YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program

More than 200 Ys across the country help thousands of people reduce their risk for developing type 2 diabetes with YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. This small-group program helps people with prediabetes eat healthier, increase their physical activity and lose weight, which can delay or even prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes blood sugar levels to rise higher than normal. Diabetes affects more than 29 million people. A condition called prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. More than 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes has no cure, but prediabetes can be reversed.
Chances are you know at least one person with diabetes and probably more than one with prediabetes. To find out if you are at risk, take this quick test. Then share the test with friends and family.
The Y Can Help
If you find out you or someone you know is at risk for developing diabetes, the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program can help. Find out if a Y near you runs the program. Continue reading

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6 Tips for Dealing with Diabetes in Cats

I plan to bring a new cat into my family. She’s a beautiful girl who has the very appropriate name Bella (short for Belladonna). She’s particularly special because she has feline diabetes. She’ll need ongoing care and attention for the rest of her life, but I’ve found that the basics of keeping a diabetic cat healthy are not very scary at all. Here’s what I’ve learned about diabetes in cats so far:
1. Diet is crucial when dealing with diabetes in cats
Diabetic cats shouldn’t eat dry food. Most vets recommend a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet for diabetic cats, and no dry food is low in carbohydrates. Even grain-free dry foods contain a lot of substitute carbohydrates such as potatoes, peas or tapioca. Carbohydrates tend to make blood sugar levels fluctuate quite a bit. The shelter where I’m adopting my Bella has had cats that became diet-controlled and no longer needed insulin when they began eating low-carb food. There are low-carbohydrate foods available at every price point, so you don’t have to buy super-expensive food to feed your diabetic cat properly.
Curious about what people with diabetes should and shouldn’t eat? Check out this article >>
2. Home testing isn’t as hard as it seems
Like diabetic humans, cats with feline diabetes need to have their blood glucose tested regularly. You can do this at home with a standard glucometer and testing strips that you can buy in a drugstore. Record your cat’s blood glucose level, along with the date and time, after each test. The small vein running around the edge of the ear is the easiest location t Continue reading

Which is More Worse Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is a complicated condition and is mainly categorized into two different types: Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. There are a lot of differences as well as similarities between the two-condition due to which people often argue as to which type of diabetes is worse than the other. The following article deals with this question as we try to understand the differences and similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. So, read on “Which is More Worse Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes?”
Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Let us first start by understanding the differences between the two types of diabetes. Following are the major differences:
Definition
Type 1 is the type of diabetes that is caused when the beta cells of the pancreas responsible for the production of the hormone insulin are destroyed completely. Thus, the body lacks insulin.
Type 2 is the condition where the pancreas of the body is able to produce the hormone. However, the body is unable to utilize the hormone appropriately for several reasons.
Causes
The main causes of type 1 are genetic disorders, exposure to varied types of viral infections such as mumps and other viruses, exposure to the toxins in the environment, amongst others.
Insulin resistance is the most important cause of type 2 diabetes. The condition is also associated with the increase in the body weight of the individual as well as with high levels of blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels. Genes can also be a factor here too.
Onset
The onset in case of type 1 is often very rapid, while the onset of type 2 is often really slow. The Continue reading

It's Your Life. Treat Your Diabetes Well.

November is National Diabetes Month. Here’s to managing your diabetes for a longer, healthier life.
There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but a healthy lifestyle can really reduce its impact on your life. What you do every day makes the difference: eating a healthy diet, being physically active, taking medicines if prescribed, and keeping health care appointments to stay on track.
The Basics
More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes, but 1 out of 4 of them don’t know they have it.
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant, which can put the pregnancy and baby at risk and lead to type 2 diabetes later).
With type 1 diabetes, your body can’t make insulin (a hormone that acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy), so you need to take it every day. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes; about 5% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.
Most people with diabetes—9 out of 10—have type 2 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and is unable to keep blood sugar at normal levels. If you have any of the risk factors below, ask your doctor if you should be tested for diabetes. The sooner you find out, the sooner you can start making healthy changes that will benefit you now and in the future.
More than 30 million US adults have diabetes—and 1 out of 4 of them don’t know they have it.
At least 1 out of 3 people will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Medical costs Continue reading

When Viagra Doesn’t Work

Treating Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction is a common occurrence in men with diabetes. The incidence of erectile dysfunction increases progressively with age, from 5% in men age 20 to 75% in men over age 65. The cause of erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes is usually related to a decrease in the blood supply to the penis as well as to injury to the nerves that are responsible for the erection mechanism. A decrease in testosterone production has also been identified as the cause in some men with diabetes.
Since 1998, when sildenafil (brand name Viagra) first came on the market, oral therapy has been successfully used to treat erectile dysfunction in many men with diabetes. (Sildenafil was followed in 2003 by the drugs tadalafil [Cialis], vardenafil [Levitra] and avanafil [Stendra], which work in much the same way.) Some 50% of men with Type 1 diabetes who try the drugs report improved erections, and some 60% men with Type 2 diabetes do, too. However, that leaves a large percentage of men with diabetes and erectile dysfunction who do not respond to therapy with one of these pills. This article takes a look at what can be done to treat those men who do not respond to oral therapy.
Why therapy fails
There are a number of reasons a man may not achieve the desired result from an oral erectile dysfunction drug. In some cases, a man may experience drug side effects severe enough to outweigh any potential benefit of taking the drug. Possible side effects of these drugs include headache, facial flushing, nasal congestion, and transient abnormal vision. (In October 2007 Continue reading