Unlike E.D., P.N. has no magic pill advertised by Bob Dole. Unlike M.D., P.N. has no holiday telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis.

But peripheral neuropathy, in my case, is no big deal, so I’m really not complaining. Honest.

In my case, it’s mainly a matter of numbness in the fingers and toes, plus a bit of additional clumsiness (that is, additional to my natural clumsiness). It’s as if you don’t really know where your feet are at every moment, and it’s an odd feeling when the fingertips, which should be among the most sensitive parts of the body, go numb. Bottom line: I find myself a bit less adept at buttoning a shirt (especially the cuffs, which you have to do with one hand) and a bit more likely, if I’m not careful, to tip over.

But that’s a small price to pay for getting rid of cancer — if, as I like to think, I really have gotten rid of it — because my neuropathy is the result of chemotherapy.

For some people, though, neuropathy is a very big deal, with symptoms such as burning or jabbing or “electric-like” pain, extreme touch sensitivity, muscle weakness or paralysis, bowel or bladder problems.

Come to think of it, I did have some of those other symptoms, but I figure 17 days in the hospital can take a lot out of you anyway, and things are pretty much back to normal now.

The causes of neuropathy can include injury to a nerve, tumors, toxins (including those used for chemotherapy), autoimmune responses, nutritional deficiencies, alcoholism and other disorders.

Those other disorders include diabetes, which is how Jerry Mathers wound up with neuropathy.

Once, long ago, he played Theodore Cleaver on TV’s “Leave it to Beaver” (also starring Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley and Tony Dow, and with Ken Osmond as the creepy Eddie Haskell and Frank Bank as Clarence “Lumpy” Rutherford and Richard Deacon as Lumpy’s father) but now Mr. Mathers has made a video about neuropathy and gives talks around the country.

(Notice how smoothly I managed to refer to the Beaver as “Mr. Mathers”?)

Neuropathy now has its own week — it was this past week — and its own association. And according to the Neuropathy Association, more than 20,000,000 people in this country “are afflicted by” neuropathy, though lots of them don’t even know they have it, and it’s “the leading cause of disability in the U.S.”

Neuropathy, I learned, “is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed.”

As for Mr. Mathers, by 1990 or so he was pretty much retired, as he tells it, and putting on weight. By the time somebody convinced him to see a doctor, his blood sugar and blood pressure were both wildly out of control. The doctor put him on medications and told him to lose weight.

“For the next three to five months, I tried everything.” He says. “I weighed 230 pounds, and had a 44-inch waist size.”

He tried starving himself. “That, of course, is the worst thing to do,” he says. “You can maybe take off a few pounds that way, but it just comes right back because you have no discipline.”

So he went to Jenny Craig and learned how to eat. He dropped 50 pounds and went from a 44 waist to a 32. Now he maintains his weight and controls his blood sugar through diet and exercise.

“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t feel right if I don’t exercise,” says Mr. Mathers.

He figures his celebrity status may help other “type 2s” take action to control their diabetes.

Here’s hoping.

Reach Glenn Richter at grichter@record-journal.com or (203) 317-2222

Article source: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/opinion/columns/glennrichter/article_94576650-9f03-11e1-a25d-0019bb2963f4.html

THURSDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) — Many people know diabetes — both type 1 and type 2 — can take a serious toll on physical health. But these blood-sugar disorders also can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes control.

Extremes in blood-sugar levels can cause significant mood changes, and new research suggests that frequent changes in blood-sugar levels (called glycemic variability) also can affect mood and quality of life for those with diabetes.

Depression has long been linked to diabetes, especially type 2. It’s still not clear, however, whether depression somehow triggers diabetes or if having diabetes leads to being depressed.

More recent research in people with type 1 diabetes has found that long periods of high blood-sugar levels can trigger the production of a hormone linked to the development of depression.

People with type 1 diabetes no longer can make their own insulin; people with type 2 diabetes need insulin treatment because their bodies can no longer produce it in sufficient quantities.

