Need Ideas for Thanksgiving? It's the Inside Story in the Diabetes Forum
Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful holiday. It combines family, friends and food as everyone gathers to give thanks. If you have diabetes, though, all of the food that's typically served on this day can become a bit of a challenge. Need to talk? Need to find out how others cope? It's all here in the Diabetes Forum. Forum member Zellbell, who is looking for advice on coping with the holiday, posted this thread, "Thanksgiving Ideas Needed".
Zellbell, a member since 2006, asks... Does anybody have any ideas on how to cope with Thanksgiving dinner? We're traveling to the states to my mother-in-law's house this year, and it's going to be a day-long food fest!!!! It's nice to see... read more.
Adriennesmema, veteran member and forum moderator, offers this advice... Thanksgiving is a special day.. and with that said I will tell you that as a type 1 diabetic for over 45 years I allow myself more food...yes I can take more insulin but it is special... I make sure when I make Thanksgiving that I have tons of vegetable plates... read more.
TBOLTO77, a member since 2007, adds... One other thing that helps me with Thanksgiving is to take a long brisk walk in the morning. I walk by Lake Michigan for about 6 miles, but there are lots of options for people. I used to plan on a walk AFTER the dinner, but... read more.
More from your diabetes guide... Photo courtesy of Ryan McVay/Getty ImagesDepression Combined with Type 2 Diabetes Results in Poorer Glucose Control
A study from the Medical University of South Carolina, that appeared in the journal, General Hospital Psychiatry, shows that depression plays a part in how well people control their blood sugar.
11,525 veterans with type 2 diabetes were followed for nine years. Ninety-seven percent of the participants were men.
When A1c values were measured, they were higher in the depressed veterans than in the non-depressed veterans.
People with diabetes are at risk for depression. Many studies have shown a definite link between diabetes and depression. Diabetes can make people more susceptible to depression, but also there are studies that show that depression may lead to type 2 diabetes.
If you are depressed, it's important to see a health care provider and receive treatment for the depression.
More from your diabetes guide...
Photo courtesy of Ramzi Hashisho/Stock.xchngLink Between Diabetes and Drugs Used to Treat HIV Determined
Associate Professor Katherine Samaras, Head of Garvan’s Diabetes and Obesity Clinical Research Group and senior endocrinologist at St Vincent's Hospital, has published the study in the online journal, Obesity. She demonstrates that the inflammation that anti-retroviral drugs cause when treating HIV, increases the risk of developing metabolic and cardiac complications, including diabetes.
In a quote from a press release from Garvan Institute, Professor Samaras says, “People being treated for HIV tend to lose fat on their arms, legs, face and buttocks and gain it around their abdomen. This redistribution of fat is termed ‘lipodystrophy’ and those patients with the condition have a cardiac and metabolic risk profile worse than being very obese.”
She goes on to say, “We think that in some way anti-retroviral drugs influence fat cells, making them push out inflammatory molecules that contribute to creating the heart disease and diabetes we see in patients.”
People who are being treated for HIV are advised, by Professor Samaras, to eat a healthy low sugar, low fat diet and get enough exercise. Also being aware of the risk of diabetes and heart disease is important so that they can seek the treatment they may need for these conditions.
More from Mark Cichocki, About.com's Guide to AIDS/HIV... *If you have questions or concerns about medications that you are taking, always talk them over with your health care provider. Do not stop taking medications without speaking to your provider first.Check out the Carbs in your Fruit
Managing type 2 diabetes means making healthy food choices. Lean meats, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, are all part of a healthy diet, but when you have diabetes, eating a lot of carbohydrates can affect your blood glucose levels. Usually foods with a high sugar or starch content are higher in carbs. Most kinds of fruit have natural sugar in them and contribute carbohydrates to your meals, but not all fruits are created equal. Some fruits have more grams of carbs than others. Have you ever wondered how many grams of carbs are in the fruits you eat?
About.com's online nutritional website, Calorie Count.com can help you figure out the carbs in all kinds of foods. I used Calorie Count to find out how many carbs are in many different fruits. An apple can have as many as 30 grams of carbs, while a cup of strawberries can have 11 grams.
Find out the carb count in your favorite fruits... Photo courtesy of Gregor Schuster/Getty ImagesWorld Diabetes Day is November 14th
Friday, November 14th is World Diabetes Day. World Diabetes Day is an official United Nations World Health Day, set aside to raise awareness of diabetes globally. This year's theme is "Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. This was also the theme last year.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, "Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 5% per year among pre-school children. It is estimated that 70,000 children under 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (almost 200 children a day). Currently, an estimated 440,000 children live with type 1 diabetes globally."
The incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is also increasing at a rapid rate, throughout the world.
There are hundreds of events scheduled around the world to mark World Diabetes Day. Many international monuments and buildings will be illuminated with blue lights to show a unity towards education and awareness of the growing threat of diabetes worldwide. To see a list of participating monuments, click here...
Photo by Vinicius Fujii/Stock.xchngNationwide FDA Recall on ReliOn Insulin Syringes
Wal-Mart or Sam's Club pharmacies are the sole distributers of the ReliOn syringes. The recall applies only to lot number 813900. The product was distributed from Aug. 1, 2008 until Oct. 8, 2008, and includes 471,000 individual syringes in 4,710 boxes.
Please check syringe packaging carefully for products with this lot number. If you have these syringes do not use them. Return the product to the pharmacy for replacement syringes. The lot number can be found on the back panel of the 100 count syringe carton, or on the white paper backing of each individual syringe “peel-pack”.
Read the FDA press release here...
Diabetic Rockstar Fights to Win
Christopher Thomas is the founder and major force behind DiabeticRockstar.com and the Fight It! campaign.
Chris was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 27. He didn't let it stop him from accomplishing his goals. A few months after his diagnosis, he pulled up stakes and moved from his home state of Michigan to New York City and the rest, as they say, is history.
Chris started DiabeticRockstar.com initially as a place where people with diabetes could go and discuss, and even vent, about what life is like with diabetes. But, very quickly, the focus of the website broadened to include Chris's inspirational Fight It! charity campaign. Fight It! takes donations and turns the money into supplies and equipment for people who can't afford to buy them.
So far, Fight It! has helped about 20 people with supplies and insulin and has given away 300-400 free glucometers.
Chris has also introduced a mentoring program. People who are veterans to diabetes can volunteer to work with someone who is newly diagnosed or suffering from complications.
Read more about Chris and the work that he has been doing...Prescription Diabetes Drugs on the Rise for Kids
Antidiabetic medication use has doubled during this period, with kids between the ages of 15 to 19 receiving the most prescriptions. More than 3 million kids were included in the study, which drew information from a nationally representative sample of kids who were commercially insured. Within this group of kids, girls were prescribed more type 2 diabetes medications than boys.
The increase in prescription medications for kids parallels the rising obesity rate. Overweight and obesity doubles the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
The fact that more teen girls are taking antidiabetics, like metformin, might not mean that more girls than boys are getting diabetes. There are other reasons why teen girls might be taking antidiabetics.
- Antidiabetics are also used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome
- Metabolic syndrome is also treated with antidiabetics.
- The study shows that more teen girls see their physicians, than teen boys.
More from your diabetes guide...
November Marks National Diabetes Month
With the arrival of November, comes National Diabetes Month. 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. November is set aside to raise awareness of all aspects of this disease.
The different types of diabetes:
Symptoms of diabetes:
Awareness of the complications:
Take advantage of this yearly reminder. For those who have diabetes, it is a time to reflect on how to improve care, and live life to the fullest. For those who don't, it's a time to learn about the disease, and to be supportive of those who do have diabetes.
Photo courtesy of Stockbyte/Getty ImagesType 2 Diabetes May Increase the Risk for Tuberculosis
New research from the University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus (UTSPH) suggest that people who have type 2 diabetes might be at greater risk for contracting tuberculosis (TB), than people who don't have diabetes.
According to a press release from UTSPH, that outlines results from 3 new studies:
- Type 2 diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes involving chronic high blood sugar, is associated with altered immune response to TB, and this was particularly marked in patients with chronically high blood sugar.
- Patients with diabetes and TB take longer to respond to anti-TB treatment.
- Patients with active tuberculosis and Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have multi-drug resistant TB.
What can you do, as a person with diabetes, to protect yourself from a disease like tuberculosis?
- Keep good control of your blood sugar levels. The risk of TB goes up when hyperglycemia is uncontrolled.
- Because TB is an airborne disease it is difficult to protect yourself from it. If an infected person coughs, sneezes or otherwise expels respiratory secretions into the air, it places others at risk for inhaling the droplets and contacting the disease. Be careful when in areas where the prevalence of tuberculosis is greater. Places that are over-crowded with little ventilation are more likely to contribute to the spread of TB.