Diabetes

In people with Type 2 diabetes, however, the insulin is not able to unlock the doors for the glucose very well. Why? If there’s been too much fat built up inside the cells, the fat blocks the insulin for unlocking the doors. This is where you get the term “insulin resistance” or decreased insulin sensitivity.

The glucose or sugar is then locked outside of the cells and have to enter back into the blood. Having higher amounts of sugar in the blood causes many problems and chronic damage to your blood vessels, nerves, and organs. It also increases the thickness of the blood  interfering with the blood flow and its ability to deliver essential nutrients and oxygen to each cell. 

Hemoglobin A1c levels are often ordered as part of routine blood tests for an annual wellness visit, that shows the degree of insulin resistance in the body. It is a measurement of how many glucose molecules have attached to the hemoglobin molecules in the blood. The higher the Hemoglobin A1c level, the higher the concentration of glucose molecules. The higher the glucose the greater degree of insulin resistance.

Diabetes is defined when hemoglobin A1c levels reach past 6.5. 

First line approach to diabetes treatment deals with eliminating the dietary fats as much as possible, increasing physical activity with a regular exercise program, maintaining a healthy body weight, and controlling how much you eat. Maintaining normal blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels is imperative in the management of diabetes.

Diabetes treatment also includes oral diabetes prescription medications and insulin therapy. As the duration of diabetes increases, more medications including a combination of different drug classes may be required to treat the condition. Metformin, however, seems to be a preferred drug for initiating medical management of diabetes. Goals for both oral diabetes medications and insulin are to target normal blood glucose control. The average blood sugar level should range between 70-100. If you are being treated with insulin injections, it is important to check your daily blood glucose levels with a blood glucose meter. It is also very important not to run out of your medications.

Taking prescribed medications can help with lowering your risk for having heart attacks, stroke and kidney failure by maintaining blood glucose balance, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in your body. 

As mentioned earlier, there are many complications to having diabetes. These include:

– Obesity

– Diabetic Ketoacidosis

– Cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure

– Kidney disease, kidney failure

– Diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness

– Diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease that can lead to limb amputations

– Neurological disease that can lead to stroke, memory loss, anxiety, and depression

Good news is diabetes can be 100% reversed. You can actually put your diabetes into remission. If you can manage to cut out the fat from your diet, you may be surprised to find out that you can get rid of diabetes. Having said that, we realize changing the way you eat and lifestyle is not easy! It takes a great amount of effort and some period of time to develop healthier habits, but it is important to realize that lifestyle interventions including a healthy diet can effectively treat diabetes.

Talk to your primary care medical provider in helping you get established with a good treatment plan. Following up with your healthcare provider with regular appointments and laboratory tests is also needful to help you stay on top of your diabetes. 

It may be challenging, however, at times, to schedule a visit with your primary care provider for in-person care. A follow up appointment may take days, weeks or even months.

If you are being treated with diabetes prescription medicines and are running low, you can refill your diabetes meds online with us today so you don’t have to run out. It’s important to stay on track of your diabetes treatment. Missing doses or stopping your medications can cause serious problems including life-threatening complications.