“Diabetes gives you so much to worry about that it’s exhausting. It can make you feel powerless,” said Joe Solowiejczyk, a certified diabetes educator and a manager of diabetes counseling and training at the Johnson Johnson Diabetes Institute in Milpitas, Calif. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that, from time to time, you’re going to have a meltdown. You’re going to have days when you feel exasperated, frustrated, sad, in denial and physically exhausted.”

Solowiejczyk, who has type 1 diabetes himself, said these feelings become a problem “when you’re not able to get on with your life, and you’re persistently not taking care of your diabetes.”

Not only does diabetes increase the risk of serious health complications, but uncontrolled diabetes also may worsen depression, causing a vicious cycle.

In addition to an increased risk of depression, diabetes can affect mood even from minute to minute. For example, someone who experiences low blood sugar may suddenly become irritable, even combative, and may act as if they are drunk, slurring their words.

Low blood-sugar levels (also known as hypoglycemia) occur when someone has taken too much insulin or hasn’t eaten enough food. Exercise, alcohol and many other factors can lower blood-sugar levels unpredictably.

The problem, Solowiejczyk said, is “that the brain operates totally on glucose. When you don’t have enough glucose, things start breaking down and your cognitive function doesn’t work that well. This is a physiological, not an emotional, response.”

Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said, “Hypoglycemia reactions are very understandable. There are also some fluctuations that are not quite in the hypoglycemia range that may affect anxiety levels.”

High blood-sugar levels (hyperglycemia) also can lead to mood changes. “Hyperglycemia can affect your ability to concentrate and can make you feel grouchy,” Solowiejczyk said. “Any change in the blood sugar outside of the normal ranges makes you feel weird and uncomfortable.”

A small study in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Technology Therapeutics found that frequent fluctuations in blood-sugar levels in women with type 2 diabetes were associated with a lower quality of life and negative moods.

Fonseca said, however, it’s important for these findings to be replicated in a larger population.

Although diabetes and blood-sugar levels can affect emotions, emotions also can affect patients’ blood-sugar levels and diabetes control.

In another study in the same journal issue, researchers tested blood-sugar levels in non-diabetic bungee jumpers, and found that the stress of the jump caused their blood-sugar levels to rise significantly. Not surprisingly, their stress hormones also were higher due to the body’s normal fight-or-flight response. When this happens, the liver releases glucose to make energy available to the body’s cells, according to the American Diabetes Association.

People with diabetes don’t have sufficient insulin to let that glucose into the body’s cells, however, so instead of providing energy, the sugar just builds up in the blood.

Another emotional minefield often associated with type 2 diabetes is the concept of blame. Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, and many are sedentary. Being overweight alone, however, doesn’t cause type 2 diabetes. There are other factors, such as a genetic predisposition, at play. But because exercise and losing weight can help prevent — or, in some cases, reverse — type 2 diabetes, society often blames people with the disease. (Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is not caused by diet or lack of exercise.)

“I think there is a prejudice against overweight people and people with type 2 diabetes, and that’s something they have to deal with,” Solowiejczyk noted.

What’s important, he said, is that if you’re persistently having trouble dealing with any of the emotions that come with diabetes, you talk with your doctor, diabetes educator or therapist.

“You should be feeling bad or resentful or angry sometimes,” he said. “Diabetes is hard, and all of those feelings come along with the disease. But if you’re [irritable] and angry or if you’re sad all the time, you’re not going to take care of yourself.”

The same advice is true for partners of people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes, he said.

More information

Learn more about the emotional side of diabetes, and the signs of depression, from the American Diabetes Association.

