Treatment for Diabetes
Treatments offered for diabetes will differ dependent on a number of factors:
- The type of diabetes diagnosed
- The length of time an individual has been diabetic
- In the case of women – pregnancy
- Whether insulin has already been used in significant amounts, to treat
the condition
For the type 1 diabetes sufferer insulin is the only treatment. In type 1
diabetes the pancreas no longer produces insulin and it is essential that this
hormone is supplemented at regular intervals. This is also known as insulin
dependent diabetes and the consequences of not taking the insulin required
are serious. Type 1 diabetics who do not take the insulin they need and who
allow high levels of glucose to build up in their blood, risk their lives.
Insulin is still usually injected into the subcutaneous fat layer of the
skin from where it is absorbed into the blood stream for immediate use. New
research is ongoing to try alternative treatment forms and ways of delivering
the insulin to the body but none of these are, as yet, widely available.
Type 2 diabetes is a different beast. This disease usually develops in older
individuals and there appears to be a correlation between obesity and the development
of type 2 diabetes. This connection gives the first clue to the simplest form
of treatment for type 2 diabetes – diet and exercise.
Dependent on glucose levels, type 2 diabetics may find that the only treatment
required to control their diabetes is a change in diet and lifestyle. This
is more likely if the diabetes is diagnosed at an early stage before insulin
levels have dropped too dramatically or tissue has become too resistant to
insulin uptake.
When diet and lifestyle changes alone are not enough to control the diabetes,
medication will be offered. This is often in pill form and is sometimes in
a combination of pills. There are basically two kinds of by-mouth medication – those
that stimulate the pancreas to produce and release more insulin and those that
block or inhibit the release and absorption of glucose into the blood stream.
It is important that these drugs are taken exactly as advised – with
the instructions often differing between types and brands.
As with all health conditions in the twenty first century, there are an increasing
number of alternative and complementary therapies now being promoted which,
whilst interesting, need to be approached with caution.
If glucose levels are left unchecked the results can be devastating in a
very short period of time. For this reason, it is essential that prescribed
medications are continued even when an alternative or complementary therapy
is being tried. Also, whenever an individual is under medical supervision for
a condition such as diabetes, no other form of treatment should be administered
without the consent of the medical practitioner. Alternative and complementary
therapies offer enormous hope and can often give comfort from symptoms but
there is very little hard evidence yet of their efficacy. For this reason a
liberal does of common sense is required when considering such treatments for
diabetes.
