Diabetes And Pre-Diabetes Specialist
Progressive Medical Center
Integrative Functional Medicine & Health and Wellness Center located in Dunwoody, Atlanta, GA
Before you develop the dangerously high blood sugar levels that qualify as diabetes, you go through a less severe phase called prediabetes. Benjamin Johnston Sr., MD, and the team at Progressive Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia, specialize in diagnosing and treating diabetes at the earliest possible stage. The earlier you get treatment for diabetes and prediabetes, the less damage your body sustains and the better you feel, so call Progressive Medical Center to arrange a diabetes evaluation or book an appointment online today.
Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Q & A
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes a hormone imbalance. The problem starts when insulin, a hormone produced in your pancreas that processes sugars, becomes imbalanced.
That can lead to fluctuations in your blood sugar that trigger a range of health problems, from diabetic peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and kidney failure to loss of sight and heart disease. Diabetes also increases your risk of serious health problems like strokes and cancer and could shorten your lifespan.
What are the different types of diabetes?
There are several types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where your pancreas can’t make insulin. It usually develops at a young age and is incurable. Type 2 diabetes is what most people have and is generally due to having a high-sugar diet, obesity, and lack of exercise. Gestational diabetes affects women during pregnancy.
Before you develop Type 2 diabetes, you enter a stage called prediabetes. This is where your blood sugar levels are higher than they should be but not high enough to qualify as Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is fully reversible in most cases, so identifying this condition and getting treatment could significantly improve your health.
How are diabetes and prediabetes treated?
Patients with Type 1 diabetes require insulin therapy for life. Women with gestational diabetes need monitoring and possibly treatment to prevent the baby from getting too big, but they should find their condition resolves after birth. Treating Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes requires a holistic approach, which Progressive Medical Center specializes in providing.
Its experts find that the most effective treatment for diabetes and prediabetes is changing your diet. Avoiding such things as processed foods, sugar, starch, vegetable and hydrogenated oils, and fried foods has a significant impact on diabetes and prediabetes. Your provider can show you how to substitute these with healthy whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein.
With the right approach, you can reverse prediabetes and even long-standing Type 2 diabetes, as well as other chronic health conditions like high blood pressure. Your provider creates a personalized plan for you that combines treatments such as:
- Customized diet
- Nutritional supplements
- Exercise routine
- Physical therapies
- IV infusion therapy
- Detoxification
Progressive Medical Center also uses specialized diagnostic testing to look for other issues affecting your diabetes or prediabetes, such as food sensitivities, digestive disorders, inflammation, heart health, hormone imbalances, and toxicity.
Progressive Medical Center has had outstanding results from its diabetes management program, with patients who’ve lost over 100 pounds and been able to quit taking their diabetes medications.
To find out how to combat diabetes and prediabetes using your unique metabolism, call Progressive Medical Center or book an appointment online today.