Ask Diabetes Health

I'm a 53 years old, and have been told to exercise regularly to keep my Diabetes under control, but rheumatoid arthritis prevents me from heavy physical activity. Does exercise really help in my case?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease affecting joint tissues. It causes difficulty in movement of the joints in the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles and feet. While the condition makes it difficult to engage in physical activity, some form of regular exercise is actually helpful to ease the symptoms. Along with the prescribed medication, optimal treatment of arthritis involves a multidisciplinary approach, including patient education in self-management, weight loss, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Exercise specifically helps in

• Pain reduction

• Reduces joint stiffness

• Maintains/improves muscle strength around the affected joints

• Prevents functional decline

• Improves overall mental health and the quality of life

Consult your physiotherapist before embarking on an exercise regime.

Gouri Choundikar

Consultant Physiotherapist

I'm 29 years old and was just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The doctor has asked me to check my sugars regularly. Why should a person with Diabetes check his/her sugar levels frequently? Isn't it enough to check once every year or so?

Glucose levels fluctuate, depending on the diet, exercise, stress and medications. Periodic variations in glucose levels require changes in medication. For instance let us consider a person taking insulin injections. If his/her fasting blood sugar had been 110 mg/dl the previous month and then over the next one month, diet control and exercise compliance have led to the fasting blood sugar to come down to 70 mg/dl, it is time to reduce the dose of insulin. However, if the patient does not check his/her blood glucose level, and continues the same dose of insulin, then this situation could lead to dangerously low glucose levels. Such low glucose levels may even be life-threatening. The converse is also possible. Therefore it is important that patients check their sugar levels regularly.

Dr A G Unnikrishnan

Endocrinologist and CEO