Diabetes Nurse educator

Education, a vital part in our selves as an individual. We need to be educated on a lot of things. We need to become updated on our professions to add value in our career. Diabetes education is very important in managing diabetes because  letting people know what diabetes is helps them to maintain their blood sugar level and decrease their risk of having complications.

Diabetes Education accounts 70-80% of success in fighting diabetes. In my practice as a diabetes nurse educator, being passionate about educating people with diabetes helped me open a lot of opportunities for my self. One of those opportunities is our DiabEcare Service clinic, a diabetes wellness clinic made to help patients with diabetes to be more aware leading them to a healthier life. Established last January, 2010, we already educated and empowered  people with or with out diabetes to maintain their healthy lifestyle and continue their battle against diabetes.

This site will help people know what diabetes is all about and will let people be more concern about their lifestyle because all us are at risk of having DIABETES.



DiabEcare Service Clinic Corp. located at room 4020, 4th floor, Lung Center of the Philippines Quezon City.

Tel no. 703-9046

ABC's you need to know about diabetes

We thought that fasting blood sugar is a way to determine if your blood sugar is okay. that's long time ago. Now, we need to watch for the A,B,C of diabetes. Dr. Samuel Abbate came up with this idea to help patient easily remember long list of recommendations. (Clinical Diabetes published in 2003).

A for Hemoglobin A1C- it is the patient's average blood sugar for the past 3 months. the target goal is to let the patient have a result of normal or near normal reference range of less than 7% for American Diabetes Association (ADA), or less than 6% for Institute for the Study of Diabetes Foundation (ISDF).  The HbA1C test is currently the best way to see if your blood sugar is in control. it is taken quarterly or every 3 months because the hemoglobin in our blood usually change every 3 months. see www.diabetes.org for more info's.

B for blood pressure- Blood pressure should be monitored regularly. Patients with blood pressure more than 130/80 and confirmed on a separate day to be more than 130/80 is diagnosed to have hypertension and should be treated accordingly. This is crucial for patients with diabetes and hypertension.

Imagine this, your blood consistency is to thick to flow to your bloodstream because of the high blood sugar then add hypertension, it makes your blood stream constrict causing blood flow to slow.Constricted blood vessels which affects the flow of the blood which will lead to high blood pressure plus your blood consistency is thick because of high blood sugar equals COMPLICATIONS! (check complications of diabetes in google.)

C for cholesterol levels- You need to monitor also your lipid profile, your blood cholesterol levels such as Low density lipoprotein (LDL), this is the bad cholesterol, High density lipoprotein (HDL) the good cholesterol, your triglycerides and your cholesterol. If the values of this lipid profile is beyond the normal range, this will lead to diabetic dyslipidemia and can lead to series of complications. this may cause blockage to your blood vessels.

Again, imagine this, you have a thick consistency of blood, constricted  blood vessels and blockage due to cholesterol equals COMPLICATIONS!



TIP: Lifestyle modification is the best way to control your ABC's of diabetes. Exercise, Proper diet/ healthy eating and proper intake of your prescriptions will help you improve this blood chem results. It is simple as 123 and ABC.

Understand diabetes

Diabetes, an epidemic, a killer, a lifestyle disease and you can have it soon. In this video by AnswersTV.com, find out what diabetes is all about, how it can affect you, what are the types of diabetes, etc. It's just five minutes of your time to watch the video and you'll be equipped with knowledge about diabetes:

6.0% = borderline

I was partly devastated this day. I had an opportunity to test my HbA1c levels for free because we had a chance to be trained on how to use the HbA1c machine, (DCA 2000 from Bayer). When the trainor said that I will have the test for free, I didn't hesitate because HbA1c test cost 800 pesos. After 6 minutes, the result came out, 6.0%.

Hemoglobin A1c is a test that measures the glycated hemoglobin in your blood. Glycated is a substance in red blood cells when blood sugar attaches to hemoglobin. ( source: Medline plus, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003640.htm)

The HbA1c test is currently one of the best way to check if diabetes is under control. It is taken every three months because normally our red blood cells lives only 8 to 12 weeks before they are replaced. By measuring your HbA1c levels, it can tell you how HIGH your blood sugar has been in the past three months. The normal levels of HbA1c is less than 6% forInstitute for Studies on Diabetes Foundation, Inc and 7% for  American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org/).

When I asked Dr. Melanie Duran, a Diabetologist about this matter, she said, I'm on a prediabetes stage. It is a wake up call for me to have an active lifestyle again. Exercise is still the best way to prevent diabetes. walking, jogging, cycling, mountain climbing, basketball, swimming, are the activities I usually do in the last few years. this year, sometimes playing basketball every Saturday, fast foods, late night or inadequate sleep, STRESS,  equals 6% HbA1c levels.

Counting your calories

Calories, your fuel for everyday. We always hear this word in the gym,  from a health conscious person or from commercials who promotes healthy products but, what can we do about this calorie thing? All we know is that we must burn (  referring to physical activity, exercise, etc) those calories so that it will not turn into fat and be stored in our belly. We should be aware how much calories our body need for a day in order for you to gain control on your diet. I my self for example, my body needs 2100 cal for a day, that's what all I need to survive a mile swim in an open sea!


According to New York Times, in the US there is now a health law that requires restaurants to put the caloric value of the food or  meal that they serve so that people will be aware of how many calories they get from Mc donalds, Burger king, starbucks, etc. This should be implemented in our country because this fastfood chains makes our waist line increase its size and because of this, we can't anymore use our favorite jeans. Do You get what I mean?? Obesity leads to diabetes and other Lifestyle diseases!

to read the full article click on the link, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24menu.html

Calorie Facts, just to be reminded:

Mc Donalds:

Mc Donald'sQuarter pound with cheese- 500 Calories

Mc Donald's Large fries- 400 calories

Cheese Burger- 295 calories

Double Cheese Burger- 421 calories

Burger Mc do- 249 calories

Source: http://www.weightlossforall.com/mcdonalds-calories-list.htm

Burger King:

Double Whopper with cheese- 990 calories

Large Fries- 500 calories

Source: http://nutrition.about.com/od/rateameal/a/whoppermeal.htm

KFC:

Hot and Crispy Chicken ( breast Part)- 460 calories

Original recipe chicken (breast part)- 380 calories

Zinger sandwich- 680 calories

Potato wedges small ( KFC fries)- 240 calories

Mashed potato with gravy- 120 calories

Source: http://www.newsandjava.com/KFC%20calorie%20chart.htm

Pizza huts:

1 slice of 12" super supreme, meat lovers pizza- 320 calories

1 slice of 12" pepperoni pizza- 250 calories

1 slice of chicken supreme pizza- 230 calories

source: http://calorielab.com/restaurants/pizza-hut/4

Shakeys:

http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/shakeys

See a Registered Nutritionist Dietitian to know your daily caloric requirements.

Diabetes in children

It's hard to think that children may suffer at a young age.Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus ( others call it juvenile diabetes) results when the pancreas of our body loses its ability to produce insulin which our body needs to absorb glucose (sugar) in our blood. Studies shows that the person's  immune system attacks and destroy the beta cells in the pancreas that primarily produces insulin. Although, until now, no one knows why this things happen, scientist thinks it is because of the genes or the person was exposed to viruses etc, to get a type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented and you can't predict it when it will strike. When a person has type 1 diabetes, there is nothing he can do. It is a life time management of insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

Nick Jonas, a Walt Disney child star, had type 1 diabetes in 2005.



WE CAN FIGHT DIABETES. Early detection is important. If you see some symptoms like sudden weight loss, extreme thirst, irritability, frequently urinates, tires easily. Please, for the parents, don't hessitate to take your child to a doctor for a check up. remember, prevention is still better than cure.

Try to see your nape

Acanthosis nigricans, it's a sign for Insulin Resistance. some people with this signs has no idea that they are developing INSULIN RESISTANCE. AN results from high insulin levels in the body causing it to activate the insulin receptors in the skin, forcing it to grow abnormally. Usually AN is more seen in over weight or obese people. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes if not properly manage because the pancreas will work overtime and eventually tire out. Exercise and proper diet can help reduce the circulating insulin in the body. If left untreated, there is no turning back if you develop DIABETES.



Have a healthier lifestyle. Let your kids be active in sports! don't let there time be wasted in playing video games. engage them while their young. Prevention is still the best way....