Do you have Type 2 diabetes? If your answer is yes, you have plenty of company. You are one of the millions of adults living in the United States with the same health condition. Do you know what causes it and how best to manage your Type 2 diabetes? Let’s look deeper into the subject.
Type 2 diabetes develops over time and occurs usually in adults approaching middle age. Most of the time, these adults are overweight and this contributes to the development of the condition. In a healthy person, the pancreas makes insulin and the body uses the insulin when breaking down food. Before a person becomes a Type 2 diabetic, they typically develop resistance to the insulin their body makes. This means that instead of using insulin for its purpose during digestion, the prediabetic person’s body resists using the insulin and proceeds to break down the food without it, as much as it is possible to do so.
This state of prediabetes can be detected with routine blood work if a person sees their doctor regularly and is screened for it. If the condition is identified, then it is possible for the person to work with their doctor and form a plan of action and try to reverse the situation, if possible. But if a person doesn’t visit their doctor for regular checkups, then they may not get the routine blood work and the screening done which tells if the body is displaying signs of insulin resistance.
Regular blood work is also what tells the doctor and the patient when Type 2 diabetes has made its presence known. At this point, the doctor and patient form a plan of action to help the patient live a long, healthy life even if they have diabetes at the same time.
There are good ways to manage Type 2 diabetes and to help your body thrive. There is no magic pill or quick fix which can do the work for you. It takes steady, solid work. First, you need to have a diabetes doctor who you trust and respect. You need a doctor who treats you like a partner in your health and who listens to your input. They will give you the best guidance for your specific case of Type 2 diabetes and your unique state of health. They can advise you in the two main areas of work which lay before you. Those two areas are exercise and nutrition.
No one wants to hear that they need to exercise, but we all know that it is good for our bodies and also that we need to do it. Regular exercise can help you to shed those extra pounds which contribute to Type 2 diabetes. Your diabetes doctor can tell you which forms of exercise are safe to try, especially if you have been sedentary for a long time. It is important to begin slowly and build your endurance; otherwise you can injure yourself and suffer setbacks. Your doctor can help you when it comes to nutrition as well, by reviewing what you eat, and telling you if you are deficient in any vitamins. They can also help you with a sample eating plan to follow, which will contain healthful meals and snacks which will keep your blood sugar as stable as possible.
To learn more about how to manage your Type 2 diabetes, call and make your appointment today.