Coping with Diagnosis

When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, it's natural to experience a range of emotions-anger, sadness, depression, denial, fear or frustration. Discuss these feelings with your diabetes health team, who can refer you to a nutritionist, exercise specialist or therapist. These health professionals can work with you to create a program that meets your needs and helps you cope with the changes in your life. Enlist the support of family and friends who can help you stay on track. You can also tap into many other sources of support to help you manage the physical and emotional effects of living with this disease.

Living with diabetes doesn't mean your quality of life will suffer. Instead, it can provide an opportunity to take a fresh look at your lifestyle and eating habits and then make positive changes. Exercise and diet play a major role in the progression of the disease; you have the power to take control of your health and minimize diabetes' effects on your well being.

Where to Get Support

With 20.8 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes-seven percent of the population - many resources exist for managing the disease. For example, the American Diabetes Association sponsors discussion boards, annual diabetes walks and a web-based program to help people manage their diabetes. You can also turn to support groups-both in-person and online-and programs that deal with the practical and emotional aspects of the disease. Message boards and forums such as those available here on DiabetesCare.net section give you a place to ask for advice about general or specific topics and benefit from the experiences of a community of others like yourself. Finally, you can choose from the many publications and products on the market that make diabetes management easier. (See the Diabetes Resources section for a comprehensive listing of additional places to turn for help.)

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Thursday
November 20, 2008

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Regular exercise increases the number of insulin receptor sites on cells, making the body more sensitive to insulin.

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