Friday, August 14, 2009

Diabetes - 8/14/09

IMPORTANT: The content on this Blog is for information purposes only. If you have questions regarding your health or if you have serious health issues, contact your physician. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.

By Carolyn Bass, Certified Fitter

Carolyn is Director of Halliday’s Healthcare Division, in Jacksonville, Florida. She has over 20 years of experience working with men and women dealing with illnesses relating to diabetes, lymphedema, edema, varicose veins, DVT, venous stasis, ulcers, dermatitis and women have had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.

Topic - Diabetes

8/14/09

A good deal of our business for compression garments is from patients suffering from diabetes.

In case you don’t know, diabetes is an imbalance between sugar, or glucose and insulin. When the body ingests glucose, the pancreas secretes insulin to convert it into energy. With diabetes, the body doesn’t get enough insulin.

Then there is Type 2 diabetes. Once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, Type 2 is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body's main source of fuel.

When you have Type 2 diabetes, your body is resistant to the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or your body doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.

The danger of undiagnosed diabetes can result in heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, loss of limb and death.

Health statistics show that twenty-three million Americans have diabetes, with a quarter of them not even knowing they have it. The biggest risk factor for diabetes is family history.

When visiting your physician, I suggest you periodically ask for a blood-glucose test to monitor your condition.

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