Halloween Candy and Diabetes

Happy Halloween to all of you that celebrate! Today is the day that we pass out candy to all of the witches and goblins that come to our door. For those of you that are diabetic though, this can be a rough holiday to get through because of all of the sweets. Lots of sugar is the worst nightmare for a diabetic because it can send their sugar shooting through the roof. So, why exactly is sugar bad for a diabetic?

Diabetes can be thought of as a gateway disease because it opens the door to diseases affecting your heart, nerves, arteries, eyes and many other parts of your body. So, how do you prevent these body parts from being affected? Well, that answer is simple, keep your sugar down. By keeping your sugar within its normal limits you are decreasing the affect that is had on your body. There are many other ways to reduce the effects of diabetes on your body.

By adding exercise to your routine, you can begin to work to lose weight which will help to control your sugar levels and your diabetes. Exercise has become a word that brings negative connotations to many people. However, starting exercise can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking your car at the end of the Wal-Mart parking lot to walk into the store, going for a daily walk with your significant other or taking a walk around the office to stretch your legs.

Another great way to help your diabetes is to stop smoking. If you are a smoker, each time you smoke your blood sugar increases. Smoking also causes further damage to your blood vessels and nerves only exacerbating the effects of diabetes. By quitting smoking, you greatly decrease the likelihood of these other medical conditions.

Finally, monitoring your glucose daily allows you to gauge how you are doing with your diet and medications. If you are noticing that you are eating healthy foods and leaving as much sugar out of your diet as you can, you will know that you need to see your physician in order to assess your diabetic medications. It will also allow you to adjust your eating to keep your glucose within normal limits.

If you or someone you know is a diabetic patient, it is important that you form a relationship with a podiatrist to help prevent ulcers, infections, diabetic neuropathy and other conditions that result from diabetes. Our office staff would be more than happy to help you schedule an appointment, and we can be reached at (978) 794-8406. Dr. Wachtel will be happy to help you make the necessary adjustments to keep diabetes from controlling your life. Our offices serve the Tewksbury, Beverly, Billerica or North Andover, Massachusetts areas.