Diabetes – What You Need to Know

Are you at risk because of your current lifestyle? Not knowing or fearfully avoiding can have serious consequences.

November is diabetes awareness month

Much of the following is information directly from the Canadian Diabetes Association website. Please take a moment to learn about diabetes, the risks, and the consequences to your health and what you can do to prevent, test for, and treat it.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Your body needs insulin to convert what you eat into energy. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body cannot produce enough insulin or use the insulin it produces properly. If you have type 2 diabetes and haven’t been diagnosed, you may start to develop serious complications, such as heart attack or stroke, kidney problems or eye disease.

Are you at risk?

• Are you 40 years of age or older?
• Do you have a close relative (parent or sibling) who has type 2 diabetes?
• Are you a member of a high-risk population, such as those of Aboriginal, Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, or African descent?
• Do you have a history of gestational diabetes or prediabetes or some evidence of the complications of diabetes (such as eye, nerve or kidney problems)?
• Do you have heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol?
• Are you overweight (especially around your abdomen)?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you should contact your healthcare provider and get checked for diabetes right away.

What are the consequences of untreated diabetes?

If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications including:

• heart disease
• kidney disease
• eye disease
• problems with erection (impotence)
• nerve damage (Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy)

What are the signs and symptoms?

There are many signs and symptoms that can indicate type 2 diabetes. Some of these are unusual thirst, frequent urination, weight change (gain or loss), extreme fatigue, blurred vision, cuts and bruises that are slow to heal, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.

If you have any of these symptoms, it is important to contact your healthcare provider right away. Even if you don’t have symptoms, if you are 40 or older, you should still get checked. A simple blood test done with your healthcare provider will tell you what you need to know.

How can you prevent type 2 diabetes? 

A big part of prevention is embracing and living an active, healthy, happy lifestyle. Consider ALL of the following.

• Participate in consistent, progressive aerobic exercise
• Eat healthy natural whole food choices (rich in vegetables and fruits)
• Minimize unhealthy fats, simple sugars, refined grains, and processed foods
• Gradually release weight and embrace a healthy, active lifestyle FOREVER
• Stop smoking
• Take steps to release stress moment by moment in your day
• Get adequate sleep, rest, and daily renewal of energy.
• Seek effective support to make each of these a part of your daily life
• Have a medical/physical health assessment with your doctor regularly that includes testing for diabetes.

Beyond this your doctor will be best suited to discuss additional steps.

Remember…

“Life is meant to be embraced, enjoyed and fully lived, not merely endured!”

To your health,

Brent

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