13 Diabetes Myths That Don't Lower Blood Sugar

13 Diabetes Myths that Don't Lower Blood Sugar

Skipping meals could potentially push your blood glucose higher. When you don't eat for several hours because of sleep or other reasons, your body fuels itself on glucose released from the liver. For many people with type 2 diabetes (PWDs type 2), the liver doesn't properly sense that the blood has ample glucose already, so it continues to pour out more. Eating something with a little carbohydrate signals the liver to stop sending glucose into the bloodstream and can tamp down high numbers.
Skipping meals can also lead to overeating, which can cause an increase in weight. And if you take certain diabetes medications that stimulate the body's own insulin such as common sulfonylureas, or you take insulin with injections or a pump, you risk having your blood glucose drop too low when you skip or delay meals.
Going Low-Carb
Low-carb diets "are not balanced and deprive the body of needed fiber, vitamins, and minerals," says Constance Brown-Riggs, M.S.Ed, R.D., CDE, CDN, author of The African American Guide to Living Well with Diabetes (Career Press, 2010). Recently, Brown-Riggs counseled a PWD type 2 who ate very little carbohydrate. The result: poor energy and severe headaches. Brown-Riggs helped the person balance out his meal plan by suggesting fruits, grains, and other carb-containing foods. "His headaches subsided, his energy level was restored, and he was happy to learn that he could eat healthy sources of carbohydrate and manage his blood glucose levels successfully," Brown-Riggs says. The keys to success are to manage portions of all foods, spread your food out over your Continue reading

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The cure for type 2 diabetes is known, but few are aware

The cure for type 2 diabetes is known, but few are aware
I recently posted to Facebook about a cure for diabetes and suggested someone try it. Just six days later, I received the following message from a friend:
I just wanted to drop you a line and thank you for that post… My lab results at the beginning of the month were 230. After just this last week it’s down to 155. I think I’ll be in normal range within a month. Really miraculous… It’s really been a game changer for me already and I wanted you to know how much I appreciated the info and how much of a difference I think it will make in my life.
Four months later, the friend posted this to Facebook:
I started on this regiment when Nathan posted about it [four months ago]. My blood glucose level at that time, while taking two daily glucose meds, was 235. Two weeks ago, my [fasting] glucose level, WITHOUT the meds, was 68.
If you google “diabetes cure” you are directed to websites like WebMD and the Mayo Clinic where you find information on diet, exercise, medication, and insulin therapy, but nothing about the cure. This lack of information may have to do with the fact that Americans spend $322 billion a year to treat diabetes, $60 billion a year on weight-loss programs, and $124 billion a year on snack foods. This is about 3% of the US economy! Because so many peoples’ livelihoods are supported by diabetes and its main cause, obesity, the viral effect of people getting cured and telling others is greatly diminished.
Because of this understandable stifling of the message, if you are like my Facebook friend Continue reading

Exercise and Blood Glucose Levels

Exercise is good for you. It’s good for the heart, good for losing weight, makes you feel better (really — it releases endorphins that elevate mood), and it’s good for blood glucose — well, sort of. It is good for blood glucose, but it can be tricky at the same time. So today I’m going to talk about how to deal with blood sugar when you’re exercising so that you can minimize the negative effects and enjoy the positive.
OK, let’s start with some basics. Aerobic exercise, or cardio, is what we call activity that requires “the pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart,” to be delivered to working muscles. A general rule of thumb is that aerobic exercise is achieved when our heart rate and breathing rate rise in a sustainable way (in order to maintain this pumping of oxygenated blood — the heart rate to circulate the blood, the breathing rate to increase the oxygen intake). Anaerobic exercise occurs when the activity is simply too much for the heart rate and breathing to keep up with, causing you to become out of breath, and it includes activities such as sprinting and weightlifting. Here, we’ll be talking about aerobic activities, such as swimming, running, or dancing.
So, what happens with aerobic activity? First, it lowers blood glucose. Why? Because the muscles are working harder and they need energy. The glucose in our blood is energy for our cells. Insulin is the hormone that transfers the glucose from our blood to our cells. So when we Diabetians exercise, we often “go low.” This is because the glucose in our blood is quickly moved into our cells Continue reading

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

The JDRF community will be raising awareness about type 1 diabetes (T1D) throughout the month of November. We’ll kick things off on T1Day, November 1, 2017, by telling our stories to the world. Every minute of every day, people with T1D persevere in the face of adversity. JDRF is committed to making day-to-day life with the disease easier, safer and healthier while working toward ways to cure and prevent T1D once and for all.
This November, we are continuing our T1D Looks Like Me campaign to spread awareness about life with T1D. Visit our website or follow us on social media to “Get Quizzed by a Whiz Kid” and test your knowledge against that of a nine-year-old with T1D. You can also create a custom “T1D Looks Like Me” profile photo for social media or generate your unique “T1D Footprint.” You can post your footprint image to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to shed light on the cumulative burden of finger pricks, injections and other disruptions that come with living with T1D.
JDRF will also continue our important advocacy efforts throughout the month. We are asking Congress to continue funding critical research through the Special Diabetes Program and pressuring insurers to guarantee that everyone has the Coverage 2 Control their T1D.
Check back with us on World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2017, and throughout the month for more blogs, stories and ways to share what it means to be affected by T1D. Continue reading

Managing Diabetes

You can manage your diabetes and live a long and healthy life by taking care of yourself each day.
Diabetes can affect almost every part of your body. Therefore, you will need to manage your blood glucose levels, also called blood sugar. Managing your blood glucose, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol, can help prevent the health problems that can occur when you have diabetes.
How can I manage my diabetes?
With the help of your health care team, you can create a diabetes self-care plan to manage your diabetes. Your self-care plan may include these steps:
Ways to manage your diabetes
Manage your diabetes ABCs
Knowing your diabetes ABCs will help you manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Stopping smoking if you smoke will also help you manage your diabetes. Working toward your ABC goals can help lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes problems.
A for the A1C test
The A1C test shows your average blood glucose level over the past 3 months. The A1C goal for many people with diabetes is below 7 percent. Ask your health care team what your goal should be.
B for Blood pressure
The blood pressure goal for most people with diabetes is below 140/90 mm Hg. Ask what your goal should be.
C for Cholesterol
You have two kinds of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. Too much bad cholesterol can cause a heart attack or stroke. HDL or “good” cholesterol helps remove the “bad” cholesterol from your blood vessels.
Ask your health care team what your c Continue reading