Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is probably less well known than cardiovascular disease, but it can be just as deadly. Experts from SeniorHealth, a division of the National Institutes of Health, share what you should know about the illness and how you can help prevent it: Peripheral arterial disease is a disease in which plaque builds… Continue reading What You Should Know About Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Tag: Diabetes
Pokémon Go Could Be a Solution to Obesity and Chronic Disease
Researchers at the University of Leicester’s Diabetes Centre in the UK believe the smartphone craze Pokémon Go could be an “innovative solution” to rising obesity levels and chronic disease. A release from the university notes that millions of people around the world have started to play Pokémon Go, a virtual reality treasure hunt where players… Continue reading Pokémon Go Could Be a Solution to Obesity and Chronic Disease
Recommended Diabetes Screenings Overlook Many Patients
The latest guidelines for diabetes screening may not be working so well. In a narrow view of the clinical recommendations made by the United States Preventive Task Force, researchers from Northwestern Medicine found that those guidelines missed 55 percent of high-risk patients who had diabetes or prediabetes. The 2015 screening guidelines from the USPSTF —… Continue reading Recommended Diabetes Screenings Overlook Many Patients
Diet Soda and Hypertension
Does drinking diet soda raise blood pressure? Despite what you might have heard, the answer is no, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Irvin Cohen, a nephrologist at Mayo in Scottsdale, Arizona, says that there have been several studies on a possible connection between diet soda and hypertension but that none of them… Continue reading Diet Soda and Hypertension
Vacation Tips for Diabetes Patients
Everyone loves going on vacation – and to have the best possible time, diabetes patients need to do some extra preparation before they leave. Here, from the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) are some suggestions for a safe holiday: Before you leave, the ADA says, ask your doctor for two documents: a letter and a prescription.… Continue reading Vacation Tips for Diabetes Patients
Intensive Treatment of Glucose Levels Can Lead to Serious Complications
With a more-is-better mindset common in society, frequent commercials encouraging checks of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels, and ads for new diabetes medications to lower HbA1C in adults with Type 2 diabetes, Mayo Clinic researchers were not too surprised to find overtesting occurring. Beyond overtesting, however, such focus on HbA1C levels can lead to serious harms… Continue reading Intensive Treatment of Glucose Levels Can Lead to Serious Complications
Stress and Diabetes: What’s the Link?
Researchers have found a link between emotional stress and diabetes, with roots in the brain’s ability to control anxiety. That control lies with the brain’s executive functions, processes that handle attention, inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility and are also involved in reasoning, problem-solving and planning. The study by Rice University researchers, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology,… Continue reading Stress and Diabetes: What’s the Link?
Getting Financial Help for Diabetes Care
Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, or have been managing the condition for a while, you know how expensive the health-care cost can be. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes has two fact sheets that can help: Financial Help for Diabetes Care and Financial… Continue reading Getting Financial Help for Diabetes Care
A New Understanding of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Wound Healing
A research team from Wayne State University in Detroit published a paper in the April 2016 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation that provides a paradigm shift in the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and wound healing in the treatment of corneal and skin diabetic ulcers. A release from… Continue reading A New Understanding of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Wound Healing
EveryDay Steps to a Great Walking Program
One of the best ways to manage type 2 diabetes is with a walking program. But it’s often hard to begin. Here, from the Diabetes Hands Foundation and AstraZeneca, is a program, EveryDay Steps, that can help you get started walking and keep going: Set a Goal – Before you begin, talk to your doctor… Continue reading EveryDay Steps to a Great Walking Program
Keeping An Eye on Diabetic Vision Problems
Here, from experts from the National Eye Institute, is what you need to know about one of the most serious problems affecting diabetics: What is diabetic eye disease? It is a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may get. All of these eye problems can lead to vision loss or blindness. Here are… Continue reading Keeping An Eye on Diabetic Vision Problems
Living with Heart Failure
About five million people in the U.S. have heart failure, and that number is inching up. The condition is linked to 300,000 deaths per year, and it’s the most common reason people are hospitalized. The condition develops gradually, experts say, as the pumping ability of the heart grows weaker. At that point, it can’t pump… Continue reading Living with Heart Failure
Electronic Health Records Provide Unexpected Diagnoses
Researchers who have investigated thousands of electronic health records say there could be more accurate and less expensive ways to identify who have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Not only did they develop an algorithm with the potential to vastly the number of diagnoses, they also uncovered several previously unknown risk factors for diabetes, including a… Continue reading Electronic Health Records Provide Unexpected Diagnoses
Healthy Eating for Diabetics at Winter Gatherings
Winter is a time when we tend to rely on comfort foods like ham and mashed potatoes, while high-fat, high-calorie snacks are the norm at football play-off gatherings. Here, from the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a division of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, are tips to help you eat… Continue reading Healthy Eating for Diabetics at Winter Gatherings
Workplace Diabetes-Prevention Programs of Great Benefit to Employees
For employees who have high blood sugar, a diabetes-prevention program could be one of the best workplace benefits ever. A new study found that employees enrolled in a workplace intervention program as a group lost more weight, showed greater reductions in fasting blood sugar and ate less fat than employees who received only written health… Continue reading Workplace Diabetes-Prevention Programs of Great Benefit to Employees
Fighting Diabetes’ Deadly Impact on Minorities
You inherit more than your eye and hair color from your family. You can also inherit a predisposition for diabetes, a disease that disproportionally affects racial and ethnic minorities. The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is building relationships with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and other groups to… Continue reading Fighting Diabetes’ Deadly Impact on Minorities
Finding Earlier Signs of Pre-Diabetes
Researchers have discovered how to tell if a patient is pre-diabetic – by measuring the fatty acids in their blood. The finding, by University of Hawai’i Cancer Center scientists, may allow physicians to warn patients years before the onset of diabetes, therefore allowing them to change their lifestyle patterns and potentially avoid the diagnosis of… Continue reading Finding Earlier Signs of Pre-Diabetes
Is Your Hearing Loss a Symptom of Diabetes?
We face so many concerns as we age, especially when it comes to our health. It seems like the media reminds us every day to worry about what we eat, how often we exercise, and what symptoms should send us running to our doctor’s office. It’s not surprising so many of us neglect our hearing… Continue reading Is Your Hearing Loss a Symptom of Diabetes?