Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Diabetes Treatment In The Woodlands Is A Pathway To Improved Health

By Enid Hinton


There is currently an epidemic that began during the 1990s and has not ended. It is not a microbial disease with a defined source, but rather a consequence of lifestyle that crosses all social and ethnic lines. While the causes are complex, it has paralleled the onslaught of obesity plaguing most modern societies. Diabetes treatment in The Woodlands TX helps combat this illness on a personal level.

Even though it is frequently in the news, many people are unclear about what a diagnosis means personally. The illness is not a single entity, but a group of physical conditions related to metabolism, the chemical processes that must constantly occur to sustain life. Formally termed diabetes mellitus, its hallmark is consistently high blood sugar levels related to production of insulin or a response to existing levels.

There are two primary types. People with Type 1 cannot produce insulin and must inject it daily. This form is the least common, affecting only ten percent of cases, but has increased along with Type 2, the most prevalent. Type 2 commonly afflicts formerly healthy individuals, and is considered to be progressive, encouraged by being physically inactive, overweight, and having poor eating habits.

Many older people fall victim to metabolic syndrome, characterized by excess abdominal fat. It is part of the group of symptoms termed pre-diabetes. Because the onset and development are slow, it is difficult for many to sustain long-term personal vigilance and concern regarding consequences. The problems it causes may be hidden, blamed on aging, or simply overlooked.

The good news is that all forms of this illness have effective treatments. The process begins with common blood tests that confirm blood sugar levels over a period of time, followed by a diagnosis. Even though this is the era of pharmaceutical marketing aimed directly at patients, there is no single medication that can be taken to cure victims. For most people, healing begins with a change in diet.

Changing habits can be difficult, but the results are overwhelmingly positive. Many people associate diet with losing weight, but that is not the primary intent of improving nutritional intake, although it is one of the most common results. A daily diet is recommended that is roughly divided by half in the form of carbohydrates, one fifth in animal proteins, and the remaining third or less in fats.

The primary barrier for most is making changes to long-term habits. Visual results in the form of weight loss are encouraging, but dietary changes must be combined with aerobic exercise appropriate for age and health. Most people need at least thirty total minutes each day, which need not be done in a single effort. The physical results appear quickly, and benefit every system within the body.

In many cases, these two simple changes in lifestyle can slow down progression, and sometimes halt it completely. People who show little improvement after a period of carefully controlled diet and increased exercise may benefit from medications that help the pancreas produce more insulin, as well as helping individual cells respond more normally to it. While important, medication does not replace exercises and better nutrition.




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