title: Effective use of insulin. A balancing act.
abstract: The effective use of insulin requires familiarity with how the hormone acts as well as appreciation of such modifying factors as insulin antibodies, exercise, and smoking. Optimal insulin use is facilitated by knowledge of the dawn phenomenon, which causes insulin resistance in early morning hours. Rebound hyperglycemia should be treated much more conservatively than comparable hyperglycemia due to other causes because of the greater likelihood of recurrent hypoglycemia. Diet, exercise, and insulin dosage must be balanced in order to attain good diabetes control, and this balance is possible only when it is guided by regular self blood glucose monitoring.
authors.affiliation: St Luke's Hospital, San Francisco.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bohannon
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015444:Exercise; D005215:Fasting; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control; D007328:Insulin / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D007328:Insulin