If you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar is crucial to prevent nerve damage. In this Health Smarts video, Dr. Oz shares a smart plan to keep your circulation healthy to protect your limbs.
Hi, I'm Dr. Oz, a Type-2 diabetes diagnosis is serious, if you don't get your blood sugar under control you could lose a limb. Over time chronically high blood sugars damage the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Nerve damage makes it difficult to feel a cut or scrape and you may not notice it until it's infected.
If the wound can't heal, amputation may be the only way to prevent infection from spreading throughout your body, but here is the good news, you can prevent this. First, bring your A1C to 7% or less, you can do this by walking, you want to aim for about 10, 000 steps a day, avoid all foods with added sugars or syrups, and any grain that isn't 100% whole grain.
You'll stabilize your blood sugar and you will lose weight, inspect your feet daily for a blister, scrape or cut and if one does appear you got to see a doctor for treatment quickly. Finally stick to your medication, treatment and ask your doctor about taking a statin. That's a drug that can help lower your triglyceride and bad LDL cholesterol levels, but also help keep your circulation flowing. I'm Dr. Oz for more great ways to manage diabetes check out all of our smart tips.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body loses sensitivity to insulin, causing high blood sugar levels. Learn about the symptoms and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, as well as preventing complications, such as blindness and diabetic neuropathy.
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