Diabetes treatment is different from the treatment of other chronic diseases. Success in diabetes treatment can be achieved with a drug-based treatment, using the drugs prescribed by the doctor and taking a special diet list. But in the natural type 2 diabetes treatment, firstly, the necessary information and education of the person with diabetes is a must. Applying the acquired knowledge to daily life and changing behaviours for the better, continuity and adherence to diabetes treatment is indispensable for diabetes treatment.
Diabetes treatment guideline
The aim of diabetes treatment is to regulate blood sugar, in other words, to prevent blood sugar spikes and blood sugar drops. Ensuring this setting is extremely important to prevent the development of complications or slow the course of advanced complications. Consumption of especially foods containing carbohydrates, in excess of the body’s needs, raises blood sugar levels. People with diabetes have the same nutritional needs as other people. Every person needs energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Still, it is important to give specific nutritional therapy to the individual with diabetes in ensuring blood sugar control.
Type 2 diabetes treatment
The primary care plan includes therapeutic nutrition therapy, including regulation of eating habits, changing lifestyle, and putting exercise programs into practice. If blood sugar cannot be kept within normal limits despite following this treatment plan, oral sugar-reducing drugs are added to the treatment. However, some Type 2 diabetics may need insulin to keep their blood sugar levels within normal limits. In these cases, natural diabetes treatment is supported with insulin injections at appropriate doses. For complete recovery from diabetes, The LifeCo diabetes program covers what you need.
Stabilising blood sugar in gestational diabetes?
Standard treatment prescribed for mothers diagnosed with Gestational, or pregnancy-related diabetes, at one time was insulin – the same first-line therapy for people who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Like Type 2 diabetes, Gestational diabetes is caused not by lack of insulin, as is the case in Type 1 diabetes, but by the body’s resistance to insulin. Since diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy more closely resembles Type 2 diabetes than Type 1, drugs for treating Type 2 diabetes can be used for treating Gestational diabetes, as well. Both metformin and glibenclamide have been proven effective, but little research has been performed to learn which one gives better results.
In a study reported on in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in February 2015, researchers at Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, compared infants from mothers treated with the oral antidiabetic medications, metformin and glibenclamide. Their study included 159 South Indian women diagnosed with diabetes during their pregnancy…
- 80 women were randomly assigned to receive glibenclamide, and
- 79 were treated with metformin.
Examiners looked for:
- Low blood sugar levels
- Jaundice
- Respiratory distress
- Stillbirth or early death
- Birth trauma in all infants
The infant’s birth weight, the mother’s blood sugar levels, hypertension in mothers, preterm birth, need for induction of labour, method of delivery and complications of delivery were also recorded. It was found that 12.5% of the babies in the glibenclamide group had low blood sugar vs none in the metformin group.
These results led to the conclusion infants whose mothers were treated with metformin fared better than those whose mothers were treated with glibenclamide.
Maintaining a normal blood sugar level during pregnancy is important for both mother and their unborn infant. Diabetic pregnancies can result in:
- Heart and brain development problems and result in miscarriages
- Infants can be born overly large, making C-sections necessary in some cases. If infants are born through the birth canal they can suffer trauma if they are too large
- Receiving too much sugar from the mother can stimulate a baby’s pancreas to produce too much insulin, resulting in low blood sugar at birth
Mothers who develop diabetes during their pregnancy are at risk for high blood pressure, preeclampsia, a serious risk for both mother and baby, and for developing Type 2 diabetes.
First line prevention and therapy is normalizing weight with diet and exercise. If this fails, then medications become necessary. Being treated with oral medications instead of injectable medications, should prove to be more comfortable for mothers-to-be.
Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.
Adam Mulligan did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health and well-being.
