Diabetes is a long-term condition in which the body has trouble controlling blood sugar and using it for energy. With Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to use sugar to fuel muscles and other tissues. Eventually the body makes too much insulin and blood sugar rises. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and can cause other serious health problems including heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Today, about 1 in 10 Americans have Type 2 diabetes. Symptoms often start slowly. They can include greater thirst and hunger, frequent trips to the bathroom, and weight loss that happens without trying. The disease can also cause tiredness, blurry vision, slow-healing sores, and numbness or tingling in the feet or fingers.
If you or a family member have any of the symptoms above, please schedule a visit with your primary care provider for evaluation and testing. Your primary care provider can help support and guide you, and is a great source of information. They can help with:
Childhood obesity rates are rising rapidly, and so are the rates of Type 2 diabetes in children. More than 75% of children with Type 2 diabetes have a close relative who has it, too. Shared habits, more than genes, are responsible for the increased risk. Consider making healthy changes that benefit the whole family, including:
Establishing care with a primary care provider is very important. If you do not have a primary care provider, Astria Health Centers offer primary care, pediatricians, and specialty services. And when you need a specialist for more support managing your diabetes. Astria Health offers podiatry to care for foot problems, endocrinologists, sleep medicine, and wound care specialists. Physicians and nurse practitioners see patients throughout the Lower Yakima Valley, from Prosser through Union Gap, and are accepting new patients. Visit www.astria.health/locations to find the health center closest to you.
