Frequent Awareness, Effective Balance Diet Control Diabetes- Chief Medical Director
Ismail Umar, Sokoto
The Chief Medical Director of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Dr Anas Sabir, said regular educational awareness, an effective balance diet and exercise are key to diabetes prevention. Dr Sabir stated this at a monthly clinical presentation of the hospital on a topic tagged ” Seven Steps to Diabetic Cure”: A Self Case Study by Professor Bappa Adamu a lecturer and Consultant Nephrologist, Head Department of Internal Medicine, University of Bisha Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He said diabetic disease is dynamic and adequate patient education by doctors would help to monitor and control it as it’s highly complicated. “Every patient needs to key in as the disease keeps changing.
“It’s the responsibility of all to encourage regular exercise and ensure taking well-balanced diet to enable patient manage the disease,” he noted. The CMD further urged people to always adhere to a good lifestyle, and proper exercise especially using the advantage of fuel subsidy removal to do more trekking for effective prevention of Diabetic disease.
Earlier, the paper presenter, Professor Bappa Adamu, a Lecturer and Consultant Nephrologist, Head Department of Internal Medicine, University of Bisha Kingdom of Saudi Arabia highlighted some of the causes of diabetes especially type 2 which is the commonest among people. He explained that it is the combination of genetic sub-suitability that makes someone have the risk of having diabetes.
” Genetic sub-suitability alone needs to have a permissive environmental factor for diabetes to manifest, like poor diet, weight gain as well sedentary life that’s lack of exercise.
” Others are vitamin D, and C and also magnesium deficiency,” he noted.
According to Professor Bappa, before diabetes was termed an incurable disease, but now based on scientific research it was proven that it can be reversed particularly type 2.
“We advise that the patient who wants to reverse their diabetes have to be committed to their goals and should do that in consultation with their physicians not on their own because they could have a potential complication of worsening the diabetes and die of the complication.
” so they must meet their physician and he would access them and find out that whether they are candidates for reversal because not every type two diabetic patient can be reversed, it has to be selected patients that are potentially reversible,” Professor Bappa explained.
Professor Bappa highlighted the seven steps that diabetic patients can follow to either reverse the disease or control it as follows:
1. Know and believe that type 2 DM is potentially reversible
2. Overcome procrastination and start the process of type 2 reversal if you are a candidate
3. Consult your endocrinologist/diabetologist to assess your suitability for type 2 DM reversal,
4. Have a plan and stick to your goal (it’s yours) Start CGM if possible, or at least close use of a glucometer
5. Evaluate and treat for reversible causes of insulin resistance
6. Optimize lifestyle modifications (the longest phase) while tapering insulin and OHA
7. Achieve physical and metabolic health (reversal)
Also in his remarks, the Chairman Diabetic Patients Association in Sokoto State, Sidi Aminu Sifawa, commended the organizers of the event which he described as educative. He noted that the association would sensitise their members on how to use the seven steps to reverse or control diabetic disease.
Sifawa thanked the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Anas Sabir, for his concern for diabetic patients, especially for his various interventions. He assured their continued support and cooperation to the hospital for the overall health benefits of their members.