Author Archives: Laurence

More Tips On Handling A Chronic Disease Or Illness

Following on from last week’s article on chronic illnesses and diseases, it’s important to deal with the problems mentally so it’s easier to handle physically as well. Anger is a powerful emotion because people feel rage because they’re “victimized” by the disease.

Don’t bottle up the rage or other emotions you feel because that can cause stress, high blood pressure and other symptoms you don’t need. The more support you can get, the better off you’ll be.

Support can come in the form of medical doctors and specialists who’ll tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing. However, they only see you for a short time every now and then. The crucial support should be from family and friends.

Your immediate family should understand what you’re going through and how they can help you.…

Tips On Handling A Chronic Disease Or Illness

Chronic diseases and illnesses can be very difficult to handle for many reasons. They don’t have to be bad all the time and that’s why they can be deceptive. Here are some tips on handling a chronic disease or illness you may wish to use yourself.

I’m going to start with diabetes because that’s what I have. After my surgery, I managed fine for over three years. My sugars were stable and I controlled it with diet and exercise. But now it’s back, it’s like a kick in the guts. It’s a reminder it will never go away, regardless of how good or bad I feel.

Chronic means it lasts forever. There are stages people go through when dealing with any new problem.…

Diabetes Can Be A Real Monster

Diabetes is a very tricky disease. It might even be called evil for many reasons but I learned this week that diabetes can be a real monster for me personally and I wanted to share the latest part of my on-going battle with health.

When you’re diabetic, you have a regular test called an HbA1c. This test gives you an average blood sugar reading over the preceding 3 months or so. In an ideal world, your result should be between 5 – 6. For the last 3 ½ years mine has been in this range so often that I have not needed to even test my blood sugars daily.

Last week I had my regular HbA1c test and saw my endocrinologist.…

Diabetic Eye Disease Is A Serious Problem

Sight is something people often take for granted until they have problems. Diabetic eye disease is a serious problem which can have ramifications you may not even have considered so it’s best to learn what to do to avoid it.

Imagine a world in which you’re blind. I’m blind in one eye and I find it very frustrating at times. There are numerous things I have to do to cope. If I ever lost the sight in the good eye, I don’t know what I would do.

Diabetic retinopathy is when blood vessels in the retina are damaged and the nerve signals sent to the brain are distorted. It’s easy for you to have eye problems and not know it until it becomes quite severe because symptoms don’t often show in the early stages.…

Diabetic Stress-Busting Tips For A Healthier Life

When you suffer from stress it’s hazardous to your health. If you suffer from diabetes, it can aggravate existing conditions and create new problems as well. Here are a few diabetic stress-busting tips for a healthier life.

It’s essential you control your stress levels because stress can cause blood sugars to rise. The higher your levels are, the worse off you’ll be. If you have stress at work, find a way to relieve it. If it’s because you have too much work, try to delegate some of it or adjust deadlines so you can cope better.

Stress can be caused by missing meals. It’s vital you eat healthy food regularly. Most diabetics know that anyway. If you’re going out, take snacks so you’re not caught without food when you’re feeling hungry.…

What New Year’s Resolutions Have You Made?

The New Year is a good time to start making goals for the next days, weeks, months and years. Millions of people make New Year’s Resolutions each year and many of them are broken. So what New Year’s Resolutions have you made?

A New Year’s Resolution is only serious if you write it down. It doesn’t matter if you write one or 100 as long as you actually write them down. Then stick the list up everywhere you can so you’re always reminded of them.

You can’t be vague. “I want to lose weight” is vague. “I want to lose 30 pounds by a certain date” is specific and something tangible you can focus on. Have you exercised enough this year?…

How Do Diabetics Handle The Period After Christmas?

Now that Christmas day has passed, there are some key factors to consider if you’re a diabetic. These may not apply to everyone but should at least be thought about to ensure you stay healthy. How do diabetics handle the period after Christmas?

It’s inevitable that you’ll eat a bit too much during Christmas and perhaps you’ll have a few things that may be higher in sugar and fat than you would normally eat.

