Headaches and diabetes are two issues that plague many people. Having one issue is bad enough, but having both can be debilitating, especially when the headaches are migraines. Because diabetes is connected to blood sugar issues, one of the symptoms of problems with balancing blood sugar are headaches.
]]>At this point in time, a direct connection between diabetes and migraine-type headaches is still being studied, especially in relation to type-2 diabetes. But, there are connections between typical headaches and diabetes and other blood-sugar related issues.
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The chronic metabolic disease causes abnormalities in blood sugar levels. Because the body needs to have blood sugar in balance, the results of diabetes can be deadly. Typically when you eat, your body breaks down food into glucose and sends it into the bloodstream. The body releases insulin when blood sugar increases. However, those with diabetes struggle to make insulin to balance their blood sugar and a lot of the times their levels stay too high.
Unfortunately, there is not a cure to diabetes. But there are ways to reduce the problems caused by it, if you eat well and stay active.
There are three types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational. Type 1 Diabetes is often diagnosed in children and lasts a lifetime. Most people who have Type 1 take insulin every day. The most common is Type 2, which is often diagnosed in adults and is developed over several years. This type of diabetes can be prevented, delayed, and reversed by changing health habits. The third is Gestational Diabetes which happens to women who are pregnant. It often disappears after the birth, but can increase the risk of Type 2 for both the mom and baby.
A headache is one of the symptoms that one can have when their blood sugar levels are off. These tend to be typical headaches, rather than migraines. Headaches happen to both children and adults, and can be so debilitating that people miss work or school.
Physicians classify headaches as primary or secondary. A primary headache is one that affects the tissues around the head; the most common are migraines and tension headaches. The affected tissues send pain signals to the brain which then causes the ache. In a primary headache, the headache itself is the problem. With a secondary headache, the headache is a symptom of another problem, such as blood sugar.
Studies show that people who have diabetes-related headaches complain about moderate to severe pain. The headaches could be a signal that blood sugar needs to be controlled. Some secondary headaches are caused by diabetes, however others are caused by injuries, anxiety, hormone fluctuations, eye problems, fevers, hypertension, and more. Studies show that the brain requires blood sugar and without it, the brain begins to function differently. Things like neural function worsens when glucose levels drop. Thus, fasting and hunger can cause headaches, but within 72 hours of eating headaches tend to stop.
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When people have hyperglycemia, they have high levels of blood glucose. Some people who have hyperglycemia do not experience any symptoms, and most do not occur until the levels are about 200 milligrams per deciliter according to research. As hyperglycemia develops, many people end up with headaches. As the problem grows, so does the severity of the headaches. For people with a history of hyperglycemia, headaches are often the first sign that they need to balance their blood sugar.
Other symptoms associated with hyperglycemia include excessive hunger and thirst with increased urination and dehydration. Some people also experience fatigue, blurry vision and sores that are slow to heal.
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It is possible to manage hyperglycemia with diet and exercise changes. Like patients with diabetes, people with hyperglycemia often take medications to keep their blood sugar at appropriate levels. If you have headaches related to hyperglycemia, controlling your blood sugar will slow them.
If people do not manage their hyperglycemia, the problems can exacerbate. Along with headaches and other early symptoms, people with untreated hyperglycemia can have nausea and vomiting from toxic acids building up in their bodies. They can also have shortness of breath, and their breath develops a sweet smell. Eventually, they can become weak and confused and end up in a coma. Therefore, if the headaches begin, it is important to take it seriously and not just cover up the symptoms by taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Similarly, headaches can also be caused by hypoglycemia - or having low levels of blood sugar. For hypoglycemic symptoms to occur, blood sugar levels must fall below 70 mg/dL. The symptoms come on quickly, especially headaches, which are often accompanied by other noticeable problems. With low blood sugar, people can become dizzy, shaky, sweaty, irritable, weak and tired. They might also show signs of anxiety or confusion, as well as being nauseous. Without treatment, people with hypoglycemia can have seizures and enter into a coma.
If a headache is caused by hypoglycemia, there are tests that can show how low blood sugar levels are. Your health care provider can tell you how many carbs or simple sugars your body needs to stay healthy. After you have balanced your blood sugar levels, you should begin to notice your headaches disappear. If they do not, then over-the-counter pain relievers can help.
For people with headaches caused by diabetes, hyperglycemia, or hypoglycemia, the secrets to getting rid of a headache fast involve keeping their glucose levels under control. If you have regular headaches, you should speak to your health care provider to remedy the problem. You might need to have adjustments made to your daily medications or you may need other therapies to lesson the secondary diabetes symptoms. No one should have to live with regular headaches, as there are treatments available and finding out the root cause of your headache may just help you solve your problem.
Dr. Brent Wells, D.C. founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab and has been a chiropractor for over 20 years. His practice has treated thousands of patients from different health problems using services including chiropractic care, massage therapy, and physical rehab therapy designed for Juneau and Anchorage patients to help give them long-lasting relief.
He is a proud member of the American Chiropractic Association and the American Academy of Spine Physicians. And he continues his education to remain active and updated in all studies related to neurology, physical rehab, biomechanics, spine conditions, brain injury trauma, and more.
]]>Photo by @brookelark
A low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet, once again rose to national and global prominence in 2019. From celebrities such as Hallie Berry and Kourtney Kardashian to athletes such as lineman Joe Thomas and NBA legend Lebron James, it seemed that everywhere you looked, a low carb/keto diet was being used for weight loss. And while many people extol the virtues of the keto diet, many others, including some doctors and so-called experts like celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels say that the keto diet is a poor choice and is downright dangerous.
So who is right? Is a ketogenic diet safe? And perhaps an even more important question, given the rise of type two diabetes in the united stated over the last 20 years, is a ketogenic diet safe and effective not only for weight loss but for the management of type two diabetes?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes, with 90-95% of those cases being type 2 diabetes. That places an estimated 30 million Americans living with Diabetes, and while type 2 diabetes generally develops in people over 40, CDC states that more and more children, teens, and young adults are also developing the disease.
Unfortunately, having type 2 diabetes increases your likelihood of developing other chronic diseases such as cancer [1], heart disease [2] and Alzheimer's [3] among others.
it is for this reason that effective management of type 2 diabetes is critically important.
The role of diet in the management of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disease state that is best managed through not only medication but lifestyle modifications as well. There is significant evidence that living a healthy lifestyle, to include eating a healthy diet, modest weight loss, and regular exercise can maintain healthy blood glucose levels and greatly reduce the risk of complications that often accompany type 2 diabetes. [4][5]
None of this is news is new, as the American Diabetes Association has long recommended strict blood sugar control via a combination of medication and lifestyle modification for the management of type 2 diabetes. [6]
But what is updated news is the ADA recently revising their long-held stance that a low carbohydrate/ketogenic diet is an effective dietary strategy for the management of type2 diabetes.
American Diabetes Association endorses low carb and very low carb among other dietary approaches
In a 2019 consensus statement, the American Diabetes Association does not recommend a one size fits all approach to dietary disease management such as counting calories or carbohydrates.[7] The ADA instead recommends that people with diabetes receive personalized medical nutrition counseling, and among the options that should be recommended to patients is a Low Carbohydrate/ketogenic approach.
This is an important development for multiple reasons, one of the most important is that this frees up healthcare professionals to recommend a low carbohydrate/ketogenic approach to treat type 2 diabetes without the risk of punitive action by regulating bodies.
It is important to recognize this departure from the ADA’s prior stance that “Low-carbohydrate diets (restricting total carbohydrate to <130 g/day) are not recommended because they eliminate many foods that are important sources of energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and are important in dietary palatability.”
Further, the ADAs new consensus statement no longer includes language that the brain needs 130g of dietary carbohydrate per day. On the contrary, the new report makes clear that within the framework of a low carbohydrate diet, the brain's glucose requirement can be met via endogenous glucose production by the liver. Simply put, while it is true that the brain needs glucose, the body will manufacture glucose to satisfy this need within the content of a low carb diet.
The report also made clear that low carb and very low carb or ketogenic diets are amongst the most studied eating patterns for type 2 diabetes management. Low carb eating patterns have been shown to lower triglycerides, raise (good) HDL-C cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lead to greater reductions of diabetes medication when compared to low-fat diets.
While low carb and keto diets have been around for well over 100 years, this shift in guidance by the ADA is significant because, for the first time, people with type 2 diabetes can now feel confident in exploring low carbohydrate options with their health care provider for the management of their medical condition.
With the increased acceptance of low carbohydrate diets by the medical community as a valid dietary therapy, it looks like low carb and very low carb diets will continue to make inroads into homes nationwide. This is also a primary reason why, unlike Atkins in the 1980s and ’90s, low carb/keto diets are very likely here to stay.
We would like to remind you that any time you are considering a dietary therapy to treat a medical condition that you do so with the help of your medical provider.
Keto Pesto Chicken Burgers
Recipe provided by @heyketomama
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, pesto, and Parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Separate the meat into 4 sections and form into patties.
Ground chicken is a little more wet than ground beef, but should still handle easily. If you find it's too sticky when forming patties, wet your hands with a little water. It will make prevent sticking and make them easier to smooth out.
In a skillet over medium heat, drizzle the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the patties to the skillet, working in two batches as needed. Don't overcrowd the pan because then it will cause the burgers to steam and not get a crispy sear.
Cook the burgers for 7-10 minutes, flipping half way to get a golden sear on each side. Reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking for 5-10 more minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you overcook them too much, they may get dry. Feel free to add a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover it if your burgers are on the thicker side and having trouble finishing up.
Let the burgers rest for at least 5 minutes. To serve, place a slice of fresh mozzarella on each and top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with black pepper and a pinch of salt, if desired.
Enjoy wrapped in lettuce, on a bed of spinach, or even just on the plate.
Notes
For this recipe, I used chicken breast because it best fits the flavor I was trying to achieve. Feel free to sub with ground chicken thigh for higher fat and adjust your personal nutrition.
Chicken breast is lower in fat than chicken thigh but still perfectly okay to use for high fat diets since you're adding fat in other ways such as oils and cheese or side dishes such as a side salad with ranch.
Please note that I am not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information that is discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates based on NET carbs. If nutrition is important to you, I highly encourage you to verify any data you see here with your favorite nutrition calculator.
Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Burger
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 348 TOTAL FAT: 23g CARBOHYDRATES: 3.2g Total Carbs, 2.6g Net Carbs FIBER: 0.6g PROTEIN: 32.3g
Please note that I am not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information that is discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates based on NET carbs. If nutrition is important to you, I highly encourage you to verify any data you see here with your favorite nutrition calculator.
