What lifestyle changes can help diabetes?
Again, that's not a question with easy answers. Every time we go to a meeting of diabetes educators, the major topic is "Compliance." We don't really like this word because it sounds as if you should bend to the will of the doctor or nurse or dietitian who knows what's good for you, and you, you misbehaving rascal, refuse to comply. Actually, nobody can make you "comply," can force you to change your habits. That has to come from within. The late psychologist Abraham Maslow has explained that you can only reach the point of change after you pass through several emotional stages in a "hierarchy of needs." First, you have to have your basic physiological needs met. That is, you must have food to eat and a place to stay. We'll presume you have that. Then you have to feel safe. This one's often a problem when you're first diagnosed because, far from feeling safe, you feel threatened. When you've conquered that fear, you need to h...