Treatment of Diabetes
Diabetes knowledge, treatment, and prevention strategies advance daily.
Treatment is aimed at keeping blood glucose near normal levels at all
times. Training in self- management is integral to the treatment of
diabetes. Treatment must be individualized and must address medical,
psychosocial, and lifestyle issues.
Treatment of type 1 diabetes: Lack of insulin production by the pancreas
makes type 1 diabetes particularly difficult to control. Treatment
requires a strict regimen that typically includes a carefully calculated
diet, planned physical activity, home blood glucose testing several
times a day, and administration of insulin.
Treatment of type 2 diabetes: Treatment typically includes diet control,
exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication
and/or insulin. Approximately 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes
require daily administration of insulin.
In January, 2006, the FDA approved the use of an inhalable form of
insulin, the first new option for delivering insulin since its discover
in the 1920s. This new inhalable delivery of insulin may relieve the
need for multiple daily injections for many diabetics.
What is a good blood sugar level?Everyone has some sugar in their blood. The normal amount of sugar in
the blood ranges from about 70 to about 120 in people who don't have
diabetes. Blood sugar goes up after eating, but returns to the normal
range in one or two hours.
A good blood sugar range for most people with diabetes is from about 70
to 150. This is before a meal--like before breakfast or four to five
hours after you last meal. Your blood sugar should be less than 200
about two hours after your last meal.
Remember: Everyone is different. A good blood sugar range for someone
else may not be the best for you. For example, a blood sugar of 80 may
be too low for some people. Ask you doctor what the best range of blood
sugar is for you.
Taking care of your diabetes every dayThe four things you have to do every day to lower high blood sugar are:
- Eat healthy food
- Get regular exercise
- Take your diabetes medicine
- Test your blood sugar.
Keep daily recordsWrite down the results of your blood tests every day in a record book.
You can use a small notebook or ask your doctor for a blood testing
record book. You may also want to write down what you eat, how you feel,
and how much you have exercised.
By keeping daily records of your blood and urine tests, you can tell how
well you are taking care of your diabetes. Show your book to your
doctor. The doctor can use your records to see if you need to make
changes in your insulin shots or diabetes pills, or in your eating plan.
Ask your doctor or nurse if you don't know what your test results mean.
Things to write down every day in your notebook are:
- If you had very low blood sugar
- If you ate more or less food than you usually do
- If you felt sick or very tired
- What kind of exercise you did and for how long
