The incredible, unbelievable value of having a friend living with diabetes.
Guest article by Christel Oerum. Have you ever imagined having a best friend who also lives with diabetes? How wonderful it would be to meet the perfect "diabuddy" who truly understands what it means to live with diabetes and relates to what you deal with every day. They wouldn't have to guess at what you're thinking—they'd know because it's their life too. You are not alone. There are so many of us living with diabetes around the world. If you're open to it and willing to share your experience with others, the chance of meeting another person living with...
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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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Ah... Ah... Choo!
Every year we cross our fingers, hoping we’ll be spared. The common cold and influenza have a nasty reputation and with good reason. Who can stand a runny nose or a hacking cough? Both infections are common and relatively harmless, but they still have to be closely monitored in people living with diabetes. A few facts Colds and influenza are viral infections affecting the respiratory tract. The common cold is relatively mundane and is generally over in ten days. The...
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At the heart of the matter
Everyone thinks of February as the month of Valentine’s Day, but let’s not forget it’s also Heart Month! A few quick facts Most people living with diabetes are unaware of their risk of heart disease. Compared to adults that do not live with diabetes, adults living with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or a stroke. Two-thirds of adults living with diabetes have high blood pressure,...
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Breaking Free Of The Sofa Without Forsaking TV
So you don’t have the time, or the inclination, to go for a run or visit the gym? If you own a stationary bike or other type of exercise machine, combining workouts with binge-watching a good series is a no-brainer. Otherwise, there are still plenty of ways to work out in the comfort of your living room. No equipment needed besides comfortable clothing! You can choose from a wide range of exercises: Running in place, jumping jacks… as long as you don’t have a downstairs neighbor! Leg...
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Managing Sick Days
Feeling fine? It's the perfect day to create a sick day plan. When you're feeling ill, you'd like nothing more than to lie in bed with a good book or a good movie. Yet that's when you need to focus even more on diabetes self-care. The key to manage sick days when living with diabetes is doing all of the thinking ahead of time. That way, when you don't feel like concentrating, you can simply follow the plan. What to include in your plan? Involve your diabetes care team in...
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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...
Read More
Understanding Type 2 Diabetes
What is it? Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common: it’s the one affecting up to 90% of people living with diabetes. It is mostly found in adults (hence its nickname, “adult diabetes”), particularly in those 40 years and older. However, with the obesity epidemic currently raging around the world, it has been occurring in younger people. This type of diabetes is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and excess weight, especially in cases where there is fat accumulation in the abdomen area, but uncontrollable factors...
Read More
Understanding Prediabetes
What is it? Prediabetes is when a person’s blood sugar level (blood glucose) is higher than average, but not enough to diagnose them with diabetes. Almost all people living with type 2 diabetes have had prediabetes, but not all prediabetics develop type 2 diabetes. Of course, it’s not enough to hope you fall into the right category: without any intervention, prediabetes is extremely likely to evolve in the wrong direction. What’s happening? ...
Read MorePages
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. ...
Read More Ah... Ah... Choo!
Every year we cross our fingers, hoping we’ll be spared. The common cold and influenza have a nasty reputation and with good reason. Who can stand a runny nose or a hacking cough? Both infections are common and relatively harmless, but they still have to be closely monitored in people living with diabetes. A few facts Colds and influenza are viral infections affecting the respiratory tract. The common cold is relatively mundane and is generally over in ten days. The...
Read More At the heart of the matter
Everyone thinks of February as the month of Valentine’s Day, but let’s not forget it’s also Heart Month! A few quick facts Most people living with diabetes are unaware of their risk of heart disease. Compared to adults that do not live with diabetes, adults living with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease or a stroke. Two-thirds of adults living with diabetes have high blood pressure,...
Read More Breaking Free Of The Sofa Without Forsaking TV
So you don’t have the time, or the inclination, to go for a run or visit the gym? If you own a stationary bike or other type of exercise machine, combining workouts with binge-watching a good series is a no-brainer. Otherwise, there are still plenty of ways to work out in the comfort of your living room. No equipment needed besides comfortable clothing! You can choose from a wide range of exercises: Running in place, jumping jacks… as long as you don’t have a downstairs neighbor! Leg...
Read More Managing Sick Days
Feeling fine? It's the perfect day to create a sick day plan. When you're feeling ill, you'd like nothing more than to lie in bed with a good book or a good movie. Yet that's when you need to focus even more on diabetes self-care. The key to manage sick days when living with diabetes is doing all of the thinking ahead of time. That way, when you don't feel like concentrating, you can simply follow the plan. What to include in your plan? Involve your diabetes care team in...
Read More 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...
Read More Understanding Type 2 Diabetes
What is it? Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common: it’s the one affecting up to 90% of people living with diabetes. It is mostly found in adults (hence its nickname, “adult diabetes”), particularly in those 40 years and older. However, with the obesity epidemic currently raging around the world, it has been occurring in younger people. This type of diabetes is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and excess weight, especially in cases where there is fat accumulation in the abdomen area, but uncontrollable factors...
Read More Understanding Prediabetes
What is it? Prediabetes is when a person’s blood sugar level (blood glucose) is higher than average, but not enough to diagnose them with diabetes. Almost all people living with type 2 diabetes have had prediabetes, but not all prediabetics develop type 2 diabetes. Of course, it’s not enough to hope you fall into the right category: without any intervention, prediabetes is extremely likely to evolve in the wrong direction. What’s happening? ...
Read More