How To Help A Loved One Adjust To A New Diabetes Diagnosis

How to Help a Loved One Adjust to a New Diabetes Diagnosis

Adjusting to a medical diagnosis that affects lifestyle choices and one’s sense of self can be overwhelming at first.
If someone you care about has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you will naturally want to help them accept and make necessary changes. Knowing what to expect and about proven ways to assist your loved one can make the adjustment easier for you.
Feelings and Attitudes
Feelings. As you and your loved one adjust to the diabetes diagnosis, you may both experience a cascade of feelings including sadness, grief, anger, fear, anxiety, denial or emotional numbness. Acknowledge and accept the feelings, whatever they might be, since there is no right or wrong way to feel. Balance them by reminding yourself that diabetes management is typically overwhelming at first, but eventually becomes part of the daily routine.
Be in the Know. Help your loved one by learning about diabetes. This is important whether you are caring for a child with the diagnosis or helping an adult learn to manage it. Asking the doctor for educational materials and visiting the American Diabetes Association’s or Mayo Clinic’s websites (diabetes.org, mayoclinic.org) are good ways to get your education started.
The Tortoise Wins the Race. A diagnosis such as diabetes can send shock waves through a family. Though there may be a sense of urgency to learn and change everything right away, give yourself and others time to process thoughts and feelings, and talk about them. People tend to adjust to unwanted change more readily when feelings and concerns are shared with others.
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Statin Scam Exposed: Cholesterol Drugs Cause Rapid Aging, Brain Damage, and Diabetes

Statins, the widely prescribed class of drugs said to lower “bad” cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart problems, has recently come under fire after a study revealed that they destroy human health more than they work to improve it.
Sadly, many people take statin drugs, which are commonly known by brand names including Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor. Prescription drug spending in the U.S. shot up to about $374 billion in 2014, representing the highest level of spending since 2001. Statins undoubtedly made up a significant portion of this spending, and now consumers who take such drugs have much more to worry about than the dent it’s making in their wallets.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Physiology, states that statins’ “…impact on other biologic properties of stem cells provides a novel explanation for their adverse clinical effects.” Specifically, the study states that such adverse effects include advancing the “process of aging” and also notes that “…long-term use of statins has been associated with adverse effects including myopathy, neurological side effects and an increased risk of diabetes.” Myopathy refers to skeletal muscle weakness.
Experts involved in the study suggest that the health problems associated with statins have likely been downplayed through the years. In reality, those taking such cholesterol-lowering drugs have been experiencing cataracts, fatigue, liver problems, muscle pain and memory loss. Simply put, the drugs have been found to tamper with cells in such a way that their primary purpose of reproduc Continue reading

Family: Mumia Abu-Jamal treated for diabetes complications

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) --
Family members and supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal say the former death row inmate was rushed to a Pennsylvania hospital to be treated for complications from diabetes.
Abu-Jamal's wife, brother and lawyers spoke Tuesday outside Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, where he was taken Monday for treatment.
They say his blood sugar was dangerously high and he could have slipped into a diabetic coma.
Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther serving life in prison for the 1981 murder of white Philadelphia Officer Daniel Faulkner. His conviction was upheld through years of appeals, but he has gained international support for his claim that he's the victim of a racist justice system.
His family is complaining that state prison officials failed to provide him with proper medical care. Continue reading

Newer diabetes drugs linked to pancreatitis

Safety concerns over two popular diabetes drugs now include pancreatitis, a painful digestive condition.
The drugs, marketed as Byetta and Januvia, are used by millions of people with diabetes, but they might pose harmful side effects that weren't shown during clinical trials.
JAMA study shows pancreatitis risk
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Internal Medicine found the link between pancreatitis and the diabetes drugs after analyzing data from Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan claims.
The likelihood of being hospitalized for pancreatitis within 60 days of taking the drugs doubled for these patients, with the risk being highest within four to 14 days after starting the medications.
Symptoms
Pancreatitis symptoms can often be mistaken for digestive issues. Things to watch out for are pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting and especially pain after eating meals.
Risk for pancreatitis can be genetic, and chronic pancreatic inflammation can raise the risk for cancer. High triglyceride levels, gallstone and abdominal surgery can also be risk factors.
The diabetes drugs in question seem to produce lesions in the pancreas, which leads to inflammation. Experts recommend consulting with your doctor if you are currently taking either of the drugs.
Source: EMax Health
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diab Continue reading

After Battling Type 2 Diabetes, My Lab Results Improved Dramatically in Just Six Weeks

I never had a weight problem until I turned 20 and put on a few extra pounds. I then dieted for the next 33 years of my life. I was on the cabbage diet, celery diet, boiled egg diet, toast diet, SlimFast diet, and many others through the years. I mostly just starved myself.
In 2010, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My cardiologist put me on high blood pressure medicine, which I hated. I worked out harder, quit smoking, and was able to get off the medicine in one year. For the next five years, I worked out with a personal trainer and followed the recommended “heart healthy” diet.
In 2015, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I was totally bummed. My numbers were off the charts (in a bad way) and my eyesight was blurry. I hadn’t had much success with the “heart healthy” diet and now had to combine it with the “diabetic diet,” which I found very limiting and frustrating. I started taking Metformin, which is a diabetes medication. Before she passed, my mother had been on Metformin, followed the “diabetic diet,” and still had to shoot up with insulin everyday for 30 years. I didn’t want to live that way.
Feeling discouraged and defeated, I ran across the Forks Over Knives documentary. Knowing I had nothing to lose, I watched it. I’m so glad, because it changed my life forever. Finally, I felt like I had found all the answers to my health issues. Watching it was like seeing a long lost friend and being wrapped in a great, big hug—it was familiar, hopeful, and long overdue.
In Six Weeks, My Blood Glucose Dropped 282 Points
The Continue reading