According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 10 adults in the United States have diabetes.
Diabetes has been linked to heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, amputation and death. It is important for adults to be screened for diabetes every three years beginning at age 45, especially adults who are overweight or have other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes, or low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. Certain racial and ethnic groups, (non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans and American Indians) have a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Test Fasting Required Goal What does it test?
Source: American Diabetes Association
You can stop diabetes before it happens
Diabetes is a serious condition affecting more than 25 million people in the United States today. But almost all people who develop type 2 diabetes will have pre-diabetes first. It is estimated that 1 in 3 American adults over the age of 20, and 50 percent of adults over the age of 65 have pre-diabetes. The good news is that pre-diabetes does not necessarily mean you will develop type 2 diabetes. In fact with diet and exercise, you can cut your risk of developing diabetes in half!
Type 2 diabetes affects millions of people. Take this risk assessment to find out if you are at risk and receive personalized tips to stay healthy.
Pre-diabetes is when you have raised blood glucose levels, but they are not high enough to be considered diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association,
people with pre-diabetes are at a 50 percent increased risk for heart disease or stroke and research has shown that some long-term damage to the heart and circulatory system may have already begun.
If your endocrine system produces too little or too much of a specific hormone, you can feel in throughout your entire body. We have the expertise to diagnose and treat a variety of hormone-related conditions, including:
Most people with pre-diabetes do not experience any symptoms. Doctors can screen for diabetes and pre-diabetes by testing glucose levels in your blood. If you are diagnosed with pre-diabetes, your doctor may recommend you take medications to delay the development of diabetes, but the most effective treatment is to lose at least 7 percent of your body weight and to start exercising 30 minutes a day on at least five days a week.
Next Steps Adena helps you manage your diabetes
Finding out that you have diabetes can be intimidating news, but there are many things you can do to manage your diabetes and live a long and healthy life. Your Adena team of experts will be with you every step of the way to answer questions, give suggestions and track your progress. So where do you start?
Learn how to eat – Eat well balanced meals that include fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and non-fat dairy items and limit the amount of starch and fat in your diet. But it’s not just about what you eat, it’s about how often. Spacing your meals evenly throughout the day can help stabilize your blood glucose level. Adena diabetes educators and nutritionists will help you understand how your diet affects your diabetes.
Exercise regularly – It’s recommended to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. If you want to lose weight, you should do more.
Follow doctor’s orders – It’s very important to learn how insulin and diabetes medications work in your body and the proper use. You’ll need to test your blood glucose levels regularly, take your medications, and be sure to see your doctor regularly. We make all of that easier by offering you easy access to physicians throughout southern central Ohio and offering you online access to your medical records through the My Adena patient portal.
Track how you feel – There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to treating diabetes and since many people live with diabetes with few or no symptoms, it can be difficult to know the best course of treatment for you. The American Diabetes Association has developed a personalized and private online diabetes health record to help you track key measures and provide records to your doctor.
Use our resources – Adena offers education and counseling with a certified diabetes educator . You don’t have to go through this alone, we are here to help.
Controlling your diabetes can prevent long-term health problems
Lifestyle changes, including eating a healthier diet, losing weight and getting regular exercise, are the first steps to managing your diabetes. Indeed, these steps alone can reverse pre-diabetes in many people. But for some, lifestyle changes won’t be enough and they will need medications.
There are many different diabetes medications. Medicine changes are common the longer you have diabetes. Many of these medicines can be used individually or in combination to achieve the highest control of your diabetes. Here are some of the general classes of diabetes medicines:
Learning How to Manage Your Diabetes
Did you know that a fat-free sugary carbohydrate (fruit juice, honey or skim or 1% milk) will raise your blood glucose levels faster than a high-fat carbohydrate such as chocolate?
Did you know that low blood sugar is just as dangerous as high blood sugar?
Whether you are newly diagnosed or you’ve had diabetes for some time, Adena’s diabetes and endocrinology team can help you become more informed about your condition and help you learn how to manage it. We offer individualized counseling and education in these areas:
Nutrition – Knowing what kind of foods to eat, and how to determine carbohydrates and food portions can be intimidating and time consuming. Adena has the resources to help you make wise choices. We recommend an annual review of your dietary needs and concerns.
Insulin and Pump Education – There are often a lot of questions about insulin and the use of insulin pumps. Our knowledgeable staff can teach you how to effectively manage your diabetes when using insulin or an insulin pump.
Medications – With so many diabetes medications available, how can you know which ones are right for you? Learn the benefits and side effects of each to make informed decisions with your endocrinologist.
Exercise – Time and again you hear that you need to add exercise to help manage diabetes. Let us help you determine exercises that are best for reaching your goals and how to achieve maximum benefit from exercising.
Hypoglycemic Awareness – This complication results from blood sugar dropping low and not being aware of it. It can affect either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetics and occurs from tightly controlled blood sugar. Talk with your doctor to learn how to recognize and reverse this complication.
For more information about our diabetes education and counseling services or to schedule an appointment, please call 740-779-8268.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease that occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin or does not respond properly to insulin. The pancreas makes insulin in order to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat and liver cells to be used as fuel.
Diabetes affects every cell, blood vessel and nerve in the body. Undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes increases your chances of heart attack, stroke and other serious complications by weakening the blood vessels, hardening the arteries or decreasing circulation due to thicker, stickier blood.
Presently there are no cures for diabetes but with self-management, education, correct medicines and moderate lifestyle changes, you can live a long, healthy life with diabetes. Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes makes insulin management important to living but a diagnosis of pre-diabetes does not mean that you will eventually end up with Type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large study of people at high risk for diabetes, showed that losing weight and increasing physical activity reduced the development of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent during a 3-year period. Among adults older than 60, the reduction was even greater at 71 percent.