Diabetes Wellness Tips from Physicians Premier, Your Saratoga Emergency Room

March 9, 2020 — Health & Safety Tips

Diabetes Wellness Tips | Saratoga, Corpus Christi Emergency Room | Physicians Premier

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that affects adults and children in America today. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26.9 million Americans – that is 8.2% of the American population – were known to have had diabetes in 2018. You can only imagine how much this percentage has escalated today.

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin or when the body cannot use the body’s insulin properly.

A hormone produced by the pancreas, insulin regulates the amount of glucose in the blood, enabling the body to produce energy.

A person cannot produce their own insulin once the insulin-producing cells are destroyed. When this happens, the sugar builds up in the blood and the body’s cells starve. Left untreated, diabetes can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

There are two main types of diabetes:

  1. Persons with diabetes have high sugar levels in their blood. This increase in blood glucose is commonly caused by two things. One, a person’s body may not be able to produce insulin, which is the hormone responsible for lowering blood glucose. The inability to produce insulin is hereditary, which means that it is brought about by genetic factors. This type of Diabetes is called Type 1 Diabetes.
  2. Another reason for the occurrence of diabetes is insulin resistance. This means that the insulin that a person’s body produces does not function properly. This type of diabetes, which usually occurs among people who are overweight, sedentary, or advanced in age, is called Type 2 Diabetes.

When should you see a doctor?

Visit your health provider if you experience the following warning signs:

Managing diabetes

Lifestyle is key to managing diabetes. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is not as hard as you might think. Here are some tips from Physicians Premier, your emergency room in Corpus Christi, TX.

  1. Adopt a healthy lifestyle – Manage your weight through regular physical activity and proper nutrition, finding healthy ways to deal with stress, and quitting smoking. By making healthier choices, you can minimize the impact of diabetes in your body.

    Look for healthy recipes from diabetes organizations and associations. Generally, people with diabetes are encouraged to have a balanced diet of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, poultry, lean meats, and fish.

    It has also been proven that regular physical activity can help lower blood sugar and activate the body’s insulin. Professionals advise people with diabetes to engage in an aerobic type of exercise. Aerobic exercises are moderate-intensity activities that last for 20-30 minutes, performed three to four times a week. Examples of aerobic exercises include cycling, running, and swimming.
  2. Know your numbers – Through regular visits with your doctor and constant home monitoring, you can keep track of your blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, and cholesterol. These are all critical health numbers that will give you insight into how your treatment plan is going.
  3. Work with your health care team – Diabetes is a chronic disease that can have a host of health implications if not managed well, which includes effects on your heart, your vision, as well as your feet and legs. Diabetes treatment and management can require special diet and medications, and your health care team may include a number of health specialists. They will be able to guide you on how to follow your health plan to minimize the effects of diabetes.  

When preparing meals and engaging in exercise, one thing that people with diabetes must watch out for is the occurrence of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is the sudden drop in blood sugar, which occurs when one skips meals, eats less than normal, or performs an exercise that has too high of an intensity.

Diabetes is a long-term condition that needs to be managed correctly and monitored consistently. The inability to manage and monitor one’s condition may result in an emergency situation.

If you are looking for a health facility or an emergency room near your home, come to Physicians Premier. Physicians Premier currently has an emergency room in Corpus Christi, TX.

Sources:

“National Diabetes Statistics Report,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf.

“What is diabetes,” International Diabetes Federation, https://www.idf.org/aboutdiabetes/what-is-diabetes.html.

“What is diabetes?” Diabetes Australia, https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/what-is-diabetes.   

“Diabetes,” NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/.  

“Lifestyle is Key to Diabetes Self-Management.” Cleaveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17172-lifestyle-is-key-to-diabetes-self-management.

“Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia),” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/low-blood-glucose-hypoglycemia.

The Locations:

Saratoga Emergency Room