Diabetes Cuts Lifespan

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is possible to live a fulfilling life, but it’s important to make some changes.
Eating right is helpful in treating diabetes, but without exercise it won’t do much. You need to burn 5 to 7 percent of your body fat, and stick to a regular exercise schedule.

Starches and Diabetes

Just starting to eat healthy because of diabetes? The first thing you should do besides limiting sugar intake is to start eating lots of starches. Starches have lots of energy packed in them and will last much longer than that sugar rush. Starches combined with whole grain can make a bigger difference than you think. Eating foods like cereal without milk, cooked black beans and a bagel with a teaspoon of jelly will fill you up faster and better than pure sugars.
Keep in mind it is still important to take in some sugars, but be sure to monitor how much sugar you consume.

Diabetes Stats

Diabetes has affected an estimated 23.6 million people in the U.S. alone, and 90 percent of those people have type two diabetes. Right now 12 million men and 11.5 million women have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Unfortunately, it appears that ethnicity does play a role in the incidence of diabetes. 14.9 million Caucasians have been diagnosed with diabetes. That is almost 7 times more than Hispanics (2.5 million) and 5 times more than African Americans (3.7 million)

The reason being that racial groups like Asians Latinos and Africans share what is called the "thrifty gene" left over by their ancestors that helped them through "feast and famine" seasons.:http://nyp.org/health/diabetes-stats.html

The Cure to Type I Diabetes?

After three decades of fruitless trials, scientists are still unable to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. They conduct their studies by testing animals for a cure. However, scientists are not able to translate their findings to cure humans. Should scientists give up? For more information, click on the link.  

Children Today Are At Greater Risks

Studies show that children today have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a younger age as opposed to children twenty years ago. Some suggestions to prevent this include doing more recreational activities and managing diets. You can purchase some video games which involve exercises such as the Wii Fit. 

Quitting May Be Beneficial In More Ways Than You Think

If you are having doubts whether to quit smoking or not, the following information may help you make that decision. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, "current smokers have 44 percent greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes than non-smokers do."

Gastric Bypass Helps Type 2 Diabetes Patients?

The International Diabetes Federation claims that gastric bypass may help treat type 2 diabetes. Improvements in health have been reported after surgery. 95 percent of those who underwent the surgery claimed to have improved their quality of life. 

New Study Released: Pesticides May Lead to Higher Risks of Developing Type-2 Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association journal, Diabetes Care recently released a study that reported individuals who have high levels of certain pesticides in their body have an increased chance of developing type-2 diabetes. This applies particularly to overweight individuals. A pesticide called organochlorines, now banned in the US, has shown a link to developing type-2 diabetes.

Healthy Recipes!

For those who have trouble finding delicious but healthy foods, I found some great recipes for you to try out over here: Recipes for Diabetics!  It'll help you maintain a good diet as well as enjoy the food you eat.

Less Red Meats Please!

Last Wednesday, experts concluded that eating red meat and processed food significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually develops because of lack of exercise, unhealthy diets, and obesity.

According to The Gazette, “Eating 50 grams of processed red meat every day increased a person's diabetes risk by 51 per cent, while eating 100 grams of unprocessed red meat each day, about the size of a deck of cards, boosted the risk by 19 per cent”.

One suggestion is to substitute red meat with nuts, white meat, low-fat dairy, or whole grain proteins. 

The Choices Of Tea

As we all get to know from the last post, tea is made from the Camillia sinensis leaves, and comes up with different types. Still, each type of tea has its own taste, with its different health benefits, also contains with different levels of caffeine as well. In here, I'll show you some of the description of the tea that we're familiar with, it might be giving you some of the knowledge in order to help you choose your type. So, let's begin!


White Teas:

The purest and with least processed among all other teas, often known as loose leaf tea that has very little caffeine, brews in a light color and with light favor. It contains healthy antioxidants and it is the best for skin and complexion.






Next, is Green Teas,

the most popular one. In some of the loose green teas, it often smell scented with its flowers. This tea only has 5-10% caffeine in coffee per cup. It also contains healthy antioxidants, and it is best to help maintain chloesterol levels that are already in the normal range. It is good for skin and teeth, and can be use as one part of your diet for the maintainence in having a healthy blood sugar level.





Third, will be Oolong Teas.