SOURCES: Joe Solowiejczyk, R.N., M.S.W., C.D.E., manager, diabetes counseling and training, Johnson Johnson Diabetes Institute, Milpitas, Calif.; Vivian Fonseca, M.D., president, medicine and science, American Diabetes Association; April 2012, Diabetes Technology Therapeutics

Last Updated: May 18, 2012

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Article source: http://news.health.com/2012/05/17/diabetes-can-take-a-toll-on-your-emotions/

A shop fire on Crooked River Ranch spread to several outbuildings and trees Friday afternoon, causing about $200,000 damage, but firefighters kept it from spreading farther and saved the nearby house from burning, officials said.

Article source: http://www.ktvz.com/news/31088492/detail.html

Program A.C.T.I.V.E. (Appalachians Coming Together to Increase Vital Exercise), funded through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, is a five-year study designed to test whether behavioral depression treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy and aerobic exercise results in improvements in depression, diabetes and cardiovascular risk outcomes in adults with Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes.

Around 44.1 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. About $336 billion is annually spent in diabetes-related expenses.

“There are high rates of depressive disorders in individuals with Type 2 diabetes,” said Bernadette Heckman, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University.

Depression is two times more likely in people with diabetes than the general population, she said. One in four people with diabetes will have depression in their lifetime and women with Type 2 diabetes have a 60 percent greater risk than men for depression, Heckman said.

A lifetime history of depression increases the risk of the onset of Type 2 diabetes, she said.

“This strong link between depression and Type 2 diabetes is associated with poor glycemic control; diabetes-related complications; problems with adherence to medically-prescribed regimens; higher medical costs; greater functional disability; and premature mortality,” Heckman said.

The study seeks to compare the effectiveness of two combined well-established treatments for depression, talk therapy and exercise intervention, compared to single intervention strategies and usual care in the treatment of depression. The study also will develop a culturally-tailored depression treatment program that is sustainable and that can be integrated into the Appalachian community to serve individuals with Type 2 diabetes.

“Ultimately, the goal of this study is to identify and deliver needed comprehensive treatment to individuals with depression and Type 2 diabetes in rural Appalachia,” Heckman said.

The Appalachian area is seeing increased numbers of Type 2 diabetes and depression, said Rachel Clift, a registered nurse and the project coordinator.

Many people around the region live in isolated areas and many communities don’t have the resources to address concerns over diabetes and depression, she said. Many also face higher transportation costs to get to a doctor or a gym, she said. Clift said they want to formulate an effective sustainable program that can fit into many Appalachian communities.

Program A.C.T.I.V.E. is looking to recruit participants who are 18 years or older and have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for more than one year. Participants should also be able to engage in mild to moderate physical activity, organizers said.

“We want as many as possible,” Clift said.

If participants are determined to be eligible for the study, they will be randomized to one of four treatments. Participants could be randomized into a talk therapy treatment or exercise intervention, talk therapy and exercise intervention or the standard of care treatment.

Treatments will be offered to participants at no cost, which may also include a paid membership to a local physical fitness center, Heckman said. All participants, regardless of their treatment, will be offered free Dining with Diabetes’ classes.

This is a five-year study and recruitment and enrollment is ongoing over the next three or four years.

“We are actively seeking to enroll participants now,” Heckman said. “Managing Type 2 diabetes has many challenges but having to manage diabetes while depressed makes it more challenging.”

Free treatments offered through Program A.C.T.I.V.E. are evidenced-based treatments, Heckman said. Organizers also hope physicians treating patients with Type 2 diabetes will refer them to the study to see if they might benefit from the treatments, she said.

“We also hope that individuals with Type 2 diabetes who are concerned about depression contact us to determine if they might benefit from the treatments that we offer through Program A.C.T.I.V.E.,” Heckman said.

In addition to Heckman, other investigators in the study include: Mary de Groot, Indiana University School of Medicine; Dr. Frank Schwartz; Dr. Jay Shubrook, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine; Guy Hornsby, West Virginia University School of Medicine; and Christiaan Abildso, West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

For more information, call 1-855-362-2848.

