Diabetes

Diabetes services offered in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, Columbia and Bowie, MD

Diabetes is a severe chronic disease that requires careful daily management. Rakesh Malik, MD and the team of physician assistants at Doctors First offer comprehensive medical care for men, women, and children in Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, or Bowie, Maryland. To learn more about how you can stay healthy with diabetes, call now or book your appointment online.

Diabetes Q & A

What does insulin have to do with diabetes?

Insulin is the all-important hormone that your pancreas releases to help control blood glucose levels. Its primary job is to clear glucose from your blood and get it to your muscles, fat, and liver to be used as energy. Insulin is known as the storage hormone because it shuttles excess glucose to your liver for later usage.

Glucose is sugar that comes from the foods you eat. It is your body’s primary source of energy.

What is diabetes?

When your body doesn't correctly process blood sugar, and you don’t respond to standard amounts of insulin, you have diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune illness that prevents your body from making insulin. Therefore, children and adults with Type 1 are required to take insulin in a supplemental form.

Type 1 diabetes is irreversible, but advances in education and medicine make it possible to keep blood sugar levels stable to stay healthy.

Symptoms of Type 1 are excessive thirst and urination, weight loss, fatigue, and blurry vision.

Type 2

The most common form of diabetes, Type 2 typically develops in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes forms after years of overproduction of insulin due to poor diet and sedentary lifestyle factors. With Type 2, you’re insulin resistant because your body no longer responds to insulin effectively.

Symptoms of Type 2 are weight gain or loss, abnormal thirst, excessive urination with an unusual odor, and areas of darkened skin in your groin or armpit.

How is diabetes treated?

Treatment for diabetes begins with diet and lifestyle changes. The general recommendation to lower sugar-laden food intake, reduce consumption of simple carbohydrates, and get regular exercise applies to both type 1 and type 2 diabetics.

Whether you need insulin or oral medication to manage your diabetes, the skilled providers at Doctors First help you monitor and maintain strict control of your diabetes. Dr. Malik or one of the physician assistants at Doctors First monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar, check your feet and body for effects of the illness, keep your prescriptions up to date, and share new protocols or treatments as they develop.

If you’re fighting diabetes and need support, call for an appointment or click on the scheduler below.

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