Posts Tagged ‘diabetic’

Lifestyle Changes For Type 2 Diabetes People – Part 2

October 13th, 2009 Admin

Read Lifestyle Changes for Type 2 Diabetics – Part 1. Subtle lifestyle changes in your daily habits can do wonders if you suffer from Type 2 Diabetes.

Pay Attention to Your Blood Sugar Level. Keeping your blood sugar level under control is more important than you can imagine.

Ask your doctor how often you need to check your glucose level. Checking once a day may be sufficient, but you have to be more wary when you are pregnant of if changing your medication.

Keeping a diary may be helpful as you can track changes in your blood sugar level and see for yourself how your activities influence it.

Focus on Your Foot Care. If you are diabetic, your feet must become a focal point. Foot problems are a frequent complication of Type 2 Diabetes and can lead to amputations.

Check your feet everyday for injuries such as cuts, sores and blisters. If you notice an injury that is taking a long time to heal, speak to your doctor immediately.

Look After That Smile. Type 2 Diabetes can have a negative effect on your teeth and gums, leaving you at risk of gum infections.

Just like for your feet, check your teeth and gums daily and inform your doctor if you notice any swelling or bleeding. Brush your teeth at least twice daily and don’t forget to floss.

Schedule a visit to the dentist twice a year.

Studies have shown that switching to a healthier lifestyle may be as effective as medications in preventing Type 2 Diabetes.

If you already suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, making changes in your diet and way of life may very well keep complications at bay. So, why not start today?

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7 Simple Type 2 Diabetes Foot Care Tips

August 7th, 2009 Admin

Type 2 Diabetes Foot CareIf you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, it’s important for you to take good care of your feet to avoid the risk of developing sores and infections, in the worst scenario, lead to leg amputations.

It happened to my mother-in-law more than 15 years ago. Due to the family members’ lacking in diabetes foot care knowledge and ignoring the importance of avoiding foot wounds and injuries, my mother-in-law’s foot suffered from bacterial infection and had to have it amputated.

So, reduce your risk of bacterial infection or leg amputation by implementing these 7 simple Type II Diabetes foot care tips

1. Inspect Your Feet Daily. Check your feet daily or have a family member help you check for sores, cuts, bruises, changes to the toenails and other conditions, especially if you have low sensitivity or no feeling in your feet.

Sores, cuts and grazes could go unnoticed and you could develop problems leading to amputations.

Pain, redness or swelling around the toenails could mean an ingrown toenail, the leading cause of amputations in diabetics.

2. Wear Socks and Shoes. As a diabetic, it’s important not to go around barefoot, even indoors. Treading on something or stubbing your toes and cutting yourself brings the risk for infections and amputations easily as the healing process for a diabetic is slow.

3. Watch Out If You Have Corns or Calluses. Consult your chiropodist or podiatrist for the best care of corns, calluses, in-grown toe nails and other foot problems.

4. Wash Your Feet in Warm, NOT Hot Water. And don’t soak your feet even if you’ve been standing all day because it could dry your skin and form cracks or sores.

5. Dry Your Feet Thoroughly, Especially Between Your Toes. These are natural moisture traps – leaving them damp or wet could create all sorts of problems.

6. Exercise Your Legs and Feet Regularly. Even when sitting you can rotate your ankles; wiggle your toes or move your legs up and down. All these keep your blood circulation flowing to minimize the risk of foot problems.

7. Get Your Feet Professionally Checked. Have your feet checked at least once a year for sensitivity and signs of any problems.

You can usually arrange this when you have your annual check up for your blood pressure, cholesterol and AC1 levels, also known as blood glucose levels over a 3-month period.

Taking these 7 simple Type 2 Diabetes foot care actions will help you reduce the risk of painful foot problems or leg amputations.

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Top 5 Ways To Manage Your Diet For Type 2 Diabetes

August 4th, 2009 Admin

Hi, let me, a diabetic for six years, share with you how I manage my diet for Type 2 Diabetes.

Since my diagnosis with diabetes six years ago, my diet has changed dramatically; I have the countless diet books and diabetic recipe books to thank for my current healthy weight and diet.

You can follow my steps to manage your Type II Diabetes, but it’s still advisable for you to consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

What works for me may not necessarily work for you.

Top 5 ways to manage your diet for Type 2 Diabetes:

1. Cut Down the Intake of Snacks. I understand that cutting back on snacks is one of the hardest things to do for some people; it’s hard for me too at first.

However, establishing a healthy diet is essential to great diabetes care. Replace the unhealthy snacks with healthy snacks like unsalted nuts, dried unsweetened fruit, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. I love fresh red pepper and cucumber.

2. Cut Back on White Flour and Increase Wholemeal Carbs. This is the most essential part of your Type II Diabetes diet, and the thing that contributes to the biggest increase in weight loss.

Wholemeal, especially stoneground wholemeal, is so good for you and has so much more flavor in it that switching is much easier than you think.

Remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is freshest with least preservatives or added ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice is great with a lovely nutty texture.

3. Stop Drinking Cocktails, Start Drinking Wine. Instead of drinking cocktails that are full of sugar, colorants and preservatives, opt for red wine. Of course, water is still the best drink!

According to research, wine contains anti-oxidants that are great for keeping your heart healthy. The recommended amount is one glass a day with your evening meal.

4. Drink More Water. Once again, you are told to drink more water! You do know the benefits of drinking water are endless, right?

To make drinking more water easier for you, this is what you can do. Firstly, put bottles of water at all the places in the house or work, be it in your desk, on your desk, in the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room and other places.

Try and drink all these bottles or glasses up and you will be well on your way to 8 glasses a day. Have a go, and you’ll be surprised how easy it is to have drunk 8 glasses of water in a day.

5. Eat More Fruits and Veggies. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.

They are still the best if eaten raw, followed closely by steamed. Both ways of eating fruits and vegetables preserve all their natural goodness.

From, Jess

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Effective Ways To Manage Type 2 Diabetes

July 2nd, 2009 Admin

When you have been diagnosed with having extreme levels of blood sugar in the body, you are challenged daily with having to manage Type 2 Diabetes carefully.

Type II Diabetes, a disease in which your pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or your body is not able to use the insulin secreted by the pancreas efficiently, is the most common form of diabetes affecting 85% to 90% of all people with diabetes.

Without proper care, it may lead to other bodily ailments and major health risks such as strokes, heart diseases, eye damages, kidney failures and foot problems that can lead to amputations.

To help lower the risk of dangerous side effects and major health complications that can result from Type Two Diabetes, the levels of sugar contained in the blood have to be kept at controllable levels.

There is prescribed medication in the form of shots or tablets. The use would be determined by your condition.

There are essential steps to take to manage Type 2 Diabetes. A daily practice that you as a diabetic should become accustomed to is monitoring the levels of blood sugar. This is done with a glucose monitoring kit that is used in the comforts of your home for frequent, accurate readings.

The next focus is to establish healthy eating habits that provide the proper nutrients from the correct food groups. Steamed vegetables, whole grain foods, and a variety of fruits will help control Type 2 Diabetes and reduce problems.

Symptoms that may be an indicator that diabetes is progressing to an advanced stage should be recognized. An alarming condition could result in difficulty in seeing, and an eye doctor would need to be consulted.

Swelling, redness, bruises, cuts, or sores on your feet should be watched for. Continue with routine physical exams to ensure that preventative measures are working.

It takes time to change your daily habits and incorporate different management techniques into your lifestyle that will help control the Type 2 Diabetes, but with dedication and keeping your health care provider informed, you will be greatly reducing your risk of advanced stages.

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5 Common Type 2 Diabetes Myths & Facts

May 15th, 2009 Admin

Type 2 Diabetes MythsBefore you rush into starting any Type 2 Diabetes diet and exercise, it’s always wise to know what it is and the causes and symptoms of it to avoid believing in myths.

The list of myths associated with Type 2 Diabetes goes on and on, but the 5 listed below are possibly the most commonly heard.

Myth #1 – Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.

Fact – Many people think that eating a lot of sugar is the root cause of Type 2 Diabetes. The fact is that you can’t get diabetes by eating too much sugar.

It is either a deficiency of insulin or the body’s inability to convert sugar into energy that causes you suffer from diabetes.

However, a sweet tooth combined with a poor diet and insufficient exercise can make you prone to diabetes.

Myth #2 – I feel too good to be a diabetic.

Fact – Up to a third of diabetes sufferers don’t know they have it. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause serious damage to your organs without any side effects or symptoms for many years.

If you know you have Type 2 Diabetes but you feel fine, you should still take steps to manage your diabetes with a proper diet, exercise or medication to prevent irrevocable damage to your body.

Myth #3 – I won’t get Type II Diabetes because no one in my family has it.

Fact – Although a family history puts you at a higher risk of diabetes, many people still get the disease even when no one else in the family has it. Everyone should take good care of their weight and lifestyle to prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes.

Myth #4 – Having diabetes dooms me to a lifetime of pills and injections and bland food.

Fact – The most natural remedy for Type Two Diabetes is eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise.

Getting your weight into a healthy range can greatly reduce your dependency on diabetic medication, although it would still be necessary to have regular blood tests.

A healthy Type 2 Diabetes diet of the correct portions of carbohydrates, proteins,fresh fruits and vegetables, with fats and sweets in moderation, is the best meal plan for diabetics and on-diabetics alike.

Myth # 5 – I feel too tired to exercise due to my disease.

Fact – The fact is that you have to exercise regularly. Doing exercise increases your body’s immunity, controls and keeps the blood glucose at desirable levels.

It’s always advisable to consult your physician before signing up for an exercise program.

Being able to differentiate between myths and facts for Type 2 Diabetes is important  for you to take precaution against diabetes.

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