Diabetes Health Education

Do you have diabetes? Whether you were recently diagnosed or you’ve been diabetic for a while, it’s vital to monitor and control your blood sugar level in order to manage the disease. Yet this is not an easy task and can be quite confusing at times.
 

At Mainline Health Systems in southeast Arkansas, we have a highly qualified diabetes health educator who visits all our clinics on a regular basis. She can help you learn everything you need to know to stay healthy and avoid medical complications. During your appointment with our educator, you will receive individualized education about:

• Nutrition and meal planning
• The importance of exercise and personalized recommendations   
• Potential complications of diabetes and how to prevent them
• Taking your prescribed medications
• Administering insulin injections

Not only can you receive comprehensive care for your diabetes at Mainline Health Systems, but you can also receive informative one-on-one education regardless of your ability to pay. To make an appointment with our health educator, call the Mainline office that's most convenient for you.

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that helps convert glucose (a type of sugar) into energy for the body. Because insulin doesn’t work like it should, glucose doesn’t get converted into energy and blood sugar levels increase. Too much sugar in the blood can make you sick and result in medical complications.

There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes, and some 5.7 million people (nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease. There are different types of diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes may be inherited but the true causes are unknown. Type 2 diabetes can also be hereditary or can result from environmental factors such as poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise. People with Metabolic Syndrome are often pre-disposed to Type 2 diabetes.

The different types of diabetes:

• Type 1 Diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, is an auto-immune disorder resulting from the body’s failure to produce insulin. Less then 10% of diabetics are Type 1. Onset of the disease generally occurrs in children and adolescents but adults can develop Type 1 also, although this is infrequent. Type 1 diabetes can only be treated with insulin. Diet and exercise alone will not regulate blood sugar in a Type 1 diabetic.

• Type 2 Diabetes, or adult onset diabetes, results from insulin resistance (the body either does not produce enough insulin or does not properly use insulin). This is the most common form of diabetes and can often be treated with weight control, proper diet and exercise. There are also oral medication that can aid the body in properly using insulin and in some cases Type 2  can require insulin therapy.

• Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 23.6 million with diabetes.

• Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy.

There is no cure for diabetes. People with diabetes need to diligently manage their disease to remain healthy and reduce the risk of medical complications.

Visit our Patient Education Library to learn more about diabetes.