Diabetes is Treatable! 🚨🚨

Dr Saba Najeeb
5 min readDec 5, 2022

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If you have excessive sugar in your bloodstream and your body cells are not able to take up the increased glucose, then unfortunately diabetes has attacked you. However, diabetes can be caused due to extra body weight, depression, stress, and other hormonal issues.

Being a diabetic patient is never easy! The patient is always at risk since this medical problem can lead to further significant medical issues such as kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, and disturbance in the nerves.

Therefore, it is crucial to manage diabetes beforehand no matter how much struggle and remedies are required. Moreover, dealing with it before it gets too high will continuously improve overall body health.

If you have people with high sugar levels, stick to our blog and read on. In this, we will discuss diabetes and how we can manage it in different ways.

What is Diabetes? What Happens in this Condition?

As discussed earlier, when the blood has high sugar and cells don’t consume it to produce energy, the condition is called diabetes.

In diabetes, sometimes called diabetes mellitus, insulin doesn’t work correctly. Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas a body part in the digestive tract. The insulin moves sugar from the blood into the body cells for energy.

Whereas when you have diabetes, the pancreas makes no or insufficient amount of insulin. Sometimes, when there is insulin, the cells don’t respond to it and can’t utilize it as it usually does. This worsens the body’s physiological conditions and further promotes significant health problems.

How Does Diabetes Affect Your Health?

We can’t deny that diabetes is a severe health problem; we should pay heed to it before it becomes friends with our bodies. Diabetes drastically influences our physical and mental health, so we can’t run away from it.

One of the most common ways diabetes affects us is through blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar levels are high, it can cause damage to your nerves, blood vessels, and organs. This can lead to problems like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and blindness.

Moreover, people with diabetes are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. They may also have memory loss and trouble concentrating.

What are the Types of Diabetes?

If we talk about the types, diabetes can occur in three different kinds type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

· Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. As a result, people with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

· Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that occurs when the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't properly use the insulin it produces.

Over time, if left untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to serious health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, vision loss, and other abnormal conditions.

· Pregnant women who have never had Diabetes before but have been facing high blood sugar levels during pregnancy are said to have Gestational Diabetes.

Several Ways to Manage Diabetes

Dealing with high glucose levels in the bloodstream can be challenging since the patients must face other medical issues too. Hence, it is mandatory to manage diabetes before it weakens other organs and causes death.

Well, when it comes to managing any diabetes, a healthy diet and physical exercise are essential. A balanced diet can help to control blood sugar levels and prevent weight gain, while regular exercise can help to improve insulin sensitivity and lower glucose levels.

There are also more ways to control your sugar levels; let’s discuss them in detail.

1. Healthy Diet

There are several things to remember when planning a diabetes-friendly diet. First, eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is essential. These foods are packed with nutrients and fiber, which can help to regulate blood sugar levels. It’s also important to cut or limit processed foods, sugary drinks, junk food, and red meat.

  1. Physical Activities

    If diabetes is not adequately managed, it can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening complications. It is crucial to work with your healthcare team to develop a plan for managing your diabetes and reducing your risk of developing complications.

    Change your lifestyle when you have just entered the phase of diabetes. Also, you can practice healthy tips to never allow diabetes to occur. Some minor changes can make a huge difference in your life.

    Don’t limit yourself to gym exercises when you hear the word “physical activities”. Being physically active includes working, walking, swimming, and running. Don’t be sluggish and sit in front of the TV for a long. Instead, involve yourself in home chores and physical activities.

Along with these tasks, you can join the gym or do exercises at home. The best type of activity for people with diabetes is aerobic exercise. It can assist in lowering your blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

It's also vital to train 2-3 times per week. Strength training can help to build muscle mass, which can, in turn, help to control blood sugar levels better.

2. Quit Smoking

Stop it now if you smoke cigarettes or are the victim of any addiction. Smoking makes you more likely to get type 2 diabetes and other complications of diabetes, such as less blood flow in the legs and feet, which can cause infections, ulcers that don't heal, and even amputation.

4. Emotional Support

Diabetes doesn’t just have an impact on physical health, it can affect you emotionally too. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed, or you have been living with diabetes for a long time, you may need support for all feelings and thoughts you have. This could be anxiety, feeling low and depressed, or being burnt out.

The people around you can feel your pain. Whatever you’re feeling, you are not alone. You must share it with people around you and ask for emotional support. The calmer you’re, the more your chances of getting diabetes are dropped.

Other Ways to Manage Diabetes: Medicines

Numerous medicines can be used to help manage diabetes. Some of these include:

â—Ź Insulin: This is a hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. It is typically injected using a syringe and can be taken multiple times daily.

â—Ź Oral medications: A few different oral medications can be used to help control blood sugar levels. These include metformin, sulfonylureas, and meglitinides.

â—Ź Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors: These drugs slow down the absorption of carbohydrates from the gut. This can help to control blood sugar levels after eating.

â—Ź Amylin analogs: These drugs mimic the effects of amylin, a hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. They are typically injected along with insulin.

â—Ź Dopamine agonist: This medication lowers the amount of glucose released by the liver. An example: Bromocriptine.

Each person with diabetes will need to work with their healthcare team to determine which medication(s) will work best for them.

If diabetes is not adequately managed, it can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening complications. It is crucial to work with your healthcare team to develop a plan for managing your diabetes and reducing your risk of developing complications.

Conclusion

Diabetes is a severe condition that can significantly impact your health. However, there are effective ways to manage diabetes and improve your quality of life.

Change your lifestyle when you have just entered the phase of diabetes. Also, you can practice healthy tips to never allow diabetes to occur. Some minor changes can make a huge difference in your life.

You can effectively manage diabetes and reduce your risk of complications by following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and monitoring your blood sugar levels.

Remember to take out time for yourself; good health is a blessing!

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