November marks National Diabetes Month. I mean, not that we shouldn’t be concerned about diabetes every month. Indeed, the numbers are staggering. Thirty million Americans have either Type 1, Type 2 diabetes, and an estimated 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with it every year. And the count, alas, is growing by leaps and bounds, in part due to the combination of increasing obesity and decreasing physical activity. Furthermore, if you have diabetes, you’re at risk for long-term problems affecting the eyes, kidneys, heart, brain, feet, and nerves.
So what exactly is diabetes? And, given the stupendous statistics, what can we do to better manage the illness and reverse the trend.
Simply stated, diabetes is a defect in the body’s ability to convert glucose (sugar) to energy. Glucose, the main source of fuel for our body, is absorbed from the intestine and travels around the blood. But it can be effective only if it gets into the cells. Insulin, the pancreatic hormone that regulates blood glucose, is the key to opening these cells. For a person with diabetes, this process is impaired. In the chronic and more serious Type 1 diabetes, which generally occurs during childhood and adolescence, the insulin produced is virtually absent. In the more common Type 2, which usually affects adults over 45, insulin either is not produced in sufficient quantities or it just doesn’t work well.
While celebrities, singers, and sports stars such as Dr. Phil, Halle Berry, Nick Jonas, Salma Hayak, Bret Michaels and even a Miss America, to name but a few, have gone public about their diabetes, there are countless others from every walk of life who still keep it a secret. Teenagers fear ridicule from their peers. And adults think that they may be considered social outcasts, treated differently by their friends as if their illness was somehow caused by improper behavior.
Case in point, my friend Cathy. She claims she stopped telling people because she was tired of always feeling obliged to say either, “Yes! I am a diabetic. And Yes! I can eat that.” Or, “No! I didn’t get it because I ate too much sugar.” She also didn’t want her co-workers constantly hovering around her desk to hit her up for food because she had the best snack drawer in the office
On the opposite end of the spectrum has to have been one of my most inspirational interviews with a charming and articulate sixteen-year-old high school junior who was diagnosed with Type 1 a year earlier. Although she needs an insulin pump—what she referred to as her “bionic pancreas”—she wanted to share her experience to help and inspire others. “Diabetes can be difficult to deal with,” she admits. How did she manage to overcome what she called “diabetes depression? She told herself that she was strong, that she had survived this and she was going to survive no matter what. She then stated emphatically. “It might be hard now, and it will be hard for the rest of your life. But listen when I say that diabetes doesn’t have to define you. You are not your injection scars, your medical bills or your test results. You are not the shakes, nausea and hunger caused by low blood sugar. You are a normal person and this does not have anything to do with your beautiful spirit on the inside. So keep your heads up, fellow diabetics—and your blood sugar down.”
Despite the soaring numbers of diabetes diagnoses, there is a silver lining. And the good news is that if you develop diabetes today, all the tools are already available to turn it into a minor inconvenience rather than a major health issue. In other words, diabetes should not stop you from doing what you want to do with your life. But to maintain a glucose level that is as normal as possible, you have to better manage your lifestyle and reverse any bad habits. Here are ten tips and tools I have gleaned from the experts over the years:
1) Doctor’s Orders: Though huge strides have been made in the medical community, lifestyle modifications such as losing weight, adopting a healthy diet and exercising regularly can make an enormous difference in avoiding the more serious complications of diabetes such as heart attacks and strokes. That said, it doesn’t take a lot of weight loss and exercise to have dramatic benefits. Start by simply losing 20 pounds or five to 10 percent of your body weight by eating a diet that is low in calories, saturated fats, cholesterol and simple carbohydrates. Stop smoking to cut heart attack and stroke risk even more, and exercise 30 minutes five days a week. Be it walking, bicycling or swimming, it will have a positive effect on both your lipids and glucose level. Since millions of children in this country are obese or significantly overweight and therefore at risk of developing the disease, know that a healthy lifestyle does not only mean diet. It’s up to the parents to drastically curtail TV, computer games, iPads and internet access in general, and encourage your kids to go out and exercise.
