Fight Diabetes With Your Health Care Team

Controlling your diabetes does not mean that it has to control you, nor do you have to attempt to manage it alone. Working with a comprehensive team of health care professionals can help lead to individual success.

From diet and exercise to medication and social interactions, the impact of type 2 diabetes on daily life is constant. To ensure a healthy balance of lifestyle modifications and disease education, a recent Harris Interactive survey suggests that patients often need support beyond what their primary care doctor provides.

"Because we do not always make the best use of available resources for managing type 2 diabetes, patients often feel they have 'failed' and feel guilty; physicians feel frustrated; no one wins," says Donna Rice, R.N., president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

A personalized diabetes team can help you make the best use of all the resources available to manage your condition, including considering whether the latest treatments are right for you. According to Dr. Silvio E. Inzucchi, professor of medicine in the Section of Endocrinology at Yale University School of Medicine, some of the newest treatment options have a renewed focus on the role that beta cells play in producing insulin in the pancreas, rather than on insulin resistance.

"Beta cell dysfunction may be the most important cause of the progression of type 2 diabetes and may play a role in how well patients respond to oral medicines," Dr. Inzucchi said. "A team approach helps bring together the latest in science, treatment choices and education around disease management."

A successful diabetes team may include an endocrinologist, primary care physician or diabetes educator. A diabetes educator can be a nurse, dietitian or pharmacist.

Work with your team to:

• Get your A1C level-a basic lab test for evaluating glucose control-checked at least twice a year;

• Decide on the steps to take to achieve your goals with your diabetes team and talk about treatment options that are right for you;

• Eat healthy and live an active life.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body has high blood sugar or glucose. Of the 19.3 million people in the United States with diabetes, type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of the cases. It is estimated that one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes sometime during their life.

By: Stacey Moore

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For more information and for survey findings, go to www.diabetes teamsite.com. Medical experts say patients should team up with their health care providers to optimize diabetes management and control.