Treating Diabetes

Diabetes cannot be cured but it can be treated very successfully, and there is no reason that it should impair your level of day to day functioning.

Type 1

This type of diabetes is treated by insulin injections and diet. Regular exercise is highly recommended. Insulin cannot be taken orally because it is destroyed by the digestive juices in the stomach. People with this type of diabetes will commonly take either two or four injections of insulin each day. If you have Type 1 diabetes, your insulin injections are vital to keep you alive and you must have them every day.

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes is treated predominantly through lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet, weight loss and increased physical activity. Tablets and/or insulin is required in some cases to achieve normal blood glucose levels. There are several kinds of tablets for people with Type 2 diabetes. Some kinds help your pancreas to produce more insulin. Other kinds help your body to make better use of the insulin that your pancreas does produce. Another type of tablet slows down the speed at which the body absorbs glucose from the intestine. Your doctor will decide with you which kinds of tablet are going to work best for you and may prescribe more than one kind.

Type 2 diabetes is progressive. If your diabetes cannot be controlled through lifestyle changes and tablets your doctor may recommend that you take insulin injections.

It is really important with both types of diabetes is to achieve blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels as near to normal as possible. This, together with a healthy lifestyle, will help to improve wellbeing and protect against long-term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and major arteries.