How Can I Control Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes: How Is It Treated?

KidsHealth / For Teens / Type 2 Diabetes: How Is It Treated? en espaolDiabetes tipo 2: Cul es el tratamiento? Has your teacher ever assigned you a huge paper or project due at the end of the semester or term? If so, you probably know the value of a plan. Making a plan that tells you when you'll research and write your material or conduct your experiments is important so you don't spend the last week before the deadline worrying about how you'll get it all done. People with type 2 diabetes need to follow a different type of plan. A treatment plan, also called a diabetes management plan, helps them manage their diabetes and stay healthy and active. Treatment plans are based on a person's individual health needs and the suggestions of the diabetes health care team . The first thing to understand when it comes to treating diabetes is your blood glucose level, which is just what it sounds like the amount of glucose in the blood. Glucose isa sugar that comes from the foods we eat and also is formed and stored inside the body. It's the main source of energy for the cells of the body, and is carried to each cell through the blood. Glucose gets into the cells with the help of the hormone insulin . So how do blood glucose levels relate to type 2 diabetes? People with type 2 diabetes don't respond normally to insulin anymore, so glucose stays in the bloodstream and doesn't get into the cells. This causes blood glucose levels to go too high. High blood sugar levels can make teens with type 2 diabetes feel sick, so their treatment plan involves keeping their blood sugar levels within a healthy range while making sure they grow and develop normally. To do that, they need to: eat a healthy, balanced diet and follow a meal plan The good news is that sticking to the plan can help peopl Continue reading >>

4 Steps To Manage Your Diabetes For Life

This publication has been reviewed by NDEP for plain language principles. Learn more about our review process. Actions you can take The marks in this booklet show actions you can take to manage your diabetes. Help your health care team make a diabetes care plan that will work for you. Learn to make wise choices for your diabetes care each day. Step 1: Learn about diabetes. What is diabetes? There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes – Your body does not make insulin. This is a problem because you need insulin to take the sugar (glucose) from the foods you eat and turn it into energy for your body. You need to take insulin every day to live. Type 2 diabetes – Your body does not make or use insulin well. You may need to take pills or insulin to help control your diabetes. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. Gestational (jest-TAY-shun-al) diabetes – Some women get this kind of diabetes when they are pregnant. Most of the time, it goes away after the baby is born. But even if it goes away, these women and their children have a greater chance of getting diabetes later in life. You are the most important member of your health care team. You are the one who manages your diabetes day by day. Talk to your doctor about how you can best care for your diabetes to stay healthy. Some others who can help are: dentist diabetes doctor diabetes educator dietitian eye doctor foot doctor friends and family mental health counselor nurse nurse practitioner pharmacist social worker How to learn more about diabetes. Take classes to learn more about living with diabetes. To find a class, check with your health care team, hospital, or area health clinic. You can also search online. Join a support group — in-person or online — to get peer support with managing your Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes - Self-care

You may not have any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may include: Hunger Thirst Urinating a lot, getting up more often than usual at night to urinate Blurry vision Infections Trouble having an erection Red skin rashes in parts of your body Tingling or loss of sensation in your feet You should have good control of your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is not controlled, serious problems called complications can happen to your body after many years. Learn the basic steps for managing diabetes to stay as healthy as possible. Doing so will help keep the complications of diabetes away. Steps include: Also, be sure to take any medicine or insulin as instructed. Your provider will also help you by ordering blood tests and other tests. These help make sure your blood sugar and cholesterol levels are each in a healthy range. Also, follow your provider's instructions about keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range. Your doctor will likely ask you to visit other providers to help you control your diabetes. These providers include a: Dietitian Diabetes pharmacist Diabetes educator Foods with sugar and carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar too high. Alcohol and other drinks with sugar can also raise your blood sugar. A nurse or dietitian can teach you about good food choices. Make sure you know how to have a balanced meal with protein and fiber. Eat healthy, fresh foods as much as possible. Don't eat too much food at one sitting. This helps keep your blood sugar in a good range. Managing your weight and keeping a well-balanced diet are important. Some people with type 2 diabetes can stop taking medicines after losing weight (even though they still have diabetes). Your provider can let you know a good weight range for you. Weight-loss surgery may be an option if you a Continue reading >>

