Avoid Diabetic Complications By Following These Simple Tips

By Author: Stanley Boyer
Total Articles: 3
Comment this article

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to improve quality of life. This is especially true if you belong to the 8.3% of the United States population diagnosed with diabetes. The number of diabetic Americans is now growing at an alarming rate considering that diabetes is preventable.

Although diabetes often affects the elderly, latest statistics indicate that young people are not spared of this disease. Some 215,000 or 0.26% of people under 20 years old have diabetes, and 25.6 million or 11.3% of those 20 years or older also have it. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is imperative that you change your lifestyle and pay close attention to your diet. Here are some areas you have to work on to avoid diabetic complications.
Change your diet

This is the most obvious first step to prevent and control diabetes. Many people are surprised that a special diet is not necessary to control the disease. A regular low-fat, high nutrient diet is advised but this also depends on the severity of the condition. Advanced cases need to monitor sugar intake to control glucose levels. Consult a physician to ...
... know the diet suitable for you.
Consult a doctor and ask as many questions

To properly manage diabetes, you actually have to know the disease. Read up, ask the doctor about it, and raise your concerns. Ronnie Gregory, of The Poor Diabetic website suggests you ask for a second opinion to get another view of the disease and make you better informed.
Pay close attention to your feet

A common diabetic complication is neuropathy or nerve damage. This occurs in the nerves of the feet and legs which can lead to failure to feel pain. You can injure your feet and develop a wound but not notice it. When left untreated, it can cause infection and develop into an ulcer. Complications include partial or full amputation of the leg which can be psychologically traumatic and costly as well. Avoid lesions or cuts on your feet, clean them regularly and consult a podiatrist. Get shoes for diabetics to protect your feet.
Get comfortable diabetic shoes or shoe inserts

The market for specialized diabetic shoes has risen because they are comfortable and give the feet maximum protection. Under certain provisions, Medicare covers shoe inserts and therapeutic shoes. Know this benefit and avail of it. As a bonus some of these shoes are fashionable as well.

If you are interested to learn more about diabetic footwear and diabetes maintenance, you can find information in diabetesselfmanagement.com, diabetestips.org, and thepoordiabetic.com. You can also get information from the official website of the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org.