Diabetes Health Talk

Vegetables

Under the diet, Dr. Baxter Montgomery encourages patients to eat plant-based foods, minimally processed foods (that means all those foods that come prepared in a box or package), and to eat whole foods, as close to their natural state as possible.

For instance, you could shuck a corn on the cob and just eat it uncooked. He says it’s actually delicious that way, plus you get all the nutrients from it.

Dr. Montgomery also steers his patients away from meat, which he calls “animal flesh”. He says our digestive systems aren’t actually meant to digest meats and it puts an extra burden on the body.

More and more Doctors, Dieticians and Nutritionists are seeing the benefits of a low-carb, low-calorie, low-starch diet for Diabetics. Mostly plant-based, these meal plans for life (because ‘diets don’t work’) reduce and remove the underlying cause for diabetes and insulin resistance.

In my life, i’ve cut out most carbohydrates and starches, certainly no process foods and increased my vegetables and lean meats and fish. The old saying is true: Do most of your shopping on the outside perimeter of the store! All the processed, unhealthy foods are in the aisles. There is a noticible difference in my energy level. And my skin looks healthier, younger and more natural.

Make vegetables a main course or the big filler on your plate instead of meats, carbohydrates or starches. You will feel better, less likely to drowse off after eating and your blood sugar will thank you for it.

Balloons

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body metabolizes sugar (glucose). Type 2 diabetes in children develops when a child’s body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar into cells — or when a child’s pancreas produces some, but not enough, insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes, also is a concern. Left untreated, prediabetes can progress to type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a similar condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes in children, but there’s plenty you can do to help your child manage — or prevent — the condition. Encourage your child to eat healthy foods, get plenty of physical activity and maintain a healthy weight. If diet and exercise aren’t enough, your child may need oral medication or insulin treatment to manage his or her blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early stages when your child is feeling fine. But type 2 diabetes must be taken seriously. The condition can affect nearly every major organ in your child’s body, including the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Keeping your child’s blood sugar level close to normal most of the time can dramatically reduce the risk of these complications.

Short-term complications
Short-term complications of type 2 diabetes require immediate care. Left untreated, these conditions can cause seizures and loss of consciousness (coma).

Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease. Helping your child follow his or her diabetes treatment plan takes round-the-clock commitment. But your efforts are worthwhile. Careful management of type 2 diabetes can reduce your child’s risk of serious — even life-threatening — complications.

As your child gets older, encourage him or her to take an increasingly active role in diabetes management. Stress the importance of lifelong diabetes care. Teach your child how to test his or her blood sugar and, if needed, inject insulin. Help your child make wise food choices. Encourage your child to remain physically active. Foster a relationship between your child and his or her diabetes treatment team. Make sure your child wears a medical ID tag.

Above all, stay positive. The habits you teach your child today will help him or her enjoy an active and healthy life with type 2 diabetes.

A1C

The ongoing Memory in Diabetes (MIND) study, a sub-study of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, found that higher levels of hemoglobin A1C levels (a measure of the average blood glucose levels over a 2-3 month period) are significantly associated with poorer performance on three cognitive tasks, which require memory, speed and the ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time. A higher A1C level was also associated with a lower score on a test of global cognitive function

Previous studies have shown that people with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to experience cognitive decline and dementia than people without diabetes. The MIND results suggest diabetes may be associated with mild cognitive impairment.

“Even a mild impairment in cognitive function is of concern for people with type 2 diabetes,” said lead researcher Dr. Tali Cukierman-Yaffe, of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research, Endocrinology Institute at Sheba Medical Center & Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University in Israel. However, these results are cross-sectional so it is not yet known whether higher levels of blood sugar increase the risk for cognitive impairment or whether impairment decreases the ability to control blood sugar levels. This will be answered in the ongoing ACCORD-MIND study, in which study patients are followed over time and are tested three times during the trial. One aim of this ACCORD-MIND follow-up is to test the hypothesis that lowering A1C could result in improved cognitive function.

Thankfully, I lowered my A1C from 7.2 to 6.5 last year, through eating healthier and exercising. You can too!

Treadmill

The findings published in the journal BioMed Central Endocrine Disorders suggest that people unable to meet government guidelines calling for moderate to vigorous exercise several hours per week can still benefit from exercise.

“This is such a brief amount of exercise you can do it without breaking a sweat,” said James Timmons, an exercise biologist at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who led the study.

“You can make just as big as an effect doing this as you can by doing hours and hours of endurance training each week.”

