Answering Common Questions About Type 2 Diabetes

In honor of American Diabetes Month this November, the healthcare providers here at Abraham Family Medicine thought it would be helpful to answer a few commonly asked questions about this medical condition. Despite how common type 2 diabetes is for Americans, there is still so much that people may not know or fully understand about diabetes and how it can affect the body. We feel it is incredibly important to provide our patients with knowledge about how diabetes symptoms can be managed with the right care, treatment, and healthy lifestyle habits. Keep reading for all the details:

Question #1: Can prediabetes be reversed?

Yes, people diagnosed with prediabetes can reverse this with healthy adjustments to their lifestyle. When the body’s glucose levels are lowered, the body’s demand for insulin will in turn also decrease, which can help put prediabetes into remission or even reverse the condition entirely. This requires eating a healthy diet (low in carbohydrates), limiting your sugar intake, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and drinking plenty of water every day.

Question #2: How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?

‍Type 2 diabetes can be diagnosed in several ways. Diagnostic testing for diabetes is determined by each patient’s age, symptoms, and other relevant factors on an individual case-by-case basis. Certain warning signs of type 2 diabetes that people should be aware of include excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, numbness or tingling of extremities, unusual weight gain, and chronic fatigue.

Question #3: What medications can be used to help treat diabetes?

In addition to making lifestyle adjustments like eating right and exercising, certain medications that effectively help lower insulin levels can be incredibly helpful for people with type 2 diabetes. Medications like Metformin are typically the first course of treatment. This medication works by lowering glucose production in the liver, which can improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin and allow insulin to be used more effectively. There are alternative treatments if these prove to be unsuccessful.

One essential step in preventing and treating diabetes is to keep up regular annual check-up appointments to ensure that you are healthy and aware of any potential issues before they become serious. For more information on diabetes or to schedule an appointment today, please contact Abraham Family Medicine. We offer a wide variety of general healthcare services for people of all ages at our Snellville office, located very close to Grayson, Dacula, Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Lithonia, Loganville, and Stone Mountain.