National Diabetes Day

This past week was National Diabetes Day. In honor of that day, msn.com released a list of things that you can do to help prevent or improve your diabetes. Among these items were several things that we talk about regularly and also several items that are a little less known. So, let’s talk about diabetes and what you can do to make life a little easier.

First off, there is that word that so many of us dread…exercise. It has been shown in studies that just 20 minutes of exercise can reduce your HbA1C. Your HbA1C is the number that tells you what your average sugar has been over the past several months. It is a good way to gauge how you have been doing day-to-day as opposed to just an individual number each morning that can be affected by a number of things.

Second, your diet greatly affects what your HbA1C level is. By simply eating more vegetables and less sugar and processed foods, you can decrease your numbers significantly. By choosing a healthy diet, you will also be able to lose weight.

The third one that we always hear is that you should be religious about checking your blood sugar levels. If you are not checking your sugar everyday, you will not be able to know when you need to adjust your food intake. If your sugar levels are low or high, both ends can be very dangerous. In order to prevent this, careful monitoring of your sugars is necessary.

Now, for a more obscure suggestions that were presented. Cinnamon, is said to decrease your sugar levels. However, there have been studies that have shown that too much can lead to dangerously low sugar levels. In order to prevent this, if you choose to use cinnamon as a way to reduce your sugars, then you will need to carefully monitor your sugars.

The most important thing to take home about diabetes is that it is a condition that can lead to many more health conditions. So, it is important to keep your sugar under control in order to prevent these additional conditions. We offer a free book on Diabetes that can be ordered by visiting our website. If you or someone you know has diabetes, our office would be more than happy to schedule you an appointment and you can contact us at (978) 794-8406. Dr. Wachtel serves the Methuen, Reading, Dracut and Tewksbury, Massachusetts areas.

Diabetes Prevention

An interview with the CEO of EKF Diagnostics was recently interviewed about the prevention of diabetes. In recent studies, they have suggested that patients should be using a test known as HbA1C rather than a glucose stick test to monitor their sugar. A HbA1C is a test that looks at your sugar average over the past 2-3 months rather than a glucose stick test that just looks at it right now. By looking at an average over the past several months, your clinician is better able to tell if your body is processing your sugar the way that it should be or not.

If your HbA1C is high, then it will allow you to be able to make minimal adjustments such a diet monitoring, adding exercise to your daily routine and being more aware of your body before you become diabetic. As a result, you may be able to prevent diabetes and with it prevent all of the problems that result, such as hear conditions, loss of sensation, and kidney problems.

Diabetes is a difficult disease because it is a gateway disease that opens the door to all kinds of health issues throughout your entire body. Since it can cause so many additional issues, it is important to prevent diabetes and if you are diagnosed, to keep it under control. The best way to do this is through weight control. Each of us have extremely busy schedules and it can be difficult to fit exercise into our daily routine, but small changes can make a huge difference. So, when you get to work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, when you go to the grocery store, park at the end of the parking lot instead of trying to fight for the closest spot, and encourage family activities like hiking, biking, or taking an evening walk. All of these activities will not only promote a healthy lifestyle for you, but it will help your family members to be healthy as well. It is important that we learn these concepts from an early age so that we can lead as healthy of a life as we can.

If you are concerned about the health of yourself or someone you know, our office would be more than happy to schedule you an appointment. Dr. Wachtel can teach you the signs and symptoms of diabetes as well as the best preventative steps that you can take. Dr. Wachtel also has a book that you can receive for free titled Diabetes and Your Healthy Feet. Our offices serve the Burlington, Chelmsford, Newburyport and Lowell, Massachusetts areas.