Type 2 diabetes is a long-term disease, in which your body doesn’t use insulin efficiently. This could be because your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or it isn’t responding well enough to the insulin it has.
This means that to treat type 2 diabetes you need to either increase the amount of insulin in your body or improve how your body responds to it. And the earlier you can treat your type 2 diabetes, the better you can manage your disease and lower your risk of long-term complications.
Here’s everything you need to know about type 2 diabetes treatment:
To treat diabetes, you need to either increase the amount of insulin in your body or improve how your body responds to insulin.
Lifestyle changes may be enough to do this. By following a balanced diet, exercising regularly and losing any excess weight, you may be able to successfully manage your type 2 diabetes.
If lifestyle modifications don’t improve your blood glucose level and your body’s response to insulin, then you may need medication.
Anti-diabetic medication is medicine that helps stabilise and regulate your blood glucose level. Depending on the medicine, anti-diabetic medication is either taken orally or injected.
Diabetes type 2 medications include:
If making lifestyle changes (such as improving your diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight) and taking anti-diabetic medications don’t correct your blood glucose level, you may need type 2 diabetes insulin therapy.
Insulin therapy involves injecting yourself with insulin. This increases the insulin in your bloodstream and compensates for the insufficient amount your body is producing. There are different types of insulin, and they’re categorised by how long they last and how quickly they produce an effect – For example, there’s long-acting insulin which lasts for 24 hours, and there’s fast-acting insulin which takes effect between 1-20 minutes and lasts for 3-5 hours.
There are several different ways to take insulin doses:
If you’re a type 2 diabetic and you’re not taking insulin, you may not need to check your blood sugar level – Though you may find it useful to monitor your blood sugar level for a set period to get a better understanding of how it can change following meals, exercise, etc.
If you’re a type 2 diabetic and you’re taking insulin, you will need to regularly check your blood sugar level – Usually several times a day.
To check your blood sugar level you’ll need to use a device, and there are a few different types available:
Your doctor or diabetes educator will tell you whether or not you need to monitor your blood sugar level, the best way for you to do it, and how regularly you should check.
It’s common for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics to wonder, “Is type 2 diabetes curable?”
The answer is, unfortunately, there’s no cure for type 2 diabetes. However, it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes, and achieve type 2 diabetes remission, without any medications.
The most common way to reverse type 2 diabetes is through weight loss. This is because excess weight is one of the highest risk factors for type 2 diabetes, so if you lose weight you can potentially reverse the disease.
Two ways type 2 diabetics often lose weight are:
It’s generally believed that the earlier you start managing your type 2 diabetes, the better your chances are of being able to reverse it – The longer you wait, the less effective your body becomes at producing and responding to insulin, and the lower your chance of being able to reverse the disease.
As well as lifestyle and insulin therapy treatments, there are also alternative type 2 diabetes treatments such as Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicine.
Importantly though, there’s not enough evidence to support either of these treatments and they’re generally not recommended. If you’re interested in Ayurvedic treatment for diabetes type 2, or homeopathic medicine for diabetes type 2, you should consult with your doctor first
Ayurveda is an ancient medical practice that began in India over 3000 years ago. It’s built on the principle that the health of the body and mind depend on three constitutions, or life forces, known as doshas.
In Ayurveda diabetes is referred to as ‘madhumeha’ and is considered a urinary disorder – It’s characterised by a person needing to urinate more, and their urine becoming sweet like honey, cloudy and pale. It’s generally believed to be caused by poor digestion.
The Ayurvedic treatment for madhumeha is to avoid foods that increase blood glucose level. These include:
Exercise, herbal supplements and meditation are also advised as part of Ayurvedic treatment.
However, as there’s no conclusive evidence to support Ayurvedic treatment for diabetes type 2 it’s not recommended you pursue it as an alternative treatment method. If you’re interested in Ayurvedic medicine as an alternative treatment for your diabetes type 2 you should consult with your doctor.
Another alternative treatment is homeopathic medicine for diabetes type 2.
Homeopathy is based on the idea that ailments can be treated by taking a small dose of a substance that, in larger amounts, would cause the symptoms of the original ailment.
For type 2 diabetes, this would mean taking small doses of substances that, in larger quantities, would cause symptoms such as excessive thirst and urination, increased hunger, and fatigue.
Again, there’s no strong evidence that homeopathic medicine for diabetes type 2 is effective and it’s not recommended you pursue it as a treatment method. If you’re interested in homeopathy as an alternative treatment for your diabetes type 2 you should consult your doctor first.
A type 2 diabetes diagnosis is tough to receive. However, it’s important to remember that the earlier you start to treat and manage your type 2 diabetes, the greater your chance of:
So, you should start treatment for your type 2 diabetes as soon as possible. As type 2 diabetes is typically caused by lifestyle, you have several options available to you that will help you effectively manage your disease. These include:
Living with type 2 diabetes is challenging, but the choices you make can have a direct impact on your disease and improve your health.
And you can enjoy a long and happy life for years to come.
No, type 2 diabetes isn't curable. However, you can manage and control type 2 diabetes and live a long happy life. To do this, you need to follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and take medication as appropriate. It's also possible to reverse type 2 diabetes, most commonly through weight loss. This is because being overweight is a high-risk factor for type 2 diabetes, so sometimes losing weight can allow you to reverse the disease.
Yes, it's possible to reverse type 2 diabetes. The most common way to reverse type 2 diabetes is through weight loss. This is because excess weight is one of the highest risk factors for type 2 diabetes, so if you lose excess weight you may be able to reverse the disease. Making lifestyle changes, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are good ways to lose weight and potentially reverse type 2 diabetes.
How long it will take to reverse type 2 diabetes depends on the individual, as everyone’s body and experience with diabetes management is unique. However, there have been cases where type 2 diabetics have reversed their diabetes within 3-6 months. And the length of time you've had the disease isn't an obstacle. There have been cases where patients have had type 2 diabetes for over 25 years and still managed to reverse it.
Insulin is a hormone your body uses to break down glucose into energy. In type 2 diabetes, the body is either not producing enough insulin or isn't responding to it as well as it should. To control their blood sugar level, type 2 diabetics may need insulin therapy (to inject themselves with insulin). There are different types of insulin available (including long-acting and fast-acting) and different ways to inject it (such as by syringe, insulin pen, and insulin pump).
When and how often type 2 diabetics need to take insulin varies from person to person, and your doctor will advise you if and how often you need to take it. Not all type 2 diabetics need to take insulin. Some can manage their condition by improving their body's sensitivity to insulin, which can be managed through lifestyle changes and possibly medication. For type 2 diabetics that need to take additional insulin, how often they need to take it will depend on their needs and the type of insulin they've been prescribed.
The best insulin for type 2 diabetes depends on your individual needs, and you may not need to take insulin at all. Your doctor can assess your current health and insulin sensitivity, work out if you need insulin, and if so, which insulin is best for you. For type 2 diabetes, as your body is still producing some insulin (unlike with type 1 diabetes) long-acting insulins are usually recommended.
To lower blood sugar levels with type 2 diabetes, you'll need to make some lifestyle changes. This will include following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and managing your stress. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to help you manage your blood sugar levels (this could include medicine to increase your sensitivity to insulin or insulin therapy).
Currently, there's no research to support that baking soda can help with type 2 diabetes in humans (there have been initial studies on animals, but nothing further). It's not recommended to add baking soda to your diet, and doing so can damage your health (baking soda contains sodium, and too much sodium in your diet can be bad for you).
