Tuesday, August 18, 2015
What To Eat on a Summer Day When the Blood Sugar is Soaring
August 18, 2015
Here we go again! I already have written more than 30 pages on Diabetes and Fatigue. Sorry that I cannot publish it yet because I want it to be as complete as possible. Meantime I do not want you to miss out on anything important so I have to share you the following from a favorite resource of mine.
If this summer has your blood sugar soaring and you're wondering what to eat to get it on an even keel, well, the expert advice is to eat salad with nuts and blueberries and vinaigrette. Why, you asked? Because vinaigrette when mixed with lemon juice and olive oil may lower the blood sugar level by a whopping 30%. Happy eating!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
5 Studies You can Participate in With The Goal to Prevent and Delay Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
It is taking me a long time to finish an in depth work on Diabetes and Fatigue so each time this happens, I will send you tips on what you may want to try or learn.
5 Studies You can Participate in With The Goal to Prevent and Delay Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Some of the studies are trying to find cure for these diseases. You can get free diabetes treatment while participating and improve the knowledge on diabetes also. Let me know if you are interested and I will send you a link for more information. Just write it down in the comments below or send me an email at randeg11atyahoo.com with the subject line Free Diabetes Alert so I will think it is not spam.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Diabetes and Eye Care
Diabetes and Eye Care
Here’s the issue on Diabetes and Eye Care. Once you receive a diagnosis of diabetes, it will be necessary to have a medical follow-up where the doctor will determine the most effective treatment for you. You will have a diabetes team to help take care of you which may include a certified diabetes educator, a podiatrist for the feet, social worker, ophthalmologist for the eyes and a dietitian.
What You’ll Learn:
• Diabetes Retinopathy
• Cataracts and the Symptoms
• Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
Diabetes Retinopathy
One such complication is damage to the eyes. You see diabetes can damage the retina’s blood vessels which could lead to blindness. There are other serious vision conditions that diabetes can cause or increase the risk of developing cataracts and glaucoma. For this section we will concentrate on diabetic retinopathy.
Here’s a video on Understanding Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication affecting the eyes of a diabetic. What happens is that the blood vessels of the tissue at the back of the eye or the retina is damaged. There may not be any signs at the beginning and the affected person may only feel mild and minor visual problems, but the condition could lead to blindness.
How does the tissue at the back of the eyes damaged, you asked? You see, the high blood sugar level can pull fluid from the tissues and the lenses of the eyes thus affecting your ability to focus. If this is not treated, it can lead to the formation of the new blood vessels in the retina. This may not cause vision problem, perhaps just blurry vision at first but could lead to blindness if not treated.
Anyone with type 2 or type 1 diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy. Those with uncontrolled blood sugar level and have had diabetes for a long time are the ones who are likely to develop this condition. That is why it is important to get on top of maintaining the blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.
What Are the Risk Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy?
How long have you had diabetes.
Uncontrolled blood sugar
High cholesterol and blood pressure levels
Smoking
Pregnancy
Being a Native American, Hispanic or Black
What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?
Both eyes are usually affected by diabetic retinopathy. At the start, you may not feel any symptoms but as the condition continues to progress some of the symptoms may be the following:
Vision is blurry.
There are dark or empty parts in the vision.
Vision is irregular.
There are floaters in the vision.
The color vision is impaired.
Vision is lost.
What Tests Are Employed in the Diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy?
Go to the doctor for the diagnosis where he will do a dilated eye examination. He will place drops in your eyes to dilate or widen them so he can see better the inside of your eyes. This may cause you a blurry vision for several hours until the drops wear off. Meantime the doctor will be able to look for some of the following:
Swelling and blood deposits in the retina
Irregular blood vessels
Development of new blood vessels and scar tissue
Retinal disconnection
Filling of jelly-like substance in the centre of the eye
Irregularities in the optic nerve
The doctor will do a fluorescein angiography where he will take pictures of the insides of the eyes while they are dilated and inject into your arm a special dye which will enable him to take more pictures as this dye goes through your eyes. These pictures will then show him the blood vessels that are closed or broken down and leaking fluid. The doctor may also check for cataracts and glaucoma and test your vision as well.
The eye doctor may also ask to have an OCT exam, which is short for optical coherence tomography. This will show the eye doctor a cross-sectional image of the retina that shows its thickness. This will help find out if there is leakage into retinal tissue. This same exam will also help see how well the treatment is working.
When Do You See the Doctor for Diabetic Retinopathy and How Do You Prepare For It?
Carefully managing the diabetes is the best way not to go blind so if you have diabetes, get an annual eye exam. Do this even when you feel there is nothing wrong with your eyes. Depending on the situation, the doctor may even suggest additional eye exams. Anyway, contact your doctor as soon as your vision becomes hazy, spotty and blurry.
You will have plenty of questions so write them down as they happen so that just before your appointment with the doctor, you could summarize them in a list. This way, you will make the most of your time. Clarify with him how often you should monitor your blood sugar level as well as the timing when you should do so.
You may also need to know about insulin therapy (Types of insulin, the timing and the amount of dose as well as how to administer the insulin – which is best for you, pump or shots?) In addition, there are questions on the testing and treatment of ketones, the types of food affecting the blood sugar level and how to do carb counting.
You may also want to ask him how to adjust the insulin and food consumption for exercise and any other activity, how to manage your sick days, how to recognize and treat low and high blood sugar and the frequency of your visits to your doctor and other specialists.
Also write down all personal information or a short outline of your diabetes history and include the date of the diagnosis, the medications you took and are taking, the current average blood sugar levels and the past few A1C readings and the symptoms even if they are not related to eye problems plus any crisis in your life that stress you.
List down all vitamins, supplements and medications including the dosage you’re taking.
Bring the glucose values you recorded on your blood sugar level check-up, and ask how to make adjustments to your medication, diet and exercise to reflect the changes in your blood glucose levels.
Get a friend or a member of your family to go to your appointment with you to help you remember what the doctor will tell. This is a win-win situation because you will need a drive home with your dilated eyes from the doctor’s tests.
Now List the Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Questions you may want to ask about diabetic retinopathy may include the following:
How does diabetes affect my vision?
What tests will I have to undergo? Are there other tests I need?
Is my vision problem permanent or temporary?
Can you recommend some treatment?
Are there side effects from those treatments?
Will my symptoms disappear if I control my blood sugar better?
To protect my eyes, what should my blood sugar goal be?
How can I best manage all my conditions better if I have other health conditions?
Can you recommend other services for those who are visually handicapped?
Be Ready to Reply to What the Doctor May Ask You
Are you feeling some symptoms like blurry vision?
How long have you been feeling these symptoms?
What was the result of your last hemoglobin A1C?
How often do you experience low blood sugar episodes?
Can you tell when your blood sugar is getting low?
Are you comfortable in managing your diabetes?
How much exercise do you do?
What is your diet like?
How much insulin, on the average, are you using each day?
What other health conditions do you have like high cholesterol and high blood pressure?
How about eye surgery, have you ever had it?
What are the Causes of Diabetic Retinopathy?
The tiny blood vessels that nurture the retina are blocked by too much blood sugar thus cutting off the blood supply. To compensate, the eye tries to develop new blood vessels but they don’t develop correctly and can easily leak. Diabetic retinopathy is of two types. Determine what type you are.
Causes of Early Diabetic Retinopathy
The early diabetic retinopathy is also called nonproliferative retinopathy or NPDR that occurs when the blood sugar walls have become weak. This sometimes leads to leakage of blood and fluid into the retina. As more blood vessels are blocked, the NDPR can advance from mild to severe. The nerve fibers may start to swell and sometimes so do the central part of the retina.
Causes of Advanced Diabetic Retinopathy
The advanced diabetic retinopathy is also called proliferative diabetic retinopathy and occurs when the damaged blood vessels close off leading to the growth of new blood vessels that are abnormal. This can leak into the center of the eye filled with jelly-like substance.
The scar tissue caused by the new blood vessels may lead to the detachment of the retina from the back of the eye. Pressure can then build up which can damage the optic nerve that carries the image from the eye to the brain. This can lead to glaucoma.
Complications of Diabetic Retinopathy
The irregular development of blood vessels in the retina caused by diabetic retinopathy can lead to more problems. Yes, it is very irritating, isn’t it? Here we already have a complication in diabetic retinopathy and they tell us this has a complication all its own? Give us a break, please!
1. Hemorrhage – There may be bleeding by the new blood vessels into the clear substance that is in the center of the eye. It is not too bad with small bleeding because then we will only see not much floaters or dark spots. The trouble is that when there is too much bleeding, the blood could fill the cavity and block our ability to see.
This is not permanent, thank heavens for in a few weeks or months, the blood frequently clears the eye so as long as the retina is not damaged, the vision will come back. Thank heavens for small mercies.
2. Glaucoma – If the new abnormal blood vessels form in the front of the eye, it will impede the normal flowing of fluid from the eye. This will lead to build-up pressure in the eye called glaucoma that could harm the optic nerve that carries the picture from the eye to the brain.
3. Detachment of the retina – The irregular blood vessels that grow due to diabetic retinopathy cause scar tissue to form. This scar tissue can pull the retina away which could cause one to see light flashes, floaters and even vision loss.
4. Blindness – can eventually be the result from having glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy or both.
What are the Treatments and Drugs for Diabetic Retinopathy?
Treatments depends on the type of diabetic retinopathy you have. It depends on how severe the condition is. The goal for the treatment is to slow down the diabetic retinopathy or just stops its advancement. Let us take this one at a time, shall we?
Treatment for Early Diabetic Retinopathy
You may not need immediate treatment if you have mild or mediocre type of diabetic retinopathy. But the eye doctor will keep an eye on your eyes to see if the treatment is necessary down the road. Meantime get your diabetes care team to help improve the way you manage your diabetes because at this early stage, maintaining blood sugar control will slow the progression.
Treatment for Advanced Diabetic Retinopathy
Advanced diabetic retinopathy will need surgical treatment without delay. Based on the problems in the retina, the options may include:
1. Scatter laser treatment is also known as panretinal photocoagulation and it can reduce in size the abnormal blood vessels. What the doctor will do is that he will treat with scattered laser burns the area of the retina away from the macula. The burns can make the new abnormal vessels shrink. This is done in the doctor’s office in two or more sessions.
What can you expect to happen after the procedure, you asked? For a day after the procedure, you will have blurry vision. On top of this, there is a chance you might lose some peripheral vision. It is also possible to lose night vision after the surgery.
2. Focal laser treatment, known as photocoagulation, can either stop or slow down the blood leakage in the eye. What the doctor will do is treat with laser burns the leaks from the abnormal blood vessels. This procedure is done in the doctor’s office in one session.
If your vision is blurry from macular edema before the procedure, your vision may not return to normal from this procedure but at least the odd the macular edema may get worse is likely reduced.
3. Vitretomy is the type of procedure that uses a tiny incision in the eye. The purpose of this is to remove blood from the vitreous or middle of the eye. It will also remove the scar tissue on the retina. Local or general anesthesia is used and the procedure is done in the hospital or surgical centers.
Surgery is not a cure but rather it just stops the progression or slows it down. Future damage to the retina is still possible because diabetes is a lifelong condition. Vision loss is still possible and regular eye exams are needed and so it may be recommended to have additional treatment.
There are a lot of researches that study the treatment for diabetic retinopathy. Some are promising like the medications that stop the formation of abnormal blood vessels in the eye. Some are injected right into the eye to treat the swelling but more researches are necessary.
There are some alternative therapies that are helpful but none has been fully substantiated. What is important in this case is not to delay the treatment because you want to try unproven ones. Another important thing here is to tell your doctor the herbs and supplements you’re taking are some of them may interact with other medications or cause excessive bleeding in surgery.
To get early treatment is still the best way to prevent loss of vision. The thought of losing your vision is scary to say the least. You need a support group to see you through. Ask your doctor to refer you to such groups and for low-vision products like magnifiers and other services that will make your everyday life easier.
How Can You Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy?
No one can at all times prevent diabetic retinopathy but there are things one can do to avoid serious loss of vision. For example, There are things you can do like having control of blood pressure and blood sugar, regular eye exams plus early intervention of eye problems.. The risk for diabetic retinopathy can be reduced when you do the following:
Quit smoking as this increases the risk for complications as well as diabetic retinopathy.
Manage your diabetes by eating healthy, exercising regularly and taking insulin or oral medications as prescribed.
Ask the doctor for an A1C test for this will show the average blood sugar level the previous 2 or 3 months before the test. It should be below 7% so the test will guide you and your doctor to adjust your treatment plan.
Check and record your blood sugar level a number of times a day.
Be aware of changes in your vision and tell the doctor about it if it becomes foggy, blotchy or shadowy.
Maintain healthy levels of blood pressure and cholesterol by eating healthy, moving more and losing weight.
Cataracts
Cataracts and the Symptoms
A cataract is the clouding of the lens of the eye. When you have cataract, it is like looking through a window that is frosty and fogged-up. This condition can make it hard to read or drive. The condition may develop slowly but will eventually interfere with your vision and you may then need cataract surgery. Here are the signs and symptoms of cataracts:
You become sensitive to light and glare.
Your vision becomes dim, cloudy and blurry.
You are experiencing more difficulty with your vision at night.
You feel double vision in one eye.
You feel you have to change your eyeglasses prescription more often.
You see fading or yellowing in colors.
You are seeing halos around lights.
The cataracts are formed in the lens behind the iris or the colored part of your eye. The lens directs the light that passes into the eye producing clear images but the cataract scatters this light thus preventing the sharp images to reach the retina. Aging makes the lenses thicken and less flexible. See your doctor as soon as you detect changes in your eyesight.
What are the Types of Cataract?
Nuclear cataracts affect the center of the lens and may at first make one nearsighted but can turn more densely yellow and with time will affect your ability to see. They may even turn brown as the cataract progresses making one unable to distinguish between shades of color.
Cortical cataracts affect the lens edges and start as wedge-shaped whitish streaks on the outer side of the lens cortex. As the condition progresses, the streaks spread out through the center of the lens. Those with cortical cataracts have problems with glare.
Posterior subcapsular cataracts affect the back of the lens. This form of cataract starts as a tiny, opaque area in the back of the lens and interferes with your reading, causing glare around night lights.
Congenital cataracts are those you’re born with that may have been caused by the mother contracting an infection while pregnant. These may also be due to such conditions as Lowe’s syndrome or rubella, and myotonic dystrophy galactosemia. They usually do not affect vision.
What are the Risk Factors That Increase Your Risk of Cataract?
Having diabetes
Getting older
Drinking too much alcohol
Getting exposed to too much sunlight
Having a family history of cataracts
Being overweight
Having blood pressure
Being exposed to ionizing radiation
Smoking
Having had eye surgery
Using corticosteroid medications for a long time
Having had injury or inflammation in the eye
If your doctor finds you have cataracts, he will refer you to an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) who will do a cataract surgery. The appointment will be short so be prepared for the questions the doctor will ask you. The next section will help you get ready for your appointment:
How To Get Ready for Your Cataract Appointment
Write down all the symptoms you’re experiencing.
Include all medications like vitamins and supplements.
Add the main stress in your life.
Take a member of the family or a friend to your appointment for some support.
List down all the questions you want to ask the eye doctor. You don’t have much time with the ophthalmologist so preparing the questions will be an efficient way to get the most out of your time with the doctor. For list of questions you may want to ask, please go to the next section.
Questions You May Want to Ask the Eye Doctor
Is it the cataract that is causing problem to my ability to see well?
Are there other reasons why I am having vision problem other than the cataract?
What tests do I have to take for this condition?
Will my vision problem go away if I undergo cataract surgery?
Do I need to undergo cataract surgery?
What possible risks will I go through if I undergo cataract surgery?
How much will the cataract surgery cost me?
Will my health insurance cover the cost of cataract surgery?
Will I be able to drive myself home after cataract surgery?
How long will I recover from cataract surgery?
Will there be activities I will be restricted after the cataract surgery?
How long will the restriction last?
Do I need new eyeglasses after surgery? How long after surgery before I get them?
Will Medicare cover both the cataract surgery and the eyeglasses?
How soon should I decide to undergo surgery?
If I delay the cataract surgery, will I suffer from it?
Will waiting to have cataract surgery make it difficult to restore my vision?
What do I do with my vision while waiting to decide to have cataract surgery?
Is there a way for me to know if my cataract is getting worse?
How can I manage both this cataract and my other health conditions like diabetes?
What restrictions do I need to follow?
Do you have brochures I can take with me?
Will you recommend websites for me to peruse?
Should I make plans for a follow-up visit?
Be Ready to Answer Questions the Eye Doctor May Ask You.
Here are the questions your eye doctor may want to ask you. If you are prepared to answer them, you will be able to cover all the points in your agenda. If there is something you don’t understand, ask the doctor for clarification.
When did you start feeling your symptoms?
Do you feel the symptoms all the time or just sometimes?
Do you find it hard to see when the light is bright?
Are the symptoms severe?
Are you having difficulty driving because of your vision problem?
Are you having difficulty reading because of your vision problem?
Are you having difficulty doing your job because of your vision problem?
Have you injured your eyes?
Have you had eye surgery?
Have you received radiation treatment in your neck or head?
Have you been diagnosed with eye problem?
What medications, vitamins and supplements are you taking?
Tests and Diagnosis the Eye Doctor May Do
The eye doctor will review your symptoms and medical history, do an eye examination and several tests.
1. He will do a visual acuity test which is basically asking you to read a chart which has progressively smaller letters one eye at a time.
2. He will do a slit lamp to examine your eyes that will enable him to see the structures under magnification.
3. He will do a retinal examination where he will first puts dilating drops in your eyes to open them wide so he can examine the retina or the back of your eyes with a slit lamp or an ophthalmoscope. He can then examine the lens to see if you have cataract.
It is sad to say at this point that surgery is the only treatment for cataracts. But there’s hope in the future. I read the following with interest “B.C. doctor says perfect vision possible with Bionic Lens”. He said we can see three times better without glasses or contacts. This is possible with the help of bionic lenses implanted in the eyes. He further said these people would never get cataracts. I will try to write more on this in the alert section of this report.
Dr. Garth Webb, a British Columbia optometrist who invented the Ocumetic Bionic Lens, says patients would have perfect vision and that driving, progressive and contact lenses would become a dim memory as the eye-care industry is transformed.
Webb says people who have the specialized lenses surgically inserted would never get cataracts because their natural lenses, which decay over time, would have been replaced.
What and How To Consider Cataract Surgery
While the cataracts usually do not harm the eyes, still it might affect your quality of life. You might not be able to drive at night , read or even perform normal every day activities. Talk to your doctor about this. Usually doctors recommend cataract surgery once it starts to interfere with your activities. Only you and your doctor can decide when to undergo cataract surgery.
You should take time to consider the pros and cons, the benefits and risks, that is. Waiting to have it done will not likely make you lose the chance to recover your vision. If you decide not to have cataract surgery, your doctor will probably recommend to have you come for periodic exams to see how the cataracts are coming along. The frequency depends on you.
How is Cataract Surgery Done
Cataract surgery is usually done on you as an outpatient so there will be no need for a hospital stay. What the doctor will do is remove the cloudy lens and replace with artificial lens in the same place where your natural lens were. He will use local anesthesia to make the part around the eye numb but usually patient will be awake while the doctor is working on the surgery.
The artificial lens cannot be used with some other eye problems so once the cataract is removed, corrective glasses may be used. Generally, cataract surgery is safe but there is the risk of infection and bleeding. Also, it raises the risk for the detachment of the retina. You will be uncomfortable for a few days after surgery but people are usually healed within 8 weeks. If you need the cataract removed in the second eye, it is usually done after a month or two of the first surgery.
Lifestyle and Things to Do at Home While Waiting to Decide on the Surgery
Magnifying glass can help you read.
Ensure that you have the most accurate prescription for your contact lens and eyeglasses.
Wear wide-brimmed hat and sun glasses when you’re out during the day to avoid glare.
Use brighter lamps at home.
Reduce the times you drive at night.
While the above self care will help, the cataracts may progress to the point you can no longer do your daily activities. There are no preventive measures that we know of but doctors have strategies that may help as follows:
Go for a yearly physical check up. In addition, go for regular eye examinations as they detect problems early on. Ask your doctor how often you should go for an eye examination.
Don’t smoke and if you have a hard time quitting ask for help. This may help. Some people asked me about how to quit smoking fast. might help you to quit smoking. Smoking increases the risk of diabetes complications like stroke, heart attack, nerve damage and kidney disease.
Wear sunglasses as the sun’s ultraviolet light may help with the development of cataracts. Use sunglasses that block ultraviolet B (UVB).
Limit alcohol use as excessive use can increase the risk of cataracts. It can also lead to high or low blood sugar depending on your consumption of food and alcohol at the same time. Drink in moderation and with a meal and please check your blood sugar before going to bed.
Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Keep a healthy weight by moving more.
Manage other health issues as some can increase the risk of cataracts. Make a commitment to take care of yourself.
Wear a tag or bracelet to let people know you have diabetes. Have a glucagon kit ready in case of an emergency with the low blood sugar. Make sure your friends and family know how to use it.
Take extra care of your feet and make sure to check for blisters, sores, cuts redness and swelling. Tell the doctor if something does not heal.
Maintain healthy levels of cholesterol and blood pressure by eating healthy and moving more.
Make sure your immunizations are up to date. Check with your doctor about a flu shot every year and find out whether you need pneumonia and hepatitis B vaccination.
Manage your stress or else it may prevent the insulin from doing its job.
Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
1. B.C. Doctor Says Perfect Vision Possible With Bionic Lens
“B.C. doctor says perfect vision possible with Bionic Lens”. He said we can see three times better without glasses or contacts. This is possible with the help of bionic lenses implanted in the eyes. He further said these people would never get cataracts.
Dr. Garth Webb, an optometrist from British Columbia invented the Ocumetic Bionic Lens, He said patients would have perfect vision and that eyeglasses would be a thing of the past as the eye care industry is changed. He further said that people who have these bionic lenses surgically inserted would never get cataracts.
Dr. Webb is holding a bionic lens on his finger tip while being photographed at Manterra Technologies where they are mass producing the lens in Delta, B.C. starting last May 12, 2015.
2. New Treatment for Common Diabetes Eye Problem
About 25% of diabetics will develop eye problems. These problems could lead to loss of vision. Just recently FDA or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given approval to first of its kind therapy. They say this might help those suffering from Diabetic Retinopathy save their sight or make their vision better.
I f you know anybody who lives with diabetic retinopathy which is a long term complication, please let them know of this so they can check it out.
Conclusion
There you have more information on diabetes and eye care. Please no matter what happens, continue taking good care of yourself. It will be worth it because you can see how many diabetics are surviving with little or no complications at all. You can do it; we know you can! Eat healthy, exercise, sleep well and manage your stress for optimal health.
Your Turn
What do you think of all of these? Did you learn something new? Do you have any information on this issue to contribute? What strategies do you use so you can keep on taking good care of your eyes? What’s your view on this? Share it with your friends! Love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment below so we’ll know.
By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
References
1. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-retinopathy/basics/definition/con-20023311
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cataracts/basics/prevention/con-20015113
3. Cataracts http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cataracts/basics/definition/con-20015113
1. http://www.shericolberg.com/diabetes-fitness-plan.asp The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight Marlowe & Company, 2006
2. 9 Exercise Myths You Need to Forget http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/237-9-exercise-myths-we-need-to-forget?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302&utm_term=1head#10
3. How to Start a Diabetes-Friendly Exercise Plan http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/diet-and-exercise/getting-started/306-how-to-start-a-diabetes-friendly-exercise-plan?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302
4. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-management/art-20047963
5. http://www.dabeticconnect.com/diabetes-news/general/5210-ask-the-expert-are-those-protein-shakes-ok-for-diabetics?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_2
6. B.C. doctor says perfect vision possible with Bionic Lens http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/b-c-doctor-says-perfect-vision-possible-with-bionic-lens-1.2378961 7. FDA Approves First Eye Drug to Treat Eye Damage (Diabetic Retinopathy) http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/fda-approves-first-eye-drug-to-treat-diabetic-retinopathy/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=a20ff58850-2015_03_04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-a20ff58850-87025817 Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs or long time interested on learning as much as we can and freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches.. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Diabetes and Exercise
Here’s the issue on Diabetes and Exercise. I apologize for having it arrive so late but I got busy with income tax and so on. I know, I know, excuses right? But anyway, it is better late than never. And this is such an important issue that could make or break the diabetes management plan.
• How to Start and Stick to an Exercise Plan that is Diabetes-Friendly
• What Exercise Does For Us
• Why Is It Important To Do Something About Diabetes
• The 7 Steps of Diabetes Fitness Plan
• Don’t Believe These 9 Exercise Myths
• Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
Let us therefore start with this: Listen to Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM who presented the main essential things about exercise and diabetes.
This is the problem. Most of us have good intentions. The proof? Every year we make a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight. We sign up for gym classes. We buy gadgets to see us through our resolution. Do all these work? No, because before we know it, we find excuses not to go through it. We say it’s too hard; we don’t have time and so on and so on.
I think the problem is our mental set-up. We think of exercise as something that makes us sweaty. We think of it as something we have to walk or run every day for an hour or something but it does not have to be that way. Exercise can be fun. Go walking and stop to admire some of the birds you see flying around or find some activity you enjoy.
Swimming, line dancing, the list is endless. You just have to incorporate the activity in your day and make it a habit. For much too long, experts said eating much sugar does not exactly cause diabetes but now research has shown that increased sugar consumption is linked to diabetes. That is why it is important for us to understand this all important link to diabetes rates.
Glucose monitoring or not, exercise will always make you feel better both physically and emotionally. Before the advent of the glucose meter, it was the only way the diabetics can feel a sense of control over the blood sugar levels. Now that we have all the information we need, exercise is still a part of our life. But first we have to understand the basic truths on exercise and diabetes.
1. Mistakes made on the blood glucose can be eliminated by exercise. You see, exercise is like an extra dose of insulin because it gets the glucose out of the blood into the muscles. This happens when you are active because insulin is needed to get the glucose into the muscles. So when you eat a little bit more, exercise can erase this mistake.
2. Mind you, exercise does not make the blood glucose go down immediately. In fact, it can raise the blood glucose temporarily but in 2 or 3 hours, that exercise can bring it right down. That is why some have recommended not taking too much insulin to correct this. And if you don’t take insulin, give your blood glucose time to go down by doing slow-type exercise like walking.
3. Another thing to remember about exercise is what it does to your muscle mass. It holds it intact which is essential as a depot to store the carbs you consume. If you are not active, the carbs can fill up the muscles for you exceed the capacity to hold more so the blood glucose goes up. So exercise regularly to keep your muscle storage capability as large as possible.
4. Exercise has a natural antioxidant that prevents one from getting diseases. It is the best medicine really and keeps one looking younger.
5. Exercise also keeps our emotional stress under control and keeps us from developing depression.
6. Exercise comes in different forms from just standing more often than sitting down, walking and just keeps on moving along. There is really no excuse not to exercise.
Just think of all the benefits you get out of exercise. Heck, we do not even have to call it exercise. Let’s call it “Our Fun Thing To Do Today”. We could lift weights or run; both are good as they will make the different parts of the body stronger. Running will make our heart muscles stronger while lifting weights will build muscles that help with better sugar control. Let us do both but not on the same day, you silly. Run one day and lift weights the next day.
A research study has shown that those who did both types of “fun things to do” have better sugar control after nine months. The cardio workout will get your heart rate at 60-80% of your maximum rate. So consult your doctor to see what is safe. Your health care team will let you know the safe heart rate for you to work up to.
When lifting weights, we have to make sure we do it right or risk getting injured. Don’t just start lifting weights without proper instruction. Start slowly especially if you have not done it before. Lifting weight has been found effective in blood sugar control. Why? Because it increases the metabolic rate. Besides the increased muscle mass makes one’s baseline metabolism higher.
A word of caution here. Test the blood sugars more often when beginning an exercise plan. You want to make sure you don’t get hypoglycemia. You may have to adjust your medication or have snacks more frequently. Above all be patient. Rome was not built in one day. The blood sugar control may come later so don’t be discouraged.
Here’s what an expert, Dr. Colberg said, "Exercise when your insulin levels are lowest or cut back on it beforehand to avoid exercise lows." She also says, "The amount of insulin in your system during and after has a big effect. Exercise increases insulin action for 2-72 hours"
With the essential knowledge gained from above, we are ready for more information on how to be fit and live well with diabetes. With the diabetes epidemic going strong, now is the right time to deal with weight loss that is essential to control the condition. We try to diet but fail miserably at it but what we may not know is that the latest research has shown we do not have to lose a lot to stay healthy. Only exercise of 90 minutes a week lowers insulin resistance.
So don’t make the mistake of focusing only on weight loss. Some expectation is not realistic to the point we get discouraged and stop our effort on trying to control diabetes. Who would not be so discouraged? Well, don’t fret because here’s a book that will give us the real deal: I can’t put all the details here but just sign up and I will give you the link. It is not the whole book but most of it. If you like the full version, you can buy it at Amazon right here:
Just click that image and it will take you to where you can buy it. Don’t worry; you don’t have to buy it. Just click on it so you will know how much it is and what other people are saying about it. Then get out of there without buying it and come back here where you do not have to buy anything. I just put the link just in case someone wants to buy it. I will probably get ten cents for it so it does not matter whether anyone buys it or not.
The book is easy to read and covers diabetes control, what it means to be physically and emotionally fit, how to prevent and reverse diabetes. You will learn how to be healthy despite diabetes and being overweight along with the strategies on nutrition and physical exercise to achieve optimal health. As well. you will gain insight on the role of supplements and medications to treat diabetes along with tips to motivate you to achieve your goal. There is no other book like this.
Whether you have type 1 with the body cells producing insulin is destroyed (autoimmunity) or type 2 defined or described as insulin resistance. This is diagnosed by a fasting BG level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or 7.00 mmol/l) or above. You will be advised to lose weight and so will have a difficult time to control the diabetes. What if I tell you, you don’t have to lose that much weight to prevent, reverse and control the condition? The answer is in this book.
This is really something to worry about although don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you to worry about it. What I really hope is for you to do something about it. Why? Because not doing so will not only lower your quality of life by approximately 20 years but also rob you of around 12 years of your life. If we don’t do something about it, diabetes can lead to amputation, loss of sight and mobility, chronic pain, kidney and heart diseases.
I don’t mean to scare you but we really have to face this head on so we can avoid the statistics because time and time again, it has been proven we can live a long and healthy life with diabetes. After you have read this book and implemented the recommendations, you will be more motivated because you will understand that losing a lot of weight will not cure the condition because one can live well with diabetes despite being overweight.
Now just get up, stretch and walk for awhile before reading the 7 steps. In fact the suggestion is to do the stretching and walking in between the steps. You will become more fit. The seven steps are just a recap but if you want some details you can either buy the book here:
Or sign up and get some amazing examples of what you can do.
To control diabetes and prediabetes, eat healthy and move more. Improve insulin sensitivity by increasing fitness that is best suited for you despite how much you weigh. Keep the blood sugar within the target range that has been recommended by the doctor. This is quite challenging because there are many factors that can affect the BG.
The factors that can affect the blood sugar reading are food you consume, the physical activity you undertake, illness, alcohol, menstruation and menopause, stress, and the medication you take. This goes to show that the genes alone cannot be blamed for the diabetes because lifestyle choices are significant and carry a lot of weight.
Regardless of your present physical condition, there are variety of ways to move more that can be beneficial for diabetes and your health. If you’ve not been active for most of your life consult with your doctor first before undergoing exercises of higher intensity. The easiest way is to add more steps in your everyday activities. Every bit of movement whether planned or not is good. Just plainly standing and talking can help with the weight and diabetes.
Being physically active can prevent the onset of most complications. You can do any regular physical activity safely and efficiently. Whether it is accompanied by weight loss or not, exercise can help the body use insulin more efficiently. We can therefore truly say that exercise is the best medicine for diabetes and any other ailments that bother you.
Later on you graduate to cardio, flexibility, toning and strength exercises that will provide more health benefits. There are non-weight bearing exercises too like bicycling, swimming and other aquatic activities; exercises on the chair can be done by most everyone. Thanks to diabetes for giving us the reason to do all these exercises to be physically fit.
The extra body fat is not the only cause of the BG meandering. In fact even small body reduction of 10 to 15 pounds can make one enjoy the health benefits of having normal weight. And the only thing that can help you keep off whatever weight loss you have gained is exercise. It is the only truly effective way to lose the abdominal fat. You see you can still be physically fit even when you’re overweight.
1. Consult with your doctor as to the best time of the day to exercise as this has to be coordinated with your meals and medication.
2. Know your numbers by asking your doctor the suitable blood sugar level for you before you start exercising.
3. Check your BG and stay hydrated by drinking water and other liquid while exercising as the blood sugar level will be affected by dehydration.
4. Be ready for any eventuality by always having a glucose tablet or small snack just in case your blood glucose goes down too low. Wear a diabetes identification bracelet.
You can do aerobic exercises of different intensities, stretching, and resistance training body core exercises and then rest on every 7th day. You can either have planned or unplanned activities you can do every day. Unplanned activities can be in the form of yard work, taking extra steps, going up and down the stairs without the use of elevators and escalators.
Other unplanned activities can be as simple as taking the dog for a walk, playing with the kids, indulging in recreational activities, doing housework or going shopping. Planned activities for over 30 minutes for up to 5 days a week can be swimming, walking briskly, jogging, bicycling or using machines for aerobic conditioning.
Both resistance and flexibility exercises can be done for 2 or 3 days a week. Flexibility exercises can stretch the main muscle groups for 10-30 seconds. Irregular activities like watching TV, using the computer and some other inactive pursuits can also be part of the physical fitness plan. Every activity helps.
1. Do warm-ups before you begin a more intense exercise so that your blood will get pumping thus getting your body ready to exercise. Example of this are just walking and marching in place. Likewise do a cool down after an intense exercise for about 5 to 10 minutes to reduce muscle fatigue, stiffness and tenderness.
2. Improve your aerobic fitness level just by adding 6 minutes of intense exercise per week to your fitness plan. Include short periods of faster walking to whatever exercise you’re doing.
3. Doing approximately three hours a week of exercise does more than two hours a week regardless of intensity. It looks like length of exercise is more important than intensity.
4. Talk test the intensity of your exercise. Being not able to talk while doing an exercise means you’re working too hard which may cause injury and may discourage you to do any workout.
5. Make your exercise more progressive by adding some weight or resistance if you can do more after 2 or 3 sets of repetitions.
6. Don’t hold your breath when doing resistance exercises as this will make your blood pressure rise to the point it may lead to heart attack and stroke.
Eat high fiber, low-GI foods that are natural and of different colors in small portions. This will help control the body weight and diabetes. Healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living — with or without diabetes. But if you have diabetes, you need to know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. It's not only the type of food you eat but also how much you eat and the combinations of food types you eat.
1. It is more important to know the effects of certain foods on the blood sugar level than just learning the composition of the foods and limiting the consumption of those foods.
2. The Glycemic Index will help in the meal planning.
3. Avoid consuming sugar and other refined carbohydrates as they have a negative effect on the blood sugar. Doing so can help lessen or even reverse the symptoms of diabetes.
4. Consume the recommended daily adult fiber intake of 25 to 40 grams of fiber like beans and dry peas, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, dry fruits, whole fruits and whole grain foods.
5. Limit intake of caffeine as they may lower the insulin action.
6. Try to avoid eating at fast-food restaurants.
7. Find out more about carbohydrate counting and portion sizes.
8. Eat well-balanced meals and match them up with the medications.
9. Stop drinking beverages sweetened with sugar.
In fact emotional healthy is just as important as physical health in diabetes control and in preventing dementia, depression and unhealthy eating. Being physically active will help win over all these. It is easy to get emotionally disturbed from the challenges of having diabetes. Even carrying extra weight would affect one’s emotional health.
Speaking of weight, we have been told to diet but the trouble is even if we stick to the diet, we don’t really lose much weight and this leads to frustration and an unhealthy way of eating. Mind you being overweight is not the main cause of disordered way of eating but getting so preoccupied with the idea can lead to losing touch with other things we can do to control diabetes.
Anyway if frequent attempts of dieting lead to disordered eating, this can be treated. But why wait and be bothered by frequent dieting when you can practice moderation without entirely giving up your favorite food? That way your blood sugar will thank you for your effort. Our treatment should not just focus on losing weight.
Besides, getting obsessed with losing weight will just give one a negative self-image. We can improve our self-esteem just by exercising even with the mildest forms of exercise like walking. Getting physically fit will lead to emotional health. You see, exercise releases brain endorphins which in turn helps improve the mood and lowers anxious feelings. In addition, exercise lowers the risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
For example, it is not a good idea to totally avoid your favorite food. This is not the best way to make changes on your way to healthy eating. Instead, give yourself permission to enjoy small amount of your favorite food once in a while and take time eating it so you can have a longer time enjoying it. Eat more slowly and you will feel full sooner thus will be eating less.
Foods certainly affect our mental capability and emotions. Each time something wrong occurs, we respond by grabbing a comfort food. Some eat because they are bored, sad, depressed or other emotional reasons. In addition, the diabetes police keep telling us what we are doing wrong.
No wonder approximately half of the people with diabetes suffer from depression. The prolonged stress may just cause the blood sugar to rise. Being in a lot of extra pressure will do it. If you are still bothered by this, get help on the negative relationship with food so that you can focus on your diabetes control.
1. Check your stress level and assess it on a scale of 1 to 5 when you do your blood sugar. You might be able to see a pattern. Sometimes you don’t even have to do this. You know how you feel.
2. When you learn how the stress level affects the blood sugar, gain control through relaxation, avoidance of things that stress you and exercise.
3. Get help if you feel you are not feeling any better. A psychiatrist, psychologist or a clinical social worker can help you.
Next to eating a healthy diet and moving more, medications and supplements form the third cornerstone in managing diabetes efficiently. It is not your fault if the natural approach of changing the lifestyle has not worked but continue doing them as they are most important facets of keeping healthy.
Medications and insulin are meant to lower the blood sugar level but taking them may make you gain weight and increase your risk for hypoglycemia when you exercise but you can make adjustment by lowering the dose and keeping physically active and eating a diet with low-GI foods.
Nutritional supplements like Vitamin D and magnesium and cinnamon may help because they are known to have antidiabetic effects but try to take them naturally from the foods you eat. And don’t believe all the hype you hear about so and so supplement has some magic power as there has not been a conclusive scientific on the benefits.
Remember that the medications and insulin are effective depending on the size of the dose and the timing of it as well. In addition, other medications that you take for other conditions may also affect your blood sugar level. So monitor the effect of the dose, the physical activity and make adjustment with the help of your health care team.
What To Do for Step 6
1. Store the medications and insulin properly. Make sure they are not past the expiration date when you take them and therefore may not be effective then. I never leave them in the car as it gets too hot. These medications, especially insulin are sensitive to excessive change in temperature.
2. Be careful with new medications. Monitor the response of your body to the medication as it may interact negatively with all other factors.
3. Report to your health care team any change you observe like if your blood sugar level drops like a rock or if it remains constantly high. The timing and dosage may have to be adjusted.
These healthy choices should last all your life. This is an important step as motivation will keep us going with the resolve to take care of ourselves. Without this, we may just give up so easily. Exercise everyday instead of getting into diet after diet that does not work. For one thing dieting can lead to a decreased metabolic rate especially if you are consuming less than 1000 calories.
Remind yourself everyday that exercise is good for you and get to know more diabetes knowledge so you can continue with lifestyle changes. Don’t make excuses like your joints are painful and so can’t exercise. I am telling you from experience that exercise helps me lose my pain which is just unbelievable. Really you get more energy when you move more.
Also make it more convenient. In my case, I make it easy for me to exercise. I just incorporate it into my schedule and I make it easy for me to start. I don’t have to get ready for it; I just exercise right in my pajamas. I don’t have to change or go to a gym. Every part of my house is my gym.
I have a back-up plan when I am travelling for then I will not be able to do my yoga or taichi but I can still do aerobic exercises by walking around the airport and doing stretches. This way, I keep being active all day long. And when I am busy at work, I keep moving by walking up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
If you do not have time to exercise, just take it one day at a time. You can multitask with exercise. For instance, while I am doing my prayers, I run around the house. You can also exercise while you are reading a magazine or book or even the insurance policy, watching TV, listening to music or story on tape and even while talking on the phone. Just don’t do it with Facetime.
Or you can make it fun by checking out what activities are going on in your community. We go line dancing, golfing and ballroom dancing for instance which we do not want to miss because we love them so much. You see when your physical activity is fun and varied, it is no problem sticking to it. There are even equipments you can use in some recreational centers.
If you do not want to exercise alone, get a friend to do it with you. You can then motivate each other to keep on going. At the end of each week, check how you made out with your fitness program and if you find you did not miss a day, reward yourself with a sticker or two and put them on a calendar. Keep one calendar especially for this. Or go out for lunch in the weekend.
Starting out with intense exercises is not wise as you may get frustrated and then give up. Start slowly but surely. Then if something goes wrong and you stop your exercise regimen, get back to it one step at a time until you get back to where you fell off the wagon. Illness, vacation time and responsibilities can wreck havoc to your exercise schedule. It is not a dishonor to get off the exercise wagon, but it is a disgrace not to get back to it.
And if you need a refreshing drink, try this. Discover The Amazing Power of fruits and vegetableswith easy and delicious recipes based on exciting new research and no added sweeteners!
There are all kinds of advice they tell us and sometimes we fall for them. Not anymore for here are the lies they tell us. After reading them, make sure you take action and permanently delete them from your life. Keep exercising!
We sometimes think we will develop all kinds of muscles but actually we will just look more fit. It will take more lifting of weights for us, to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let us not be afraid of lifting weights because this part of exercise can be a good and welcome portion of our fitness plan.
We can’t trust those readings. If the display says we have burned 300 calories after thirty minutes on the treadmill, those readings are not accurate. Even if we input the necessary data like age, gender and weight, those readings cannot be construed as true. So be on the lookout for these readings and trust more on things you have to do.
The healthy foods we eat contain proteins that we need for muscle building. We do not have to buy supplements and protein drinks to build muscles.
Watching the weight scale could just give us a reason to stop exercising and eating healthy food, right? Wrong! You see when we start exercising, we may even gain a bit of weight. Why? Because as we start exercising and gain some muscle and lose fat, the heavier of the two which is the muscle will show more weight on the scale. So don’t let that weight gain stop you from doing your fitness plan. You are on the right track if you keep on exercising.
This is not true at all and is probably the reason why most of us stop our exercise regime. Just remember that every exercise you do has some benefit. Don’t stop your fitness program just because you miss exercising on certain days.
This is how we get attracted to buy all those products that promise to flatten the stomach and fix other trouble spots of the body. Truth be told, we cannot pick and choose which part of the body we want to lose fat from. They may help but for us to lose weight and tone the muscles, we need an exercise routine that focuses on all parts of the body.
This is not true at all. Just because we exercise we are given the license to eat unhealthy meals. Remember that whatever we consume we have to burn or else those extra calories will appear as gained weight.
Exercising does not have to be painful. There are all kinds of exercises. Choose one that fits your lifestyle. In my case, I go line dancing twice a week to lose weight. Now if only I could stop going to buffets, I could lose more weight. If you have a way to do that, let me know, okay? Just write your suggestions in the comment box below.
Research has shown that all you need is to drink water while exercising and after it as well. Sport drinks can contain a lot of calories which may mean you will be consuming more calories than you are burning while exercising.
It is fine for the diabetics to have protein shakes but in moderation. Read the label to see the total grams of carbohydrate for each serving to see how you can fit it in your diet plan. Remember that the carb budget for a man is 60-75 grams for each meal while for a woman it is 45-60 grams/meal.
Check also the total grams of protein which makes the blood sugar rise more slowly while the carbohydrate does it more quickly. Just monitor the rise of the blood sugar level around 4 to 6 hours after a meal when consuming food with high protein content. It is also a good idea to remember at this point that a balanced diet from a variety of food is advisable.
US waterways are now containing drugs that include diabetic drugs. The most common drug found in Lake Michigan is metformin, a diabetes drug. The trouble is the fish hormonal system may be altered. The contamination of the water has made those who live on rural areas to drink more soda pop which contribute to increase diabetes and obesity rates.
On deck is the Obama’s Affordable Care Act where the issue of whether the tax credits to millions of Americans will be deemed illegal. I don’t know why helping people afford health insurance will be deemed illegal. The tax credit will not cover the whole premium, I don’t think. It will just be a small percentage of the person’s income and that is after they will probably lower eligibility by putting in place some factors as the income and the social benefits.
The other issue the Supreme Court will decide is how the Americans with Disabilities Act will be covered when the police come in contact with people with disabilities. This is important as people with disabilities include people with diabetes. How are they going to deal with this? With compassion, duh! Why do we make a mountain out of a molehill, huh!
There you have more information on diabetes and exercise. Please no matter what happens, continue exercising as this will be most helpful. Mind you, you have to check with your doctor so that any condition that may be worsened by exercise is not present. And do not be concerned too much about weight loss.
What do you think of all of these? Did you learn something new? Do you have any information on this issue to contribute? What strategies do you use so you can keep on exercising? What’s your view on this? Did you learn something new? Share it with your friends! Love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment below and we’ll know.
By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
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Refresh The Diabetic Foot
Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs or long time interested on learning as much as we can and freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not both MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
Some people asked me about this.
1. Diabetes and Exercise: Highlights of Our Recent Twitter Chat http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1606-diabetes-and-exercise-dcde-twitter-chat-summary?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302
1. 6 Things You Should Know About Exercising with Diabetes. http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1588-6-things-you-should-know-about-exercising-with-diabetes
2. Frugal Fitness: 7 Tips to Work Out on a Budget 3 Equipment-Free Exercises to Combat Diabetes Need Exercise Ideas? Try Sweatbetes Videos
3. http://www.shericolberg.com/diabetes-fitness-plan.asp The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight Marlowe & Company, 2006
4. 9 Exercise Myths You Need to Forget http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/237-9-exercise-myths-we-need-to-forget?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302&utm_term=1head#10
5. How to Start a Diabetes-Friendly Exercise Plan http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/diet-and-exercise/getting-started/306-how-to-start-a-diabetes-friendly-exercise-plan?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302
6. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-management/art-20047963
7. http://www.dabeticconnect.com/diabetes-news/general/5210-ask-the-expert-are-those-protein-shakes-ok-for-diabetics?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_2
Overtreatment of Diabetes Now Causing Environmental Destruction http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/04/overtreatment-diabetes.aspx?e_cid=20150304Z1_DNL_NB_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20150304Z1_DNL_NB&et_cid=DM68918&et_rid=86379117
4 8. http://www.dlife.com/diabetes-food-and-fitness/diabetes_and_exercise/the_7_step_diabetes_fitness_plan
What You’ll Learn:
• How to Start and Stick to an Exercise Plan that is Diabetes-Friendly
• What Exercise Does For Us
• Why Is It Important To Do Something About Diabetes
• The 7 Steps of Diabetes Fitness Plan
• Don’t Believe These 9 Exercise Myths
• Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
How to Start and Stick to an Exercise Plan that is Diabetes-Friendly
Let us therefore start with this: Listen to Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM who presented the main essential things about exercise and diabetes.
Introduction
This is the problem. Most of us have good intentions. The proof? Every year we make a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight. We sign up for gym classes. We buy gadgets to see us through our resolution. Do all these work? No, because before we know it, we find excuses not to go through it. We say it’s too hard; we don’t have time and so on and so on.
I think the problem is our mental set-up. We think of exercise as something that makes us sweaty. We think of it as something we have to walk or run every day for an hour or something but it does not have to be that way. Exercise can be fun. Go walking and stop to admire some of the birds you see flying around or find some activity you enjoy.
Swimming, line dancing, the list is endless. You just have to incorporate the activity in your day and make it a habit. For much too long, experts said eating much sugar does not exactly cause diabetes but now research has shown that increased sugar consumption is linked to diabetes. That is why it is important for us to understand this all important link to diabetes rates.
Glucose monitoring or not, exercise will always make you feel better both physically and emotionally. Before the advent of the glucose meter, it was the only way the diabetics can feel a sense of control over the blood sugar levels. Now that we have all the information we need, exercise is still a part of our life. But first we have to understand the basic truths on exercise and diabetes.
1. Mistakes made on the blood glucose can be eliminated by exercise. You see, exercise is like an extra dose of insulin because it gets the glucose out of the blood into the muscles. This happens when you are active because insulin is needed to get the glucose into the muscles. So when you eat a little bit more, exercise can erase this mistake.
2. Mind you, exercise does not make the blood glucose go down immediately. In fact, it can raise the blood glucose temporarily but in 2 or 3 hours, that exercise can bring it right down. That is why some have recommended not taking too much insulin to correct this. And if you don’t take insulin, give your blood glucose time to go down by doing slow-type exercise like walking.
3. Another thing to remember about exercise is what it does to your muscle mass. It holds it intact which is essential as a depot to store the carbs you consume. If you are not active, the carbs can fill up the muscles for you exceed the capacity to hold more so the blood glucose goes up. So exercise regularly to keep your muscle storage capability as large as possible.
4. Exercise has a natural antioxidant that prevents one from getting diseases. It is the best medicine really and keeps one looking younger.
5. Exercise also keeps our emotional stress under control and keeps us from developing depression.
6. Exercise comes in different forms from just standing more often than sitting down, walking and just keeps on moving along. There is really no excuse not to exercise.
What Exercise Does For Us
Just think of all the benefits you get out of exercise. Heck, we do not even have to call it exercise. Let’s call it “Our Fun Thing To Do Today”. We could lift weights or run; both are good as they will make the different parts of the body stronger. Running will make our heart muscles stronger while lifting weights will build muscles that help with better sugar control. Let us do both but not on the same day, you silly. Run one day and lift weights the next day.
A research study has shown that those who did both types of “fun things to do” have better sugar control after nine months. The cardio workout will get your heart rate at 60-80% of your maximum rate. So consult your doctor to see what is safe. Your health care team will let you know the safe heart rate for you to work up to.