In the days after Christmas, you should test your sugars more often and weigh yourself to see if you have gained any weight. It’s normal to gain a few pounds if you have had some big meals and lots of snacks so you need to do a little extra exercise to drop the extra weight.…

Be Smart When Buying Diabetics Christmas Presents

Christmas and other similar holidays can pose problems for diabetics in many ways. One of them is when it comes to receiving gifts. It’s important to be smart when buying diabetics Christmas presents so nobody feels left out when the big day arrives and everyone is wildly unwrapping presents.

Everyone can enjoy the day, regardless of race, religion, health, wealth or personal beliefs. It’s essential you don’t feel uncomfortable or make someone else feel uncomfortable about being diabetic on these occasions because it’s just plain ignorant.

Remember diabetics aren’t invalids. We’re human beings and love presents just as much as anyone else. But buying a large box of chocolates wouldn’t be the best idea as a gift. If you want to buy food for diabetics, make sure it’s low in sugar and calories.…

Tips To Help Diabetics Get Through Christmas

Christmas time is a challenge for most people when it comes to eating and drinking because people have a tendency to over-indulge. Diabetics have a harder time because of the extra temptations on offer so here are some handy tips to help diabetics get through Christmas.

The key to eating and drinking is planning. It’s OK to have some things you normally wouldn’t eat but only in moderation. If you’re doing the cooking, it’s easier because you have better control. However, your guests will usually bring extra goodies and that causes temptation to appear unexpectedly.

If you’re going to someone else’s home for a meal, take something healthy with you so you can eat your own food as part of the overall meal.…

Great Herbal Remedies To Help Diabetics

When you have diabetes, you should try all possible methods to improve your overall health. Here are some great herbal remedies to help diabetics better manage their overall health.

Before trying anything new, speak to your doctor or pharmacist to ensure there won’t be any dangerous side effects. It’s also important your doctor knows everything you’re taking anyway. Try some of these ideas. Everyone is different and you’ll find you like some and not others but you won’t know until you try for yourself.

Bitter melon has a high amount of insulin in it so it can help reduce your sugar levels when you eat. You can either squeeze the juice or cook it as a vegetable, depending on your preference.…

Alternative Therapies Can Be Great Ways To Help Diabetics

If you have diabetes, or any other serious disease, you should keep an open mind about all possible options for improving your health. Alternative therapies can be great ways to help diabetics if used wisely.

There are lots of different alternative therapies so we will only focus on a select few that can offer the most effective benefits. Obviously everyone is different so you need to decide for yourself whether you wish to try any of the ideas here.

Massage is a wonderful way to ease stress, pain, headaches and tension within the body. Being diabetic has lots of symptoms and just the fact that you’re diabetic and have to cope with everything that represents is stressful enough in itself.

It can cause headaches, stress, high blood pressure, high sugar levels, severe muscle tension and a range of other issues that can all be fixed or at least reduced by having a good massage.…

Don’t Be Afraid Of Seeing The Doctor

It’s natural that you’ll get sick from time to time. Some get sick more frequently than others. However, many people don’t like to do anything about it. Don’t be afraid of seeing the doctor because your fear could be very dangerous to your health.

Generally you’ll have symptoms when you’re sick. Some are more severe than others but they’re a good thing to have because they’re a warning sign that you need to do something about your health.

If you didn’t have symptoms, you could easily not see a doctor and then become seriously ill and possibly even die. So symptoms are not to be treated lightly.

Diabetes is a serious disease with a wide range of symptoms, not always obvious as being related to diabetes.…

A Positive Attitude Will Improve Your Health

Being diabetic can be depressing, frustrating, scary and can also make you angry at times. It’s important not to let it get to you because a positive attitude will improve your health.

When you’re first diagnosed with diabetes, it may terrify you, depending on how much you already know about the disease. As you find out more, it can easily depress you and make you feel sorry for yourself.

A negative attitude towards your own health will only make you feel worse and amplify any symptoms you may feel. If you stay positive, it’s easier to get through each day. If you do feel down, take things a day at a time until you feel better because it can be overwhelming.…

Weight Loss Surgery – My Story

If you’re diabetic, obese and on high doses of 2 different insulins and 2 different oral tablets, you may be considering weight loss surgery. This was exactly the situation I was in, back in mid 2008.