[1] https://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/4/276
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4600176/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19280172
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15626569/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15277143/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24357209/
[7] https://professional.diabetes.org/content-page/practice-guidelines-resources
[8]Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis
[9]Photo by Brooke Lark
[10]Recipe and Recipe photo by @heyketomama
[11]https://www.heyketomama.com/keto-chicken-pesto-burgers/
Photo provided by @brookelark
]]>Everyone has moments in life that rock them to the core, ones that change their thinking or put them on a whole new path. For some, those moments are joyous things like marriage or the birth of a child. For others, those moments might be shrouded in challenges like the loss of something or someone important. I think those challenging moments are essential to life because you never know what you are capable of without them. Like many people, I have had numerous positive and challenging moments that have stopped me in my tracks, but my daughters Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis brought me to my knees.
I have been actively managing my own T1D since my diagnosis over 26 years ago. The management of my T1D has just been a daily thing to do like getting dressed or making my bed. I didn’t go out of my way to share the literal ups and downs of living with T1D. My mentality was “it just is what it is” but I also thought the act of sharing would result in people sympathizing or pitying me for something that was my reality. I didn’t want people to feel bad for me, I wanted them to see past my T1D and see me. Of course, if someone asked me about giving myself an insulin shot or taking my blood sugar levels, I would talk with them about what I was doing and why but for the most part I keep my invisible disease invisible.
This all changed when my daughter was diagnosed with T1D in December of 2018 at the age of 18 months. Suddenly, I realized that I couldn’t continue to be quiet about life with T1D. I realized that sharing is a critical part of the journey with this autoimmune disease - the more I share, the more people know, and the more they know, the more they understand what’s its like to live with T1D. Without this basic understanding, there is nothing - no support, no love, no fight for a cure.
When I tell people about Nora’s diagnosis, generally the first response is “she’s so lucky to have you”. I give a smile and a nod but think to myself “I’m lucky to have her”. Her moment has changed me - the way I think about this disease, the way I interact with it, the way I talk about it. Now, I’m shouting from the rooftops that we have T1D and that we will continue to rise up and do our part to educate and fight for a cure.
Kirsten McCarthy lives in Dallas, Tx with her husband of 14 years and their 3 daughters. You can follow her journey at www.kamccarthydallasmommy.com and on Instagram as @type1of3.
My name is Taylor and I am 28 years old. I was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disorder called IPEX at 18 and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 1.5 years old. The reason I am a Type 1 Diabetic is that this autoimmune disorder (IEX) attacks your immune system, including the pancreas, causing my Type 1 Diabetes. This autoimmune disorder is described as a gene mutation that is passed on from a mother to her son due to a gene mutation on the X chromosome. Since males only have 1 X, this causes significant impairments to other organs (kidneys, stomach, skin).
]]>My name is Taylor and I am 28 years old. I was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disorder called IPEX at 18 and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 1.5 years old. The reason I am a Type 1 Diabetic is that this autoimmune disorder (IPEX) attacks your immune system, including the pancreas, causing my Type 1 Diabetes. This autoimmune disorder is described as a gene mutation that is passed on from a mother to her son due to a gene mutation on the X chromosome. Since males only have 1 X, this causes significant impairments to other organs (kidneys, stomach, skin).
There is currently no cure for this disease except for a bone marrow transplant which I have personally decided to not pursue at this time as this procedure has many side effects, including death. Some people may ask why I’m so open and how I’m so positive with such a severe autoimmune disorder and my answer is simple; my autoimmune disorder does not control or define my life, I do. And, I chose to have a positive outlook on the hand I have been dealt with. I love using my own personal experiences to benefit and help others. I get excited when I use my real life struggles as motivation for others, which is why I chose to be a therapist and be an example of hope for others. We all go through difficulties in life and we all need to try our hardest to turn the negatives into positives.
I came across MyID through my friend on Instagram, @type1livabetic, and was intrigued by the product. I was so sick of wearing necklaces, bracelets, and carrying around pieces of paper in my backpack explaining my condition that I decided to get a MyID Sleeve for my Apple Watch and I love it!
I now have more peace of mind knowing if something were to ever happen in public, whoever comes across me in a medical emergency can see my bright red tag, look at the back, and give my QR code a quick scan to find all my medical info.
]]>Helping his parents any way he can
Dillon Hooley did what most teenagers would do if they saw their parents struggling financially; he found any way possible to help. For Dillon, that meant cutting back on his insulin.
He has type 1 diabetes, and is supposed to keep his blood sugar levels between 130 and 150. After cutting back on his insulin rations, his levels jumped as high as 300.
Why was he letting his levels get so dangerously high and risk going into a diabetic coma? "I wasn't thinking right, but my parents work so hard to give me what I need, and I didn't want to put more financial stress on them," said Dillon.
The growing cost of insulin
From 2012 until 2016, the cost of insulin for people with type1 diabetes nearly doubled, from $2,864 per year to $5,705, according to a study out this month from the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit research institute.
To read the whole article and Dillon's story on CNN, click here.
]]>We shouldn't jump the gun quite yet and advise people with diabetes to take a probiotic supplement or eat a specific probiotic-rich food to lower blood sugars. However, the evidence is growing that probiotics help your general health overall. In particular, probiotics may promote heart health, which is extremely important if you have diabetes.
This article below was originally published by SingleCare.
Probiotics have been gaining popularity in recent years. Exactly what they are and how they work is vaguely defined. In some fashion or another, probiotics have been around since the early 19th and 20th century when biologists were found how bacteria and yeast were used in the fermentation process and linked them to health outcomes. In 1994, everything changed when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which allowed dietary supplements to be regulated differently than prescription medications, foods, and beverages. This meant that less rigorous standards had to be achieved for probiotics to be sold. Consequently, probiotics were able to be sold over the counter allowing consumers to purchase them more easily.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits. Products sold as probiotics include foods (such as yogurt), dietary supplements, and products that aren’t used orally, such as skin creams. Not all bacteria is bad for humans. In reality, humans have a significant amount of bacteria in their gut (more specifically in the intestines) that is essential for digestive health and helping the body to break down and process food. Surprisingly, microorganisms in the human body outnumber human cells 10-1. Probiotics often try to mimic or copy the natural bacteria in the human gut.
Probiotics can be purchased in a pill or capsule form over the counter or some are even available by prescription. Some physicians will just encourage probiotic yogurts, such as Activia.
Probiotics are most notably used for GI issues but are thought to aid with a number of other issues. Probiotics could help with the following issues:
Probiotic use has been on the rise in recent years. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH),1.6% of Americans use a probiotic (roughly 3.9 million people) in 2012. That is four times more than in 2007. During that same period of time probiotics were among the top three most used natural products for adults and children. Probiotic supplements generated $4 billion in 2015, an 8% increase from 2014. Furthermore, the global market for probiotics is projected to grow 37% by 2020. North America dominates the majority of the probiotic market. The probiotic market is on the rise.
A lot of speculation exists over the effectiveness of probiotics. Some studies suggest that probiotics can help with gastrointestinal tract issues. However, those benefits have not been conclusively demonstrated and not all probiotics have the same benefits. One systematic review that involved over 1,600 patients showed that probiotics had a therapeutic benefit for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Yet, researchers concluded, “Future studies need to establish which species, strain and dose of probiotics are most efficacious in IBS.”
Probiotics come in many varieties and variations. It is yet to be seen if all variations of a particular strand would produce the same benefits or not. For instance, if a specific kind of Lactobacillus (a type of probiotic) helps prevent an illness, that doesn’t necessarily mean that another kind of Lactobacillus would have the same effect. This complicates research and can seem overwhelming to think of testing all the possible strands of bacteria and its effectiveness in supporting the GI system.
A good way of thinking about probiotics is that they are “minimally beneficial.” Whether or not you should try a probiotic depends on your personal take on the use of probiotics and how they could potentially help you. In reality, there are not many side effects of probiotics and generally, they are safe to take. So it is potentially worth a try. Others may think it isn’t worth trying probiotics because of the varying evidence and small chance of health improvement. Since probiotics could be considered “minimally beneficial,” you could try them for a week or two and see if you benefit from taking them. If you don’t see any improvement, you could simply stop the probiotic. If you notice improvement, then you could continue them. As always, it is a good idea to consult your doctor regarding the potential use of a supplement such as a probiotic.
]]>We'd like to welcome Finger Prickin’ Good - read about one family’s journey navigating life with T1D. Making life sweeter with doses of good food, humor and inspiration. If you are a diabetic parent you will enjoy reading this article and also checking out Finger Prickin Good's page.
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My name is Brooke. I’m happily married to my high school sweetheart and I am a stay-at-home mom to three amazing kiddos; Carson (10- almost 11), Griffin (8) & Emma (3). I’m also an avid food label reader, carbohydrate calculator, late night blood sugar checker, and juice & glucagon carrier.
Wait. What?
To elaborate, my oldest son is a type 1 diabetic. I have mentioned before that I had never been very successful at getting my son to consistently wear a medical ID bracelet/necklace. We could never really find anything that was his cup o’ tea, or that he’d actually remember to consistently put on. That is until I discovered MyID!
You can see my page and read more about the review & giveaway here.
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Now and then, an epidemic makes headlines, grabbing the public’s attention and striking fear into hearts everywhere. The deadly Ebola epidemic is a recent example, and influenza takes the spotlight when cold and flu season comes around. But while it doesn’t grab the public’s attention to the extent that Ebola and the flu do, diabetes is another disease of epidemic proportions. Diabetes, which leads to debilitating conditions and claims thousands of lives in this country annually, is striking more and more people.
In a report released in 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the increase in diabetes cases “alarming.”
In this article, you will learn more about the types of diabetes, what prediabetes is, additional risk factors, what you can do to prevent it, and there is an interesting infographic.
]]>There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. Around the world, 387 million people live with one or the other, according to the International Diabetes Federation website. This figure includes both diagnosed and undiagnosed cases. In the U.S. alone, the American Diabetes Association reports, there were 30.3 million people with diabetes in 2015. That number was up from 25.8 million in 2010. The numbers are expected to keep rising. The CDC report predicts that by 2025, 1 in 5 Americans will have full-blown diabetes; by 2050, 1 in 3 Americans will have it.
It’s a dark scenario, but the good news is that diabetes can be managed and in many cases is preventable. In a report released in 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the increase in diabetes cases “alarming.”
