Type 1 Diabetes: How Is It Treated?

What About Diabetes?

People with type 1 diabetes should eat a different type of diet. A treatment plan, also known as a diabetes management plan, helps people control their diabetes and stay healthy and active. Each person's plan is different, depending on each person's health needs and the suggestions of the diabetes care team.

Basics of Diabetes Treatment

The first thing to understand when it comes to treating diabetes is your blood sugar, which is the amount of glucose in your blood. Glucose is a sugar that comes from the foods we eat and is also formed and stored in the body. It is the main source of energy for the body's cells and reaches them through the blood. Glucose enters cells with the help of the hormone insulin.

So how are blood glucose levels related to type 1 diabetes? People with type 1 diabetes can no longer make insulin. This means that glucose stays in the bloodstream and does not enter cells, causing blood sugar to rise too high.

High blood sugar can make people with type 1 diabetes sick, so your treatment plan is to keep their blood sugar levels in a healthy range while ensuring that they are growing and developing normally. . To do this, people with type 1 diabetes must:

• take insulin as prescribed
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet with a specific number of carbohydrates.
• controlling blood sugar levels as prescribed
• practice regular physical activity

Following the treatment plan can help a person stay healthy, but it does not cure diabetes. Currently, there is no cure for diabetes, so people with type 1 diabetes will need treatment for the rest of their lives. The good news is that following the plan can help people feel healthy and avoid future diabetes problems.

Take Insulin as Prescribed

People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin as part of their treatment. Because their bodies can no longer make insulin, they need to get the right amount of it to keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

The only way to inject insulin into the body now is to inject it using a needle or an insulin pump. If someone tried to take insulin in pill form, the acids and digestive juices in the stomach and intestines would break down the medicine and it wouldn't work.

Different types of insulin are used for different purposes. The types of insulin you take and the number of injections you give each day will depend on what is best for you and your daily schedule.

As it grows and changes, the amount of insulin you need to take may change. Getting insulin injections today is almost painless, thanks to the smaller needles. Insulin pumps (which deliver insulin through a small tube placed just under the skin) reduce the number of injections needed.

Your diabetes healthcare team will teach you how and when to inject insulin.

Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet

People with type 1 diabetes need to pay slightly more attention to their meals and snacks than people without diabetes. They need to eat a healthy, balanced diet and be more careful about what and when they eat it.

They also need to balance the food they eat with the amount of insulin they take and their activity level. This is because eating certain foods will raise your blood sugar more than others, while insulin and exercise will lower your blood sugar. The amount of sugar in the blood increases after eating depending on the type of nutrients in the food.

The three main types of nutrients found in food are carbohydrates (or carbohydrates), protein, and fat, which provide energy in the form of calories. Foods that contain carbohydrates increase blood sugar even more. Foods that contain primarily protein and/or fat do not affect blood sugar levels as much. Our bodies need all of these nutrients, in varying amounts, to function normally.

As part of your diabetes treatment, you and your diabetes care team will create a written diabetes diet plan that includes foods that contain all of the essential nutrients. Meal plans typically include breakfast, lunch, and dinner with snacks provided between meals.

The diabetes meal plan will not tell you which specific foods to eat, but it will guide you through your choices among the basic food groups and help you eat nutritious and balanced meals. Each meal and snack in the plan contains a certain amount of carbohydrates and works with the types and amount of insulin you take.

Your diet is designed especially for you, based on your age, activity level, schedule, and what you like and dislike. It should also be flexible so that you know how to deal with diabetes in special situations such as parties and vacations. Following your meal plan will make it easier for you to keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

Along with giving you some ideas on what to eat, your plan might also recommend limiting foods that are high in fat or calories and that don't contain vitamins or minerals. Everyone who eats a healthy diet should limit these foods anyway, as eating too much of them can lead to excessive weight gain or long-term health problems such as heart disease.

Check Blood Sugar Levels

Controlling your blood sugar is another part of your diabetes treatment plan. It lets you know how well other parts of your treatment are working, such as your insulin injections and your meal plan.

Keeping your blood sugar in a healthy range will help you feel better and lower your risk of developing diabetes problems later. Testing your blood sugar is the only way to know how well you are managing your diabetes.

Your diabetes healthcare team may recommend that you wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). A CGM is a portable device that can measure blood sugar every few minutes throughout the day. It is measured by a thread-like sensor that is inserted under the skin and secured in place. The sensors can stay in place for about a week before needing to be replaced and are accurate enough to replace frequent finger prick tests. More frequent CGM blood sugar measurements can help you and your healthcare team do an even better job of troubleshooting and adjusting your insulin doses and diabetes management plan to improve blood control. blood sugar.

A blood glucose meter or CGM tells you what your blood sugar is at that time. Your doctor may also send you another type of blood sugar test that will tell you how your blood sugar has changed for the 3 months before the test.

Regular Exercise

Exercise is also an important part of treating diabetes. Regular physical activity helps keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range. It can also lower the risk of other health problems that people with diabetes are more likely to have, such as heart disease.

Most types of exercise are great for people with type 1 diabetes, whether it's walking the dog or biking, or playing team sports. Try to exercise every day to get the most out of it.

You can talk to your diabetes care team about planning your exercise, as well as meals and insulin. They will offer you specific suggestions to help you prepare to exercise or participate in sport, and give you written instructions to help you respond to any diabetes issues that may arise during exercises, such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar level). ).

Put It All Together

Sometimes the treatment and management of diabetes can seem complicated. But your diabetes care team is there for you. Your diabetes management plan should be easy to understand, detailed, and written so that you can refer to it when you need to.

You may also hear about alternative treatments for diabetes, such as herbal remedies and vitamin or mineral supplements. These practices can be risky, especially when people stop following the treatment plan their doctor has given them. So educate yourself by talking to your diabetes team.