Posts Tagged ‘diabetics’

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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5 Simple Steps To Prevent The Onset Of Type 2 Diabetes

July 28th, 2009 Admin

Diabetes, one of the six top killer diseases in the country, is more prevalent than ever and 95% of cases diagnosed are Type 2 Diabetes.

Although for some the development of diabetes is unavoidable, perhaps due to hereditary, family history and other factors, for the vast majority it can be prevented by taking 5 simple steps.

Before Type II Diabetes becomes fully developed, there is a stage known as pre-diabetes where you start to show some of the symptoms. The symptoms for Type 2 Diabetes such as excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), excessive thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision and fatigue, which if not managed well, can lead to full blown diabetes.

You can prevent the onset of Type Two Diabetes by making these 5 simple steps part of your daily routine:

1. Control Your Body Weight. Obesity is known to be one of the risk factors for developing diabetes, so reduce the size of food on your plate by gradually eating less and starting to shed some weight.

Drinking a glass of plain water or a sugar-free drink before your meal is able to take the edge of any hunger pains.

2. Reduce the Intake of Fat. Cut the amount of fat you are eating by grilling or baking foods instead of frying, using low-fat spreads and reducing fat meals.

If you are feeling peckish choose a healthy snack rather than a chocolate bar.

3. Check the Glycemic Index of the Food. By checking the Glycemic Index of the food you are eating, you know what each food contains. This helps maintain your blood sugar levels which in turn can prevent the full onset of diabetes.

4. Drink at Least 8 Glasses of Water Daily. One of the easy ways to keep track of your daily water consumption is keeping a bottle of water with you and sipping frequently. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to have drunk 8 glasses of water throughout the day.

5. Regular Exercise. Exercise is good for health. Start in moderation if you are not used to doing exercise. 15-minute gentle walking daily will ease you into a regular exercising pattern.

All these 5 simple steps are also the ones that diabetics are advised to take, so if you implement them now you might possibly prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes.

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Can Type 2 Diabetes Diet Include Sweets & Sugary Foods?

June 21st, 2009 Admin

“Can Type 2 Diabetes diet include sweets and sugary foods?” - This is perhaps one of the most common questions people with Type Two Diabetes and their family members tend to ask.

As diabetes is a disease which can bring about many health complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation of feet and legs, it’s understandable that you fear for your Type 2 Diabetes.

The answer to the question is YES. Yes, Type 2 Diabetes patients can eat sweets and sugars.

It used to be this old idea that sweets are a no no for those with diabetes and diabetics should try to shut out all sweets and sugars from their Type 2 Diabetes diet, but that’s no longer correct.

According to researchers, it’s not the types of sweets that affect your diabetes the most, but the carbohydrates. The carbohydrates in sweets can raise your glucose levels, so does an equal amount of starch.

Feel like eating your favorite cookie or piece of candy? Well, go ahead, but just make sure that you substitute another carb out of your diet for it, say a roll or a tortilla.

Or wanting a sweet treat in your meal? Well, go ahead, but just make sure that you replace another carbohydrate in your meal with the sweet, or swap a carbohydrate in your meal with something with fewer carbs in it.

You can have sweets and sugars without it being too interfering on your blood sugar glucose levels if you just do it in moderation.

As a Type 2 diabetic, you now don’t have to run around looking for sugar-free candies or insist that your families bake you sugar-free cakes. You just need to be smart about sugary foods and sweets.

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Manage The Type 2 Diabetes With Diet

April 8th, 2009 Admin

Type 2 Diabetes Blood TestType 2 Diabetes is the most prevalent form of diabetes found in America, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

It is a condition in which the body resists the insulin that is produced by the pancreas and may fail to make enough insulin to maintain normal glucose or blood sugar levels.

Most people who are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes are overweight. If they don’t maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle, they are increasing their risk of developing associated complications such as kidney failure, stroke and heart attack.

To keep the Type 2 Diabetes from getting more serious, diabetics have to control the glucose in their blood by eating a low-carb, high-protein, high-fiber diet as well as taking regular exercise, oral medication, and possibly insulin.

Depending on the average of the glucose level, doctors may prescribe oral medication. Common medications include oral sulfonylureas, which cause the pancreas to create more insulin; biuanides, which help the liver to limit the production of glucose; alpha glucosidase inhibitors, which help the body to absorb fewer carbohydrates; thiazolidinediones, designed to help insulin work better in the cells; and meglatinides, which cause the pancreas to create insulin based on the amount of sugar in the blood.

A good Type 2 Diabetes diet is a balanced diet with a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat, poultry, fish or meat alternatives.

Type II diabetics should talk to their registered dietitians or health care professionals about how much and when to include all of the foods in their meals. They must quickly learn what foods to eat, and when to eat them.

They must perform blood sugar testing daily, which is before bedtime and before eating a meal, so that they can see how the foods that they are eating affect their blood sugar. This way, the diabeties patients know what they should or should not eat at meals, depending on whether their blood sugar is high, low, or normal.

Type 2 Diabetes can not be reversed or cured but it can be controlled with diet, medications or insulin.

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