Type 1 diabetes generally strikes children and young adults, occurring when a person’s immune system destroys the cells that make insulin, which is a hormone that regulates blood sugar.
The focus of this article is type 2 diabetes, also called adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 is the most common form of the disease. It develops when a person’s cells can’t utilize insulin the way they should and the pancreas becomes unable to produce it.
The precursor to full-blown type 2 diabetes is a condition known as prediabetes. This occurs when an individual’s blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be designated as type 2 diabetes.
Like full-blown diabetes, prediabetes is on the rise in this country. In 2010, the American Diabetes Association reports, there were 79 million Americans with prediabetes. In 2012, 86 million Americans ages 20 and older had developed prediabetes.
A diagnosis of prediabetes, however, “is not necessarily a bad thing,” says Hope Williams, health, and wellness specialist with Ministry Medical Group. “It’s an indicator that you are at increased risk of developing diabetes, and with a healthy diet and exercise, you can prevent diabetes or put it off for a while. “If pre-diabetes is left untreated, it will develop into diabetes,” she continues. “It is important to find out early if you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes because early treatment can prevent serious problems that diabetes can cause, such as loss of eyesight or kidney damage.” Those ailments are just the tip of the iceberg. Diabetes can also lead to nerve damage, amputations, increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, and other ailments.
Many people with prediabetes don’t display symptoms. Some red flags, however, may include extreme fatigue, blurred vision, needing to urinate often or exaggerated thirst. “Anyone aged 45 years or older should consider getting tested for diabetes, especially if you are overweight,” Hope says. “If you are younger than 45 but are overweight and have one or more additional risk factors, you should consider getting tested.”
Besides being over 45 years old and/or being overweight, there are additional risk factors you should be aware of. Among those additional risk factors are ethnicity (there are higher rates of diabetes among Native and African Americans, Latinos, and Pacific Islanders), medical history and a low level of physical activity. As mentioned above, age is also a risk factor: the body’s ability to process sugar properly changes as an individual gets older.
People with high triglycerides, a history of heart disease and women who have had gestational diabetes or who have given birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds should also consider getting tested. Many people, Hope adds, have prediabetes or diabetes years before a diagnosis. This is why it’s important to undergo an annual physical.
“Structured lifestyle intervention aimed at increasing physical activity and producing 5 to 10 percent loss of body weight, and certain pharmacological agents have been demonstrated to prevent or delay the development of diabetes,” Hope Williams says. “If a person increases their activity and improves their diet/eating, they may improve their glucose levels to those of a ‘normal’ non-prediabetic person.”
For many people, adopting a more active lifestyle and making healthier dining choices can be challenging, but Hope offers some suggestions for making the transition easier.
“Make [exercise] a priority,” she says. “Schedule it just like you would an appointment.” It may also make things easier to have a buddy with whom to exercise. “It’s easier to cancel on yourself than someone else,” Hope points out. Find ways to incorporate exercise into everyday tasks. For example, “Make several trips to the car to bring your groceries in, instead of bringing them all in at once,” Hope says. Park farther away from the store entrance and before beginning shopping, walk a lap around the store. There are plenty of opportunities to be active at home. Hope suggests standing up when talking on the phone, and when watching television, walk in place or do push-ups, sit-ups or arm curls during commercials.
Making lifestyle changes can be frustrating, and it’s easy to slip up on occasion. It’s important to forgive one’s self when this happens. “A person does not have to be perfect all of the time,” Hope says. “Make the best choices you can… sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment and then get right back on track. Eating a piece of cake does not mean you blew it for the whole day. It means you chose to have a piece of cake. Enjoy the moment and enjoy the flavor.”
Finally, use what’s known as the “80/20 rule.” “Try to do the best you can 80 percent of the time,” Hope advises. “Nobody is perfect. If you try to be perfect all the time, you will get burnt out.”
Mіllіоnѕ of реорlе wear mеdісаl ID nесklасеѕ, bracelets, аnklеtѕ, and charms every dау, аnd thеу all hаvе a rеаѕоn for dоіng so. Thеrе are common mіѕсоnсерtіоnѕ thаt by wearing a medical ID you аrе labeling уоurѕеlf or brіngіng unwаntеd аttеntіоn tо уоur соndіtіоn оr dіаgnоѕіѕ. The truth is thаt mеdісаl Idеntіfісаtіоn саn be, аnd often tіmеѕ is, lіfе sаvіng.
If you hаvе been recently diagnosed wіth a medical condition, a quick dіаgnоѕіѕ оf уоur соndіtіоn wіll lead to fаѕtеr аnd mоrе еffесtіvе treatment. Yоur medical ID brасеlеt оr nесklасе will аlеrt dосtоrѕ, раrаmеdісѕ, аnd ѕсhооl nurses оf уоur medical hіѕtоrу so that tіmе іѕ not wаѕtеd.
]]>Mіllіоnѕ of реорlе wear mеdісаl ID nесklасеѕ, bracelets, аnklеtѕ, and charms every dау. They all have a great reason to be wearing it. Thеrе are common mіѕсоnсерtіоnѕ thаt by wearing a medical ID you аrе labeling уоurѕеlf or brіngіng unwаntеd аttеntіоn tо уоur соndіtіоn оr dіаgnоѕіѕ. The truth is thаt mеdісаl idеntіfісаtіоn саn be, аnd often tіmеѕ is, lіfе sаvіng.
If you hаvе been recently diagnosed wіth a medical condition, a quick dіаgnоѕіѕ оf уоur соndіtіоn wіll lead to fаѕtеr аnd mоrе еffесtіvе treatment. Yоur mеdісаl ID will аlеrt dосtоrѕ, раrаmеdісѕ, аnd ѕсhооl nurses оf уоur medical information and history so that tіmе іѕ not wаѕtеd.
If you’ve bееn diagnosed with a сhrоnіс condition, hаvе fооd оr drug аllеrgіеѕ, оr take mеdісаtіоnѕ, thеn you ѕhоuld wеаr a mеdісаl ID. If уоu are a саrеgіvеr, уоu ѕhоuld аlѕо wеаr a medical ID to alert еmеrgеnсу реrѕоnnеl оf уоur loved оnе who nееdѕ аttеntіоn.
Lеt уоur medical іd bracelet or accessory ѕреаk for уоu whеn уоu can’t. Here іѕ a list оf соndіtіоnѕ аnd реорlе whо ѕhоuld wear a mеdісаl ID brасеlеt оr mеdісаl ID necklace. If we lеft anything оut of this list, рlеаѕе brіng that tо our attention by соmmеntіng оn thіѕ post.
Adrenal Inѕuffісіеnсу | Allеrgу tо Mеdісаtіоnѕ | Alzhеіmеr'ѕ |
Asthma | Autism | Blood Thinners |
COPD | Diabetes | Epilepsy, Seizure Disorder |
Food Allergies | Gastric Bypass Patient | Hearing or Sight Impaired |
Heart Pаtіеntѕ wіth Pасеmаkеrѕ | Hурertension | Hуроthуrоіdіѕm |
Lymphedema Alert | Multiple Sclerosis | On Multiple Medications |
Organ Trаnѕрlаnt Pаtіеnt | Other Chronic Conditions | Sсhіzорhrеnіа |
1.They hаvе dіаbеtеѕ: Whеthеr you hаvе Type 1 Diabetes оr Type 2 Dіаbеtеѕ, wеаrіng a mеdісаl ID brасеlеt is іmреrаtіvе. First rеѕроndеrѕ tеll uѕ thаt knowing whеthеr ѕоmеоnе is diabetic іѕ one оf thе mоѕt іmроrtаnt pieces оf іnfоrmаtіоn thеу can be gіvеn on аn ассіdеnt ѕсеnе because thеу can administer a blood ѕugаr tеѕt аnd рrоvіdе insulin or ѕugаr as needed tо hеlр the реrѕоn іmmеdіаtеlу. Without thаt іnfоrmаtіоn, іt wоuld tаkе muсh longer tо аѕѕіѕt someone.
2. They have drug аllеrgіеѕ: People wіth drug аllеrgіеѕ оftеn wеаr mеdісаl ID jewelry еvеn іf thеу hаvе nо оthеr соndіtіоnѕ. Why? Bесаuѕе you never knоw whеn уоu’rе going tо bе іn a situation іn whісh you’re unаblе tо advocate fоr уоurѕеlf.
3. Thеу have food аllеrgіеѕ: No mаttеr hоw саrеful you аrе, there’s аlwауѕ a rіѕk оf cross-contamination оr rаndоm exposure whеn уоu hаvе fооd аllеrgіеѕ. Whіlе іt’ѕ іmроrtаnt tо tеll thе реорlе you’re around thе mоѕt about уоur food allergies аnd tеасh them hоw tо rеѕроnd іn аn emergency, ѕоmеtіmеѕ rеасtіоnѕ hарреn whеn уоu’rе аlоnе оr with ѕtrаngеrѕ. Wearing a mеdісаl ID bracelet thаt rеаdѕ, “SHELLFISH ALLERGY / GIVE EpiPen / CALL 911” mеаnѕ thаt реорlе wіll lооk оn уоur person or in your bag for an EpiPen аnd knоw that уоur rеасtіоn is lіkеlу tо be severe enough thаt thеу ѕhоuld іmmеdіаtеlу саll fоr еmеrgеnсу mеdісаl аѕѕіѕtаnсе.
4. Thеу hаvе еріlерѕу: Whеn аdultѕ оr сhіldrеn hаvе ѕеіzurе dіѕоrdеrѕ оr еріlерѕу, wеаrіng mеdісаl ID jеwеlrу is іmреrаtіvе. Fоr Emergency Medical Tесhnісіаnѕ (EMTs), knоwіng up frоnt that a реrѕоn has a hіѕtоrу of ѕеіzurеѕ оr еріlерѕу helps trеmеndоuѕlу bесаuѕе they knоw the seizure іѕn’t an nеw symptom оr еvеnt, but it's actually аn оngоіng condition. If a person wеrе nоt identified аѕ having a ѕеіzurе disorder, thе EMTs would bе lооkіng fоr саuѕеѕ of thе ѕеіzurе such аѕ hеаd trаumа, іnjurу, оr illness.
