Type 2 diabetes
For people with type 2 diabetes, doctors may provide drug therapy which, at best, merely delays "end stage" damage — permanent physical damage that profoundly affects quality of life. Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is a potentially reversible health condition.
Contact us today and let us help you start the reversal process. In the meantime, consider the following facts about type 2 diabetes:
- Type 2 diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and a relative lack of insulin. In adults, type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
- In type 2 diabetes, symptoms tend to surface gradually, if at all. Eventual symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include extreme thirst, frequent urination, sores that won’t heal, frequent infections (including vaginal infections for some women), tingling in the feet, and vision loss.
- In the US, diabetes is the 4th leading cause of death by disease, and the leading cause of blindness, amputations, impotence, and end-stage renal (kidney) disease.
- It is estimated that 29.1 million Americans (9.3% of the US population) have diabetes. Among those individuals, only 63.2% are aware that they have it.
- If current trends continue, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by the year 2050.
Type 2 diabetes is a potentially reversible health condition that Fettler Health can help you reverse. If it is not reversed, the following complications associated with type 2 diabetes — many of which are also potentially reversible — have been known to occur:
Heart Disease
Diabetes often leads to various cardiovascular conditions including coronary artery disease (CAD). Research suggests that up to 36% of people with prediabetes and 42% of people with type 2 diabetes have CAD. Statistics also report that approximately 75% of all diabetic patients ultimately die from heart disease.
Nerve Damage
People with type 2 diabetes risk damage to the nerves that allow them to feel things, move their muscles, and control their internal functions. The effects of such nerve damage range from tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the hands and feet, to digestive problems, incontinence, and sexual dysfunction.
Unhealed Wounds
People with type 2 diabetes often suffer from impaired circulation and damaged nerves, which, when combined, increase the risk of infection and slow-healing wounds that require intensive treatment. Areas often affected by infection include the feet, legs, and urinary tract.
Amputation
More than 56,000 amputations are performed every year on patients with diabetes, making diabetes the leading cause of nontraumatic amputations. The risk of leg amputation is up to forty times greater for a person with diabetes than for a person with normal blood glucose.
Vision Problems
Diabetic retinopathy — the leading cause of blindness in people ages 20 to 74 — refers to the damage to blood vessels of the retina caused by diabetes. Every year up to 24,000 Americans lose their sight because of vascular complications caused by diabetes. Glaucoma and cataracts are also more common in individuals with diabetes.
Kidney Damage
Diabetes often leads to kidney damage. At the time type 2 diabetes is first diagnosed, some patients may have fully functioning kidneys and others may not. Of the patients whose kidneys are fully functioning when their diabetes is first diagnosed, it has been estimated that within 5 years, 15% will develop early-stage diabetic kidney disease and 5% will develop more advanced kidney disease. Severe kidney damage associated with advanced kidney disease can lead to kidney failure, or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which requires either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Fettler Health provides the tools and services to help you reverse potentially reversible health conditions including those listed below.
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