Since more people have diabetes now than ever before, it’s especially important to be informed about this prevalent disease. And it’s not just older people who develop diabetes. More and more younger people are developing this disease.
At Grassroots Healthcare in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Melita Tate and our providers are here to help you stay healthy with our primary care and specialized health services. The more you know about diabetes, the more you can prevent, delay, or lessen its effects on you. That’s why our team put together this helpful guide, outlining everything you didn’t know about diabetes.
About 11% of the US population is now living with diabetes, a condition that affects your body’s ability to turn glucose into fuel.
Your body converts the foods you consume into a form of sugar called glucose. It uses this glucose as fuel for energy and other bodily functions. Before your body can convert glucose into energy, however, your pancreas needs to release insulin.
Insulin works like a key, allowing the glucose into your body’s cells where it can be used as energy. When you have diabetes, your body either can’t make insulin or it can’t use it in the right way.
This causes the glucose to remain in your blood, elevating your blood glucose levels. A chronically elevated blood sugar level is a serious medical condition, as it can lead to many severe health conditions, including coma or death.
Diabetes comes in different types. The two most common types are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These different types affect your body differently and are managed in different ways.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. It typically begins in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. Less than 5% of people with diabetes have this type.
With type 1 diabetes, your body can’t make the right amount of insulin. There’s no cure or way to prevent type 1 diabetes. Symptoms typically start suddenly and require immediate medical attention. They include:
Treatment for diabetes includes regular monitoring of your insulin levels and taking insulin medication to prevent you from getting sick.
The vast majority (over 95%) of Americans with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. With Type 2 diabetes, your body makes insulin but can’t use the hormone in the right way.
This causes high blood sugar, which leads to your pancreas trying to make more insulin. However, as time goes on, the insulin your body makes becomes less and less effective.
Since this happens slowly, the symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes appear gradually. In fact, most people with type 2 diabetes don’t have noticeable symptoms at all, and are instead diagnosed through routine blood work.
Certain factors increase your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, such as:
Treatment for type 2 diabetes is different from the treatment for type 1 diabetes. While some people with type 2 diabetes take medicine, most people with type 2 diabetes can manage and even reverse their condition with lifestyle changes.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to seek medical care. At Grassroots Healthcare, we use a personalized, integrated approach to help reclaim control of your health and manage your diabetes.
Our team uses a holistic approach when it comes to diabetes management. We help you minimize your need for medications by helping you understand how the foods you eat impact your glucose levels. We also offer regular check-ins to help keep you on track.
And since weight plays a large role in the development of type 2 diabetes, your provider may also recommend our personalized weight management services, which may involve different strategies to help you shed the excess pounds, such as:
For more information about how your weight plays a role in diabetes or for help managing your health, schedule an appointment online or over the phone at Grassroots Healthcare in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