5. They’re саrеgіvеrѕ: Whеn реорlе аrе ѕоlеlу responsible for thе well bеіng оf others, ѕuсh as whеn a раrеnt саrеѕ fоr a dіѕаblеd child оr a grown сhіld cares fоr an aging parent wіth Alzhеіmеr’ѕ, thеу оftеn wеаr mеdісаl ID jеwеlrу аѕ ICE IDѕ. An ICE (In Case оf Emеrgеnсу) ID bеаrѕ the most іmроrtаnt information аbоut the саrеgіvеr, thоѕе she’s assisting, аnd hоw tо reach a secondary саrе рrоvіdеr. Thіѕ helps EMTѕ аnd ER personnel рrоvіdе thе аррrорrіаtе assistance tо аll parties whіlе аlѕо еnаblіng thеm to contact another саrеgіvеr tо help.
6. Thеу have kіdѕ: Kіdѕ dоn’t саrrу Drіvеr’ѕ Lісеnѕеѕ. Plаіn and simple. Sо lots of раrеntѕ tоdау hаvе thеіr kіdѕ wear ICE IDs wіth thеіr name and еmеrgеnсу соntасt рhоnе numbеrѕ іn thе еvеnt thаt thеіr сhіld is іnvоlvеd іn a ассіdеnt аnd nееdѕ tо be іdеntіfіеd аnd rеunіtеd with hіѕ оr hеr раrеntѕ. Additionally, іf a сhіld іѕ lost, ѕ/hе may раnіс аnd fоrgеt his оr hеr рhоnе numbеr(ѕ). An ICE ID еnѕurеѕ that уоur сhіld аlwауѕ hаѕ your numbеr оn hаnd.
7. They’ve undergone gastric bypass surgery: Gаѕtrіс bураѕѕ ѕurgеrу patients ѕhоuld аlwауѕ wear mеdісаl ID jewelry. EMTѕ nееd tо knоw if someone hаѕ hаd a gаѕtrіс bураѕѕ because gаѕtrіс bураѕѕ раtіеntѕ cannot hаvе blіnd NG tubеѕ іnѕеrtеd.
8. Thеу have Alzheimer’s: Whеn реорlе have Alzhеіmеr’ѕ dіѕеаѕе, their neurological function can vаrу frоm dау to day, аnd they bесоmе increasingly forgetful and dіѕоrіеntеd. It’s vеrу easy fоr ѕоmеоnе wіth Alzheimer’s tо bесоmе confused, wаndеr, аnd get lost. Cаrеgіvеrѕ оftеn order mеdісаl ID jewelry fоr thеіr lоvеd оnеѕ wіth Alzhеіmеr’ѕ in оrdеr tо ѕаfеguаrd them іf thеу wаndеr and to lеt EMTѕ аnd ER реrѕоnnеl knоw that аn altered mental ѕtаtе is the раtіеnt’ѕ bаѕеlіnе.
9. Thеу’rе аthlеtеѕ: Athletes, еѕресіаllу сусlіѕtѕ аnd runnеrѕ who еxеrсіѕе оutdооrѕ, alone, аnd over long dіѕtаnсеѕ, often order medical ID bracelets аnd nесklасеѕ ѕо that thеу саn have a fоrm оf ID on them аt all times without hаvіng to асtuаllу саrrу аnуthіng while biking оr runnіng.
10. They hаvе a disability: People wіth autism, сеrеbrаl раlѕу, mental rеtаrdаtіоn, developmental disabilities, соgnіtіvе disabilities, and рhуѕісаl dіѕаbіlіtіеѕ often wear mеdісаl ID jewelry. If реорlе аrе unable tо ѕреаk or advocate for themselves, they ѕhоuld аlwауѕ wear a medical ID nесklасе оr bracelet wіth thеіr medical аnd еmеrgеnсу соntасt іnfоrmаtіоn еngrаvеd on іt. Evеn реорlе who do nоt have an іmраіrеd соgnіtіvе function but dо hаvе рhуѕісаl challenges ѕhоuld wеаr medical ID jеwеlrу ѕо that EMTѕ аrе аwаrе оf thеіr bаѕеlіnе in thе еvеnt of аn ассіdеnt.
It is very common amongst people with diabetes to develop foot problems. Per year, the American Diabetes Association indicates that 600,000 people with diabetes get foot ulcers which can result in over 80,000 amputations.
Neuropathy is when there is a nerve damage in the foot which can then lead to foot problems. Neuropathy causes tingling, pain, burning or stinging sensations, weakness in the foot. The worst is when you injure your foot, you may not even feel it due to loss of feeling. If you do not have any feeling in your feet, then it may make your injury or illness worse than it was before.
It has been shown that people with diabetes have the highest cases of foot or leg amputation due to their foot problems. This is also caused due to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD reduces blood flow to your feet. That along with neuropathy, you can only imagine the possibilities of getting an ulcer or infection on your foot.
Read the rest of this article here.
A common misconception about children with diabetes is that they cannot enjoy candy and sweets, especially during Halloween. The Child Life Team at the Joslin Diabetes Center has provided tips for Halloween planning and handling treats for children with diabetes.
Parents are encouraged to discuss Halloween plans with their child, including what to do with leftover candy. Children with diabetes are able to enjoy trick-or-treating at Halloween if they know how much candy they can keep and eat. Some families save the extra candy and put a piece or two in their child's lunch box each day, or use it to treat low blood glucose reactions; however, parents should take care not to use candy with a lot of fat, such as chocolate bars, for hypoglycemia treatments. Other families work out an exchange plan in which children with diabetes can trade in their candy for other special items, such as small toys or a family outing.
Another idea is to plan Halloween activities that do not revolve around sweets. These include:
As a person with diabetes, you may or may not know what your target ranges should be for your blood sugars first thing in the morning, before meals, after meals, or at bedtime.
You may or may not understand what blood sugar ranges are for people without diabetes. You may or may not understand how your A1C correlates with your target ranges.
How do you get a clear picture of what is going on with your blood sugar, and how it could be affecting your health? Read more in this article.
]]>When it comes to asthma and diabetes, is there a link between the two? Well, we discussed what the two are and their symptoms above, so now let’s look in to the connection between the two. The answer is that people who have diabetes do have higher rates of having asthma. These patients do tend to have a hard time maintaining their blood glucose levels and keeping their asthma under control.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
]]>I was twelve years old. My parents were expecting company the next day. My Mother had spent the whole day preparing, including baking from scratch a delicious raspberry crumb coffee cake. I remember eyeing it lustfully as the amazing aroma of freshly baked pastry filled our kitchen.
“This is for tomorrow,” My Mother informed me sternly. At night, while the whole house slept, I crept downstairs, picking crumb after crumb off the top of that pastry, desperately trying to cover my tracks by rearranging the sparsely remaining crumbs.
My efforts were not very successful. When the morning light came through the windows, with shame, I faced my Mother’s exacerbated reaction as she gazed, horrified, at the naked shell of her cake—all the toppings and coffee crumbs, gone.
Why did I feel compelled to demolish that cake? I’m certain it was because I inherited a raging pre-diabetic gene on my Father’s side. My Mother, who doesn’t have that physical weakness at all, could never relate to out-of-control physical cravings for carbs and sweets.
Fortunately, for me, I did learn how to control those cravings—for 30 years now—and am grateful to say, I was able to ward off diabetes and completely turn my health around.
The change I made in my own life has been so meaningful to me that my life’s work has been to help others do the same. In 1990, I started my own Wellness Seminar company. Since that time, I have provided weight loss programs in over 75 hospitals and to the employees of 100+ corporations.
The success of my clients has been amazing. In fact, my client’s results have been featured on CNN, ABC-TV Nightline, Good Morning America, USA Today and The Doctor’s Show. Julie Evans lost 140 lb. and has kept it off for over a decade and Kathy was featured in Woman’s World Magazine for having lost 120 lb. with my gastric bypass hypnosis.
Why hypnosis? After studying nutrition, health and wellness for years, and through my own experience battling food addiction and weight loss, I came to see that ultimately it’s only by changing the way we think about food subconsciously, that we can achieve lasting results. The reason so many of us can try to lose weight for years, with no success, is because we still subconsciously prefer the foods that are harmful to us.
Ultimately, we have to break the habits of overeating, bingeing, snacking and emotional eating by tapping into the power of the subconscious mind to change our thinking.
The good news is that with the right tools, it can actually be easy. In 2010, 20/20 contacted me about a story they were doing on Gastric Bypass Hypnosis. This was a procedure being done in Europe to avoid costly and risky bariatric surgery. I was fascinated with the idea of helping obesity victims avoid the risk and trauma of gastric bypass surgery. I studied the technique voraciously and combined what I learned with my decades of experience providing weight loss hypnosis to over 100,000 people in hospitals throughout the U.S. I became one of the first hypnotherapists in the United States to offer Gastric Bypass Hypnosis.
My clients loved it and their results have been amazing. This past year, I had the privilege of being invited on PBS with my 90-minute show, Easy Willpower. The show is still airing on PBS stations across the country and can be watched here on PBS online.
During the first act, the audience celebrated Barbara who lost 90 lb. with my weight loss hypnosis program. I shared the story of how Barbara’s doctor informed her that since she had lost all that weight, her diabetes had gone into remission and they were actually making plans to remove her insulin pump!
So many of my clients have been able to get off their diabetic medications, with the help of their doctors after losing weight.
The great thing about my plan is that it’s all about healthy weight loss. People say that I give them a new inner conversation and it’s just easier to make healthy choices, with the self-hypnosis skills I teach them.
The gift I offer people is freedom. I remember the shame and guilt I felt when I used to overeat on a regular basis. I know how painful it feels to be out of control around food. The secret to permanent weight loss is in the mind and my message to anyone who is suffering is: it’s never too late to make that inner change that can lead to a life-changing result in your life!
About Rena Greenberg
Rena Greenberg’s success with weight loss hypnosis and gastric bypass hypnosis has been featured in 150+ news stories and have been reviewed and sponsored in 75 hospitals. Rena is the Author of The Right Weigh (Hay House Publishing) and The Craving Cure (McGraw-Hill Publishing).
Rena holds a degree in bio-psychology from the City University of New York and a master’s degree in Spiritual Healing from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism. She is also a hypnosis and NLP trainer and is board certified in biofeedback therapy.
Rena works with people all over the world, on Skype and in Florida, to improve their health, break free from addictions, lose weight, improve their relationships and achieve their goals.
Rena can be reached at EasyWillpower.com
]]>Research has argued that living with a severe mental illness is associated with an increase in an individual’s cardiovascular risk and a decrease in life expectancy. Service users who suffer from a severe mental illness often live a sedentary lifestyle, experience increased levels of social isolation and are less likely to access services, more specifically primary care services.
