CONTROL DIABETES
78LIVING WITH DIABETES
Importance of good control of Diabetes
All diabetics, whether treated with insulin or not, are susceptible to
certain problems affecting the eyes, kidneys, arteries and
nervous system. These problems are called "the complications of diabetes".
These complications may be quite serious for some diabetics
while others are hardly affected at all.
To give yourself the best chance of avoiding complications :
TRY TO ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE CONTROL OF YOUR
DIABETES - this is vitally important.
The adherence to diet, exercise and therapy as determined by your doctor, is the only way to achieve good control of your diabetes. Daily self monitoring in the home and at work, and routine check-ups by your doctor, will help verify your condition and permit any changes to be made if necessary.
Self monitoring can include blood glucose testing, urinary
glucose and urinary ketone tests. One or more of these should
be performed on a regular basis as recommended by your
doctor. Traditional examination of urine for glucose, however
does not always reflect the blood glucose concentration.
Blood glucose values higher than your optimum control range
may occur without glucose appearing in the urine (e.g. patients
with a high renal threshold ).
An essential part of good diabetic control is keeping an
accurate record of all tests performed. Results should be
discussed with your doctor at each visit.
A well controlled diabetic feels better and lives a long,
healthy and productive life.
TIPS FOR THE DIABETICS :
As a diabetic, you can lead a normal life provided you carefully
follow your doctor's instructions regarding diet and medications. You
also need to take simple precautions, because you are more
susceptible to infections.
PERSONAL HYGIENE :
Bathe regularly and thoroughly, at least once a day. Apply
talcum powder frequently to areas of the skin prone to excessive
sweating. Bathe feet daily, dry them thoroughly and dust them
with talcum powder, or swab with alcohol. Ringworm or any
other infection of the skin must be treated immediately. See
your doctor. Dental hygiene must be thorough, visit your dentist
regularly and follow the advice.
AVOID INJURY :
Small cuts, even abrasions should be dressed immediately.
Shave with utmost care. In dressing wounds, avoid anti-septics
which may burn or irritate the skin, such as iodine, carbolic acid,
phenol or salicylic acid. Be very careful when cutting your finger
and toe nails. Cut them after a bath when soft, using a nail cutter.
Do not try to cut them very short. The nails should be cut in line
with the toes.
FOOT CARE :
Never walk barefoot. Avoid tight shoes which may cause corns.
Shoes should be broad at the tip so as not to jam the toes.
New shoes should be worn only for about half an hour at a
time, preferably with cotton socks.
Do not cut corns or apply corn removers. If the circulation
of blood in your legs and feet is disturbed or impeded, the
results can be very serious, and you may even lose your feet,
so follow these simple rules :
Massage your feet regularly. Take a regular walk to improve
circulation. Spend a few minutes a day lying down with your feet
raised above the level of your body. Wear warm stockings in
cold weather. Do not wear socks with tight elastic bands. Do not
wear underpants that are tight around the thighs. Do not cross your legs when sitting for long period of time. Do not tie bandages too tight.
WARNING SIGNS :
Inform your doctor immediately, if you notice any of these :
Feeling of numbness or coldness in feet. Tingling or burning
sensation in feet. Cramps in the calves. Change of colour -
deep red or purple - in toes or toe nails or in the skin.
So, the concluding line is "Learn to Live With Diabetes".
Diabetic Foot
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I don't know why but I really don't like looking at pictures (like the one you've shown above).
But that reminds me to continue to watch my diet closely (because I'm a type 2 diabetic).
Nevertheless, thanks for the great article.
"The adherence to diet, exercise and therapy as determined by your doctor, is the only way to achieve good control of your diabetes." - And ignoring your doctor can have severe consequences. Everyone with diabetes should take it more serious than some do.
My goodness, the swollen foot is horrible. I wish I haven't seen this before dinner.
Great info. I have a family history of diabetes and am always looking at prevention of this horrible disorder.
