November is National Diabetes Month, which gives us all the more reason to get a general check-up at the doctor’s office. Here the doctor can get your cholesterol in check and discuss your healthy eating habits. Of the 21 million Americans with diabetes, 90% of them have Type 2 Diabetes. This type is more common in primary older adults and it’s important not to ignore the warning signs. You can stop yourself from getting the disease if you follow these specific tips.
First, be aware of the warning signs. The first of many signs that is missed may be pain or numbness in the feet or hands. Many may excuse this symptom as carpel tunnel or their feet falling asleep, but it should be recognized as something more serious. Fatigue may also be a symptom many people may ignore as being connected to diabetes. This symptom is occurring, however, because your blood cells are not receiving sugar from insulin.
Hunger and increased thirst are other symptoms that may be missed by people. These three symptoms occur due to the fact that sugar is building up in the blood stream, which is being taken from the skin tissues. While these two symptoms can be common with a variety of illnesses, Type 2 Diabetes is one illness where it often makes an appearance. Ironically, increased urination is also a symptom of Type 2 Diabetes. This can be a direct result of the hunger and thirst, but respectfully, it should not be ignored.
The main cause of Type 2 Diabetes is due to your body not responding correctly to insulin. Insulin can not communicate directly with your kidneys, liver or muscle cells, which is often referred to as insulin resistance. This prevents blood sugar (glucose) from entering these areas of the body and prevents the glucose from being stored for energy. When a person is heavier, this makes it more complicated for the insulin to get to these areas of the body.
Similarly, there are high risk factors to keep in mind if Type 2 Diabetes is in your family. First, you’re going to be more at risk if your parent or sibling has this disease. This is because Type 2 Diabetes is in your genetics and can be passed on through generations. Poor diet, lack of exercise and increased excess weight increase this risk more than other risks. Scientists are unclear why this is, but those of African-African, Asian and Indian ethnicities are more likely to encounter Type 2 Diabetes than Caucasians. Furthermore, the risk of Type 2 Diabetes gets higher with older individuals. Scientists credit this to this age group being less active and gaining weight as they age. It may also be due to the fact that this group loses muscle mass in their tissues. In fact, 18% of individuals 65 or older have Type 2 Diabetes.
Those who are at risk for Type 2 Diabetes can take preventive steps to stop the disease before it arrives. First, know the do’s and don’t of foods. Eating foods which have more protein are more nutritious than those which have a majority of carbohydrates or sugars. Another prevention tip is to avoid foods such as white bread, white pasta and white rice. These foods contain more carbohydrates than other foods and have the potential to raise blood sugar. Individuals should also reduce, or if possible, eliminate their habit of drinking soda. This often contains a lot of sugar, which could increase weight gain and a higher blood sugar number.
If you currently have Type 2 Diabetes, there are steps you can take to treatment and monitoring it in order to keep you healthy. First, physical activity is a big step. The more physical activity you get into a day, then the more blood sugar will go into your cells. This, in turn, will keep your blood sugar and insulin at a lower level. Furthermore, the food which you eat may raise or lower your blood sugar. To get an accurate reading, try testing your blood sugar one or two hours after a meal.
There are also steps you can take to help manage this disease. First, purchase an identification tag which has your medical information. This is useful to those working in the emergency room if you should happen to go into a diabetic coma. Also, keep your stress under control. Too much stress for a diabetic can prevent their insulin from working properly, which could increase blood sugar. It’s also a fantastic idea to quit smoking and to quit drinking alcohol. Both of these can have devastating results on your health, but to a diabetic they should be taken more serious.
Finally, it’s important those with Type 2 Diabetes take it seriously. They need to keep their blood sugar under control or serious medical consequences could occur, such as blindness, deafness or stroke. If blood sugar happens to get too high, the diabetic patient risks being the victim of a heart attack or kidney failure. This can all be prevented by exercise, a healthy diet and losing excess weight. Diabetes doesn’t have to win, but it can overpower you if you don’t know how to control it. If you think you may be at risk, get in and get diagnosed before it’s too late. You deserve a healthy life.