|
|
|
| Self-Care Guidelines for Diabetes |
| From Looking After Your Body |
 |
Nearly 16 million Americans have diabetes, a group of diseases characterized by high blood-glucose levels (typically 200 mg/dl or higher). When you eat, your body metabolizes carbohydrates into glucose, which is then ushered out of the blood and into the body's cells by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. If you have an insulin disorder, glucose remains in the blood and is unavailable to fuel the cells' activities.
The result is elevated blood-sugar levels.
The most common form of diabetes is adult-onset, or type 2, diabetes (also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes). It's usually due to insulin resistance, in which your body's cells don't respond to the insulin produced by the pancreas. It may also involve low insulin production, but not the complete absence of insulin seen in type 1, or juvenile, diabetes (also called insulin-dependent diabetes).
The following lifestyle measures can help control diabetes and improve the quality of life for people who have it.
Learn good self-care. You are more or less in charge of your own care. So be sure to ask your doctor, nurse educator, or registered dietitian to teach you good diabetes-management skills.
Test yourself. Check your blood-sugar levels daily with a simple finger-stick test and a monitoring device. Depending on how severe your disease is and whether or not you take insulin, you may need to self-test up to several times a day. Stay on top of your glucose fluctuations so you can modify your diet/exercise/drug regimen in order to maintain as normal a glucose level as possible.
Drink lots of water. Since diabetes can cause excess urination, it can dehydrate you. So drink at least eight glasses of water daily -- more when you're sick or have high glucose levels.
Watch your sugar intake. Doctors have long believed that diabetics should avoid simple carbohydrates (sugars) and replace them with complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, breads, cereals, and pasta. But recent research has shown that people with diabetes can eat sugar. In fact, if the total carbohydrate value is the same, mashed potatoes can have the same effect on blood glucose levels as a cookie. That's why you need to monitor your total intake of carbohydrates, not just their source.
Investigate the glycemic index. Debate continues over the use of the glycemic index, a rating of how quickly particular foods are broken down into glucose, raising your blood sugar. Starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes and tropical fruits such as bananas have a higher glycemic index rating than foods such as apples, pears, whole grain breads, and oats. Advocates including the World Health Organization (WHO) say that eating foods with a low glycemic index can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Critics like the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association say the index makes meal planning even more complicated, especially since a food's score changes depending on what it's eaten with. If you're willing to do the extra homework, ask your doctor or dietitian about the glycemic index.
Pamper your feet. Wash, dry, and powder your feet carefully every night if you have diabetes. Because the blood vessels in a diabetic's legs narrow, foot injuries or infections can turn into serious ulcers that can lead to gangrene if you have poorly controlled diabetes. Wear shoes that fit properly to prevent blisters, corns, ingrown toenails, and other foot problems. See a podiatrist if any problems arise.
Get annual eye checkups. Have your doctor examine your eyes every year. Careful monitoring can detect signs of diabetic retinopathy, in which many of the small blood vessels of the retina (at the back of the eyeball) become damaged and die. Prompt treatment of this condition can prevent blindness.
Be a smart exerciser. If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about what precautions you need to take during exercise. You may be advised to avoid certain types of exercise altogether. For example, people with eye complications should steer clear of jumping activities and weight-lifting. And if your blood-glucose level tends to drop and rise suddenly, you may have to eat just prior to exercising and self-test your blood-sugar level periodically during your workout.
|
|
|
|
JOIN THE DISCUSSION