Diabetes Awareness: Will They Recognize You?
August 24, 2008
Imagine how it feels to look younger, feel younger, and act younger! Now, think about how others see you. Are you ready to make a lasting impression on your friends and family? Great!
Taking charge of your diabetes through exercise can give you a younger look and feel not to mention ?? a younger attitude!
As you read this message, remember this: You don’t pay the price to improve your health, you reap the benefits of being healthy!
Treatment of diabetes has gone through dramatic changes in the past two decades. Previously, exercise was often overlooked as a "cornerstone" in its treatment as it was difficult to maintain blood sugar levels with the additional variability introduced by physical activity, especially for individuals with type 1 diabetes.
However, with blood glucose meters now being readily available and affordable, exercise can be done safely and without fear of severely upsetting an often delicate glucose balance.
The usual health benefits of exercise apply to individuals with diabetes as well, perhaps even more than normal.
Much of what we attribute to the aging process really results from disuse (for example, muscle atrophy, or loss of flexibility in joints). Diabetes, especially when blood sugars are poorly controlled, accelerates the normal aging process, as well as certain disease processes such as heart disease.
The Profect Solution for Diabetics
July 26, 2008
Diabetes, which affects more than 6% of the US population or over 18,000,000 people [i], is diagnosed when the body is not creating or effectively utilizing the hormone called insulin. As a result, much-needed energy from sugar, starch, and other sources are not being exploited as effectively as they should. This can lead to severe adverse health consequences, including nerve, ocular, and kidney problems [ii].
While genetics and environmental factors play a role, the exact cause of diabetes is as yet undetermined. However, one thing is precisely clear to those with this condition: eating right is vitally important.
Generally speaking, people with diabetes do not eat a standard "one size fits all" diet. Rather, they must adhere very closely to the healthy eating guidelines prescribed by their doctor.
However, these recommendations, which generally apply to the general public as well [iii], include principles such as eating a low-fat diet, and limiting calories from saturated fat to less than 10% of daily caloric intake. The recommendations also include eating complete sources of protein, and limiting calories from protein to 20% of daily caloric intake [iv]. It is worth noting that protein also plays an added support role in a diabetic diet, because protein can slowly transforms into glucose. As such, ingesting appropriate amounts of complete protein can help a diabetic manage blood-sugar levels.
Preparing Your Child and Family for Life With Diabetes
June 28, 2008
After the initial shock of diagnosis wears off and we become more comfortable with administering insulin shots, scheduling blood tests and mealtimes, and carbohydrate counting we have a chance to look to the future. At that point it really begins to sink in what a long-term commitment parenting a diabetic child really is. We now understand we have been drawn into a different lifestyle that will last as long as we are parents. Even when our child is grown up and leaves home we will still be concerned and involved with the diabetes community.
If you are finding that you are having trouble managing your child’s diabetes let me first share some statistics I found so you realize you are not alone.
35-75% do not follow meal plans all of the time
20-80% do not administer insulin correctly all of the time
30-70% do not record blood-monitoring level properly all of the time
23-52% do not provide adequate foot care all of the time
70-81% do not exercise adequately all of the time
Low-Carb: The Role of Insulin
May 29, 2008
There are three basic units the body uses for energy:
1. Fats
2. Proteins
3. Carbohydrates
All three can be converted to blood glucose. However, while fats and proteins are converted slowly, carbohydrates are converted quickly causing quick spikes in the body’s blood sugar levels. These spikes in blood sugar levels cause the pancreas to create and release insulin until the blood sugar level returns to normal.
Meanwhile, insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that lowers our blood’s glucose levels is released into the blood as soon as the body detects that blood sugar levels have risen above its optimal level.
Insulin is a very efficient hormone that runs the body’s fuel storage systems. If there is excess sugar or fat in the blood insulin will signal the body to store it in the body’s fat cells. Insulin also tells these cells not to release their stored fat, making that fat unavailable for use by the body as energy.
Protein Principles for Diabetes
May 1, 2008
Dietary considerations can present a Hobson’s choice in diabetes. Even when the intake is nutritious, assimilating it can be another matter. Then there is the problem of progression of diabetic complications if one ends up with excess glucose or fat in the system. Excess carbohydrates in a meal, and the resulting uncontrolled blood sugar levels can be detrimental to any number of tissues, from the lens of the eye, to the neurons, small blood vessels and the kidneys. Fat is also a problem with increase incidences of atherosclerosis, large vessel disease and cardiac complications. What, then is the appropriate macronutrient for the diabetic population? Enough medical literature exists to suggest that in diabetes, proteins are probably the best bet.
Proteins are the natural choice of the body when faced with diabetes. In uncontrolled diabetes, muscle protein is broken down into amino acids to be converted into glucose by the liver. If left to fend for itself, this can create a commotion within the body. Since proteins have to supply enough energy to substitute for carbohydrates, proteins are broken down faster than they are made. The body ends up with a protein deficit, a situation with subtle, yet far-reaching effects on normal body functions. Importantly, for diabetics, a protein deficit has been shown to impair resistance to infections (Ganong WF). Replenishing the depleting protein stores is a vital requirement of all diabetic diets.
