Medical Reference Related to Diabetes
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Type 2 Diabetes - Prevention
Preventing type 2 diabetesYou can take steps to prevent type 2 diabetes. Even small changes can make a difference, and it is never too late to start making healthier choices.Maintain a healthy weight. To find out if you are overweight, you can use the body mass index (BMI) chart for adults or the same chart in metric. If you need to lose weight, losing as few as to can help reduce your risk of ...
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Type 2 Diabetes - What Happens
Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that affects the way your body uses food for energy. The disease develops when the cells of the body become resistant to insulin or when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells get needed energy from sugar. When insulin is not able to do its job, too much sugar builds up in your blood. Over time, this extra ..
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Type 2 Diabetes - When to Call a Doctor
Call your doctor about type 2 diabetes if you:Are age 45 or older and you have never been tested for type 2 diabetes or you have not been tested in more than 3 years.Are younger than 45, are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, and want to be tested.Have one or more of the common symptoms of diabetes, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, unusual weight loss, or extreme ...
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Ketones
A ketone test checks for ketones in your blood or urine.
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Blood Glucose
A blood glucose test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood. Glucose comes from carbohydrate foods.
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Home Blood Glucose Test
A home blood glucose test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood at the time of testing. The test can be done at home or anywhere, using a small portable machine called a blood glucose meter.
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Reading Food Labels When You Have Diabetes - Introduction
WebMD explains how those with diabetes should read food labels to determine if a food is healthy or not.
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Diabetes and Alcohol - Topic Overview
How does alcohol affect diabetes? When you have diabetes,you need to be careful with alcohol. If you take insulin or pills for diabetes,drinking alcohol may cause low blood sugar. Too much alcohol can also affect your ability to know when your blood sugar is low and to treat it. Drinking alcohol can make you feel lightheaded at first and drowsy as you drink more,both of which may be ...
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Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Don't Use Insulin
Carbohydrate counting is a skill that can help you plan your diet to manage type 2 diabetes and control your blood sugar. This technique helps you determine the amount of sugar and starch (carbohydrate) in the foods you eat so you can spread carbohydrate throughout the day, preventing high blood sugar after meals. Carbohydrate counting gives you the flexibility to eat what you want and increases .
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Sick-Day Guidelines for People With Diabetes - Topic Overview
What happens when you are sickWhen you are sick, your body reacts by releasing hormones to fight infection. However, these hormones raise blood sugar levels and at the same time make it more difficult for insulin to lower blood sugar. When you have diabetes, even a minor illness can lead to dangerously high blood sugar. This may cause life - threatening complications, such as diabetic ketoacidosis
Is This Normal? Get the Facts Fast!
Answer:
0-69
70-130
131+
Your level is currently
If the level is below 70 and you are experiencing symptoms such as shaking, sweating or difficulty thinking, you will need to raise the number immediately. A quick solution is to eat a few pieces of hard candy or 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey. Recheck your numbers again in 15 minutes to see if the number has gone up. If not, repeat the steps above or call your doctor.
People who experience hypoglycemia several times in a week should call their health care provider. It's important to monitor your levels each day so you can make sure your numbers are within the range. If you are pregnant always consult with your health care provider.
Congratulations on taking steps to manage your health.
However, it's important to continue to track your numbers so that you can make lifestyle changes if needed. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Your level is high if this reading was taken before eating. Aim for 70-130 before meals and less than 180 two hours after meals.
Even if your number is high, it's not too late for you to take control of your health and lower your blood sugar.
One of the first steps is to monitor your levels each day. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Did You Know Your Lifestyle Choices
Affect Your Blood Sugar?
Use the Blood Glucose Tracker to monitor
how well you manage your blood sugar over time.
This tool is not intended for women who are pregnant.
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