All About Diabetes» smoking

Tips to Kick the Smoking Habit

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 05:19:05 +0000

Smoking is dangerous to your health.” This slogan has been on cigarette packs for years and yet, people who smoke do not seem to realize the slogan has much truth in it. Cigarettes contain nicotine, the addictive substance which makes people want to smoke. Apart from it, cigarettes also contain thousands of chemicals that are harmful to the body.

While smoking is harmful to people in general, it poses more health hazards to people with diabetes. Smoking increases their risk of complications brought about by diabetes such as heart attack and stroke. Here are some tips to help people with diabetes break the smoking habit.

DOs:
Get ready. Many people try to quit smoking but easily relapse. No medication or therapy will be good enough if you aren’t ready to completely kick the habit. Set a quit date and tell the people around you. Getting motivation and support from your loved ones would be very helpful.

Stay away from temptation. Throw away your cigarettes and ashtrays. Instead of your usual yosi or cigarette break, try to eat a healthy snack, chew gum or drink tea. Enjoy the company of your non-smoking friends and stay in smoke-free areas. It restricts you from thinking about smoking and also protects you from dangers of second-hand smoke.

Make yourself busy. Keeping your hands preoccupied (holding a pen, writing, needlework or solving crossword puzzles) can help you overcome the urge to light a cigarette. Recreational activities like going to the mall, engaging in sports or watching movies can also help you feel good even without smoking.

Eat healthy. Smoking or not, you should maintain a well-balanced diet. Eat foods that are high in nutrition and low in calories to reduce weight gain. Fresh fruits in moderation and crisp, crunchy vegetables are highly recommended. You may ask your dietician for a meal plan that will suit your quitting process.

Seek professional advice. Though you can quit smoking on your own, your body may be too addicted to nicotine and quitting may cause complications when not properly done. To make sure that you are doing it right, ask your physician for advice and a prescription to help your body cope with the withdrawal symptoms caused by stopping nicotine use.

DON’Ts:
Be in a bad mood. Stress and depression can push you to smoke again. Learn to relax by taking slow deep breaths, visualizing pleasant scenes and meditating. You can also try stretching your muscles or singing each time you feel the craving to smoke. Find a new enjoyable thing to do especially one that means a lot to you such as charity work, painting or gardening.

Give in. Stay positive and never lose the will to quit smoking. Fighting off temptation may be very difficult but if you really want to quit, you CAN do it. Never think, “Just one cigarette won’t hurt” because it will. Cravings usually last a short time, so just wait them out. Don’t go with your friends who smoke nor frequent smoking places such as bars and casinos. To reduce the urge to puff, don’t carry matches or lighters either.

Use medications without physician consent. Nicotine replacement therapies or NRTs are substitute sources of nicotine without the other dangers of smoking. NRTs and prescription medication can help the body cope with nicotine withdrawal and improve chances of quitting. Although NRTs — like nicotine patches, inhalers, nasal sprays, lozenges, gums — and oral medications are generally safe, the body may have different reactions to them, so consult your physician before you take these.

Drink alcohol. Alcohol may lower your chances of quitting, so avoid it. Take water or other sugar-free drinks instead.

Chuck the stick and save your heart

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Quit smoking now and prevent further health risks. Not news for most but a recent study confirms the direct link of smoking cessation to the recovery of damaged arteries due to cigarettes. Although it may take more than a decade for the arteries to heal, Dr. Noor A. Jatoi of the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland pointed out that the adverse effects of smoking to the blood vessels are reversible. The findings supported studies showing that the risk of heart attack and stroke falls among smokers when they quit three to 20 years after, he said.

“Our study reinforces the message that smoking cessation is an important step smokers can take to enhance the quality and length of their lives,” Jatoi said. “The longer one stops smoking the better.” The study showed that smoking a single cigarette or exposure to “second-hand” smoke all lead to stiffer arteries, which eventually lead to high blood pressure. Jatoi’s research team found that the arterial stiffness parameters of ex-smokers showed some improvements after one to 10 years of cigarettes, but reached normal levels only after more than a decade.

Among the 150 current smokers, 136 ex-smokers and 268 nonsmokers in the study, current and ex-smokers of only one year had significantly narrowed arteries compared to nonsmokers, the team reported in the medical journal Hypertension. The ex-smokers were categorized as to how long they were off cigarettes-under 1 year, more than 1 but less than 10 years and more than 10 years, of smoking cessation, Jatoi explained.

Practical Tips for Elderly Diabetics

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:23:37 +0000

Management of diabetes is different for everyone most especially for the elderly. However, being old is not an excuse to not participate actively in taking control of your diabetes. The Joslin Diabetes Center in the United States estimates that one out of every five people over the age of 60 has diabetes. The elderly are also more prone to complications of the disease. To avoid complications and to live your life fully even with diabetes, we offer tips on how to keep track of and control diabetes, even at the prime of your life.

DOs:

Watch of your blood sugar closely. Diabetics need to keep their blood glucose level as normal as possible to prevent complications. However, elderly diabetics are more prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). To prevent hypoglycemia, regularly monitor your blood sugar level and stick to your physician’s advice. Avoid excess alcohol and take your medications as prescribed. Inform your doctor if blood sugars are consistently below or above specified targets; and if you are feeling unwell and unable to eat as this can make you prone to hypoglycemia.

Be a fiber lover. Eat more vegetables, whole grains and fruits which are healthy and contain almost no fat and little calories.As always, moderation is the key. Seek the advice of a nutritionist or dietitian when it comes to creating a balanced meal plan for you.

Be a keen observer. Watch out for foot blisters, vision problems, kidney irregularities, tooth loss and other health problems that may be signs of diabetes complications. It is important to have your feet, eyes, kidney and teeth checked regularly to ensure that you are safe and free from diabetes complications.

Check your medication. As an elderly diabetic, you must closely monitor your anti-diabetes and other medications, especially for side effects. Drug interactions are a major problem for anyone on multiple medicines.Ask someone to help you monitor your medication intake to reduce the risk of taking the wrong dose. Pill boxes, post-it notes, electronic alarm devices and other tools may be used to remind you to take your medications regularly.

Be on the move. Regular physical activity when able is important to keep diabetes under control and your circulation flowing. Ask your doctor for an exercise program suitable for your age and condition. Exercise can lower your blood sugar, so medication dosage may need to be adjusted.

DONTs:

Splurge on sugar and fats. Be careful not to eat food with too much sugar and fats. Too much consumption of these affects your blood sugar control greatly.

Be stressed-out. High levels of stress can cause hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).Take on a hobby to keep your mind off stressful thoughts and situations.Whenever you feel uptight, take a break to relax, breathe deeply and gently stretch any tense areas. And call a friend when you feel down in the dumps.

Smoke. There are old diabetics who haven’t quit cigarettes. If you are one of them, this could mean long-term circulatory problems and other complications. Ask aid from friends and family to help you quit. Your physician may also opt to prescribe you medication for smoking-cessation.

Skip meals. Poor and erratic food intake makes one prone to hypoglycemia. Don’t ignore signs of low blood sugar such as cold sweats, palpitations, hunger, trembling, weakness, nervousness and trouble speaking. Take a quickfix food like half a cup of juice or regular softdrinks or 2 teaspoons of sugar to get your blood sugar above 70 mg/dL. If it will be an hour or more before your next meal, have a snack.

The goal of every diabetic is to achieve the best control possible without episodes of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. You may feel overwhelmed at times, so support from your family and friends is vital to help conquer it all.

Getting out of harm’s way

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:56:32 +0000

Part 3 of Aging Gracefully with Diabetes

“Aging starts from the womb and ends in the tomb,” says Dr. delaVega. She relates that most of the time, what they see in the geriatrics clinic are already complicated cases of diabetes.”We need to nurture even healthy mothers, healthy pregnancies so that the child that comes out from the womb is healthy and leads a healthy life all throughout his life, towards adulthood and later as an older person.” Weight control, diet, exercise and positive outlook are factors that appear to be beneficial for both diabetes and aging. As always, making some basic lifestyle changes can help the elderly manage the disease and reduce the risk for further complications.

Smoking for instance, should not be part of an elderly lifestyle. If you happen to be a smoker, quitting as soon as you get older can definitely help. Data from the American Geriatric Society showed that people with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of heart disease than non-smokers. This is because smoking also increases a person’s risk for many other health conditions like hypertension, nerve damage and kidney disease. Along with smoking, alcohol consumption should also be greatly reduced if not totally stopped among the elderly. Too much drinking greatly affects blood sugar control.

Again, the importance of regular monitoring of one’s blood glucose everyday can not be overstressed. Everyone with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar at least once a day. If you cannot do it yourself, ask someone to do it for you. For older persons with diabetes, Dr. dela Vega has these to say: “Make sure that you heed your doctor’s advice and take whatever medications are prescribed. Keep your appointment with your doctor, especially since your doctor will be the one to monitor your blood sugar. If possible, get your own blood sugar monitoring kit at home because that is going to be really helpful. Again, healthy diet, regular exercise and vaccination against flu or pneumonia are very important:”

Dr. dela Vega adds that since older patients are more prone to infection and that flu and pneumonia can be worse in diabetes patients, then flu shots and pneumonia vaccine are vital. She adds that even anti-tetanus vaccines are important too since some diabetic patients may already have nerve problems and may not easily feel if they have wounds in their toes and feet. Untreated wounds increase one’s risk for tetanus.

The same lifestyle modifications will apply for a non-diabetic elderly to prevent the development of diabetes. “Watching their diet and maintaining good physical activity are still the cornerstone of prevention,” says Dr.Yu-Gan. “We all recommend healthy diet, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and limit caloric intake because studies have shown that caloric limitation improves life expectancy,” says Dr. dela Vega. She adds that partaking in healthy activities, exercising regularly, and screening of fasting blood sugar for early detection of diabetes are also very important.

To help care for the elderly, various diabetes organizations in the country have established their own programs to better manage diabetes in the said age group. According to Dr.Yu-Gan, the Philippine Diabetes Association has programs for all diabetic age groups. “I think for the elderly we focus more on complications. We have lay fora specifically for complications to make them aware of the possible complications that they face or may already have, and how to hdndle it,” she says.

For their part, the Philippine Society of Geriatric Medicine addresses general health issues regarding elderly care through their outreaches, lay fora and yearly medical convention where they tackle issues that would help improve geriatric care in the Philippines. Meanwhile the Institute for Studies on Diabetes Foundation (ISDF) has continuing training for diabetes educators. According to Dr. Fernando, ISDF teaches doctors to be more proficient in treating diabetes patients including the elderly. They also have ongoing researches to further improve diabetes care and treatment.

Dr. Fernando also shares that ISDF doctors have a service clinic every Saturday for diabetic patients. The service clinic attends to patients who need medical help, including indigent patients who cannot pay for a doctor. These patients flock to the ISDF building in Marikina where they are tested for their blood sugar and other parameters like cholesterol and triglycerides. ISDF also gives them appropriate medicines.

Finally, Dr. Fernando relates that in 1998, the Diabetes Commission has put in place the Philippine Diabetes Prevention Program (PDPP). The PDPP states that all municipal health offices in the Philippines should allot one day for all patients with diabetes. Under the PDPP, all health centers in the country should have equipment for monitoring blood sugar, blood pressure, including weighing scales, to monitor patients with diabetes. If only nationwide programs like the PDPP can be put in practice all over the country, it would greatly help the Filipino elderly diabetic to better manage their disease and prevent further complications. But for now, heeding the experts’ advice can go a long way to keeping diabetes under control and aging gracefully with diabetes.