In addition to these social factors, individuals who suffer from a severe mental illness are often prescribed medication which can have undesirable side effects. These side effects can include increased appetite, weight gain, decreased energy levels and increased levels of sedation. More specifically atypical antipsychotic medications have been associated with the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Therefore in addition to lifestyle choices, the treatment service users are prescribed may be further contributing to an increased cardiovascular risk and mortality rate.
East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) has acknowledged these concerning issues and has prioritised physical health as one of its four quality improvement priority areas. At ELFT we have adopted a trust wide approach to reducing the cardiovascular risk of service users who are prescribed psychotropic medication. This strategy focuses on two main streams of work: the assessment and monitoring of service users physical health and health promotion. Assessment and monitoring has primarily involved the introduction of physical health monitoring pods to all community services and teams have focused on finding ways to increase the number of service users having their physical health assessed/monitored.
The Quality Improvement work on health promotion has involved changes being made to the meals served in a low secure forensic unit. This quality improvement project began following concerns raised by service users about the quality of the food being served on the wards and a desire to prepare and cook their own healthier options. Many of the meals each week are now self-catered and following the success of this project, the self-catering work is being spread to the forensic medium secure unit. Watch the video below to find out more information about this project.
ELFT Quality Improvement Self-Catering Project
Furthermore teams across three different services in ELFT are running quality improvement projects focusing on physical activity. They are testing different ways in which they can encourage service users and staff members to be more physically active on a daily basis.
In addition to the work that ELFT is doing for service users who suffer from a severe mental illness, we have a diabetes specialist team who work across both mental health and community health services. This team has been actively involved in improving the care that service users with diabetes receive when admitted to a mental health ward and are currently running a quality improvement project focusing on housebound diabetes patients. This project aims to increase the number of referrals they receive from district nurses and to improve the care pathways for service users who have HbA1c levels greater than 75mmol/mol.
If you would like to learn more about the physical health quality improvement work at East London NHS Foundation Trust please visit our QI Microsite at: QI ELFT NHS or get in contact with the Quality Improvement team at qi@elft.nhs.uk.
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Guest post by Aviva Goldfarb, author of The Six O’Clock Scramble Meal Planner
It took me a few attempts, but I finally made the strata of my dreams. Strata is an Italian baked egg and bread dish that is perfect for a make-ahead weekend brunch, but we also love it for family dinner with some fruit or sliced vegetables and my homemade ranch dressing.
This recipe can be found in my latest cookbook, The Six O'Clock Scramble Meal Planner: A Year of Quick, Delicious Meals to Help You Prevent and Manage Diabetes, published by the American Diabetes Association.
The cookbook takes the stress and guesswork out of planning healthy and delicious dinners for your family, whether you are cooking for 1, 2, or your whole family, including kids. The book, features color photos for every dish, includes 160 delicious recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare, and 32 weekly menu plans complete with main dishes and sides—and an organized grocery list for each week!
Thanks to Renee Comet for the use of the recipe photo.
Marinate Time: 4 hours Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 5 hours and 5 minutes
Defrost the spinach in the microwave or on the stovetop. Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Whisk in the cheeses, herbs, garlic powder and salt. Stir in the spinach, bacon (optional) and bread cubes until the bread is completely moistened. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish, smoothing it with the back of a spoon, if necessary. Refrigerate it, covered, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to bake it, remove the strata from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake it in the center of the oven, uncovered, for 45 – 50 minutes until it is browned on the edges and cooked through in the center. (While it bakes, prepare the hash browns and cut the cantaloupe.) Cut it into squares to serve it.
Slow Cooker Directions: In the slow cooker, whisk together the eggs and the milk, then whisk in the cheeses, herbs, garlic powder and salt. Stir in the spinach and bread cubes until the bread is completely moistened. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. (Slow cooker cooking times may vary—Get to know your slow cooker and, if necessary, adjust cooking times accordingly.)
Do Ahead or Delegate: Defrost the spinach, combine and refrigerate the eggs and the milk, shred the cheese, if necessary, combine the dry seasonings, cut the bread, or fully assemble and refrigerate the strata.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Double the salt and add 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Add 1/2 - 1 cup diced ham or sausage.
Nutritional Information Per Serving based on 8 servings (% based upon daily values)
Calories 200, Calories from Fat: 90, Total Fat: 10g, 19.5%; Saturated Fat: 4.3 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 155 mg, Sodium: 420 mg, Potassium: 250 mg, Total Carbohydrate: 12g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, 3%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 15 g, Phosphorus: 285 mg
]]>Earlier detection did seem to slow the progression of so-called prediabetes to full-blown diabetes, but it had no impact on the risk of death from heart or blood vessel disease 10 years later, researchers found when they analyzed studies conducted from 2007 to 2014.
In 2008, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended testing for diabetes before symptoms emerge in an effort to get millions of undiagnosed adults on medications to lower blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure before the disease worsens and complications become harder to treat.
"Many people with early diabetes may not have symptoms, and thus do not seek care," lead study author Dr. Shelley Selph of Oregon Health and Science University said by email. "It is possible that 10 years of follow-up is insufficient to detect a mortality benefit."
About 21 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes in 2010, and an estimated 8 million more were undiagnosed, the researchers note in Annals of Internal Medicine. Most of them have type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and advanced age and happens when the body can't properly use or make enough of the hormone insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower limb amputations, and blindness. It’s also a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., the authors note.
Like obesity, hypertension is a risk factor for diabetes, and this link prompted the expansion of U.S. screening guidelines to include people with high blood pressure.
In two trials examined in the report, one of which focused on people at greater risk for diabetes, the risk of death after 10 years was similar whether people were screened or not. This might be due to not enough people getting screened, or improved management of cardiovascular disease contributing to lower mortality, the researchers note.
There's little harm to screening, though, beyond the potential for short-term anxiety for those who test positive for diabetes, the report authors wrote.
For people with pre-diabetes, with high blood sugar levels but not full-blown disease, both medications and lifestyle changes appear effective at delaying progression of the disease, the researchers said.
The preventive services task force is in the process of updating its diabetes screening guidelines, Dr. Michael Pigone, a task force member, said by email. The group is focusing on "the effectiveness of identifying abnormal blood sugar before it progresses to diabetes, as well as the effectiveness of treating those who have abnormal blood sugar with intensive lifestyle intervention."
The current report confirms more data is still needed, said Dr. Betul Hatipoglu, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in an email. "It acknowledges that prevention of diabetes is possible. It would really be a disservice to the population at risk to not give them their second chance to know and prevent diabetes until we can prove that we are not helping but actually harming them by early intervention, which will be impossible in my opinion."
The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and done in consultation with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
SOURCE: bit.ly/1CBZcCg Annals of Internal Medicine, online April 13, 2015.
]]>This is just one of the numbers I came across recently. And, with health costs skyrocketing, I imagine that $85,000 will easily be $100,000 in a few years. But, what do you care, you have insurance. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the $85,000 is what the average person with Type 2 Diabetes will have in out of pocket insurance.
KEY POINTS
- A person with type 2 diabetes spends on average more than $85,000 treating the disease and its complications over their lifetime.
- Lifetime costs for treating type 2 diabetes are slightly higher for women than men.
Your health insurance pays even more. Suddenly that $85,000 really means something, doesn’t it? So, what can you do?
The first thing you can do is to prevent Diabetes. That is the best thing you can do. But, how do you do prevent Diabetes? Well, as it happens, it’s not that hard. Prevention is a matter of eating a healthy, well balanced diet that is heavy on fresh vegetables, fruit, some protein and whole grains. Just your garden variety (pun intended) great diet.
But so many of us aren’t there at this moment. So, what do you do? You start like my friend Chuck started, by almost eliminating sugary drinks and limiting alcohol to one or two drinks a week. It’s a great starting point. Just by almost eliminating sugary soda pop Chuck was able to cut 4,000 calories from his diet every week. That’s over two days of eating for me! You can read more about Chuck, if you missed it.
By the way, when I spoke with Chuck today and told him how many calories he cut from his diet, he responded with, “No wonder I lost eight (8) pounds when I stopped drinking Coke.” Want to lose weight and take the first step toward preventing Diabetes? Cut the sugary soda pop!
The other thing to start is regular exercise. You don’t have to go out and join a gym, Just start to walk. Can’t walk far? Start with what you can do and build on it. Really. Just walking, which is something most folks can do, is all it takes. Work up until you are walking 30-minutes a day, five days a week.
What if you can’t walk? Then start by lifting simple weights. No hand weights in the house? That’s okay. Start by using canned vegetables or fruit and lift them. Start with what you can do and build.
That’s all it takes to beat back and to prevent Diabetes, or at the very least delay it.
What if you have Diabetes? Then you work to control it. Sure, you might not save $85,000. But you can save a lot of it.
Start by establishing a Diabetes Goal with your doctor. This goal is hopefully having an A1c of less than 7.0 [57.0 UK]. How do you do that? Diet, Exercise and Meds. It’s the same Diet and Exercise as listed above – how simple is that? And, then just take your meds as prescribed. Again, it’s really simple and you take it one step at a time.
Notice anything going on here? It’s all about taking one step and then taking another and another. Take enough steps and you will control Diabetes. And, if you can get your A1c down to under 6.0, most folks would say you have reversed it. How about that? How often are you in control of a disease? How often can a little work lead to reversing a disease?
Diabetes is in your hands. You can decide to prevent Diabetes. Or, if you have it, you can decide to control Diabetes. It really is up to you.
What are you going to do? I say declare War On Diabetes and be victorious. You can do it!
As always, thank you for your time.
Read more at WarOnDiabetes.com
]]>Finger pricks and continuous glucose monitors may be things of the past if A&M researchers succeed in developing a new way to measure a diabetic’s glucose levels through fluorescent light.
Two research labs aim to develop a device the size of a rice grain that can be implanted in the skin and will glow certain colors when fluorescent light is shined upon it. The colors will correspond to the diabetic’s glucose level, allowing an individual to monitor their health without the invasive, and sometimes painful, procedures available today.
Heading the labs that seek to develop this device is Gerard Cote, director of the Center for Remote Healthcare Technology, and Melissa Grunlan, director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
“We are working on a device that you can implant just underneath the skin that will change its color or its fluorescence, if you will, with changes in glucose concentration,” Cote said.
When the device is implanted under the skin, it is probed by shining a certain color of light on it. The person using the implant can painlessly and unobtrusively correlate the color changes with their blood sugar level.
This would provide a way for diabetics to continuously and noninvasively measure their blood glucose. The device’s design is a joint project between Cote’s and Grunlan’s labs.
