Diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high.

Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your blood. Glucose is a sugar that you get from food and drink.

There are 2 main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes – a lifelong condition where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.

Type 2 diabetes – where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin properly.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. In the UK, over 90% of all adults with diabetes have type 2.

This blog will concentrate more on prediabetes and what it is. It will also look at symptoms, causes and how to prevent it. It does not need to be a struggle for anyone who is well informed. It will also look at how massage affects diabetes and whether it is a good option for those who struggle with diabetes.

Prediabetes symptoms

You may find it amazing to learn that prediabetes doesn’t have any symptoms. If you start to have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes it means you have probably already developed it.

It therefore becomes even more important to know the risk factors and what support is available to help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

A lot of people don’t get any symptoms when it comes to type 2 diabetes, or don’t notice them. But often the warning signs may include:

  • going to the toilet more often, especially at night
  • feeling more tired because your body can’t get enough glucose in to your cells for energy.
  • losing weight without trying – which is more associated with type 1 diabetes.
  • genital itching or thrush
  • cuts and wounds taking longer to heal.
  • blurred vision.
  • feeling extremely thirsty.

Causes of prediabetes

Currently, 13.6 million people are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the UK. If you’ve been told you have prediabetes, (Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes – this is determined by the doctor through blood tests) this is a warning sign that you are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is you don’t have it yet and type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed.

Preventing type 2 diabetes by managing and taking charge of prediabetes

By making changes to diet, increasing physical activity and losing weight, about half of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed in some people.

Being at risk doesn’t mean you will develop type 2 diabetes. The following suggestions will help you beat prediabetes and therefore prevent the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

 

Manage your weight

If you are overweight or living with obesity and are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Losing just 5% of your body weight can significantly reduce your risk. There are many ways to lose weight and it comes down to finding what works best for you. This can be discussed in person when you make a massage appointment or book for personal training sessions.

Eat a healthy and balanced diet 

There’s no one special diet fits all. Everyone is individual, but the food and drink we have in our overall diet is linked to our risk of developing type 2 diabetes. As a nutritional advisor, this can be discussed when you make an appointment.

As an example, if your overall diet is made up of food and drinks that are mostly processed, high in salt and sugar, low in fibre content, then this is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. But the good news is that by changing some of your food choices, you can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Be more active

If you have a sedentary lifestyle, which is one where you mostly spend time sitting down, you are at a greater risk of type 2 diabetes.

So being active in your daily life can help to reduce this risk. This doesn’t mean you need to rush out and join a new sport or a gym. You could make small changes in your everyday life so that you are being more active every day. Think about taking phone calls standing up, using stairs instead of the lift, dancing when you hear some good music and going for a walk on your lunch break.

To sum up, what needs to happen with your diet when diagnosed with prediabetes:

  1. Clean Up Your Diet. One of the most important lifestyle changes to reverse prediabetes is eating a healthy diet.
  2. Count Your Carbohydrates.
  3. Reduce Sugar Intake.
  4. Drink Enough Water.
  5. Exercise Regularly.
  6. Maintain a Healthy Weight for your height.
  7. Quit Smoking.
  8. Reduce Alcohol Intake.

 

What about diabetes and massage

 

Massage is mostly fine for people with Diabetes but there are a few things that you may need to consider:

  • Blood sugar – massage can lower blood sugar so eat a small meal before a massage or bring a snack to eat afterwards, in case you need it.
  • Peripheral neuropathy – if you have neuropathy (nerve damage in the feet and hands) it is important to let the massage therapist know. You are then in charge of stating if more or less pressure is needed to be applied to these areas in particular.

Many diabetics find massage helpful to ease the discomfort of neuropathy and find it helps relieve muscular pain which allows them to rely less on painkillers.

 

 

 

Diabetes and Massage: Benefits

There are many benefits of massage therapy to the diabetic patient, including improved circulation, relaxation, and increased mobility and flexibility.

Increased circulation can improve cellular intake of glucose and insulin. Connective tissue massage can improve blood circulation in the lower limbs of Type-2 diabetic patients. Massage may be useful in slowing the progression of peripheral arterial disease.

The relaxation effected by massage can help relief the stress with having chronic disease; massage calms the nervous system.

The positive myofascial effects of massage therapy can increase mobility and tissue elasticity.

The benefits of massage

  1. Frees up any tightness of thick connective tissues, this then increases mobility for the patient.
  2. Improves tissue elasticity, which improves mobility.
  3. Lowers blood glucose levels as metabolism improves.
  4. Improve effects of stress upon the body due to the chronic nature.

If you are interested in a deep tissue massage then please do get in touch with me, there is no contraindication to having a massage, but you should observe certain precautions:

  • Stay well hydrated before during and after your treatment.
  • notify your therapist of any areas that are bothering you.
  • make certain your blood sugars are controlled before the treatment.
  • If you plan on delaying a meal because of scheduling, make certain you eat something before going into your treatment, so you do not become hypoglycaemic (low blood) during your massage.

If you have any further questions or would like to make an appointment for a massage or to book personal training sessions, then please do get in touch with me.