Diabetes Treatment

What is diabetes?

Diabetes develops when your blood glucose level is too high. Too much blood glucose can be extremely damaging to your body, potentially causing nerve damage, heart disease, and vision loss. There are two main forms of the disease, Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make insulin, which means you can’t process glucose and your glucose levels grow too high. This kind of diabetes is typically diagnosed in childhood and is much less common than Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes

This type of diabetes occurs when you don’t produce or use insulin efficiently. It’s overwhelmingly the most common form, accounting for 90%-95% of diagnosed diabetes cases. Most patients with Type 2 diabetes are 45 or older, but it’s growing more common among younger Americans.

Another form of diabetes, gestational diabetes, occurs only during pregnancy.

What causes diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is likely caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors and isn’t preventable. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by lifestyle factors and is preventable in most cases.

The most common risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include being overweight or obese, an unhealthy diet, and a lack of physical activity.

How can I control my diabetes?

Working with the medical team at Health Care is a key part of controlling your diabetes effectively. If you have Type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin as prescribed and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

For Type 2 diabetes, you might be able to manage your condition with lifestyle changes. This means changing the way you eat, including reducing how much processed food and sugar you consume. Exercise, too, is key to staying healthy with Type 2 diabetes.

If lifestyle changes aren’t adequate, you might also need daily medication to improve how your body handles insulin and to reduce blood glucose levels.

With both types of diabetes, you need to monitor your blood glucose and report unusual changes to your medical providers at Health Care right away.

The Health Care team is here to guide you with personalized diabetes care. Call the office or book an appointment with the online scheduler today.