Article source: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/561223/Diabetes-study-seeks-volunteers.html?nav=5061

THURSDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) — Many people know diabetes — both type 1 and type 2 — can take a serious toll on physical health. But these blood-sugar disorders also can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes control.

Extremes in blood-sugar levels can cause significant mood changes, and new research suggests that frequent changes in blood-sugar levels (called glycemic variability) also can affect mood and quality of life for those with diabetes.

Depression has long been linked to diabetes, especially type 2. It’s still not clear, however, whether depression somehow triggers diabetes or if having diabetes leads to being depressed.

More recent research in people with type 1 diabetes has found that long periods of high blood-sugar levels can trigger the production of a hormone linked to the development of depression.

People with type 1 diabetes no longer can make their own insulin; people with type 2 diabetes need insulin treatment because their bodies can no longer produce it in sufficient quantities.

“Diabetes gives you so much to worry about that it’s exhausting. It can make you feel powerless,” said Joe Solowiejczyk, a certified diabetes educator and a manager of diabetes counseling and training at the Johnson Johnson Diabetes Institute in Milpitas, Calif. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that, from time to time, you’re going to have a meltdown. You’re going to have days when you feel exasperated, frustrated, sad, in denial and physically exhausted.”

Solowiejczyk, who has type 1 diabetes himself, said these feelings become a problem “when you’re not able to get on with your life, and you’re persistently not taking care of your diabetes.”

Not only does diabetes increase the risk of serious health complications, but uncontrolled diabetes also may worsen depression, causing a vicious cycle.

In addition to an increased risk of depression, diabetes can affect mood even from minute to minute. For example, someone who experiences low blood sugar may suddenly become irritable, even combative, and may act as if they are drunk, slurring their words.

Low blood-sugar levels (also known as hypoglycemia) occur when someone has taken too much insulin or hasn’t eaten enough food. Exercise, alcohol and many other factors can lower blood-sugar levels unpredictably.

The problem, Solowiejczyk said, is “that the brain operates totally on glucose. When you don’t have enough glucose, things start breaking down and your cognitive function doesn’t work that well. This is a physiological, not an emotional, response.”

Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said, “Hypoglycemia reactions are very understandable. There are also some fluctuations that are not quite in the hypoglycemia range that may affect anxiety levels.”

High blood-sugar levels (hyperglycemia) also can lead to mood changes. “Hyperglycemia can affect your ability to concentrate and can make you feel grouchy,” Solowiejczyk said. “Any change in the blood sugar outside of the normal ranges makes you feel weird and uncomfortable.”

A small study in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Technology Therapeutics found that frequent fluctuations in blood-sugar levels in women with type 2 diabetes were associated with a lower quality of life and negative moods.

Fonseca said, however, it’s important for these findings to be replicated in a larger population.

Although diabetes and blood-sugar levels can affect emotions, emotions also can affect patients’ blood-sugar levels and diabetes control.

In another study in the same journal issue, researchers tested blood-sugar levels in non-diabetic bungee jumpers, and found that the stress of the jump caused their blood-sugar levels to rise significantly. Not surprisingly, their stress hormones also were higher due to the body’s normal fight-or-flight response. When this happens, the liver releases glucose to make energy available to the body’s cells, according to the American Diabetes Association.

People with diabetes don’t have sufficient insulin to let that glucose into the body’s cells, however, so instead of providing energy, the sugar just builds up in the blood.

Another emotional minefield often associated with type 2 diabetes is the concept of blame. Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, and many are sedentary. Being overweight alone, however, doesn’t cause type 2 diabetes. There are other factors, such as a genetic predisposition, at play. But because exercise and losing weight can help prevent — or, in some cases, reverse — type 2 diabetes, society often blames people with the disease. (Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is not caused by diet or lack of exercise.)

“I think there is a prejudice against overweight people and people with type 2 diabetes, and that’s something they have to deal with,” Solowiejczyk noted.

