JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- November is National Diabetes Awareness month.
The Health Management team at the JBER hospital is engaging with clients through activities, such as the display in the hospital lobby during the month of November, as well as health fairs, Diabetes Wellness Education Classes, individual consultation opportunities and much more.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which there is too much sugar in the blood. Blood sugar, or glucose, is controlled by insulin, a hormone the body makes.
If you have diabetes, your body does not make enough insulin or does not effectively use the insulin it makes.
There are two types of diabetes; in Type 1, the body does not produce insulin. This form affects children and young adults.
In Type 2, the body does not use insulin properly and cannot make enough of it to control blood sugar.
Most people who are diagnosed with diabetes have this form.
A person who has diabetes may feel symptoms like excessive thirst, extreme hunger, extreme fatigue, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, tingling, pain, or numbness in hands and/or feet, blurred vision, and sores, cuts, or bruises that are slow to heal.
Without proper care, diabetes can cause serious health problems like heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations.
Do you have diabetes?
Are you one of the estimated 86 million people in this country who have pre-diabetes? If you have pre-diabetes, you are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and also are at increased risk of developing heart disease.
Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as full-blown diabetes.
Those with pre-diabetes are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within a decade unless they adopt a healthier lifestyle that includes weight loss and more physical activity. Providers sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, depending on what test was used when it was detected.
Fasting blood sugar is your blood sugar level before you have something to eat in the morning. Fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter suggests prediabetes.
There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes, so, you may have it and not know it. Some people with prediabetes may have some of the symptoms of diabetes or even problems from diabetes already. You usually find out that you have prediabetes when being tested for diabetes.
How does it happen?
According to the World Health Organization, the rate of people with diabetes has quadrupled since the 1980s.
Researchers aren’t sure what exactly causes the insulin process to go awry. There are several risk factors that make it more likely that you’ll develop pre-diabetes.
These are the same risk factors related to the development of Type 2 diabetes:
Weight: If you’re overweight (have a body mass index of greater than 25), you’re at a high risk for developing prediabetes – especially if you carry a lot of extra weight in your abdomen. The extra fat cells can cause your body to become more insulin resistant.
Lack of physical activity: This often goes hand-in-hand with being overweight. If you aren’t physically active, you’re more likely to develop prediabetes.
Family history: Prediabetes has a hereditary factor. If someone in your close family has (or had) it, you are more likely to develop it.
Race/ethnicity: Certain ethnic groups are more likely to develop prediabetes, including African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Asian Americans.
Age: The older you are, the more at risk you are for developing prediabetes. At age 45, your risk starts to rise, and after age 65, your risk increases exponentially.
Gestational diabetes: If you developed diabetes while you were pregnant, that increases your risk for developing prediabetes later on.
Other health problems: High blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (the “bad” LDL cholesterol) increase your risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.
How to prevent it
Research shows that you can lower your risk for Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent by: Losing seven percent of your body weight (or 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds). Losing weight also helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Follow a healthy diet. Eat foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, poultry and other meats. Don’t eat a lot of processed foods or sweeteners such as sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or molasses. Eat foods made with whole grains instead of white flour.
Exercising moderately (such as brisk walking or swimming) 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Ask your doctor what exercise level is safe for you.
If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for Type 2 diabetes every one to two years.
Preventing Diabetes
There are several things you can do to lessen your chances of getting diabetes. Some suggestions include:
Manage your weight. Cut back on foods high in sugar, fat, cholesterol, and salt. Drink water and seltzer instead of soda and fruit juices. Drink less alcohol as it can interfere with blood sugar levels and has a lot of calories.
Do not smoke as smokers are more likely to develop diabetes than non-smokers. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day
Get an annual check-up from your doctor.
Managing diabetes
Along with following the above tips on how to prevent diabetes, here are suggestions on how to manage your diabetes: Talk to your doctor about your care. A doctor will give you a physical examination, prescribe medicine, and advise you on the best practices to manage your health. Monitor your blood sugar by using a blood glucose meter or “glucometer” as directed by your doctor. Keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control with diet and exercise. Get your eyes, feet, and teeth examined by a doctor as diabetes can affect those parts of the body.
We care for you
The Health Management team at JBER hospital provides education, care and support for diabetes. The team also offers programs like diabetes education classes and an honors card program along with support sessions to help those at risk of, or dealing with, diabetes learn to control it.
We have appointments and extended hours that fit your busy schedule with a care team ready to serve you and your family from the very first visit.
The registered nurses of the Health Management team specialize in diabetes care and management. For more information about the team or about diabetes, call 580-2661.