Diabetes is a serious disease. Diabetes isn’t fatal itself, but some of the other health problems it can cause are. Diabetes is listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death in about 200,000 deaths every year in the United States. Diabetes is serious, but the fact is that if diabetics control their blood sugar levels they can live long, healthy, productive lives.

Diabetics are at a higher risk for many very serious and life-threatening physical problems like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, blindness, amputations, and dental disease.

There was a time when a diagnosis of diabetes was practically a death sentence, but that is no longer the case. Diabetes can be controlled. Many diabetics can control their disease by simply making changes to their diet and exercise levels. For others, medication is necessary to control blood sugar levels; but even with medication, diet and exercise are both important factors in controlling blood sugar.

Once a patient gets a diagnosis of diabetes, it is important for the patient to work with his doctor to maintain the blood sugar level within an acceptable range. Maintenance is achieved through diet, exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose using a blood glucose monitor, and sometimes medications. Monitoring helps diabetics control their disease and decrease the risk of hypo- or hyperglycemia.

When safe blood sugar levels are maintained, the diabetic’s risk of other serious diseases that can be caused by diabetes is reduced significantly.

It has been determined that a low-carb diet is the best one for diabetics to follow. Exercise is essential to maintain adequate blood circulation and to help control blood sugar levels. Medication should be administered as prescribed.

There are no shortcuts for diabetics to maintain blood sugar levels. Maybe someday there will be a cure; but for now, diet, exercise, medications, and constant monitoring are the tools that we have.