Controlling Type 2 Diabetes Through Diet – Expert’s Panel

Diabetes management can be efficiently done by following the right diet, being active, getting enough sleep, perhaps, in some cases, taking medication as prescribed by your doctor. So many factors have to be taken into consideration when it comes to regulating your blood sugar levels in order to avoid the lows and the highs. It is recommended by experts that one keep their blood sugars in control by diet, as in, eating healthy. For that, you have to make some healthy choices. But with so many internet articles and blogs about diabetes and eating healthy out there, who do you listen to? Who should you trust? What do you eat? What should you avoid? One small mistake and you can pay with your life, in some cases. We have compiled tips and suggestions from 29 respected experts who share with you their rules on how you can control your type 2 with diet. Read on to find out what they are. 1. Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed I encourage my clients with Type 2 Diabetes to do the following: stop dieting and labeling foods “good” or “bad” and, instead, think of them as having high or low health benefits. The diet mentality only promotes rebound eating. The goal is to develop an internal, rather than an external, locus of control. I also encourage them to learn how to become “normal” or intuitive eaters by connecting to appetite cues for hunger, fullness and satisfaction, and eating with awareness, which often means without distractions. They also need to develop effective practices to manage stress and distress without turning to food. All this can be done with an eating disorders therapist or an intuitive eating coach and by reading books on any of the above topics. 2. Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN There are two main tips I tell people to help control their typ Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes: New Guidelines Lower Blood Sugar Control Levels

Type 2 diabetes: New guidelines lower blood sugar control levels The American College of Physicians have now published their new guidelines regarding the desired blood sugar control levels for people with type 2 diabetes. The recommendations aim to change current therapeutic practices, and doctors should aim for a moderate level of blood sugar when treating their patients. Blood sugar control levels should be moderate for people living with type 2 diabetes, according to new guidelines. According to the most recent estimates, almost 30 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes , which amounts to over 9 percent of the entire U.S. population. Once diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, patients are often advised to take what is known as a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test in order to keep blood sugar levels under control. The test averages a person's blood sugar levels over the past 2 or 3 months, with an HbA1c score of 6.5 percent indicating diabetes . But some studies have pointed out that the HbA1c test may currently be overused in the U.S., and they have suggested that such over-testing may lead to over-treating patients with hypoglycemic drugs. These drugs often have a range of side effects, such as gastrointestinal problems, excessively low blood sugar, weight gain, and even congestive heart failure . Additionally, as some researchers have pointed out, "Excessive testing contributes to the growing problem of waste in healthcare and increased patient burden in diabetes management." In this context, the American College of Physicians (ACP) set out to examine the existing guidelines from several organizations and the evidence available in an effort to help physicians make better, more informed decisions about treating people with type 2 diabetes. Their guideline Continue reading >>

Managing Type 2 Without Meds: 3 Stories

My goal is to be as healthy as I can. If something happens and one day I'm back on medication, my goal is still to be healthy. It had been about a year since Akua Jitahadi felt like herself. But she was 51 and expected menopause to kick in soon. Plus, she and her daughter had just moved to oppressively hot Arizona. So she brushed off the tired, sluggish feeling as a side effect of being a middle-aged woman adjusting to sweltering temps. And then, overnight, her vision dimmed. Something was most definitely wrong. The verdict from her doctor: type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. "Of course, I broke down in tears," Jitahadi, now 55, says. "I wasn't ready to hear this. I always associated diabetes with 'Oh no, it's really bad.' " After Jitahadi spent a few weeks on medication, her vision cleared and she began to feel better. It didn't last long. "I hated metformin . I had all the colon and digestive issues on it," she says. "I never knew if I would be OK on it or if I'd be nauseous. I'd question whether I wanted to go out with my friends." When she asked for an alternative medication, her doctor said metformin was the best drug for the job, so Jitahadi stuck it out for a year. After that, she decided to make major lifestyle changes in hopes of quitting her medications. That proved more difficult than she had imagined. She hadn't seen a diabetes educator. The only dietitian covered by her insurer was too far away. And her doctor's sole advice was for Jitahadi to watch what she ate. "I was scared in the beginning," says Jitahadi. "It was through friends and starting to read [about diabetes] that I knew I could do this. I could get through this." Jitahadi bought books on diabetes, nutrition, the glycemic index, and diabetes-friendly meals. Instead of slightly modifying he Continue reading >>

