There is a lot of information available about diabetes but sometimes it seems conflicting or incomplete. Use the tips below to assess the advice you’re getting about living with diabetes.
When you hear advice about diabetes, always consult with your health professional before following the advice you hear. Because you are monitored by a physician when you have diabetes, you have a direct resource for checking out information that you hear about diabetes. For instance, if you read that diabetics should only exercise 15 minutes a day or that diabetics should not exercise because it increases the risk of retinopathy, you’re going to find much research advocating the point of view and advocating opposing points of view.
Reading available literature is most helpful when you use it to formulate specific questions for your healthcare provider such as, “Can I exercise for 30 minutes a day with diabetes or should I only exercise for 15 minutes a day? Or, will my increase of developing retinopathy increase if I exercise?
It is important to realize that not all nutritional advice is equal. In addition to concerns as to whether physicians or nurses should provide people with dietary advice rather than registered dietitians, dietitians also vary in their training regarding eating healthy with diabetes.
One way to assess the advice you get from a dietitian is to ask whether the person has had any specific diabetes training. Dietitians can study the special needs of diabetics and become certified diabetic educators. This credential increases the likelihood that your dietitian is best equipped among healthcare professionals in providing you with appropriate diabetic nutritional advice.
Make sure you read advice that pertains to the type of diabetes you were diagnosed with. When it comes to treating diabetes, one size does not fit all. While much diabetes advice is geared to Type I or Type 2 diabetes, further scientific knowledge has led to the diagnosis of different types of diabetes.
Treatments for one form of diabetes are not always appropriate for other forms of diabetes. For instance, in LADA, which is often also called Type 1.5 diabetes and stands for latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, diabetes usually starts with the patient not being insulin dependent and becoming insulin dependent over time. The fact that type 1.5 diabetes exhibits elements of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes means that different treatments are often used at different times for type 1.5 diabetes that would not be part of the protocol for either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
If you are experiencing depression with diabetes, you will want to see your physician. Many times, there are associated feelings of depression that occur in people with diabetes which can be caused by the diabetes itself such as significant jumps or declines in blood sugar. Sometimes, feelings of depression for diabetics are emotional. While there are a variety of effective anti-anxiety drugs available not all of them are appropriate if you have diabetes. Visit your healthcare provider to rule out physical causes and then consider whether counseling or counseling with only specific medications is advisable for your depression.
There is much advice about the benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetics. However, the risks of a low-carbohydrate remain in effect for people even those with diabetes. Before adopting a specific diet, always speak with health professionals.
Consider whether you can continue your participation in charitable acts such as blood or plasma donation if you have diabetes. Like all other situations with diabetes you will consider your own situation. Many diabetics are allowed to and do donate blood. However, there are regional differences regarding rules about blood donation in addition to specific health aspects of your health that might impact whether you can or should donate blood or plasma. Always consult with your physician before assuming that you can or cannot donate blood or plasma.
It is important to assess all the information you hear or read about diabetes in order to create your best lifestyle for living with diabetes. Consider the tips above before you follow any single piece of advice if you have diabetes.