Diabetes Care: Treatment and Medications
No cure for diabetes has been found so far. However, it is possible for the patients to maintain normal lives if they receive proper diabetes care and stick to the right diabetes diet. Diabetes treatment has two main goals: to control the levels of blood glucose and prevent or slow down possible complications.
Type 1 Diabetes Medications (Insulin)
Daily injections of insulin are necessary for type 1 diabetes treatment. The patient receives the amount of insulin necessary for his or her body to function properly, as the pancreas doesn’t produce it. The dosage depends on a number of factors, such as weight, level of physical activity and age.
Type 2 diabetes patients may also require insulin injections to keep their condition under control. Insulin injections are used when other diabetes drugs do not work anymore; they are administered under the skin anywhere on the body.
Insulin pump is used by some patients that require insulin injections more often than that. This device can be worn on the body and be unnoticeable for others. The device consists of a pump with insulin, a tube and a needle on its end. The needle is inserted into the abdomen. The insulin pump can be specially programmed to release certain amounts of insulin at particular times of the day; it’s operated by a small battery.
People suffering from this disorder need to follow their doctor’s diabetes guidelines and plan their days beforehand. If an insulin injection is given too early or too late, it can cause an adverse body reaction; the injections usually have to be given along with meals, which simulates the way it happens in healthy people. Dosage is also very important, as too little may have no effect on the blood sugar, while too much can cause an insulin reaction. There are very unpleasant symptoms that can occur if the dosage of insulin is exceeded; the patient can lose consciousness or have a seizure. In this case he or she should be given something that contains sugar to balance the amount of insulin in the blood.
Type 2 Diabetes Medications (Oral Use)
Type 2 is usually treated with specially designed diabetes drugs, most of which are sulfonylureas. The most common variations include acetohexamide, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide and tolazamide. The main purpose of these diabetes drugs is to stimulate the pancreas to secrete more insulin.
However, all of these diabetes medications have a number of side effects. Some of them cause people to gain weight, even though weight is one of the two main reasons for developing this disorder. Some drugs may have no effects, or their effects wear off with time. They are also ineffective if used alone, without a proper diabetes diet (nutrition that allows dealing with the condition more effectively).
Surgery
In the most serious cases, when the pancreas is completely unable to produce insulin because of its damage or other reasons, a transplant may be required. If the transplantation is successful, the patient is likely to recover and produce the amounts of insulin necessary for the cells to absorb blood sugar. However, this method is the last resort as there are many risks connected with it.
Alternative Treatment
Diabetes care and treatment may involve the use of herbs and certain supplements: it’s actually recommended by many practitioners. The herbs used most often in diabetes treatment are fenugreek, bilberry, garlic and onions.
Besides that, the following methods of diabetes treatment can be used: biofeedback, mediation and hypnosis, i.e., anything that helps reduce stress levels.
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