Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases that interfere with the way your body produces and uses insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps your body convert glucose into energy. When you don’t have enough insulin or don’t use it correctly, your blood sugar levels become and stay elevated, which can lead to a wide range of dangerous complications, including:

• Blindness
• Neuropathy
• Foot ulcers
• Amputation

The three main types of diabetes are:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, sometimes called juvenile diabetes, occurs when your body doesn’t produce insulin. It’s the result of an autoimmune condition that destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. 

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. It usually emerges in adulthood as your body fails to use insulin correctly. This form of the disease is becoming more common in younger patients, though. 

Gestational diabetes

Some women develop gestational diabetes during the second trimester of pregnancy. The placenta produces a hormone that interferes with the way you use insulin. While gestational diabetes usually goes away soon after your baby is born, it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Millions of Americans live with prediabetes. Prediabetes is a warning sign of type 2 diabetes. Your body isn’t using insulin correctly, and you have elevated glucose, but it doesn’t meet the diagnostic criteria for type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is reversible.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes don’t usually cause symptoms in their early stages. The best way to find out if you have diabetes is to have routine blood tests during your annual physical exams. If you have elevated glucose levels, your doctor orders additional testing to confirm your diagnosis. 

On the other hand, type 1 diabetes develops quickly and causes symptoms, including:

• Increased hunger and thirst
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Unexplained weight loss 

If you or your child notice any of these symptoms, make an appointment at Health Solutions immediately. 

How is diabetes treated?

The team at Health Solutions offers holistic treatment plans for diabetes to regulate your blood sugar and improve your overall health. They offer nutritional and lifestyle counseling to help you learn to manage your condition with diet and exercise. They also offer weight loss programs, which can help lower and regulate your glucose levels. In some cases, weight loss can even reverse prediabetes. 

However, if you have type 1 diabetes or advanced type 2 diabetes, they prescribe insulin to lower your glucose levels and protect your health. 

Call Health Solutions, or make an appointment online today for expert diabetes management and prevention.