American Diabetes Association Alert Day – Five Secrets to Stop Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or managed – and you don't have to run marathons or eat a vegetarian diet to do so. Simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference towards better health.

But how do you get started? And how can you stick with it?

Check out these five secrets to stop diabetes from the American Diabetes Association's vast collection of expert advice. What better time to put these tips into action than during this year's American Diabetes Association Alert Day?

Also, find out more about Diabetes Alert Day, take the Diabetes Risk Test to determine your level of risk for type 2 diabetes, and learn what steps to take next.

Are you an Apple or a Pear?Did you know that being an apple rather than a pear shape – more fat around your middle than around your hips – raises your risk of type 2 diabetes? To determine your shape, take a tape measure (a flexible one is best) and place it snugly (not tightly) around your waist. Compare the width of your waist to the number below. If the width of your waist is the same or bigger than the numbers below, you have too much weight around your waist and are at a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Men: over 40 inches
Women: over 35 inches

Have you seen the size of your plate inflate?As portion sizes have grown in recent years, so has our perception of what is the appropriate amount to eat in one sitting. Even dishes and glasses have increased in size, so a normal-size portion looks inadequate, fueling the urge to fill a plate or glass with extra calories and raising your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Although measuring cups and spoons may be useful at home, they aren't very realistic when you eat out. A simple trick is to use your hand to help approximate portion sizes.

A fist = 1 cup
Palm of a woman's hand = 3 ounces
Palm of a man's hand = 5 ounces
Thumb tip = 1 teaspoon
Thumb tip = 1 teaspoon
Source: Copyright © 2009 American Diabetes Association. From What Do I Eat Now?

Have you ever developed gestational diabetes?Gestational diabetes (GDM) is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. In most cases, these mothers-to-be have never had diabetes before, and then it goes away after pregnancy. But, unfortunately, that's not always the end of the story.

Once you've had GDM your chances are 2 in 3 that it will return in future pregnancies. And women who have had GDM are more than 7 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women who didn't have diabetes in pregnancy. How can you lower your risk?

Stay active. Regular exercise can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Plus it can help you lose weight, manage stress, and feel better.
Breastfeed. If you can, breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding can provide both short- and long-term benefits to both your baby and to you.
Talk to your health care provider. Be sure to tell your health care providers that you've had GDM.
Get tested. If you had GDM, you should be tested for diabetes 6–12 weeks after you give birth and at least every 3 years after that.
Lose weight. Are you more than 20 percent over your ideal body weight? Losing even a few pounds can help you prevent type 2 diabetes.
Limit fat to 30 percent or less of your daily calories, and watch your portion sizes. Healthy eating habits can go a long way in preventing diabetes and other health problems.
Source: American Diabetes Association’s CheckUp America campaign

Are you a Master Excuse-Maker?While you may try to exercise often, do you find yourself making excuses when the demands of daily life take hold? By skipping a quick walk or work-out routine, many find the pounds add up. Here are few ways to build exercise into your regular routine and lower your type 2 diabetes risk:

When working at your desk for an extended period of time, build short breaks into your day.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator. If need be, take the elevator part of the way and the stairs the rest of the way, then gradually increase the number of floors you climb as you become more fit.
If safe to do so, park your car at a distant part of the office parking lot so that you can increase the amount of walking you do on your way in. If you use public transportation, get off a stop or two early and walk to your destination.
Source: Copyright © American Diabetes Association. From the "I Hate to Exercise" book

Have you let up on your check-up?With today’s hectic schedules and daily demands, it’s easy to forget or forgo a scheduled visit with your health care provider. Plus, if you feel a little heavier, more stressed or have been eating less healthy, chances are you’ll want to avoid this check-up more than in years past. But, seeing a healthcare provider on a regular basis is one of the best ways to manage your health, ask for tools to lower your risk, and stop diabetes before it starts.

Be sure to take our Diabetes Risk Test before visiting your health care provider. And, take along these questions and healthy guidelines to make the most of your visit.

