Diabetes – A is for Attitude

The letter ‘A’, the third letter of the word DIABETIC, stands for Attitude – because one of the most important factors in effectively managing this disease called Diabetes is the patient’s Attitude to the condition.

When someone is newly diagnosed as having Diabetes, there are several possible ways they can react to this news.

Some people are quite blasé about the condition. They seem to think, “If I have a touch of blood sugar, so what?” and continue to conduct their lives paying no attention to the fact that they have a serious medical condition which, if it is badly controlled, will inevitably result in serious life-threatening complications. These people continue to eat what they want, drink what they want, smoke as much as they have been used to smoking and stay away from physical exercise of any form – almost as if to dare the disease to inflict its ill effects on them! Unfortunately, this type of person who is in denial of his or her illness is not uncommon in the world.

There are others who, given a diagnosis of Diabetes, fear the worst. Influenced perhaps by knowing other folk who have had diabetes and were badly affected by complications of the disease (having had an amputation of a toe or a foot or a leg, or having lost their vision) they imagine themselves progressing inexorably to the same sad situation. These are the patients who have given up the fight even before they have understood the disease.

How to Manage Diabetes Effectively

The best patients are those who, when faced with a diagnosis of Diabetes, take time to understand the condition, to learn all they can about the current management of this disease – and then motivate themselves to make the changes to their lifestyles that ensure they maintain optimum blood sugar control.

Discipline (represented by the first letter of the word DIABETIC being ‘D’) is important – so that you don’t regularly consume the foods that are rapidly converted into sugar and so raise your blood sugar level. Obtaining Information  (the second letter of the word DIABETIC) is also important so that you understand not only the value of eating foods that are low in their glycaemic (blood sugar elevating) value, but also appreciate the valuable role of physical exercise in reducing blood sugar levels. Your Attitude to the disease is extremely important so that you treat the disease not as something to be scared of or something to be ignored, but something to be treated with respect. Perhaps what you should try to cultivate is having an Attitude that looks on your Diabetes as a respected opponent – but an opponent who can be defeated by utilising the right weapons, the correct strategies and the most appropriate allies.

There is popular French song by Lorie which says, “Pour ça, moi j’ai trouvé un remède efficace: La positive attitude” . (For this I found myself an effective remedy: A Positive Attitude)

These words of Lorie are so true about the management of Diabetes – having a Positive Attitude is half the battle and the best remedy for getting control of this disease!!