Diabetes

COVID may act as a disease accelerator

 A large US study published estimated that anyone with a positive covid-19 test has about a 40 percent higher chance of developing any diabetes in the following year compared with uninfected people. A similar German study found an increased risk for type 2 diabetes of 28 percent over about four months. 

COVID-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of diabetes, consistent findings of a meta-analysis.

Diabetes is a long-lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. And while some people can control their blood sugar levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to manage it.

 Diagnosis and Tests

• A1c. It’s like an average of your blood glucose over the past 2 or 3 months.
• Fasting plasma glucose (fasting blood sugar test). It measures your blood sugar on an empty stomach. You won’t be able to eat or drink anything except water for 8 hours before the test.
• Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This checks your blood glucose before and 2 hours after you drink something sweet to see how your body handles the sugar.

TCM treatment principles 

• Choose a healthy lifestyle: lose weight, exercise, Eat healthy and quit smoking. 
• Know your numbers. You can track your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight.
• Prevent complications.
• Treatment with TCM.

Under the condition that the primary treatment of diabetic patients remains unchanged, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine therapy can be applied to the early and middle stages of type 2 diabetes to help regulate and control blood sugar. It can also be used in the late stage of diabetes to improve the peripheral circulation of diabetic patients. Delaying the occurrence of diabetic complications can improve the quality of life of patients and prolong the survival period of patients. 

TCM therapy provides a new method and new idea for helping type 2 diabetes and provides a safe, effective treatment method for diabetic patients.

Reference

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