What is the circumference of my waist? (A healthy number is 40 inches or below for men, under 35 inches for women)
What is my blood pressure?( Less than 120/80 is ideal)
Will you give me a fasting blood glucose test? (Maintain a schedule of being tested every 3 years after age 45 and ask your doctor to explain the test results and provide tips on how to lower your numbers if need be)
What is my cholesterol? (Total cholesterol should be less than 200, with LDL levels less than 100 and HDL levels more than 40 mgs for men, 50 mgs for women)
What are some small steps I can take to be healthier and avoid type 2 diabetes?
Source: American Diabetes Association’s CheckUp America campaign

DHWI at Juanita J. Craft Rec. Center

The Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute at Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center is the cornerstone of Baylor’s Southern Sector Health Initiative created in 2006 to address the region’s health care needs relative to diabetes. The goal of the center is to weave diabetes prevention into the fabric of the community so that it is a natural and convenient part of life in this neighborhood.

The Institute will provide:
• Full-time, on-site physician and nurse practitioner*
• Visiting medical specialists*
• Referral coordinator for specialty and ancillary care
• Diabetes management educator
• Affordable diabetes medications
• Nutrition and healthy cooking classes
• Exercise programs including running and walking clinics and weight training

The Institute will be conveniently located near the newly opened Fair Park DART line. All of the existing programs at The Juanita J. Craft Recreation center will be maintained or enhanced once the Institute opens in June 2010.


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/dallas/stories/092309dnmetdiabetes.1a724f2cf.html

Comprehensive Diabetes Checklist

This is a list of management skills and required tests all people with diabetes should review. If you don’t have all of these skills, ask your physician and certified diabetes educator (C.D.E.) for help acquiring these skills, or contact the Diabetes Center nearest you. In order to get as full a picture of your diabetes as possible, it is also crucial for you to have all of the tests outlined here, and within the time frame recommended.

Meal Planning
___create your own meal plan
___discuss special foods and occasions
___discuss options when dining out
___portion control
___low cholesterol, low-fat guidelines
___fitting sugar into the meal plan
___label reading
___alcohol

Self monitoring of blood glucose
___blood glucose goals
___how to use a meter to guarantee accurate results
___monitoring schedule
___how to clean meter
___storing supplies
___interpreting blood glucose values and making decisions in diabetes treatment plan

Use of insulin or diabetes pills
___action and side effects of medication
___timing and treatment schedule
___insulin injection technique
___site rotation schedule for injection
___proper storage, refrigeration and disposal of supplies
___what to do for missed doses

Exercise
___exercise guidelines: how long, how hard, how often and when?
___snacking adjustments
___preventing high and low blood glucose

Knowledge of high and low blood glucose
___factors that cause high and low blood glucose
___symptoms
___how to treat
___how to prevent
___when to call a healthcare provider

Foot Care
___daily foot care
___emergency treatment for cuts, sores, abrasions
___how to do a proper foot exam
___proper footwear

Sick day management
___preventing life-threatening problems
___what to eat and drink
___monitoring and medication schedule
___when to call the doctor

Urine testing for ketones (for insulin users only)
___when and how to check for ketones
___what ketones mean
___when to call the doctor

Special topics
___meal plan
___skills in taking medication
___glucose monitoring technique
___treatment of high and low blood glucose
___sick day management
___risk factors for health problems
___foot care treatment

Tests should have at least once a year:
___A1C (2-4 times/year)
___Kidney function
___Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides (lipids)
___Foot exam
___Dilated Eye exam
___Blood pressure
___General health exam
___Urinary microalbuminuria
___GFR
*Joslin Diabetes Center*

LadyCDE

I have a twitter site that I have decided to use to post information on diabetes care/management and prevention.All links will send readers to this blog. Hope it blesses your life.By the bye, LadyCDE is also Mzgetreal.....CDE stands for certified diabetes educator :-)

What is Diabetes? What are the signs?

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. People with diabetes have problems converting food to energy. After a meal, food is broken down into a sugar called glucose, which is carried by the blood to cells throughout the body. Cells use the hormone insulin, made in the pancreas, to help them process blood glucose into energy.
People develop type 2 diabetes because the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly. Eventually, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin for the body’s needs. As a result, the amount of glucose in the blood increases while the cells are starved of energy. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and amputation.

Nearly 6 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Many have no signs or symptoms. Symptoms can also be so mild that you might not even notice them. Some people have symptoms but do not suspect diabetes.

*Symptoms include
-increased thirst
-increased hunger
-fatigue
-increased urination, especially at night
-weight loss
-blurred vision
-sores that do not heal

Many people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes complications, such as blurry vision or heart trouble. If you find out early that you have diabetes, then you can get treatment to prevent damage to your body. NIDDK/NIH