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

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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

Food That Lower A1C in Diabetes

The A1C level is the percentage of your red cells that have sugar molecules attached to them. It is also referred to as glycated hemoglobin, glycosylated hemoglobin, hemoglobin A1C and HbA1c. Your doctor can measure you A1C number with a blood test to determine your average blood sugar levels over the past two or three months. A normal A1C level falls between 4 and 6 percent. If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should strive to keep your A1C number below 7 percent. Eating right can help you do that.
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Control carbohydrates, fatty foods and calories by limiting your intake of potatoes, rice, noodles and foods containing white flour. Pass up sugary desserts, candy, ice cream, soft drinks and store-bought cookies, pies, baked goods and doughnuts. Avoid fried chicken, frozen dinners, lunch meats, sugared soft drinks and flavored water, store-bought smoothies and fruit drinks, milk shakes, frozen pizza, and restaurant french fries, hamburgers, pizza and chicken and fish sandwiches. All of these foods can raise your A1C levels, particularly if you have diabetes.
Vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, protein, anti-oxidants and fiber to help balance your blood glucose levels. Eat plenty of asparagus, beans, broccoli, carrots, red onions, spinach, tomatoes and soy as tofu or in soy milk products. A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed as an oil or nutty seed can be incorporated into salads, breads, cereals and dressings. Nuts are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols but are high in calories. So eat them in moderation.
Blueberries, Continue reading

Heart Disease Quiz

Chances are you already know that having diabetes automatically puts you at risk for developing heart disease. But what does that really mean? Does it mean you’re more likely to have high blood pressure or a stroke, or does diabetes also increase your risk for developing other heart-related conditions? Take this quiz to see how much you really know about diabetes and heart disease.
Q
1. What percentage of people who have diabetes die of heart disease or stroke?
A. 20%
B. 34%
C. 65%
D. 78%
2. Which country is considered the “Diabetes Capital of the World”?
A. China
B. The United States
C. Mexico
D. India
3. Which of the following is NOT a potential side effect of peripheral artery disease (PAD)?
A. Numbness
B. Pain during or when not exercising
C. Amputation of a limb or part of a limb
D. Gangrene
E. Nail fungus
4. Not only are people who have Type 1 diabetes mellitus at risk for coronary artery disease, but they also have an increased risk of developing which of the following:
1. Endocarditis
2. Heart attack
3. Periodontal disease
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2
C. 3 only
D. 2 and 3
E. All of the above
5. According to recently updated guidelines for diabetes set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), what is the new goal for diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number that appears on your blood pressure reading)?
A. 60 mm Hg
B. 70 mm Hg
C. 80 mm Hg
D. 90 mm Hg
E. 100 mm Hg
6. True or False: All people who have diabetes should also take a medication belonging to a class of drugs called statins.
A
1. C. 65%. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 65% of all peo Continue reading