I was talking with a co-worker about chronic disease – specifically diabetes (sugar). More specifically, her mother’s diagnosis with high sugar levels medically known as – diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM Type 2) ( link for more information: Diabetes )
The conversation was about the comment her mother made while eating a large piece of cake. The comment was , “ my numbers were good yesterday, I’m taking my medicine.”
These conditions are called chronic due to the length of the disease. It is very difficult for patients to understand the long-game in managing medical conditions. Yes you will fall off the wagon. Yes, you will have things that are not on the recommended list of foods for your condition.
Managing anything in life requires lifestyle changes that happen thru daily decision-making. The struggle is real. The stakes are high. The outcomes depend on your ability to control what you can control.
I have often said, regarding diabetes, if the damage was visible, it would have a greater impact. Meaning, if patients could see the damage to the body systems when they eat the wrong diet, it may be more alarming and helpful in changing behaviors. But like other unhealthy behaviors, it does not happen like that.
So how do we motivate lifestyle changes? I’m a big fan of education. Specifically, targeted health literacy education. Disease specific programming is a great way to help patients win the long-game in chronic care management. Access our website to help plan disease-specific curriculum for you or your patients.
HealthSpeak 
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