Type 2 diabetes, which affects an estimated 246 million adults worldwide and accounts for 6 percent of all global deaths, is a condition in which the body gradually loses the ability to use insulin properly to convert food to energy.

Very strict diet and vigorous, regular and sustained exercise can reverse type 2 diabetes, but this can be difficult for many people. The condition is closely linked to inactivity.

Timmons and his team showed that just seven minutes of exercise each week helped a group of 16 men in their early twenties control their insulin.

The volunteers, who were relatively out of shape but otherwise healthy, rode an exercise bike four times daily in 30 second spurts two days a week.

After two weeks, the young men had a 23 percent improvement in how effectively their body used insulin to clear glucose, or blood sugar, from the blood stream, Timmons said.

The effect appears to last up to 10 days after the last round of exercise, he added in a telephone interview.

Pillows

Millions of Americans suffer Sleep Apnea, making it one of the Nations top problems. Scientists state:

“What our research tells us is that SDB is characterized by multiple physiological deficits that increase the predisposition for type 2 diabetes mellitus,” study leader Dr. Naresh Punjabi, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in an American Thoracic Society news release.

Another Hopkins study found that obese people with chronic intermittent hypoxia, the lack of oxygen that occurs during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), showed liver issues in proportion to the severity of the sleep disorder.

“We hypothesize that severe obesity, per se, acts as a first hit in the progression of liver disease, inducing hepatic steatosis, whereas the presence of the chronic intermittent hypoxemia that often characterizes OSA acts as a second hit,” lead researcher Dr. Vsevolod Y. Polotsky, of the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, said in the same news release. “The hypoxic stress of OSA may induce oxidative stress in the livers of patients with severe obesity, leading to further inflammation.”

Enzyme levels and other findings, though, suggest that obesity and sleep apnea are not completely tied to each other, he said, meaning that each condition must be dealt with separately to also address the complications of both.

“Our data suggest that patients with OSA and severe nocturnal hypoxemia should be screened for liver disease, and, conversely, patients with liver disease should be screened for OSA,” Polotsky said.

The researchers found these changes in people who were sedentary but not obese and who they suspected had obstructive sleep apnea — a discovery that might help explain why 40 percent of people with the breathing disorder are not obese and why exercise without weight loss appears to reduce sleep apnea issues in some people.

Randy Jackson

Diagnosed in 1999 with Diabetes Type 2 took the entertainer by surprise, he said in a recent interview with Diabetes Forecast, the consumer magazine of the American Diabetes Association. Staying healthy after ten years of living with diabetes.

Jackson, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1999, was shocked when he learned that he had a chronic disease. “They were sneaky symptoms,” he says. “Of course, I didn’t take into consideration that a history of type 2 diabetes ran in my family, because you always think that happens to somebody else, not you.” But soon after his diagnosis, Jackson took charge. He turned his diet around from the “Southern-fried” foods he was accustomed to, began to exercise regularly, and after much careful consideration, had gastric bypass surgery. As a result of these changes, Jackson has set out to talk to people about lifestyle changes that can prevent diabetes and its complications.

“I still check my blood sugar three or four times a day,” Jackson comments. “I have to surround myself with healthy alternatives — in the office, studio, on set, whatever — so I’m not reaching for something bad, because the habits are still there, I grew up with them.” Jackson has written a new book about his experience with type 2 diabetes that discusses the psychological aspects of weight loss, which he feels are more important that people normally realize. “I’ve been on 80 million diets, lost a bunch of weight and gained it all back,” he states. “There’s more going on here than just food.”

Jackson has seen multiple successes in achieving better health as well as his professional career. Between managing his diabetes, sitting at the judges’ table on American Idol, producing “America’s Best Dance Crew,” and publishing a memoir, he has accomplished a lot since his diagnosis, making many personal changes while building on his career. “It’s like I say in [my] book: ‘An old dawg can learn new tricks!’”

Corn

We all know that an expanding waistline leads to diabetes and heart disease. A smalll, but significant study is looking at types of sugar.

In the study, the sweet stuff dramatically enhanced lipogenesis — the process by which the body converts sugar into fat.

Double or Nothing?
In fact, people in the study who consumed a fructose-laced breakfast drink produced double the body fat in a subsequent 4-hour period, compared with the people who had a glucose-only breakfast beverage. Is this really a surprise? Fat and sugar account for many fast food breakfasts and cereals these days. No wonder there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.

