June 12, 2009

Diabetes is a life changing disease that can go into recession but never really goes away. That does not mean that patients cannot have the upper hand on it.

Diabetes is a disorder that causes blood sugar levels to get out of control or tend to be very high. Patients can have type one diabetes, which affects juveniles and people 30 and under, or they can have type two in which the patient has a deficiency of insulin. Type two usually affects overweight or obese patients.

Dr. Stanley Smith at University Hospital talks about different ways to stay on top of the disease. "The first thing is lifestyle change. That is the most difficult thing to communicate to people. The diet is extremely important in that there are certain foods that are difficult for the body to metabolize, so they need to be able to change the way they eat."

Patients also need to manage a healthy weight, and talk to their doctors about medications to help get their blood sugar back to normal levels. Dr. Smith also says patients need to come to grips with diabetes and the changes that come with it, because the risk can be deadly.

University Hospital has several support programs for people with diabetes. Call 706-868-3241 for more information and a location.