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There are many practical things that can be done to help manage diabetes. Here are 7 tips to help you control type 1 diabetes.

1. Remaining positive about your type 1 diabetes and the necessary treatments to maintain your health is very important. As you go about your daily treatments and routines, you need to keep your attitude focused on what you can do to improve. Try to get your friends and family involved in your treatments and fitness routines. Make a special effort to be resolved whenever it feels like you are fighting a losing battle.

2. Take responsibility to learn all about type 1 diabetes and its treatments. You will be in charge of your daily treatments, so you’ll need to understand what your blood glucose treatments means and how to administer corresponding insulin injections.

3. Take a disciplined approach to planning your daily life. When you have type 1 diabetes, it is important to fit exercise into each day. It is also important for those with type 1 diabetes to eat their meals at the same times each day.

4. It may be beneficial for you to keep a journal of your health. When you are feeling particularly bad or particularly good, take down notes about your activities before and during your current state of health. You should also note down what foods you ate at your last meal. Include also your most recent blood glucose test results and what treatments you have administered. Take this journal with you to the doctor to help him make any changes that are necessary in the treatment program for your type 1 diabetes.

5. Be aware that various types of insulin work at different rates. Your doctor will prescribe insulin that he believes will work at an appropriate rate for you. Make sure you take the insulin your doctor has prescribed for you at the times he prescribed it to be taken.

6. It does not hurt to have regular testing done on your blood especially in the early stages of treatment. This will allow your doctor to make any adjustments that may be necessary to control your type 1 diabetes.

7. Do not neglect staying physically fit and eating healthy foods. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to make sure you provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly. Your body will also function better if you exercise regularly.

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The next important factor to consider in treating diabetes is exercise. Exercise not only lowers blood sugar but keeps your weight down and improves blood circulation.

Recent studies also show that exercising at least once a week may prevent the onset of type II diabetes by 33 percent in normal weight women and 16 percent in overweight females.

What kind of exercise should you perform? Researchers say any form of exercise done regularly is fine. Your physician will tell you how much exercise you need depending on your age, weight, and overall health.

For diabetics embarking on an exercise program, be alert to the symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar that can occur if you’re taking insulin or oral hypoglycemia agents. To minimize that risk, consume a light carbohydrate snack at least 30 minutes before exercising.

In the event of prolonged exercise, bring some food along and eat every half hour. You can also reduce your dosage of insulin or take it at a time when you’re not exercising to prevent hypoglycemia.

Insulin is the mainstay of diabetes therapy. It is generally used by insulin-dependent or type I diabetics who are younger than 40 years old.

For those who develop the disease after the age of 40, diet and exercise are usually enough to control the condition. But if blood sugar levels fail to respond to these measures, the elderly patient with non- insulin dependent or type II diabetes may require insulin shots or the use of oral hypoglycemic agents.

There are several types of insulin but all of them are injected since this hormone is destroyed by the digestive system when taken orally. Some varieties of insulin are taken from the pancreas of cattles or hogs while others are a mixture of both. Human insulin made from recombinant techniques is also available.

Of the three, human insulin causes fewer allergic reactions. Pork and beef insulin can be painful or cause fat, lumpy formations at the site of injection. However, some people can use them without experiencing any trouble. This is especially true with pork insulin which nearly resembles human insulin than beef.

Certain varieties of insulin act more quickly than others. The intermediate-acting insulin works best during the first 12 to 18 hours and its effects last for 20 to 24 hours. With short-acting insulin, the greatest effect is produced only during the first four to five hours and this lasts for only eight to 12 hours. Long-acting insulin is the best of the lot: it stabilizes blood glucose levels for the entire 24 hours. Continue Reading »

The treatment of diabetes depends on three things: diet, exercise, and medication. To prevent fluctuations in blood sugar levels, the diabetic patient must know how to balance these three in order to live a normal life and reduce the risk of complications.

What should a diabetic eat? Young diabetics requiring insulin shots should consume as much calories as possible to gain weight. Regular eating patterns are essential for the lean patient for normal growth and development.

On the other hand, overweight individuals suffering from adult-onset diabetes who don’t need insulin should restrict their calories to lose weight. Obesity increases the body’s resistance to insulin, making it difficult to control blood glucose levels.

Alcoholic beverages can also make things worse for the diabetic and ruin his weight control program. To avoid this, limit your alcohol intake or better still, stay away from alcohol completely. If you smoke, kick the habit since this adds to the risk of heart disease and other problems.

In The Best Treatment, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center advises the following:

The diabetic diet should be free of all simple sugars like sucrose. That means no candies, cakes, frostings, and other delicious foods. But, complex sugars of which there are many - pastas, fruits, beans, and nuts - formerly forbidden, are now considered permissible. In fact, such carbohydrates should make up 50 to 60 percent of your total calories.

Any soluble fiber like oat bran is good too because it lowers both your sugar and your cholesterol. If you miss the sweet taste in your diet, you can add one of the artificial products like aspartame (which the Food and Drug Administration has certified as ’safe’). But remember that like any other chemical, sweeteners can cause side effects especially when used in large amounts.

Your fat intake should be less than 30 percent of the total calories. There are three kinds of fat - saturated fats (found in animal foods), polyunsaturated fats (present in most vegetable oils), and monosaturated (such as olive oil).

Saturated fats should constitute less than 10 percent of your total fat intake. Since diabetics are more vulnerable to arteriosclerosis, limit cholesterol consumption to no more than 300 milligrams a day. Continue Reading »