Help for Controlling Diabetes
Five Ways to Support, Maintain and Regulate Blood Sugar
Managing diabetes should include balancing glucose levels and medication side effects, and preventing complications. These tips can help make living with diabetes easier.
Coping with diabetes can be a challenge. "Five can help you thrive" can help you to remember some of the most important steps for managing diabetes and working towards a healthy lifestyle.
Five steps to maintaining good health with diabetes
- Moderate your stress-People with diabetes are at risk under stress, which can actually change glucose levels. The American Diabetes Association recommends getting help from your diabetes management team if you have concerns with managing emotional or physical stress.
- Do regular blood sugar monitoring-The target glucose range for most people using whole blood is 80 to 120 before meals and 100 to 140 at bedtime. Your doctor may set different ranges for you, so be sure to follow physician guidelines.
- Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol-Good blood pressure is usually below 130/80. LDL Cholesterol below 100
- Watch your portion sizes -Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain and complications.
- Make Healthy Food Choices-Use complex carbohydrates and whole grains Here are five to try: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, kasha and buckwheat and five things to avoid: fatty meats, creamy foods, milk products, fried food and of course, sugar.
According to Dr. Terry Chappell, M.D, most people with diabetes do better with a low carbohydrate diet. If triglycerides are in the normal range, then Dr. Chappell suggests to some patients to follow the high complex carbohydrate, low fat diet that is recommended by the American Diabetic Association.
Dr. Chappell, who practices both conventional and complementary medicine, also suggests that diabetics start each day by adding ginger, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon powdered or fresh, to five ounces of boiled water. Packaged ginger tea can regulate glucose too, but make sure that the commercial tea doesn't contain sugar.
Five natural remedies that can help with diabetes
Remember, before taking any non-prescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal products, ask your doctor or pharmacist how they may affect your diabetes or prescription medicines.
- Chromium-An important part of Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF)
- Gymnestra Sylvestre (Ayurvedic) has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels
- Alpha Lipoic Acid has been studied in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Studies also show that ALA increases glucose uptake and has other benefits in the treatment of diabetes.
- Fish Oil-The University of Oxford tested fish oil supplementation in type 2 diabetes. Results showed lower triglycerides and other benefits for heart and diabetic patients.
- A good multivitamin- A multivitamin and mineral supplement study reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2003 showed significant reduction of illness (such as flu or upper respiratory tract infection) in diabetic patients. Those taking the multivitamin have a much lower chance of getting sick. In fact, fewer than 20% of diabetic patients taking the vitamin became ill compared to 93 percent of patients who took the placebo.
Fives to strive toward
- Eat five to seven servings of fresh vegetables and fruit every day; more vegetables than fruit is better.
- Drink five to seven glasses of water each day.
- Exercise five times a week
- The National Diabetes Education Organization reminds patients to do these five things:
- See your doctor as scheduled
- Visit the eye doctor once a year and report any changes in vision
- See the dentist twice a year
- Watch for and report any problems with feet, which should be checked daily.
- Stay in touch with your diabetes support team
Living with diabetes is a challenge, but there are many resources and help is available. Online support groups offer more extensive tips to help deal with and control your diabetes.