When lifting weights, we have to make sure we do it right or risk getting injured. Don’t just start lifting weights without proper instruction. Start slowly especially if you have not done it before. Lifting weight has been found effective in blood sugar control. Why? Because it increases the metabolic rate. Besides the increased muscle mass makes one’s baseline metabolism higher.
A word of caution here. Test the blood sugars more often when beginning an exercise plan. You want to make sure you don’t get hypoglycemia. You may have to adjust your medication or have snacks more frequently. Above all be patient. Rome was not built in one day. The blood sugar control may come later so don’t be discouraged.
Here’s what an expert, Dr. Colberg said, "Exercise when your insulin levels are lowest or cut back on it beforehand to avoid exercise lows." She also says, "The amount of insulin in your system during and after has a big effect. Exercise increases insulin action for 2-72 hours"
With the essential knowledge gained from above, we are ready for more information on how to be fit and live well with diabetes. With the diabetes epidemic going strong, now is the right time to deal with weight loss that is essential to control the condition. We try to diet but fail miserably at it but what we may not know is that the latest research has shown we do not have to lose a lot to stay healthy. Only exercise of 90 minutes a week lowers insulin resistance.
So don’t make the mistake of focusing only on weight loss. Some expectation is not realistic to the point we get discouraged and stop our effort on trying to control diabetes. Who would not be so discouraged? Well, don’t fret because here’s a book that will give us the real deal: I can’t put all the details here but just sign up and I will give you the link. It is not the whole book but most of it. If you like the full version, you can buy it at Amazon right here:
The book is easy to read and covers diabetes control, what it means to be physically and emotionally fit, how to prevent and reverse diabetes. You will learn how to be healthy despite diabetes and being overweight along with the strategies on nutrition and physical exercise to achieve optimal health. As well. you will gain insight on the role of supplements and medications to treat diabetes along with tips to motivate you to achieve your goal. There is no other book like this.
Whether you have type 1 with the body cells producing insulin is destroyed (autoimmunity) or type 2 defined or described as insulin resistance. This is diagnosed by a fasting BG level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or 7.00 mmol/l) or above. You will be advised to lose weight and so will have a difficult time to control the diabetes. What if I tell you, you don’t have to lose that much weight to prevent, reverse and control the condition? The answer is in this book.
Why Is It Important To Do Something About Diabetes
This is really something to worry about although don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you to worry about it. What I really hope is for you to do something about it. Why? Because not doing so will not only lower your quality of life by approximately 20 years but also rob you of around 12 years of your life. If we don’t do something about it, diabetes can lead to amputation, loss of sight and mobility, chronic pain, kidney and heart diseases.
I don’t mean to scare you but we really have to face this head on so we can avoid the statistics because time and time again, it has been proven we can live a long and healthy life with diabetes. After you have read this book and implemented the recommendations, you will be more motivated because you will understand that losing a lot of weight will not cure the condition because one can live well with diabetes despite being overweight.
Now just get up, stretch and walk for awhile before reading the 7 steps. In fact the suggestion is to do the stretching and walking in between the steps. You will become more fit. The seven steps are just a recap but if you want some details you can either buy the book here:
The 7 Steps of Diabetes Fitness Plan
Step 1- Learn the basics and choose the lifestyle that helps most.
To control diabetes and prediabetes, eat healthy and move more. Improve insulin sensitivity by increasing fitness that is best suited for you despite how much you weigh. Keep the blood sugar within the target range that has been recommended by the doctor. This is quite challenging because there are many factors that can affect the BG.
The factors that can affect the blood sugar reading are food you consume, the physical activity you undertake, illness, alcohol, menstruation and menopause, stress, and the medication you take. This goes to show that the genes alone cannot be blamed for the diabetes because lifestyle choices are significant and carry a lot of weight.
Step 2 - There are a lot of ways of moving more.
Regardless of your present physical condition, there are variety of ways to move more that can be beneficial for diabetes and your health. If you’ve not been active for most of your life consult with your doctor first before undergoing exercises of higher intensity. The easiest way is to add more steps in your everyday activities. Every bit of movement whether planned or not is good. Just plainly standing and talking can help with the weight and diabetes.
Being physically active can prevent the onset of most complications. You can do any regular physical activity safely and efficiently. Whether it is accompanied by weight loss or not, exercise can help the body use insulin more efficiently. We can therefore truly say that exercise is the best medicine for diabetes and any other ailments that bother you.
Later on you graduate to cardio, flexibility, toning and strength exercises that will provide more health benefits. There are non-weight bearing exercises too like bicycling, swimming and other aquatic activities; exercises on the chair can be done by most everyone. Thanks to diabetes for giving us the reason to do all these exercises to be physically fit.
The extra body fat is not the only cause of the BG meandering. In fact even small body reduction of 10 to 15 pounds can make one enjoy the health benefits of having normal weight. And the only thing that can help you keep off whatever weight loss you have gained is exercise. It is the only truly effective way to lose the abdominal fat. You see you can still be physically fit even when you’re overweight.
What To Do for Step 2
1. Consult with your doctor as to the best time of the day to exercise as this has to be coordinated with your meals and medication.
2. Know your numbers by asking your doctor the suitable blood sugar level for you before you start exercising.
3. Check your BG and stay hydrated by drinking water and other liquid while exercising as the blood sugar level will be affected by dehydration.
4. Be ready for any eventuality by always having a glucose tablet or small snack just in case your blood glucose goes down too low. Wear a diabetes identification bracelet.
Step 3 - Move more and use a variety of exercises to get the most benefits.
You can do aerobic exercises of different intensities, stretching, and resistance training body core exercises and then rest on every 7th day. You can either have planned or unplanned activities you can do every day. Unplanned activities can be in the form of yard work, taking extra steps, going up and down the stairs without the use of elevators and escalators.
Other unplanned activities can be as simple as taking the dog for a walk, playing with the kids, indulging in recreational activities, doing housework or going shopping. Planned activities for over 30 minutes for up to 5 days a week can be swimming, walking briskly, jogging, bicycling or using machines for aerobic conditioning.
Both resistance and flexibility exercises can be done for 2 or 3 days a week. Flexibility exercises can stretch the main muscle groups for 10-30 seconds. Irregular activities like watching TV, using the computer and some other inactive pursuits can also be part of the physical fitness plan. Every activity helps.
What To Do for Step 3
1. Do warm-ups before you begin a more intense exercise so that your blood will get pumping thus getting your body ready to exercise. Example of this are just walking and marching in place. Likewise do a cool down after an intense exercise for about 5 to 10 minutes to reduce muscle fatigue, stiffness and tenderness.
2. Improve your aerobic fitness level just by adding 6 minutes of intense exercise per week to your fitness plan. Include short periods of faster walking to whatever exercise you’re doing.
3. Doing approximately three hours a week of exercise does more than two hours a week regardless of intensity. It looks like length of exercise is more important than intensity.
4. Talk test the intensity of your exercise. Being not able to talk while doing an exercise means you’re working too hard which may cause injury and may discourage you to do any workout.
5. Make your exercise more progressive by adding some weight or resistance if you can do more after 2 or 3 sets of repetitions.
6. Don’t hold your breath when doing resistance exercises as this will make your blood pressure rise to the point it may lead to heart attack and stroke.
Step 4 - Consume a healthy diet which works hand and hand with exercise.
Eat high fiber, low-GI foods that are natural and of different colors in small portions. This will help control the body weight and diabetes. Healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living — with or without diabetes. But if you have diabetes, you need to know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. It's not only the type of food you eat but also how much you eat and the combinations of food types you eat.
What To Do for Step 4
1. It is more important to know the effects of certain foods on the blood sugar level than just learning the composition of the foods and limiting the consumption of those foods.
2. The Glycemic Index will help in the meal planning.
3. Avoid consuming sugar and other refined carbohydrates as they have a negative effect on the blood sugar. Doing so can help lessen or even reverse the symptoms of diabetes.
4. Consume the recommended daily adult fiber intake of 25 to 40 grams of fiber like beans and dry peas, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, dry fruits, whole fruits and whole grain foods.
5. Limit intake of caffeine as they may lower the insulin action.
6. Try to avoid eating at fast-food restaurants.
7. Find out more about carbohydrate counting and portion sizes.
8. Eat well-balanced meals and match them up with the medications.
9. Stop drinking beverages sweetened with sugar.
Step 5 - Strive to be emotionally healthy as this is as important.
In fact emotional healthy is just as important as physical health in diabetes control and in preventing dementia, depression and unhealthy eating. Being physically active will help win over all these. It is easy to get emotionally disturbed from the challenges of having diabetes. Even carrying extra weight would affect one’s emotional health.
Speaking of weight, we have been told to diet but the trouble is even if we stick to the diet, we don’t really lose much weight and this leads to frustration and an unhealthy way of eating. Mind you being overweight is not the main cause of disordered way of eating but getting so preoccupied with the idea can lead to losing touch with other things we can do to control diabetes.
Anyway if frequent attempts of dieting lead to disordered eating, this can be treated. But why wait and be bothered by frequent dieting when you can practice moderation without entirely giving up your favorite food? That way your blood sugar will thank you for your effort. Our treatment should not just focus on losing weight.
Besides, getting obsessed with losing weight will just give one a negative self-image. We can improve our self-esteem just by exercising even with the mildest forms of exercise like walking. Getting physically fit will lead to emotional health. You see, exercise releases brain endorphins which in turn helps improve the mood and lowers anxious feelings. In addition, exercise lowers the risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
For example, it is not a good idea to totally avoid your favorite food. This is not the best way to make changes on your way to healthy eating. Instead, give yourself permission to enjoy small amount of your favorite food once in a while and take time eating it so you can have a longer time enjoying it. Eat more slowly and you will feel full sooner thus will be eating less.
Foods certainly affect our mental capability and emotions. Each time something wrong occurs, we respond by grabbing a comfort food. Some eat because they are bored, sad, depressed or other emotional reasons. In addition, the diabetes police keep telling us what we are doing wrong.
No wonder approximately half of the people with diabetes suffer from depression. The prolonged stress may just cause the blood sugar to rise. Being in a lot of extra pressure will do it. If you are still bothered by this, get help on the negative relationship with food so that you can focus on your diabetes control.
What To Do for Step 5
1. Check your stress level and assess it on a scale of 1 to 5 when you do your blood sugar. You might be able to see a pattern. Sometimes you don’t even have to do this. You know how you feel.
2. When you learn how the stress level affects the blood sugar, gain control through relaxation, avoidance of things that stress you and exercise.
3. Get help if you feel you are not feeling any better. A psychiatrist, psychologist or a clinical social worker can help you.
Step 6 - Use medications and nutritional supplements wisely.
Next to eating a healthy diet and moving more, medications and supplements form the third cornerstone in managing diabetes efficiently. It is not your fault if the natural approach of changing the lifestyle has not worked but continue doing them as they are most important facets of keeping healthy.
Medications and insulin are meant to lower the blood sugar level but taking them may make you gain weight and increase your risk for hypoglycemia when you exercise but you can make adjustment by lowering the dose and keeping physically active and eating a diet with low-GI foods.
Nutritional supplements like Vitamin D and magnesium and cinnamon may help because they are known to have antidiabetic effects but try to take them naturally from the foods you eat. And don’t believe all the hype you hear about so and so supplement has some magic power as there has not been a conclusive scientific on the benefits.
Remember that the medications and insulin are effective depending on the size of the dose and the timing of it as well. In addition, other medications that you take for other conditions may also affect your blood sugar level. So monitor the effect of the dose, the physical activity and make adjustment with the help of your health care team.
What To Do for Step 6
1. Store the medications and insulin properly. Make sure they are not past the expiration date when you take them and therefore may not be effective then. I never leave them in the car as it gets too hot. These medications, especially insulin are sensitive to excessive change in temperature.
2. Be careful with new medications. Monitor the response of your body to the medication as it may interact negatively with all other factors.
3. Report to your health care team any change you observe like if your blood sugar level drops like a rock or if it remains constantly high. The timing and dosage may have to be adjusted.
Step 7 - Try different strategies to stay motivated in making healthy choices.
These healthy choices should last all your life. This is an important step as motivation will keep us going with the resolve to take care of ourselves. Without this, we may just give up so easily. Exercise everyday instead of getting into diet after diet that does not work. For one thing dieting can lead to a decreased metabolic rate especially if you are consuming less than 1000 calories.
Remind yourself everyday that exercise is good for you and get to know more diabetes knowledge so you can continue with lifestyle changes. Don’t make excuses like your joints are painful and so can’t exercise. I am telling you from experience that exercise helps me lose my pain which is just unbelievable. Really you get more energy when you move more.
Also make it more convenient. In my case, I make it easy for me to exercise. I just incorporate it into my schedule and I make it easy for me to start. I don’t have to get ready for it; I just exercise right in my pajamas. I don’t have to change or go to a gym. Every part of my house is my gym.
I have a back-up plan when I am travelling for then I will not be able to do my yoga or taichi but I can still do aerobic exercises by walking around the airport and doing stretches. This way, I keep being active all day long. And when I am busy at work, I keep moving by walking up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
If you do not have time to exercise, just take it one day at a time. You can multitask with exercise. For instance, while I am doing my prayers, I run around the house. You can also exercise while you are reading a magazine or book or even the insurance policy, watching TV, listening to music or story on tape and even while talking on the phone. Just don’t do it with Facetime.
Or you can make it fun by checking out what activities are going on in your community. We go line dancing, golfing and ballroom dancing for instance which we do not want to miss because we love them so much. You see when your physical activity is fun and varied, it is no problem sticking to it. There are even equipments you can use in some recreational centers.
If you do not want to exercise alone, get a friend to do it with you. You can then motivate each other to keep on going. At the end of each week, check how you made out with your fitness program and if you find you did not miss a day, reward yourself with a sticker or two and put them on a calendar. Keep one calendar especially for this. Or go out for lunch in the weekend.
Starting out with intense exercises is not wise as you may get frustrated and then give up. Start slowly but surely. Then if something goes wrong and you stop your exercise regimen, get back to it one step at a time until you get back to where you fell off the wagon. Illness, vacation time and responsibilities can wreck havoc to your exercise schedule. It is not a dishonor to get off the exercise wagon, but it is a disgrace not to get back to it.
And if you need a refreshing drink, try this. Discover The Amazing Power of fruits and vegetableswith easy and delicious recipes based on exciting new research and no added sweeteners!
Don’t Believe These 9 Exercise Myths
There are all kinds of advice they tell us and sometimes we fall for them. Not anymore for here are the lies they tell us. After reading them, make sure you take action and permanently delete them from your life. Keep exercising!
1. Weights will make you look bulked up.
We sometimes think we will develop all kinds of muscles but actually we will just look more fit. It will take more lifting of weights for us, to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let us not be afraid of lifting weights because this part of exercise can be a good and welcome portion of our fitness plan.
2. The readings on the gym cardio machines are accurate.
We can’t trust those readings. If the display says we have burned 300 calories after thirty minutes on the treadmill, those readings are not accurate. Even if we input the necessary data like age, gender and weight, those readings cannot be construed as true. So be on the lookout for these readings and trust more on things you have to do.
3. Consuming protein drinks and supplements is enough to build muscles.
The healthy foods we eat contain proteins that we need for muscle building. We do not have to buy supplements and protein drinks to build muscles.
4. Check the weighing scale to assess your success at losing weight.
Watching the weight scale could just give us a reason to stop exercising and eating healthy food, right? Wrong! You see when we start exercising, we may even gain a bit of weight. Why? Because as we start exercising and gain some muscle and lose fat, the heavier of the two which is the muscle will show more weight on the scale. So don’t let that weight gain stop you from doing your fitness plan. You are on the right track if you keep on exercising.
5. The only way to benefit from exercise is to do it every day.
This is not true at all and is probably the reason why most of us stop our exercise regime. Just remember that every exercise you do has some benefit. Don’t stop your fitness program just because you miss exercising on certain days.
6. Fix problem areas by toning and tightening some trouble spots.
This is how we get attracted to buy all those products that promise to flatten the stomach and fix other trouble spots of the body. Truth be told, we cannot pick and choose which part of the body we want to lose fat from. They may help but for us to lose weight and tone the muscles, we need an exercise routine that focuses on all parts of the body.
7. I exercise so I can eat anything I want.
This is not true at all. Just because we exercise we are given the license to eat unhealthy meals. Remember that whatever we consume we have to burn or else those extra calories will appear as gained weight.
8. No pain, no gain.
Exercising does not have to be painful. There are all kinds of exercises. Choose one that fits your lifestyle. In my case, I go line dancing twice a week to lose weight. Now if only I could stop going to buffets, I could lose more weight. If you have a way to do that, let me know, okay? Just write your suggestions in the comment box below.
9. Stay hydrated with sport drinks.
Research has shown that all you need is to drink water while exercising and after it as well. Sport drinks can contain a lot of calories which may mean you will be consuming more calories than you are burning while exercising.
Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
1. Is It Okay for Diabetics to Drink Protein Shakes?
It is fine for the diabetics to have protein shakes but in moderation. Read the label to see the total grams of carbohydrate for each serving to see how you can fit it in your diet plan. Remember that the carb budget for a man is 60-75 grams for each meal while for a woman it is 45-60 grams/meal.
Check also the total grams of protein which makes the blood sugar rise more slowly while the carbohydrate does it more quickly. Just monitor the rise of the blood sugar level around 4 to 6 hours after a meal when consuming food with high protein content. It is also a good idea to remember at this point that a balanced diet from a variety of food is advisable.
2. How Is This Possible: Environmental Destruction Caused by Diabetes Treatment.
US waterways are now containing drugs that include diabetic drugs. The most common drug found in Lake Michigan is metformin, a diabetes drug. The trouble is the fish hormonal system may be altered. The contamination of the water has made those who live on rural areas to drink more soda pop which contribute to increase diabetes and obesity rates.
3. Two Cases That Affect the Diabetics to Be Decided by the Supreme Court
On deck is the Obama’s Affordable Care Act where the issue of whether the tax credits to millions of Americans will be deemed illegal. I don’t know why helping people afford health insurance will be deemed illegal. The tax credit will not cover the whole premium, I don’t think. It will just be a small percentage of the person’s income and that is after they will probably lower eligibility by putting in place some factors as the income and the social benefits.
The other issue the Supreme Court will decide is how the Americans with Disabilities Act will be covered when the police come in contact with people with disabilities. This is important as people with disabilities include people with diabetes. How are they going to deal with this? With compassion, duh! Why do we make a mountain out of a molehill, huh!
Conclusion
There you have more information on diabetes and exercise. Please no matter what happens, continue exercising as this will be most helpful. Mind you, you have to check with your doctor so that any condition that may be worsened by exercise is not present. And do not be concerned too much about weight loss.
Your Turn
What do you think of all of these? Did you learn something new? Do you have any information on this issue to contribute? What strategies do you use so you can keep on exercising? What’s your view on this? Did you learn something new? Share it with your friends! Love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment below and we’ll know.
By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
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Refresh The Diabetic Foot
Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs or long time interested on learning as much as we can and freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not both MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
Some people asked me about this.
References
1. Diabetes and Exercise: Highlights of Our Recent Twitter Chat http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1606-diabetes-and-exercise-dcde-twitter-chat-summary?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302
1. 6 Things You Should Know About Exercising with Diabetes. http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1588-6-things-you-should-know-about-exercising-with-diabetes
2. Frugal Fitness: 7 Tips to Work Out on a Budget 3 Equipment-Free Exercises to Combat Diabetes Need Exercise Ideas? Try Sweatbetes Videos
3. http://www.shericolberg.com/diabetes-fitness-plan.asp The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight Marlowe & Company, 2006
4. 9 Exercise Myths You Need to Forget http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/237-9-exercise-myths-we-need-to-forget?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302&utm_term=1head#10
5. How to Start a Diabetes-Friendly Exercise Plan http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/diet-and-exercise/getting-started/306-how-to-start-a-diabetes-friendly-exercise-plan?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150302
6. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-management/art-20047963
7. http://www.dabeticconnect.com/diabetes-news/general/5210-ask-the-expert-are-those-protein-shakes-ok-for-diabetics?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_2
Overtreatment of Diabetes Now Causing Environmental Destruction http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/04/overtreatment-diabetes.aspx?e_cid=20150304Z1_DNL_NB_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20150304Z1_DNL_NB&et_cid=DM68918&et_rid=86379117
4 8. http://www.dlife.com/diabetes-food-and-fitness/diabetes_and_exercise/the_7_step_diabetes_fitness_plan
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Understanding Glucose, Fructose and Sucrose
The importance of understanding all about sugar is key to surviving diabetes.
For much too long, experts said eating much sugar does not exactly cause diabetes but now research has shown that increased sugar consumption is linked to diabetes. That is why it is important for us to understand this all important link to diabetes rates.
What You’ll Learn:
1. How Do We Differentiate the Main Sugars?
2. Beware of Natural Beet Sugar
3. Be Careful With the Sugar Content in Foods. Why?
4. Too much Fructose Sweetener and Heart Risk Linked in Teenagers
5. Can You Live a Year Without Sugar?
6. Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
What's the difference between the main sugars? Why try to understand them at all? Well, they are considered to be the enemies of the diabetics and so it is important that we understand them especially we cannot taste the difference at all. And they play different roles in the body.
Glucose affects the blood sugar level so the diabetics have to pay close attention to it. Glucose is the most important simple sugar and it is the choice source of energy. Most carbohydrates we consume are processed into glucose that can either be used right away for energy or stored in the muscle cells or as glycogen in the liver to be used later.
The blood sugar rises and falls during the day and usually becomes low during exercise and between meals. Insulin has the duty to keep it at a healthy level converting starches, sugars and other foods into energy to maintain life. For some people, the body does not produce enough insulin to do the job so the glucose is not maintained at a healthy level.
When the blood sugar drops too low (below 70 mg/dL), it results in serious health risk like hypoglycemia. The opposite of this is when the sugar level becomes too high (anything above 200 mg/dL). This causes hyperglycemia which is also a health risk.
Another form of carbohydrate is fructose but this does not lead to such peaks in the blood sugar level. This is the natural sugar found in honey, fruits and vegetables. Some make the mistake of thinking that fructose is high fructose corn syrup when actually this is more like sucrose than fructose.
The main difference between fructose and glucose is that the former does not lead to the release of insulin. Nor does it trigger the production of leptin, a hormone that helps balance the energy levels.
Sucrose on the other hand is usually called table sugar. It comes from sugar beets or sugar cane. Sucrose is found in fruits and vegetables. Actually, the chemical composition of sucrose shows it is made from both units of glucose and fructose which an enzyme divides into individual units of glucose and fructose when sugar is consumed.
It is not really as healthy as we think it is despite the USDA having deregulated it. The trouble is that it is genetically engineered and then sold in grocery stores as real sugar. The diabetics might think it natural but the truth is that it has the same glycemic index as cane sugar.
It can affect our health for one thing. If it is labeled as real sugar, more than likely it contains beet sugar which is taken from beet roots that contain pesticide. This hinders the valuable gut bacteria in people. Around 95% of sugar beets in the US are genetically modified. So unless it is certified organic it is more than likely at least partially if not totally genetically engineered.
Trying to avoid products that list high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient? Well my advice is to take care. Be very careful because you may just be replacing that ingredient with another product in beet sugar. And therein lies the problem. Most people believe there’s nothing natural in it.
A new study has found that too much consumption of fructose sweetener in food and beverage is tied to heart risk among the teens. The research is done among 559 teenagers who are 14 to 18 years old. They were found to have diets that are high in fructose which shows proof there is cardiovascular and diabetes risk in their blood.
There is fructose in fruits and a form of fructose called high fructose corn syrup which is used in processed beverages and food. It is believed that the growing bodies of these teenagers hunger after sweets. And the researchers from the Medical College of Georgia say the advertisements target these young people.
What did the researchers find? They found that these diets high in fructose are linked to higher blood pressure, higher insulin resistance and fasting glucose and inflammatory conditions that are factors in the development of vascular and heart disease. They are also found to have lower levels of the good cholesterol or HDL.
The link between high fructose consumption and cardiovascular risk is even higher among the teenagers who have excess belly fat. This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition. It is therefore crucial to make sure there is a high quality of foods in our children. The way to do this is to be good role models.
This is a difficult question to answer unless we try it ourselves. Well, a family tried it and lived to tell the tale of their grand adventure. The mother started thinking of why she lacked energy and gathered information as to the cause and found the culprit to be sugar.
So she thought of how her family will survive a year without sugar. She put together all the information she gathered and made a plan to spend a whole year avoiding sugar. They cut out all items with added sweetener like honey, molasses, table sugar, maple syrup or even fruit juice. The only one they kept was if the sweetness was from the original source as in fruit.
They were surprised to find there was sugar in chicken soup, tortillas, sausages, salad dressings, crackers, cold cuts, mayonnaise bread and bacon and even baby food. So despite the curiosity on what would happen without sugar for a year, they were finding it not easy to do it because of all the foods they found that contained sugar.
But they continued on with this adventure with the grocery shopping changed along with the cooking. As the days passed, they were convinced that removing sugar in their diet will make them all healthier. But there was more! What they didn’t expect was that they will feel better in the real sense of the word.
So What Happened a Year Later?
They felt more energetic and enjoyed less the once a month treat of a dessert with sugar in it. This was the rule they decided to follow when they embarked on this no-sugar adventure. The thing was, as the months went by, they enjoyed the treat less and less until they gave up the monthly treat altogether.
They counted the number of days the kids were absent from school due to sickness during the year the family went without sugar and the previous year. One daughter just missed two days of school compared to the previous year of missing 15 days of school.
Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
1. Inhaled insulin Is now available in US pharmacies.
This is such an important news for diabetics. Now they can have insulin without shots. How will this happen? Well, that’s because inhalable insulin is now available. And it is called Afrezza! Needless to say, this has taken the diabetics by storm!
2. Do you suffer from diabetes burnout? Here’s how to fix it.
Dealing with diabetes is stressful and this feeling could build up over time. There’s help from the experts: Prevention is key to avoiding burnout. Think positively. Be patient for this will lessen the stress. Be flexible and accept you can’t move forward. Talking to friends and family will help and so will getting help from mental health professionals.
3. Reaching Out to the Traveling Diabetics Among You
We have extra preparations to do before embarking on a trip. It’s fine; we understand that. What we have to do is for our safety. Not only will it keep us safe but also it will keep us enjoying the life we deserve despite diabetes. So if you need the traveler’s checklist that I was fortunate to come across, just say so in the comment box below and I will gladly send it to you.
There you have more information on the sugars and why we have to be careful with them as content in our food. Understanding all these will put us in the right direction. We know what we have to beware of , what beet sugar is like and the link between fructose sweetener and heart risk for teenagers.
What do you think of all of these? Did you learn something new? Do you have any information on this issue to contribute? What strategies do you use to avoid diabetes burnout? What’s your view on this? Love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment below and I’ll know.
By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
Discover The Amazing Power of coconut oil Finally, the secret of coconut oil is exposed!
Refresh Understanding Glucose, Fructose and Sucrose
Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs or long time interested on learning as much as we can on this issue and freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
References
http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/360-understanding-glucose-fructose-and-sucrose?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214&utm_term=1head#0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3f8a6bBbG4 share http://youtu.be/K3f8a6bBbG4
Beware "Natural" Beet Sug hatar: Not as Healthy as It Sounds http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/632-beware-natural-beet-sugar-not-as-healthy-as-it- sounds?ugc=true#comments&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214
Discussion: Could You Last a Year without Sugar? http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-discussions/general/23484-could-you-last-a-year-without-sugar?discussion_message=318612&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214
Afrezza Inhaled Insulin Now Available http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/inhaled-insulin-sanofi-mannkind-announce-afrezza/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=48dd2f90c4-2015_02_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-48dd2f90c4-87244369
Diabetes Burnout: How to Find It and Fix It http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1642-how-to-understand-identify-and-resolve-diabetes-burnout?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150223&utm_term=3head
Traveling Checklistfor Diabetes http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/traveling-tips-for-diabetes/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=2f1d14aa14-2015_02_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-2f1d14aa14-87025817
Introduction
For much too long, experts said eating much sugar does not exactly cause diabetes but now research has shown that increased sugar consumption is linked to diabetes. That is why it is important for us to understand this all important link to diabetes rates.
What You’ll Learn:
1. How Do We Differentiate the Main Sugars?
2. Beware of Natural Beet Sugar
3. Be Careful With the Sugar Content in Foods. Why?
4. Too much Fructose Sweetener and Heart Risk Linked in Teenagers
5. Can You Live a Year Without Sugar?
6. Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
How Do We Differentiate the Main Sugars?
What's the difference between the main sugars? Why try to understand them at all? Well, they are considered to be the enemies of the diabetics and so it is important that we understand them especially we cannot taste the difference at all. And they play different roles in the body.
Glucose affects the blood sugar level so the diabetics have to pay close attention to it. Glucose is the most important simple sugar and it is the choice source of energy. Most carbohydrates we consume are processed into glucose that can either be used right away for energy or stored in the muscle cells or as glycogen in the liver to be used later.
The blood sugar rises and falls during the day and usually becomes low during exercise and between meals. Insulin has the duty to keep it at a healthy level converting starches, sugars and other foods into energy to maintain life. For some people, the body does not produce enough insulin to do the job so the glucose is not maintained at a healthy level.
When the blood sugar drops too low (below 70 mg/dL), it results in serious health risk like hypoglycemia. The opposite of this is when the sugar level becomes too high (anything above 200 mg/dL). This causes hyperglycemia which is also a health risk.
Another form of carbohydrate is fructose but this does not lead to such peaks in the blood sugar level. This is the natural sugar found in honey, fruits and vegetables. Some make the mistake of thinking that fructose is high fructose corn syrup when actually this is more like sucrose than fructose.
The main difference between fructose and glucose is that the former does not lead to the release of insulin. Nor does it trigger the production of leptin, a hormone that helps balance the energy levels.
Sucrose on the other hand is usually called table sugar. It comes from sugar beets or sugar cane. Sucrose is found in fruits and vegetables. Actually, the chemical composition of sucrose shows it is made from both units of glucose and fructose which an enzyme divides into individual units of glucose and fructose when sugar is consumed.
To better understand the three main sugars, here’s a video on the Sucrose, fructose and glucose: Part 1
Beware of Natural Beet Sugar
It is not really as healthy as we think it is despite the USDA having deregulated it. The trouble is that it is genetically engineered and then sold in grocery stores as real sugar. The diabetics might think it natural but the truth is that it has the same glycemic index as cane sugar.
Be Careful With the Sugar Content in Foods. Why?
It can affect our health for one thing. If it is labeled as real sugar, more than likely it contains beet sugar which is taken from beet roots that contain pesticide. This hinders the valuable gut bacteria in people. Around 95% of sugar beets in the US are genetically modified. So unless it is certified organic it is more than likely at least partially if not totally genetically engineered.
Trying to avoid products that list high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient? Well my advice is to take care. Be very careful because you may just be replacing that ingredient with another product in beet sugar. And therein lies the problem. Most people believe there’s nothing natural in it.
A Tale of Two Odd Couple: Too much Fructose Sweetener and Heart Risk Among Teenagers
A new study has found that too much consumption of fructose sweetener in food and beverage is tied to heart risk among the teens. The research is done among 559 teenagers who are 14 to 18 years old. They were found to have diets that are high in fructose which shows proof there is cardiovascular and diabetes risk in their blood.
There is fructose in fruits and a form of fructose called high fructose corn syrup which is used in processed beverages and food. It is believed that the growing bodies of these teenagers hunger after sweets. And the researchers from the Medical College of Georgia say the advertisements target these young people.
What did the researchers find? They found that these diets high in fructose are linked to higher blood pressure, higher insulin resistance and fasting glucose and inflammatory conditions that are factors in the development of vascular and heart disease. They are also found to have lower levels of the good cholesterol or HDL.
The link between high fructose consumption and cardiovascular risk is even higher among the teenagers who have excess belly fat. This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition. It is therefore crucial to make sure there is a high quality of foods in our children. The way to do this is to be good role models.
Can You Live a Year Without Sugar?
This is a difficult question to answer unless we try it ourselves. Well, a family tried it and lived to tell the tale of their grand adventure. The mother started thinking of why she lacked energy and gathered information as to the cause and found the culprit to be sugar.
So she thought of how her family will survive a year without sugar. She put together all the information she gathered and made a plan to spend a whole year avoiding sugar. They cut out all items with added sweetener like honey, molasses, table sugar, maple syrup or even fruit juice. The only one they kept was if the sweetness was from the original source as in fruit.
They were surprised to find there was sugar in chicken soup, tortillas, sausages, salad dressings, crackers, cold cuts, mayonnaise bread and bacon and even baby food. So despite the curiosity on what would happen without sugar for a year, they were finding it not easy to do it because of all the foods they found that contained sugar.
But they continued on with this adventure with the grocery shopping changed along with the cooking. As the days passed, they were convinced that removing sugar in their diet will make them all healthier. But there was more! What they didn’t expect was that they will feel better in the real sense of the word.
So What Happened a Year Later?
They felt more energetic and enjoyed less the once a month treat of a dessert with sugar in it. This was the rule they decided to follow when they embarked on this no-sugar adventure. The thing was, as the months went by, they enjoyed the treat less and less until they gave up the monthly treat altogether.
They counted the number of days the kids were absent from school due to sickness during the year the family went without sugar and the previous year. One daughter just missed two days of school compared to the previous year of missing 15 days of school.
Breaking News That Matter to Diabetics
1. Inhaled insulin Is now available in US pharmacies.
This is such an important news for diabetics. Now they can have insulin without shots. How will this happen? Well, that’s because inhalable insulin is now available. And it is called Afrezza! Needless to say, this has taken the diabetics by storm!
2. Do you suffer from diabetes burnout? Here’s how to fix it.
Dealing with diabetes is stressful and this feeling could build up over time. There’s help from the experts: Prevention is key to avoiding burnout. Think positively. Be patient for this will lessen the stress. Be flexible and accept you can’t move forward. Talking to friends and family will help and so will getting help from mental health professionals.
3. Reaching Out to the Traveling Diabetics Among You
We have extra preparations to do before embarking on a trip. It’s fine; we understand that. What we have to do is for our safety. Not only will it keep us safe but also it will keep us enjoying the life we deserve despite diabetes. So if you need the traveler’s checklist that I was fortunate to come across, just say so in the comment box below and I will gladly send it to you.
Conclusion
There you have more information on the sugars and why we have to be careful with them as content in our food. Understanding all these will put us in the right direction. We know what we have to beware of , what beet sugar is like and the link between fructose sweetener and heart risk for teenagers.
Your Turn
What do you think of all of these? Did you learn something new? Do you have any information on this issue to contribute? What strategies do you use to avoid diabetes burnout? What’s your view on this? Love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment below and I’ll know.
By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
Discover The Amazing Power of coconut oil Finally, the secret of coconut oil is exposed!
Refresh Understanding Glucose, Fructose and Sucrose
Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs or long time interested on learning as much as we can on this issue and freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
References
http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/360-understanding-glucose-fructose-and-sucrose?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214&utm_term=1head#0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3f8a6bBbG4 share http://youtu.be/K3f8a6bBbG4
Beware "Natural" Beet Sug hatar: Not as Healthy as It Sounds http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/632-beware-natural-beet-sugar-not-as-healthy-as-it- sounds?ugc=true#comments&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214
Discussion: Could You Last a Year without Sugar? http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-discussions/general/23484-could-you-last-a-year-without-sugar?discussion_message=318612&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20150214
Afrezza Inhaled Insulin Now Available http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/inhaled-insulin-sanofi-mannkind-announce-afrezza/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=48dd2f90c4-2015_02_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-48dd2f90c4-87244369
Diabetes Burnout: How to Find It and Fix It http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/1642-how-to-understand-identify-and-resolve-diabetes-burnout?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20150223&utm_term=3head
Traveling Checklistfor Diabetes http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2015/02/traveling-tips-for-diabetes/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=2f1d14aa14-2015_02_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-2f1d14aa14-87025817
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
Introduction
In Part one, we covered the following 'Bionic Pancreas' Lowers Blood Sugar for Type 1 Diabetics, TOP 10 Foods that do NOT affect the blood sugar, Best Foods To Control Blood Sugar, Does Protein Affect Blood Sugar? Are There Guidelines, and Chocolate and Blood Sugars, Don’t Let This Happen To You!For this Part Two, we will be covering the following topics that will help us have better sugar control:
1. How To Wake Up With Better Blood Sugars To Achieve the A1C Goals
2. New Drug to Lower Blood Sugar Approved By FDA
3. Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Monitoring System Approved for Children
4. Top 5 Tips to Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Away from Complication Territory
5. Diabetes in Children – Blood Sugar Monitoring
How To Wake Up With Better Blood Sugars To Achieve the A1C Goals
What’s wrong with this blood sugar level? Here I am, working hard traveling through this straight and narrow road. Yet my blood sugar level goes up and down on a roller coaster ride. What else do I have to do? Well, let’s address this issue once and for all. Let’s delve into the three reasons why this is happening and learn what to do to achieve that A1C goal.
Welcome to the Get Blood Sugar Control YouTube Channel
1. What did you eat before going to bed?
Make sure you’re eating the right food that will help you know exactly how much insulin you need for it. If you’re not on insulin, eat foods that are lower in carbohydrates. Avoid strange foods and those with high fat and carbs because they affect the blood sugars for hours. Examples of these foods to avoid are fast food, pizza and Chinese food. So you will not get hungry late at night, eat more during the early part of the day like at breakfast or lunch. Over-eating at night could be due to not having eaten enough during the early part of the day. So make sure you eat enough food for breakfast and lunch.
2. When did you last check how much insulin and/or oral medications you need?
The insulin or medication may have worked before but they may not be working now. They should be fine-tuned every so often. They do not stay the same all our life. So if you’re on insulin, talk to your doctor about adjusting your basal rates, your meal bolus insulin-to-carb ratio Jennifer Smith CDE at http://integrateddiabetes.com/ IntegratedDiabetes.com!
Those on oral medication have two choices. They either have to decrease their carb consumption or to increase their medication. And if they are not on any oral medication yet, it will be wise to talk to your doctor about whether you have to start a diabetes oral medication.
3. Time to check your exercise habits.
Are you neglecting exercise as part of your treatment plan? Or have you even started yet? This is a very important weapon you have to keep in your arsenal to lower the blood sugar level and to increase the sensitivity to insulin. Walk 30 minutes after dinner and you will see the impact on your blood sugar.
If you exercise regularly, your body will burn more glucose even in the middle of the night while you sleep. How cool is that? So toss away all those excuses and make it a habit to exercise consistently. Find an exercise that you enjoy. Try swimming, playing golf, or even dancing. Your blood sugar will love it and you will wake up with better blood sugar level.
New Drug to Lower Blood Sugar Approved By FDA
There’s a new drug in town. FDA (short for Food and Drug Administration) has approved a drug that is supposed to lower the blood sugar level for those who have type 2 diabetes. It helps lower the blood sugar level by increasing the amount of glucose excreted in the urine. What is that drug you asked?
Know All About This Drug First
It is called Empagliflozin. I know you’re excited about this and who can blame you? Any news that helps lower the blood sugar level is welcome. But hold your horses. First off the bat, you have to learn as much as you can about this drug. Speaking of this, did you know Empagliflozin is classified as part of a group of drugs referred to as sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors?
After you have learned about this drug, talk to your doctor to see if it is right for you to try this. And it does not end here. Once you begin taking it, keep a record of the start date and monitor how your body reacts to this new drug. See if you experience side effects. If the side effects are worse than what it is trying to treat, go tell your doctor you’re quitting it.
He won’t like it; I know because my doctor hates it when I tell her I am quitting a drug. But hey, it’s my body and no one can tell me what to do with it. She tells me I am the most non-compliant patient she has. Who cares? That reminds me of something I was told to take so I won’t sweat but its side effect is the risk for cancer. Duh!
How Does Empagliflozin Work?
Blood sugar comes from all the carbohydrates we eat. Normally, this is not a problem because the insulin makes us use that sugar for energy but the cells of the diabetics are not able to make enough insulin to do this job, making the blood sugar go to the bloodstream which is dangerous. Enter Empagliflozin that increases the amount of sugar excreted in urine.
Who Will Benefit From This?
It is for treating Diabetics with type 2 who can be helped while following the two main treatment options which are eating right and moving more. It will not help type 1 diabetics and those who have certain disorders in the kidney. Neither will it help those who suffer from diabetic ketoacidosis.
Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Monitoring System Approved for Children
What Is It?
Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Monitoring System was approved sometime ago by the US Food and Drug Administration also known as FDA. The agency said it is approved for use by those who are 2 years old up to seventeen years old where before its use is only approved for grown- ups.
What Does the Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Monitoring System Do?
It monitors the blood sugar of the user constantly. It checks when the blood sugar goes dangerously high and precariously low. It has a narrow sensor inserted under the skin. When it works together with a blood glucose meter, it helps doctors decide the proper treatment option.
What Is Its Performance Rating?
To evaluate its performance, a clinical study was conducted with 176 subjects ranging from 2 to 17 years of age. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that the device will not perform as accurately as in adults but it is till useful in alerting the users from very high or to very low readings.
Top 5 Tips to Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Away from Complication Territory
Don’t lose heart when someone starts talking about complications. On the contrary, it should empower you to work at avoiding those complications. Keeping those blood sugar levels within target range should do it. If you already have nerve damage which is the most common complication, then stand up and start fighting again. That is what good soldiers do and by golly, we are going to do the same. To help with this, here are the 5 top tips.
Eat Healthy
This is the first weapon in your arsenal. A healthy diet with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, dairy, lean meats, whole grains and nuts will do it. Eat more often and in small portions like three meals a day with healthy snacks in between. Monitor the carb consumption as carbohydrates can make the blood sugar go on a roller coaster ride. Here are meal ideas that can help you!
Move More
Regular exercise with the healthy diet and medicine when it is prescribed can do wonders like keeping healthy weight and maintaining the right blood sugar level. This comes with some precaution though for sometimes exercise can make the blood sugar go dangerously low so talk to your doctor first. Be prepared with a healthy snack when you exercise.
Track The Blood Sugar Level
This can help you determine what to eat and how much to exercise. The recommendation is for the blood sugar level between 70 to 130 mg/dL before meals. Your doctor will let you know what is your own target level and keep within that range to keep the complications at bay.
Take Medications as Prescribed
Whatever form is the prescribed medication, whether it is in the form of pills or insulin, take them as prescribed. If it is insulin in your treatment plan, take care that you schedule it around your meals. Ask your doctor how often you should have it and when do you take it.
Have an A1C Test Two Times a Year
Having the A1C done will give a precise picture of the blood sugar control over time. Two times a year is enough if your blood sugar is within the healthy range but you may need more tests if you are experiencing trouble controlling your blood sugar level or you are changing your medication.
Diabetes in Children – Blood Sugar Monitoring
Diabetes in children makes it imperative to do blood sugar monitoring as part of the management. Both parents and children should know when the blood sugar is not within target range. This helps know how physical activities and food affect the blood sugar so if the child is taking insulin, it will be a guide to know how much short-acting insulin is needed. It is a good thing the blood sugar can be checked anytime anywhere with a glucose meter.
Why Do We Have to Monitor the Blood Sugar?
Blood sugar monitoring or testing will help warn of the low blood sugar which could become an emergency. Eating something with sugar can prevent an emergency situation from happening. On the other hand, blood sugar that is consistently high could lead to permanent damage to the heart, eyes, blood vessels, kidneys and nerves.
If the child is prescribed to take short-acting insulin, knowing the blood sugar level before a meal will help determine how much insulin is needed. Monitoring the blood sugar level will also help understand how exercise affects the blood sugar. Usually exercise lowers it while sickness and stress can lead to higher levels. This will help determine the need for adjustment to the treatment plan so tell the doctor the results of your monitoring at home.
How To Monitor the Blood Sugar
Step 1: Get organized.
Find out from the doctor how often to monitor and record the results. Make it into a habit like testing the blood sugar level before breakfast. Have all the supplies ready so each test can be done quickly. Check whether the strips have expired as this will give inaccurate results. Check also if the code numbers on the meter match those on the bottle for the testing strips. If they don't match, you can change the code numbers by following the directions that are in the meter.
Check the accuracy of the results of the meter by using the sugar control solution made by the manufacturer of the meter and follow the directions that came with it the first time you use a meter. Check it regularly and put the reminder in the child's bag so you will remember to do this.
Step 2: Do the actual test.
Children with type 2 may need only to check the blood sugar only once or two times a day but children who have type 1 diabetes need to test their blood sugar several times a day. Frequent testing will let one know how well the treatment plan is working. Here are the steps to take in monitoring the blood sugar level.
1. Wash both the tester and child hands with soap and water and use a clean towel to dry them well.
2. Place a clean lancet in the lancet device which holds and controls how deeply it goes down the skin.
3. Get a test strip from the bottle making sure to put the lid back on so the moisture will not affect the rest of the strips.
4. Get the blood sugar meter ready by following the instructions that came with the meter.
5. Stick the side of the finger tip of the child with the lancet.
6. Put the drop of blood on the strip making sure to cover the test part well.
7. Put pressure on the area where the needle was stuck with a clean cotton ball to stop the bleeding.
8. Read the results which the meter will show in a few seconds.
Step 3: Record the Result of the Test.
This is very important as the result will show what foods, exercise and other factors are keeping the blood sugar on the healthy range. Take all the results to the doctor so he will know what steps to take regarding the treatment plan. Manufacturers of diabetic supplies can provide you logs where you can write down the results of the test or you can use a plain notebook. Some meters can keep as many as 100 test results.
Here are some guidelines to succeed at monitoring the child's blood sugar level:
Keep the supplies and meter with the child the whole time.
Schedule the checking of the blood sugar in with the child’s routine so it becomes a habit.
Check if the meter is accurate during every visit to the doctor by comparing the results.
Prick the side of the child’s fingers as the finger tips are more sensitive.
Maintain and calibrate the meter with the test strips properly.
The aforementioned guidelines summary will help remind those who help take care of the children who have diabetes. As long as they are followed there should be no reason for anyone not to succeed at monitoring the child’s blood sugar thus making it easier to help look after the diabetes in children.
Alert Re: Blood Sugar Monitor
Resting the blood sugar should be done religiously. That is good, but remember, before exercise, it is crucial that this is done and get this, also every 30 minutes during exercise and about 15 minutes after. In addition, check your urine for ketones as their presence will mean an inadequate effect of insulin.
After blood sugar monitor you will know not to start exercising with the following conditions:
1. If your blood sugar level is over 250 mg/dL
2. If your blood sugar level is below 100 mg/dL
3. If ketones are present in your urine.
When your blood sugar monitor reveals that the reading is too high, your muscles may be opposed to using the present glycogen. In this case the liver will keep on breaking glycogen thinking you need this fuel, not knowing you’re resistant to glucose at this point. So your blood sugar just rises to the stratosphere.
Now when your blood sugar monitor shows the level is too low, the insulin effect may be too much so there will not be enough sugar available for exercise. You may be showing insulin resistance and therefore an insulin resistance test is needed. Very low blood sugar could lead to problems from a mild case of hypoglycemia to strictly lowered blood sugar level to the point of possible fainting, coma, convulsions and brain damage.
This does not need to happen because once your blood sugar monitor shows a low level, all you have to do is eat or drink a simple carbohydrate first like table sugar, sport drinks, milk, and soda pop. These can increase blood sugar level almost right away.
Conclusion
There you have it; everything you need to know about blood sugar. This you can add to your arsenal to better control the blood sugar level. Hopefully this knowledge will help prevent the wide swings the blood sugar level goes through despite our best effort. This additional weapon may just prevent the erratic movement we experience.
Your Turn
Now that you have more information on how to keep the blood sugar be on a more even keel, you may have more questions. Please write them in the comment box down below. And if you have more information on things on this two-part series, please let us know them as well so we can spread the word and add more knowledge on this very important issue of blood sugar control.
Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman
Weird 30-Second Trick Cures Diabetes (You don’t Want to Miss This!) I’m talking about an all-natural, safe and permanent, yes that’s right permanent CURE for diabetes. I’m talking about not just covering up your diabetes symptoms through so called diabetes ‘management’ medications or treatments but tackling the root cause of your diabetes head on. All naturally, all safely, all by following this one of a kind method backed up by solid science.
This exact same secret has even led to the discovery of a simple, seemingly bizarre but highly effective 30 second trick...
To instantly increase your insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure, resulting in an immediate drop in blood sugar and rapid weight loss.
Refresh Blood Sugar Control All About It - Part Two
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References
1. Can Cinnamon Regulate Blood Sugar?
http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-information-articles/general/346-can-cinnamon-regulate-blood-sugar?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCE_20141208
2. Expert Advice — Blood Sugar Lowering Effects of Eating Celery? http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/ask-an-expert?questionId=27537905&utm_source=Foodstuff-20141209&utm_medium=eNewsletter&utm_content=Foodstuff-newsletter&utm_term=Focused&utm_campaign=dLife-eNewsletter&
3. Best Foods for Blood Sugar Control http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-slideshows/213-best-foods-for-blood-sugar-control?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=DCN_20141115
4. http://www.dlife.com/e/pdfs/4_Surprising_Foods_that_Fight_Fat.pdf 4 Foods That Fight Fat & Lower Blood Sugar
5. How Does Protein Affect Blood Sugar? http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2014/10/how-does-protein-affect-blood-sugar/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=c2e21b79ca-2014_01_14_Needle_Reuse1_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-c2e21b79ca-87025817
6. Chocolate & Low Blood Sugars http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2014/09/too-sweet-chocolate-low-blood-sugars/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=ce16aae562-2014_01_14_Needle_Reuse1_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-ce16aae562-87025817
7. http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/information/slide_show_pdf_files/new_pdfs/6_Bad_Breakfasts.pdf Bad Breakfasts
8. A1C Goals: How to Wake Up with Better Blood Sugars http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2014/10/a1c-goals-how-to-wake-up-with-better-blood-sugars/?utm_source=Diabetes+Daily&utm_campaign=70f51f36b2-2014_01_14_Needle_Reuse1_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_168fcb2a95-70f51f36b2-87025817
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs, or partridges in pear trees. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.
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