Ways to Treat Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease that affects nearly 8 percent of the American population---and the trend is growing. While there are two types of diabetes (type I and type II), type II is the type that is most common and most easily treatable through diet, exercise and medications. In many cases, the severity can be be decreased just by making lifestyle changes.

The Proper Diagnosis

If you just haven't been feeling yourself, the place to start is at your doctor's office. Diabetics typically experience problems with fatigue, unexplained loss of weight, frequent urination and an uncontrolled appetite for no explainable reason. To determine if you have diabetes, your doctor will need to perform a fasting blood glucose test. If the results come back higher than the normal range of 70 to 110 mg/dl, then he'll probably get you started on a program of diet, exercise and possibly medication. He'll also need to determine if you're a type I or type II diabetic. While many of the symptoms are the same, the treatment regimens can be very different. Type I diabetics fail to make enough insulin in their pancreas. Type II diabetics make enough insulin, but the cells of their bodies are resistant to it. As a result, type I diabetics need to give themselves insulin injections to make up for what their body doesn't produce. Type II diabetics can often be treated solely through diet and exercise. The worst-case Type IIs also need medication that includes oral glucose controllers, and if those don't work well enough, they also may have to inject insulin.

Making Dietary Changes

If your blood glucose level comes back high, the first place to start is by making changes in your diet. Working with a registered dietitian, you can look at the quality and quantity of the food you're eating and look for ways to make positive changes. For instance, cutting down on carbohydrates or balancing them with fats and proteins is a good way to begin. You'll also need to learn how to control the types of carbohydrates you eat by using the glycemic index and by counting carbohydrates (see Resources).

Getting More Exercise

An important component of nearly every diabetic treatment plan is integrating aerobic exercise into your daily schedule. Thirty minutes of exercise not only lowers glucose levels while you're exercising, it also makes the tissues of the body more sensitive to insulin---an important hormone created by the pancreas that facilitates glucose uptake both at rest and during exercise.

Losing Weight

One of the easiest ways to lower your blood glucose without taking medications is by losing weight. Lowering body weight helps the body to become more sensitive to insulin. Many patients find that they can do without medications just by losing weight. Working with a registered dietitian is a great way to cover two areas at one time---learning how to eat properly and losing weight.

Medications

For a number of people, diet and exercise are not enough to improve their blood glucose levels. If you're one of them, your doctor may prescribe medications for you that do one of two things: increase your insulin output or increase the sensitivity of your cells to insulin. Type I diabetics, and some Type II, also learn how to inject insulin into their body and how coordinate it with their diet and exercise routine.