Diabetes and Insulin
Pro Health Care
Multidisciplinary clinics in Adelaide - focused on providing the highest level of patient care for over 35 years.
Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics require insulin.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition caused by the pancreas failing to produce insulin in the body. It accounts for 10-15% of all diabetes cases in Australia. It is most commonly diagnosed in childhood and early adult life.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, with 85-90% of cases being type 2. Type 2 diabetes occurs when cells in the body develop a resistance to insulin. Diagnosis typically occurs in older adults, however it is becoming more apparent in youths.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose to move from the bloodstream into the body’s cells, and ultimately regulates blood sugar levels. With type 1 diabetes, no insulin is produced, therefore insulin needs to be injected regularly throughout the day, or receive insulin through an insulin pump. Whilst with type 2 diabetes, not enough insulin is produced to keep your blood glucose levels maintained. Type 2 diabetes can be managed with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Diabetes can be well managed by maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise. A diet consisting of high fibre, Low GI foods, lean protein, fruits and vegetables and reducing the intake of saturated fats and added sugar is ideal for a diabetic.
Below are some easy recipes to help regulate blood sugar levels:
Grilled Vegetable and Almond Quinoa Salad- https://prohealthcare.com.au/grilled-vegetable-and-almond-quinoa-salad/
Salmon Stir-fry- https://prohealthcare.com.au/adelaide-medical-centre-salmon-stirfry/
Chickpea and Tomato Curry- https://prohealthcare.com.au/adelaide-medical-centre-salmon-stirfry/
As well as a balanced diet, physical exercise is just as important. It helps insulin in the body work more efficiently. Exercise causes your muscles to use more glucose, therefore lowering blood glucose levels. Thus, it is important for people with diabetes to track their blood glucose levels before, during and after exercise. At least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, ideally everyday can significantly help to:
Exercise can be used to treat and manage the effect of diverse blood glucose levels, especially Diabetes and hyperglycaemia. At Pro Health Care, our Exercise Physiologists offer small group classes for Diabetic patients. We aim to ensure that appropriate attention is given to each patient in order to reach certain goals whilst understanding their limitations. Each patient is assessed and given an individualised program focused on diabetes management, reducing the likelihood of developing other chronic conditions and improvement of overall health and wellbeing.
Exercise can increase cardiovascular function, blood lipids (fats) and lipoproteins, and insulin sensitivity while decreasing blood pressure. After exercise, blood glucose levels can drop significantly, meaning that your body uses a greater amount of glucose to fuel muscles, therefore lowering blood glucose (sugar) levels.
Diabetes also has an important link with your feet and can be the first sign of change if any complications are occurring. In most cases, if your blood glucose levels are well controlled then no complications are usually seen. However, if diabetes is uncontrolled the common following risk factors will occur:
Vascular
Uncontrolled diabetes can affect your vascular system in 2 major ways:
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This can further cause complications with skin integrity, healing time, ulceration and in worst case, amputation. Due to a lack of blood to the feet, if wounds occur they may not be able to heal due to inadequate blood supply which can lead to infection and then amputation. Additionally, swelling, coldness, dry skin and cramps can also occur in the lower leg due to a lack of nutrients being supplied to the skin and muscles.
Neurological
High sugar levels in blood are toxic to nerves in your body. The feet and hands are usually the first sites to show symptoms. Symptoms can include numbness, pins and needles and burning sensations. If the toxicity is present for a long duration of time, all feeling in your feet can be lost causing major complications. Once nerve damage occurs in feet, it will rarely improve. Nerve damage can be very dangerous as no feeling in your feet makes simple tasks such as fitting a shoe, feeling temperature and walking much more difficult. Nerve damage can also affect your balance.
Diabetes can have many other complications in your feet including muscles wastage, biomechanical changes and structural deformities.
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About Pro Health Care
Our ethos and core values have stemmed from the work of three prominent General Practitioners working within the Western Suburbs of Adelaide from which Pro Health Care was founded in 2007. The commitment, time and care they gave their patients over 35 years is the cornerstone of our philosophy.
Since then, our medical centres have been structured around our patients as we emphasise a holistic approach to managing health and well-being through doctor’s services and multi-disciplinary care — whether it be general medical, physiotherapy, podiatry or anything in between. The medical framework through which we operate focuses on collaborative reasoning and communication, a combination of values which we believe is the path to achieving the highest possible standards of care for our patients. Visit our website?here.