The more you walk, the lower your risk of diabetes, say Australian researchers.

The scientists tracked 592 middle-aged adults who participated in a study to map diabetes levels across Australia between 2000 and 2005. Participants underwent a health examination at the start of the study and provided details about their eating and lifestyle habits.  For more on the study click here…

By Amanda Gardner, Health.com

People who snore loudly, have difficulty falling asleep, or often wake up feeling tired may have more to worry about than dozing off at work. A new study suggests they may also be at increased risk of developing heart disease and other health problems down the road.

In the study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh asked more than 800 people between the ages of 45 and 74 about the quality of their sleep. Three years later, the people who reported snoring loudly were more than twice as likely as quiet sleepers to have metabolic syndrome — a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low “good” cholesterol, high triglycerides, and excess belly fat.

People who had trouble falling asleep or who woke up feeling unrefreshed at least three times per week were about 80 percent and 70 percent more likely than their peers, respectively, to develop three or more of those risk factors, the study found. (A person must have three of the five risk factors to get a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.)

Sleep problems are “a big deal,” says Jordan Josephson, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. “They’re bad for the heart, bad for diabetes, and they lead to heart attacks and stroke. … It’s going to shorten your life.” (Josephson was not involved in the new research.)

Overall, 14 percent of the study participants developed metabolic syndrome. African Americans were more susceptible than whites, as were sedentary people compared to those who were physically active.

To read more, visit: Snoring, sleep problems may signal heart risk

By Rob Stein, The Washington Post

Federal health officials are investigating the use of finger-prick blood tests to screen Americans for diabetes, one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most serious public health problems.

The quick tests were approved to monitor patients, and some may be far less accurate for diagnosing the ailment, erroneously alarming people that they have the incurable, life-threatening disease or falsely lulling others into thinking they are healthy, delaying care that could prevent serious complications.

“You wouldn’t want to be told you have cancer based on an inaccurate test. Diabetes is a serious disease – something you’re going to have for the rest of your life and threaten your life. You need to use an accurate test,” said M. Sue Kirkman, the American Diabetes Association’s senior vice president for medical affairs and community information.

The innovative TEMcare CareSens N Meter is a forerunner in accuracy. With 14-day averaging and programmable alarms, the CareSens N makes managing your diabetes easier.

Doctors have long used some versions of the test, known as the A1c test, to track how diabetics are faring. The American Diabetes Association earlier this year endorsed expanding their use to diagnose the disease, to help identify the millions who don’t know they have it. But it specified that only A1c tests performed by highly skilled, closely regulated laboratories should be used for diagnosis. The concern is about the use of some quick over-the-counter A1c tests that have not been validated and are not carefully monitored.

The testing illustrates the unexpected consequences that can occur when the discovery of better ways to diagnose and track diseases mixes with commercial interests that turn those discoveries into simple, cheap tests and well-intentioned policymaking inadvertently fuels their use. The situation also highlights legal loopholes that can leave federal regulators with few options to crack down on the tests’ misuse.

“I have grave concerns,” said David B. Sacks, a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School who chairs the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program, the federally funded effort to improve diabetes testing. “We have absolutely no way to know how accurate or inaccurate these tests are, who’s performing them and whether they’re being performed correctly.”

To read more, visit: Quick tests for diabetes raise concern

This Thursday marks that time of year when we gather together to give thanks for what we have – as well as eat too much and deal with  traveling the nations highways and air space.

We’ve put together some tips for stress free traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. If you suffer from arthritis, diabetes, ostomy or simply get stressed out when traveling, these tips will help you during the busy holiday season.

Arthritis
By Carol Eustice, About.com

Some people with arthritis develop a reluctance to try new things or experience activities that their physical limitations might make more of a challenge. For example, people with arthritis often become reluctant to travel. With forethought and careful planning, people with arthritis can travel too!

If traveling with arthritis is a concern, it is wise to take short trips at first and have someone along who could be of assistance if necessary. As short trips are accomplished and enjoyed successfully, longer trips can be planned with confidence. The short trips allow you to experience traveling and at the same time learn what difficulties occur that can be either avoided or planned for.

To read more, visit: Travel Tips for People With Arthritis

Diabetes
From Hernando Today

• For a big trip, see your medical team for a check-up four to six weeks ahead.
• For trips abroad, get the correct immunizations.
• Get a letter from your doctor explaining your diabetes medicines, supplies, and any allergies.
• Get diabetes identification in the languages of the countries you will visit.
• Learn to adjust your diabetes medicine if you will change time zones.
• Always wear visible diabetes identification.

To read more, visit: Traveling with diabetes

Ostomy
From United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc.

