Diabetes Medical Reference
- Diabetes and Hallucinations
If you have diabetes and your blood sugar gets very high, you can have hallucinations. They're one sign of a serious condition called diabetic hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome. Learn more about what can cause them.
- What to Know About Diabetes and Snacks
Can you eat your favorite chips and sweet treats if you have diabetes? Snacks are OK, but you do need to choose them wisely to avoid blood sugar spikes.
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Learn more about this hormone and whether or not it can help treat type 2 diabetes.
- Millet for Diabetes: How It Affects Blood Sugar
Millet is an ancient grain that's packed with nutrition. Replacing other grains in your diet with millet might help you control high blood sugar.
- Medical ID Bracelets for Diabetes
A medical identification (ID) bracelet can save your life, especially if you have diabetes. Here’s what you need to know to choose the right one for you.
- What Is Acetone Breath, and Is It Tied to Diabetes?
Bad breath happens to us all, but sometimes it’s the sign of a serious illness. If your breath smells like acetone -- the same scent as nail polish remover -- it could be a complication of diabetes or other health conditions.
- Diabetic Amyotrophy
Diabetic amyotrophy is a rare kind of diabetic neuropathy. It causes serious pain, usually in the hip and thigh, and muscle weakness. Learn more about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Fighting Heart Failure: Small Changes, Big Difference
Diabetes raises your risk for heart failure, but small changes you make every day can keep your condition under control and help you avoid heart failure symptoms.
- SGLT2 Inhibitors: Everything You Need to Know
Find out why your doctor might suggest a type of medicine called SGLT2 inhibitors to treat type 2 diabetes, and find out about possible side effects.
- COVID-19 and Diabetes
People with diabetes need to take special care to avoid COVID-19. Learn what you need to do to stay healthy.
- What Is an Anion Gap Test?
Learn how an anion gap test can check the levels of acid in your blood, and find out about the conditions that the test results can reveal.
- What Is Benfotiamine?
Benfotiamine is a synthetic form of vitamin B1 that some people think may help with diabetes-related nerve damage and other conditions. Here’s what the research says.
- Stages of Diabetic Kidney Disease
Learn about the symptoms that you may get in the different stages of diabetic kidney disease, also called diabetic nephropathy.
- CBD and Diabetes
CBD, or cannabidiol, isn’t approved to treat diabetes, but scientists are studying how it might affect the condition. Here’s what you need to know.
- When You Need Both Oral and Injectable Type 2 Meds
A healthy lifestyle and pills are often all you need to manage type 2 diabetes. But some people need injectable medicine to control their sugar level, too.
- Answers to Your Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Concerns
After a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, you'll likely have some concerns about how to manage it. From lifestyle changes to insulin, learn what to expect.
- Diabetes Insipidus vs. Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus may sound similar, but they’re two unrelated diseases with different problems and different treatments. WebMD explains the symptoms and how to manage the diseases.
- Diabetes Patches: What Are They, and Do They Work?
Diabetes patches come in several forms. The ones that you can trust are part of a system that either delivers insulin or monitors your blood sugar. Find out how these diabetes patches work -- and which diabetes patches don’t work.
- Vegan Diet for People Who Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes, going vegan may help you manage your blood sugar. But what does “going vegan” mean? Here’s what you need to know.
- How to Lower Your A1c Level
These lifestyle changes may help you bring down your A1c level if you have type 2 diabetes.
- Diabetes and Your Pancreas
Your pancreas plays an important role in breaking down food and controlling blood sugar levels. See the links between the pancreas and diseases such as diabetes, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer.
- Diabetes Test Strips
Diabetes test strips are used with blood glucose monitors to measure your blood sugar. Learn how they work, how to save money, and how to get the most accurate reading.
- How to Beat Carb Cravings
Carb cravings: Most of us have them. But if you give in to them too often, it can impact your health. Find out why you have that urge for carbs, and how you can get the upper hand.
- Diabetes and Heart Health: Can Tracking Help?
Tracking other parts of your health -- your diet, amount of exercise, weight, and changes in your heart rate -- can help you lower your risk diabetes complications like heart disease.
- Diabetes: Not a Personal Failure
Don’t believe the diabetes-equals-failure myth. Control what you can through diet and exercise.
- Skills to Master for Diabetes and Heart Health
A few specific skills can help you control your diabetes and prevent heart problems down the road.
- Metformin: Uses and Side Effects
Metformin is a common, effective treatment for diabetes. But it can cause digestive problems and other side effects. Here’s what to watch for.
- Does Metformin Cause Weight Loss?
Studies have linked metformin to losing weight, but it’s not considered a weight loss drug. Here’s what you need to know.
- Diabetes and Fruit
Find out more about how fruits can be part of a healthy meal plan when you have diabetes.
- Ways to Avoid Insulin Shock
If you have diabetes, insulin shock is a possibility. Learn how you can avoid this serious medical condition.
- How to Care for Diabetic Ulcers and Sores
Having diabetes can make you more likely to get ulcers and sores -- on your feet and other parts of your body. Find out what helps prevent them.
- What Is Diuresis?
Sometimes your body makes more pee than usual to get rid of something. It does this by a process called diuresis. Find out what can cause this process to start and when you need to see your doctor about it.
- Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy
It’s the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes. Learn the stages of this disease and how it can affect your vision.
- Is There a Hypoglycemia Diet?
Find out what to eat if you have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), with or without diabetes.
- How Insulin Treatment Lowers Your Blood Sugar
When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make insulin or can't use it very well. Learn how insulin treatment mimics your body's natural way of lowering blood sugar.
- Insulin: How Does It Work?
Learn how this hormone helps your body use and store energy. And find out what happens when your pancreas doesn't make enough insulin.
- Things That Make Diabetes Tough to Control
A lot of common things can derail your best efforts to keep your diabetes in check. But knowing what to watch for can help you stay on track.
- Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?
Although there's no cure for type 2 diabetes, studies show it's possible for some people to reverse it. Learn what that means and how you might do it.
- So You Have Type 2 Diabetes: Now What?
Start with these seven things to help you learn to manage your type 2 diabetes when you've found out you have it.
- Can You Fast If You Have Diabetes?
If you have diabetes, is it safe to fast, and does it help manage your condition? Find out what the risks are.
- Does Bitter Melon Help With Diabetes?
Studies show that bitter melon may help with symptoms for a variety of illnesses. Find out more about this little-known food and if it’s really a “magic bullet” for managing your blood sugar.
- What Is Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young?
Find out the causes, symptoms, and treatment of MODY, a rare kind of diabetes, and learn how it differs from type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- Uncommon Diabetes Types: Symptoms and Treatment
Find out what to expect if you have MODY or LADA, two rare types of diabetes that share some features of type 1 and type 2 diabetes but have their own symptoms and treatments.
- Diabetes Emergencies: How You Can Help
Learn how to recognize when someone with diabetes is in trouble and what first aid you can offer in these situations.
- When Diabetes Affects Your Relationship
Is your diabetes causing strain with your partner? Learn how you can strengthen your relationship -- and your health.
- Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
Sometimes your blood sugar levels can get too low, even if you don't have diabetes. Hypoglycemia can have several causes and often happens when you haven't eaten in a while. Learn more about the signs of hypoglycemia and what to do next.
- What to Eat in Pregnancy With Type 1 or 2 Diabetes
When you’re pregnant with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you need to get the right nutrients for your baby and keep your blood sugar stable. Learn what to eat and avoid.
- Facts About Mealtime Sugar Spikes
Learn how you can recognize -- and avoid -- a sharp rise in your post-meal blood sugar.
- Meals and Insulin: Timing Is Key
If you have diabetes, your meals and insulin may need to be planned out, so that your blood sugar stays steady.
- Controlling Blood Sugar Spikes With Diet, Exercise
Yes, medicine can help manage your diabetes. But so can what you eat and how active you are.