Tag: prevention

Expert Steps to Prevent and Manage Diabetes

This post introduces National Diabetes Month, aimed at raising diabetes awareness and promoting prevention and management. Diabetes causes high blood glucose due to insufficient insulin. Lifestyle changes, regular screenings, and medication adherence are essential for managing diabetes. Understanding risk factors and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can effectively prevent or delay diabetes onset and complications.

This information is current as of the date of original publication or update. It may have changed by the time you read this. I invite you to fact-check what you read here.

This information is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Before making health decisions, discuss with your physician or other qualified healthcare provider to decide what is right for you.

National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month, designated to raise awareness of diabetes. Taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes may lower your risk of developing health problem related to diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that causes too much of the body’s blood glucose, also called blood sugar, to accumulate in the bloodstream. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Glucose comes from the food you eat, and your body can make it.

Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas,  helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. If you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin, or doesn’t use insulin properly. Without insulin, glucose doesn’t reach your cells.

Diabetes isn’t just about the pancreas. Diabetes affects the eyes, kidneys, nerves, skin, and heart. Diabetes is also linked to some types of cancer.

Knowledge plus action can prevent diabetes health problems.

Stats to Know about Diabetes

As of 2019, 37.3 million people—or 11.3% of the U.S. population—had diabetes.

More than 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 had diabetes. 

Nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes didn’t know they had the disease.

About 90% to 95% of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes.

Know About Pre-diabetes

Prediabetes is defined as a blood sugar level that is in the higher end of the normal range, but not high enough to diagnose diabetes. While many of these people don’t develop diabetes, it does indicate a higher risk, so is worth knowing about and checking regularly. 

Since 2001, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) research study has shown that intensive lifestyle interventions and select medications are cost-effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes. 

Learn Your Risk for Diabetes.

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you have overweight or obesity; are age 35 or older; have a family history of diabetes; are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander; are not physically active; or have prediabetes.

The exact reasons these factors increase the chance of diabetes is not known. Scientists suspect genetics plays a role. Lifestyle may also impact one’s risk. 

Later in this post you can discover your risk for diabetes with a simple online test.

The ABCs of Diabetes 

Manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Preventing diabetes or managing diabetes as soon as possible after diagnosis may help prevent diabetes health problems. You can start by managing your diabetes ABCs.

A is for the A1C test (hemoglobin A1C) that health care professionals use to measure your average blood glucose levels. Some people with diabetes also use devices to track their blood glucose throughout the day and night.

  • B is for Blood pressure.
  • C is for Cholesterol.
  • S is for Stop Smoking

Ask your health care team what your ABCs goals should be.

Develop a Healthy Lifestyle

Lifestyle habits like planning healthy meals, being physically active, getting enough sleep, and not smoking may help you prevent diabetes or manage your diabetes ABCs.

You don’t have to do it all at once. Start slow and build healthier habits from there.

Four illustrations of a family with the text: 1) Make sleep a priority, 2) Try a relaxing activity, 3) Focus on positivity, and 4) Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated.

Using Diabetes Medications 

Remember to take your medicines even if you feel healthy. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have trouble taking your medicines on time or at the correct dose.

If you have trouble paying for medication, your doctor may suggest less costly alternatives. 

Insulin pumps contain enough insulin for several days. An infusion set carries insulin from the pump to the body through flexible plastic tubing and a soft tube or needle inserted under the skin.

Weight and Diabetes 

If you have overweight or obesity, ask your primary care provider if healthy eating, physical activity, or other weight-loss treatments may help you manage your weight.

You may prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight. Use the Diabetes Risk Management Calculator to determine how much weight you can lose to help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Manage Stress and Emotions

Managing diabetes can be hard. If you feel down, sad, or overwhelmed, learn about healthy ways to cope with stress. Consider talking to a mental health counselor or joining a support group.

Work with your Healthcare Team.

Managing diabetes takes a team. Your health care team may include a primary care provider, diabetes specialist, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator.

Ask your primary care provider if you should talk with other health care professionals about preventing or managing diabetes. These might include specialists for

  • feet-podiatrists,
  • skin-dermatologists,
  • heart-cardiologists,
  • eyes-opthalmologists.

Diabetes medicines, devices, and office visits can be expensive. A social worker or a member of your health care team may be able to help you find community resources or financial help for diabetes care.

Your health insurance provider may offer additional services to manage diabetes. Some employers offer preventive medicine services to their employees and their dependents.

Post Images and Graphics

The images and graphics are public use from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. I drew most of the content from the NIKKD website and added my insights.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), is part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK research creates knowledge about and treatments for diseases that are among the most chronic, costly, and consequential for patients, their families, and the Nation.

Cover Image

The cover image of this post was created by JetPackAI available with WordPress.

Awareness and Action

There is much more to know about diabetes but the main point I hope you take away from this post is the importance of getting screened for diabetes. Take this short test to assess your risk.

Assess Your Risk

What was your score? Mine was 5 out of 10, that’s considered high risk. I knew that because my father had diabetes and developed heart disease as a result. I lost him to his disease many years ago. I wish his diabetes had been discovered sooner and that he had done more to keep it well controlled.

Once you are screened, ask your health care provider how often it should be repeated. There is no one right answer, it depends largely on your risk factors. Anytime you feel seriously ill, especially if you have any of the symptoms of diabetes, you should be tested again.

Testing for diabetes is a simple blood test, relatively inexpensive, so there is no reason not to test adults. Children and teenagers need testing less often, unless there are significant risk factors.

Learn more about diabetes signs in this post

10 Silent Signs of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus type 2, often linked to obesity, complicates blood glucose control for overweight individuals. It contributes to serious complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, and neuropathy. Early diagnosis and effective management through lifestyle changes and medication are crucial. Everyone should be aware of symptoms and high-risk factors for diabetes.

Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.'s avatar by Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.

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How Vaccination Protects Against Infectious and Chronic Diseases

In this post I remind you that infectious diseases can be mild but may lead to severe complications or chronic conditions. Trust in vaccines is essential, as their widespread use has drastically reduced the incidence of certain diseases. Recent measles outbreaks highlight the importance of vaccination efforts which are threatened by vaccine hesitancy.

When you or someone you love is sick with an infectious disease, you question how it was contracted, how long it takes to resolve, and how it could have been prevented.

Fortunately, many infectious diseases are self-limited, meaning they run a fairly predictable course and resolve with or without intervention. These include the common cold, influenza, gastroenteritis, and infectious mononucleosis.

But sometimes infections can cause severe complications or become prolonged illnesses that threaten life or cause long-term disability. We experienced this with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, causing millions to be hospitalized and die.

Influenza A infects humans and animals, making it easily spread and a pandemic risk.

Under the current administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, directed by Secretary Kennedy, prioritizes chronic diseases. And it should. According to the CDC, the leading causes of death in the United States are chronic illnesses and unintentional injuries.

But some chronic conditions start with an infection, such as cancers(due to HPV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and chronic liver disease. And researchers expect to find more.

As the list of chronic diseases associated with long-term viral infection grows, experimental models suggest that chronic virus infection contributes to certain cancers, as well as to diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). 

Emory University

That’s why I’m sharing advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci, who you probably remember from the COVID-19 pandemic. Long before that virus, he spent years working on the prevention and treatment of other serious viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and SARS.

How the treatment options for HIV/AIDS have improved since 1987.

In this article published on the NIH website five years ago, Dr. Fauci explained the value of vaccination in preventing infections and his concern about widespread distrust in vaccine science.

December 4, 2019

Building Trust in Vaccines

By Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., (Former) Director,

NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Vaccine research reduces disease.

As the director of NIAID, I oversee biomedical research on novel and improved vaccines for infectious diseases- dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and HIV.

Daily, scientists are advancing research on vaccine technologies that we hope will reduce disease and save lives. Daily, misinformation is threatening to erode the public’s trust in vaccines.

As communicators, we must remind people that vaccination remains one of the best ways to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from serious infectious diseases. 

Vaccine side effects are extremely rare.

The benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the risks. But, with so many vaccine myths spreading online, some people are confused.

People often ask me why they need to get vaccinated against diseases they have never seen. For example, only five cases of diphtheria have been reported in the past decade.

I explain that decades of widespread vaccination are precisely why certain infectious diseases are so uncommon in the U.S(link is external).

The more people who get vaccinated, the harder it is for an infectious disease to spread. This is what scientists call  herd immunity.

Unfortunately, successful immunization programs may have diminished our sense of urgency to get vaccinated. People are less concerned about diseases such as polio or measles because most have not seen these debilitating illnesses.

Measles re-emerges when vaccination lags

Yet, recent outbreaks of measles in the U.S. illustrate how gaps in vaccination coverage can allow a highly contagious respiratory disease to spread quickly.

Thanks to widespread immunization, measles has not been endemic (constantly present) in the U.S. for more than 20 years. However, measles exists in other countries, and can come to the U.S. by travelers and then spread to unimmunized people.

It can be helpful to think of vaccines like seatbelts. Although we do not expect to be in an accident every time we drive a car, we still buckle up and strap our children in car seats.

Even though some vaccine-preventable diseases are uncommon in the U.S., it is important to continue recommended immunizations. The recent resurgence of measles is a tragic reminder of what happens when people decide not to vaccinate.

Effective vaccination programs can completely eradicate certain diseases. 

Smallpox, which killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone, was eradicated in 1980 thanks to an unprecedented immunization campaign that remains one of the world’s greatest public health achievements.

Influenza vaccine’s importance

Recently, I shared my flu shot experience to encourage people to get immunized (October 16, 2019)

As a public health official, I feel obliged to use every opportunity I have to emphasize the value of vaccination and dispel myths about vaccines. As I emphasize in the video, it is misguided on both a personal and community level to skip getting a flu shot.

Influenza can be a very serious illness. Even young, otherwise healthy people who become ill with influenza feel terrible and may miss days of work or school.

Some may even need to be hospitalized. According to the CDC, during the 2017-2018 influenza season, influenza caused an estimated 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths in the U.S..

Studies show that flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick and can reduce your risk of flu-associated hospitalization should you become infected(link is external).

Not getting vaccinated also increases the risk of infection to vulnerable individuals in the community. We share a responsibility to protect not just ourselves, but our community from influenza.

Babies under six months of age and people with certain health conditions who cannot be vaccinated are better protected from influenza when the community has widespread vaccination coverage, thus reducing influenza transmission.

Vaccine safety testing

As we research new vaccine technologies, it is important to clearly explain the rigorous process by which vaccines are tested).

Vaccine candidates are first examined in the laboratory and advance to clinical trials only if they are safe in animals. In early-stage clinical trials, researchers test if the vaccine is safe and causes an immune response.

Then, they test the vaccine in large groups to see if it effectively prevents disease. Before granting a license, the FDA evaluates all data to ensure the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any potential side effects.

Additional measures are in place to monitor adverse events post-licensure.

As research advances our understanding of how to prevent and treat disease, we must continue to identify ways to increase the public’s trust in vaccines.

Vaccines can save lives, but only if people trust that they are safe and effective.

Republished from the NIH website, which is in the public domain. Edits done for clarity and length.

Dr. Fauci retired from the NIH in January 2023 after 50 years of service.

Post Images

I took the images in this post during a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, in 2023. The pictures were part of a temporary exhibit, Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World.

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha