Lifestyle Management of Diabetes Mellitus (DM): Healthy Living & Self-Management

Healthy Living

• Encourage a long-term healthy diet, recognizing diverse diets and needs.
• Calculate and optimize patient's BMI (mass in kilograms/height in metres²)
  Target BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m²
  Note that desirable BMI range may be lower for certain populations, (e.g. Asian, Pacific).
• Measure and optimize patient's waist circumference (WC).
  Targets for WC: M ≤ 94 cm; F ≤ 80 cm (Europid, Sub-Saharan African, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern); M ≤ 90 cm; F ≤ 80 cm (South Asian, Chinese, Japanese, South and Central American)⁶.
• Encourage aerobic exercise (30 min/day) and resistance exercise (i.e. weights) 3 sessions/week. Aerobic exercise and/or resistance training may also benefit elderly people with type 2 DM and can be recommended if not contraindicated. Consider an ECG stress test for previously sedentary people with additional risk factors for CVD who wish to undertake exercise more vigorous than brisk walking.
• At each visit encourage patient to stop smoking; provide support as needed.

Self-Management

• Educate patients regarding basic clinical management measurements such as blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C), BP (blood pressure), and lipid profile. Encourage patients to accept responsibility for the care of their DM and develop a mutually acceptable management plan, including an identified primary care provider and individualized self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).

Source:

Nadeem Zia, B.Pharm, RPh,

OpenDoor Team, www.OpenDoor.cc

Consulting Pharmacist, Vancouver, BC Canada

LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/NadeemPharmacist

Google + : google.com/+NadeemZiaRPh

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Reference: 1. http://www.bcguidelines.ca/guideline_diabetes.html
                  2. http://www.bcguidelines.ca/pdf/diabetes_summary.pdf

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