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Month: June 2022

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Cholesterol Lets Be Aware Prevention Share

Cholesterol Myths & Facts: Knowing 10 Truths Can Save You

Cholesterol Myths & Facts, Knowing 10 Truths Can Save You

 

Cholesterol is one topic on which myths and facts are available in plenty 
 but many people have them all mixed up.

For example, some don’t know the difference between cholesterol and fat and often speak of both interchangeably. Some others may know terms like “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol”, but they may not know which type of cholesterol is contained in the foods they consume.

Besides this, there is another important reason we all need to understand cholesterol better. Cholesterol, and other ailments like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity − or a family history of heart disease − can all have a multiplicative effect on our hearts.

Considering that cholesterol is among the most prevalent medical problems, we owe it to ourselves to separate fact from fiction. Here is a list of the 10 most common myths about cholesterol and the facts to know.

 

Myth 1: All cholesterol – any cholesterol – is bad for you

Fact:

Some types of cholesterol are bad for health while others are essential for good health.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is made in the liver. It is found in some foods too. It has value to the body because it helps build cells and make vitamins and other hormones. But, as Heart.org explains, too much of the wrong cholesterol type can pose a problem.

LDL cholesterol (or Low-Density Lipoprotein) is the “bad cholesterol” that can build up on the walls of your blood vessels as plaque and block blood flow. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol (or High-Density Lipoprotein) is the “good cholesterol” that can help flush out the LDL from your bloodstream.

So, your body needs more HDL cholesterol and less LDL cholesterol.

Closely connected to cholesterol are “triglycerides”. They are a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood. If they are not used up as energy by bodily activity, they too start accumulating, hardening your arteries, and adding to your overall cholesterol problems.

 

Myth 2: I would be able to feel the ailment if I had high cholesterol

Fact:

Unfortunately, unhealthy cholesterol levels show no outward signs or symptoms. You may not even know you have a problem unless it hits such a high level that it manifests as a heart attack or stroke. That’s why doctors insist it is crucial to check your cholesterol levels regularly.

CDC.gov says healthy adults should check their cholesterol every 4 to 6 years. Mayo Clinic recommends cholesterol screenings every 1 to 2 years for people between 45 and 65 years, and yearly tests for those above 65 years.

 

Myth 3: I cannot do anything to change my cholesterol levels – if it’s there, it’s there

Fact:

The truth is that you CAN do a lot to help decrease your cholesterol levels. You have to balance your diet, and exercise regularly. You have to stop smoking because it hardens your arteries. Most importantly, you must study your family history of cholesterol-related problems because a large part of cholesterol issues involve genetics.

If you suspect you could have a hereditary tendency towards cholesterol-related ailments, talk to your doctor as early in life as possible. It can help to monitor or keep off the increase of cholesterol as soon as it is detected as a potential problem.

 

Myth 4: I don’t need statins or other medicines – I can manage my cholesterol with diet and exercise

Fact:

This is one of the most harmful myths to believe. Doctors have a hard time explaining this to patients who think only very high cholesterol levels need medical interventions. On the contrary, as soon as doctors say so, cholesterol patients must start taking “statins” (a group of medicines that can help lower the LDL cholesterol in the blood).

Other cholesterol control forms – like diet and exercise – can be in addition to medication. But they cannot take the place of prescribed statins. Please take in this message with extreme seriousness. Talk to your doctor and if he asks you to start taking statins, waste no time and get going.

 

Myth 5: Eating foods with a lot of cholesterol will not make my cholesterol levels go up

Fact:

This myth goes wrong in two ways. Firstly, you cannot buy and eat cholesterol from a store. Cholesterol is often hidden in some form of fats in other food products your buy and consume. So you may not know if you are eating a lot of cholesterol or not.

Secondly, if your dietician says certain foods are high in LDL cholesterol (like foods made with trans-fats), it’s better to reduce eating them. If there are other foods rich in HDL cholesterol (like some nuts or Omega-3 fatty acids), your dietician may recommend eating more of them. But either way, don’t overdo anything. Moderation, even with a good diet, is the key.

In general, wholesome home-cooked food is always better than ready-processed bought food or eating out. You know what is going into the food as ingredients, and you can control the balance of every meal with a good assortment of whole grains, pulses, fresh vegetables, nutritious fruits, essential nuts, healthful condiments, and cholesterol-lowering fats and oils.

 

 

A healthy diet consists of all important food groups

 

Myth 6: I am a healthy weight, so it cannot be that I have high cholesterol

Fact:

This myth suggests people’s typical inability to differentiate between fat (obesity) and cholesterol. As we said before, cholesterol does not manifest outwardly as body weight, flab, or body fat.

Cholesterol becomes an issue for those people whose bodies cannot process cholesterol efficiently. For example, a person can be born with a genetic inability to process cholesterol optimally. That person may have a normal body weight and trim appearance on the outside 
 but inside the body, the cholesterol processing systems may perform sub-optimally. Regular tests are essential to locate and treat cholesterol imbalances.

 

Myth 7: Children don’t need to worry about cholesterol

Fact:

Children can have high cholesterol levels, just like adults. This is especially true for those children who may have inherited high cholesterol levels from one or both parents. Such children can be prone to premature heart attacks or strokes.

Further, all parents must always be careful of what their children eat or what ailments their bodies may silently carry. An increasing number of hereditary disorders go unnoticed in children, only to blow up when they are young adults.

Talking to your children about active exercise, and making home food enjoyable are ways to teach good lifestyle habits. Children alone cannot exacerbate their latent cholesterol problems unless parents give in to their demands for unhealthy goodies. Parents should beware of acting as enablers.

 

Children don't need to worry about cholesterol

 

 

Myth 8: I take my prescribed statins regularly, so I can eat whatever I want

Fact:

Isn’t this the way we all kid ourselves? We think just because we are on good medications, we can thereafter leave the medicines to work, and we can go about our old happy-go-lucky lifestyles even after being diagnosed with a serious disease. Unfortunately, you can’t just hope the statins prescribed for your cholesterol need no other corrective actions from you.

As any good doctor will tell you, the job of the statins is to lower the bad LDL cholesterol in your system, but they can’t help you much if you pile in more and more of the LDL via unhealthy food. You can help the statins work effectively if you act responsibly and control your intake of bad cholesterol foods. According to the Cleveland Clinic, exercise reduces triglycerides, raises HDL, and has a slight lowering effect on LDL too. So exercise also helps statins work better.

 

Myth 9: I’m under 40 and a woman, so I don’t need to have my cholesterol checked

Fact:

It’s a pervasive myth that only men get cholesterol-related ailments more than women, especially if they are around 40 years or older. That belief doesn’t seem to be validated by research.

Dr. Robert Greenfield, a board-certified cardiologist, lipidologist, and internist at Memorial Care Heart & Vascular Institute, California, says that women − especially after menopause − lose the protective effects of estrogens. He quotes a CDC research showing that in people of the 40-59 age group, the prevalence of high total cholesterol was 10.5% in men and 12.1% in women.

He believes that women of that age group begin to accelerate their risk of heart disease and develop the same risks as men. He sums it up neatly when he says, “Heart disease is an equal opportunity employer.”

 

Myth 10: If the nutrition label shows no cholesterol, the food is heart-healthy

Fact:

Food labels are notorious for the nutrition information they hide behind jargon. There are consumer complaints galore on the Net, and especially on social media, on how people fell for food labels of certain processed foods that said cholesterol levels were low while they were not.

A lot of this angst may also be because people cannot understand what they read on food labels. Usually, labels list a breakdown of fats like this: Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, and Cholesterol. If you read just the cholesterol content of the food and it looks low, you may mislead yourself.

MyDoc.com says saturated and trans fats should be as low as possible, even at zero. They raise your total and LDL cholesterol. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are better for you and can be eaten in moderation. Read the ingredients list further down the label 
 if you see words like “margarine”, “shortening”, “hydrogenated”, or “partially hydrogenated”, steer clear of the food. These clog your arteries.

 

In summary 


One of the smartest ways to tackle your cholesterol problems is to be able to correct your beliefs. After that, you’ll find that good knowledge steers you in the right direction towards improving your health.

Cholesterol, as we said, has a direct bearing on your heart. Treat your cholesterol early and with good care − and you’ll treat your heart responsibly too.

 

Categories
Diabetes

Yoga Asanas For Diabetes (With Pictures)

Yoga Asanas For Diabetes With Pictures

Yoga asanas are a very ancient, tried-and-tested set of poses that help improve overall well-being, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and enhance mobility.

In managing diabetes, yoga can help cultivate balance and poise. Balance is essential in controlling blood sugar levels, which otherwise would go up and down with every stress or excitation of your nervous system.

Adding some simple yogic postures to your daily exercise regime can aid the diabetes treatment that your doctor prescribes. But, as with any exercise, start only after consulting your doctor and an experienced yoga practitioner.

 

4 key benefits of yoga for people with diabetes

Of all the benefits of yoga for people with diabetes, 4 key areas are of greater importance 


1. Yoga can keep stress levels really low despite disease

Stress is one of the most debilitating factors affecting the mind and body. It can cause an imbalance in blood sugar levels. Stress also produces other related issues such as hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. People with diabetes further worry about their state of health constantly, which only adds to the condition.

Practicing yoga creates a very soothing, therapeutic effect on the mind and body, says Diabetes UK. The stillness and peaceful breathing attained in many postures effectively decrease stress levels. By reducing stress, your body gets a better chance to respond to medications faster and aid in its own healing.

2. Yoga can help both your diabetes and your heart

Diabetes is one of those conditions, for example, that can affect the heart if seriously neglected. Similarly, other ailments like hypertension, obesity, or cholesterol – or if you have a family history of heart disease – can all have adverse and multiplicative effects on your heart.

With yoga, this spiral of negativity that affects your heart is reversed. Yoga is both an exercise as well as a mind-care system. It works on the body and its organs at the same time that it also works on the state of mind. Since most diseases like stress, hypertension, obesity, or cholesterol – and even diabetes – involve a mutually-enabling vicious spiral of downward health, yoga arrests this cycle.

3. Yoga can help reduce the effects of neuropathy

One of the main complications of diabetes is neuropathy. It starts with a tingling of nerves under the foot or in the palms of the hands, but if neglected, it can turn into nerve damage. Unknown to people living with diabetes, these symptoms may not be restricted to the outer limbs of the body but also affect the internal systems due to nerve impairment.

A medically reviewed article in EverydayHealth.com mentions that practicing yoga for about 30 minutes every day has been seen to help patients with neuropathy symptoms. Yoga helps the nervous system by helping improve nerve conduction. It also helps boost the body’s metabolism, regulates hormonal levels, and balances glucose levels. All this, in turn, also helps reduce further damage to nerve health.

4. Yoga can give the whole body and mind a “reset”

Tara Stiles, the yoga expert, and teacher (who features in Dr. Deepak Chopra’s works), shows us in a YouTube video how yoga can give the whole body and mind a reset. She says that instead of counting the benefits of yoga one by one, it’s the overall “reset” that yoga gives the body that helps with recalibrating all body systems.

The human body and mind are inseparable from each other. They are mutually reinforcing. When all parts of the body and mind are in healthy tandem, they produce excellent health, happiness, and an eagerness to live well. This in itself helps psychologically retard diseases of imbalance like diabetes. Because the human body cannot be reset in parts, yoga is perhaps the only system that gives your body’s “operating system” a holistic reset.

 

8 yoga postures that can help people with diabetes

The following 8 yogic postures (or asanas) are not only beneficial for people with diabetes but also easy to do for beginners. Those with a bit of practice can aim to hold these postures for more prolonged durations after they get into the correct positions.

All yogic postures require inhaling whenever there is a slight backward bend of the body − and exhaling whenever there is a forward bend. But once you get into the final position, you should resist the temptation to hold the breathing to hold the posture. Breathing must be steady, calm, easy, long, and fluid in the pose.

Note: Various experts recommend the following yogic postures for diabetes patients. The explanations of how to do these asanas are compiled/adapted from YogaJournal.com and ArtofLiving.org, to whom we would like to give credit.

But there is always a caveat − please read these for information, but learn to do them correctly with practical training from a certified yoga professional.

1. Padmasana (Or Lotus Pose)

 

Padmasana (Or Lotus Pose)

How to do it:

Sit with legs stretched out in front of you while keeping the spine erect.

Bend the right knee and place it on the left thigh. Make sure that the sole of the foot points upward, and the heel is close to the abdomen. Now, repeat the same step with the other leg.

With both the legs crossed and feet placed on opposite thighs, place your hands on the knees in the shown mudra position.

Keep the head straight and spine erect. Hold and continue with long gentle breaths in and out.

2. Balasana (Or Child Pose)

Balasana (Or Child Pose)

 

How to do it:

Come to your hands and knees. Spread your knees wide, keeping the tops of your feet on the floor with the big toes touching.

Bring your belly to rest between your thighs and root your forehead to the floor. Relax the shoulders, jaw, and eyes.

There are several possible arm variations. You can bring your arms back alongside your thighs with the palms facing upwards (as shown above). Or you can stretch your arms in front of you with your palms toward the floor.

Stay as long as you like in this fetus-like position, relaxing with the steady inhales and exhales of your breath.

3. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Or Upward-Facing Dog Pose)

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Or Upward-Facing Dog Pose)

 

How to do it:

Lie flat on the ground with your stomach on the floor. Your feet must face downwards, and your arms must be placed beside your body.

Gently fold your elbows. Place your palms under your shoulders and closer to your floating ribs. Press your palms firmly on the floor and gently lift your knees, hips, and torso off the mat.

Keep your arms firm and your elbows straight. Broaden your shoulders and look up. Ensure that your knees don’t touch the floor.

Put pressure on your toes by curling them inwards and pressing them on the floor before extending them outward. Hold the pose for as long as it feels good, breathing easily. Exhale and release.

4. Paschimottanasana (Or Seated Forward Bend Pose)

Paschimottanasana (Or Seated Forward Bend Pose)

How to do it:

Press your heels away from your body with legs outstretched. Press your palms or fingertips into the floor beside your hips.

Keep your front torso long, exhale and lean forward from your hips. Lengthen the spine to fold toward your legs without rounding your back.

Walk your hands out along the outside of each leg as far as they will go. If you can reach them, hold the sides of your feet with your hands. If you are holding your feet with your hands, bend your elbows out to the sides and lift them away from the floor.

Stay in the pose as long as comfortable and breathe easily. Exhale as you release the position.

5. Dhanurasana (Or Bow Pose)

Dhanurasana (Or Bow Pose)

 

How to do it:

Lie on your belly. Press all your toes into the floor and bend your knees, keeping the toes active.

Grab the outer edges of your ankles with your hands and flex your feet firmly. Lift your rib cage and shoulders toward your ears.

Lengthen your tailbone and kick your legs back into your hands as you hold on firmly. Then lift your head and heart. Gaze forward.

Press down through your thighs to lift your chest. Stay raised for till you are comfortable while breathing steadily. Release the position in reverse order, slowly.

6. Uttanpadasana (Or Leg Raise Pose)

Uttanpadasana (Or Leg Raise Pose)

 

How to do it:

Lie in a supine position with your back on the ground. Both your feet and knees should be kept together, and your breathing should be normal.

While breathing in, slowly raise the legs to a 90-degree angle from the floor without jerking. Do not raise the shoulders from the ground.

The upper body, arms, and face are to be relaxed. Do not bend the knee or lift the lower body or buttocks from the floor. During the final position, your legs should be kept straight with the toes pointed to the ceiling.

Relax and breathe normally. Don’t let your legs flop hard to the ground when releasing the pose. Bring them down slowly.

7. Sethubandhasana (Or Bridge Pose)

Sethubandhasana (Or Bridge Pose)

 

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent, your legs and feet parallel, and hip distance apart. Move your feet closer to your buttocks.

Press down firmly through your feet and inhale as you raise your hips, lifting from the pubic bone rather than the navel.

Clasp your hands under your back with elbows on the floor. Broaden your collarbones and get on top of your shoulders. Breathe normally and hold for as long as comfortable.

To finish, exhale, release your hands, and lower your hips to the floor. Allow your back to return to rest on the floor gently.

8. Sarvangasana (Or Shoulder Stand Pose)

Sarvangasana (Or Shoulder Stand Pose)

How to do it:

Lie on your back with hands by your side. With a single movement, lift your legs, buttocks, and back so that you come up high on your shoulders. Support your back with your hands.

Move your elbows closer towards each other, and move your hands along your back, creeping up towards the shoulder blades. Keep straightening the legs and spine by pressing the elbows down to the floor and hands into the back.

Your weight should be supported on your shoulders and upper arms, not your head and neck. Keep the legs firm. Point the toes up. Press your chest toward the chin.

Keep breathing deeply and stay in the posture for as long as you are comfortable. Come out of the pose by first lowering your knees to your forehead. Bring your arms down to your sides and gently ease your torso to the ground.

 

In summary 


Diabetes care involves many angles of treatment – diet, medications, and exercise – and yoga as part of the exercise regimen helps immensely.

Remember, caring for your diabetes is also a way to care for your heart. If you are diabetic, treat your body and mind responsibly. And thereby, treat your heart responsibly too.

(DISCLAIMER: We have done our best to include accuracy, reliability, and the pro and cons of yoga. But we would like to recommend that readers satisfy themselves on all these issues independently also, and get the proper guidance of a yoga guru/expert, especially at the initial stages of learning these asanas. There is no liability on Sun Pharma and Sun Pharma does not guarantee results.)
Categories
Diabetes Lets Feel The Scare

Diabetes Care Plan: The 4 Key Factors To Include

Diabetes Care Plan The 4 Key Factors To Include

Diabetes care planning should not be done only when facing an emergency, when your doctor absolutely insists you reconsider several aspects of your health.

Good diabetes control planning should be done pro-actively so that your lifestyle naturally supports more positive health − especially if you have a genetic leaning towards diabetes.

A comprehensive care and management system is an absolute must for children, young adults, and the elderly with a hereditary disposition towards diabetes.

What must a robust diabetes care plan contain? Read on 


 

Should your diabetes care method change if you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes?

According to Diabetes UK, the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is that Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition that often shows up quite early in life.

On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes is mainly related to lifestyle. It develops over time and with more significant neglect.

The critical thing to remember is that both types of diabetes are equally serious 
 but if you have either of these conditions, you need to take the same proper steps to manage it.

 

How can diabetes care help your other health issues, including your heart?

Diabetes is one of those conditions, for example, that can affect the heart if seriously neglected. Similarly, other ailments like hypertension, obesity, or cholesterol – or if you have a family history of heart disease – can all have multiplicative negative effects on your heart.

So, it’s always important to get help from your doctor to monitor if you are suffering from such ailments and assess the risk to your heart. It’s then time to devise a proper care plan to keep all such conditions under control so that they do no damage to other organs of the body like your heart.

 

The 4 keys factors to include in a diabetes control and care plan

Your diabetes care plan must consist of diet, medications, tests, and exercise. Let’s examine them one by one to understand how these can be planned for our daily lifestyles.

 

The first key for diabetes care: Changes needed in your daily diet

See our answers to typical queries from most people with diabetes 


 

Changes needed in your diet for managing diabetes

 

1. What are the basic principles behind healthy eating for diabetics?

Your diet is essential in diabetes care because it can help you control your blood sugar (glucose), manage weight, and prevent heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high blood fats.

When you eat extra carbohydrate-rich calories and fat, your body creates an additional unhealthy rise in blood glucose. If blood glucose isn’t kept in check, it can lead to high blood glucose levels (also called hyperglycemia) that could affect your nerves, kidney, and heart.

2. What are the right foods to eat and the wrong ones to avoid?

You have to make every calorie count by choosing nutritious foods. Eat more of these types of food in your diet:

  • Healthy carbohydrates: These are found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and legumes (such as pulses, beans and peas).
  • Fiber-rich foods: Look for these in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and pulses.
  • Foods with good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats: These can help lower your cholesterol levels. You can include nuts, olive oil, or foods that contain Omega 3 fatty acids. But keep even these fats at a minimum.

Foods to avoid would be:

  • Saturated fats or trans fats: Saturated fats are found in high-fat dairy products and some animal proteins. Trans fats are found in processed snacks, baked goods, and margarine.
  • Cholesterol sources: These are found in high-fat dairy products and high-fat animal proteins, egg yolks, liver, and other organ meats.
  • Sodium-laden foods like salty snacks: You must aim for less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day 
 that is about one teaspoon. Your doctor may recommend even less if you have high blood pressure.

3. Why do doctors insist we eat at regular times of the day?

A good diabetes care diet would usually be based on regularly eating three meals a day. This helps you better use the insulin your body produces or gets through a medication.

Haphazard eating times can not only suddenly raise or lower your glycemic levels and make you feel very uncomfortable, but they can undo the excellent choices you make in picking the right foods to eat.

 

The second key for diabetes care: Taking recommended medications

Your doctor is the best person to evaluate your diabetes levels and recommend the right drug prescription. But most people have queries about medicine, so it would be good to address these three main ones.

 

Diabetes management

 

1. Once you start on diabetes medications, can you ever stop?

Many people who take medicine daily for diabetes often wonder if they can ever stop. They hope that if their blood sugar numbers are good and they are committed to a healthy lifestyle, their doctors may say medications can be discontinued.

Unfortunately, diabetes is a progressive disease, as Dr. Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston says. So, although many people have reached a level where they could stop medications, doctors often advise them not to. Or, even if they temporarily stop medications, they may find they have regressed and have to go back to drugs at some point.

2. Do diabetes medications have side effects?

According to WebMD, you may sometimes have nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhoea, Vitamin B12 deficiency, and an upset stomach. These problems usually go away in a few weeks, as your body gets used to the medicine. It may also help to take the drugs with food.

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications so that he will know how to adjust the side effects caused by the combination of medicines you have to take.

3. What will happen if you miss taking your diabetes medications?

According to Healthline, medication adherence is of critical importance for people with diabetes. Missing a dose can cause a rise in your blood glucose levels, leading to severe complications over time.

Missing one dose isn’t likely to be a very serious problem. But missing several doses can lead to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). That is not a good sign.

 

The third key for diabetes care: Regular testing and monitoring

Most diabetics know they should get regular diabetes control and care tests, but they usually have these main queries 


 

How do I know if I am pre diabetic?

1. What are the regular tests for diabetes?

Your doctor will have you take one or more of the following blood tests to confirm the diagnosis or to see that your diabetes is under strict control:

  • The A1C Test: This measures your average blood sugar level over the past 2 or 3 months.
  • Fasting Blood Sugar Test: This measures your blood sugar after an overnight fast (not eating).
  • Postprandial Glucose Test: This test is done to see how your body responds to sugar and starch after you eat a meal. (It is taken usually two hours after a meal.)
  • Glucose Tolerance Test: This measures your blood sugar before and after you drink a glucose-rich liquid.
  • Random Blood Sugar Test: This measures your blood sugar at the time you’re tested. You can take this test at any time and don’t need to fast (not eat) first.

2. How often should you have a blood test for diabetes?

Doctors say it would be ideal to have these checks every three months when newly diagnosed, then every six months once you’re stable. But never be tempted to do these tests on your own.

Your doctor has to see the results to compare them with previous ones to check the progress or status of your ailment.

3. Which test for blood sugar diabetes can be done daily at home?

Remember, blood sugar testing can be done at home using a blood glucose meter. The meter helps measure the amount of sugar in a small blood sample, usually from your fingertip, that you place on a disposable test strip.

But your meter has to be correctly calibrated, or you’ll be getting wrong readings. Get a new device when doubtful about its calibration. Don’t try to tinker with the settings of the old one.

 

The fourth key for diabetes care: Maintaining an exercise regimen

Exercising regularly is essential for people with diabetes because it can help you manage your blood sugar levels and body weight. But of all the exercises, the best ones to do are those with low-impact (that is, exercises that do not add injuries to other parts of the body due to over-exertion).

Here are a few typical queries that people ask − and their answers 


 

1. What is the best exercise for diabetes?

Undoubtedly, walking is the safest and most effective exercise for people with diabetes to follow as part of the care plan. Spending about 30 minutes in brisk walking, at least four to five times each week, is a great way to increase your physical activity.

Walking is also a pleasurable activity outdoors, in gardens and parks, inhaling fresh air. You will find that if it feels too strenuous sometimes, you can lower your walking speed to maintain the regularity of your exercise without giving it up altogether.

2. When is the best time for people with diabetes to walk?

If you’ve set yourself a quota of about 30 minutes of walking a day for exercise, doctors would probably advise you to take a 15-minute walk after every meal.

A study by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services shows that moderately-paced 15-minute walks after meals work as well at regulating overall blood sugar in adults as a 30-minute walk once a day. Walking after every meal has an added benefit: it helps lower post-meal blood sugar for three hours.

3. How much should people with diabetes walk?

DiabetesJournals.org recommends this: “A good starting target is to walk at least 1.2 miles/day or 30 min or 2,400 steps/day.”

Start with less and then make small incremental additions to the amount of walking you do. Don’t try to do too much because that’s the surest way to halt your exercise if your body feels like it’s being pushed too hard.

 

In summary 


  1. Know that diabetes is a progressive disease, so have a clear diabetes care plan and don’t be tempted to deviate from it.
  2. Always get your doctor’s advice to devise your diabetes care plan and regularly monitor if your regimen is working.
  3. All parts of the diabetes care plan are equally important – diet, medications, tests and exercise. So give them all a place in your daily lifestyle.

 

Taking care of your diabetes also is a way to take care of your heart. Fill your heart with loving care. Show your heart some love. Treat your heart responsibly.

 

Categories
Diabetes Lets Feel The Scare

Pre Diabetes Symptoms (Tingling Nerves Is One Of The Many)

Pre Diabetes Symptoms – Tingling Nerves Is One Of The Many

Pre diabetes symptoms – tingling nerves especially – often send out the first signs of alarm in people. Indeed, they are an uncomfortable feeling, but they are just one of the many observable symptoms of pre diabetes. There may be many others you haven’t noticed.

Incidentally, many people get one message wrong. They think pre diabetes is just a sign to be careful that you may get full-blown Type 2 diabetes soon. They don’t realize that pre diabetes itself, if it prolongs, can cause irreversible damage to the body.

Are you too taking pre diabetes a little lightly, and only worrying about tingling hands and feet, when there are many other things to be careful about? Here’s a primer for you 


 

What is pre diabetes?

Pre diabetes (also often spelt as prediabetes) usually indicates that you have higher-than-normal blood glucose levels. It’s not as high as in Type 2 diabetes yet. But without immediate lifestyle changes, both adults and children with pre diabetes are at risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes.

Other names for pre diabetes include borderline diabetes, hyperglycemia (which means “high blood sugar”), glucose intolerance, impaired glucose tolerance, or impaired fasting glucose.

 

How is pre diabetes different from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

There are two major types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. People with Type 1 diabetes are usually born with it 
 that is, their bodies cannot produce insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is a condition that gradually develops over time.

Pre diabetes is the early chronic condition that begins to show signs of diabetes. It slowly evolves into Type 2 diabetes if you don’t try to slow its progression.

 

What actually causes pre diabetes?

The exact cause of pre diabetes is still unknown. Experts believe that in people with diabetes, family history and genetics may be the cause. The risk factors are apparent, though. The bodies of people with pre diabetes are not able to process sugar (glucose) properly anymore. The pancreas slows down the secretion of insulin into the blood.

As a result, sugar builds up in your bloodstream instead of fueling your cells. This can happen in either of two ways – either your pancreas may not make enough insulin, or your cells may show signs of insulin resistance and not allow as much sugar in.

 

How do I know if I’m pre diabetic?

You can do a quick blood sugar test at any time, of course.

 

How do I know if I am pre diabetic?

 

But for more accurate results, your doctor may recommend a fasting plasma glucose test. If your blood sugar is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), the results are normal. But if your blood sugar is 100 to 125 mg/dL, pre diabetes is indicated. And if your blood sugar is 126 mg/dL or higher, your doctor will confirm you have full-scale diabetes.

Other tests can also confirm a negative situation – high blood pressure, low HDL levels, high triglycerides, high blood sugar levels, increased waist size, and weight gain (to the point of obesity). A combination of three or more of these symptoms is often called Metabolic Syndrome and can affect not just your diabetes but also your heart.

Everything in our bodies is ultimately connected. Ailments like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, or cholesterol – or a family history of heart disease – multiply the chances of future heart attacks.

 

What does pre diabetes tingling feel like?

You may experience pre diabetes tingling in your feet or your palms. Patients usually say this tingling feels like pins and needles.
Sometimes, it may even feel like your skin is too hot or cold or alternating between them.

Occasionally you may have a loss of sensitivity. There may be such numbness that you may not know where your feet are while walking. Wobbly walking is often the result.

At other times, you may feel like you’re wearing socks or gloves when you’re not.

Some sufferers say they feel sudden, sharp pains like an electrical current passing through their hands and feet. Or they get a stinging sensation as if they are grasping a sharp-edged metal object. This often causes them to drop items they are holding, even if these are things with smooth shapes.

 

The symptoms (and dangers) of pre diabetes

Since most people start with the common symptoms of feeling a persistent tingling, burning, or numbness in the hands and feet, let’s begin by discussing that.

Dr. Michael Polydefkis, a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has conducted research among 62 people, including 52 with tingling and pain in their hands and feet. This condition is medically known as neuropathy.

Here is what he found: “Over three years, those with pre diabetes had damage over the entire length of small sensory nerve fibers, rather than just at the longest ends first. The findings challenge the current understanding of pre diabetes-related nerve damage.”

In other words, pre diabetes can severely impair your nerves over time, if unattended. This type of nerve damage is often not reversible. But there are ways to slow the growth of pre diabetic neuropathy, and reduce symptoms and the risk of more harm.

Pre diabetes has also been linked with long-term damage to your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and eyes, even if you haven’t yet progressed to Type 2 diabetes.

Pre diabetes could also be linked to unrecognized (silent) heart attacks.

 

Other common signs of pre diabetes

Another likely sign of pre diabetes is darkened skin on some parts of the body, usually your neck, armpits, and groin.

Undiagnosed pre diabetes can also show early signs of more mature symptoms of diabetes like increased thirst, increased urination, increased hunger, and blurred vision.

 

How to make pre diabetes your friend

 

How to make pre diabetes your friend

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a pre diabetes diagnosis is “your chance to prevent Type 2 diabetes.”

There is no sure way to tell how fast you could progress from pre diabetes to more critical Type 2 diabetes. But the important thing is to get to a doctor at the earliest signs of any symptoms. Tests will prove or disprove your fear of having pre diabetes or Type 2 diabetes.
Those who find out they have pre diabetes, and take their diagnosis as a warning to make lifestyle changes (like reducing sugar in their diet, and exercising more), can definitely avoid the damages of pre diabetes and slow down the possible advancement towards Type 2 diabetes (and cardiovascular diseases too).

 

Pre diabetes care – initiatives to take

Doctors always emphasize that people with pre diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes with lifestyle factors. These include simple changes you can make:

  • Make good dietary choices by reducing red meats, carbs, and sugar
  • Maintain healthy body weight and waist size by regular exercising
  • Avoid or quit smoking, and limit your alcohol consumption
  • Get enough quality sleep, and learn to manage stress in your life

Some alternative therapies that improve blood flow and reduce the chances of muscle wasting are massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic therapy.

Another option is Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (or TENS). The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has approved this as a treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy.

 

In summary 


  1. Stay watchful of pre diabetes indicators, especially if you have a family history of diabetes. Get to a doctor with promptness for confirmatory tests.
  2. Get your doctor’s advice on managing neuropathy (tingling nerves) or any other early complications of diabetes that cannot be cured but can be contained.
  3. Change to a healthier lifestyle of better food habits and exercise. Manage stress and aim to give up addictions.

 

Whether you’re young or old, it pays to monitor yourself often and lower your risk of diabetes in a proactive way. And thereby, you’ll treat your heart responsibly too.

 

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