What is the key to managing diabetes?

Diabetes continues to be a dreaded disease worldwide with more and more people being diagnosed with the disease everyday. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of people suffering from diabetes has increased from 30 million to over 230 million in the last two decades, and is expected to reach 350 million in less than 20 years. In the Philippines, an estimated 4 million Filipinos are diabetic, with 500 Filipinos being diagnosed with the disease daily.

The good news is, diabetes can be managed to help keep the disease under control and most importantly, to improve quality of life.

Managing diabetes is a lifetime responsibility as the disease is progressive and has no cure. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or properly use insulin or both. It is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia or excessive levels of blood sugar or glucose in the bloodstream, caused either by the body’s inability to make insulin (type 1 diabetes); or by the body not responding to the effects of insulin (type 2 diabetes). Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose or (sugar) in blood to enter the cells of the body.

The goals of diabetes management are to keep your blood sugar levels, blood cholesterol and lipid levels normal; control your blood pressure; and prevent the development of diabetes-related problems.

In successfully managing diabetes, compliance to prescribed medications is key, so as to regulate blood glucose levels. But compliance with medications has become a problem in most diabetic patients. There are some patients who feel that following a drug regimen is too complex or that the lifestyle modifications that accompany these medications are a punishment that prevents them from enjoying life despite their condition. Others take their treatment of diabetes lightly, complying with their medicines for a few days and then forgetting about it in the following week or so.

There are many forms of medications for the treatment of diabetes. For type 1 diabetes, insulin injection is the common treatment, which is classified by how fast they start to work and how long their effects last. For type 2 diabetes, oral diabetes medications or diabetes pills, which are often used in combination to achieve optimal blood sugar control, are usually prescribed. Examples of diabetes pills include: Sulfonylureas, which lower blood sugar by stimulating the pancreas to release more insulin; Biguanides, which improves insulin’s ability to move sugar into cells and prevents the liver from releasing stored sugar; Thiazolidinediones, which reduces insulin resistance; and Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, which block enzymes that help digest starches to slow down the rise in blood sugar.

Not taking your medication compliance seriously may result in prolonged and elevated levels of glucose in the blood, which when left unchecked and untreated may lead to serious diabetic complications and sometimes even death. Complications of diabetes include kidney failure, heart disease, liver disease, nerve disease that may cause numbness or pain in the hands, feet, legs and other parts of the body, gum disease and loss of teeth, blindness and limb amputation.

Compliance with corresponding medical treatments is essential for both types of diabetes to successfully manage the disease. For type 1 diabetics, proper administration of insulin is critical, so work with your doctor closely to know the type of insulin that fits your condition, its times of onset and duration of action, and the amount of insulin you should inject depending on your food intake and exercise regimen. Compliance with diabetes pills is also a must, as studies show that continuous drug treatment results in better glycemic control.

Lifestyle modification is also a must for both types of diabetics. Make it a goal to achieve a healthy weight, as studies reveal that obesity contributes greatly to insulin resistance. Control your diet by carefully planning what you eat and exercise regularly to improve tissue sensitivity to insulin. Measure and record your blood glucose levels and blood pressure levels everyday and have regular consultations with your doctor to keep yourself informed of your diabetes status.

In managing diabetes, it is a must to gather information regarding the disease to help you control it successfully. Some patients lack proper information on the disease, particularly in detecting the symptoms and the risk factors associated with diabetes. Risk factors for diabetes include those with a family history of the disease or at least 45 years old and above, ethnicity, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, vascular disease, or those who show signs of insulin resistance, particularly women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Diabetics experience symptoms such as frequent urination, increased thirst, unexplained weight loss, increased appetite, blurring of vision, weakness, fatigue and poor wound healing.

At the onset of these symptoms or if you think you may already be at risk for diabetes, remember that it is very important to have yourself checked to know all the options available to help you manage your condition. Keep in mind that with proper diabetes management, particularly compliance with your medications, you can still live a long and active life.

photos courtesy of http://medicalimages.allrefer.com/large/insulin-production-and-diabetes.jpg

Did you know?

Green exercise keeps the mind going

Lately, being fit and having a healthy lifestyle have become a trend. Why not try doing some green exercise?

Go out and get a dose of fresh air with green activities like walking, jogging, cycling and gardening. Many studies show that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve the sense of well-being. Plus, spending time in parks and gardens will improve your mood and boost your esteem.

In color psychology, green, which is nature’s color, gives a calming effect that relieves stress. And in other researches, the color green can improve reading ability.

So, don’t limit yourself with a green diet, go green all the way, for a more healthier and livelier you!

Compliance with medical treatments key to managing hypertension

If you have hypertension or high blood pressure, you must know that compliance to the prescribed drug treatment is key in successfully managing this disease.

Drug regimen compliance is vital to help control and normalize your blood pressure. Stopping medications can cause your blood pressure to rise even higher than before, and when left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to serious cardiovascular disorders such as strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, heart rhythm irregularities, and kidney failure.

But some hypertensive patients find it tough to adhere to a drug treatment. Some stop taking their medication because they believe it makes them feel worse or because it is too expensive. There are those who stop when they feel better or their blood pressure becomes normal and mistakenly believe that they no longer need the medication or that they thought they were cured. Some just simply forget taking their medication.

Compliance to prescribed drug treatment is the key to successfully manage hypertension.

Continuous neglect in regular drug regimen has contributed to the disease’s high prevalence worldwide, afflicting about a billion individuals. In the Philippines alone, around 10.5 million Filipinos have hypertension. Of this number, 25% are not aware of their condition while only 13% who are under treatment are controlled.

Call it lack of proper knowledge or drive to manage their condition, people with hypertension remain oblivious to the causes of the disease, how to prevent and avoid its progression, and how they can treat or at least manage their condition.

Hypertension happens when the pressure inside the large arteries is too high. Its causes are hard to identify, although heredity and lifestyle play a key role in acquiring the disease. Factors that contribute to the increase in blood pressure include poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, heavy drinking as well as medications that increase blood pressure. Other less common causes include disorders of the kidneys or endocrine glands.

The only way to detect hypertension is by having your blood pressure checked. When diagnosed with hypertension, blood pressure should be controlled through regular drug treatment. Prescribing of medicines will depend on the status of your hypertension, whether it’s uncomplicated, have another disease such as a heart problem or diabetes, have some specific indication or contraindication for a specific drug, and whether your past experience with hypertension treatment dictates a choice of drug. A wide variety of medications can be prescribed by your doctor, but he will specifically prescribe a drug that suits your need.

Adherence to medication should also be complemented by modifications in your lifestyle. Eat healthy, exercise daily, lose weight if you’re overweight, and avoid stress and vices like smoking and excessive drinking. It is important as well to work closely with your doctor and consult him about any problems that keep you from achieving your blood pressure goal. You should also keep a daily record of your blood pressure readings to keep track of your condition.

Hypertension can be treated successfully. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, consulting your doctor regularly, and complying with your medicines religiously, you can keep your blood pressure under control and prevent the risk of leading to more serious cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and strokes as well as kidney failure.

Did you know?

Solve problems in your dreams

Who said that dreams are just for the romantic? Now, even realists have a good reason to have a dream-filled sleep.

Research showed that we can actually solve relatively easy problems while asleep. Dreams seem to help us find solutions to the puzzles that bother us when we are awake.

Also because of evolution, during REM sleep or when we are dreaming, our mind is refined to work a double function – to reboot our brain and to think “outside-the-box”, which is required in problem-solving.

So, when you can’t get over that one math question you failed to answer in your exam, take a goodnight’s sleep and perhaps you can solve it in your dreams.