How to choose your Doctor for Diabetes

Why is your diabetes doctor Important for your diabetes care?

Diabetes is a chronic and also progressive disease. Periodic worsening and sustained improvement with treatment are the rule. Your Diabetes care team includes You, Dietitian, pharmacist, ophthalmologist, Cardiologist, nephrologist and podiatrist but your Diabetes doctor is the key person If you have diabetes for the following reasons

• He/She meets more often than all the others
• You almost always meet your diabetes doctor when you are well
• Prevention is the key to management of diabetes and the efficiency of your diabetes doctor will partly determine whether you need any of the other providers at all

  Why should I go to an allopathic doctor for diabetes?

Many patients seek care from alternative care providers like Ayurveda and Homeopaths for diabetes control. Ayurveda especially has ceratin effective drugs which can lower your diabetes. But the side effects are not known and not systematically studied. Allopathic drugs enter the market after extensive study and there is robust followup so we know what the potential side effects are. Also as your diabetes progresses you need more medication to control your diabetes and there is a systematic plan of escalation with allopathy

That said even at diagnosis you may have complications of diabetes- mainly affecting eye, feet and kidneys. You might have multiple other problems like hypertension, risky levels of cholesterol- which contribute to the imminent risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure. These may all be present with you just feeling fine. There are 3 reasons you should meet an allopathic doctor always

• Prescription of safer( long-term safety) and more effective drugs for diabetes
• Treat all the other problems which can together increase life-threatening complications
• Screen for complications even at diagnosis

What should be the qualification of your diabetes doctor?

Uncomplicated newly diagnosed individuals

If you are a newly diagnosed patient with Type 2 diabetes and have uncomplicated diabetes of duration upto 5 years you can meet any doctor who has three or four years of Experience in managing diabetes. There are several doctors who are qualified in only diabetes care after their basic MBBS. Any further qualification or experience will be an icing on the cake for you. This, of course, applies if you are comfortable with your doctor and he/she engages you in the care of diabetes and discusses the options of escalation (if its required )

All other individuals

If you have any complications related to diabetes namely Diabetic eye problems; burning pain in your feet; numbness or ulcers; Amputations related to diabetes; heart attack; stroke or the kidney problem you should always meet Doctors with the following qualification and experience

• MD physician (3 year course after MBBS) who has specifically focussed on diabetes patients over atleast 5 years, any additional qualification that is diabetes-specific is welcome
• DM Endocrinology ( 6 years training after MBBS)

If you have Type 1 Diabetes, Glucose control is difficult even after taking insulin or If your sugars are fluctuating so wildly that you have multiple low sugar attacks in a month with insulin then you must meet doctors with the following qualification and experience

• MD physician (its a 3 year course after MBBS) who has specifically focussed on diabetes patients over atleast 10 years, any additional qualification that is diabetes-specific is welcome
• DM Endocrinology ( 6 year training after MBBS) with few years of experience