How can you stay well when you get sick? This may sound like a trick question, but if you have diabetes and get sick, it places your body under added stress. Your blood glucose may be harder to control. This can lead to ketoacidosis and diabetic coma if you have type 1 diabetes. People with type 2 [...]
If you are a senior and have diabetes, there is no reason you can’t travel the world and fully enjoy your golden years. The key to traveling well is to go while you are healthy and to stay in good health during your entire trip. Plan a trip that fits your personal needs and abilities. If you wish [...]
Weather disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes or tornadoes, can be devastating. Other physical disasters, such as fires or power outages, can cause disruptions in your life, as well. You may not have access to diabetes supplies, food and medicines or basic necessities. Being prepared to manage [...]
If you have diabetes, you most likely have been offered lots of help by people who love and care about you and want the best for you. Many people with diabetes find that family and friends have lots of advice for them, and some of this advice may contradict what your health care team has taught [...]
In his book, The Tipping Point, written primarily for business-people, Malcolm Gladwell describes a “tipping point” as the point at which change just happens, seeming to happen naturally and quickly. In business, marketers strive to find the point at which sales of their product go up. So, how [...]
Taking care of diabetes means you need to take certain steps each day throughout the years to keep the parts of your body which can be affected by diabetes healthy. These include your heart, eyes, kidneys and feet. As a podiatrist (a doctor who specializes in feet and foot care), I work with many people who have diabetes. What I often share with these people is this: Your feet can last you for the rest of your life if you make the daily effort to treat them well. [...]
Physical activity has many benefits for your health if you have diabetes and/or heart disease. Being active can help prevent both of these diseases. Check your activity IQ with the following quiz. Answer true or false to the questions below, then read on to see the answers. [...]
There are several kinds of medicines that help to lower blood pressure. One category of medicine that some people with diabetes take to lower blood pressure is called diuretics. These are commonly called “water pills” because they help the body eliminate extra salt and water through the urine. [...]
Both diabetes and arthritis are chronic diseases. As you age, your chances for having chronic diseases increases. As we get older, most of us also tend to get heavier. This extra weight can put a lot of stress on your joints. [...]
As a woman with diabetes, you may have wondered how diabetes will affect your menopause, and how menopause may affect your diabetes. You may also have questions about taking hormones. [...]
If you have diabetes and arthritis, you may wonder if these two are related. Both diabetes and arthritis are chronic diseases. As you age, your chances of having chronic diseases increases. Also, as we get older, many of us tend to gain more weight. This extra weight adds stress on your joints, which can lead to inflammation and can lead to arthritis. [...]
Some people think that leg pain is a part of getting older. But you might be surprised to learn that a type of leg pain caused through exercise that only goes away with rest can be caused by intermittent claudication (IC). IC is a symptom of the hardening of arteries and often causes pain in the legs, which can make it hard for a person to walk. [...]
People with diabetes are prone to complications over time. Healthcare providers all agree that strict control of blood sugar puts you at less risk for complications. This was shown clearly by the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. Control of blood sugar is the best way to lessen your risk of complications. [...]
Untreated diabetes, both type 1 or type 2, can lead to health problems. Such health problems include heart disease, eye problems, and nerve damage. Making sure your blood sugar levels are in check can prevent such health problems. You can be at higher risk for issues due to your genes, but in the end it is up to you to take control of how you eat and live to lessen your risk of diabetes-related health problems. If you have diabetes-related health problems, just know that as long as you catch the problems early, treatment can help. [...]
One of the biggest fears among people with diabetes is losing their eyesight. While it is true that diabetes is still a leading cause of blindness, it happens much less often than it did in the past. It is less common because we know more about prevention, it can be detected earlier and the treatments work better than they did before. [...]