It is known as "wu long tea", a Chinese tea, with a strong flavorful fragrance and sweet scented. It gives spproximately 15% of the caffeine in one cup of coffee. It can be serves of having a weight loss plan.







Last, Black Teas!

Its fully fermented has approximately 20% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee. Black teas help to maintain cholesterol levels that are already in the normal range, also it helps to maintain cardiovascular function and a healthy circulatory system.





Source:
http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/types-of-tea

Your Cup Of Tea

Do you know that tea is declared as the health benefits since it has discovered? It is a beverage drinking ranked as the second most commonly in the world today. In lengend states of 2737 B.C., Chinese Emperor discovered the camillia seninsis leaves made with water as a drink would gave people vigor of body and contentment of mind. Thus, the drinking recipe is known as the "Divine Healer".
Camillia seninsis leaves is a main ingredient to tea. Without it, there is no tea would be exist.

We often know that tea has many kinds, they are white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and so on. However, they all commonly contain polyphenols (also called catechins). Polyphenols give tea with an antioxidant properties which a protection to our body from free radical damage. Can you imagine that the antioxidant potential in tea ranks as higher as or even higher than many fruits and vergetables'? Well, it does! Antioxidants in tea may also help to enhance immune denfense in lowering risk of infection.

Here is a definition to anxioidants. What is anxioidants? Antioxidants is known as "free radical scavengers", they're substances or nutrients in our food which can prevent or slow down and repair the oxidative damage such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer, and other health problems.



Source:
http://www.your-cup-of-tea.com/health-benefit-of-tea.html

Taste The Rainbow...

...and no, I'm not talking about Skittles. As mentioned in previous posts, red, orange, green, blue, and purple fruits and vegetables are the foods that diabetics should aim for in their diets.

Here are some examples:

Red
Fruits: Apples, Cherries, Cranberries, Guavas, Mangoes, Nectarines, Persimmons, Pink Grapefruits, Pomegranates, Raspberries, Red Grapes, Strawberries, Watermelons
Vegetables: Beets, Radishes, Red Cabbages, Red Peppers, Red Potatoes, Rhubarbs, Tomatoes

Orange
Fruits: Apricots, Cantaloupes, Mangoes, Oranges, Tangerines
Vegetables: Carrots, Pumpkins, Sweet Potatoes, Yams

Yellow
Fruits: Yellow Apples, Lemons, Mangoes, Papayas, Peach, Pears, Pineapples, Yellow Watermelons
Vegetables: Butternut Squashes, Corn, Rutabagas, Yellow Peppers, Yellow Summer Squash, Yellow Tomatoes

Green
Fruits: Green Apples, Green Grapes, Honeydew Melons, Kiwis, Limes
Vegetables: Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocados, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Green Cabbages, Green Lettuces, Green Onions, Green Peas, Green Peppers, Kale, Spinach, Zucchinis

Purple/Blue
Fruits: Blackberries/Raspberries, Blueberries, Figs, Plums, Prunes, Purple Grapes, Raisins
Vegetables: Eggplants, Purple Cabbages

Gestational Diabetes in the New York Times

Gestational diabetes occurs when there is a high amount of sugar in a woman's blood during pregnancy.

Some of the symptoms are:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

These symptoms are usually mild and aren't necessarily life threatening. Often, the glucose level returns to normal after delivery.

If you're pregnant, it is important to make that you keep yourself healthy and that you monitor your glucose levels. Do not take any medications without consulting with your doctor first.

Actos and its Side Effects

Askapatient.com has a list of drugs and people's personal experiences using them. One such drug is actos and the comments don't seem to be very nice.

"Exhaustion, increase in neuropathy pain, marked vision deterioration, mouth sores (tongue, gums, lips, roof of the mouth); sore throat & swelling of throat creating difficulty swallowing; gland pain with nodular swelling/evidence under jaws, down the neck, under the arms; added antihistamines to try & reduce symptoms for 11 days; Stopped Actos for 5 days to check if symptoms went away (most did, few did not); then tried for 3 days again; symptoms began to return & stopped. After stopped, all of my previously mild food allergies went into extreme, rapid reactions – almost causing ER trip. Immediate triple dose of Benedryl began slow reversal of symptoms. Very frightening. Actos also caused immediate gain of 5 pounds within 3 days - lost when Actos stopped."

