Recently I accompanied a dear friend on a visit to her great aunt who was dying in a hospital.  The first thing Aunt Gert said to us was, “Girls, whatever you do don’t get diabetes.  It’s the one thing I would have changed about my life.”  Aunt Gert had been in the hospital for three months trying to get a wound on her foot to heal.  The foot became gangrenous and two days after our visit she died from sepsis.  After such a sobering talk with this sweet, gentle lady, I decided to set my sights on prevention of such a horrible fate.

Type II diabetes is adult onset diabetes.  You are at risk if you are over 40, overweight, not physically active, have high blood pressure, have a family history of diabetes, have low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides, have a history of gestational diabetes, or have had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.  Other risk factors come into play according to the American Association of Diabetes Educators, but these are the main factors.  Type II diabetes occurs from the gradual development of increased blood sugar levels.  In its early stages there are no symptoms and when symptoms do occur, they are often passed off as being the result of some other disease process or aging.  Most frequent symptoms include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, and blurred vision.  Since people often pass these symptoms off as those of something else, this condition can go undiagnosed for years.  Most often the symptoms have gotten to the point where long-term damage has occurred before diabetes is suspected as the culprit.

Elevated blood sugar levels over long periods of time have very serious effects on the body.  Some of those include decreased circulation, delayed healing of wounds and illnesses, gum disease that can lead to tooth loss, persistent infections, foot problems, nervous system damage, and blindness.  Acceptable ranges of blood sugar levels vary according to the source, so the best advice about how to gauge yours is to talk to your doctor and  research it in your own.  Numerous websites are available with direct links to the foremost institutions in this country with a wealth of information.

Once diabetes develops, treatment options must be considered. Blood sugar levels must be kept at levels which are safe for the body. Overwhelmingly, sources say to begin a regimen of exercise that includes at least thirty minutes of activity five days a week.  This will decrease the likelihood of your developing complications like heart disease which is common to those who have diabetes.  It also increases HDL levels and directly decreases blood sugar levels.  The second part of this prescription for health is to eat a nutritious diet.  There is no magic bullet for the nutritious diet part.  Avoiding foods with high glycemic indexes is a major part of the healthy diet for those who have diabetes and for those who want to avoid it.  A food’s glycemic index is the rate at which a carbohydrate food is digested into glucose and how much it causes the blood sugar level to rise.  The best source for the healthiest diet in my estimation is the book Sugar Busters , which should be available in the local bookstore.  It outlines the whole diabetes story and how it has become such an epidemic in our country.  Foods that are white are generally bad for us.  White bread, white potatoes, white rice, and certainly white sugar all have outrageously high glycemic indexes, and are bad for the body.  The body utilizes insulin more efficiently when it consumes foods that are low on the glycemic index scale rather than those that are high.  Some sources suggest that diabetes is the result of spiking of insulin requirements by the body.  As the spikes occur more and more frequently the pancreas, which is the organ that produces insulin, in effect burns out and is no longer able to produce the amounts of insulin that are necessary to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.  If the body requires insulin in more controlled amounts, the production is more level and the pancreas works at a steadier pace rather than frenzy at one moment and absolute shutdown at the next.  Diet is the best way to make this happen, and should be investigated by anyone facing the problems of diabetes. If eating a nutritious diet and getting regular exercise should fail to keep the blood sugar levels in a safe range, there are a number of drugs on the market which make the body produce more insulin.

Several people who are dear to me have type II diabetes.  It is no joking matter when someone has blood sugar control problems.  I have seen its devastation in action, and I implore you to get yourself checked and make the necessary changes in your lifestyle to keep blood sugar levels in safe ranges for your body.  Many health fairs offer free blood glucose level screenings.  In fact, on September 27, Kroger will hold a diabetes screening.  Give them a call and treat your body well.