Treating your diabetes
There are a number of treatments available to help you manage your diabetes. Alongside diabetes education courses, and making healthy lifestyle choices, these treatments can contribute to reducing your risk of diabetes complications, as well as help towards your general health and wellbeing.
Tablets and medication
As well as making lifestyle changes, people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes often need additional medications to control their diabetes, blood pressure and blood fats.
Insulin
Everyone with Type 1 diabetes, and some people with Type 2 diabetes, will need to take insulin for life, as you need the hormone to control your blood sugar levels (also called blood glucose levels).
Insulin pumps
An insulin pump is a different way of delivering insulin, and can be used as an alternative to injections.
Islet cell transplant
If you have Type 1 diabetes, an islet cell transplant may be available to you, and could stop you experiencing severe hypos.
Weight loss surgery
Studies have found that some weight loss surgery such as bariatric surgery or dietary approaches such as a very low calorie controlled diet, has helped put Type 2 diabetes into remission.
Type 2 diabetes remission
Some people with Type 2 diabetes are able to stop taking medication and put their diabetes into remission. This can be life-changing.
Healthy, balanced diet
Everybody should eat a balanced diet, whether they have diabetes or not. Eating too many high sugar, high fat foods can make you put on weight, which can affect your diabetes control.
Getting active
Staying active is an important part of managing diabetes, and can also help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve mental health and overall wellbeing.