preview

Off-Grid Lifestyle

Decent Essays

My wife and I have been living a self-sufficient, off-the-grid lifestyle for the last six years. We switched from a modern suburban lifestyle outside of Chicago to a remote, rural mountain one. Our decision didn't happen quickly, most of it was over a fifty year period. I made my living as an artist and professional musician and my wife was in the corporate arena; not exactly pre-requisite experience for living off the grid. Successfully changing from an urban/suburban way of living to a rural self-sufficient life is first and foremost a conscious and committed change of lifestyle. The two books that most influenced our decision were "The Good Life" by Scott and Helen Nearing, they made a similar decision and lifestyle change at the same …show more content…

Therefore, if you have already developed diabetes, you may wonder whether the lifestyle changes that could have prevented diabetes will gain you anything. The answer is yes: the same lifestyle changes that might have prevented your diabetes can help you to treat it. As important as lifestyle is in causing diabetes, it may be even more important in treating type diabetes, as well as diabetes. Diabetes is unique chronic disease, affected by virtually every aspect of lifestyle, including eating, physical activity, and school, work, and travel schedule. Conversely, all of these activities are affected by diabetes. While many diseases require attention to taking prescribed medications, diabetes demands constant attention and vigilance with regard no timing and content of meals and physical activity, glucose monitoring, administration of numerous medications including insulin, foot care, and a host of other self-care requirements. And diabetes can be a petulant, jealous companion; if you ignore your care, even for a little while, it will make you pay with uncomfortable and potentially dangerous hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. And if you don't pay attention to the myriad details of care over a long period of time, the penalty can be much more severe with loss of vision, kidney failure, foot ulcers, amputations and heart disease. On the bright side, during the past two decades, clinical trials have shown us that persons with diabetes can live long, productive, and complication-free lives. Studies in diabetes have demonstrated how to achieve near-normal blood-glucose levels. In addition, we have developed effective interventions to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with diabetes. The consequence of such "tight" glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol control is improved long term health. Blood-sugar levels maintained in the near normal range over

Get Access