Diabetes, Bones - Diabetes Self-Management

Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disorder, affecting an estimated 10 million Americans. It is a chronic condition characterized by reduced bone strength, low bone mass, and a higher risk of bone fracture, especially at the hip, spine, and wrist. If you are over the age of 50, there is a 55% chance that you are at increased risk for osteoporosis or have it already. The risk of osteoporosis increases with age; it is not, however, limited to older individuals.
Osteoporosis can be prevented or slowed down, but once damage to the bone has taken place, it can be difficult to reverse. Bone fractures are the main consequence of osteoporosis, and they are associated with lasting disability after they occur, especially hip fractures in older people.
For reasons that are still unclear, people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes experience a higher incidence of bone fracture than the general population, even though people with Type 2 diabetes tend to have above-average bone density. It is especially important, then, for people with diabetes to know about osteoporosis, to have their risk of fracture evaluated by medical professionals, and to find out what they can do to make their bones as strong and healthy as possible.
One way health-care providers evaluate a persons risk of osteoporosis is to do a bone mineral density (BMD) test. The most common test uses x-ray beams, is painless, and can be done in a matter of minutes.
BMD is a core indicator of bone strength. A test for BMD measures the amount of a mineral, usually calcium, in a bone. This measurement is then com Continue reading

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Day One of Life with Diabetes: Memories from Diagnosis Day

Day One of Life with Diabetes: Memories from Diagnosis Day
Day One of Life with Diabetes: Memories from Diagnosis Day
Since September of 1986, when I was seven, I have been living with type 1 diabetes. Day one of diabetes is mostly a blur for me, but I remember that my mom picked me up from soccer practice early, as my pediatrician had called and said there was an elevated amount of sugar in my urine. We were told to pack a bag. My parents mumbled the words diabetes to one another and they both cried, and I had no idea what was going on, but knew it had to be serious if Dad was crying, too. I was sent off to spend 12 nights at Rhode Island Hospital, where I practiced injecting insulin into an orange before learning to push needles through my own skin that same day. I alsoremember feeling the heave and shift of my lifes foundation on that day, as I made room for diabetes.I think everyone in my family felt that shift.
And that feeling isnt unique to my family alone. I talked with several folks in the diabetes community parents of kids with diabetes and adults who were recalling their own diagnosis and that moment of shift was banked in the memory of many. Parents remember the moment that diabetes came crashing in, and how they adjusted to this new version of normal.
The moment indelibly etched in my memory bank is our beloved pediatrician telling my nine year old daughter that she had diabetes. My daughter looked up at Dr. Mindy and said, Does that mean Im gong to DIE? To which her doctor replied No, it means youre going to have to LIVE differently, said Renee Holtzin Continue reading

Timing Luck And A Bit Of Diabetes

According to the doctor, I’m “completely normal now”. Well, at least my cholesterol and triglycerides are. The other good news is that at least one of the measures of diabetes has crossed back into what she called pre-diabetes levels and what I call post-diabetes levels. She liked the rewording. Timing is important. I suspect the timing of my previous visit was important because we caught something when it was easier to change. I’ve seen a lot of fortuitous timing lately, much of it for my friends. It’s a reminder that hard work and due diligence are important, but timing and luck help, too. The frequent question is, do they help enough.
My diabetes diagnosis caused a major freakout moment. So much for eating right and exercising regularly – except that for the last few years, and particularly this last winter, proper diet and exercise dropped off the schedule in an effort to make enough money to pay all of my bills. Some nice timing and a bit of luck brought a surge of work and opportunities, and money. A frugal diet heavily loaded with rice, pasta, and potatoes; plus few free hours and dismal weather; plus heightened stress probably combined to pop my blood sugar numbers into the eye-popping range. The visit to the doctor came after the surge, and after the surge came more free time. Unfortunately, the extra free time came from opportunities falling through – but with very nice compliments and rejections. It is nice to see that diet and exercise can be powerful. Now, it’s time to emphasize meditation, again. While my timing and response may have been good, Continue reading

Dentists at the Front Line in Diabetes Epidemic

HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- You'd probably be surprised if your dentist said you might have type 2 diabetes. But new research finds that severe gum disease may be a sign the illness is present and undiagnosed.
The study found that nearly one in five people with severe gum disease (periodontitis) had type 2 diabetes and didn't know it. The researchers said these findings suggest that the dentist's office may be a good place for a prediabetes or type 2 diabetes screening.
"Be aware that worsened oral health -- in particular, periodontitis -- can be a sign of an underlying [condition], such as diabetes," said study author Dr. Wijnand Teeuw. He's the chief of the periodontology clinic at the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
"Early diagnosis and treatment of both periodontitis and diabetes will benefit the patient by preventing further complications," Teeuw added.
Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic. In 2010, it was estimated that 285 million adults worldwide had diabetes. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 552 million, according to the study authors. It's suspected that as many as one-third of people who have diabetes are unaware they have the disease.
Untreated, diabetes can lead to a number of serious complications, such as vision problems, serious kidney disease, heart trouble and infections that take a long time to heal, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Periodontitis -- an infection that causes inflammation of the gums and destruction of the bones that support the teeth -- is often considered Continue reading

Thiamine Deficiency and Sugar in Diabetes

Thiamine Deficiency and Sugar in Diabetes
Author: Derrick Lonsdale MD, FACN, CNS No Comments Share:
Thiamine is one of the B vitamins and I need to explain its action. To put it as simply as possible, it regulates sugar metabolism in every cell within the body and has a special importance in the brain. About four years ago a researcher in England reported that there was a mild deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) in diabetic patients, a disease that affects sugar metabolism. He said that all diabetics should have a supplement of thiamine because he had anticipated that it will prevent complications in this devastating disease. If that is not enough to make a diabetic sit up and take notice I would be very surprised. I will try to explain this a little further.
A program on PBS television called The Quiet Revolution reported that there were 29 million patients in the United States with type two diabetes and as many as 70 million with pre-diabetes, meaning that they were on their way to contract the disease. If we had 29 million cases of flu it would be called a pandemic. Most people with type 2 diabetes have no idea that their health before the onset of the disease is within their own responsibility. Our culture says go ahead, do what you like, eat what you like, drink what you like; if you get sick, it is just bad luck and you go to one of those clever characters called Dr. who will produce the magic bullet that cures you because of the wonders of modern scientific medicine.
Although both types one and two have different causative factors, I want to emphasize very stro Continue reading