For well over a decade, leading board-certified physician Dr. Taher Sobhy has been helping patients of all ages control their diabetes. At their state-of-the-art practice, Persona Medical, located in Libertyville, Illinois, this dedicated team provides expert care in treating mild to moderate cases of diabetes.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diseases that result in too high levels of blood sugar. In type 1 diabetes, which is most often diagnosed in childhood, the body’s immune system destroys its own insulin-producing cells. Insulin is a hormone manufactured in the pancreas that allows the body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in food, storing some of it for future use. In type 2 diabetes, the body produces sufficient amounts of insulin, but your body is not sensitive to insulin. In the early stages of the disease, your body fights against the resistance by making more insulin. Eventually, your body will exhaust insulin and you will need insulin injection at a later stage of the disease.
Diabetes cannot be cured but it can be effectively managed. Patients with type 1 diabetes must frequently monitor their blood sugar levels, take insulin, and maintain a healthy low-carbohydrate/low sugar diet and are advised to get regular exercise. Treatment for type 2 diabetes begins by following the same low carbohydrate/low sugar diet, getting regular exercise, and monitoring blood sugar levels. Sometimes, this is enough to manage type 2 diabetes. Frequently, however, type 2 diabetics also require oral medications and, in severe cases, will also need to take insulin.
Making healthy lifestyle changes is essential to controlling type 2 diabetes and preventing the condition from worsening. These changes include maintaining an appropriate weight, following a proper diet, and getting regular exercise. Physical activity not only helps control weight but also uses glucose as energy, which makes cells more sensitive to insulin. Individuals with type 2 diabetes should also not smoke and must limit alcohol consumption.
Often, individuals with type 2 diabetes do not experience symptoms in the disease’s early stages, which are the most treatable stages. Therefore, routine blood sugar screenings are essential. Individuals with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes are significantly more likely to develop coronary heart disease, suffer a stroke, and develop a peripheral vascular disease.