Diabetes: 3 Things You Should Know

If you have diabetes, your body either isn’t producing enough or is resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb blood sugar and turn it into energy. Without insulin, the sugar stays in your blood, where it can damage your organs.

Whether you have diabetes or are at risk for it because of your family history or your lifestyle, our experts at Pure Medicine offer these three facts about this disease so that you get the care and help you need.

Diabetes is serious

In 2016, approximately 1.6 million women, men, and children around the globe died as a direct result of diabetes, according to the World Health Organization. Untreated diabetes causes severe and life-threatening health problems, including:

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Blindness
• Limb amputation
• Nerve damage
• Kidney failure

If you or your child has diabetes, see your Pure Medicine doctor regularly for vision, kidney, and blood lipid screenings that identify potential complications at an early stage. Whether you’ve been diagnosed or not, contact us at Pure Medicine if you experience symptoms of diabetes such as:

• Increased thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Moodiness or irritability
• Blurry vision
• Frequent yeast infections or other infections
• Wounds that don’t heal

Your Pure Medicine doctor diagnoses diabetes with a simple in-office blood test.

Diabetes can be controlled

Diabetes is classified as either Type 1, Type 2, or gestational diabetes. Your doctor recommends different strategies for controlling your diabetes based on the type.

Type 1

If you have Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin to fuel your cells. Doctors don’t know what causes Type 1 diabetes, but it’s usually diagnosed in children or young adults. Your Pure Medicine doctor helps you manage Type 1 symptoms and control circulating glucose through insulin injections and blood-sugar monitoring.

Type 2

If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body is resistant to insulin, so it takes more than ordinary amounts of the hormone to move blood sugar into your cells. You usually acquire Type 2 because you’re older, inactive, obese, or have a diet high in sugar. A growing number children are developing Type 2 diabetes due to unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.

You may not need insulin if you have Type 2 diabetes. If you adopt a healthy lifestyle that focuses on a vegetable-rich, sugar-free diet and plenty of exercise, you may be able to keep your glucose levels healthy. If you do need insulin, your Pure Medicine doctor may prescribe oral medications or injectable insulin.

Gestational

Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy. Your Pure Medicine doctor helps you manage gestational diabetes with medications or lifestyle adjustments. Gestational diabetes usually resolves after delivery, but increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented

If your doctor has said you’re pre-diabetic, or if you’re at risk for Type 2 diabetes because of your lifestyle, that doesn’t mean that you’ll get diabetes. Your Pure Medicine doctor works with you to create a healthy, delicious diet and fun exercise plan that’s custom-designed to match your needs and lifestyle.

If you’re overweight, your doctor offers medically supervised weight loss, which may include supportive medications to help you burn fat.

Don’t ignore or minimize the signs and symptoms of diabetes. Get the help you need by calling our Frisco Texas, office, or use our online form to request an appointment.

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