2) Here’s to Your (Emotional) Health: Stress has been linked to diabetes because it impacts counter-regulatory hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine, which can lead to an increase in blood sugar. These hormones are those primal forces that give you zip when you really need it. But they’re also released when your body senses smaller stressors. People with diabetes are more responsive to stress than others since their bodies, because of their lack of sufficient insulin, cannot handle the increase in blood sugar that the hormones produce. In addition to showing up physically in the form of heightened blood glucose levels, stress may negatively impact eating behavior which can also increase blood sugar. To counteract stress, try this simple exercise: Slowly flex your feet as much as is comfortable. Hold them in this position for 10 seconds, thinking about the tension you feel. Then, think the word relax and let the tension go. As you do this, be mindful of the relaxation. Gradually work your way from your feet to your head, tensing and releasing each muscle slowly and mindfully.
3) The More You Know: Fiber slows the process by which sugar enters the bloodstream, reducing blood glucose spikes and helping to maintain insulin levels. Phytonutrients, such as lycopene in tomatoes and beta-carotene in carrots, are powerhouses of blood vessel protection, important because many of the complications of diabetes result from damage to the body’s blood vessels. Soy protein helps regulate glucose and insulin levels and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and its severity. And finally, monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil and nuts, decrease both total and LDL cholesterol levels and may decrease insulin resistance.
4) Build Up Your Body: Exercise leads to weight loss and overall better health and it’s also linked better blood sugar regulation. While it may not be a cure for diabetes, it certainly helps in a big way. Not only does it reduce blood pressure, but it has been shown to control and lower blood glucose levels which are the source of energy in our bodies. Strength training in particular, because it increases muscle and reduces fat, is a great option.
5) Tea Party: Dry, itchy skin is common among people with diabetes. Whereas many would think to just slather on a heavy cream, this will probably not handle the problem. The itchiness is more of a symptom of sensitivity. Therefore, avoid hot water showers and baths which can be further irritating and drying. Taking a bath once a week with chamomile tea bags and rosemary steeping in the water will calm the skin so you can have a great night’s sleep.
6) Sweet Dreams: Speaking of sleep… Poor sleep habits can throw off your biological clock, which may induce changes in blood sugar levels. So good sleep is another lifestyle factor that can be adjusted to beneficially affect blood sugar and other important body functions. Exercising early in the day, going to sleep and waking at consistent hours and avoiding caffeine in the evenings is a good start.
7) Go with the Pros. Whether you have just been diagnosed or have had diabetes for some time it is important that you find the right support team. This will help to ensure that your diabetes, blood pressure and blood fats are all kept in check as well as detecting any early signs of complications so that they can be caught and treated successfully,” she says. To that end, seek out Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs), health professionals such as nurses and dietitians who have undergone special training to enable them to give patients valuable information on how to self-manage diabetes through proper nutrition, appropriate physical activity, medication management, risk-reduction and glucose monitoring. To locate a CDE in your area, ask your doctor or contact the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Check, too, with your doctor or local hospital about finding local support groups and topical lectures.
8) Step Up to the Plate: Try a simple strategy for healthy nutrition from the American Diabetes Association called “Create Your Plate.” This will help you figure out which foods to eat and how much. Here’s how it works: Draw an imaginary line down the middle of a dinner plate, then divide the left side of your plate once more into two equal sections. Now you have three sections on your plate—two small and one large. For every meal, try to fill the largest section with nonstarchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes or cucumbers. In one of the small sections, place starchy foods such as whole-grain breads, rice, pasta, tortillas, peas, potatoes, corn, lima beans, low-fat crackers or chips or pretzels. In the other small section, put low-fat meat such as a deck-of-cards-size piece of chicken, tuna, salmon, cod, lean beef or pork; or go with high-protein meat substitutes like tofu, eggs, or low-fat cheese. Add a low-fat drink and a piece of fruit for dessert. Getting in the habit of organizing your meals this way can help make healthful eating a little easier, which can make a real difference when it comes to managing your diabetes.
9) Be Prepared: Keeping healthy food options readily available at home helps people with diabetes follow their meal plans. If the freezer is stocked with frozen vegetables and lean meats, it makes fixing a quick healthy meal much easier and reduces the temptation for high calorie take-out food. Also, stock snacks such as low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, baby carrots and precut vegetables, string cheese and reduced fat cheeses.
10) One Small Step: Taking small steps—such as losing a modest amount of body weight, following a low-calorie, low-fat eating plan and building up to 30- minutes of walking or another moderate physical activity a day, five days a week can yield big rewards. Millions of people could delay Type 2 diabetes for years, and possibly prevent it all together which can mean a healthier and longer life without serious complications from the disease. For more information about this, click onto: http://ndep.nih.gov/am-i-at-risk/
Making positive daily decisions will help you live a longer, happier, healthier life—one that, despite having Diabetes, will be Better Than Before
