Dr. Alpesh Jain

If you are concerned about diabetes and want to protect yourself from getting affected by the disease, there are several preventive steps you can take. These steps are simple and require some modifications in your daily life, activities, diet and overall lifestyle. Diabetes is a condition in which your blood-sugar level gets higher than normal and affects your health in several ways.

Here are some ways to protect yourself from diabetes:

1. You should know about the different causes of diabetes by speaking with health professionals, diabetes patients and by doing some online research.
2. You must put off the causes which you just cannot prevent and should abstain from aggravating them. These may include heredity and age-related causes. If diabetes runs in your family, there are high chances of you getting it as well. The chances are maximum when both your parents are diabetic.
3. Increasing age is another likely factor for developing diabetes. This is because the functioning of all your body system gets disrupted and slowed down because of age. 
4. Prevent the causes of diabetes which you can control. These include obesity, stress, high blood pressure and viral complications. Stress because of several factors such as physical injuries and emotional problems commonly cause diabetes in many people. Obesity and high blood pressure too are linked with the development of diabetes. Several viruses can settle in your system and lead to diabetes as well.
5. For preventing diabetes, you should conquer your obesity and attain a BMI or body mass index, which is within a normal range and is suitable for you. For men, the waist size should be maintained below 40 inches and in women, it should be under 35 inches.
6. Eating healthy food will help you stay away from diabetes. You should consume less sugar, fats and alcohol and consume milk, meat and other proteins in a moderate amount. You should consume whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, starchy foods and beans in large amounts. These items should highlight all your major meals.
7. Being physically active and exercising regularly is very important, if you want to stay healthy and prevent yourself from developing diabetes. You should climb stairs, walk, play and undertake activities which require you to move around.

To keep yourself safe from diabetes, you must take good care of yourself when you are ill in order to avoid several complications. Several viruses and autoimmune diseases lead to diabetes in which the immune system attacks the body. You should be careful of viral infections such as measles, influenza, rubella, mumps and many others.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Diabetes is a chronic condition where glucose level of your body rises too high. There are two types of diabetes type 1 and type 2. In case of type 1 diabetes, the body fails to produce insulin and people suffering from this condition have to depend on insulin injections for the rest of their life. In case of type 2 diabetes the body produces less amount of insulin which is not enough for the proper functioning of the body. This type of diabetes can be kept under control by following a healthy diet and practicing exercise regularly.

Why diabetic wounds can cause severe problems?
Diabetes can cause a number of complications that makes it harder for certain wounds to heal. These include:

1. Nerve damage: Until a cut or blister worsens and becomes inflamed, in case of neuropathy, you will not experience the pain. Diabetics often suffer from neuropathy, making it difficult for wounds to heal.
2. Weak immune system: A minor wound may even get severe and become infected if your immune system fails to exercise its natural defenses.
3. Narrow arteries: Blocked arteries may cause severe wounds which becomes difficult to heal. Clogged arteries make it difficult for the blood to flow to the affected area which slows the process of wound healing.

Treating a diabetic wound
You can follow the methods mentioned below to avoid getting infected:

1. Taking care of the wound immediately. If the wound is not cleaned and taken care of, letting bacteria to build up, it can lead to infection.
2. Avoid using soaps and hydrogen peroxide to irritate the injury. Use antibiotic lotions to prevent infection and use a sterile bandage to keep the affected area covered.
3. Consult your doctor before any minor problems turn to larger ones
4. Since the bottom of the foot is a common place for developing blisters and calluses in case of diabetic people, try to keep pressure off the wound as it slowly heals

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Diabetes is usually associated with the insulin and glucose absorption of the body. It is basically a digestive disorder where the body is not able to transport the glucose absorbed from the food to the cells, due to a lack of proper insulin production. This makes the blood sugar level rise.

Following are some of the changes that you can make to improve your blood sugar levels and keep your condition under control:

1. Maintain a healthy BMI - Likewise, try to lose those extra kilos that may be weighing you down and increasing your sugar levels. You don't have to lose all the weight in one go, you can do so little by little. To lose weight gradually and consequently achieve a healthy BMI, you must have more of fruit and vegetables and less of sugary items and processed food along with exercising regularly.
2. Have a fixed quantity of food - Apart from knowing the right foods to eat and the balance that you need to maintain between the different types, it is also important to know about portion sizes and carbohydrate count. This is because among the different food classes, it's chiefly carbohydrates that influence your blood glucose levels. So, you need to keep track of the amount of carbohydrates that you've consumed in order to arrive at the right insulin dosage.In addition to keeping count of your carbohydrate consumption, understanding the right portion sizes for the different types of food is also extremely vital for better management of your ailment.
3. Control your stress - Stress is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. When you're under stress, your body produces stress hormones (cortisol) that can cause your blood sugar levels (and even blood pressure)to rise. So, preventing or controlling stress becomes necessary to keep your diabetes under control.
4. Stay fit with physical activity - The first lifestyle change you can make is to increase your level of physical activity. This can help you in burning extra calories, thereby keeping your blood sugar levels in check. Spending 30 minutes a day exercising is ideal.If you're not fond of exercising or don't have the time for it, even performing simple activities like walking, vacuuming or doing your laundry can help to lower glucose levels while burning calories.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!