Great article, it really help me a lot and my father who has diabetes, greetings from Peru
Jim
You can visit my blog , I have a lot of diabetes info too
This is packed with good information. Thanks
I've had Type 2 diabetes for years. I'm trying to cure it by playing as much golf as I possibly can! In the meantime, I take my pills. Thanks for the good advice.
I have mine under control now. I followed my Edochronogists advice and drink one beer a day to check my cholesterol, I walk and stay active and watch my diet. My cholesterol dropped lower than my Dr's, way below 100 and my blood count stays around 90. I lost about 20 lbs too.
I am taking very large amounts of anti-oxidants, including Resveratrol and Quercetin, the 4 anti-oxidant spices I listed, green tea with EGCG, vitamins C and E, and also take selenium and a few other anti-oxidants, with of course about 12 normal servings of high anti-oxidant vegetables and fruits, berries, etc. Oh, I also take 3 to 5 teaspoon of psillium fiber in all my beverages, added to the already high levels of fiber in the foods.
You may was to read the latest research on resveratrol, from the University of Georgia, published in the Journal Life Sciences, May 2008. You can find this research at PubMed.gov using the keywords "resveratrol quercetin".
Resveratrol stimulates the SIRT1 gene, which in turn leads to a reversal of many aspects of metabolic disease. The research is most promising. Scientists say this product appears to cause endogenous changes to lower inflammation and reduce insulin resistance, which in turn facilitates lipid and glucose metabolic processes and. It appears to block PPARgamma expression among many other of its beneficial effects, without many of the side effects of patented drugs, like the glitazones (no edema and coughing, no weight gain, no weakness or dizziness).
The resveratrol/quercetin combination has been shown to reduce adipose tissue differentiation or the creation of new fat cells by 70%+, and to speed up apoptosis or programmed cell death rates of these adipose tissues by over 300%+, and also improve many other aspects of metabolic disease. Reading the research on this new technology will astound you.
I've been taking it for almost a month now and have lost an addditional 14 pounds with no changes in my diet of exercise program.
By reducing the total mass of the WAT fat cells, the amount of adipose-generated inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, NFkappaB, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha and so on declines rapidly. This further leads to a reduction in inflammation related issues associated with insulin resistance and the resulting hyperglycemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, dislipidemia, and so on.
Further, the growth rates of plaques in the vascular smooth muscle tissues slows dramatically. Fibrinogen levels fall, as do levels of cell adhesion molecules.
This is phenomenally important activity, I don't have to tell you.
For example, the improved glucose metabolism subsequent to reductions in intromyocellular free fatty acids in the skeletal muscles and hepatic tissues leads to reductions in circulating glucose and therefore reduces levels of circulating insulin. Lower insulin is directly related to insulin-like growth factor-1, which is one of the factors mediating the destructive growth of tissues in the retina. Reducing or significantly slowing the destruction of the retina by scarring from high levels of IGF-1 and insulin could dramatically improve the prognosis for patients with diabetic retinopathy. An exciting prospect to be sure.
It appears the the polyphenol extract quercetin synergistically increases the activity of resveratrol by 300% to 500%. Taken together as in the U. of Georgia study, patients seem to respond with amazing speed, as if they are literally 'turning back the biological clock.'
You may want to investigate using this in your practice. Pubmed.gov is an excellent resource from which to gather information quickly from the peer reviewed journals with which you are undoubtedly familiar.
Hi, thanks for the thanks. ;-)
My own mother went blind due to diabetic retinopathy. She went to Los Angeles in 1967 and was given a pituitary hypothsectomy by Dr. Rand in an effort to prevent further destruction of her retina. The operation had only been done a dozen or so times in the world. She regained her vision over a week or so, which lasted about 3 months. Then she went blind again which lasted until she finally died due to many vascular problems in the brain, about 3 years or so later, in 1970. She was only 45.
