The head bone’s connected to the neck bone.  The neck bone’s connected to the shoulder bone.  The shoulder bone’s connected to the arm bone.  And so on.  When you have diabetes, taking care of your body can feel a lot like progressing through this song.  Diabetes is a whole body disease.  It just happens to be controlled by blood sugar.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), a division of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), has several suggestions for maintaining the diabetic body, from the head down to the feet.  Specifically, there are steps to caring for the eyes, teeth, heart, kidneys, feet and nerves.

The NDIC recommends the following:

Eye Care:

Help prevent diabetic retinopathy ( blood vessel damage), cataracts (clouding of the lens) and glaucoma (increased fluid pressure) by getting a dilated eye examination at least once per year.

Teeth & Gum Care:

Brush and floss every day, especially after meals and snacks, keep dentures clean and see a dentist at least twice every year to keep teeth and gums healthy.  This may help to prevent or slow down gum disease, periodontis (gums pulling away from the teeth), loose or sensitive teeth and changes in bite.

Heart Care:

Help prevent damage to the heart and blood vessels by keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and fats within a range that your physician has determined is right for you.  Take any medications at the same time every day and ask your physician about adding aspirin if it is not already being taken.  Maintain a healthy weight by eating right and getting physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day.  If a smoker, create a plan to quit.  This will help minimize your risks for chest pain, heart attack, cardiomyopathy (narrowing of the vessels) and stroke.

Kidney Care:

Help prevent diabetic nephropathy (kidney problems), such as proteinuria (leakage of protein from the kidneys) and kidney failure, by keeping your blood pressure under 130/85, eating a healthy diet, treating kidney or bladder infections immediately and getting your urine checked once or twice per year for protein.

Foot Care:

Keep the feet clean and dry, wear properly fitting shoes with socks at all times and keep dry or cracked skin moisturized.  This will help to keep foot problems such as corns, calluses, blisters , warts, athlete’s foot or ingrown toenails from becoming infected and turning into more serious conditions.  When seeing your physician for your annual check-up, ask to have your circulation and nerve responses evaluated.

Nerve Care:

Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) can occur when there is damage to the blood vessels that supply the nerves with oxygen or there is damage to the nerve covering.  This can cause nerves to stop sending messages, cause them to send the wrong messages or cause them to send messages too slowly.  This means that if nerve damage is present, feeling may not be as good.  Without proper inspection and care for the body, an infection may go unnoticed and become something more serious.

It is clear that diabetes is a whole body disease.  Keeping your blood sugar levels within the proper range is the best defense against any of the above complications.  Talking regularly with your physician and caring for your entire body will help ensure better health from your head bone all the way down to your foot bone.

For more information on care for the diabetic body, contact the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at www.niddk.nih.gov.