Type 2 Diabetes Management

Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus type 2, is a disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough or properly use insulin. It is the most common form of the disease, accounting for up to 95 percent of diabetics. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions in America, due to an increased number of seniors, as well as a greater prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

In addition, obesity is increasingly viewed as a serious and growing public health problem. Excessive body weight has been shown to predispose people to various diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis, among others.

Managing diabetes with Northwestern Medicine

Nutrition services at Northwestern Medicine offer one-on-one nutrition and weight management counseling to help you meet your health goals and better manage medical conditions. For instance, registered dietitians will meet with you to develop long-term goals and food plans that complement your lifestyle and preferences. In addition, our accredited outpatient Diabetes Education Programs provide comprehensive education and training on diabetes with our staff of certified diabetes educators and dietitians.

Our services are designed to help you stay healthy, as well as promptly diagnose and effectively treat you when necessary. We also can help you manage a chronic condition. Our aim is to be your partner for achieving and maintaining your overall good health.

Find the support you need to fight back against diabetes. You’ll have a wide range of trusted resources to help you stay healthy for life, including group training, individual assessment and specialized programs.

A host of helpful services are here for you, including:

• Comprehensive training to help you use blood sugar monitors and insulin pumps
• Educational materials for adults and children in English and Spanish
• Meal planning support–-with a flexible approach
• Nutrition counseling
• Spanish translators to assist you by phone during your diabetes training

Self-management training

A step-by-step diabetes education program helps you take control of diabetes. After an initial meeting to review your health history, current health status and goals, you’ll complete a four-session training program. The specialists will review your blood pressure, A1C, blood sugar records and lipids throughout the program.

Topics include:

• Adjusting to diabetes
• Blood glucose monitoring and target goals
• Carbohydrate counting and food labels
• Heart health and meal planning
• Learning about diabetes and related topics such as A1C
• Foot care
• Goal setting/review of goals
• Health history review
• Lifestyle changes, including healthy eating, exercise and balancing stress
• Medications
• Preventing and managing complications
• Problem solving
• Sick day management

See below for all Northwestern Medicine locations offering Diabetes services and education.