I have lived with the disease for 15 years longer than she. I am now 60. I was diagnosed during a bout of pneumonia in 2003, though I had had obvious symptoms of the disease for at least 10-12 years before that: diabetic polyneuropathy, very painful aches in the toes, tingling and burning sensations on the soles, with some numbness, raging swings in blood sugar, very high blood pressure (phase 3), and so on. Science now knows much more about the condition and how to control it, if we will use this research properly.
My weight has decreased by over 100 pounds. Blood pressure is now 120/70. Fasting blood sugar is usually around 105 +/-5. No pains in the feet. Clear vision. No kidney problems, and no prostate problems. And, no more insulin injections, no Avandia or Glucophage, no Altace or other blood pressure medications. Life is good again.
I take supplements of chelated minerals, vitamins C and gamma-E, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and red pepper, 1 gram/day each. I also take 12 grams of standard fish oil with 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA in each 1 gram capsule daily. I also take 2 capsules of Resveratrol/Quercetin daily containing 250mg Res. and 50mg Querc. I take 200mg of 7-Keto DHEA with 50mg of standard DHEA in the mornings. I avoid omega-6 vegetable oils and reduce sat-fats and trans fats with the exception of coconut oils. I use virgin olive oil for cooking and salads. I also avoid cows milk products, substituting goat milk or soy milk when needed. I eat two or three plate fulls of colorful, high fiber vegetables per day, with about 8 ounces of very lean chicken, turkey, salmon, or wild free range meat per day in total. Of course, I also avoid processed foods and snacks, including sugars and artificial sweetners. I avoid most white starchy vegetables like potatoes, and don't eat breads or cereal grains like rice, wheat and so on, or pasta. I eat all the fresh fruit, berries and nuts I want every day. I drink green tea and chai tea every day several times.
Seems to be working!
Thanks for this nice overview of controlling diabetes. I especially like the parts about caring for the feet, and so on.
You may want to investigate the ways people can actually reverse their diabetes, if they are type II diabetics due to metabolic syndrome issues, largely related to insulin resistance and inflammation.
I have found that following an anti-inflammatory diet with carefully applied anti-inflammatory supplements in the proper doses has vastly improved my condition and all the parameters, from lipids to hypertension, and glycemic control, etc. Walking or biking daily, getting lots of fresh fish, fish oil, berries, nuts and fruits with high fiber vegetables while avoiding high omega-6 oils and sat-fats, as well as sugars and especially avoiding high fructose sugars has done the trick.
I've lost over 100 pounds, normalized my blood pressure, lowered blood sugar to 105 fasting, lowered LDL cholesterol to normal levels, raised HDL to above 60, improved peripheral neuropathy so there's no more burning or tingling and no numbness, and hair is growing again on my legs. My prostate now functions normally again and I don't need to urinate frequently. From either subjective or objective points of view, my diabetes has been reversed. While it may be too early to claim a cure, there has been dramatic improvement.
I used to take 70 units of insulin/day, with many drugs including Actos, Avandia, Glucophage, Altace, a 'water pill' too, and some others I can't remember. The cost was over $700/month. I gained weight on these drugs, had a cough from the edema, had pains from the swelling, dizziness, and constant food cravings.
Now I take none of these drugs, and my health is vastly improved. I do spend about $150/month on supplements, many of which are used in Indian medicines. But, I've spent thousands of hours researching these issues at the NIH Medical Library at PubMed.gov. Not everyone can do that, nor even understand what they read there. But, getting them to PAY ATTENTION to their disease is the first step.
Thanks again for bringing attention to the need to control and monitor our diabetes. I look forward to reading more from you.
My mother was diabetic in the 1950's and 1960's. She lost her eyesight, and was able to get from place to place with the support of her Guide Dog, Bonny. I write about her a lot, and hope you will read some of those hubs, I appreciate your wise advice about diabetes. Thank you for increasing our awareness of this critical disease for so many people.

















Knowledge Ninja 20 months ago
Great informative hub on diabetes. Most people know someone who is affected by diabetes or are themselves. The the information in this hub is a good start for people wanting to learn more and avoid their foot looking like the picture above.