Where You Get It
Fructose is found in fruit and fruit juice. But you probably get most of yours from processed foods, because hundreds of them have it in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — from soups and salad dressings to breads, cereals, crackers, and sweetened beverages. HFCS is a major source of excess calories, according to the American Dietetic Association. The Dr’s from ‘Real Age’ and I recommend cutting all high-fructose corn syrup from your diet. HFCS raises blood sugar!

You will be surprised at how many products have HFCS in them. This will be a great learning opportunity for everyone. Since I’ve cut out processed foods, i’ve lost weight and feel much healthier than I ever have in my life. You will too.

Downtown Seattle

Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan said air pollution not only affects your lungs, it also causes problems in other organs. His research team exposed mice to the same dirty air that many of us breathe every day.

“Every mouse that we exposed to high-fat diet, along with exposure to inhaled particulates, had marked worsening of diabetes,” Rajagopalan said.

Rajagopalan also noted that diabetes rates are highest in urban areas, which often have the worst air.

The study is very telling, that most diabetics live in cities and suburbs. More study needs to be done to verify the claim, but it is interesting to note.

I”ve lived in both smaller towns and bigger cities and haven’t noticed a rise in diabetes, but then again, I wasn’t keeping track. I only developed diabetes after receiving my transplant.

If you live in a dense urban or suburban area, its all the more reason to take care of yourself. Take your blood sugar, adjust your insulin or take your medication, eat low-carb, low-sodium and low-sugar foods and exercise. Some of my favorite vegetables are zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, tomatoes, beets, carrots and the like. Farmers markets are great. You know where they come from and they’re not covered with pesticides.

My food plan is low-carb, high fiber vegetables, beef, chicken and tuna. I walk every day (or compensate in my apt).

Kidneys

Diabetes is one of the number one cause of renal failure in the United States. When I was on Dialysis, many of my fellow patients were there for diabetes induced renal failure. (Mine was caused by a rare kidney disorder, Alports Syndrome. Diabetes was caused after the transplant). By taking care of yourself, you can avoid kidney failure.

Keep your blood glucose as close to normal as you can. Ask your doctor what blood glucose numbers are healthy for you.

Keep your blood pressure below 130/80 to help prevent kidney damage. Blood pressure is written with two numbers separated by a slash. For example, 120/70 is said as “120 over 70.”

Ask your doctor what numbers are best for you. If you take blood pressure pills every day, take them as your doctor tells you. Keeping your blood pressure under control will also slow down or prevent damage to your eyes, heart, and blood vessels.

Keep your blood pressure below 130/80.

Ask your doctor if you should take pills to slow down kidney damage. Two kinds are available:

ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor
ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker)

Follow the healthy eating plan you work out with your doctor or dietitian. If you already have kidney problems, your dietitian may suggest you cut back on protein, such as meat.

Have your kidneys checked at least once a year by having your urine tested for small amounts of protein. This test is called the microalbumin test.

Have your blood tested at least once a year for creatinine. The result of this test should be used to estimate your glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a measure of kidney function.

Pills can help you control your blood pressure and slow down kidney damage.

Have any other kidney tests your doctor thinks you need.

Avoid taking painkillers regularly. Daily use of pills like aspirin or acetaminophen can damage the kidneys. Taking a single dose of aspirin every day to protect the heart, however, should be safe. Taking acetaminophen for occasional pain should also be safe. But if you are dealing with chronic pain, such as arthritis, work with your doctor to find a way to control your pain without putting your kidneys at risk.

See a doctor right away for bladder or kidney infections. You may have an infection if you have these symptoms:

pain or burning when you urinate
a frequent urge to go to the bathroom
urine that looks cloudy or reddish
fever or a shaky feeling
pain in your back or on your side below the ribs

Sometimes medications can leave us with foul smelling breath. Luckily Mother Nature is always there to take care of us.

Can’t stand the sting of mouthwash, but want sweeter breath? Set down the Scope, and pick up a pinch of one of these herbs instead: parsley, basil, or cilantro.

They all contain the green plant pigment chlorophyll, which is a powerful breath freshener, writes James Duke — a PhD and botanist — in his book, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook.

More Fresheners for Your Mouth
In addition to parsley, basil, and cilantro, Duke recommends these easy-to-find breath fresheners:

Dill: It’s also rich in chlorophyll. Chew the seeds, or make dill tea by adding the leaves or mashed seeds to boiling water.

Cardamom: It contains cineole, a potent antiseptic that kills bad-breath bacteria. You can chew the seeds and then spit them out.

Anise: The seeds of this licorice-flavored herb have been used for thousands of years to freshen breath. Boil the seeds in a cup of water. Strain, and then drink or use as a mouthwash.

Peppermint tea, a strong antiseptic, fights halitosis.

