Becoming Your Best Diabetic Health Advocate

November is National Diabetes Month, and Faulkner’s would like to remind our community that, in the fight against diabetes, patient self-care and empowerment are key.

Activity
Staying active will help lower cholesterol, improve blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety, and elevate your mood. Physical activity can even help keep blood sugar levels and diabetes symptoms under control.

Medication
A health care provider can help you determine whether or not medications for diabetes management will benefit you. Insulin, blood sugar-reducing pills, aspirin, blood pressure meds, and cholesterol-lowering prescriptions can all work together to lower blood sugar, reduce your risk of further complications, and improve your quality of life.

Monitoring
Far more than tedious tracking, routine and daily blood sugar level checks provide valuable information to manage your diabetes. Knowing this info helps you stay on track and make any necessary food and activity modifications.

Nutrition
It may seem that having diabetes means you can’t eat your favorite foods, but you only need the education to understand how various foods affect your blood sugar, so you can build a menu that benefits your health.

Problem-Solving
When you hit roadblocks in your diabetes management, it’s important to be equipped with the strategies you need to problem-solve and prepare for the unexpected. Communicating with your pharmacist and health care providers will help build your toolkit.

Risk Management
While diabetes raises your risks for other health problems, understanding the risks allows you to take steps now to lower your chances of future complications.

Stress Management
Diabetes is an illness that can affect every area of life. When you know how to cope with the challenges, you can avoid further progression, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.