Yesterday Was the 20th Annual Diabetes Alert Day: TAKE THE TEST!!!
This might not fit into the topic of the group, but I thought it was important to share.
"20.8 million Americans
have diabetes and nearly 1/3 of them don’t even know
it!
Take the Test: http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp
This is a call to action to learn if you are one of the millions of Americans with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes or to find out if you are at-risk. Because your health is important, I urge you to take this easy, 7-question test called the Diabetes Risk Test. Early detection and treatment can help prevent type 2 diabetes or the serious complications associated with diabetes."
Take the Diabetes Test. Don't wait.
Type II Diabetes is preventable or manageable with simple lifestyle changes. You may think you are just fine. But not exercising and under 65 (even if at healthy BMI) can even put you at a high risk. So this test may surprise you. Better to be informed and healthy. Read up on how to prevent it.
If you have loved ones who are overweight or who don't practice healthy lifestyles, send them the link as well. Diabetes is a devastating disease if left untreated. And the mistake people make if they have it is to rely solely on medication. While that is important. Losing weight, exercising, eating right can actually allow someone to reduce the medication (and risks) or go off it completely. I have seen this happen countless times.
LIFESTYLE. By making simple lifestyle changes, there is hope for a fairly normal life. Llifestyle can make all the difference.
Take the Test: http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp
Comments
This doesn't just apply to Americans, many people in Britain are at risk too. A guy at work had to have a small operation recently and as a consequence of having needed a blood test, was found to have Diabetes, so now he has to watch his sugar levels, etc., etc.
I'm certainly overweight and have no excuse for it, but I do eat quite healthily (save for cheese which I like). I have the required amount of fruit and vegetables each day and drink lots of unsweetened juice. I gave up the car a few months back and now walk fifteen miles total a week, by virtue of having to get to the railway stations to and from work. I even bought a gym-style rowing machine which sits in my lounge, and I admit that I don't use it as much as I had intended - but it's there for my use.
I'm a very calm person and don't suffer from stress, even when others around me do and when things don't always go right for me. In fact I had a knee replacement operation a few years ago and my blood pressure readings were constant and on my discharge paper, it said stable against emotional state.
So because of my excess weight I could well be suffering from Diabetes, but there's no evident effects to suggest that I am. My worst fear is having a stroke since my mother died of that, and that's the real reason why I should lose weight.
So always remember the good things you are doing! They prevent stroke. A cup of broccoli or a banana a day has a greater impact on stroke reduction than you can imagine. Don't have data here. And if you're really worried about stroke, take the teeny baby aspirins daily (they keep blood thinner and are known to reduce stroke risk)- just be careful around medical procedures and get off them for weeks before any.
15 miles a week is AWESOME!!! Keep it up and THANKS for sharing.
Oh and on the global front - Obesity is a world wide epidemic and some societies that never had to deal with this as a lifestyle actually have VERY, VERY young mortality rates like in 20's/30's because of some cultural/genetic differences. One group I believe is in South Pacific. Asian population that eats and lives westernized (i.e., high fat sedentary) are also at higher risk (if memory serves me) because of differences in genetic make-up.
No matter - we're all screwed if we don't start doing something. And worse than cancer, AIDs, etc. obesity - which leads to cancer, CVD, diabetes, absenteeism will crash the health care system.
Sharing some from memory - so don't nail me to the floor if I got a fact wrong. I really should start posting daily small things that would help people be healthier. I have the research department at my fingertips..
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There many, many studies that support the lifestyle being key to managing diabetes. So congratulations to you and your wife!!