Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how the body processes glucose. Glucose is carried to the body’s cells by insulin, but diabetics don’t produce enough insulin or, in some cases, don’t use it properly. As a result, they experience problems with persistently high blood sugar, which can lead to a wide range of unpleasant symptoms and dangerous complications.

Getting an early diagnosis is the key to coming up with an effective diabetes management plan. At traditional clinics, that usually means taking prescription drugs, but diabetic patients may benefit just as much, if not more, from seeking holistic care. People who are afraid they may be developing diabetes can read on to find out about the most common signs it’s time to seek professional holistic care.

Symptoms of Diabetes

High blood sugar levels can have a range of impacts on a patient’s body and life. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes include:

• Frequent need to urinate, especially at night
• Extreme thirst
• Unintentional weight changes
• Seemingly constant hunger
• Blurry vision
• Numbness or tingling in hands and feet
• Fatigue
• Dry skin
• Slow-healing sores
• An increase in infection frequency

People with any type of diabetes may experience the symptoms listed above. Those who have type 1 diabetes may also experience nausea and vomiting or stomach pain.

What’s the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes both cause high blood sugar levels, but they’re a little bit different. While type 2 diabetes takes years to develop and often shows up in adulthood, the onset of type 1 diabetes symptoms is generally quite fast.

Patients with type 1 diabetes can develop symptoms in weeks or months, rather than years, and tend to be diagnosed in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood instead of as older adults. However, both types of diabetes can occur in patients of any age.

Why Seek Holistic Care?

Many patients who are seeking holistic diabetes care have already received a diagnosis from their primary care doctors and have undergone traditional treatments. These patients usually receive vague recommendations to eat healthier and exercise more often along with prescriptions for oral and injected medications.

Traditional medical treatments usually focus on maintaining healthy blood sugar levels or controlling specific symptoms of diabetes. Holistic practitioners, on the other hand, view their patients as whole people and focus not just on treating or managing symptoms but also on improving overall health, wellness, and quality of life. They usually have more knowledge about diet and nutrition, appropriate forms of exercise, and adjunctive treatments that take not just physical but also mental health into account.

Diabetic patients who are unhappy with the level of care they’re receiving from their primary physicians or traditional medical specialists shouldn’t hesitate to add a holistic provider to their care team. These experts can provide advanced testing and effective holistic treatment for diabetes, and they’ll always treat patients with the aim of improving their entire lives, not just their symptoms. Whether patients have already received an official diagnosis or not, they can benefit from seeking holistic care as soon as possible.

James Montano