The world will once again spend time talking about diabetes on World Diabetes Day (November 14).e). As we all encourage each other to get tested for diabetes even if we don’t have any suspicious symptoms, we should also remind ourselves of ways to live life to the fullest if we already have the condition.
Type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune disease and not related to lifestyle), gestational diabetes (which occurs during pregnancy. Over 40% may develop diabetes in the future) and diabetes due to other causes such as tumors etc. exist, but our focus will be on the most common variety. that is type 2 diabetes. However, the advice below will benefit all diabetics.
Type 2 diabetes can develop gradually and the majority of victims have a problem with insulin resistance. In this scenario, although the pancreas produces adequate amounts of insulin, the body’s cells do not respond properly, causing sugar levels in the blood to be high but the cells to “starve”; a classic case of hunger in the midst of plenty.
Yes, oral medications can help many people with type 2 diabetes, but the extreme pressure on the pancreas to produce insulin (as some oral medications can do) will eventually wear it down, which may make insulin therapy necessary later in life. If you have diabetes, don’t avoid a discussion about insulin therapy, it can be lifesaving.
Often our focus with diabetes is on controlling our blood sugar levels. While this is good practice, there is much more to this disease and I will encourage all diabetics and even those who prevent diabetes to at least follow the ten (10) steps below:
- Check your blood sugar level
- Yes, checking your blood sugar after fasting (fasting blood sugar) is great, but a more holistic approach is to check your blood sugar sometimes after meals (for example, 2 hours after meals). This also gives a good idea of how quickly your body processes a load of “sugars”.
- HbA1C is another crucial test. This does not require fasting and tells us your sugar control over a two to three month period.
- Keep your blood pressure under control
- Check regularly and aim for values below 130/80 mmHg
- Keep cholesterol at bay
- Should all diabetics take cholesterol-lowering medications? This has been argued for years.
- Keep your numbers under control
- Protect your eyes
- Have your eyes examined at least once a year to reduce the risk of eye complications.
- Changes that indicate poor control can be picked up very early here
- Protect your kidneys
- Have your urine checked for small amounts of protein (microalbuminuria) and seek treatment if necessary.
- Don’t ignore kidney function tests – a blood test
- Take good care of your feet
- Inspect your feet daily, at least in the morning and before going to bed.
- Avoid tight-fitting shoes
- Take extreme precautions when cutting your nails.
- Make sure your feet are pampered during exercise.
- Keep your weight under control
- Any extra fat can contribute to insulin resistance. Let’s abolish it!
- If you are underweight, consult with a dietitian to help you reach the ideal weight for your height.
- Exercise sufficiently and regularly
- Try to exercise more than 30 minutes almost every day
- Including strength training to build muscle and ‘burn’ more fat and also the use of sugar in the blood.
- Exercise helps with weight management and increases tissue sensitivity to insulin.
- Eat well
- Without healthy eating you will hardly make any progress
- Reducing your calorie intake will lead to fat loss.
- Be careful with sugar and refined products such as white rice and white bread.
- Eat plenty of fiber-rich foods, including beans, fruits and vegetables. Stick to low-fat dairy products (e.g., milk).
- Escape processed meat, snacks and salt-rich products.
- Visit an informed healthcare provider regularly
- Never assume that you know everything and therefore self-medicate using information from the Internet, etc.
- Consult your doctor regularly and if you are taking medications, take them as prescribed or seek a second opinion if you are not satisfied with your treatment.
Strict blood sugar control to prevent or minimize complications should be our goal. Because diabetes is a chronic disease, we are required to make a lifelong commitment to the above steps (the bare minimum), but I dare say that the benefits will ALWAYS justify this effort.
We should all do at least one simple gesture to screen a group of people for diabetes, organize a diabetes awareness session, or lead a program that helps prevent or control diabetes.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, TAKE CARE OF HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER THAT IT IS A PRICELESS GIFT KNOW YOUR FIGURES (blood sugar level, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)
([email protected])
*Dr. Essel is a doctor with a great interest in lifestyle medicine, he has an MBA and is an ISSA specialist in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercises. He is the author of the award-winning book ‘Unraveling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for this week: “This year and beyond, don’t just read about diabetes, help raise awareness, have people screened for diabetes and organize a group exercise session.”
Send me an email at [email protected] and ask me about the WellnessKasa App
Reference:
- Patient Education Center – Harvard Medical School