Tips To Strike Out Stroke

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:21:00 +0000

Being diabetic makes you at risk for stroke. A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted and brain tissues are damaged. Several studies have shown that people with diabetes are at a greater risk for stroke compared ko people without diabetes regardless of the number of risk factors they have. Poor management of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol make diabetics prone to suffer and eventually die from stroke. Don’t wait for stroke to hit you. Empower yourself by heeding these tips to prevent stroke in diabetes.

Do’s:

Manage your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol well. If one of these is not properly managed, you suffer the consequences of diabetes complications like stroke. Proper management of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol is essential to prevent you from developing stroke. Be sure to monitor all of these on a regular basis or as advised by your physician.

Watch your weight. Weight gain among diabetics affects the levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. Be cautious of what you eat. Follow your meal plan as provided by your doctor in order to maintain the weight intended for your situation.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise as instructed by your physician is important in combating stroke. It promotes smooth flow of blood in the blood vessels. Sedentary lifestyle promotes obesity which leads to a series of chronic diseases like diabetes and stroke. Engage yourself in different physical activities that will make you healthy and strong.

Don’ts:
Eat fatty and sugary food. Eating food rich in sugar and saturated or animal fat contributes to high cholesterol, high blood sugar and even high blood pressure. Be sensitive to your needs by eating healthy and nutritious food. Indulge in low-fat and sugar-free delicacies.

Light a stick. Cigarette smoking raises your risk of getting stroke. Diabetics don’t get any benefits from smoking. Stop smoking and you lessen your chances of getting stroke and other deadly complications.

Skip your meds. Take your medications for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar faithfully. Medications to prevent blood from clogging up your arteries such as aspirinn and clopidogrel may also be recommended by your physician.

Above all, see your doctor for regular consultation and treatment. Don’t let stroke strike you. Love yourself by living healthy. Diabetes and stroke must not hinder you from having the best things in life.

Understanding Brain Attack among Diabetics

admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:29:57 +0000

Vanessa is distressed about her father who recently experienced a mini stroke attack, his second in a span of three years. Her family didn’t make a big fuss at first since it was just a minor stroke. After seeing a physician a couple times after the attack, his father returned to his old unhealthy lifestyle despite having been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes the year before. The succeeding mild stroke, however, alarmed Vanessa’s father and the whole family.

The doctor told them diabetes could have triggered the onset of stroke in the case of his father. Though eager to learn more about their father’s health condition, the family found the diabetes-stroke link a little unrealistic to believe.

The Nation Institute of Health tells us it is not at all unlikely for diabetics to have stroke. In fact, according to the NIH, people with diabetes have a two to four-fold chance of developing stroke and heart disease. In those without diabetes, stroke often happens among older people. In those with diabetes however, stroke attacks even the young.

Stroke, one of the prevalent neurological disorders in diabetes mellitus, takes place when blocked blood vessels deprive nerve cells of nutrients and oxygen. Damaged blood vessels have a hard time passing through an area of the brain and thus results to cessation or decrease in blood fIow. If not immediately fed, the involved brain cells deliberately stop working and eventually die. This kind of stroke, referred to as ischemic stroke, is what diabetics commonly encounter. Hemorrhagic stroke, the other type, occurs when blood vessels are completely shattered causing bleeding inside the brain.

“In diabetes, small blood vessels are involved,” says Dr. Ester Bitanga, president of the Stroke Society of the Philippines (SSP). “Therefore, the blood flow or supply to the brain may be involved and lead to. stroke because there’s a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.”

According to the 2001 data of the World Health Organization, there were more than 20.5 million stroke cases worldwide. About 12.7 million stroke cases in the world are attributed to high blood pressure. Of the total number of stroke mortality worldwide, seven percent are caused by diabetes. Stroke or brain attack was ranked third among the main causes of health mortality in the country.

