In addition to the commonly known starches, black beans, garbanzo beans, and corn are sources of starch that can compliment a meal while giving you your required nutrients.
Also alcohol is best avoided or at least restricted to small amounts with meals. Some of the oral medications offered to control type 2 diabetes react very adversely to alcohol consumption which is another reason to avoid alcoholic beverages.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise will help with weight control, reduce your stress levels and improve the sensitivity of body cells to insulin. Plan at least 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine. Even low energy / low impact exercises, such as walking, house work, etc., can help.
Relax
Lastly, stress levels aggravate diabetes and by introducing relaxation methods into their everyday routine diabetics can better control your diabetes. In simple terms, stress increases the level of many hormones in the body – including adrenalin and adrenalin plays a role in the release of glucose into the blood, thus increasing the blood sugar levels.
Managing your stress level is an important factor in preserving a healthy quality of life. There are many ways to reduce stress. Via exercise, the use prayer, meditation, or breathing techniques .. Biofeedback is another form of therapy. It measures the stress level in the body through body temperature and muscle tenseness and helps a person deal with stress when they recognize the symptoms.