Simply referred to as diabetes, diabetes mellitus is when the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin through the pancreas or the body doesn’t properly respond to the insulin being produced, and a high blood sugar level is the result. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas and is needed to turn sugar and other food into energy.

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor has possibly prescribed changes in eating habits, weight control and exercise programs. You might also have started medication to keep your fasting blood glucose level in check. Some medications have side effects, so be sure to ask your doctor what they are. Keeping the surprises to a minimum will help you maintain a healthier lifestyle.

In addition to this, ask your doctor about diabetes clinical trials in your area. They are designed specifically to test the safety and efficacy of treatments on humans. And think about this…you could be part of a study that discovers a new diabetes treatment medication.

In the third quarter of 2009, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reported that diabetes was on the rise in the United States. Compared to the first quarter of 2008, there was an 11.3% increase, which means 26 million American adults now have diabetes. Their estimates predict an increase of another 15% by the end of 2015, which is 37 million American adults will have diabetes. Clearly this is a disturbing trend.

Diabetes treatments are one of the research studies we’ve been working on here in the Orlando, Florida area. Some of our investigational treatments have shown promising results, but we need to do additional research studies to test investigational methods that may help us understand your condition. If you are near our diabetes Orlando center, or the area surrounding, please call us at 386.310.1334.