Managing Type 2

In type 2 diabetes, your pancreas is still working but not as effectively as it needs to. This means your body is building insulin resistance and is unable to effectively convert glucose into energy leaving too much glucose in the blood. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes initially be managed through lifestyle modification including a healthy diet, regular exercise and monitoring your blood glucose levels. Eating well helps manage your blood glucose levels and your body weight Exercising helps the insulin work more effectively, lowers your blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease. Regular blood glucose monitoring tests whether the treatment being followed is adequately controlling blood glucose levels or whether you need to adjust your treatment. The aim of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to the target range between 4 to 6 mmol/L (fasting), this will help prevent both short-term and long-term complications. Your healthcare team including your doctor, specialist, dietician and Credential Diabetes Educator, can help you with blood glucose monitoring, healthy eating and physical activity. However, sometimes healthy eating and exercise is not enough to keep the blood glucose levels down. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition. As time progresses, the insulin becomes more resistant and the pancreas is less effective converting glucose into energy. To help the pancreas convert glucose into energy, people with type 2 diabetes are often prescribed tablets to control their blood glucose levels. Eventually it may be necessary to start taking insulin to control blood glucose levels. This is when your body is no longer producing enough insulin of its own. Sometimes tablets may be continued in addition to insulin. If you require medication as Continue reading >>

Control Or Reverse Diabetes Naturally

Can you control diabetes? Reverse it? Absolutely. We can beat diabetes. The disease process associated with diabetes (which leads to heart attacks, strokes, and other crippling illnesses) can be slowed and even partially reversed by controlling blood glucose and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce and/or properly use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas. When there are troubles with insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. A fasting glucose level below 100 is considered normal. A fasting glucose between 100 and 125 signals pre-diabetes. A fasting glucose of 126 or higher means you have diabetes. Though “silent,” at least at first, diabetes can turn into a horrible disease. It can greatly increase our risk of heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease, erectile dysfunction, blindness, diabetes neuropathy, poor wound healing, and kidney failure. There are two main types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2. At least 90% of diabetics in America have Type 2 diabetes. Studying the evolution and lifestyle habits of humankind, we can confidently assert that Type 2 diabetes is virtually entirely preventable. Worldwide, many populations are now suffering epidemic rates of Type 2 diabetes because many populations live in a “food toxic” environment and exercise little or not at all. All this suffering, all this early death, is preventable. It is the direct result of the way we live – by our sedentary habits and our Western-style diets, bereft of whole, fiber-rich foods and full of fast foods and other calorie-dense junk. Type 2 diabetes usually starts after the age of 40. But because of America’s childhood obesity epidemic, more and more of our youth are being diagnosed with the disease, including Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes And Exercise

When you have type 2 diabetes, physical activity is an important component of your treatment plan. It’s also important to have a healthy meal plan and maintain your blood glucose level through medications or insulin, if necessary. If you stay fit and active throughout your life, you’ll be able to better control your diabetes and keep your blood glucose level in the correct range. Controlling your blood glucose level is essential to preventing long-term complications, such as nerve pain and kidney disease. Exercise has so many benefits, but the biggest one is that it makes it easier to control your blood glucose (blood sugar) level. People with type 2 diabetes have too much glucose in their blood, either because their body doesn’t produce enough insulin to process it, or because their body doesn’t use insulin properly (insulin resistant). In either case, exercise can reduce the glucose in your blood. Muscles can use glucose without insulin when you’re exercising. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re insulin resistant or if you don’t have enough insulin: when you exercise, your muscles get the glucose they need, and in turn, your blood glucose level goes down. If you’re insulin resistant, exercise actually makes your insulin more effective. That is—your insulin resistance goes down when you exercise, and your cells can use the glucose more effectively. Exercise can also help people with type 2 diabetes avoid long-term complications, especially heart problems. People with diabetes are susceptible to developing blocked arteries (arteriosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack. Exercise helps keep your heart healthy and strong. Plus, exercise helps you maintain good cholesterol—and that helps you avoid arteriosclerosis. Additionally, there ar Continue reading >>

