Diabetes Management Specialist

What is diabetes?

Diabetes affects the way your body produces or uses insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. Your blood sugar is your body’s primary source of energy. When your body doesn’t use it effectively, you not only develop uncomfortable symptoms, but your high glucose levels eventually damage your blood vessels and nerves, leading to dangerous complications. 

There are several types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when your pancreas stops producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body stops using insulin correctly. Some women develop gestational diabetes during the second trimester of pregnancy because the placenta produces a hormone that can affect the way you use insulin. 

Additionally, millions of Americans have prediabetes. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are elevated, but not high enough to be officially diagnosed as diabetes. If you have elevated glucose levels during routine blood work, Dr. Syed orders additional testing, including genetic screening, to assess your risk for diabetes. 

What is diabetes management?

Diabetes management is critical to protecting your health. Dr. Syed provides highly personalized care, but most diabetes management plans include monitoring, lifestyle modifications, and medication. 

Monitoring

If you have diabetes, monitoring your blood sugar levels is essential to evaluate your condition and whether your treatment is working. Dr. Syed offers in-office A1-C monitoring as well as evaluations for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. A CMG device is an FDA-approved device that measures your glucose levels at regular intervals throughout the day. It provides valuable data to improve and customize other aspects of your diabetes management plan. 

Lifestyle modifications

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, adjusting your diet and adding exercise to your daily routine can make a significant difference to your health. For example, cutting excess sugar from your diet reduces the burden on your body to convert sugar to energy. Exercise also helps your body use blood sugar more efficiently — even a 15-20 minute walk after a meal can regulate your blood sugar levels.

Medicine

Dr. Syed can prescribe medication if you have type 1 diabetes or if diet and exercise aren’t enough to regulate your blood sugar if you have type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes. 

Can I reduce my risk of diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes occurs because of an immunologic malfunction that destroys your insulin-producing cells, and you can’t do much to change your genetics. However, you can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a nutritious diet, and getting regular exercise. 

If you’re concerned about diabetes, call Dr. Syed or make an appointment online for testing and diabetes management.