Other good Peppermint news:

The scent of peppermint is like a drill sergeant, telling your brain to “Wake up and focus!” New research shows that you pay better attention to dull-but-must-do jobs when this scent is around. So the next time you’re mentally sluggish, grab a candy cane, chew a stick of peppermint gum, or inhale the scent of mint-infused oil, and then listen to your brain say, “Can do!”

Science has confirmed it: When there’s a hint of mint wafting through the room, workers perform better on jobs that demand accuracy. In a study, participants made fewer typing mistakes and alphabetized things faster when under the influence of peppermint’s aroma compared to tasks performed in a scent-free zone.

Test strips

Talk about a great scientific discovery! Here’s the science, in a nutshell:

compared proteins in saliva samples from 10 people with type 2 diabetes, 20 people with prediabetes, and 10 healthy people.

A total of 65 salivary proteins differed between the diabetes patients and people without prediabetes or diabetes.

Several of those proteins were more abundant in the diabetes patients than people with prediabetes. So if levels of those proteins start rising, that might mark the shift from prediabetes to diabetes, note Rao and colleagues.

The saliva test for diabetes and prediabetes isn’t ready for mainstream use. First, it needs to be tested on larger groups of people.

Even if this is a preliminary test, it shows great promise. Soon, parents, doctors and phlebotomists will no longer hear the screaming cries of children because they have to draw blood. So much can be gleaned from saliva these days. Science can draw DNA from saliva, testing for so many things.

But for now, they can only test for Diabetes type 2. So much the better for us ‘brave’ adults who squeamishly look the other way when the needle comes towards our arms and veins for that almighty blood glucose test. When this becomes mainstream, all we’ll need to do is have a test strip swiped across our cheek or tongue. And that’ll be it.

This makes me wonder what else science can do for Diabetics? If they can reduce the testing to a saliva sample, what other scientific discoveries are the on the verge of making? Non-invasive shots?

Healthy Mediterranean foods

Whether or not you have diabetes, there are nutrition guidelines that everyone should strive to follow. Healthy living includes many things, including diet, exercise, mental and emotional health. Life throws monkey wrenches in our path that is out of our control. What is in our control is how we adapt to and learn from these intrusions. By following the guidlines that Cooking Light shares, we’ll be better able to lead a healthier lifestyle.

1. Eat smart, be fit, and live longer–Eat a predominately plant-based diet that offers a balance of healthful fats; a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; and quality sources of protein that are low in saturated fat, which is linked to elevated rates of cardiovascular disease.

2. Select carbs that satisfy– Whole grains, in particular, are a superior carbohydrate choice. Women who average two to three daily servings of whole grains have a 30 percent reduced risk for heart attack and type 2 diabetes compared to women who consume less than one serving per week, according to the Nurses’ Health Study.

3. Boost your nutrient power–Dietitians increasingly recommend and have a term for foods inherently rich in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial nutrients without additional calories: “nutrient dense” or “nutrient rich.” The idea is to choose foods that offer the most nutritional bang for the caloric buck.

4. Save room for treats–The key is to make even your discretionary calories nutritionally sound. Enjoy nuts (which offer satisfying protein, fiber, and beneficial fats) as a snack, or make hot chocolate with unsweetened cocoa, a touch of sugar, and fat-free milk for added protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

5. Be savvy about salt–focus on fresh, whole foods. “Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and meats may naturally contain minimal amounts of sodium, but that’s hardly the sodium found in many processed foods,” Bauer says. When you do use processed foods, look for no- or reduced-sodium versions to help avoid adding extra sodium to your dish.

6. Eat foods that are good for you — and the planet–Place as much emphasis on produce-based side dishes as on meat entrées.

7. Beware of portion distortion–Portion control is easy to practice in your own kitchen. hen cooking with ingredients that aren’t already portioned or plating finished dishes, pay close attention to measurements. Use tools like measuring cups or kitchen scales to help you identify the correct amount.

By following these healthy living tips, you’ll look and feel better. Plus, you’ll be fit enough to dodge all those monkey wrenches.

Inauguration 2009

Don’t miss out!

Add me on Facebook, Brick ONeil, as we watch this historic day when our Nation Inaugurates our first African American/Black President! What a proud day for the United States, and indeed, the World.

Remember where you were when America’s first chosen African American President was sworn in to bring America back! The entire world waits in eager anticipation, seeing President Elect Obama as the one person who can bring everyone together. What will his first actions, as President, be? How will world leaders welcome him? TIme will tell.

Enjoy history in the making.