What’s important, he said, is that if you’re persistently having trouble dealing with any of the emotions that come with diabetes, you talk with your doctor, diabetes educator or therapist.

“You should be feeling bad or resentful or angry sometimes,” he said. “Diabetes is hard, and all of those feelings come along with the disease. But if you’re [irritable] and angry or if you’re sad all the time, you’re not going to take care of yourself.”

The same advice is true for partners of people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes, he said.

More information

Learn more about the emotional side of diabetes, and the signs of depression, from the American Diabetes Association.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Article source: http://www.abc-7.com/story/18553667/diabetes-can-take-a-toll-on-your-emotions

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Article source: http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2012/05/19/pregnancy-eating-for-two-can-increase-risk-for-diabetes-and-high-blood-pressure/

Many people know diabetes – both type 1 and type 2 – can take a serious toll on physical health. But these blood-sugar disorders also can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes control.

Extremes in blood-sugar levels can cause significant mood changes, and new research suggests that frequent changes in blood-sugar levels (called glycaemic variability) also can affect mood and quality of life for those with diabetes.

Depression has long been linked to diabetes, especially type 2. It’s still not clear, however, whether depression somehow triggers diabetes or if having diabetes leads to being depressed.

More recent research in people with type 1 diabetes has found that long periods of high blood-sugar levels can trigger the production of a hormone linked to the development of depression.

Worrying about diabetes is exhausting

People with type 1 diabetes no longer can make their own insulin; people with type 2 diabetes need insulin treatment because their bodies can no longer produce it in sufficient quantities.

“Diabetes gives you so much to worry about that it’s exhausting. It can make you feel powerless,” said Joe Solowiejczyk, a certified diabetes educator and a manager of diabetes counselling and training at the Johnson Johnson Diabetes Institute in Milpitas, Calif. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that, from time to time, you’re going to have a meltdown. You’re going to have days when you feel exasperated, frustrated, sad, in denial and physically exhausted.”

Solowiejczyk, who has type 1 diabetes himself, said these feelings become a problem “when you’re not able to get on with your life, and you’re persistently not taking care of your diabetes.”

Not only does diabetes increase the risk of serious health complications, but uncontrolled diabetes also may worsen depression, causing a vicious cycle.

Diabetes affects moods

In addition to an increased risk of depression, diabetes can affect mood even from minute to minute. For example, someone who experiences low blood sugar may suddenly become irritable, even combative, and may act as if they are drunk, slurring their words.

Low blood-sugar levels (also known as hypoglycemia) occur when someone has taken too much insulin or hasn’t eaten enough food. Exercise, alcohol and many other factors can lower blood-sugar levels unpredictably.

The problem, Solowiejczyk said, is “that the brain operates totally on glucose. When you don’t have enough glucose, things start breaking down and your cognitive function doesn’t work that well. This is a physiological, not an emotional, response.”

Dr Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said, “Hypoglycemia reactions are very understandable. There are also some fluctuations that are not quite in the hypoglycemia range that may affect anxiety levels.”

High blood-sugar levels (hyperglycemia) also can lead to mood changes. “Hyperglycemia can affect your ability to concentrate and can make you feel grouchy,” Solowiejczyk said. “Any change in the blood sugar outside of the normal ranges makes you feel weird and uncomfortable.”

Lower quality of life in women

A small study in the journal Diabetes Technology Therapeutics found that frequent fluctuations in blood-sugar levels in women with type 2 diabetes were associated with a lower quality of life and negative moods.

Fonseca said, however, it’s important for these findings to be replicated in a larger population.

Although diabetes and blood-sugar levels can affect emotions, emotions also can affect patients’ blood-sugar levels and diabetes control.

In another study in the same journal issue, researchers tested blood-sugar levels in non-diabetic bungee jumpers, and found that the stress of the jump caused their blood-sugar levels to rise significantly. Not surprisingly, their stress hormones also were higher due to the body’s normal fight-or-flight response. When this happens, the liver releases glucose to make energy available to the body’s cells, according to the American Diabetes Association.

