What is Diabetes Management?
Good diabetes management is essential in the prevention of dangerous medical complications. Improper management can result in such complications as emergency amputations, blindness, and even damage to organs inside the body. Undoubtedly, diabetics must pay serious attention to diabetes management.
Making sure that your blood sugar level is always under control is the key good diabetes management. All the medical complications that can result from diabetes are the long term effect of high blood sugar level in the bloodstream. Fortunate for diabetics, there are available various types of home equipment for measuring blood sugar levels at regular intervals. When you monitor your blood sugar levels throughout the day, you know the effect of the prescribed amount of insulin or other medications on your blood sugar. Other than medications, different types of food, eating habits and exercise are factors that can have an effect on your blood sugar level. With the data collected from your monitoring, you can then discuss with your doctor so that he can help you adjust the dosage of each medication to effectively manage your diabetes.
A Combination of Medication and Diet
The main factors in diabetes management are medication and food. As Type I diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin, Type I diabetics must take insulin. In the management of Type I diabetes, the dosage of insulin taken by the diabetic must be exactly the amount which is needed by the body in order to prevent high blood sugar level as well as too low a level of blood sugar.
When your body develops a resistance to your own body’s insulin, you have what is called Type II diabetes. Even though your body is capable of producing insulin, your body cannot use it. In this case you may have to take pills to assist your body to overcome the resistance.
Explaining Diabetes and The Body – Video
The Glycemic Index
In the management of diabetes, being knowledgeable of the glycemic index of food is most helpful. You should know which food has a high glycemic index as this is the food that you should not consume. Foods given high glycemic index cause your blood sugar level to be raised too fast. The high glycemic index indicates that such foods are converted into sugar or glucose easily, after which they enter the bloodstream, raising the level of your blood sugar. High glycemic index foods are all kinds of sugar, fructose, and food produced with refined carbohydrates such as white flour. Foods that diabetics should look for are those with a lower glycemic index, foods such whole grains, vegetables and all kinds of protein. So, understanding that foods with low glycemic index are the safest for diabetics, and knowing which food they are, diabetes management ought to be easier.
Regular Exercise
Another important factor in good diabetes management is regular exercise. As the damage to nerves can affect muscles and the control of the legs and arms, exercises to build muscles are beneficial to efforts in overcoming such physical problems brought on by diabetes. Having a proper weight-training program in the home is certainly more convenient than going to the gym.
People with Type II diabetes are usually overweight. In fact, if the condition can be detected early, the right diet with daily exercise can result in removing all the symptoms of diabetes. Even if the diabetes were to return a few years later, you could have been able to enjoy those years of good health and whatever complications that could usually follow would certainly be delayed. So, to avoid getting Type II diabetes, the right diet and exercise play effective roles. Even for Type I diabetes which exercise cannot cure, it still helps.
Diabetes management may not be simple but knowing the effects of medication, right food choices, and suitable everyday exercises on your blood sugar will ensure good diabetes management.