In these days where extra precautions for security are being taken worldwide, it would be wise for traveling ostomates to do advance planning in order to avoid possible problems. Some suggestions are:

1. Pre-cut all pouches at home, as you may wish to avoid having scissors in your carry-on luggage (see additional comments below).
2. Pack ostomy supplies in at least 2 places – carry-on and checked luggage.
3. Take extra supplies in case you are stranded where supplies may not be available.

To read more, visit: Ostomy Travel Tips

Back Revitalizer 5-Motor Back Massager with Heat: Includes auto and home adapters

Stress Free Traveling
By Caroline Dohack-McCrary

Between planning the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, making travel arrangements, shopping for gifts and getting the house clean and decorated, many are probably going to find the next few weeks a little hectic.

“This clearly is the most stressful time of year for most people,” said professional organizer Sheryl Ruedebusch.

Why should it be that way? The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, not a time to feel beleaguered by a to-do list.

To tackle tasks with sanity intact, Ruedebusch looks at holiday planning the same way she does planning projects in the corporate world.

“We want to get clear on how we prioritize and how we manage our time,” she said.

Ruedebusch has a planning method she calls the desired results model, which includes three simple steps.

Visualize your desired result. The first step is to know what you want to happen over the holidays. Ruedebusch said to set a goal for the role you play during the holidays. “You are the guest, or you are the host. Whichever your job is, what is your vision?” Ruedebusch said.

To read more, visit: Make the holidays a joyful time with tips for stress-free planning

By Emily Listfield, Parade Magazine

Air pollution is not just bad for your lungs; it may increase your chances of having diabetes. According to a new study by Children’s Hospital in Boston, people who live in areas with the highest levels of pollution have a 20% greater chance of getting adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.

“After adjusting for lifestyle factors like weight and education, air pollution remained associated with this type of diabetes,” says study co-author Dr. Allison Goldfine of Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center.

Over 23 million Americans have dia-betes, and experts now believe that environmental factors may play a role. Air pollution might cause chronic low-grade inflammation, “and inflammation can make you more susceptible to the disease,” Dr. Goldfine says.

While more studies are under way, consider this healthy living twofer: “Walk and ride your bike as much as possible,” Dr. Goldfine urges. “You’ll reduce pollution and get the exercise you need to prevent diabetes.”

From: The Surprising Link Between Air Pollution and Diabetes

By Salynn Boyles, WebMD Health News

Middle-aged Americans tend to have more belly fat than their English counterparts, and the difference may explain the higher diabetes rate in the U.S. compared to England.

Investigators with the University College London and the nonprofit research group RAND Corporation first reported on health differences between older Americans and people in England in 2006, finding diabetes incidence in the U.S. to be twice as high as in England.

RAND Corporation senior economist James P. Smith, PhD, says even though more people in the U.S. are obese than in England, this did not fully explain the difference in diabetes prevalence.

“In fact, obesity and body mass index (BMI) explained very little of the difference,” Smith tells WebMD.

Blame It on Belly Fat

When the researchers further explored the issue, they concluded that belly fat was largely to blame for the higher diabetes incidence in the U.S., especially among women.

On average, waist sizes among the American women included in the study were 5 centimeters larger than their peers in England. American men had waists that averaged 3 centimeters larger than Englishmen.

Even middle-aged and older Americans who were not considered overweight tended to have larger waists than their English peers.

The researchers analyzed data from nationally representative health surveys conducted in the U.S. and in England. The analysis included people between the ages of 52 and 85.

To read more, visit: Belly Fat Is Key to U.S. Diabetes Risk

By Andrea Markowitz, HealthKey.com

The saying, “What you don’t know can hurt you” couldn’t be any more accurate if you or a loved one has diabetes. Due to misconceptions and a lack of knowledge about the disease, “Diabetes doesn’t get the respect it deserves,” said Richard M. Bergenstal, MD, President, Medicine & Science of the American Diabetes Association.

Case in point: in a 2009 survey of 2,081 Americans, conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Diabetes Association, respondents as a whole earned only a 51 percent grade on facts about this escalating disease.

Even diabetes patients who participated in focus groups didn’t understand the disease very well, according to Dr. Bergenstal.

Here are just a few of the diabetes myths that can hurt you, distilled from the American Diabetes Association website, Consumer Reports Health.org, Kidshealth.org and a conversation with Dr. Bergenstal.

Myth: Diabetes isn’t serious.

Fact: Complications from diabetes cause more deaths per year than breast cancer and AIDS combined, and every year, two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

To read more, visit: Can you pass a diabetes fact versus myth test?

By Bobby Ramakant, CNS

People with diabetes are at a high risk of tuberculosis (TB). According to several studies and systematic reviews, people with diabetes might have 2 to 3 fold higher risk of getting tuberculosis (TB). In the lead up to the World Diabetes Day (14 November), and 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, Berlin, Germany (11-15 November 2010), it might be wise to see one of the key outcomes of a TB and poverty meeting that brought deadly synergy between diabetes and TB to the fore. The linkage of TB and diabetes came out very prominently when different TB programme managers from Nepal, Thailand, India and those from different Indian states shared their experience at the recently concluded consultative workshop of the TB and poverty sub-working group of the Stop TB Partnership (29-30 October 2010).

