Naturally...
There is more evidence that the American love affair with coffee is helping to reduce the risk of diabetes.Drinking caffeinated coffee was found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 60% in a newly published study that included people at high risk for the disease.
Even those who used to drink coffee but quit were less likely to develop diabetes than those who never drank it.
The new study was published in the November issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
Source: Medscape
Your Cholesterol Numbers “What do they mean?”
Barbara C. Phillips, NP
Today, many people understand that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women.
The good news is that we have a fair amount of control over this. Why?
Because several of the factors that contribute to heart disease can be modified by you and me… for example diabetes, cholesterol levels, exercise, obesity, dietary intake, and smoking.
When you visit your health care provider and they get a donation of blood from you to test your cholesterol or lipid panel, do you understand those numbers?
Many people don’t, and I’ll admit it took me a while to remember which numbers were good and bad. So, here is a break down of what they mean (with hints to help you remember) and what your ideal numbers should be. [Read more…] about Your Cholesterol Numbers, What do they mean?
How do I reach my blood sugar goals?
This question comes up at least a few times a day in practice. I orginally wrote this checklist for my patients to help them troubleshoot their blood sugar results. If you asked these questions of your provider…here are some questions you can ask yourself. I hope you find this helpful!
Having diabetes means you need to monitor several things – what you are eating, your glucose levels at various times of day, your weight, your exercise level, etc.
These are only a few of the items that need to be monitored to keep you healthy. Your health care provider should be recommending that the following screening be done on a regular basis.
Every visit with your provider:
Every 3-6 months (depending on your level of control)
Annual Screening
Make sure you are keeping up with your screening. It will help detect any early problems so you can make changes to prevent long term complications.
I hear this question more often these days, and it’s a good question to ask.
Often people do not know they have diabetes, because the signs and symptoms can be nonexistence or so mild that they don’t know it’s there. More importantly, you may be in a pre-diabetic state, and not yet know it. This is why it’s so important to see your health care provider for screening.
A person with diabetes may notice the following signs and symptoms:
In women, something that is often overlooked is frequent and even continuous vaginal yeast infections. All of these things warrant a check up.
Do you have any of these risk factors?
You can assess your risk further with this tool. Make sure you go over these factors with your health care provider so the proper tests can be made.
Diabetes does not have to ruin your life. With treatment you can avoid many of the complications. And if you have pre-diabetes, you can even prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.
Make sure you take care of the most important woman in your life… you!
Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen