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Sweet Surprises

People living with diabetes often receive books, warnings and tips from healthcare professionals and dietitians about the importance of watching and counting carbohydrates (carbs). Carbs are important for people living with diabetes, but they shouldn’t be the only factor in your food choices. What about sugar, fat, sodium and cholesterol? And beneficial elements like fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals? Limiting foods high in sugar and carbs is a great start, but it doesn’t guarantee the best food choice every time. Why? Sometimes clever food packaging and image specialists can convince consumers a food choice is...

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How to make sense of blood sugar levels

I don’t understand what my blood sugar levels mean! If you live with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, you have probably been asked to check your blood sugar a lot. But what are you supposed to be checking? How do you interpret the values you see? Managing your diabetes is easier when you know what the values mean and what you are trying to accomplish. What is the normal blood sugar level? Your doctor is the best person to ask what your blood sugar level range should be. Since everyone is different and unique, your goals may be different from the standard...

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Neuropathy: A Painful Reality

Neuropathy is one of the complications of diabetes: over time, hyperglycemia ends up damaging nerves—particularly those in the lower extremities. This can then compromise the functioning of organs such as the digestive or renal system, the heart or the genitals. Recognizing the problem and diagnosing it in time The risk factors of neuropathy share much with those of diabetes: High blood glucose High triglyceride levels in the blood Excess weight Smoking Hypertension Your health care...

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How and Why to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

How and Why to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

When you are getting enough sleep, you may find that you have an easier time controlling your blood sugar. You’ll be more alert during the day, have more energy, less stress, and an overall better mindset for monitoring and managing your diabetes. Consider what happens when you don’t get enough sleep. In addition to other things that may interfere with your sleep like schedule changes or stress, people living with diabetes can have potential complications with sleep. Both high and low blood sugar levels can interrupt your sleep. People living with type 2 diabetes who don’t get a good night’s...

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Doctor speaking to female patient

How to Talk to Your Doctor

Whether you’ve been living with diabetes for years or you’re newly diagnosed, communicating with your health care team is one of the best things you can do. If you’re nervous about opening up to your doctor or pharmacist, there are some good reasons to conquer these fears. Less communication leads to measurable increases in your stress, anxiety, and possible depression. It also leads, inevitably, to less frequent and less successful diabetes management.1 Since communicating with your health care providers is proven to be good for your health, here are some guidelines for starting the conversation and keeping...

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Preparing for pregnancy—good reasons to start today

Let's think into the future. Imagine sitting in a rocking chair playing with ten brand-new, tiny toes. That's the image you can remember every time you check your blood glucose, visit your doctor or say no to a glass of wine. And it's absolutely worth it. Not ready for parenthood yet? Here's what you can do now. There are several things you can do to prepare for pregnancy well before you're ready to conceive. Read about it—just not too much. When you understand the risks, you can take steps to reduce them, but it could be overwhelming if you dwell...

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Taking Good Care Of Your Skin

Living with diabetes means being more susceptible to dry skin. One reason is that high blood glucose causes more frequent urination which leads to dehydration. Given that hyperglycemia affects nerves and capillaries, you may also observe a decrease in sweating. The problem is that dry skin gets injured or cracked more easily, making it more vulnerable to infections that can create serious complications. Besides, if you’re falling prey to neuropathy, you may not notice the problem early enough. Various complications ...

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Diabetes And Depression: Warding Off The Sword Of Damocles

Being diagnosed with diabetes means it’s suddenly time to make lifestyle changes, which can feel like a loss. It’s normal to feel destabilized and experience negative feelings at first. But even beyond that initial shock, people living with diabetes are more likely to slip into depression. Greater risk Nearly 10% of people living with diabetes will experience major depression; around 30% will experience symptoms. That prevalence of depression is twice that found in populations without a chronic disease. ...

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Understanding type 1 diabetes

What is it? Known as “insulin-dependent diabetes” or “juvenile diabetes", type 1 diabetes affects 5% to 10% of people living with diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes requires immediate insulin treatment and occurs mostly in children and teenagers. What many people don’t know is that it can develop at any age and that it unfortunately cannot be prevented. Even today, the exact causes of the disease remain unknown. Genetics can play a role, and some environmental factors, such as viruses, can trigger the...

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