My sugar levels couldn’t be maintained at a safe level and we kept having to increase the insulin I was taking. It got to the point where I had to seriously decide whether to undergo weight loss surgery.

I knew virtually nothing about it but began researching it on the net to get some idea of what it was all about. You have already read last week about the main options I had to choose from.

I rang to make an appointment and was told I must attend a free seminar to learn more about what’s involved first.…

There Are Numerous Weight Loss Procedures

Many people believe there’s only one type of weight loss surgery known as Lap Banding. This is because it’s the most commonly discussed procedure. However, there are numerous weight loss procedures that are available to you.

Before explaining the most popular procedures, it’s important to understand they have one common goal. They restrict the amount of food your stomach can hold so you only eat very small meals. This leads to short term weight loss and can get you off all diabetes medications and improve your health in many other ways.

Lap Banding is the most common form as it’s reversible. The surgeon sews a silicon band around the stomach near the top, reducing its size. It contains a balloon which is joined to a tube that goes to a port that sits under the skin and just above the abdominal muscles.…

Is Surgery A Smart Option For Diabetics?

Many diabetics are grossly obese and take high doses of insulin and oral tablets to control their blood sugars but nothing seems to help. In these cases, surgery is thought to be a possible solution but is surgery a smart option for diabetics?

Firstly, it’s essential to realize all surgical procedures have risks. You can’t have bariatric weight loss surgery just because you “believe it’s the answer to your problems.” There are many steps to go through to see if you even qualify and to ascertain whether it’s going to be safe.

There are a few types of weight loss surgery but I’m not going to cover the differences until my next article. The premise is basically the same with the different versions and that’s to reduce the amount of food you can eat by restricting the size of your stomach on a permanent basis.…

Diabetic Neuropathy Is A Nasty Condition

Diabetic neuropathy is where nerve fibers become damaged in diabetics. Although it’s unclear as to the exact cause but it’s believed high amounts of glucose alters the nerve cells and can reduces blood flow to the nerves. Diabetic neuropathy is a nasty condition for many reasons.

There are numerous categories of nerves and the most common affects the legs and is known as peripheral neuropathy. This causes foot problems such as numbness and tingling and being unable to feel injuries to your legs or hands.

Up to 60% of diabetics have some level of neuropathy but many don’t show symptoms for a long period of time which means by the time they do manifest themselves, the problem is already very serious.…

Tips To Help Diabetics Walk Better

If you’re going to choose an exercise, the most versatile one is walking. However, there are lots of things to consider when you go for a walk. Here are some great tips to help diabetics walk better.

It’s essential that you check your sugar levels before you walk and after you finish. If it’s too low, have something with carbohydrates. If it’s too high, postpone the walk until your levels level out. If you have just starting a new walking regime or are planning a very long walk, take your testing kit and some food with you as a precaution.

Make walking a regular habit. It’s not very helpful if you only do it once or twice. A minimum of three times a week is needed but if you can manage it every day, that’s going to be better.…

Why Is Exercise Essential For Diabetics?

If you have diabetes, you should incorporate regular exercise into your routine. If you don’t, your health could easily and quickly deteriorate. There are many reasons for this.

Firstly, you must understand how exercise helps your body. It helps to regulate your blood sugar levels. It can also improve the health of your heart and cardiovascular system, which will greatly reduce the risk of artery or heart disease.

When you exercise, your muscles burn energy. Sugar is energy and, therefore, burns up faster. This also improves your insulin usage, improves circulation and provides more oxygen to your brain and other vital organs. Exercise also strengthens your muscles and bones.

Diabetics can easily contract circulation problems in the arms and legs. Because exercise helps keep your cholesterol at a healthy level, your circulation should be better and you’ll be able to avoid these problems.…

Diabetics Should Read Food Labels And Educate Themselves. Part 2

Last week we covered some basics about food labels and how important it is to read them. Before you buy groceries, you know what’s actually in the food you’re buying and eating on a regular basis. If you don’t want to take diabetes medication and insulin, this is the key to controlling your sugar levels.

