The Jamaican population has a high prevalence of people living with Diabetes. This is due to genetics, our general diets, low activity levels, and lack of knowledge. We refer to Diabetes as 'sugar', and the majority of the population knows of or is related to at least one person who has or was affected by the disease.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. This means there is too much sugar in the blood. You may not have enough insulin being produced by the body. Insulin is the hormone that ‘unlocks’ your body’s cells to let blood sugar in and give you energy. If your insulin is not working properly, your blood sugar will get too high. There are two types of diabetes that can affect the body, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed before age 20. If you have Type 1 Diabetes, your body can no longer make insulin.
Type 2 diabetes usually starts after age 40, but younger people can get it too. It is often linked to being overweight. Your body may still make insulin, but your cells resist its effects or you cannot make enough insulin.
In order for you to stay healthy when you have Diabetes, you will need to;
Test your blood sugar
Take your medication
Eat smart
Exercise
Diabetes is referred to as a lifestyle disease, although genetics plays a role in the development of the disease in your body. However, your lifestyle will actually go a long way in determining if you will develop this disease.
Maintaining an active lifestyle and practicing healthy eating is necessary to prevent your developing this disease, it is also necessary to reduce the effects of the disease on your daily life. However, if you are diagnosed with Diabetes there are things you can do to control your condition, some of these things include;
The aim of treatment is to maintain and control your blood sugar levels. In order to control your blood sugar levels, you have to have timed meals. It is recommended that you have 6 meals; Breakfast Lunch Dinner (three main meals) and Mid-morning, Afternoon, and Before bed snacks (three snacks). The idea is to never allow your blood sugar levels to become too low or too high.
Medication is vital. Depending on the type of Diabetes you have, you will either be given Insulin (for persons whose bodies don't produce it) or Medication (for those whose bodies produce insulin, but the body is not using up the sugar in the blood). You have to take your medication when you are instructed to take it. Your medication is designed to work with your meals and so timing is very important.
Physical activity is important in controlling Diabetes. Increasing your levels of physical activity will increase your ability to effectively control this disease. It should be noted that you do not have to become a fitness guru, even a moderate increase in physical activity will help.
Stress may cause changes to the way your body responds to medication and food. This will undermine your efforts to control your blood sugar levels. This is true with all illnesses and diseases, but not many persons take this into account during treatment. If you are stressed take all the necessary steps to reduce the effects they have on your treatment. Exercise is a tried and proven method to help in this case.
Losing weight may result in improvements in your condition. It has been proven that losing even a minimal amount of weight may in some cases 'cure' diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes who lose a significant amount of weight could see their diabetes reversed, according to a British study. The scientists believe radical weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes can improve how cells in the pancreas function.
When diabetes is left uncontrolled, it can lead to loss of sight, amputation of limbs and for men, a loss of virility, kidney failure, and hypertension. This disease causes the death of many every year and should not be taken lightly. Having the right information is vital. Even though this disease usually cannot be cured, it can be controlled.
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