The research is in, and the news couldn’t be sweeter. Unless you have Type 1 diabetes, which requires daily injections of insulin, chances are excellent that you can control diabetes through changes in lifestyle and eating habits.
Studies also show that you can actually prevent diabetes through the same actions.
Dr. Sarah Lumley, a Family Practice Physician at The Doctor’s Office in Connellsville, elaborates: “If you’re someone who’s at risk for diabetes, you can take proactive steps to make sure the disease never develops. With good eating habits, daily exercise and, if necessary, weight loss, you can improve your outcome tremendously.”
Of course, monitoring your condition is important as well. “Checking your glucose levels on a regular basis is the key to finding out how well you’re doing. Achieving lower A1c scores means watching your weight, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure and even your stress levels,” Dr. Lumley comments. “People have come to rely on medication to provide an answer to their health problems. Diabetes is one disease where we can really say that being proactive about your health can change the outcome of your life.”
Local programs like Fayette Home Care and Hospice support people with diabetes in several ways. Through its series of free classes, people with diabetes learn how to modify their diet and lifestyle, monitor their glucose levels and make a personal diabetes plan they can stick to.
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