People with diabetes don’t have sufficient insulin to let that glucose into the body’s cells, however, so instead of providing energy, the sugar just builds up in the blood.

Another emotional minefield often associated with type 2 diabetes is the concept of blame. Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, and many are sedentary. Being overweight alone, however, doesn’t cause type 2 diabetes. There are other factors, such as a genetic predisposition, at play. But because exercise and losing weight can help prevent – or, in some cases, reverse – type 2 diabetes, society often blames people with the disease. (Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is not caused by diet or lack of exercise.)

“I think there is a prejudice against overweight people and people with type 2 diabetes, and that’s something they have to deal with,” Solowiejczyk noted.

‘Diabetes is hard’

What’s important, he said, is that if you’re persistently having trouble dealing with any of the emotions that come with diabetes, you talk with your doctor, diabetes educator or therapist.

“You should be feeling bad or resentful or angry sometimes,” he said. “Diabetes is hard, and all of those feelings come along with the disease. But if you’re [irritable] and angry or if you’re sad all the time, you’re not going to take care of yourself.”

The same advice is true for partners of people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes, he said.

Read more
Psychological aspects of dealing with diabetes

More information

Learn more about the emotional side of diabetes, and the signs of depression, from the American Diabetes Association.

(Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)

 
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THURSDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) — Many people know diabetes — both type 1 and type 2 — can take a serious toll on physical health. But these blood-sugar disorders also can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes control.

Extremes in blood-sugar levels can cause significant mood changes, and new research suggests that frequent changes in blood-sugar levels (called glycemic variability) also can affect mood and quality of life for those with diabetes.

Depression has long been linked to diabetes, especially type 2. It’s still not clear, however, whether depression somehow triggers diabetes or if having diabetes leads to being depressed.

More recent research in people with type 1 diabetes has found that long periods of high blood-sugar levels can trigger the production of a hormone linked to the development of depression.

People with type 1 diabetes no longer can make their own insulin; people with type 2 diabetes need insulin treatment because their bodies can no longer produce it in sufficient quantities.

“Diabetes gives you so much to worry about that it’s exhausting. It can make you feel powerless,” said Joe Solowiejczyk, a certified diabetes educator and a manager of diabetes counseling and training at the Johnson Johnson Diabetes Institute in Milpitas, Calif. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that, from time to time, you’re going to have a meltdown. You’re going to have days when you feel exasperated, frustrated, sad, in denial and physically exhausted.”

Solowiejczyk, who has type 1 diabetes himself, said these feelings become a problem “when you’re not able to get on with your life, and you’re persistently not taking care of your diabetes.”

Not only does diabetes increase the risk of serious health complications, but uncontrolled diabetes also may worsen depression, causing a vicious cycle.

In addition to an increased risk of depression, diabetes can affect mood even from minute to minute. For example, someone who experiences low blood sugar may suddenly become irritable, even combative, and may act as if they are drunk, slurring their words.

Low blood-sugar levels (also known as hypoglycemia) occur when someone has taken too much insulin or hasn’t eaten enough food. Exercise, alcohol and many other factors can lower blood-sugar levels unpredictably.

The problem, Solowiejczyk said, is “that the brain operates totally on glucose. When you don’t have enough glucose, things start breaking down and your cognitive function doesn’t work that well. This is a physiological, not an emotional, response.”

Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said, “Hypoglycemia reactions are very understandable. There are also some fluctuations that are not quite in the hypoglycemia range that may affect anxiety levels.”

High blood-sugar levels (hyperglycemia) also can lead to mood changes. “Hyperglycemia can affect your ability to concentrate and can make you feel grouchy,” Solowiejczyk said. “Any change in the blood sugar outside of the normal ranges makes you feel weird and uncomfortable.”

A small study in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Technology Therapeutics found that frequent fluctuations in blood-sugar levels in women with type 2 diabetes were associated with a lower quality of life and negative moods.

