Diabetes Compounded by Arthritis Makes Exercise More Difficult
Exercise is an important part of diabetes management. It lowers blood glucose levels for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It also helps you keep your weight down, burns fat, and builds muscle, which helps lessen insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. But, what if you have arthritis on top of diabetes? It isn't easy to exercise when your joints are aching.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that at least 50% of people with diabetes also have arthritis. This was in comparison to 27% of all adults surveyed. This is based on a survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). It's a nationwide, randomized telephone survey, where participants answer questions about their health.
According to the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program, gentle exercise that promotes flexibility, strength and cardiovascular benefits is important for people with arthritis, too. It keeps joints from becoming stiff, strengthens the support structures surrounding the joints, and increases well-being.
Good exercise choices include: swimming, walking, bicycling, yoga and tai chi. As always, check with your physician before starting any exercise program.
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Video Game Inspires Post-Menopausal Women and Leads to Better Health
What if you could play a video game and achieve better health? What if you weren't a teenager? What if you were the grandparent of a teenager? Could you still reap the benefits of a video game that gets you up off the couch and dancing like crazy?
The answer is... yes. That is, if you're dancing to the video game known as Dance Dance Revolution. In a six week University of Pittsburgh pilot study, 31 postmenopausal women who were 48 to 70 years old and led sedentary lifestyles, were asked to play the game. Dance Dance Revolution is an interactive video game that challenges players to follow the dance moves that are shown on the screen, by moving their feet on a pressure sensitive mat in the right sequence. Players score points for doing it correctly, and then they progress through increasingly complicated levels.
The women were supposed to play the game for 30 minutes twice a week. Many of the women found the game to be so much fun, that they asked the researchers if they could play longer, more often.
The women who completed the study lost weight, with the more overweight participants losing up to 20 pounds. Women with high blood pressure lowered their pressure, some by 20 points.
Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, the lead researcher of the study has lost 50 pounds since she started playing the game.
Read the press release from the American Geriatrics Society...
*As with all exercise programs, please check with your doctor before using Dance Dance Revolution.Photo courtesy of Trinette Reed/Getty Images
National Diabetes Goal Set For The U.S.
Are you at risk for diabetes? Do you know your fasting blood glucose level? According to the National Changing Diabetes Program, initiated by Novo Nordisk, only 17% of people who are at risk for type 2 diabetes know their blood glucose level and what action they should take if it indicates pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Currently, according to the National Institutes of Health, over 20 million people have diabetes. Over 6 million of that total are estimated to be undiagnosed, and the number is growing everyday.
The National Diabetes Goal aims to change this situation, by educating the U.S. population about knowing their fasting blood glucose level. It is the first step towards diagnosis and treatment. The National Diabetes Goal isWhat is the National Diabetes Goal?
By 2015, 45% of Americans, or approximately 59 million Americans who are at-risk for type 2 diabetes will know their blood glucose level and know what action to take.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), along with 20 other organizations, endorses this goal, stating in their press release...
The National Diabetes Goal has a call to action for every American:
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Teens at Risk for Injury and Death When Using Insulin Pumps
In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was notified of 5 teen deaths that occurred with the use of insulin pumps. This raised a red flag for the FDA, and in an effort to reduce the potential risk to teens who use an insulin pump and find out why fatalities occurred, a comprehensive ten year retrospective study was conducted.
The study appears in this month's issue of Pediatrics - The official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
1,594 adverse event reports were reviewed for insulin pumps used by teens. Thirteen deaths occurred during those ten years (2 of which were suspected suicide attempts), and many additional reports of injury, including severe hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic episodes were noted and appeared to be related to the use of the pumps. Eighty-two percent of the adverse events resulted in teens being hospitalized. There were 102 events in all. This is 6.4% of the teen population who use the pumps.
Several causes for adverse events were identified during this study, including:
- Compliance issues
- Need for more education
- Sports and other related activities
- User damage to the pump, for example, dropping the pump or otherwise damaging it with use.
The majority of teens who use insulin pumps do not suffer from adverse events. The pumps help many teens maintain better compliance with their diabetes, by making it easier to enjoy social events and feel more like they can have a normal life like their friends.
But, teens may require close medical and parental supervision, to make sure that they understand how the pump works and that they are using it correctly and making sure that it does not malfunction or become damaged.
Read the abstract as it appears in this month's issue of Pediatrics...
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Glaucoma... Another Good Reason to Get Your Eyes Checked
When you have diabetes, it's very important to see an eye doctor regularly. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, between 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness every year are attributed to diabetes.
