Diabetes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 130 million adults are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes in the United States.  About 1 in 5 people with diabetes don’t know they have it. Over 80% of people with pre-diabetes don’t know they have it.

Types of diabetes?

Type 1 Diabetes
Occurs when your body produces little or no insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes
Occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type—about 90% to 95% of people living with diabetes have type 2.

6 things you need to know about diabetes.

What is diabetes?​

Not everyone knows this, but our bodies convert most of the foods we consume into sugar otherwise known blood glucose.

Insulin is a hormone made by one of the body’s organs called the pancreas. Insulin helps your body turn blood sugar (glucose) into energy. 

Diabetes is a condition that impairs the body’s ability to process sugar.

Our bodies have a complicated relationship with sugar. A certain amount of sugar is necessary to keep up our energy levels, too much can be harmful. When there is too much sugar in our blood stream, there is a higher risk for serious conditions like heart disease and vision loss.

How does diabetes affect your life?​

Diabetes can impact how you feel every day.

If your blood glucose level is too high or too low—a condition called hypoglycemia—you may not feel well.

Keeping your blood glucose in a target range will help you feel your best. Type 2 diabetes can also be treated with oral medications and/or insulin. You will need to check blood glucose regularly and use that information to adjust the amount of insulin you are taking.

If left untreated or unmanaged, diabetes can lead to extremely serious complications. Diabetes complications can cause blindness, lead to the amputation of toes or feet and can even be fatal.

How is diabetes diagnosed?​

Getting screened regularly is one of the best tools to prevent diabetes.

Screenings are a great way to manage diabetes.

Your  primary care provider is the key to diagnoses. If you are experiencing symptoms of diabetes, your primary care provider can use blood tests to determine if your blood sugar is higher than it should be.

How can I prevent diabetes?​

Lifestyle changes including modest weight loss, good nutrition and regular exercise can prevent pre-diabetes. Research also shows that these changes can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in over half of patients with pre-diabetes.

Can diabetes be reversed or even cured?​

According to Medical News Today, “Type 2 diabetes is reversible under certain conditions, depending on a person’s lifestyle. Medications alone do not reverse it.” By making healthy choices, like better diet and exercise, diabetes could go into remission. However, there is no known cure for diabetes.

If a person does not make healthy lifestyle changes, type 2 diabetes will progress, and they will eventually need more medications to manage it. That’s why, whether you have pre-diabetes or have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is critical to work with your healthcare team to manage it.

How can I manage diabetes?​

While most of the day-to-day care of diabetes is up to you, your healthcare team is the key to ensuring you are keeping diabetes manageable.

Talk with your healthcare team about how and when to check your blood glucose. You may have options, such as a blood glucose monitor, to support this.

In addition, P3 Health Partners offers the P3 Zone Education Guide to support you outside of the doctor’s office.

The P3 Zone Education Guide is a printable tool that can help you monitor and recognize the signs of diabetes and understand what actions to take to improve your health. Each of the Zones – Green, Yellow, and Red – identifies the symptoms to be aware of to help manage your diabetes.

What are my next steps?

Working with your healthcare team is critical, no matter what lifestyle you currently lead, or what conditions you have.

Following a doctor’s advice on diet, how to stay active and management of disease can keep you in your best health.

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