CDC's New 'pre-diabetes' Campaign Is Misguided, Mayo Physician Says

CDC's new 'pre-diabetes' campaign is misguided, Mayo physician says

In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Medical Association, in partnership with the Ad Council, launched a new campaign to increase the public’s awareness of pre-diabetes.
According to the CDC, some 86 million American adults may have pre-diabetes, which the agency says is characterized by “blood glucose (sugar) levels [that] are higher than normal — but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.”
“Pre-diabetes increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke,” says Ann Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, in a video released on MedScape with the campaign. Indeed, Albright says that without treatment — “a structured lifestyle program that provides real-life support for healthful eating, increasing physical activity, and enhancing problem-solving skills” — some 15 to 30 percent of people with pre-diabetes will go on to develop full-fledged diabetes within five years.
The campaign is encouraging people to talk with their physicians about getting tested for pre-diabetes.
Diabetes is certainly a serious disease. It can lead to disabling and sometimes life-threatening health complications, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. More than 29 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the U.S. population, have the disease — a number that has increased four-fold over the past three decades.
But many experts are not convinced that pre-diabetes, a term coined by the ADA a few years ago and used almost exclus Continue reading

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Printable, Savable, Editable Diabetes Logsheets

Free Editable / Printable Diabetes Logbooks, Record Sheets:
We have a variety of printable logsheets / charts that you can either print or also use in microsoft word or mac pages.
Detailed 3-Day Logsheet:
This is the same as the weekly logsheet, but the columns are broken down by hour and it includes more area for notes. 3 days per page.
Insulin Pump User Log sheet:
A record keeping form for pump users. 3 days on a page, broken down by hours. Includes room for blood sugars, grams of carbohydrate, boluses, basal rates, physical activity and notes.
Rotating Pattern Logsheet – Record (for Type 2 diabetes):
This logsheet is ideal for those with Type 2 diabetes. It includes 6 days per page and space for blood sugars, medication, food and activity input. The gray boxes denote alternating test/recording times in order to capture patterns throughout the day and night.
Word Doc: Rotating Pattern Logsheet (for Type 2 Diabletes)
Printable PDF: Type 2 diabetes logbook with rotating pattern
Weekly Blood Sugar Pattern Worksheet:
Use this printable weekly logsheet to track your blood sugar patterns by recording your readings before all meals and snacks.
Word Doc: Weekly Blood Sugar Patterns Logsheet
Printable PDF: Weekly Blood Sugar Patterns Logsheet Continue reading

Stress & Diabetes – How To Handle It

Just having lived through Irma, a category 4 hurricane in Florida, I decided this would be an excellent time to review stress and how it relates to your diabetes. According to Diabetes Care, “Stress is a potential contributor to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes. This evidence is more consistent with type 2 diabetes.” It is well documented that stress can cause an increase in blood pressure and a rise in adrenaline and cortisol levels, which in turn raise blood sugars and systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation is the basis for most chronic diseases including diabetes.
First, we all worried about when and where the storm would hit. This is the short-term intense stress in which the body uses the “fight or flight” reaction. Although the storm did major damage to the Caribbean islands and parts of Florida, in time we will rebuild. The problem then became the lack of power, water, cable and making note of all the structural damage. This is the chronic long-term stress, “eating away at you” the minute you wake up until the minute you sleep. This is more damaging to the body. According to a Harvard study, “almost 50% of all people (diabetes or not) report a major stressful event yearly.” We can’t always avoid stress but we can learn to tame how we deal with it. Let’s examine the aspects of stress, whether it be the immediate kind or the chronic long-term variety.
What is Stress?
“Stress is a state of emotional strain or tension that occurs when we feel that we can’t cope with the pressure.” Whether you feel threatened physically or mentally, the bo Continue reading

Diabetes Risk Test

Could you have diabetes and not know it? One in four Americans with diabetes has it and doesn’t know it. Take the American Diabetes Association Diabetes Risk Test below to see if you are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
A PDF version of the Diabetes Risk Test is also available here (PDF, 324 KB) .
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the support of more than 200 partner organizations. Continue reading

Diabetes Experts Share Ways To Lower Your A1C Levels

Diabetes management at home is an important way of controlling your blood sugar levels without the help of an expert.
In that sense, you are in control of your diabetes on a daily basis. However, the American Diabetes Associations’ recommends that a person with diabetes should get their A1C tested by a doctor at least two times a year. The test will give you a picture of your journey with diabetes as a whole. Now, once you do get the numbers, what do you do with that information?
If you are on the right track, you will continue doing whatever it is that has been working so far. you feel encouraged! However, if the numbers are not what you and your health care provider were expecting, it is imperative that you embark on the path to lowering them so you can avoid any diabetes related complications in the future. The task can be daunting and overwhelming.
We have rounded up 37 experts to share tips and ways that will help you in lowering your A1C levels and keeping them that way. The wisdom they share with us today will help you take those little steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
1. Sharon Castillo
In a recent study published by the University of Toronto, it was shown that cinnamon has properties which can reduce blood pressure, especially for those who have prediabetes or type 2-diabetes.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is common among those who have prediabetes and type-2 diabetics. High blood glucose levels create oxidative radicals which can damage the arteries.
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The damage to the arteries can result into the scarring of Continue reading