Why Diabetics Benefit From Pharmacies with Same-Day Delivery: Dropoff

Is it you or the person next to you who could be walking around with undiagnosed diabetes? According to the International Diabetes Federation, 1 in 12 adults worldwide has diabetes, and 1 in 2 adults with diabetes hasn’t been diagnosed. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body doesn’t respond appropriately to insulin.

As a pharmacist, husband, and father, I think about all of the patients and family members I have assisted with diabetes treatments throughout the years. It guided me to write this post today, on World Diabetes Day. A majority of the people who have shared their stories with me are newly diagnosed. They tend to have numerous questions regarding the new medications they have to take and are curious about blood sugar monitoring devices.

I’ve helped many patients with selecting their first glucose monitors and getting their glucose test strips, lancets, insulin, and other diabetes medication refills setup for routine deliveries. Since same-day healthcare delivery is now readily available from many pharmacies, patients no longer need to wait for these essential medications and equipment to stay on top of their diabetes. For some, same-day, on-time delivery of diabetic equipment or insulin directly to their home could be a life-saver.

I often ask patients how they got diagnosed. Most experienced similar signs and symptoms, which caused them to reach out a medical professional. Since over 90% of adults with diabetes have Type 2 Diabetes, I’m sharing some signs and symptoms to be aware of so you can act preemptively if you notice any of these.

Common Symptoms:

Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Blurred vision
Extreme fatigue
Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet

Risk Factors:

Excess body weight
Physical inactivity
Poor nutrition
Family history of diabetes
Past history of gestational diabetes (high blood sugar at any time during pregnancy)

These are a few dietary choices can you make on a daily basis, to avoid becoming one of the millions of preventable cases of Type 2 Diabetes:

Choose water, coffee, or tea instead of sweetened beverages.
Eat at least three servings of vegetables every day.
Eat up to three servings of fresh fruit every day.
Choose nuts, a piece of fruit, or unsweetened yogurt for a snack.
Limit alcohol to a maximum of 2 drinks per day.
Choose lean cuts of white meat, poultry, or seafood instead of red or processed meats.
Choose whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta instead of white bread, rice, or pasta.
Choose unsaturated fats (olive, canola, corn, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, animal fat, coconut, or palm oil).

Making the right dietary choices combined with physical activity, like 5 days of moderate-vigorous exercise a week, is a good way to prevent being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

This World Diabetes Day, my hope is that everyone who reads this article is more aware about diabetes than they were before, and understands the value of working with a pharmacy that provides solutions, like same-day delivery, to make diabetics’ lives easier and a little less stressful. Together, we can raise awareness about and help prevent this disease.

American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/

International Diabetes Federation: https://www.idf.org/