Diabetes is a demanding disease to deal with. Individuals with diabetes sometimes have to prick their finger or forearm at least four or five times a day to monitor sugar levels. They must always be aware of their blood sugar, because if it gets too low they can become light-headed, shaky and may even risk a coma or death.
The finger-prick method has several disadvantages compared to the device Cote and his team are developing.
“When you prick your finger, you open it up for infection, and quite frankly it’s embarrassing for some people to pull out their meter when they have to monitor their sugar, say out at a restaurant,” Cote said.
The other way blood sugar is monitored is called continuous glucose monitoring, during which a patient will stick the needle of a device into his or her stomach area. This device sends data to a meter that provides constant glucose levels, but it has several downsides.
“It is indwelling,” Cote said. “It is sticking out of the skin just like an insulin pump does and it is very uncomfortable. Also it must be calibrated against the finger prick device once a day. These devices must be pulled out and switched every three to seven days.”
Cote and his team aim to fix these problems by implementing a small device the size of a rice grain underneath the skin. Once it is implemented, doctors allow the skin to heal over it and glucose can be easily and noninvasively monitored for at least three months to a year before it needs replacing. Users must simply shine a fluorescent light from a watch or other device to get a reading.
Andrea Locke, a doctoral student in Cote’s lab, said the lab works with the chemistry that uses glucose to produce fluorescence while Grunlan’s lab works on the biocompatible membrane that will hold the assay, or the molecule that interacts with the glucose to determine what color the device will show.
The device uses two fluorescent dyes — one is tied to a protein that binds to glucose, and the other is tied to a sugar that competes for the binding site on the protein.
Although the process sounds complicated, it is actually quite simple, Locke said.
“When no glucose is in the blood, these dyes will be in close proximity to each other and the second dye will give off fluorescence,” Locke said. “But when there is more glucose in the bloodstream, the distance between the dyes increases and the first dye fluoresces intensely while the second is minimized.”
The project is advancing, but it still has some obstacles to overcome. Locke said while the assay performs well in a free solution, it has trouble when placed in the capsule the team hopes will eventually hold it. Cote said another issue is determining how long the device can remain in the body before the chemistry on which it is based stops working.
The biocompatibility, or how well the body accepts the device, is the final hurdle.
“The body does one of three things when it is injected with something,” Cote said. “The first thing the body will try is to push the foreign object out, like a splinter. If the body can’t push it out it tries to eat it up, and dispose of it. If the body can’t do either of these, it tries to put a capsule around it to protect the rest of the body.”
Any of these would render the device useless, so Grunlan’s lab is designing a material that shrinks and swells to combat the encapsulation.
The implants still need to go through several phases of human and animal testing that will take several more years before it can start being used clinically.
Read more at TheBatt.com
]]>
This research conducted by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine aimed to demonstrate that nocturnal eating should be avoided.
The research team observed that fasting at night allows the metabolism to work in alignment with natural sleep-wake cycles which is important in reducing the risk of disease.
2,000 women took part in the study, who recorded their eating and sleeping patterns between 2009 and 2010.
They were 20 percent less likely to have high blood sugar, a known risk factor for diabetes and breast cancer, for every three hours of extra fasting at night.
The risk of disease was also lowered among participants who ate meals at regular times and waited longer to eat between dinner and breakfast. This served to regulate blood sugar levels.
Longer fast durations also seemed to indicate fewer calories were consumed per day, with fewer eating episodes recorded after 10:00pm.
Lead author Catherine Marinac reported: "This is a simple dietary change that we believe most women can understand and adopt. It may have a big impact on public health without requiring complicated counting of calories or nutrients."
However, caution has been urged by Katie Goates, Senior Research Communications Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Campaign, who responded to the findings.
"As the researchers did not assess the fasting overnight could affect a person's breast cancer risk is unfounded," said Goates.
Diabetes is a data-intensive disease. For those living with diabetes, managing their condition involves never-ending calculations: How much insulin to take to keep blood sugar in a targeted range, how many grams of carbohydrate are in a sandwich, or how an average monthly blood sugar reading fluctuates with different levels of exercise.
But unlike the math problems in school textbooks, there is often no clear answer to these questions. Given the numerous and complex factors that affect blood sugar – including food, physical activity, and sleep patterns – it’s not always clear what exactly occurs between a good blood sugar reading and a bad one.
To many Americans, this is an important question. Nearly 30 million Americans had diabetes in 2014, according to CDC estimates, though more than a quarter of them were undiagnosed. Another 80 million Americans were classified as “pre-diabetic,” meaning they will likely develop diabetes in the next decade if they don’t change their lifestyles. (Around 5-10 percent of these cases are Type 1 diabetes, in which a person’s body doesn’t produce insulin, and a person must take insulin to survive. The rest are Type 2 diabetes, sometimes called adult onset diabetes, in which a person gradually loses the ability to produce sufficient quantities of insulin.)
Because it is so widespread, diabetes is incredibly expensive, costing the U.S. $176 billion in direct medical bills and $69 billion in indirect costs, including disability, work loss and premature death, in 2012.
Diabetes can’t be cured; it can only be treated. The goal is to keep blood sugar within a certain healthy range: If it dips too low, a person can faint or go into a diabetic coma. But too-high blood sugar results in wear and tear on the body that can lead to eye, nerve or kidney complications.
“It’s math all day long,” says Jeff Dachis, the founder of a new app for managing diabetes and a person living with Type 1 diabetes. “If I take too much insulin, I can die instantly, and if I take too little insulin over time, I’ll just die slowly. But if I stay in range, I can stay considerably healthy and unimpacted by diabetes.”
The widespread adoption of wearable health devices is diminishing some of this mathematical mystery. Many Americans are now using products like the Google Fit platform, the Apple HealthKit, or Fitbit to track their sleep, exercise and calories. And a coming wave of wearable technology and social media and mobile apps promises to transform how people live with and manage diabetes.
Diabetics had to painstakingly measure the sugar levels in their urine until the early 1980s, when the first glucose monitors were introduced for home use. ("My first One Touch meter was almost the size of a lunch box," writes internet user coravh, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1966.) Today, most people with diabetes test their blood sugar with glucose meters, then administer insulin through an injection or an insulin pump, a device that sits under the skin and provides a continuous or programmed dose of insulin.
Technology companies are developing more innovative devices to continuously test blood sugar and provide readings and alerts, even while someone is exercising or sleeping. Abbot, Dexcom and Medtronic have developed continuous glucose monitors, which constantly measure blood sugar levels through a small sensor that is inserted under the skin, providing a lot more insight into how a good reading turns into a bad one. The devices still have drawbacks: They are expensive and only partially covered by insurance, if they are covered at all. And the FDA still recommends checking the readings against a glucose meter.
The next big technological step is an "artificial pancreas," an implantable device which would monitor blood sugar as well as automatically deliver insulin. Researchers are developing small implants that can do both, eliminating the need for daily finger pricks and injections. Companies are also developing less invasive ways to measure blood sugar. For example, Google and Novartis AG are partnering to develop a contact lens that monitors glucose contained in tears and transmits the data through a tiny antenna. But these high-tech devices will be expensive, and may not be commercially available for years.
In the meantime, diabetics may be able to learn a lot more about their condition by organizing and sharing their data. Dachis, the co-founder of digital marketing firm Razorfish, helped develop a new diabetes app that launched in the Apple App Store on Tuesday. Called One Drop, the free app includes a digital glucometer, tracking features, social sharing and food logging. The app combines glucose, food, insulin and physical activity in a simple relational data display, and allows people with diabetes to share and learn from other people around them, says Dachis.
Dachis says the app is an example of the emerging practice of "data-driven self-care." With doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies more focused on procedure-based sick care, he argues that data-driven self-care has an important role to play in keeping people well. "The health care industry has been one of the last to digitally transform, and more importantly it’s been one of the last to participate in the democratization of the tools of self-expression that the mobile phone has enabled for people," he says.
Dachis is emphatic that One Drop will never share personal, identifiable data with someone outside the community, for example for marketing purposes. But he is hopeful about the potential that the data, stripped of ways to identify individuals, holds for diabetes research. "With a large-enough population base, you’ll start to see wildly relevant correlations or causality between all different kinds of behavior," he said. "We can start to collect and analyze and correlate that to clinical trial study data or published research data and start to extract the insights for people who are struggling and trying to navigate from moment to moment."
Read more at the Washington Post
]]>I became involved with people's overall health after fixing my own health issues with nutrition and exercise. I then became a personal trainer and holistic health coach. I studied the affects of sugar on insulin production, belly fat and our overall health. It became my main focus as work with people bringing them to their true healthy self. I even host an "I Quit Sugar" support group once per week.
I truly believe that we must invest in our health. Spend the money up front on healthy food (really not more expensive) and exercise in order to save money on health care costs later. Many people are outliving their retirement funds because they are paying to manage 2 or more chronic conditions. Diabetes, by itself, costs $13k a year to manage, takes ten years off your life, can lead to heart disease, amputation and maybe even mean being tethered to machines for the rest of your life. I believe it is important to educate people on why they need to get active about their health before it becomes a problem.
The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar daily and 150lbs per year. The USDA liberally suggests that we eat no more than 10 teaspoons a day and the World Health Organization suggests no more than 5 and yet many consume 11 teaspoons just at breakfast on what is considered a healthy breakfast such as raisin bran with skim milk and OJ. Sugar is found in mass quantities in many food items from a pasta sauce to protein bars.
My website is www.goproveg.com
Peace, Balance and Harmony,
Jason C. Venckus
]]>Below you'll find an interview style article where Chris explains what life was like before and after shifting to a vegan diet.
How old are you?
I'm 41 years old.
What kind of foods did you consume before shifting to a vegan diet?
A true Omnivore, I always liked to cook so experimented a lot with different foods.
What made you shift to a vegan diet?
I discovered I had acquired type 2 Diabetes, which seems to be a late-onset hereditary thing in my family. Everyone who has it, were diagnosed with it within the last 10 years.
The initial response from the Doctor was to prescribe a drug called Metformin, but it's associated with side-effects and after trying it I felt like I was in a shell, lethargic bloated and whilst it works for some people I decided to look into the reasons behind the condition, its causes and effects and how some people had sent it into remission with diet.
It was this approach that appealed to me most.
Did going vegan have a positive or negative impact on your health?
I adopted a plant-based diet and after a few months of self-testing, I noticed that my sugar and cholesterol levels began to come down.
Moderate exercise and eating plant-based foods were the key to me coming off all the medication that I had been prescribed. This happened within six months. I was also feeling much more healthier than I was before and I looked better for it.
Are there any other reasons that veganism appeals to you?
It was about a year ago that I first came across the subject of Veganism, I researched it and realised that I shared many of its core values and principles. I was practically more than half-way there. I love nature and the environment and I thought to myself, 'I am reaping the benefits from a diet perspective, but I can give something back?' Two prime examples were reducing my carbon-footprint and saving lives. I fell in love with cooking healthy, nutritious plant-based foods that have real colour, flavour and diversity and I endeavour to prove that a Vegan diet doesn't limit choice - it's an enlightened one.
Can you identify anything, which have caused the diabetes?
Diabetes is a degenerative condition of the pancreas and the symptoms can vary from person to person. There are two variants, which are known as type 1 and type 2. Personally I had felt lethargic, wasted even. I was eating processed refined foods, including meat. This is important, because some research suggests that a damaged food-chain has made the cells in the pancreas resistant to insulin, preservatives, chemicals and Monosodium Glutamate, which is a pre-cursor to diabetes. Therefore, bringing on the condition with such vigour recently across the world. I identified that as the main reason for me, because I wasn't obese, didn't smoke and considered myself moderately healthy.
What is the difference between the two forms of diabetes?
I have type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus or insulin dependent diabetes) is what you get when your pancreas stops making insulin. It is an auto-immune disease in which your body's immune system attacks your pancreas by accident. Your pancreas then stops making insulin, and your body can't control the amount of glucose in your blood. If you have type 1 diabetes, you need injections of insulin to make sure you don't get hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia.
In type 2 diabetes (also diabetes mellitus) your body becomes resistant to insulin. Being overweight, inactive or having an unhealthy diet can stop insulin from working. If this happens, your body can't control the amount of glucose in your blood.
When were you diagnosed as having diabetes?
It's been 3 years since my diagnosis. I continue to have (by choice) 6 month cholesterol and Hb1ac tests with the doctor as an insurance policy to maintaining as normal lifestyle and health as I possibly can.
Before now, what have you done to reduce the effects of diabetes?
I tried LOTS of herbal supplements at first. Currently, I only take a multi-vitamin. The plant-based diet has proven to have way better results for me. Veganism was logical, and what I consider to be a holistic way of improving my health.
Did you have to see the GP about it or other health professionals?
Initially you are sent to a dietician to learn the do's and dont's of sugar. This was helpful but lacked any reference to a plant based diet. It was something of a textbook, which left me none the wiser, other than knowing what a carbohydrate is.
I don't accept defeat from Diabetes and my approach with any subsequent visits to professionals has been the same: I will show you I can eat amazing guilt free healthy food and live a healthy lifestyle and be conscious that I'm making a valued contribution to society and the environment - not depriving someone who has a greater need than myself, of NHS treatment.
What have the medical professional said?
Interestingly, I have experienced a mixed response. I saw one doctor recently who praised the approach very highly, whereas others have been pretty non-descript. None of them have told me to stop though, and have they responded with 'whatever you're doing...carry on.' I've found a few Doctors who simply wish to prescribe medication and send you on your way. That's not good for me or the NHS.
]]>A new device is about to change the lives of children and adults living with Type 1 diabetes.
The breakthrough is so historic, patients and even doctors are getting emotional about it.
"I just am really looking forward to it," said 13-year-old Athens resident Mary Morgan Collier.
"We're ready for it now," added her mother Georgia.
The first thing Collier does each morning when she gets up is stick herself with a needle.
It's a process she says she repeats about six or seven times a day.
It has been the teenager's routine since doctors diagnosed her with Type 1 diabetes six years ago.
"It takes just a lot of responsibility," said her mother. "My daughter used to be a lot more carefree."
More than three million children and adults in the United States have Type 1 diabetes.
It's much different than Type 2, which usually is linked to obesity and can be reversed. Type 1 hits without warning, and has no known cause, and no cure.
"It's just really hard to have Type 1," said Collier.
The Artificial Pancreas
That soon could change because of a device called the Artificial Pancreas.
Experts call it the biggest breakthrough in Type 1 diabetes care since insulin was discovered in the 1920's.
The artificial pancreas system takes the human element, and the human error, out of the equation.
A sensor and insulin pump work together to continually check a diabetic's blood sugar and automatically set it at a normal range.
"So every minute, it's calculating how much insulin to give," said Dr. Bruce Bode of Atlanta Diabetes Associates. "If the glucose is going up, it gives a little more. If the glucose is going down, it gives less."
Bode is one of the top Type 1 diabetes doctors in the country. He's leading key tests on the artificial pancreas here in Atlanta.
"We are hoping to do all of our pivotal trials starting mid-summer this year,” said Bode. “We'll finish them by the end of the year, and we're hoping to gain some type of FDA approval in 2016.”
Metro Atlanta resident Kris Bagwell participated in early trials of the artificial pancreas five years ago at the University of Virginia.
"I felt like a new person. You can't underestimate the stress of fluctuating blood sugars and the mental stress of being your own pancreas," Bagwell said. "It's really, really difficult."
The film executive made a documentary about it for JDRF.
"It was astonishing,” said Bagwell. “My blood sugar was essentially flat for the first time in life, since I was diagnosed with diabetes.”
Type 1 diabetes is a 24-hour, 7-days a week job for the diabetic and parents. Every bit of food, every activity has to be monitored and can affect blood sugar.
Blood sugar also tends to dip dangerously low when a diabetic is asleep. Some can slip into comas or even die.
That's the reason why most parents of Type 1 diabetes don't sleep through the night after getting the diagnosis.
Read personal stories from patients and families
It's something former WSB-TV anchor John Pruitt knows all too well. He said he'll never forget Feb. 9, 1977. That's the day doctors diagnosed his daughter Kristina.
"One day we had an almost 3-year-old who was perfectly healthy with an unlimited future, and then suddenly with had an almost 3-year-old with an incurable disease," Pruitt said.
Kristina now is an adult with children of her own, but her dad knows the artificial pancreas will improve her life.
"It's going to bring great peace of mind, but more importantly, I think it's going to mean healthier diabetics," Pruitt said. "Because maintaining good control of your blood sugar is really the key to living a long and healthy life.”
Collier is looking forward to that peace of mind too.
"It would take a lot of stress off me and my parents and everyone who's looking out for me," she said.
Including Bode, whose passion for his patients always comes first. He got emotional just talking about it.
"It will change the whole way people manage diabetes,” said Bode. “Not only their family members, the individual, the health care provider, the teacher."
Fighting back tears he said, "It's a real game-changer."
To read more, see WSB-TV
]]>My alarm went off at 3h30am, way too early for any sane human, but for good reason. I need to eat 2 hours before the rather early 5h30am start. My sugar is good (5.3 mmol/l) and I frittered around for ages before catching the shuttle up to the start, defeating the whole point of waking up at stupid O’ clock in the first place. Breakfast was terrific, I scoffed down some salmon, cheese, yogurt and some muesli. My good intentions of doing a warm up never materialized either as just as I got my last mouthful in, we were summoned to the start…
In the start chute, I position myself with the people I presume will be of similar pace, based purely on physique which is pretty difficult as all 136 starters are lean as ostrich fillet and look like they could run for days. The plan was a simple one, run your own race, your own pace and finish. I had nothing to prove and no rivals to beat as I had never done any trail run before. Last minute sugar check: 9 mmol (perfect for the start), and I was off.
The route is an absolute suffer festival, the one saving grace is it is unbelievably spectacular. I often forgot I was even racing with sightings of countless waterfalls, remote villages and endless vistas. The 50km has 2 major hills the first just 12km with 1140m of altitude gain and the second after 35m with 727m gain. The route tops out 3150m above sea level. All in I climbed 2741m (That is 3 Table Mountains…)
A crucial element to success at this event was and always will be what you eat along the way. I packed crunchies, droewors, cheese, mixed nuts, a banana, an apple, some dried fruit, 2 jungle bars, a peanut butter and Nutella sarmie and 2 GUs in case of emergency. The key is eating consistently, keeping my blood sugar from dipping to dangerous levels and maintaining the performance I needed to complete the challenge.
The first 20 km went like breeze, crushing the first monster climb, making friends on route, and taking a few shots for my social media and Instagram along the way. Things were dandy until I got to the one part of the route that I was really looking forward to. The epic 15 km downhill. I can’t describe how terrible the path was. There was nothing but relentless switch backs of rocks, boulders and what looks like a riverbed. Occasionally you would lose the path because of the intense concentration needed to avoid getting a tennis ball transplant in your ankle… A combination of this concentration and fatigue took its toll on me and I crawled into the 32km refuel point. A better sight I was sure I have never seen. The ladies at the point were incredibly helpful getting me everything I needed besides a new set of legs… my sugar was a little low too, so I promptly stoked up on jelly babies, potatoes and banana. It was clear that I needed to change my strategy here to one thing, survival.
I spent too long at the refuel point, 30 minutes after the refuel I started to taste the high blood sugar in my mouth and my performance had deteriorated rapidly. A test confirmed, 16mmol/l - not ideal in the heat of the day at this stage of the race. The high sugar was dehydrating me in a stage of the race in which I was already struggling with hydration. In fear of losing my sense of humor, I took some Humalog (my insulin) and took a 15 min timeout before soldiering on. No one likes a moody, high sugar diabetic halfway up the toughest part of the route.
This second climb is what makes this race what it is. It is a brutally honest climb that not once gives you the sense that you are nearing the top. It was hot and I was struggling with my blood sugar initially. Fortunately you burn a lot of sugar up a climb like this and step by step I felt better and better. Nearing the top you could hear one awesome noisy marshal cheering for us up to the top.
There is very little in the world that gets near to the joy you go through when you finally reach a much needed refreshment point after 42km of the toughest trail possible. Being a race director myself, I had a good insight as to what was going through Andrew Booth’s (the race director) mind when he set this route. Quite frankly this last hill turned the event from an average day out into one that everyone will remember for the rest of their life!
With only 6 km left of downhill you would think that it would be plain sailing, but that last 6km was the section in which I’d have to dig the deepest. Every joint and muscle in my legs and body were in agony. And downhills were far from being my friend on this event!
The finish was surreal; some kind of end to the pain was a great welcome. Although, quite frankly, I was worried about being able to stand up after I sat down!… My finish line blood sugar level was a cool 5mmols. Happy! Now to smash some carbs if my body would let me eat anything before a solid 2 hr power nap. The venue for the event is second to none, coming into a 5 star mountain resort for the finish could not be more fitting. Maliba Mountain Lodge and staff pulled out all the stops to make a truly memorable experience.
I finished in just over 10 hours in 75th place (there were 140 odd starters).
Some people tend to think that diabetes affects my sport, but more than anything your head is the most important thing to get right. Make no mistake my diabetes does affect my performance but this is completely normal to me. I know nothing else. I want to run, therefore I run and learn about diabetes and the way to react. The more I run the better I get, I’m sure next year I’d be pretty disappointed with 75th…
To read more about Darol visit www.diabetesadventure.com
As more scientific studies are completed, we are developing a better understanding of the gut’s role in overall health. In particular, we know the microbiome of the gut is different in people with diabetes. Read on to learn more about the differences and how prebiotics can help with diabetes.
The Diabetic Gut
In December 2006, Nature published a paper that showed the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of obese people are different than thin people. The authors of the paper revealed that the gut microbiome has a direct influence on the amount of calories absorbed into an individual’s bloodstream.
Even more interesting, there’s a difference between the gut microbiome of obese people and people with diabetes. There are three different microbiota in large intestines: diabetic, obese and healthy. Chances are, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the microbiome of your gut is not helping your situation.
Can I Reverse My Diabetic Gut?
The same scientific study revealed that changing the microbiota can potentially reverse the disease. In experiments using diabetic mice, tweaking their gut bacteria balance had a positive effect on their blood sugar levels, as well as their metabolites. They even pinpointed a key player in diabetes: a bacteria called Verrucomicrobiae. It’s shown to have a direct correlation with Type 2 diabetes.
Can Probiotics Reverse My Diabetic Gut?
When people think about gut health, probiotics usually come to mind. Thanks to effective marketing, the general public knows that yogurts contain healthy bacteria that can improve digestion. However, there are a few drawbacks with probiotics:
In reality, when you’re trying to improve the bacterial balance in your gut, probiotics can only do so much.
What’s a Better Way to Improve My Gut Microbiome?
While probiotics can potentially add more healthy bacteria to your gut microbiome, there’s a more effective way to establish a better balance: consuming prebiotics. Prebiotics, unlike probiotics, are not bacteria. They are fertilizers that help your good bacteria flourish.
Prebiotics have many benefits over probiotics:
Prebiotics, such as fructo-saccharide and inulin, are found in plant-based sources, including garlic, bananas and chicory root. While you may have to consume more of these foods than you’d like in order to reap the benefits of prebiotics, there are all-natural supplements like Prebiotin you can take to easily incorporate the right amount of prebiotics into your diet. This means you don’t have to compromise your diet to get the prebiotics you need — prebiotics are a great way to improve your gut microbiome and reduce the effects of your diabetes.
]]>What do life insurance companies look at when you have diabetes?
There are many factors that affect the cost of life insurance for persons with diabetes. Unless you are applying for guaranteed issue policies that ask no health questions (and also charge the most), it is important to share the following details so your agent can match you to the best policy for which you qualify.
However, these details will not help your agent find your best price if your agent does not understand diabetes. Some of these answers will require follow up questions. E.g. If you have type 2 diabetes and are on insulin, I would ask when/if you switched from oral medication to insulin. If your last A1C is high, I would ask if that is normal for you. These extra details can literally save you hundreds of dollars or even keep you from being declined.
Finally, if your agent can shop many companies, and understands how each company uses these factors to rate their applicants, you will have your greatest chance of getting the lowest price.
Exam vs No Exam Diabetic Life Insurance
Sometimes buying a policy that does not require an exam can be the best route for people with diabetes. There are a number of nonmed life insurance policies that give everyone the same reasonable rate, just as long as you can answer no to their health questions. While a question about diabetes is usually included on the application, it may only ask about your diabetic control. Therefore, a person with stable diabetes may be able to pay the same price as someone who is overweight, has gout, or is mildly depressed.
Nonmed life insurance can also be helpful for those who have erratic A1C’s, blood pressure, or weight. As long as you can answer the questions on the application (and sometimes a phone interview) to qualify, eliminating the exam eliminates that extra hurdle to being approved.
Finally, no exam life insurance may be the only option for someone with advanced kidney disease, heart disease, or circulatory disease related to their diabetes. Generally, a nonmed policy for someone with diabetic complications will be a “graded” policy, meaning that it has a 1-3 year waiting period before it will pay the full death benefit. Some of these policies are guaranteed issue, which means that you cannot be declined for health reasons. If your agent has a variety of nonmed policies like this to choose from, he/she can guide you to the one with best price AND best features.
How to get your best life insurance rate
People with diabetes don’t want to pay more than they have to for life insurance, and most are willing to do what it takes to get their lowest price. But it’s hard to know what will help, unless you are working with a knowledgeable agent. Sometimes it helps to wait a few months before you apply; sometimes it helps to apply right away. Some companies penalize you if you use insulin; others will rate you better if you take insulin to lower your A1C. If your agent doesn’t know the in’s and out’s of finding the best rate for people with diabetes, you may find yourself paying too much.
Using an agency that sells policies from multiple companies can also help you get the best life insurance rate. That way, you are charged for your unique health details, rather than have your premium based on what other people with diabetes pay. As a bonus, when you can do all your shopping from one spot, it takes away a lot of the stress of applying for life insurance.
Just like finding a comfortable pair of shoes when you have a bunion, finding an affordable life insurance policy when you have diabetes can be pure joy, and stay with you for many years to come.
- Peg Mace
Peg Mace specializes in affordable health insurance for individuals with complex medical conditions.
Contact Peg Mace at 866-866-0242 ext 914 or email peg@outlooklife.com
5 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons fresh minced sage, divided
3 teaspoons fresh minced thyme, divided
3 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ cups low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 (5-pound) turkey breast, skin on, washed and patted dry
From The Family Classics Cookbook by American Diabetes Association
10 baby golden potatoes (about 1 lb total), scrubbed and quartered
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
¼ cup dill, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add lemon juice and olive oil, and begin mashing by hand or with an electric mixer. When mixture is smooth and creamy, stir in lemon zest, cilantro, dill, salt and pepper. Serve warm.
From Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook by Amy Riolo
10 baby golden potatoes (about 1 lb total), scrubbed and quartered
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
¼ cup dill, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add lemon juice and olive oil, and begin mashing by hand or with an electric mixer. When mixture is smooth and creamy, stir in lemon zest, cilantro, dill, salt and pepper. Serve warm.
From Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook by Amy Riolo
10 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower, about 2 heads
2 teaspoons butter
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups 1% milk
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely minced parsley
From The Family Classics Cookbook by American Diabetes Association
1 medium sweet onion, (half diced, half thinly sliced), divided
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)
1 pound frozen French-cut green beans, (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons buttermilk powder, (see Ingredient Note)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
From Eating Well
From Eating Well
From Eating Well
From Diabetic Living
From Diabetic Living
For the crust:
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Line a standard muffin tin with 8 parchment cups, and set aside.
To prepare the crust, pulse the walnuts and shredded coconut in a small food processor until ground into a fine meal. (Be careful not to over-process, or you’ll wind up with nut butter instead!) Add the maple syrup, coconut oil and salt and process again until just mixed, and the dough sticks together when pinched between your fingers. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons into the 8 parchment cups and use your fingers to press down and form a crust for each cup. Place the pan in the fridge to set while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the filling, simply combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. (If your dates aren’t soft enough to blend easily, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes beforehand.) Remove the pan of crusts from the fridge, and pour the batter evenly into the 8 cups. Smooth the top, then return to the fridge to set completely, about 4-6 hours.
When the center of the filling is firm to the touch, the tarts are ready to serve. Top with coconut whipped cream, if you like!
From detoxonista.com
]]>People who have taken certain antibiotics repeatedly may be at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people in the study who had ever been prescribed two or more courses of specific types of antibiotics were more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than people who had never been prescribed these antibiotics, or had taken just one course. The antibiotics in the study came from one of four categories: penicillins, cephalosporins, quinolones and macrolides.
The study "raises a red flag about the overuse of antibiotics, and it should make us much more concerned about this overuse," said Dr. Raphael Kellman, a New York City internist who was not involved in the study. "We should certainly be more judicious, more cautious when we use antibiotics."
Physicians should keep in mind that one of the complications of prolonged use of antibiotics may be diabetes, Kellman told Live Science.
In people with type 2 diabetes, the cells of the body stop responding to the hormone insulin, which normally causes cells to take in sugar from the blood. People with the condition tend to have levels of sugar in their blood that are too high.
In the study, the researchers looked at a database of people in the United Kingdom. The researchers examined the number of antibiotic prescriptions that were given to about 200,000 people with diabetes at least one year before the individuals were diagnosed with the condition. The scientists then compared that total with the number of antibiotics prescribed to 800,000 people who didn't have diabetes, but 7 Bizarre Drug Side Effects]
For example, the risk of type 2 diabetes in people who had been prescribed between two and five courses of penicillin increased 8 percent, compared with people who had taken one course of penicillin or none. In those who had been prescribed more than five courses of the antibiotic, the risk increased 23 percent compared with the one- or no-course group.
Among people who had been given two to five courses of quinolones, the likelihood of being diagnosed with diabetes grew by 15 percent, and it increased 37 percent among those who had received more than five courses.
However, the people in the study who had been prescribed a single course of antibiotics did not have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with those who had never taken antibiotics.
Exactly how the repeated use of antibiotics might be linked diabetes is not clear, but the researchers said they suspect that it be may be related to an imbalance in people's gut bacteria brought on by antibiotics.
"While our study does not show cause and effect, we think changing levels and diversity of gut bacteria could explain the link between antibiotics and diabetes risk," study co-author Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology
at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement.
An imbalance in gut bacteria has been previously linked to the mechanisms behind obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes in animal and human studies, the lead author of the study Dr. Ben Boursi, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, said in the statement.
Kellman agreed, saying, "I think this study further supports the idea that problems with the microbiome can lead to metabolic dysfunction, inflammation and even diabetes."
Moreover, the antibiotics that are prescribed by doctors are likely not the only problem, he added. "Most of the antibiotics that are consumed come from the food that we eat," such as poultry and other types of meat.
In general, the rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in recent years might have something to do with the antibiotics in food, said Kellman, who also wrote the book "The Microbiome Diet" (Da Capo Press, 2014).
"Studies like this will bring out a new awareness" of the connection between diet and chronic diseases, he said.
The new study was published today (March 24) in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
Read more at Live Science
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