Treatment For Diabetes
Treatments offered for diabetes will differ dependent
on a number of factors:
The type of diabetes diagnosed
The length of time an individual has been diabetic
In the case of women – pregnancy
Whether insulin has already been used in significant amounts, to
treat the condition
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For the type 1 diabetes
sufferer insulin is the only treatment. In type 1 diabetes
the pancreas no longer produces insulin and it is essential
that this hormone is supplemented at regular intervals. This
is also known as insulin dependent diabetes and the
consequences of not taking the insulin required are serious.
Type 1 diabetics who do not take the insulin they need and
who allow high levels of glucose to build up in their blood,
risk their lives.
Insulin is still usually
injected into the subcutaneous fat layer of the skin from
where it is absorbed into the blood stream for immediate
use. New research is ongoing to try alternative treatment
forms and ways of delivering the insulin to the body but
none of these are, as yet, widely available.
Type 2 diabetes is a
different beast. |
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This disease usually
develops in older individuals and there appears to be a
correlation between obesity and the development of type 2
diabetes. This connection gives the first clue to the simplest
form of treatment for type 2 diabetes – diet and exercise.
Dependent on glucose levels,
type 2 diabetics may find that the only treatment required to
control their diabetes is a change in diet and lifestyle. This
is more likely if the diabetes is diagnosed at an early stage
before insulin levels have dropped too dramatically or tissue
has become too resistant to insulin uptake.
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When diet and lifestyle
changes alone are not enough to control the diabetes,
medication will be offered. This is often in pill form
and is sometimes in a combination of pills. There are
basically two kinds of by-mouth medication – those that
stimulate the pancreas to produce and release more
insulin and those that block or inhibit the release and
absorption of glucose into the blood stream. It is
important that these drugs are taken exactly as advised
– with the instructions often differing between types
and brands.
As with all health
conditions in the twenty first century, there are an
increasing number of alternative and complementary
therapies now being promoted which, whilst interesting,
need to be approached with caution.
If glucose levels are
left unchecked the results can be devastating in a very
short period of time.
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For this reason, it is
essential that prescribed medications are continued even when an
alternative or complementary therapy is being tried.
Also, whenever an individual is
under medical supervision for a condition such as diabetes, no
other form of treatment should be administered without the
consent of the medical practitioner. Alternative and
complementary therapies offer enormous hope and can often give
comfort from symptoms but there is very little hard evidence yet
of their efficacy. For this reason a liberal does of common
sense is required when considering such treatments for diabetes.
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