It’s National Diabetes Month!
Help 365 Health raise aware for diabetes this month because it is officially National Diabetes Month! According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, this November is focused of managing diabetes by building your health care team! This month (until 11/30/22) our Hemoglobin A1c Screening is 20% off. Just use code diabetes20 at checkout!
To get started, let’s explain what diabetes is!
According to the CDC, diabetes is a “chronic long-lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy”. Normally, your body breaks down the food you are eating into sugar and releases it into your bloodstream. When your sugar levels go up, your body signals your pancreas to start releasing insulin. Insulin is the key to releasing blood sugar into your body’s cells to make energy. Being diagnosed with diabetes means that your body is not making enough insulin, or it is not using the insulin it has as well as it should. As of right now, there is no cure for diabetes and that’s why raising awareness is so important!
“Because there is no cure for diabetes at this time, many people may be afraid to learn about their risks or get a health screening. Learning about the disease, how to help prevent it and how take the best care of yourself that you possibly can if you are diagnosed are all such important steps to optimal health!” – Lauren King, RN
There are several types of diabetes. Type 1, Type 2, Gestational Diabetes, and prediabetes. Let’s take a further dive in each type.
Type 1:
It’s not clear what exactly causes Type 1 diabetes. It is thought that this type of diabetes could be caused by your body working against itself by mistake due to an autoimmune reaction. This keeps your body from creating enough insulin that needed on a regular basis.
Out of everyone diagnosed with diabetes, 5-10% have Type 1 diabetes. It is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults and symptoms develop quickly. Some signs that you may have with Type 1 diabetes are:
- Feeling thirstier than usual
- Urinating more than usual
- Hunger increasing
- Losing weight without changing any lifestyle habits
- Mood changes or feeling more irritable
- Increase tiredness
- Weaker than usual
- Blurry vision
Living with Type 1 diabetes requires daily attention. If diagnosed, you will need to inject or use an insulin pump to keep your insulin levels at an optimal level. Along with that, it is important to keep checking your blood sugar levels to make sure they are within a safe range.
Type 1 diabetes can be very intimidating; however, there are so many supportive groups and education out there. This condition is forever evolving with innovative technologies and new medicines. You can still be a healthier version of yourself even with type 1 diabetes!
Type 2:
With type 2 diabetes, your body produces enough insulin, but your body’s cells do not respond properly to the insulin. So over time, your pancreas starts making more and more insulin to try to get your cells to react and use the insulin. But your pancreas starts falling behind because it is out of balance and your blood sugar levels rise above optimal levels over time. With chronically high blood sugar levels, not only are you at risk for type 2 diabetes, but you are also at risk for other health problems like heart disease and kidney disease.
Type 2 diabetes affects about 90-95% of people diagnosed with diabetes. It develops over many years and is mostly diagnosed in adults. However, it is becoming more common for children, teens, and young adults to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Some people can experience no symptoms, so it is important to get regular blood sugar tests at your doctor or through an affordable 365 Health screening to see if you are at risk for developing or having type 2 diabetes.
Some symptoms include:
- Feeling thirstier than usual
- Urinating more than usual
- Hunger increasing
- Increase tiredness
- Blurry vision
- Slow healing of wounds/cuts
- Pain, tingling, numbness or pain in hands and feet
- Patches of darker skin
- Itching and yeast infections
Here are some risk factors that are associated with having type 2 diabetes:
- Prediabetes
- Overweight
- 45 years or older
- If someone in your family (mom, dad, brother, sister) with type 2
- Physically active less than 3 times a week
If you have any of those symptoms or risk factors, stay on top of your health by getting a Hemoglobin A1C screening. These screenings measure your average blood sugar for the past 2 to 3 months.
Gestational Diabetes:
This type of diabetes can develop during pregnancy in women that have not had diabetes. According to the CDC, 2-10% of women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes occurs when your body is struggling making insulin during your pregnancy. When you are pregnant, your body is making more hormones than usual. With these changes happening, your cells are not using insulin as needed.
There are usually no symptoms for this type of diabetes, and it is mostly diagnosed from your medical history and lab tests done by your doctor. If you have risk factors that increase your risk of being diagnosed with this type of diabetes, it is important to be tested for gestational diabetes to protect not only your health, but your baby’s health too. Normally, gestational diabetes develops near the 24th week of pregnancy. This type of diabetes is one of the easier ones to manage! Many mothers can ever recover and may longer be diagnosed with diabetes after their pregnancy.
Here are ways to manage gestational diabetes:
- Continuously checking your blood sugar levels to make sure it is at optimal range.
- Eating healthy and staying on a healthy eating schedule.
- Keeping up with regular physical activity to keep yourself active and your blood sugar levels down.
- Keeping up with doctor visits during pregnancy.
Prediabetes
96 million Americans are diagnosed with prediabetes, that is more than 1 in 3 people. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to classify under Type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes is hard to catch, and it increases your risk for having Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
“Diabetes can be an incredibly scary illness. But it doesn’t have to be! With the right care team, by asking questions and staying curious instead of afraid, everyone has the chance to live a fulfilling and healthy life, even with diabetes!” – Lauren King, RN
Do you know if you are at risk of prediabetes? Chances are you or someone you know is at risk. Find out with our affordable Hemoglobin A1c Screening. This screening is discounted through 11/30/22 using code diabetes20 at checkout!
If you have diabetes, do not worry! Being diagnosed with diabetes can be a challenge; however, with the support from your health care family, it becomes easier to manage. Here are some tools in managing your diabetes:
- Education about how to self-manage and support yourself.
Diabetes self-management education and support (DSME) will give you all the tools and help in order to live a healthy life with diabetes. Some practical skills that come with connecting with DSME would be learning how to manage your blood sugar, what foods are healthy, some ways to get active & exercise.
Linked below are some resources to find a service:
https://www.diabeteseducator.org/living-with-diabetes/find-an-education-program
https://diabetes.org/diabetes/newly-diagnosed/get-up-to-speed-diabetes-knowledge
- Eating healthy plays a vital role in keeping your blood sugar at an optimal level and living a healthy life!
Below are some resources that have tips for eating healthy with diabetes:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity
https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition
- Staying healthy and getting regular physical activity! Whatever this might be, a brisk walk on a treadmill or outside, going for a swim, or running, stay motivated and try to complete an exercise goal daily!
- Be prepared & preventive help
Below are some resources that have great tips for being prepared with diabetes:
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-care-during-emergencies.html
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/problems.html
- Mental health support
Reaching out for help is brave and there are many resources out there for mental health support, you are not alone! Here are trusted sources to help guide you.
https://365health.org/etools-3/