Diabetes Treatment

Learn about the building blocks of treating diabetes

Food, fitness, medicine and monitoring: The building blocks of diabetes treatment

People with diabetes have a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, the hormone used to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy.

The good news is that with proper diabetes treatment, you can stay healthy, feel good and lower your chances of complications, such as eye and kidney disease.

The components of diabetes treatment

Food — Food is one of the main factors that directly impacts blood glucose levels — and one you can control as part of your diabetes treatment. Smart steps include:

• Working with a registered dietitian who is experienced in diabetes treatment to create
  an individualized meal plan.
• Scheduling regular meal times and maintaining a consistent diet.
• Reading food labels carefully and preparing meals from scratch when possible to
   control ingredients and limit additives.

Fitness — Regular exercise is an especially important part of diabetes treatment. It helps insulin work better while reducing your blood glucose levels. Ideally, adults should get 30 minutes of physical activity five or more days per week.

Medicine — Diabetes drugs are another key part of diabetes treatment. Type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the body fails to produce any insulin at all, is treated with insulin. Type 2 diabetes, which results from a condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough insulin — and fails to properly use the insulin it does produce — is often treated with medications that help the pancreas produce more insulin and/or make the body's cells more sensitive to its own insulin.

Monitoring — At the heart of good diabetes treatment is regular monitoring of your blood glucose levels throughout the day. Once you know your blood glucose level, you can then make sound decisions about managing your diabetes — for example, when and how much medicine to take, when to exercise and when to eat meals or snacks.

Make Liberty part of your diabetes treatment

If you are on Medicare and have diabetes, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies may be covered, whether you use insulin or not.* Liberty Medical Supply can help determine if you are eligible. Call toll-free 1-866-373-8971.

* Co-payments and deductibles apply.
Source: The American Diabetes Association.

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