How You Can Control Type 2 Diabetes By Watching Your Blood Sugar

There's good news: Controlling diabeteswhich means keeping your blood sugar at healthy levels and reducing your chances of diabetes complications ranging from heart disease to foot damageis something that you can do. But here's the bad news: Keeping your diabetes under control is up to you, and it's not always easy. "If you have cancer, you go to your surgeon or you go to your doctor to get chemotherapy," says Yvonne Thigpen, RD, a certified diabetes educator and the diabetes program coordinator at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center in Michigan. "But patients with diabetes can do a lot to control their diabetes by making healthy lifestyle choices in addition to working with their physician." If a patient is a "take-charge person, they take it as good news, if they are not, they don't like that news," she says. Many people don't control their blood sugar A lot of people with diabetes, unfortunately, aren't in good control. A 2005 study from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) involving more than 157,000 people with diabetes found that more than two-thirds weren't adequately controlling their blood sugar, which put them at risk for blindness, kidney failure, foot amputation, and other complications. More about type 2 diabetes These people exceeded 6.5% on their hemoglobin A1C test, which is a common test that shows your average blood sugar level over the past two or three months. The American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health recommends keeping yours under 7% to prevent complications, and the AACE recommends under 6.5%. However, it's not clear if going even lower is better. Government researchers halted part of a 2008 study when patients with type 2 diabetes and a high risk of heart attack and stroke were found to have Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes

Print Diagnosis To diagnose type 2 diabetes, you'll be given a: Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests indicates you have diabetes. A result between 5.7 and 6.4 percent is considered prediabetes, which indicates a high risk of developing diabetes. Normal levels are below 5.7 percent. If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain conditions — such as if you're pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin (known as a hemoglobin variant) — that can make the A1C test inaccurate, your doctor may use the following tests to diagnose diabetes: Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time. Blood sugar values are expressed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher suggests diabetes, especially when coupled with any of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination and extreme thirst. Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes. Oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, you fast overnight, and the fasting blood sugar level is measured. Then you drink a sugary liquid, and blood s Continue reading >>

How To Beat Type 2 Diabetes With Diet And Lifestyle Changes

It's no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. But if you've been diagnosed with diabetes, there's a lot you can do to improve your health — and the best place to start is likely by making some changes to your lifestyle. “Basic principles of good health like eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can be as effective as medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes for most people,” says Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, lead medical nutrition therapist at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. That's backed up by the Look AHEAD study, a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researchers found that over a four-year period, changes like eating a healthier diet and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes. A December 2016 review in Diabetologia similarly found through 28 studies that participants who were able to achieve about 150 minutes per week of moderate activity lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent compared with nonactive participants. If you're ready to make positive changes to help control diabetes, here's how to get started. Improve Your Diet to Help You Treat Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Keeping close tabs on your diet is a major way to help manage type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet for people with type 2 diabetes includes fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Focus on eating fruit and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, and lettuce, and having smaller portions of starchy foods, meats, and dairy products. Be especially careful about loading Continue reading >>

