One of our nation’s most prevalent and serious diseases is
diabetes. With November being National Diabetes Month, bringing this disease to
the forefront by focusing on control and prevention is of the upmost importance. Diabetes
costs millions of dollars in medical expenditures every year. It impacts many
different areas of the body. Not only is diabetes
disabling and costly, it can be life-threatening.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the longer you have diabetes, the
higher the risk of complications. These complications include:
- Cardiovascular disease – coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke
- Nerve damage (neuropathy) – injury to the tiny blood vessels that nourish your nerves
- Kidney damage (nephropathy) – harm to the waste filtering system
- Eye damage (retinopathy) – impairment of the retinal blood vessels
- Foot damage – poor blood flow, nerve damage, healing poorly, toe/foot amputations
- Skin problems – more susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections
- Hearing impairment – more common to diabetics
- Alzheimer’s disease – diabetes increases the risk
There is also a diagnosis effecting pregnancy called gestational
diabetes that can cause serious problems for the baby and the mother.
If you have diabetes:
- Follow your health care professional’s advice
- Be proactive and get your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist to protect your vision
- Work with a diabetes educator to get your questions answered
- Learn what you can do to self-manage your disease such as healthy eating, being active, monitoring your blood sugar, taking your medication correctly and problem-solving to live the healthiest lifestyle you can
- Take a 6 week Diabetes PATH workshop to learn the self-management tools above and more. To find a Diabetes PATH workshop near you check out the following link: http://mihealthyprograms.org/path-workshop-search.aspx
Prediabetes is also a huge issue that is characterized by blood
glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to warrant a
diabetes diagnosis. People diagnosed with prediabetes are at an increased risk
of developing type 2 diabetes unless they make an active attempt to change
their lifestyle.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
facts on prediabetes are staggering:
- 86 million adults have prediabetes
- 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it
- Without weight loss and moderate physical activity, 15%-30% of these prediabetics will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years
With the above information in mind, the
CDC developed the National Diabetes Prevention Program. This evidence-based
program showed losing a modest amount of weight (5-7% or 10-14 pounds for a 200
pound person) and increasing physical activity (150 minutes or more a week of
brisk walking or something comparable) lowered the risk of developing type 2
diabetes. This year-long lifestyle change program starts with sixteen weekly core
classes to learn about healthy eating and physical activity. Participants are
weighed each week and turn in food and activity trackers that show what their
food intake and activity minutes have been for the previous week. Other class
subjects include how to problem solve, stay motivated and manage stress. Bimonthly
and/or monthly post-core sessions reinforce and build on what was taught in the
weekly classes.
PTI has trained lifestyle coaches who
can bring this program to your organization. If you’re interested, contact us
for more information. Health insurers and employers are starting to add this
program as a benefit. Medicare has also made this program a benefit for
Medicare patients starting in April 2018.
The old Benjamin Franklin axiom, “An
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” will always be a thing. Keeping
that in mind, diabetes education helps with control for those already diagnosed
and prediabetes education lowers the risk for getting type 2 diabetes. With
winter on its way, a focus on healthy eating and physical activity can help everyone
stay at the top of their game. Happy November!
