The treatments for type 2 diabetes involve a lifelong commitment to wellness, and while the steps that need to be taken to control it are simple, they are also comprehensive.
Blood Glucose Testing
FACT: It's essential for people with type 2 diabetes to check their blood sugar levels regularly, and as directed by their doctor. Their bodies to not process blood sugar in a normal manner, and should their blood sugar levels get too low or too high it could be very dangerous, both in the short term and the long term. Blood glucose testing helps a person with diabetes when to eat, and how much to eat, as well as when to take medication, and how much medication to take.
Healthy Diet
FACT: By following a healthy diet a person with type 2 diabetes can do a great deal to regulate their blood sugar levels. This can help to prevent the spikes and drops in blood sugar that can lead to such dangerous long-term side effects as neuropathy, and such short terms side effects as hypoglycemia.
A healthy diet consists of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, with very little fat and processed foods. Lean meat and other forms of protein are also important, but cuts of meat that are high in fat should be avoided. It's also important for people with diabetes to pay attention to how foods are prepared. Vegetables don't really remain healthy if they are cooked in cheese sauce, or deep fried. Lean cuts of meat don't remain lean if they are not cooked in a healthy manner.
Regular Exercise
FACT: As important as following a healthy diet is performing a regular exercise routine. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are necessary in the development of a healthy body, and both are helpful in controlling blood sugar levels. While exercise is important, though, it does cause changes in blood sugar levels. This means that blood sugar should be checked before, during, and after exercises to make sure that those changes in blood sugar remain in the healthy range. In other ways, though, the goal of daily exercise for a person with diabetes is the same as any other person: to be as healthy as possible, and to maintain a healthy body weight.
Medication
FACT: In certain cases, type 2 diabetes can eventually be controlled through diet and exercise. This is not the case with everyone who has type 2 diabetes, though, particularly when they first begin treatment. Often people with diabetes are prescribed metformin when they are first diagnosed, in order to make their bodies more receptive to insulin. If metformin isn't adequate as a diabetes treatment, then other oral or injectible drugs may be used to help the body keep blood sugar levels under control. In many cases, these medications are not enough, and insulin therapy must be used.
Insulin therapy is when extra insulin is introduced into the body to raise the overall insulin levels to those that the body can recognize. With these higher insulin levels, the blood sugar can be processed. The amount of insulin that a person needs varies on an individual and situational basis. It differs according to how advanced their diabetes is, what their weight is, what they eat, when and how much they exercise, and more. The manner of insulin delivery varies as well. Most people choose to inject the insulin that they use. Others, however, choose to use an insulin pump. The pump operates by delivering insulin to the body through a catheter according to the dosage set by the user. While more complex than insulin injections, the pump has been known to give more accurate dosages for better blood sugar control.