16 Of The Best Foods To Control Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition whereby the body does not produce enough insulin, or the cells of the body are not responding properly to the insulin that is produced. Some people believe that once diagnosed, they will need to be medicated for a lifetime. However, many people that are type 2 diabetic, with rigorous diet control, are able to stay away from medication. An intake of the correct micronutrients such as chromium, magnesium and zinc, along with a balanced intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins can often provide enough support to regulate your blood sugar levels. Here are 18 of the best foods to help support diabetes! 1. Nuts High in both fats and protein, nuts are a great food to snack on and include in your breakfast, smoothies or salads. 2. Fish Fish is rich in omega-3 fats, which are vital for reducing the inflammation that can come with diabetes. Fish is also a great source of lean protein. 3. Coconut Oil Rich in medium-chain triglycerides, coconut oil may help to slow down the absorption of sugars in the blood and improve insulin sensitivity. 4. Algae Algae is a superfood that supports diabetes by providing alkalization to the body tissue. Plus, it contains little to no carbohydrate so shouldn’t affect blood sugar levels! 5. Hemp seeds Just 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds provide you with 10 grams of protein and around 3000mg of omega-3 fats. As protein supports blood sugar levels and omega-3 fats reduce inflammation, this is one food to include. 6. Avocados Avocados are loaded with healthy fats and a little bit of protein, helping to regulate your blood sugar levels. 7. Beans Fiber-rich beans are a great food to be consuming if diabetic. Beans slow down the release of sugar and also help to detoxify the liver due to their high sulfur content. Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes Faqs

Common questions about type 2 diabetes: How do you treat type 2 diabetes? When you have type 2 diabetes, you first need to eat a healthy diet, stay physically active and lose any extra weight. If these lifestyle changes cannot control your blood sugar, you also may need to take pills and other injected medication, including insulin. Eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and losing any extra weight is the first line of therapy. “Diet and exercise“ is the foundation of all diabetes management because it makes your body’s cells respond better to insulin (in other words, it decreases insulin resistance) and lowers blood sugar levels. If you cannot normalize or control the blood sugars with diet, weight loss and exercise, the next treatment phase is taking medicine either orally or by injection. Diabetes pills work in different ways – some lower insulin resistance, others slow the digestion of food or increase insulin levels in the blood stream. The non-insulin injected medications for type 2 diabetes have a complicated action but basically lower blood glucose after eating. Insulin therapy simply increases insulin in the circulation. Don’t be surprised if you have to use multiple medications to control the blood sugar. Multiple medications, also known as combination therapy is common in the treatment of diabetes! If one medication is not enough, you medical provider may give you two or three or more different types of pills. Insulin or other injected medications also may be prescribed. Or, depending on your medical condition, you may be treated only with insulin or injected medication therapy. Many people with type 2 diabetes have elevated blood fats (high triglycerides and cholesterol) and blood pressure, so you may be given medications for these problem Continue reading >>

Type 2 Diabetes And Diet: What You Should Know

Why does my diet matter? It’s no secret that diet is essential to managing type 2 diabetes. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all diet for diabetes management, certain dietary choices should act as the foundation for your individual diet plan. Your diet plan should work with your body — not against it — so it’s important that the food you eat won’t spike your blood sugar levels to high. According to the American Diabetes Association, the normal blood sugar range for people with diabetes is between 80 to 130 mg/dL before meals. It should be less than 180 mg/dL about two hours after you begin eating. Your doctor will provide you with personalized target blood sugar values. Keep reading to learn more about how what you eat can affect your blood sugar, as well as which foods you may want to pick up at the grocery store or toss out of your pantry. Check out: Type 1 diabetes diet » When someone with diabetes has low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), a spoonful of sugar or honey can help raise glucose levels. However, sugar is often considered the nemesis of diabetes because of how quickly it can spike blood glucose levels when eaten alone. If you have diabetes, you should closely monitor your consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (GI). The GI measures how quickly a particular food raises blood sugar. Those foods with a high GI can cause unwanted spikes. This is especially true of refined sugar and other forms of simple carbohydrates like white rice, bread, and pasta. Make sure that most of your carb choices are whole-grain, high-fiber options. For example, if you’d like to have a piece of chocolate cake with frosting, eat it immediately after eating a balanced meal with lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and high-fiber carb options such as beans. Ea Continue reading >>