Living with diabetes can seem scary and overwhelming if you are newly diagnosed or if you are having trouble controlling your diabetes. In order to understand how to live well with diabetes, it is important to understand the disease. There are two primary types of diabetes mellitus, type I and type II.

Type I diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce an adequate amount of the insulin hormone to properly metabolize blood glucose. The pancreas is the organ in the body that makes the insulin hormone. Insulin is then used by the body to break down blood glucose so that it can be properly absorbed into the muscle and fat cells. If the body does not make enough insulin to metabolize the blood sugar, the body cannot use it as energy. This type of diabetes is often times diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood.

Type II diabetes occurs …