Don’t follow self-healing methods to control diabetes, says diabetologists

Diabetologists stress importance of proper knowledge, cooperation with doctors, and debunk myths in diabetes management.

Diabetes is a major health threat and an economic burden, say diabetologists.

Diabetics should understand their condition based on proper knowledge and coooperate with doctors and strictly follow what they prescrib, instead of falling for self-healing methods circulated on social media, said diabetologists from Kauvery Group of Hospitals in Tamil Nadu, speaking at a webinar organised by The Hindu.

Speaking at a webinar on Diabetes Management on World Diabetes Day, the doctors reminded that diabetes is a ticking bomb in India with 101 million people living with diabetes and 130 million people being pre-diabetic. The webinar was presented by The Hindu in collaboration with Kauvery Hospitals to raise awareness among people about the disease which cannot be cured but taken care of for a long and healthy life.

R. Shanmugasundaram, senior consultant diabetologist from Salem, busted several myths about the health condition and said that consistency is the key in maintaining one’s health. “Diabetes, like high blood pressure, show no symptoms; it is a chronic disease that makes early identification and timely medication important. Diet and exercise alone do not help. Regular testing is the only reliable way to monitor blood sugar levels,” he said.

P. Gowri, senior consultant diabetologist from Trichi, spoke on Diabetic Foot Attack. “The way people are aware of heart attack or kidney diseases, they ought to be alert to foot problems as well in order to avoid a costly burden later,” she said. She adds, “It is important to identify any type of ulcer in foot and go for early treatment,”

K. Baraneedharan, senior diabetologist from Chennai, spoke about how new medications and technology are set to change diabetes management in future. He gave examples of the real time Glucose Monitoring System: a device attached on the body and connected to an app for continuous monitoring — both by the individual and physician — and new drugs are being promoted as alternatives to insulin injections.