At Kern Medical, we are committed to helping our patients successfully
manage diabetes by utilizing the latest information, treatments, and medical
technology. Although there is no cure for diabetes, it is manageable,
and you can still live a full, productive life by integrating a healthy
diet, oral medication and/or insulin, and learning how to adapt to life
as a person with diabetes. Kern Medical offers multidisciplinary diagnosis,
assessment, management of diabetes along with patient education.
What is Diabetes?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that turns sugars (glucose)
into energy. Diabetes is a condition where the body, for reasons unknown,
does not produce enough or entirely stops producing insulin. When your
body can’t convert glucose into energy, it remains in the blood
and causes serious health problems. This is why patients with diabetes
need to inject themselves with insulin periodically throughout the day.
Unfortunately, insulin injections alone are not enough to manage diabetes.
While high blood sugar is dangerous, low blood sugar can be just as bad.
Patients with diabetes need to monitor their diet, activity, and blood
sugar to maintain proper blood sugar levels at all times.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes - This diabetes typically first develops in young children and teenagers,
which is why it used to be called “juvenile-onset diabetes.”
though it can occur at any age. It is the most severe form of diabetes
as it completely halts the production of insulin in the body. For reasons
doctors still do not know, the immune system turns on itself and starts
attacking the cells that produce insulin. Patients with type 1 need regular
insulin injections to stay alive.
Type 2 Diabetes – Sometimes called “adult-onset diabetes,” Type 2 diabetes usually
occurs after age 35, but it’s been known to happen at younger ages.
The body still produces some insulin at this stage, but not enough. It
typically occurs in people who are overweight and live a sedentary lifestyle.
Insulin injections are not always necessary for patients with this type,
as long as they maintain a healthy diet and exercise routines.
Gestational Diabetes - This is a temporary form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy. While
it is temporary, it still needs to be carefully managed to protect the
woman and the fetus. Additionally, women who develop gestational diabetes
are at an increased risk of developing permanent diabetes after pregnancy
and should take proper care to avoid this.
There are some other forms of diabetes, such as the inherited monogenic
diabetes, but these are rare. Most diabetes centers focus on the three
most common types.
If left unmanaged, diabetes can result in life-threatening health conditions:
