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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Vitamin K Lowers Diabetes Risk for the Elderly by 50%

What is diabetes and what causes diabetes are the top questions circulating around the web. What they should ask also is what is diabetic risk. We will give answers to all of them or lead you to where to go to get answers. For example, here is where you go to know what is diabetes.

Here you will find what causes diabetes just below the video on that page. The cause for type 1 is mainly due to an over activity of the immune system. This destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Without cells producing insulin leads to no insulin which in turn leads to uncontrolled blood sugar. What causes Type 2 diabetes is related to lifestyle.

After the second paragraph at this site, there are questions that will help you determine if you are at risk to develop diabetes. Since the diabetes early symptoms do not appear, there is no warning sometimes and yet the strategies to fight it have to be in place so you stand a better chance to beat it.

So the diabetes statistics continue to rise. More and more cases are diagnosed every year. It is crucial to get tested especially if one is at risk to develop diabetes because the earlier we catch it, the better it is for us to beat it. There are, for instance, natural compounds that will help stop the deadly effects of high blood glucose.

One such compound, Vitamin K, has been found to lower the risk for diabetes among the elderly population by over 50%. Researchers published the results of their study on this in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.. The subjects with the highest vitamin K1 level reduced their risk to develop diabetes by 51% compared to those with the lowest level.

The researchers found that Vitamin K helps remove the calcium from the blood thus preventing diabetes and heart disease when they studied the information on 1069 men and women whose average age was 67. The trouble is that the western diet is deficient in vitamin K because there are not enough green and leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce and broccoli in the meals.

The 1069 participants of the study did not have diabetes when they started the research which was part of the trial on the Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet. After five and a half months, 131 of the subjects developed diabetes. From the results, the researchers determined that participants with the highest vitamin K1 level had the lowest risk to develop diabetes.

The recommendation from the nutrition experts for the elderly is to supplement with vitamin K from 1000 to 2200 mcg daily to prevent both diabetes and heart disease. Here are some reviews but heads up for anyone who is soy or estrogen sensitive. You should not take Vitamin K then.

The Super K softgels are easy to take and I am using them in conjunction with the 50,000 IU vitamin D3 pills. So far so good. I've lost 8 pounds in 2 months, with little stress. Read more Published by Karen M.

I have been taking this supplement for over 6 months now. I love the 3-monthly subscription option and the savings! Read more Published by Dr. Alex Shvartsman

If you are blogging like me and want to earn money from it, unlike me, (I only do this not to earn money but to get people to know more about diabetes) then you should try this. I am not saying I will never try this because I might at the end of my five years doing this and my five years is going to be at the of this month. Blogging Blueprint.

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Diabetes Management and Care

Diabetes Management and Care are important issues that the diabetics are faced with every day so it is great to be reminded by this monthly feature of the Doctor is In: Health 101. This time the columnist is Dr. Fred Dolgin who gave us a rundown on the rising statistics on diabetes and the complications associated with it.

The doctor also shed some light on the history of diabetes which is covered in details there. The significant thing though is what the doctor said that without important changes in physical activity and nutrition, approximately one-third of the American adults could have diabetes by 2050.

Dr. Fred Dolgin also let us know of the different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes known as juvenile onset diabetes happens when the beta islet cells are destroyed by the immune system resulting in the absence of insulin. Long time ago, this was a death sentence. Thank goodness Dr. Fredeick Bunting discovered insulin which became a life saver for millions of people.

Lives were saved then by insulin that was purified from beef and later on by pork pancreas. Now it is much easier to administer insulin with the technological advances. Synthetic can now be administered through implantable pumps. There are also insulin pens with tiny needles that can adequately make the job easier.

Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult onset diabetes. At the start their beta cells still produce insulin but this progressively declines making the blood glucose levels rise. Oral medication can still do the job of making the the blood glucose tow the line but eventually with age, insulin resistance increases. At this point, I like what Dr. Dolgin said that the cause of type 2 diabetes is most preventable, it being obesity.

Genetic factors play a role in diabetes. It runs in families so some of us have to work harder to keep diabetes at bay. The good news is that it can be prevented. This has been said many times, in many ways before, that they are coming out of my ears. Don't get me wrong though because I don't get tired hearing them over and over again. Why? Because this is our lifeblood.

Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes In contrast to the long ago starvation threat against the survival of the human race, nowadays the threat is over consumption most especially of sweet food. Corn was exponentially produced starting in the 1970s leading to the use of cheap high fructose corn syrup. Add to this the lower physical activity or the lack thereof and you have obesity which makes one vulnerable to develop diabetes.

Knowing this makes the solution simple. To prevent type 2 diabetes therefore, we should eat healthy meal plans that include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and fiber and move more. Drink less high calorie drinks and you may find yourself avoiding the dreaded diabetes and its concomitant complications.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Treatment of Diabetes With Insulin: Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

People have written to me asking about the treatment for diabetes, particularly the use of insulin. Since I am neither a pharmacist nor a doctor, I have asked for help from these professionals. Mind you I will just be reporting what they said for your information only because you have to consult the professionals before making any changes. The professionals will choose the right fit for you.

Anyone on three mealtime insulin injection should monitor their blood sugar before each injection. Why? It is because the blood sugar may have gone up and down depending on different factors. The meal you consume or skip, the beverage intake or skipped, whether you exercise or not and stress you feel all affect the blood sugar level. So it is important to monitor the blood sugar level so you can adjust the insulin dose accordingly.

If you find your blood sugar to be 60 mg/dl before a meal, reduce the insulin dose by one unit and add a high-fiber carbohydrate of 15 grams like a small baked potato, a slice of whole grain bread or just a piece of fruit. Plan your next day before going to bed so you do not have to skip breakfast. If pressed for time, a Fiber Plus or Fiber One breakfast bar or a bottle of Glucerna Shake will do.

The key to blood sugar control is to eat three balanced meals a day which has lean protein, vegetables and carbs containing high-fiber. Then for snacks you can have a piece of fruit and a few nuts. Taking the medications as prescribed is also important and never make changes without consulting your health care team.

If you are sick and do not have the appetite to eat, you cannot just skip a meal and also skip taking your medication. Instead consume a bottle of Glucerna shake in place of a meal or snack and take the medication as prescribed until you are able to eat regularly. Also since being sick may get your blood sugar out of control, monitor it more often.

Someone ran into the problem of getting too busy to stop for lunch and asked whether she should inject a lower dose (she's on mealtime insulin Humalog). The answer is of course, it is still best to have three balanced meals but being on mealtime insulin Humalog and will not be eating a meal or no carb intake in a meal, she could then skip the insulin dose for that meal.

However, in a case where the insulin dose has already been administered and then the meal was skipped, make sure the blood sugar will be closely monitored. Keep glucose wafers to dissolve in the mouth until the blood sugar reaches 70 mg/dl or higher. Really the best schedule for blood sugar control is to have regularly scheduled three balanced meals with two snacks in between.

Someone asked about starting to exercise but had not been feeling well with occasionally feeling dizzy and nauseous. Exercising is a great thing to do for all people especially for both the diabetics and pre-diabetics as it helps reduce belly fat, helps take care of insulin resistance and helps keep the blood sugar under control. As one exercises though, the muscle begins to take sugar from the blood to inside the muscle cells.

That is the reason behind feeling nauseous and dizzy. It means the blood sugar has dropped to lower than 70mg/ml. That means hypoglycemia is coming to town. Know therefore where your blood sugar levels are before and after exercising. Eat some nuts and fruit around two hours before the exercise and then after the physical activity, have a cup of fruit smoothie.

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There you have some of the situations where you will be faced with some challenges but have no fear for every challenge has a solution. As long as we try to do what is right, we will be fine so remember to make sure to consult with your physician before making any changes. There is no-one-fits-all strategy and each one of us is a unique human being. Here's the link for the Breakfast Bar

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Does Social Networking Help With Diabetes Management?

Social networking helps with diabetes management mostly because we need each other. And I don't know about not needing doctors because I know there are things we need them for, despite the post declaring we may no longer need them. I agree that technology has advanced so much and should be used as much as possible but it still cannot replace a human being.

What happens if the computer crashes? Do we reboot it everytime it does? Besides, human interaction is still a part of the healing process. Computers cannot replace doctors. And I am not just saying this just because my husband, brother and cousins are all doctors. One time I was socializing with them with seven out of eight of us were doctors and I realized I was the only teacher in the group. I am telling you; I wanted to go home then!

This reminded me of my own experience with a doctor of mine. She did not want my input on my care. She wanted blind obedience from me when it came to the medication she prescribed. But what do I do when the side effect of the medication is worse than what it is trying to treat? The best thing it does for me is I lose weight because of nausea and inability to eat. What kind of life is that? So I switched doctors.

The new doctor however kind of surprised me. After a little bit of talk, she went to her computer and started to google something. My first thought was I could do that myself! But no, she was just trying to see where I fit in among the cases and the tool the medical community has. It saves the doctors all the calculations and measurement that they used to do manually. Besides, I still need her. How about if I get run over by a truck?

Here is another point. Everyday, the diabetics are faced with all kinds of decisions to make which affect whether they get long term complication or not. Will there be an algorithm simple enough to cover such a vast amount of data, each one different? No, we still need them. The algorithms make it easier for the doctors to do their work. No, we don't get less medical care, we get more!

Sorry to digress, we can be healthier when we are engaged in an online community. With online networking and social media, we will be able to manage the diabetes better. The peer support can motivate people with diabetes beyond their wildest dreams. Self-care will improve, thanks to the support of the peer group in helping make all accountable for their own action. This is something that cannot and will not be measured accurately even by a super tracking system.

There are quite a few studies going on aimed at finding the impact of the social media on one's health, how it has affected people and how it has improved their self-care. I am glad they now have the effect of social media on their mind but I don't really need a study though to let me know of the benefits of the peer-to-peer learning experience. Shh, don't tell the rest of the world though for someone might get the bright idea of developing a drug to sell to us to get us to interact with our peer group!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Fight Diabetes With Lifestyle Changes Among Disadvantaged Groups

It is obvious that those in the lower status, economically speaking are more affected by the complications that diabetes brings. There is therefore a vital need to to address the risk factors especially on the issue of excess weight among this group. Although studies have shown that lifestyle changes play a role, little has been done to tackle this problem.

Thank goodness to the researchers that form an international team to study the effect of the main risk factors among this disadvantaged group. They therefore measured the effects of health behaviours like alcohol intake, smoking, physical activity in non-diabetic 7237 adults who were middle-aged. They also measured the effects of the biological risk markers like the lipid levels and the blood pressure.

How did they determine the socio-economic status of the participants? Well, they based this on the education, work position and the responsibility therein. They also also based their assessment on the social status and salary. Anyway, after a follow-up of an average of 14 years, they found that they documented 818 diabetes cases with those in the lowest occupational level of having a 1.86 - fold risk of getting diabetes.

The international team of researchers found that the most important factor that contributed to increased risk to develop diabetes among the lowest socio-economic status is the body mass index. They expected this result but what they did not expect was that the effects of physical activity and diet were less than they thought they would be. The same is true with alcohol intake and smoking.

The researchers concluded there is a need to address this issue more and to work at a solution to lower this risk. For instance, how do we reach this group? What programs can we develop to make this group recognize the imminent danger and to help them eliminate this risk? Please comment and offer any solution that you may have so we can all help end this diabetes war we are on. Read more about Diabetes Risk Factors.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Can Insulin Be Abused?

Insulin can be abused, that's for sure but it is not well known yet. There was a teenager who tried to inject himself with insulin thinking that it will give him a high. You see he saw his mother acting drunk when she had low blood sugar so he thought injecting himself with insulin could get him a high too. He started sticking some into his arm but he got scared and pulled the needle out in time. This is not the only type of case for insulin abuse. Young girls who suffer from eating disorders try to control their weight by withholding insulin. Some athletes have used insulin to increase muscle mass.

Risks Involved There are risks of death involved for injecting insulin by someone who does not have diabetes. This could bring down the blood sugar level leading to hypoglycemia. If not treated, it could result in loss of consciousness, coma or seizure or even death.

What To Do One needs to talk to the kids about insulin Tell them that it can kill people who are not diabetic. Tell them too that it does not give anyone a high. A certified diabetes educator can help you with two major areas to stress. One is that insulin is prescribed in small doses to specific individuals which if not taken properly could lead to hypoglycemia that could be fatal. The other point is that it does not give one a high. Rather it makes one feel bad. The certified diabetes educator can also advise one on ways to talk to the family about insulin.

Here's a diabetes guide to dramatically improve blood sugar control and Eliminate the Need For Insulin Shots! Remember I am not a doctor so whatever you want to change with your treatment plan should be talked over with your doctor. I’m just sharing some opinions and experience that have helped other people.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

New Devices Improve Lives, But No Cure for Diabetes Yet There’s Good News About Islet Transplantation

