How to Know if You Have Diabetes - Part4 Treating Diabetes

1 Make lifestyle choices with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. These conditions often develop because of the choices we make, rather than our genetics. By changing those choices, you can reduce your blood sugar or prevent the development of the condition.

2 Eat fewer carbohydrates. When your body metabolizes carbs they turn to sugar, and the body needs more insulin to use it. Cut down on grains, pastas, candies, sweets, soda and other foods that are high in simple carbohydrates, as your body processes these too quickly and they can cause a spike in blood sugar. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about incorporating complex carbohydrates with plenty of fiber and a low-GI (glycemic index) rating into your diet. Low-GI, complex carbs include:

1. Beans and legumes

• Non-starchy vegetables (most vegetables, except foods like parsnips, plantains, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, peas, corn)
• Most fruits (except for certain fruits such as dried fruits, bananas, and grapes)
• Whole grains, such as steel cut oats, bran, whole-grain pasta, barley, bulgur, brown rice, quinoa

3 Eat more foods high in healthy proteins and fats. Although once thought to be the source of heart disease, the healthy fats found in avocados, coconut oil, grass-fed beef and free-range chickens are now known to be good sources of fuel. They can help to stabilize blood sugar and reduce your food cravings.

• The omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish such as tuna and salmon may decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes. Eat 1-2 servings of fish per week.

4 Maintain a healthy weight. Insulin resistance goes up with an increasing waistline. When you can maintain a more healthy weight you can stabilize your blood sugar more easily. A combination of diet and exercise will help keep your weight in a healthy range. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to help your body to use blood glucose without insulin. This also helps you maintain a healthy weight and improves your quality of sleep.

5 Do not smoke. If you currently smoke, quit. Smokers are 30-40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who don't smoke, and your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases the more you smoke. Smoking also creates serious complications for people who already have diabetes.

6 Do not rely on medication alone. If you have type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes, your doctor may recommend medication in addition to lifestyle changes. However, you cannot rely on medication alone to manage the disease. It must be used to support the major changes caused by your lifestyle changes.

7 Take oral hypoglycemic medications if you have type 2 or gestational diabetes.These medications are taken in pill form, and reduce blood sugar throughout the course of the day. Examples include Metformin (biguanides), sulfonylureas, Meglitinides, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors and combination pills.

8 Administer insulin injections if you have type 1 diabetes. This is really the only effective treatment for type 1, though it can also be used for type 2 and gestational diabetes. There are four different types of insulin available for this treatment. Your physician will decide which will be most effective in controlling your blood sugar. You may take just one, or use a combination of types at different times of the day. Your doctor may also recommend an insulin pump to maintain your insulin levels 24 hours a day.

• Rapid acting insulin is taken before meals, and often in combination with long acting insulin.
• Short acting insulin is taken about 30 minutes before meals, and usually in combination with longer acting insulin.
• Intermediate acting insulin is usually taken twice a day, and lowers glucose when the short or rapid acting insulin stops working.
• Long acting insulin can be used to cover the time when the rapid and short acting insulin stops working.

Tips

•         Be aware of your risk factors, and seek medical advice if you are experiencing symptoms of diabetes.
•         Take special care when you are in the heat or cold. Both of these conditions can increase your blood sugar and affect your medication and testing supplies.

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Warnings

•               Do not try to self-treat diabetes at home. The long term effects of diabetes can include kidney disease, blindness, loss of hands, feet or legs, diabetic neuropathy and death. You can reduce your medications through changing your lifestyle choices and under the guidance of your physician.