Carefully manage your diabetes with proper food, physically active, monitor glucose level, have medicines, control pressure-cholesterol, quit smoking, and regular doctor visit.
Is it possible to manage diabetes without medication?
Yes, many with type 2 diabetes can manage their diabetes without medication.
How is it possible to manage your diabetes without medication? You can manage your diabetes (only type 2, not type 1) without prescription and with specific lifestyle changes.
- The food you eat can affect your blood glucose level. Therefore, you need to intake a healthy diet with a low to moderate amount of carbohydrate. Break up your 2 to 3 big meals into 4 to 5 smaller meals; it can reduce blood-glucose spikes.
- Physical activity or regular exercise can help burn excess glucose in your bloodstream, as well as reduce your insulin resistance (if you have).
- Losing weight helps increase your insulin sensitivity, which has a direct relationship with your blood-glucose control.
- Enough sleep can repair your body and nourishes the entire system, additionally supports the management of your blood-sugar level.
- Stress is detrimental to your physical as well as mental health; proper stress management helps you to attain your target blood glucose level.
Diabetes Lifestyle Management
- Food - What you eat directly influences your blood glucose levels. Follow the food pyramid for effective diabetes control or management. Take food at the same time, also the same volume and never skip your meal or even snack.
- Physically active – try to make you busy in your daily life routine or spent some time on physical exercises such as walking, swimming, exercising, and playing. It produces positive results in blood-glucose control as well as a drop in medicine (pills or insulin) requirements.
- Lose weight – if you are obese or overweight, try to reduce weight by following the food pyramid and increasing physical activity or exercising. Losing weight has a direct positive impact on your blood glucose control.
- Monitor glucose level – closely monitor your blood-glucose, check your blood-glucose using home glucose monitor, and make a record. If you maintain your blood glucose near normal, then you can avoid many diabetic complications.
- A1C test – Have an A1C test at least two times a year. If you are very much concerned about your health, it is better to have an A1C analysis every three months. If you can maintain your blood glucose near normal most of the time, then your A1C level will be at the best range.
- Medicine – Have your medication or insulin at the same time every day without skipping or delaying. Learn to adjust your medicines concerning your daily activity change of any rare diet change.
- Scheduled exams – Go for a regular yearly review for eye, kidney, heart, nerves, and teeth. If you have, any symptoms of diabetes complication immediately consult your doctor.
- Vaccination – high blood-glucose can weaken your immune system, which makes routine immunization is essential for people with diabetes. Ask your doctor for details.
- Foot care – Give particular importance to your foot. Wash your foot in lukewarm water, dry it gently, and moisturize it. Regularly check foot for any blisters, cuts, sores, redness or swelling, if found any consult your doctor immediately for treatment.
- Blood pressure & Cholesterol – if you have hypertension and or high cholesterol, keep it in control with medication. It helps avoid or postponed diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
- Aspirin - Aspirin interferes with your blood's ability to clot. Taking a daily aspirin can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke a significant concern when you have diabetes.
- Do not smoke – if you are a smoker plan to quit. Smoking increases your risk of various diabetes complications, including heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, and kidney disease.
- Alcohol – if you are a drinker, do so only in moderation and always with a meal.
- Stress – stress causes hormonal imbalance and prevents insulin from usually working, ending up with high blood-glucose control. So take the stress seriously and try to calm yourself or practice meditation.