Type 1 diabetics can live easier now with the technology (That’s the good news) but the scientists have not found the cure yet (that’s the bad news) We will not let that get us down for there are things we can do keep healthy. People are living healthier and longer just like the doctor I met who has been a Type 1 diabetic for 30 years now.
There’s also Liz Walton-McMahan who has been injecting herself five times a day with insulin for twenty years and now has an insulin pump given to her by a big-hearted acquaintance. Her blood sugar control has been better as a result that makes her more hopeful she will not develop any of the awful complications.
The insulin pump she received is expensive because it is computerized and is as small as a pager. She could not afford this herself because it is about $7,000. She connects the pump to a thin catheter which delivers insulin doses just under her skin. Mind you, she still has to put in the data on her carbohydrates intake but the pump calculates how much insulin to release to process the blood sugar every time she eats.
Before the insulin pump, she had to calculate this all by her lonesome self which was not easy because her job sometimes makes her work 12 to 14 hour days. This was something created by each meal, something she used to have to figure this out. Before the pump, she would be exhausted but now she feels better.
Remember 13 years ago when University of Alberta developed a method to transplant the islet by injecting cells from a cadaverous pancreas into the recipients’ liver? At first there was a 10% chance the patients would be insulin free for five years. That rate of success has now gone up to 50%. They are now moving forward with three new trials for this islet transplantation. So far they have enough donors and a short waiting list for patients.
Insomnia can play havoc to the body. Sleeplessness affects the body in more ways than one. Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night has a wide-reaching effects on the body. Here’s what happens to the body when insomnia strikes.

Muscles During sleep, the body produces growth hormones. This is a necessary function for building and maintaining muscle tissues that are healthy. Over time, sleeplessness robs the muscles of strength. This is what happens to the muscles with even the short term insomnia.

Brain To revitalize the connection between brain cells, sleep is necessary. So did the study find out. The longer one is awake, the more erratic the connections become. The researchers found that the most easily result of the disruption were those having to do with memory, attention and functioning.

Blood Sugar Sleeplessness gets in the way of the ability of the body to metabolize glucose. In fact one who regularly sleeps less than six hours every night is 4.5 times likely to develop pre diabetes than those who sleep the regular number of hours required.

Immune System There is proof that being deprived of sleep can lead to irregularities in the nervous system, thus making people get infections and inflammations. Insomnia reduces the activity of the white blood cells which can lead to higher risk of getting sick.

Mood Insomnia does not only make one irritable but it also can make one five times more likely to develop depression and 20 times more chance of developing panic disorder. It certainly takes a toll on the mood and the ability to function during the day.
There you have the effects of insomnia on the body. What now? What do we do to fight this challenge? What do we do to put a stop to those sleepless nights? Simple changes to the every day habits and lifestyle can help. Here they are:

1. Check your bedroom and dim the lights. The digital clock, the blue glow from the TV and computer may contribute to sleeplessness. Make sure the bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Check the mattress too as it is where the dust mites live that can trigger allergies which can keep one awake. Then chill out as a cool body slows down all the metabolic processes.

2. Put a cap on the night cap. Some people use alcohol to sleep but after the early tranquilizing effect wears off, it leads to a more restless sleep. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages eight hours before bedtime. Quit smoking or do not smoke at night as nicotine is a stimulant.

3. Put on some socks as the feet get colder the most. Wearing socks will keep the blood vessels in the feet dilated and will cool you thus setting off sleep.

4. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day even when you are tired or on the weekends. A regular sleep pattern is what the body wants. Believe me, I have been there and it took me a long time to learn this.

5. Don’t take naps during the day as it will be more difficult to sleep at night which is one way to do neuropathy management.

6. Avoid stressful and stimulating activities before bedtime.
How about you? Have you found something special that helps you get a good night sleep. Let us know so we can share your recommendations to the rest of the people who need them. There is nothing better than sharing with people the experiences that may help others avoid insomnia.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

How To Easily Manage Diabetes

The statistics are alarming. It seems like everyone has diabetes or knows someone suffering from diabetes. In Florida alone, one of every ten has diabetes. That means 1.5 million people in Florida have diabetes making the state the tenth in the country as to the number of people struggling with this condition.

With these many people afflicted, a lot are having a hard time on managing diabetes. The trouble is that managing this condition is fundamental to keeping healthy and avoiding the many complications that could arise from it. Of course it is not easy but it can be done. Here are some tips:

1. Get a diabetes meal plan from the health care team and follow it. Eating healthy is important and this means plenty of fruits and vegetables with lots of fibre, less salt and fat and lean meat or fish which should be no more than three ounces.

2. Monitor the blood sugar by testing it at least once a day and keep a record of this. Sometimes you have to test more if you want to check how the food you eat affects your blood sugar level. Obtain from the doctor what your target level is so you can keep maintaining that level.

3. Get routine care at least twice a year and bring your record of the blood sugar level monitoring results to show the doctor. Together you will be able to decide what changes in the management of diabetes to make sure you are on the right track. Get the feet and eyes examined too.

4. Exercise about 60 minutes a day at least five times a week. Ask the doctor what kind of exercise you should do or tell him if the form of exercise you have in mind is safe for you to do. Walking around the block is a good thing to do.

5. Manage whatever stress you have with the use of the mental health resources. This is important because stress can make the blood glucose level higher. Exercise will certainly help de-stress. I do tai-chi and that seems to help. Having pets have done wonder for other people.



There you have the five things you absolutely have to do to make managing the diabetes easier. Those tips do make it easier to manage diabetes, don’t they? Remember to get in touch with your health care team regularly and ask for help. You don’t have to do everything all at once. Just make changes to the lifestyle to make you healthy and keep the blood sugar within the target level.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Say ‘Not Me' to Diabetes

Say no to diabetes! What is your motivation to say no to diabetes? Do you want to live better and feel better? Do you want to live to stay with your loved one for a long, long time? Then you have enough motivation to say no to diabetes. Tell diabetes to go away for you will do all you can to prevent it. And if you already have it, then you are motivated enough to reverse it.

Since obesity is linked to diabetes and that almost one of every three of us is considered obese, it follows then that our first line of defence is to maintain our ideal weight. What two things can help us do this? You’re right! It’s eat healthy and move more. But all these may sound simple but actually it is not easy to follow. Why?

Here is why. There are three sides to losing weight. One side is to eat less and the calories from this comes into our body. The second side is to exercise that will burn the calories that we put in from all the eating we did. The third side is what gives us trouble. It is behavioural modification. It takes a lot of will power and determination to stay away from the buffet table. I know that from experience.

Knowing all these should not deter us though from trying hard. Remember our motivation? We want to feel better. We want to look better. We want to see our children grow up. Let us keep repeating the things that motivate us. Remember, there is no hard and fast rule. We want to eat less but not starve ourselves.

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If we put up a notice on our bulletin board or on the fridge that having diabetes increases the risk to develop heart disease, kidney failure, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, amputation and blindness, wouldn’t that encourage us to eat less and move more? Of course it would. Oh I know we would have setbacks sometimes. Well, in that case, we will just get up and start all over again. It is still better than not trying.

So, if we do not have diabetes yet or just at risk or already have type 2 diabetes, we will adamantly say no to diabetes. Oh no not me, and then follow that up with taking action to prevent or delay its coming or reverse it if it has already taken hold of us. Anyway just losing 5 to 10% of body weight will not only lower the diabetes risk sometimes by half or prevent or reverse it but also it will protect us from a lot of health problems.

So what is the key to watch for? Watch the weight, blood sugar level, cholesterol and blood pressure. And what is the best way to do it? Combine physical activity with healthy eating of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low fat or non fat dairy products and lean protein. But make sure you have a support system in place to cheer you on through ups and downs. I will be one member of your support team and I will say a prayer for you to succeed. Yay!! We say no to diabetes, no not me, so there!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Poor Sleep In Teens With Diabetes Linked With Bad Behaviour, Uncontrolled Blood Sugar

Sleep and diabetes is the topic in a study that says quality sleep is important for teens and kids or run the risk of getting linked to bad behaviour and uncontrolled blood sugar control. Kids and teens who suffer from diabetes may have trouble getting a good night sleep and this could be linked with school performance, the blood sugar control and their behaviour.

Mind you, the study found the lack of quality sleep could be the result of sleep abnormalities like sleepiness during the day and Scroll down to see Sleep Apnea.
Regardless, all these makes it hard to maintain good blood sugar control. So did University of Arizona’s Michelle Perfect, PhD and study researcher say.

This is how the researchers came to the conclusion that poor sleep is linked with uncontrolled blood sugar and bad behaviour. They studied the quality of sleep of 50 teens and kids with type 1 diabetes as well as the sleep patterns of the controlled groups who are not diabetic.

The researchers found that the diabetic kids had lighter sleep for longer time than the non diabetic group and so they showed signs of higher blood sugar levels. In addition, their performance on standardized tests were poorer and so their grades were lower. They also exhibited behaviour abnormalities. Of course, this led to a poor quality of life.

The researchers also found that one-third of the participants had sleep apnea even when they did not consider obesity. This has been previously linked with type 2 diabetes. Previous studies found that lack of adequate sleep among obese teens could raise the risk for developing diabetes.

Here if you scroll down you may find the
personalized pillows
that may help you sleep.

Consider these. The researchers at Philadelphia’s Children’s Hospital found that blood sugar levels are more stable with 7 ½ to 8 ½ hours of sleep per night while Ottawa Sun reported that sleeping less or more was associated with higher blood sugar levels. Georgia State University’s associate professor, Michael Decker, PhD who is also a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has a slide show on five things that could keep one from sleeping well thus linking sleep and diabetes.