Insulin is used to treat diabetes. Treatment of diabetes is done with the insertion of insulin into the body. A healthy lifestyle and diet do play a major role in controlling diabetes.
Insulin therapy is important for the treatment of diabetes. It helps to understand the key role insulin does play in managing one’s blood sugar and also preventing diabetes complications.
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The role of insulin in one’s body
It may be easier to understand the importance of insulin therapy if the person understands how this naturally occurring hormone usually tends to work in one’s body and what happens if the person has diabetes. Treatment of diabetes needs to be understood from the role of insulin perspective.
If not having diabetes:
- Regulates blood sugar levels- After a person eats, carbohydrates break down into glucose, a sugar that is the body’s primary source of energy. Glucose then tends to enter the bloodstream. The pancreas does respond by producing insulin, which does allow glucose to enter the body’s cells to provide energy.
- Store excess glucose for energy. After a person eats, when insulin levels are high — excess glucose is then stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. Between meals, when insulin levels are low, the liver releases glycogen into the bloodstream in the form of glucose. This does keep blood sugar levels within a narrow range.
If having diabetes:
One’s glucose levels will continue to rise after a person eats because there is not enough insulin to move the glucose into one’s body’s cells. People with type 2 diabetes do not use insulin efficiently (insulin resistance) and do not produce enough insulin (insulin deficiency). People with type 1 diabetes do make little or no insulin.
Untreated, high blood glucose can eventually lead to complications like blindness, nerve damage as well as kidney damage.
Goals of insulin therapy
If a person has type 1 diabetes, insulin therapy is indeed vital for replacing the insulin one’s body does not produce. Sometimes, people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes do require insulin therapy if other treatments have not been able to keep blood glucose levels within the desired range. Insulin therapy does help prevent diabetes complications by keeping one’s blood sugar within one’s target range.
Also Read, Healthy food to control Diabetes.
Insulin delivery options
Insulin does not come in pill form as the digestive system would break it down before it had a chance to work. But there are several choices for insulin delivery. The doctor can help decide which fits best with one’s lifestyle as well as treatment needs.
Options include:
- Shots or pens – Insulin can in fact be injected into the fat just below one’s skin with a syringe and needle or a pen-like device that holds insulin with a needle attached. How often depends on the type of diabetes a person has, one’s blood sugar levels, and how often a person has to eat. It may be multiple times each day.
- Insulin pump – An insulin pump does push small, steady doses of rapid-acting insulin into a given thin tube that has been inserted underneath your skin. These doses are delivered repeatedly throughout the day. There are several different sorts of insulin pumps available.
Conclusion
Insulin therapy can rather be demanding, but it is very effective to lower blood sugar levels. If the person has any trouble with his or her insulin regimen, such as difficulty avoiding very low or very high blood sugar levels, it is important to be sure to talk to one’s doctor to see if any sort of adjustments needs to be made. By choosing an insulin regimen that tends to fit one’s needs as well as lifestyle, he or she can prevent diabetes complications and thus lead an active, healthy life.
Insulin plays an important role in the treatment of diabetes.