How Can Diabetes Management Be Improved?

What Is Diabetes?

When your blood sugar (glucose) level is too high, you develop diabetes. It happens when your body doesn’t process insulin effectively or your pancreas produces no insulin. All ages are impacted by diabetes. Diabetes comes in various forms, most of which are chronic (lifelong) and treatable with medication and dietary modifications.

The most prevalent varieties include:

• In type 2 diabetes, the body either generates insufficient insulin or the cells resist insulin’s effects. The most common type of diabetes is this one. Although it can affect children, it mainly affects adults.
• The stage before Type 2 diabetes is called prediabetes. Even though your blood glucose levels are higher than typical, Type 2 diabetes has not yet been diagnosed.
• Your immune system kills insulin-producing cells in your pancreas for unknown reasons if you have type 1 diabetes. Up to 10% of diabetic patients have type 1 diabetes. Even though it can happen at any age, children and young adults tend to have it diagnosed.
• Gestational diabetes can occur in certain pregnant women. Gestational diabetes normally goes away after childbirth. Having gestational diabetes, however, increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Why Is Diabetes Management Important?

Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, or diabetic ketoacidosis are short-term issues caused by too much or too little sugar in the blood that requires immediate medical attention.

Excessive blood sugar levels might also harm bodily tissues over the long term. For instance, it can injure important organs, raising the chance of renal illness, vision, nerve, heart disease, and stroke.

Self-Care Management of Diabetes

Self-care practices include following a diet, avoiding foods high in fat, getting more exercise, checking one’s blood sugar levels, and taking care of one’s feet. The final objective of diabetes self-management may be lowering the patient’s glycosylated hemoglobin level.

The following are the main components of managing diabetes:

• Checking your blood sugar (glucose) is essential to figuring out how effective your current treatment strategy is. It provides advice on daily, occasionally hourly, diabetes management. You can check your levels frequently using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or a glucose meter and finger stick. You and your healthcare practitioner will decide your ideal blood sugar range.
• It’s a good idea to schedule routine checkups with your doctor because diabetes increases your risk for heart disease. You should have your A1C testing as frequently as your doctor advises. Every visit includes a blood pressure check and a yearly cholesterol test. Furthermore, every time you see a doctor, have your feet examined. Additionally, you should have a yearly eye exam and a kidney function and urine microalbumin test. Have a yearly flu vaccination and keep your pneumonia vaccine current as well.
• Oral diabetes medications (given by mouth) help persons with diabetes who still make some insulin, primarily those with Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, regulate their blood sugar levels. Oral medications may also be required for those with gestational diabetes. There are numerous varieties. The most popular drug is metformin.
• To survive and control Type 1 diabetes, people must inject synthetic insulin. Additionally, some Type 2 diabetics need insulin. There are numerous varieties of artificial insulin. Each begins to function at a different rate and remains in your body for various amounts. The four primary methods of ingesting insulin are rapid-acting inhaled insulin, insulin pens, insulin pumps, and injectable insulin with a syringe (shot).
• Since food significantly impacts blood sugar levels, meal planning and selecting a healthy diet for you are important components of managing diabetes. Counting the carbs in your food and drink is a big component of managing diabetes if you take insulin. How much carbohydrates you consume affects how much insulin you require at meals. By adopting healthy eating habits, you can manage your weight and lower your chance of developing heart disease.
• Since exercise improves insulin sensitivity (and lowers insulin resistance), it is crucial for all people with diabetes to regularly engage in physical activity.
• Smokers make up almost one in six diabetic patients. According to a study analysis released by the CDC, smoking increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, difficulty controlling your blood sugar, vision loss, nerve damage, kidney issues, and even amputation. Make another attempt to quit if you’ve already attempted. Combining counseling or a support group with nicotine replacement therapies and drugs may be beneficial to reduce cravings.
• If you take insulin or oral diabetic drugs such as sulfonylureas or meglitinides, alcohol consumption could result in low blood sugar levels. Drinking forces your liver to work harder to eliminate liquor from your blood than it does to regulate your blood sugar. Alcohol consumption and low blood sugar can cause dizziness, confusion, and fatigue. Low blood sugar symptoms can be confused with indicators of heavy alcohol consumption. For women, one drink per day is the maximum amount. Men are only allowed two drinks each day. Choose non-calorie mixers for mixed drinks, like diet or club soda.
• Your blood sugar may rise if you’re anxious because of the hormones your body creates in reaction to ongoing stress. Furthermore, if you’re under a lot of additional stress, it could be more difficult to adhere to your regular diabetes care routine strictly.

Management of Diabetes by Community Healthcare Workers

Interventions by community health workers have been demonstrated to decrease patient healthcare use while improving patients’ cholesterol and glycemic management. Economic data show that these interventions are economical.

Typically conducted in underserved settings, interventions involving community health workers in diabetes management can improve health, lower health inequalities, and increase health equality. 

Interventions can enhance medication adherence, nutrition, physical activity, or weight management. They can also improve diabetes testing and monitoring.

Community health workers conduct one-on-one or group sessions to deliver services and program material. Interventional procedures are carried out at patients’ homes and in communal or hospital settings. Community health workers may work independently or as a member of an intervention team comprising clinicians, therapists, or other medical specialists (such as exercise physiologists and nutritionists).

Frontline public health professionals, and community health workers, connect underserved populations with healthcare institutions. They often come from the community they serve or have a special grasp of it. Workers in community health frequently learn on the job and go without formal designations. Employers may either seek out volunteers or pay community health professionals.

Conclusion

To reduce diabetes-related morbidity and mortality, there is a critical requirement for committed self-care behaviors from patients in several areas, including diet selection, physical activity, adequate medication consumption, and blood glucose monitoring. The role of physicians in encouraging self-care is crucial and must be emphasized, even though several demographic, socioeconomic, and social support characteristics might be seen as positive factors in facilitating wellness behaviors among diabetic patients. According to Outlook India, GlucoRedi :  a medication that primarily helps to control and manage blood sugar naturally.  Traditional medical ingredients and natural components  can help eliminate diabetes naturally and quickly. Not only this, but such medications are backed by Science as well. 

A thorough, multifaceted, and integrated approach is needed to promote self-care practices among diabetic patients to prevent any long-term problems, given the problem’s complexity. Also