Exercise & Diabetes
April 1, 2008
You are no doubt aware that exercise can help prevent the serious complications that often come with diabetes and heart disease. Research has repeatedly shown that regular physical activity helps reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack or a stroke, aids in weight loss, and improves mood.
But do you know that exercise can also help you reduce your blood glucose levels?
That’s right. In people with type II diabetes, exercise may improve insulin sensitivity and assist in lowering elevated blood glucose levels into the normal range.
Here’s how. When you exercise, your body uses more oxygen — as much as 20 times more — and even more in the working muscles, than when you are at rest. So the muscles use more glucose to meet their increased energy needs.
At the same time, exercise improves the action of insulin in the peripheral muscles, making it more efficient, so you get more out of the insulin your body is producing.
In older people with diabetes, the decrease in insulin sensitivity that comes with aging is also partly due to a lack of physical activity. So regular exercise benefits you now, and for years to come.
Treating Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
March 4, 2008
The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into your legs. The bed sheets feel uncomfortable on the feet as you toss and turn, trying to get some rest. Your feet felt numb throughout the day, but now feel like they are on fire. Nothing seems to help as you watch the hours on the clock pass by, hoping to fall asleep.
Burning, numbness, tingling, hot and cold sensations, shooting and electrical pain are common sensations felt at rest in painful peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is an abnormality of the nervous system. There are many different types of neuropathy, but the most common neuropathy effecting diabetics is peripheral neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is described as a loss of sensation that starts in the tips of the toes and gradually works its way up the legs, and in severe case into the hands. It is sometimes referred to as a stocking glove neuropathy because it progresses as if one was pulling on a stocking.
Sixty percent of diabetics have some type of neuropathy in their feet. Five percent of diabetics will experience painful diabetic neuropathy and the incidence increases with age. Over 45% of individuals who have had diabetes for over 25 years will experience some symptoms of painful diabetic neuropathy.
Pre-Diabetes: Check Engine Warning Light
February 4, 2008
Your car has an early detection system and so does your body. Take 3 minutes to read this article and learn how you can save yourself a life time of aches, pains, and costly medical bills.
Have you ever had the “Check Engine” warning light come on in your car? Most newer cars have a system that monitors the performance of your car. If something is not working properly, the “Check Engine” light usually comes on.
The good news is that this “pre-warning” system can help you avoid costly damage, which may be occurring with your vehicle, by detecting small problems before they become big problems. However, the only way to be certain is to have your car inspected by an expert mechanic when the “Check Engine” light comes on.
Did you know that your body has a “pre-warning” system?
With many diseases, your body will start producing symptoms such as aches, pains, fatigue, frequent thirst, and so on. These symptoms are your body’s “Check Engine” light, warning you about problems.
However, with diabetes, pre-warning signs don’t always show up so easily. The medical community is calling it: Pre-Diabetes.
Pre-Diabetes Awareness: Gamblers Understand the Odds
January 6, 2008
Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold’em poker, casino games, or lotteries? Then understanding your odds of winning is part of the challenge.
Are you planning on living a long and healthy life? A life free of aches and pains? A life full of excitement and adventure? Great, then understanding the odds of developing diabetes will surely cause you to take immediate action.
It is estimated that one in three Americans born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes. Those are terrifying odds.
Already, more than 18 million Americans live with diabetes and that number is growing. What is even more alarming is the fact that 5 million people don’t even know they have diabetes.
A new buzz in the medical community calls it- Pre-Diabetes. Today, roughly 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes which left undetected and untreated, progresses into full-blown diabetes.
The challenge with pre-diabetes is the fact that the condition doesn’t like to reveal itself with noticeable symptoms. Because there are few, if any symptoms, most people will not bother having screening tests performed. With pre-diabetes, noticeable symptoms like frequent thirst and urination may not occur until the disease has progressed and is already causing considerable damage to your body. Most Type 2 diabetics don’t have symptoms because the onset of diabetes is so slow.
Pre-Diabetes - The Calm Before the Storm
December 8, 2007
Remember when the medical world identified pre-hypertension to better monitor your blood pressure? The new buzz: Pre-Diabetes concerns a similar condition pinpointing people who are at severe risk for getting diabetes. Because diabetes silently invades your body, early detection and corrective action are critically important.
The goal with identifying pre-diabetes is to prevent the onset of diabetes from ever happening.
How do you know if you need testing for pre-diabetes? Good question. The truth is- You may not know. It’s our human nature to wait until our body produces a pain or ache before we visit the doctor’s office. With pre-diabetes, noticeable symptoms like frequent thirst and urination may not occur until the disease has progressed and is already causing considerable damage to your body. Most Type 2 diabetics don’t have symptoms because the onset of diabetes is so slow.
Your physician can determine if you have pre-diabetes with two common tests. The fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Both require an overnight fast.
The good news is that you can likely prevent diabetes with early detection and proper care.
