GET YOUR DIABETES UNDER CONTROL - BEFORE IT CONTROLS YOU

Who’s on your care team?

People you regularly consult about your diabetes may include your doctor,a nutritionist and pharmacist.These are other health professionals you should be touching base with:

Audiologist Deep in your inner ear, diabetes can damage nerves and tiny blood vessels.This can slowly muffle high-frequency sounds.

Ophthalmologist High blood sugar nearly doubles your risk of cataracts and glaucoma. It can also lead to diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working age adults.

Podiatrist Cuts, scrapes, blisters and bug bites on your feet are a big deal if you've got diabetes. Not only does high blood sugar and reduced blood flow prevent healing, but nerve damage means you may not even notice.

Dentist High blood sugar and low levels of saliva double your risk of gum disease.

Counselor For some, an“invisible”complication of diabetes is depression. Low moods can make taking good care of yourself more difficult, so talk to a professional.

And remember, you are the most important member of your healthcare team.

Take a stand

Do you sit for long stretches at work, or do you get up to take breaks like walking to the printer or chatting to a colleague? The answer could have an impact on your blood sugar control, according to research by the Baker IDI Heart &Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. People who break up long bouts of sitting with two minutes of walking have better control of post-meal glucose and insulin levels than those who don’t.

Know your symptoms

The classic diabetes symptoms for every body are drinking a lot, passing a lot of water,tiredness and the slow healing of cuts. But there are other symptoms.They include:

•  Reduced strength due to loss of muscle mass
•  Dizziness
•  Itching and skin infections
•  Blurred vision
•  Legcramps.

Gadgets and gizmos

Daily finger pricks and painful injections will one day be a thing of the past. Among the break through gadgets already available or coming soon are:

Insulin you inhale A new ultra rapid-acting insulin therapy you inhale, called Afrezza, is waiting for approval from the USFDA.

A breathalyser blood glucose monitor A researcher from Western New England University in Massachusetts has developed a hand-held monitor that only needs a sample of your breath to calculate your blood sugar level.

Implantable sensors Made of carbonnanotubes, these sensors could one day sit under your skin and message a pump when your body needs more insulin.

Remote monitoring Patients can wear a wireless skin monitor that sends alerts to a handheld screen when glucose levels get too low.

Clever apps Glucose Buddy is a free app that lets you store information on glucose, carbohydrate consumption and insulin so you can keep track.

Exercise tips

• Drink extra fluid before and after exercise – either water or a sweetened drink if you need more carbs.
• Take special care of your feet with comfortable, well-fitting shoes.
• Monitor your blood glucose level closely just before you exercise and again afterwards.
• Talk to your GP about adjusting your carb intake or insulin to cope with exercise.

Diabetic epidemic?

One in ten people in the world will have diabetes by 2035, according to the latest estimate of the International Diabetes Federation. The number of people living with diabetes will balloon to 592 million,most of them aged under 60.

Change your ingredients

• Swapping a few key ingredients will make your diet healthier.
• Swap butter for avocado, ricotta, hummus or low-fat mayonnaise.
• Swap cream for natural low-fat yoghurt and reduced-fat ricotta.
• Swap coconut milk for 1 cup of low fat milk, 2 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp coconut essence.
• Swap a baked cheese topping for half the normal amount of cheese mixed with oats, breadcrumbs or wheatgerm.