Diabetes Natural Remedies

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose. Type 2 Diabetes is a result of the body not producing enough insulin, or not using the insulin it does produce properly. Its the most prevalent form of diabetes, representing 90-95% of all cases.

Risk factors include being over 40, overweight, physically inactive, having high cholesterol, having high blood pressure, and for women, having had gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Also certain ethnicities are more likely to develop diabetes. If you are Latin, Asian, African American, Native American, or a Pacific Islander, you are more likely to develop the condition. Family history also plays a role.

Diagnosing diabetes is straightforward. Your doctor will ask you to come in for a fasting blood test and measure your blood glucose. This means you go in one morning before you eat anything. The blood is sent off to a lab. If your blood glucose is between 110 and 125 you are considered pre-diabetic. If your blood glucose is 126 or higher, you have diabetes. In order to ensure accuracy, your doctor may want to run your test again, especially if your numbers are on the cusp.

Many people look at diabetes as a sentence for a crime they committed (being overweight). If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, you can take a more positive outlook. The things you need to do to manage your diabetes: lose weight, eat less fat, eat more fiber and fruits and veggies, exercise ” these are the things we all need to do for better health in general. By being diagnosed as a diabetic, you now have a much more compelling reason to start living a better, healthier life. Being diabetic automatically means you are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease. So get moving!

Living successfully with diabetes hinges on lifestyle changes. Over time, it is likely that you will need to take medication, or even insulin. However, when people are first diagnosed, unless they have unknowingly had diabetes for years, they are typically told to lose weight, eat a more healthy diet, and engage in physical activity on a daily basis. Losing weight has been shown to have a positive impact on blood glucose.

By exercising regularly you will increase your bodys response to insulin. This helps to lower blood glucose. It is possible to reverse diabetes with diet and exercise. Even if you are not fortunate enough to reverse your diabetes, there are still significant health advantages to exercising.

After being diagnosed with diabetes your doctor will likely tell you to begin testing your own blood, and when to do that. Over time, you will begin to understand how what you eat affects your blood sugar, as you do, you will be able to make decisions that are better for your health. Other factors can impact that number as well, such as illness and stress.

When selecting a meter, consider how you will be using it. Do you want a compact meter to take everywhere you go? Will you be testing mostly at home, in which case size isnt an issue? Do you need a meter with a larger readout? There are very basic meters that simply display your results and keep a limited history while others offer the ability to synch with your computer to download information and create graphs. Many people think that testing is painful. Todays meters use tiny lancets. Some offer the opportunity for alternate site testing, which may be even less painful, but is also slightly less accurate. Bear in mind that most meters use specific brands of strips and costs can vary greatly. Its a good idea to check with your insurance company to see which strips and meters are covered by your plan.

As a diabetic, you will need to see your doctor regularly. Your doctor will want to do a regular, routine screening of your hemoglobin A1c. Often this test is run 4x/year. It gives a general indication of blood glucose over the prior three months. Your doctor will also check your feet regularly as diabetic complications often arise in the feet and eyes. To make sure your eyes are healthy, it is a good idea to routinely schedule exams with an ophthalmologist. Your family physician may be able to help you control your diabetes, or you may be referred to an endocrinologist and/or a registered dietician.

Finally, if you are prescribed any medications, take them as directed. You wont necessarily feel better taking a medication and that can give you a false sense of not needing it, but the drugs are helping to keep you blood sugar lower, and that is the goal.