Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of chronic illnesses that affect your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. Specifically, they affect the ability of your pancreas to produce a hormone called insulin. Without enough insulin, your blood sugar levels spike, increasing the risk of nerve damage, heart disease, and vision loss.

What are the types of diabetes?

At The Healthy Woman, their providers diagnose and treat several types of diabetes, including:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. There’s no cure for type 1 diabetes, but it’s possible to manage with insulin therapy.

Type 2  diabetes

Type 2 diabetes causes insulin resistance. That means your pancreas produces insulin, but your body fails to use it. It’s possible to manage, and in some cases reverse, type 2 diabetes through a combination of healthy lifestyle changes and medication.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes causes your blood sugar to be consistently high but not high enough to be considered diabetes.  

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women. It occurs when a woman’s body produces extra hormones to protect a growing fetus. Often, gestational diabetes resolves after you give birth.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

To diagnose diabetes, your provider reviews your medical history and asks about your symptoms, including when they first started and if they’re worse at certain times of the day. 

Then, she orders several lab tests, including a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. An A1C test analyzes your average blood sugar level over the last few months. Any reading of 6.5% or higher on two separate occasions means you have diabetes. 

How is diabetes treated?

Treatment of diabetes depends on several factors, including the type of diabetes you have and the severity of your symptoms. Regardless of the type, your provider always recommends healthy lifestyle changes like eating a nutritious, balanced diet and exercising regularly. It’s also important to check your blood sugar several times each day.

If you have type 1 diabetes or a severe case of type 2 diabetes, your provider prescribes insulin therapy. You might also benefit from other oral or injectable medication like Metformin. Ultimately, the goal of treatment is to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level, reducing the risk of more serious issues. 

To explore your treatment options for diabetes, make an appointment at The Healthy Woman by calling the nearest office or clicking the online scheduler today.