"Weight gain, 25 to 30 lbs in 3 months. Persistent cough, Fatigue, Glucose is in good range, but was nearly under control WITHOUT this drug. Now the risk from extra weight is more significant than having glucose 120 to 150 and liver damage, too."
To see more actos comments, click here.

Chinese Diabetes Statistics

Currently, China is home to the world's largest diabetic population. 23 million Chinese citizens are diagnosed with diabetes; this is a 40% increase from 2001, according to London-based research group GfK HealthCare. This is 3 million more than that of America.

Beat the Summer Heat!

It is always important to make sure that you stay hydrated during the summer, especially during record temperatures. But this is especially true for diabetics, because when your blood sugar isn’t what it should be, you’re more susceptible to becoming dehydrated and fainting.

According to Dr. Deneen Vojta, "Diabetes actually impairs a person's ability to sweat, which means that hot, humid weather can dangerously reduce the body's regulation of blood sugar levels. That's why it is critical that people with this disease take proper precautions to avoid conditions like heat exhaustion and heat stroke". Some tips Vojta offered are: checking your blood sugar levels often, wearing sunblock, staying cool, keeping medications away from direct sunlight, staying hydrated, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol in high temperatures.

New Guidelines for Gestational Diabetes

In January 2011, the American Diabetes Association established stricter guidelines for diagnosing gestational diabetes (high blood sugar levels developed during pregnancy, which return to normal after delivery). The new normal guidelines include: under 92 after a fasting test, under 180 after a one-hour glucose tolerance test, and under 153 after a two-hour glucose tolerance test. If your glucose levels are high on one test, your doctor will diagnose you with gestational diabetes.

According to Rosie Wade, a program coordinator for East Jefferson General Hospital Diabetes Management Center, this change is intended to prevent complicated pregnancy and birth. Under the old guidelines, many babies gained weight too quickly which can lead to future issues such as obesity, respiratory problems, and an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

Nutritiously Packed Colorful Fruits

Fruits are not colorful for the sole purpose of capturing attention. According the American Diabetes Association, different fruits contain varying nutrients. This is especially essential for patients because they need a myriad of nutrients.

Red/Purple/Blue: This pigment is caused by anthocyanins which are also antioxidants, and can decrease certain types of cancers and stroke. Other red and blue fruits are also packed with other nutrients such as vitamin A. Here’s a random fact to keep in mind about a red fruit: tomatoes. The longer you cook a tomato, the more nutritious it is for you.

Orange/Yellow: These fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene, an antioxidant converted into vitamin A. It works to help maintain eye health, clear skin, and is also instrumental in fighting cancer. These colored fruits also contain vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and bromelaine.

Green: Greens are high in calcium and vitamin K. Other green fruits also contain vitamins A and C. Fruits and vegetables in this category often contain a myriad of other nutrients.

Whites: These fruits are high in potassium, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and fiber.

For more detailed explanations, feel free to click this link.

What is Prediabetes?

Pre-diabetes is the development of high glucose levels that are not high enough to be considered diabetes. If this is not treated properly, the patient is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a condition that involves insufficient production of insulin.


Fortunately, a balanced diet and proper exercise can work to improve a diabetic’s quality of life. According to the American Diabetics Association, studies indicated that simply changing to a healthier diet can hinder the development of type 2 diabetes by 58%.

A healthy diet encompasses cutting back on approximately 500-1000 calories a day (which can result in the loss of one to two pounds a week). It also requires the reduction of total fats, saturated fats and trans fat, while incorporating omega- 3 fatty acids. It’s advisable to limit alcohol intake and monitor your carbohydrates (250 grams of carbs in a 2,000 calorie diet is standard ).

Have The Periodic Elements in Your Diet

Aside from taking medication to deal with diabetes, try looking for alternatives provided by Mother Nature herself! The elements below are suggested for type 2 diabetes. Try these as an all-natural solution that will not increase your risk of developing bladder cancer.

• Chromium: It is a important component of glucose tolerance factor (GTF) and has a significant role in controlling blood sugar levels as well as metabolizing cholesterol. Basically it increases the activity of insulin so that the sugar (glucose) consumed would be carried into the cells where it can be used as energy.
  
  By having more chromium in your system, the rate of glucose entering cells will rise. Most foods usually don't contain a large amount of chromium. Many only have 1 to 2 micrograms (mcg) of chromium per serving.
  