Recently, glaucoma was added to the list of possible eye complications. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that having diabetes puts you at a 40% higher risk for glaucoma than people who don't have the disease. The length of time that you have diabetes also increases your risk. Glaucoma can be treated with medications, eye drops or surgery. Early detection and treatment can save your eyesight, so make sure you are checked for glaucoma annually.
If you notice any changes in your vision, please see your eye doctor as soon as possible.
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Exubera Label Now Includes Warning for Lung Cancer
A press release from Pfizer, dated April 9, 2008, states that product labeling for Exubera, the company's inhaled insulin, has been changed to include a warning that lung cancer cases have been observed in patients who have used Exubera.
A clincial trial that involved 4,740 people who used Exubera and 4,292 people who did not, showed that 6 of the Exubera group developed lung cancer, versus only 1 person in the group who did not use the drug.
Pfizer does say that all of the people who were diagnosed with lung cancer had also been smokers, and that the study was too small to say for sure that the lung cancer was caused by Exubera.
Pfizer actually stopped marketing Exubera in October of 2007, because sales did not meet expectations. However there are still people who use Exubera, such as people who are in extended transition programs or clinical trials.
Pfizer recommends that people who are still using Exubera should talk to their doctors about other options to treat their diabetes.
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Protect Your Feet... With These Ten Foot Care Tips
Complications of diabetes can affect your feet. Numbness and tingling can signal nerve damage, also known as neuropathy. One of the dangers of neuropathy is that if a cut or sore develops on your foot, you may not be able to feel it. This can lead to infection.
Due to decreased circulation, infections can be very difficult to treat. The most serious complication is that an infection may lead to gangrene, which is death of the tissue. Gangrene can lead to amputation.
Protect yourself from these serious complications. Be on the lookout for cuts or sores. Watch for signs of infection, such as redness, warmth, swelling or drainage. Seek immediate medical attention if you see any of these signs. Read more about how to protect your feet...
Photo courtesy of Photodisc/Getty ImagesPre-existing Diabetes Increases Risks During Pregnancy
The largest study of it's kind, by Kaiser Permanente's Department of Research & Evaluation, shows that there is a rising number of women who have diabetes before becoming pregnant. Researchers kept track of 175,249 women who gave birth in 11 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California between 1999 and 2005.
The number of pregnant adult women with pre-existing diabetes doubled between 1999 and 2005. The number of teens who had diabetes and gave birth increased five times over.
- Diabetes increased fivefold among 13- to 19-year-olds giving birth
- Diabetes doubled among women 20- and 39-year-olds giving birth
- Diabetes increased by 40 percent among women 40 and older giving birth
- African-American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women were more likely to have diabetes before pregnancy than White women.
Risks during pregnancy increase when a woman has a pre-exisitng diagnosis of diabetes. Good prenatal care is essential and so is good blood glucose control. If a woman with diabetes is overweight or obese, it is beneficial to lose some weight before becoming pregnant.
Read the Kaiser Permanente press release here...
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Photo courtesy of Thomas Barwick/Getty ImagesOrdering Lunch Out? Save Calories and Money
Americans are dining out more than ever before. It's not unusual to go to a restaurant for meals several times a week. Big portions, hidden fat, high calorie counts and lots of unhealthy choices can really put us at a disadvantage if we are trying to watch our weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is part of good diabetes management.
The other day, I was determined to order as few calories as possible when I ordered lunch in a restaurant. How was I going to accomplish this when all of the menu choices were so extravagant? This would be especially challenging since most of the items came with fries. Here's my story...
Photo courtesy of Thomas Northcut/Getty ImagesDoes Your Doctor Listen to You? It's the Inside Story...
The Diabetes Forum is the place to discuss anything about diabetes, including concerns about a health care professional who doesn't seem to listen.
New forum member Danamicah was worried about her symptoms and posted this message, In addition to frequent urination & unusual thirst, which are known symptoms of diabetes, I have frequent heart palpitations, pounding, & my mind is very unclear-I can't think, remember simple things, or focus... read more.
Long time member adriennesmema answers, My one and only question.... "Why have you not seen a doctor?" No one here can diagnose and won't... read more.
Danamicah replies, Thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately, I went to the doctor & they gave me a fasting blood test which, in their words, turned out okay...I tried to tell the doctor all of my symptoms, but she didn't seem too interested. She even stopped me before I could tell her all of them... read more.
Chollalamb adds, Go back and get copies of all your records!! then find a new doctor!! Most of us here on Diabetes Forum have fired at least a couple of doctors. You can tell her that since she can't be bothered to listen to you that you have decided to find another who will listen... read more.
Does your doctor listen to you? Post your comments in the forum or here at the end of this article.
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