Chiropractic, Wellness, and How to Manage Your Diabetes

By Martha Michael

When you’re monitoring diabetes, close oversight of your diet and pricks to check blood sugar may be a part of your daily life. But when it comes to your symptoms, you can turn to lifestyle choices and chiropractic care to keep them manageable and avoid serious complications. Of course, it doesn’t make Halloween or Valentine’s Day any easier.

Two Types of Diabetes

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diseases involving your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, explains an article on the Healthline website. Individuals with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot metabolize glucose to get blood sugar to their cells. People who have type 2 diabetes, which progresses more slowly, have difficulty responding to insulin and later their bodies create too little insulin to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

There are currently more than 34 million Americans living with diabetes, which exceeds 10 percent of the population in the United States. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95 percent of all cases. The chance of becoming diabetic increases with age and is strongly tied to your gene pool. The highest prevalence of diabetes is among Native Americans, Mexican Americans and Alaskan Natives.

A patient is diagnosed with diabetes based on a glycated hemoglobin, or A1C, test. The diagnosis is positive when the results reflect a level of A1C that is 6.5 percent or higher. The same test is unreliable for people who have the sickle cell anemia trait. While there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, patients with type 2 diabetes can manage their levels and even see them reversed through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

Treating Symptoms of Diabetes

Learning to live with diabetes involves more than prick testing for an unseen culprit. How you feel is also contingent on healthy living including nutritional choices. Your doctor may recommend a reduction in foods with animal fats or empty calories.

Untreated diabetes of both types can lead to chronic conditions such as:

• Fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Excessive hunger
• Wounds that don’t heal
• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination

There are physical symptoms of diabetes that can be minimized through glucose management and treated with chiropractic care. Through regular visits to your chiropractor, you can monitor changes in your wellness and get treatment for such conditions as numbness in your hands and feet. A chiropractor can design a customized exercise program for you and keep you informed about other aspects of diabetes that you can expect to experience.

Battling the physical challenges of the disease can increase your chance of experiencing mood changes and irritability as well. The American Diabetes Association has an article with suggestions for healthy living which describes some tools that can positively impact the severity of your symptoms.

Electronics - Because physical fitness can offset the effect that sedentary habits have on blood glucose levels, it seems counterintuitive that diabetics are benefiting from video gaming.Developers have brought products to market which they call “exergames.” This interactive software invites users to complete certain actions to win points and compete for rewards. BioMed Research International published the results of a study showing that exergames help adults reach suggested levels of physical activity when they use the software.

Mental health help - It’s normal for every individual to manage a certain amount of stress. Patients with diabetes have the added pressure of making sure the routine they choose keeps symptoms in check. There are lifestyle decisions that can ease some of those burdens, including the use of delivery services for groceries, dry cleaning and other needs, becoming more organized, and setting up virtual appointments.

Journaling - Some of the emotional hardship faced by people managing a chronic condition is lessened through such practices as keeping a journal. Writing about your feelings can be a useful mechanism to reduce anxiety and depression when it occurs. A routine that involves journaling can be a paper-and-pencil activity or you can use a mood tracking app.

Though it can feel burdensome to pay attention to a host of concerns as a diabetic, a positive diagnosis does not close the door to a life of relative freedom and a wide range of activities. There are certain routines, such as chiropractic visits and healthy lifestyle choices, that raise hopes while also balancing blood sugar levels.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics, including but not limited to the benefits of chiropractic care, exercise and nutrition. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.