  Romaine lettuce is considered to be an excellent source for chromium. Tomatoes, onions, brewer's yeast, oysters, liver, whole grains, bran cereals, and potatoes also provided good amounts of chromium.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Vanadium: An element that is involved with bone formation and has insulin-like qualities. It can also reduce high blood pressure and blood sugar levels. As with chromium, vanadium is not present in most,  foods, but it is in some. Good sources for vanadium are parsley, radishes, gelatin, lattice, lobster and bonemeal. Skim milk, fish, seaweed and intensively farmed chicken also contain vanadium, but are low in chromium.
  
  
  

• Magnesium: It is an essential element in your diet. Magnesium has many functions to improve your health, but for those with diabetes, it assists in keeping your blood pressure in check.
  There are a lot of foods rich in magnesium and most of them are pretty common. Almost all green vegetables have magnesium, such as spinach. Nuts, whole grain cereals, and oysters are also excellent sources for magnesium. Of course, having too much magnesium in your diet is not good either. You can see the recommend daily requirements of magnesium here.

The Remedy in Fruits and Herbs

More alternatives to combat against diabetes. These may not be the tastiest foods, but they do the trick.

Gymnema Sylvestre

Main use: Lowering blood sugar
Typical dosage: 200 to 250 milligrams twice daily.

Also known as “sugar destroyer,” the plant reduces the ability to detect sweetness. It’s regarded as one of the most powerful herbs for blood-sugar control. It may work by boosting the activity of enzymes that help cells use glucose or by stimulating the production of insulin. The drug Actos was designed to lower blood sugar. Unlike Actos, Gymnema Sylvestre has no link to bladder cancer.

Bitter Melon

Main use: Lowering blood sugar
Typical dosage: 50 to 100 milliliters (approximately 3 to 6 tablespoons) of the juice daily.

This fruit help cells use glucose more effectively and block sugar absorption in the intestine. However, gastrointestinal problems are possible side effects.

Prickly Pear Cactus
Main use: Lowering blood sugar
Typical dosage: If you eat it as a food, aim for 1⁄2 cup of cooked cactus fruit a day. Otherwise, follow label directions.

You may be able to find this fruit in your grocery store, but if not, look for it as a juice or powder at health food stores. Researchers speculate that the fruit may possibly lower blood sugar because it contains components that work similarly to insulin. The fruit is also high in fiber. Unlike some type 2 diabetes medication, it does not cause weight gain.

Fenugreek

Main use: Lowering blood sugar
Typical dosage: 5 to 30 grams with each meal or 15 to 90 grams with one meal per day.

These seeds have been found to lower blood sugar, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce high cholesterol. The effect may be partly due to the seeds’ high fiber content. The seeds also contain an amino acid that appears to boost the release of insulin.

Ginseng

Main use: Lowering blood sugar
Typical dosage: 1 to 3 grams a day in capsule or tablet form, or 3 to 5 milliliters of tincture three times a day.

Known for its immune-boosting and disease-fighting benefits, this Chinese herb has several positive diabetes studies behind it. Re­searchers have found that ginseng slows carbohydrate absorption, increases cells’ ability to use glucose, and increases insulin secretion from the pancreas.

Exercises and Therapy

The best types of medicine to improve your health are those that do not involve consuming any pills: exercise and therapy may be the best medicine of all.

Diabetes Yoga: Yoga is trusted to have the ability to balance body, mind & spirit. This discipline can help or support you in the treatment of diabetes by activating glandular systems. Glandular systems are responsible for this illness. Some types diabetes yoga are sarvangasana, Halasana, Child pose, Paschimotasana, and  Ardha Matsyendrasana.

Acupressure diabetes holistic healing: Acupressure is a healing touch, which uses different pressure points in the body to improve a person's health, and many patients have found that their diabetes severity is decreased after an acupressure diabetes holistic healing session. The important acupoints for diabetes are spleen 6, liver 3, kidney 3, stomach 40.

Reflexology diabetes massage cure: Our whole body organs have reflex points on our foot and hands. Thus massage cure stimulates corresponding reflex points of the organs affected by diabetes. Also by stimulating the reflex points of the organs that can be affected due to prolonged diabetes can help to prevent diabetes long term complications, such as nerve damage, eye, kidney, heart diseases and stroke. Some useful reflex points for diabetes are pancreas, liver, all glands, eye, heart, brain and kidney.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Really That Great?