Fonseca said, however, it’s important for these findings to be replicated in a larger population.

Although diabetes and blood-sugar levels can affect emotions, emotions also can affect patients’ blood-sugar levels and diabetes control.

In another study in the same journal issue, researchers tested blood-sugar levels in non-diabetic bungee jumpers, and found that the stress of the jump caused their blood-sugar levels to rise significantly. Not surprisingly, their stress hormones also were higher due to the body’s normal fight-or-flight response. When this happens, the liver releases glucose to make energy available to the body’s cells, according to the American Diabetes Association.

People with diabetes don’t have sufficient insulin to let that glucose into the body’s cells, however, so instead of providing energy, the sugar just builds up in the blood.

Another emotional minefield often associated with type 2 diabetes is the concept of blame. Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, and many are sedentary. Being overweight alone, however, doesn’t cause type 2 diabetes. There are other factors, such as a genetic predisposition, at play. But because exercise and losing weight can help prevent — or, in some cases, reverse — type 2 diabetes, society often blames people with the disease. (Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is not caused by diet or lack of exercise.)

“I think there is a prejudice against overweight people and people with type 2 diabetes, and that’s something they have to deal with,” Solowiejczyk noted.

What’s important, he said, is that if you’re persistently having trouble dealing with any of the emotions that come with diabetes, you talk with your doctor, diabetes educator or therapist.

“You should be feeling bad or resentful or angry sometimes,” he said. “Diabetes is hard, and all of those feelings come along with the disease. But if you’re [irritable] and angry or if you’re sad all the time, you’re not going to take care of yourself.”

The same advice is true for partners of people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes, he said.

More information

Learn more about the emotional side of diabetes, and the signs of depression, from the American Diabetes Association.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Article source: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/18553667/diabetes-can-take-a-toll-on-your-emotions

Since the estimate does not show signs of stopping, it is time to take preventive measures. Therefore with our expert, Arnav Sarkar we look at how exercise can control insulin, lifestyle and most importantly – cause healthy weight loss. This is what he has to say…

Arnav gets right down to the root of the problem, “While type 1 diabetes is caused due to bad genetics, type 2 diabetes is often caused due to an unhealthy lifestyle. And one of the hallmark traits is very little to no exercise. So make exercise your priority if you wish to combat this deadly disease.”

“As most diabetics will know that in their body insulin sensitivity is very poor, thus they have high blood sugar levels. However what they need to know is that regular exercise can help them to improve their body’s insulin sensitivity. And to do that the best way is to train intensely. While gentle walking can help, more intense activities like weight training, sprinting, kickboxing, etc will work even better. Of course for a diabetic it is always recommended that they first consult their doctors before they start any exercise program.”

“Assuming that you have got the green signal from your doctor to exercise, I would suggest that you do a minimum of 2 days a week of strength training, this could include bodyweight and/or weighted exercises. Good choices will be to go for multi-joint exercises which burn a lot more calories per rep, and also help to improve sugar metabolism. Some exercises that should be a staple in your routine are push ups, squats, lunges, rows, overhead presses, etc and if you are in decent shape then you should also do deadlifts, pull ups, burpees, etc.”

“Besides the strength training, do another 2 sessions of interval cardio training. Interval training means that you go fast for sometime and slow for sometime in an alternating manner. A good example would be to run fast for 30-60 seconds and then jog or walk for 2 minutes and repeat this pattern for 6-8 rounds. Similarly you could follow this pattern for other cardio choices like rope jumping, cycling, etc. The idea is to go hard and get a great workout in a short span like 20 minutes or so. Besides the strength and interval training, be sure to be active on your “off” days too. For these days choose lighter intensity activities that will help with recovery like swimming, yoga, walking etc.”

Read more Personal Health, Diet Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

Article source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Diabetes-Exercise-to-improve-your-insulin-sensitivity/articleshow/13294178.cms