Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is your body’s inability to manage blood sugar properly. There are several types:

Type 1 diabetes 

Your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. Without insulin, sugar builds up in your bloodstream instead of entering cells for energy. This type usually develops in childhood or young adulthood and requires daily insulin injections.

Type 2 diabetes

Your body either doesn’t make enough insulin, or your cells resist using it properly. Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common, affecting 90-95% of people with diabetes. Typically, diabetes develops in adults but can also appear in children and teenagers.

Gestational diabetes 

Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy when hormones interfere with insulin. It usually disappears after childbirth but increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later.

All types cause excess sugar in your bloodstream, which damages blood vessels and nerves over time. Left untreated, this leads to serious complications affecting your eyes, kidneys, feet, and heart.

How do you test for diabetes? 

Amanda and her team order specific blood tests to screen for diabetes, including:

• Fasting glucose test (no food allowed for 8 hours)
• A1C test (average blood sugar over 3 months)
• Random glucose test (any time)
• Glucose tolerance test (measures response to sugar)

These tests also detect prediabetes, which happens when blood sugar is elevated but is not yet in the diabetic stage. Early detection gives you time to prevent full diabetes.

What symptoms should you recognize? 

Diabetes often develops without warning, but obvious signs include:

• Excessive thirst and frequent urination
• Unexplained fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Slow-healing wounds
• Tingling in hands or feet
• Unintentional weight loss

Many people, especially with Type 2, have no apparent symptoms until damage has occurred. That’s why regular screening is crucial.

How is diabetes managed?

While there’s no cure for diabetes, specific treatments can help manage the condition. Your personalized plan depends on the type and severity, but common treatments include: 

• Blood glucose monitoring education
• Medication management (insulin, oral medications)
• Dietary guidance that works for you
• Exercise recommendations
• Complication prevention strategies

Most people with Type 2 diabetes improve control through lifestyle changes and weight loss. Some can reduce or eliminate medications. However, people with Type 1 diabetes typically need to take insulin throughout life.

Schedule your diabetes consultation at Altamont Family Health & Integrative Medicine or book online to learn more.