Ever since the release of artificial sweeteners (for example, Splenda and Equal), companies have been substituting sugar with this substance for many drinks such as diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners' main attraction is they taste like sugar without the effects of sugar. This is exciting news for diabetes patients, amid a sea of unsettling news about medications that increase the risk of bladder cancer and heart attacks.

Artificial sweeteners mean that diabetics can sweeten their foods without affecting their blood sugar levels. Along with this great benefit to many diabetes patients, the American Diabetic Association claims that "artificial sweeteners pass through our systems without being digested so they provide no extra calories".

However, are these artificial sweeteners as great? According to a New York Times article, research shows that artificial sweeteners are associated high rates of lymphoma, leukemia and other cancers in rats that were given a five 20 ounce diet sodas a day. Taking this into consideration, would you still use artificial sweeteners? My advice is to control your sugar cravings, or read my blog post on how to control your sweets cravings!

Nuts about nuts: more superfoods to fight your diabetes

Squirrels have the right idea: nuts are an important source of nutrients.

Here's your long anticipated post, the remaining four super foods. The previous post's super foods were six fruits and vegetables. In this post, the four remaining foods includes: fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, whole grains, nuts, and fat-free milk or yogurt.

An average person needs 6-9 ounces of fish per week. Fish with omega-3 fatty acids contain saturated fat, the healthier of fats.

Next, whole grains contain many nutrients which include magnesium, chromium, omega-3 fatty acids, and folate.

Nuts also contain the omega-3 fatty acids. Alongside the saturated fat, nuts contain magnesium and fiber.

Finally, fat-free milk and yogurt are the last super foods. They are not only essential to strong bones and teeth, they also have vitamin D.

Here are the ten super foods to a healthy diet. Diet, exercise and safe diabetes medication (specifically, ones that do not cause severe side effects, increased risk of bladder cancer, or heart problems) are the key to maintaining your health.

Super Fruits and Vegetables Beneficial to Any Diabetes Patient

Every summer, I always hear the saying, "I'm going on a diet." However, don't you find it ironic that America is one of the most obese countries? Even for those who do not have diabetes, strict diets are hard to follow. Can you imagine how diabetes patients follow their diets?

First, they must absorb enough nutrients to continue on their daily routines. Next, they must carefully manage their sugar intake to ensure that their blood sugar level is neither high or low. Although there are drugs that can help you manage your blood sugar, their side effects can be more trouble than they are worth.

Although this blog will not provide a specific diet plan for diabetes patients, the good news is, it will list ten super foods that guarantee the absorption of nutrients that are lacking in typical western diets (calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E). For this post, however, we will only focus on fruits and vegetables.

The first super food is the bean. Any type of bean is just as nutritious as the other, whether it's black or pinto beans. Not only are they high in fiber, but they also contain magnesium and potassium. Eating half a cup of beans provides just as much protein as an ounce of meat. Moreover, it doesn't have any fat.

Another starchy vegetable that will contribute to a healthy diabetes diet is the sweet potato, which is packed with vitamin A and fiber.

The next healthy vegetable that contains valuable nutrients is any dark green vegetable such as spinach, collards, and kale. They contain less calories and carbohydrates, and more much needed fiber.

You can consider this next super food as a fruit, or a vegetable. You guessed it; it's a tomato! You can eat tomatoes in any form, whether it's pureed, raw, or in a sauce. The most important thing is, you're absorbing vitamin C, vitamin E, and iron.

The following super food will provide you with a wide range of options. Whether it is strawberries, blueberries, or any berry you will find, they contain antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.

Finally, any kind of citrus fruit, whether it is a grapefruit, orange, lemon or lime is healthy. Regardless of what citrus you eat, they will be packed with soluble fiber and vitamin C.

Please stay tuned for the final four super foods, which will be found in our next blog post.

Avandia is more than a diabetes medication...

During September of last year, drug regulators said that the diabetes medicine, Avandia, will no longer be widely available. However, this drug is still available to individuals who previously took Avandia, as well as those who tried other diabetes medications that proved no help.

The reason for limiting Avandia from the market is its link to heart risk. According to a New York Times article, "one study estimated that from 1999 to 2009, more than 47,000 people taking Avandia needlessly suffered a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, or died."