High blood pressure is named the top cause of stroke, diabetes closely follows. In people with diabetes, arteries are hardened (atherosclerosis) and this serves as an apt stage for blood vessel blockage. According to Dr. Rosa Allyn Sy, incumbent president of the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metal3olism (PSEM), “diabetics are four to five times more prone to develop neurological disorders (such as stroke) because majority of type 2 diabetics have clustering of metabolic problems that hasten atherosclerosis.”

In the country, local data revealing the risk factors for stroke are yet to come out but SSP, through
their website, named the possible culprits. The society gathered data from other countries and views of Filipino medical experts regarding the main risk factors for stroke. The physicians named hypertension, certain heart diseases like coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation, transient ischemic attacks (TIA or mini-stroke), diabetes mellitus, and asymptomatic carotid disease as the main causes of stroke. The society also mentioned risk factors which have strong association with the disease but still need further research. These include too much alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, high blood cholesterol levels, and high fat diet.

Most people only realize they have stroke after having a TIA but diabetics should not wait for a mini-stroke to happen. SSP says stroke can be detected through a thorough medical history and physical examination. Specific tests such as blood count, cholesterol, electrocardiogram, and fasting blood sugar are also essential in screening for stroke.

According to Dr. Bitanga, who is also a past president of the Philippine Neurological Association, tell-tale signs of stroke or brain attack are sudden focal weakness, numbness on lower half of the body, slurring of speech, sudden loss of vision on one eye, and sudden loss of balance.

More serious symptoms include momentary loss of consciousness, extreme headache and even inability to move some body parts or paralysis. The latter is among the most common effects of stroke.

Of the two types of diabetes, type 2 is said to make one more inclined to develop stroke but at present, there are inadequate studies and data to back this assumption. What is known is that stroke strikes both men and women. When it comes to treatment, Dr. Sy said “neurological disorders (like stroke) are equally difficult to treat in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.”

In terms of mortality, a study revealed those strokes occurring among diabetics are more fatal. In 1994, the Copenhagen Stroke Study showed mortality rate to be 24 percent among diabetics who suffered from stroke compared to 17 percent for those without the disease. The researchers concluded that “diabetes influences stroke in several aspects: in age, in subtype, in speed of recovery, and in mortality.”

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar among diabetics has been associated with aggravation of stroke. Normally, blood vessels can still convey oxygen through bypassing blocked areas but this is not possible for diabetics with atherosclerosis. Treatment depends on the kind and severity of stroke. There are medications which should be given no more than three hours after signs of stroke have been observed. The medications work by dissolving the blood clot which blocks the arteries to enable smooth flow of blood. Patients who already have plaque in the arteries may be required to undergo a surgery called carotid endarterectomy.

For both doctors interviewed, nothing could be more essential than keeping sugar levels in check among diabetics who are prone to have stroke. “As we always say, the best way to prevent different complications of diabetes mellitus is to keep blood glucose under optimal control at all times,” Dr. Sy reiterated.
According to Dr. Bitanga, who is also a diabetic, “Stroke can be prevented. Even if a diabetic person didri t have a stroke before, he should aspire to control sugar and fats.” She stresses that control of blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are needed from the start because “in° treating diabetes, you are preventing stroke and other neurological disorders.”

True to its advocacy of stroke awareness and prevention, SSP has come up with guidelines in avoiding stroke for both diabetic and non-diabetic Filipinos. Established in 1995, SSP also organizes the Brain Attack Congress which tackles the latest studies on stroke. Through its website, the society imparts concise pointers in treating patients who have had mild, moderate or severe stroke. SSP also actively supports legislations and national campaigns such as Yosi Kadiri which aims to promote a smoke-free country. Smoking is linked to heart diseases and complications, including stroke.

Families like that of Vanessa’s can get in touch with concerned groups such as SSP to enrich their knowledge regarding what their family member has gone through. Why wait for a second and a third mini stroke to occur if it can be treated right after the first attack? Better yet, why let the first mini stroke happen if something can be done to prevent it? In line-with what Dr. Bitanga advised, “the best way to treat stroke is not to have one.”