Controlling blood sugars.

Management of the diabetic patient has undergone a minor revolution in the past decade. Better understanding of insulin's physiology, its interaction with glucose and other aspects of metabolism, and knowledge of hyperglycemia's detrimental effects, have contributed to a drive to keep blood glucose levels as close to non-diabetic norms as possible. One of the most important therapeutic advances has been the realization that patients must become their own chief therapists. They therefore must be adequately and intensively educated to understand the interrelationships of diet, insulin, and activity in controlling blood glucose levels. Self blood glucose monitoring is essential to gauge these interrelationships and allows the educated patient to make daily therapeutic decisions.