Sugar Pie Honey Bunch Load of Sugar Craving

It's 12am and your stomach is calling you. Slowly, that apple pie your aunt made last week, the Breyers vanilla ice cream in the fridge, and Oreo cookies are all so appealing! Sweets cravings, your worst enemy. The previous statement especially applies to diabetes patients. They must always maintain a balanced diet.

So, how can we control our sweets cravings? Here are a few ways:

Stop stressing: Many people respond to stress by eating sweets. The best way to break this habit is to relieve stress in other ways. Try listening to uplifting music or doing activities that will make you happy.

Eat smaller portions: People tend to overeat and the best way remedy this is to use smaller dinnerware. By using smaller dinnerware, you are subconsciously limiting your portions.

Eat enough: There are simple carbs (which your body will digest quicker) and complex carbs (which will provide you with energy longer). Make the smarter choice by eating complex carb foods such as breads and wheat. They will make you feel satisfied while satisfying your cravings.

Exercise: When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that induce feelings of pleasure and suppress your appetite.

Substitute: If these methods do not work, it is better to substitute what you’re craving for with a more nutritious food. What I mean by nutritious is foods that will have a lower effect on your blood sugar.

I hope this post helps!

Diabetics wish they had more hands...

..so they could give Actos four thumbs down, apparently.

Diabetics give a Rick James reception to Type 2 medication side effects.

I was on Ask a Patient, checking out other people's reactions to Actos (the TZD a lot of people were switched to when Avandia got a reputation for being bad for your heart, but now it's coming out that Actos shares some of those same heart risks and then some), and it seems unanimous, at least among this sampling of internet commenters: all thumbs down.

From their testimonies, weight gain was pretty much a given, which really upset a lot of the reviewers (obviously... who wants a side effect that contributes to the disease it sets out to treat?).

Here's a sample of what people had to say about their Actos side effects:

• "I am so mad because I was losing weight before I started this medicine. I was 213lbs and now, two months later, I am 233. DONT TAKE THIS DRUG, IT IS DANGEROUS !!!!!!!!"

• "I now have huge thighs and butt. I started actos 15 MG and my doctor quickly moved me on to 30 MG. I can't lose the weight even though I have been off of actos for almost a year now. It did bring down my blood sugar but made me fat in doing so."

• "It did bring my blood glucose levels down, but the side effects just are not worth it. I thought I was going to have a stroke, heart attack or something."

• "...So puffy around my knees that I can no longer see where my knee stops and my leg starts. Extreme swelling due to increase in fat cells as per Actos. I can no longer continue using this medication. Legs look like huge tree trunks."

And those are just four people out of the millions who have taken this drug. Check out others here if you really want to get a sense of the kind of side effects people are experiencing.

A Success Story

Some patients believe diabetes is a burden - the way you have to mold your diet and routines to maintain good health. Some people ask, "why should I build my whole life around diabetes?" I understand that anger. However, I personally believe we should take on every bump in the road positively.

If life gives you lemon, make lemonade (Just don’t add too much sugar!). This is a cliché, but makes sense. Make the best out of what is given to you. Although I'm not a diabetes patient myself, I fully support this statement because I know of some people who have not let diabetes stop them from living life. Hopefully, after reading this post, you will have an optimistic view on living a successful life and accomplishing all of your wildest dreams and most ambitious goals.

Meet Kristen Haury from Mentor, Ohio. She was diagnosed with type 1diabetes shortly before her first marathon. Although she did not enter that marathon which she had prepared for well over a month, it did not stop her from entering future races. Whenever she ran, she was with a group of people who know she has diabetes. She also brings along her meter, a cellphone, and a source of glucose. It was only three months after she was diagnosed that she completed a short-distance triathlon. Since then, she has done four other triathlons and three marathons. According to her, "it's being able to do anything you want in life. Sure, you may need to stop and check your blood sugar, but you can do what you love."

What Should You Eat?

Although diabetes is not necessarily a life threatening disease, it is a life altering one. One of the most vital things for a patient to be aware of is their diet. Diabetes patients' diets are not as simple as you’d think. Ingesting too much sugar will put patients at risk of high blood sugar. Ingesting too little will lead patients to suffer from low blood sugar, a condition known as hypoglycemia. The amount of insulin in the body will also alter the blood sugar level. A proper balance between the amounts of the two should do the trick. So the question is, what can patients eat to ensure this balance? Of course, the amount of insulin and sugar needed varies for each person. For now, we will focus on the diet for type 2 diabetes patients.

First, it's better to choose more foods from the bottom of the food pyramid. Foods such as breads, grains, and other starches are more preferable than foods with more fats, oils and sugars.

Breads and grains have many nutrients such as vitamins, fiber and other minerals. Plus, they contain complex carbs that will take the body longer to digest thus fueling energy for the body longer. 

Vegetables also contain a myriad of valuable nutrients, as well as fiber and are naturally low in fat and sodium. Fruits have similar nutritional benefits. They contain valuable nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as being naturally low in fat. However, when choosing between fruits and vegetables, keep in mind that fruits contain more carbs and natural sugar.

Following the foods listed above, it is next best to intake protein. Protein is not solely meat such as beef, chicken, fish, etc. but beans, tofu and other foods as well. It is better to ingest non-meat proteins because it helps lower the amount of fats eaten.

Finally it is also beneficial to eat some dairy which includes foods made from milk. However, you should avoid eating foods with fats, oils and sugars because they are packed with calories and little nutrition. 

La diabetes y tu: for my bilingual readers

Que ta pasando, readers? I thought I'd use my long-dormant high school Spanish skills to spread the message of hope, caution, and education to everyone with Type 2, whether they are dealing with dietary restrictions, diabetes medication,or complications with diabetes medication and heart problems. 

Especially since so many Americans of Hispanic descent suffer from Type 2 that the National Diabetes Education Program calls it an "epidemic". The NDEP says that

 10.4 percent of Hispanics/Latinos ages 20 years or older have diagnosed diabetes.  

 Among Hispanics/Latinos, diabetes prevalence rates are 8.2 percent for Cubans, 11.9 percent for 

Mexican Americans, and 12.6 percent for Puerto Ricans.

Sometimes the treatment can be as bad as the disease: Type 2 diabetes medication Actos has been linked to bladder cancer (o cáncer de la vegija, si prefiere), bone fractures, and increased risk of heart attacks (el riesgo de tener un ataque al corazón).

Is your medication upping your chances of having

un  

ataque al corazón?

OK, hope my Spanish wasn't totally incomprehensible. 

Un abrazo,

Diabetty

Dangers of Actos

Avandia is a drug that increases insulin sensitivity. This drug was prescribed to patients with Type 2 diabetes. Some of Avandia’s side effects are that it can cause heart failure, myocardial infarction, and other afflictions. Actos is another drug that increases insulin sensitivity but it is not as likely to cause heart failures… it causes bladder cancer! With this small difference, Avandia is mostly banned in the US, but Actos isn’t. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) still doesn’t have enough sense to ban Actos. The FDA avoided an interview with CBS news on the topic of Actos.

Different types of diabetes

The two common types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin, known as autoimmune response. Causes of type 1 diabetes are not known but evidence has shown that a genetic predisposition and environmental factors could be linked to type 1.

Type 2 diabetes is when there is an abnormal amount of insulin in the body. Children can also be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Causes for type 2 diabetes include aging, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Heredity is a cause for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. As the Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center stated,

If both parents have Type 2 diabetes, there is a chance that nearly all of their children will have diabetes. If both parents have Type 1 diabetes, fewer than 20 percent of their children will develop Type 1 diabetes. In identical twins, if one twin develops Type 2 diabetes, the chance is nearly 100 percent that the other twin will also develop it. In Type 1 diabetes, however, only 40 to 50 percent of the second twins will develop the disease, indicating that while inheritance is important, environmental factors (for example, too much food, too much stress, viral infection, and so forth) are also involved in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

Treatment for type 1 diabetes is taking insulin injections. Treatments for type 2 diabetes include diet, exercise, weight loss, and taking medications such as Actos, Avandia, Metformin, and many others.  

Type 2 diabetes- Actos

Actos is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. When combined with proper diet and exercise, it can lower the level of sugar in the patient’s blood stream. Actos was one of the best selling drugs in 2008 in the US. However, the FDA found that the use of Actos may increase the risk for bladder cancer. France and Germany took Actos off of their markets. It remains on the market in the US, but the risk for bladder cancer is scheduled to be added to the Warning and Precaution label on the drug.

TSA Humiliates Bladder Cancer Survivor

Real Story of Diabetes