Stay healthy with a type 2 diabetes self management plan.

Accounting for over ninety percent of all cases, type 2 diabetes is the type most frequently diagnosed. Insulin is a hormone that makes energy from sugar and other foods we eat. The first stage of diabetes is insulin resistance. When the body stops producing or properly using insulin, we develop diabetes. As the body's requirements for insulin increases, the pancreas stops making it. While genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise are believed to be key, the exact cause is unknown. Type 2 diabetes self management plans then become a necessary control measure.

Type 2 diabetes self management programs are available that offer training about proper diet, exercise regimens, monitoring of glucose, and insulin self-injection and many other topics. The patient is taught how to monitor glucose, modify their diets, develop exercise regimens, how to self-inject insulin, taking oral medications and much more to lessen the chances for complications. Other topics may be addressed like alternative medicine, dental health, emotional health and sexual problems.

Injecting oneself with insulin is one of the least pleasant of diabetes self management treatments. A nice alternative is the insulin pump, a small device worn about the waist that feeds insulin around the clock through a catheter implanted under the skin. These pumps are are a great option because they are simple to adjust as your blood sugar changes and easy to detach for showering or strenuous activity.

The American Diabetes Association has estimated that about 90 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight when they are first diagnosed. Essential to a good type 2 diabetes self management plan are diet, exercise and keeping weight under control.

Keeping blood glucose under control is the first line of defense in the prevention of other health related problems often related to type 2 diabetes. Using a blood glucose monitor with blood glucose test strips will help to provide important information to help you control the disease.

Moderating food intake is essential to controlling type 2 diabetes. A person with the disease can continue to eat their favorite foods if portions are controlled. Eating foods high in nutrition with lots of vegetables and fruit is necessary. Diabetes self management programs have dietitians on staff that can assist in developing a plan that works for each individual.

Exercise is an integral part of type 2 diabetes self management. Besides making you feel better physically and mentally, exercise is essential to managing your weight and lowering your blood sugar. It also lessens your risk of cardiovascular disease, common in people who have diabetes. When exercising, your muscles use sugar for energy. This causes a reduction in blood sugar. The harder you workout, the longer the effect lasts. And, if you have type 2 diabetes, exercise can increase your insulin sensitivity meaning that your body needs less insulin to transport sugar into your cells. Combined with a proper diet, exercise could minimize or completely eliminate the necessity for glucose lowering medication.

Being successful at implementing a type 2 diabetes self management plan is really about adjusting to a new, healthier way of life. Other than having to take daily medication, which we all face anyway as we age, it means taking good care of ourselves. And shouldn't we all be doing that anyway?

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A good type 2 diabetes self management plan is essential for controlling type 2 diabetes. The author, John Richmond, has written numerous articles about diabetes and they can be found at www.YourDiabetesInfo.com.

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