Diabetes

Diabetes affects more people every year, causing pain and disability and often leading to life-threatening complications. Testing for diabetes is straightforward, and board-certified family practitioner Camille McDonald-Toussaint, MD, of Premier Primary Care, DPC, in Pompano Beach, Florida, can help prevent and treat diabetes before it changes your life for good. To book your diabetes screening, call the office or schedule an appointment online.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a long-term health problem that’s becoming increasingly widespread. It causes a wide variety of symptoms that can range from unpleasant and inconvenient to life-changing and even life-threatening.

There are several types of diabetes, which have different causes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system kills the cells in your pancreas that produce the hormone insulin. You need insulin to process sugars in your diet, so if your body can’t make any, you need insulin therapy.

Type 1 diabetes is far less common than type 2 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, your body is still making insulin, but you either can’t use it or you’re not making enough to keep your blood sugar well controlled.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes typically develops because of an unhealthy lifestyle. Being overweight is the leading cause of type 2 diabetes, but other factors increase your risk of developing the disease, including:

• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• High cholesterol
• High triglyceride levels
• Hypertension

Type 2 diabetes tends to develop as you get older, although rates in young people and even children are on the rise because of the increase in obesity. Having a family history of diabetes also increases your chances of getting it, but neither age nor heredity makes diabetes inevitable.

What complications can diabetes cause?

Diabetes can cause significant health problems, including:

• Skin disorders
• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Nerve damage (neuropathy)
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
• Kidney disease 
• Hypertension
• Stroke

Diabetes also causes circulation problems that can lead to ulcers and infection in the legs and feet. Patients who have advanced diabetes quite often have to have toes, feet, or legs amputated.

How is diabetes treated?

Dr. McDonald approaches diabetes treatment by helping you change your lifestyle and adopt healthier habits. If you follow his recommendations, there’s every chance you’ll be able to stay off medication, and your health is going to improve in many other ways, too.

Eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and whole grains and low in bad cholesterol, trans fats, and sugar can make a significant difference to your health. A healthy diet helps you manage blood sugar levels more effectively and avoid unhealthy fluctuations.

Getting more exercise also makes a big difference to your overall health. When you eat well and exercise regularly, you’re far better able to maintain a healthy weight.

Dr. McDonald can also run a simple blood test that shows whether you have the early signs of diabetes. This stage is called pre-diabetes and is fully reversible with appropriate lifestyle changes.

Call  Premier Primary Care, DPC today to schedule a consultation, arrange a diabetes screening test, or book an appointment online.