5 Smart Steps for Diabetics
How to stay healthy and in control
Whether you are newly diagnosed with diabetes or have been struggling to cope with it for some time, you may occasionally feel angry, depressed and overwhelmed. You are not alone. Such feelings are common because diabetes is a disease that requires daily attention and some significant lifestyle changes. And there is never a day off from having to think, plan and cope.
The good news is that there are numerous specialists and organizations out there to help you. And because diabetes is so prevalent—it affects more than 20 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health—improved treatments and supplies are coming onto the market all the time.
Ultimately, though, it's up to you to take charge of your own health. Here are five steps to get and keep your diabetes under control:
1. Assemble A Team
Because diabetes may create a wide range of health concerns, you need to forge a good relationship with your primary-care physician, who will remain responsible for your overall health needs, and a certified diabetes educator (CDE), usually a nurse or dietitian specially trained to help you manage your diabetes from day to day. From there, suggests Suzanne Ghiloni, a nurse and advanced-practice diabetes specialist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, you build a larger team that may include an endocrinologist, a physician who specializes in the care of people with diabetes; a nutritionist; an exercise physiologist; and a mental-health professional. Other specialists might be added—a nephrologist if there are kidney complications, a cardiologist if you have heart problems, an ob-gyn if you are planning to become pregnant. The American Diabetes Association, diabetes.org, can refer you to local diabetes education programs. The American Association of Diabetes Educators, diabeteseducator.org, can provide names of qualified educators in your area.
2. Take Charge
You will likely see most of the physician specialists only once a year or as needed if complications arise. In the beginning you may see the diabetes educator frequently—monthly, perhaps—until you are comfortable with all the aspects of self-care, such as monitoring your blood glucose, sticking to a meal plan, exercising safely and knowing what to do if you get sick. "But the center of the team is the person with diabetes. You are the one driving the engine," says Deborah Fillman, R.D., C.D.E., first vice president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
3. Get Moving
Exercise improves the body's ability to use glucose and insulin, and it helps reverse the body's resistance to insulin—a key feature of type 2 diabetes. An exercise program is most successful if it builds from your current level of activity and focuses on things you enjoy. Activity can range from leisurely walking to intense workouts like running and cross-country skiing. To learn how to avoid exercise-induced lows, work with your diabetes educator or exercise physiologist.
4. Manage Your Diet
The challenge for someone with diabetes is to tailor your diet to keep blood glucose at an acceptable level. "It's a whole process, because food is so personal," says Fillman. "I like to change just one or two things at a time. I might talk to people about using a different-size bowl or plate. Sometimes it's as simple as an agreement that they'll give up regular soft drinks for the next week."
5. Adjust Your Attitude
Depression and "burnout" are common in people with diabetes, and people who feel even moderately depressed do a much poorer job of managing their diabetes. So tell your doc if you are feeling down or overwhelmed; he or she can assess whether you need medication or a referral to counseling. "It can help to look at things in the short term," Ghiloni says. "Don't think, I’m going to have to do this for the next 50 years; say to yourself, I can do this for the next week. And instead of thinking of diabetes as punishment, look at it as an opportunity to take care of your health."
Source: Phyllis Mcintosh |