It’s important to discuss your needs with a dietitian. Your daily average consumption of calories should be between 2000 and 2500. Your dietitian will be able to give you a more precise guide. When reading labels, you should be planning your daily and weekly meals with these figures in mind.

Labels give you a lot of information about ingredients such as: carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, sodium, protein, fat and cholesterol.…

Diabetics Should Read Food Labels And Educate Themselves. Part 1

When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you’re immediately overwhelmed with a flood of information. Do this, do that, don’t do the other thing… and on it goes. Knowing what’s in the food you eat is a major part of controlling your health so diabetics should read food labels and educate themselves.

Most packaged food has a label of some kind on it. If you don’t do your own grocery shopping, you may not really have paid much attention to this in the past but from now on it will be a different story. You need to know what’s in the food that’s going into your body so you can better control your blood glucose levels, fat intake and weight.

Don’t be fooled by the eye-popping labels that say “fat-free” or “sugar-free” or any other similar claim.…

Diabetics Need A Healthy Breakfast

When you wake up in the morning, it’s common for your sugar levels to be low. You’ve been sleeping all night and your body has used all the excess sugar and energy. Diabetics need a healthy breakfast to kick-start their day. The energy you get from your meal should enable you to cope with the rigors that the day holds for you.

However, many people don’t think this way and so bad habits creep in. Gulping down a fast cup of coffee as you rush out the door isn’t the smartest idea. Neither is slathering white toast with butter and adding a glass of sugar-rich fruit juice. Forget about the sausages, muffins, croissants, bacon and hash browns as well. You would just be shortening your life span by eating all those things, especially if you did it every day.…

How Can Diabetics Use Food To Stay Healthy?

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you’ll probably feel very overwhelmed. That’s only natural. However, lots of people can control their diabetes without medication. So how can diabetics use food to stay healthy?

Firstly, you need to understand that a “diet” isn’t going to help you. Most diets are designed to work in the short term but are not sustainable. In order to improve your health, you need to make lifestyle changes that you can stick to up for the rest of your life.

Always speak to a doctor or a dietician before making any radical changes to your eating habit. There may be situations where you shouldn’t be taking these steps in the first place.

If you’re ok to make lifestyle changes to your eating habits, ask for help from your dietician.…

The Smartest Ways To Control Your Diabetes

If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it’s better to control it through diet and exercise if possible. Diet and exercise are the smartest ways to control your diabetes.

If you can’t control it yourself, you’ll end up taking tablets and/or having to inject yourself with insulin and that’s not much fun at all. Imagine carrying around needles and insulin and finding a quiet place to inject yourself while at work, school, uni or out socializing. It can be stressful.

Let’s start with diet. If you’re not aware of the five main food groups, they are:

grains, fruit and vegetables, meats (protein), dairy and fats and sugars. The idea is that you eat balanced meals.

The last group should be the smallest amount in your meals.…

What To Do When First Diagnosed With Diabetes

When you’re first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it will probably come as a shock. You may have had the disease for years before being officially diagnosed and have noticed some symptoms. However, you’re probably wondering what to do when first diagnosed with diabetes.

It’s different for everyone. You may get emotional, feel depressed, angry, frustrated or just shocked. It’s essential that you don’t keep your feelings bottled up. Talk to a family member or close friend to help release the tension that’s practically guaranteed to exist at first because you’re stepping into unknown territory.

If you know someone with diabetes, you may have some knowledge but until you have it yourself, the full implications can be hard to comprehend. In fact, it could take weeks to really understand what you have, what symptoms occur and what treatment options are available.…

How Serious Is Diabetes?

Most people have heard of diabetes but many don’t think much about it until they have been officially diagnosed. Whether you’re type 1 or type 2. It’s a very serious disease for which there’s currently no cure.

In simplistic terms, type 1 is when you’re born with it and you musttake insulin because your body simply doesn’t supply any. There’s no escaping it. Either you have injections or a pump but you must take regular insulin doses.

Type 2 is when the body doesn’t supply enough insulin to cope with the amount of sugar in your system. Sometimes diet and exercise is enough to manage the disease. Other times you may have to take tablets and/or administer insulin as well.

Type 2 Diabetes is an insidious disease because you often have it for years before it’s diagnosed.…