Diabetic Recipes: BBQ and Diabetes

How to Prevent Diabetes Complications in Feet

Top 8 Vegetables for Diabetes

Coping With Negative Moods - The Diabetes Experience

Have you ever taken a ride on a diabetes rollercoaster?

 No, I’m not talking about a ride at Disney World! It’s the emotional up-and-down ride that many people living with diabetes, and their loved ones, may experience. 

The rollercoaster can be triggered by a variety of factors, including blood sugar levels, stress, and emotional challenges. 

Here are a few of these issues along with tips that may help - Read more - Coping with negative moods | The DX: The Diabetes Experience

Diabetes Friendly Fridge

Colgate Total® Launches "Watch Your Mouth!"

The "Watch Your Mouth!" Campaign in Collaboration with the American Diabetes Association®

In support of October's National Dental Hygiene Month and American Diabetes Month in November, Colgate Total® has launched  "Watch Your Mouth!", a new campaign to help raise awareness about the often overlooked link between oral health and diabetes. 

Life With Type 1 Diabetic Teens

Articles written just for teens who are living every day with the challenges of T1D

This guide offers practical advice to help address the questions most common to teens with T1D - mood swings, academic performance, friendships, driving with T1D, and many others - so that parents and teens know what to expect and can enjoy this unique time in their lives.

Download the Teen Diabetic Toolkit here 

African Americans Less Likely to Adhere to Medication for Type 2 Diabetes

We already know that African Americans have higher rates of type 2 diabetes and the accompanying complications, and researchers at Ohio State University reveal that this group is less likely to adhere to their medication schedule. 

Photo Credit: Milwaukee Community Journal

They looked at almost 2,700 individuals with type 2 diabetes and learned that medication adherence was 12% down among African Americans.

Data was gathered from people on one of three medications for type 2 diabetes – thiazolidinedione, sulfonylurea or metformin. 

They looked at whether a person had refilled their prescription as a guide to medication adherence. The African American participants took their medication as prescribed 54% of the time, compared to the white participants who took it 59% of the time. Of the drugs, metformin was the one with the poorest medication adherence. 

Clearly more needs to be done to explain the importance of taking medication to all people who have type 2 diabetes, so they can avoid complications of the disease.


Source: Tele-Management - Ethnic origin is a factor in medication adherence for type 2 diabetes

Reducing Sodium in a Salty World

There’s been a lot of talk lately about limiting salt intake to improve your health, but the conversation is not new

Photo Credit: American Heart Association

Experts have known since the first studies were published in the 1940s that significantly reducing sodium in the diet could lower blood pressure. The dangers of excessive salt have been known for so long that thousands of years ago Chinese noblemen would use large amounts to commit suicide.

Today, sodium excess remains a deadly threat. The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, more than double the 1,500 milligrams recommended by the American Heart Association.

Too much sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure and other major health problems. More than 76.4 million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure — one-third of the population. High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” because its symptoms are not always obvious.


Continue Reading at American Heart Association site

How to Make Healthy Recipes for Diabetics

Women Under 60 With Diabetes at Much Greater Risk for Heart Disease

Generally, women under 60 are at far less risk for coronary artery disease than men of the same age. 

But among women of that age who have diabetes, their risk of heart disease increases by up to four times, making it roughly equal to men’s risk of this same form of heart disease.

Read more

Support World Diabetes Day With Thunderclap!

Take a positive step to fight the diabetes epidemic. 

Join the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on World Diabetes Day to show your support for improved access to essential care and medicines for all people with diabetes. 

I support World #Diabetes Day because millions don’t have access to the care they need #WDD  thndr.it/16jyRfB

Thanks for your support,
Charles

Presidential Proclamation — National Diabetes Month, 2013

NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH, 2013

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

With more than 25 million Americans living with a diabetes diagnosis, and many more going undiagnosed, diabetes affects people across our country and remains a pressing national health concern. 

During National Diabetes Month, we renew our dedication to combating this chronic, life-threatening illness by standing with those living with diabetes, honoring the professionals and advocates engaged in fighting diabetes, and working to raise awareness about prevention and treatment.

Diabetes can lead to serious complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and blindness. Type 1 diabetes, often diagnosed in children, limits insulin production and its causes are not well defined. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for more than 90% of diabetes cases, has been linked to older age and family history, although it is increasingly being diagnosed in younger Americans and is associated with obesity and inactivity. 

The risk is particularly high among African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I encourage all Americans to talk to their health care provider about steps they can take to prevent or manage this disease.

With diabetes ranking among the leading causes of death in the United States, my Administration is committed to supporting Americans living with diabetes, investing in promising scientific research, advancing work toward improved treatment and care, and bolstering prevention efforts. 

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, no American with diabetes can be denied health insurance based on their diagnosis, and in most plans, Americans at increased risk can access diabetes screenings at no cost to them. 

The National Diabetes Prevention Program engages private and public partners to help people with prediabetes adopt lifestyles that can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes, and the National Diabetes Education Program focuses on delaying and preventing disease onset while also working to improve outcomes for those living with the disease.

With our next generation in mind, First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative has taken on the staggering rise in childhood obesity our Nation has seen over the past three decades, and Let's Move! is empowering families and communities to put children on a path to healthier futures. 

Obese children face an increased risk of adult obesity and all the health risks that come with it, including Type 2 diabetes. By connecting children with healthy, affordable food options and the opportunity to be active in their communities, Let's Move! is helping our sons and daughters reach a healthier, more promising tomorrow.

This month, as we remember those we have lost to diabetes and support those living with the illness, let us look to a day with fewer cases of diabetes, a firmer understanding of the disease, and better outcomes for all those affected. By continuing the important research, outreach, and care delivery we have already begun, we know we can get there.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2013 as National Diabetes Month. 

I call upon all Americans, school systems, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, health care providers, research institutions, and other interested groups to join in activities that raise diabetes awareness and help prevent, treat, and manage the disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Washington, D.C. (United States) (OFFICIAL WIRE) October 31, 2013
http://www.officialwire.com/pr/presidential-proclamation-national-diabetes-month-2013/

World Diabetes Day

Did You Know November is Diabetes Awareness Month? . . . 

In many parts of the world November marks the start of a month-long series of activities to put diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. 

On November 14th, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) will be releasing the 6th Edition of its Diabetes Atlas, the authoritative source of evidence on the global burden of diabetes. 

New estimates will be provided for 2013 and 2035 with the goal of strengthening the evidence base for coordinated efforts to stem the diabetes epidemic.

Here is  a reminder of why urgent action is required to protect our future:

• Diabetes is among the top 10 causes of disability, resulting in life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, lower limb amputations and blindness
• 1 in 2 people with diabetes are undiagnosed
• 80% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries.

View all our campaign messages to help inform your awareness activities in the days and weeks to come. Together we can make a difference!

http://www.idf.org/

What You Need to Know About This Year's Medicare Open Enrollment Period

If you have Medicare, you don't need to participate in the new health insurance marketplace

If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, here’s something for your autumn to-do list: Go Medicare shopping.

Review your benefits and costs for 2014, compare alternatives and decide whether to keep or change plans during Medicare’s annual open enrollment period Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2013.

This year, Medicare’s open enrollment overlaps with open enrollment for the new insurance marketplaces or exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act, also commonly referred to as Obamacare — but don’t let that throw you. 

Medicare’s 50 million-plus beneficiaries, most of them seniors, will steer clear of the marketplaces.

Got questions? Click here to find out what you need to know about Medicare’s open enrollment in the marketplace era.