NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH

November is National Diabetes Month. This is a time to remember the importance of blood glucose management for those who have diabetes and to focus on the prevention of diabetes.

Currently, there are nearly 24 million children and adults with diabetes in the United States . Another 57 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

What is the toll of diabetes on our health? About 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage. The rate of amputation is 10 times higher than for people without diabetes. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults.

If you have diabetes or know of someone who has diabetes, managing blood sugar is the key to diabetes control. Here are some tips to help with your blood glucose management.

Increase your physical activity. We think of exercise as a bad word. However, focus on ways to incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle. This can be parking farther away in the parking lot, using the stairs instead of the elevator, or carrying one bag of groceries into your house at a time. Then we can start to focus on increasing our activities to thirty minutes most days of the week.

Make sure that you are testing your blood glucose regularly to determine your blood glucose levels. You can talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about ways to help lower your numbers.

Focus on ways to reduce stress in your life since stress will raise your blood glucose. Try relaxation exercises, deep breathing, working on a hobby, exercising, or talking to someone to help lower your stress. We all need a support person at times to help us to stay focused on our diabetes management.

Remember to examine your feet everyday. Let your doctor know if you are having any problems with your feet. Remember to have appropriate tests to help monitor blood glucose and risk of complications. These include but are not limited to blood work, foot exams, eye exams, dental exam, and blood pressure checked.

Remember to eat healthy. No food items are completely banded when you have diabetes. The goal is to keep your intake of carbohydrates consistent. Focus on limiting your portions sizes and not skipping meals. Meet with your diabetes educator to set up a meal plan with fits your lifestyle.

Set goals that you want to work on to help lower your blood glucose. Your goal may be to increase activity or watch your portion sizes. You want to make a goal that is reasonable and measurable. Adjust your goal as needed to help you improve your health. Focus on one on two goals to work on so the task is not so overwhelming.

You are not alone in your diabetes care. Wayne HealthCare Diabetes Self Management Education Department wants to be your partner to help with your blood glucose control. You can attend individual diabetes education or group classes. The next series of group classes will be provided on November 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

In honor of November as National Diabetes Month, the Wayne HealthCare Diabetes Education Department will be providing the following programs.
Mathew Painting, D.P.M., from Western Ohio Podiatric Medical Center , will be presenting a program on Diabetic Foot Care. He will provide a 20 minute presentation followed by a question and answer session. The program will be held on November 3, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Karen Droesch , RD, LD, CDE the Diabetic Educator at Wayne HealthCare, will provide a presentation on An Overview of Diabetes. This will be provided by the participants playing an interactive Jeopardy Game and learning about diabetes. The program will be held on November 18, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Please contact the Wayne HealthCare Diabetes Education Program at 937-547-5750, if you have any questions or would like to learn about different educational opportunities.