The secretariat of TB and poverty sub-working group is housed in the South-East Asia office of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) in New Delhi, India.

“The other important non-communicable disease (NCD) that will impact TB control in India and countries in the region is diabetes – the prevalence of this in the general population is high and early studies already suggest that about a fifth of incident sputum positive TB are co-morbid with diabetes. This will require coordinated and urgent measures. There is already a rural predominance in the distribution of diabetes in India, and of course the poor are disproportionately affected. Together with TB, this combination will impoverish already poor people and push them into greater poverty. The upcoming UN NCD summit (September 2011) is an opportunity to focus government attention to the magnitude of this problem and attract donor funding. TB programmes must engage with their counterparts in NCD and specifically diabetes control and management and urgently review mechanisms to identify and manage co-morbidity through coordinated programming” commented Dr Nevin Wilson, Regional Director of The Union’s South East Asia office in response to a post “Poor people are most hard hit by TB, COPD and tobacco.”

To read more, visit: People with diabetes at 2-3 fold higher risk of tuberculosis (TB)

By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY

Misconceptions about diabetes abound, says Mark Feinglos, chief of endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at Duke University Medical Center.
One in 10 Americans have the disease, and even though public awareness is up, “you still see a lot of people who think it’s a death sentence — who imagine legs coming off and eyes going blind,” he says.

DIABETES: Rates projected to skyrocket
He recalls one medical association dinner at which a waitress told him she’d rather have cancer than diabetes. “That just threw me. We see so many people doing the right things who live a perfectly normal and long life with diabetes,” Feinglos says.

With a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report last month projecting that cases will double, even triple, by 2050, experts say it’s time the public clues in to the diabetes facts, not the fallacies.

Myth #1

Once you’re diagnosed with diabetes, complications such as blindness, loss of limbs and kidney failure are inevitable.

Feinglos says that with proper medication and medical care, regular blood sugar checks and good habits such as staying active and eating right, there’s a good chance you’ll avoid other health complications. “It’s a little bit of work, but you can do extraordinarily well,” he says.

But left untreated, or undertreated, more serious health problems can arise. Diabetes causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined, according to the American Diabetes Association. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke, complications of the condition.

Myth #2

Diabetes is nothing to worry about. I just have a “touch of sugar.”

“A touch of diabetes is like a touch of pregnancy,” Feinglos says. He says many people, when first diagnosed, will modify their diet but will go along for some time before taking medications to control blood sugar.

“Diet and exercise is the cornerstone, but a lot of people need medication from the start. There’s a lot of sentiment about starting meds earlier,” says Feinglos, who adds that going on medication right away can help protect insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

To read more, visit: 5 myths about diabetes

By Pam Maxson, Genesee Country Express

Dansville —Editor’s note: This is the first of five articles contributed by nurse Nancy Johnsen recognizing November as American Diabetes Month.

November is American Diabetes Month. Diabetes affects more than 1.8 million New York State residents. Of this, 760,000 have no idea that they have diabetes. According to the NYS Health Foundation, the total cost for New Yorkers with diabetes was 12.9 billion in 2006. For someone with diabetes, the health care costs are five times that of someone without diabetes. Quite a price!

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism that leads to a higher than normal blood sugar. The condition is both chronic and progressive. When we eat, our body breaks down food into glucose. Glucose is our main source of energy and the only source of energy for our brains. Glucose passes into our blood stream where it is available to our cells for energy. Insulin must be present for the glucose to move into the cell. About 1% of the pancreas is responsible for producing insulin from Beta Cells and the secretion of insulin should happen automatically when we eat. Depending on how this process is interrupted or challenged, we have different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes affects 5 percent to 10 percent of the diabetic population and those with this type have no insulin production left in the pancreas. The remaining 90 percent to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes where either insufficient insulin is produced by the beta cells or the body’s cells have become resistant to the insulin and don’t use the insulin efficiently or both. Make a note, type 2 diabetes is on the rise in our youth. Gestational diabetes affects women during pregnancy. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), about one in every 15 pregnant women will be diagnosed with this type of diabetes and of this number, about 40 percent will go on to develop type 2 diabetes.

There are a number of risk factors for diabetes, some we can control and some we cannot. Risk factors we cannot control include:

• Our age – The older we get, the more our risk increases;
• Our family history – Having a parent or sibling who has or had the disease will increase our risk; and
• Our ethnic background – Being African American, Native American, Hispanic, Asian American or a Pacific Islander will increase our risk.

To read more, visit: November is American Diabetes Month