This modest weight loss in a person with Type 2 Diabetes shows huge benefits including better blood sugar control and less need for diabetes and blood pressure drugs. So basically by decreasing their weight a person with Type 2 Diabetes decreases their symptoms and need for pharmaceutical assistance.

What I find kind of interesting is that the drug Byetta was just found to cause modest weight loss in the Type 2 Diabetes patients that were taking the medication. This weight loss was not linked to the diet and exercise of Type 2 diabetes patients but more to the effects that Byetta has on how the stomach empties and the part of the brain that causes the sensation of feeling full.

It would then seem logical that Type 2 Diabetes patients who are both taking Byetta and making a conscious effort to follow a healthy diet and increase exercise would then see greater weight loss results then by doing one or the other alone. If you are on Byetta you should definitely be taking advantage of this added weight loss benefit.

There is no doubt about it that the more weight a Type 2 Diabetes patient loses, the healthier they will become. Just because you can get away with reaping the benefits of losing a “modest” amount of weight doesn’t mean that ultimately you shouldn’t have a goal of losing a significant amount of weight.

Researchers are finding that weight loss is most successful when a person follows both a diet and exercise plan and has lots of support. Support, to me, seems to be the key factor in sticking with a healthier lifestyle consisting of a portion, calorie and fat controlled diet as well as an increased activity level. But ultimately it comes down to how hard a person is willing to work.

Just like anything else in life…if it’s worth having then it usually takes some work to obtain it. If you have any question please feel free to contact us and we can talk about my own experiences. I’m no doctor so don’t ask for any type of medical opinion. I can only speak upon what I have gone through.

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Exercise causes the body to process glucose faster, which lowers blood sugar. The more intense the exercise, the faster the body will utilize glucose. Therefore it is important to understand the differences in training with type I and type II diabetes. It is important for an individual who has diabetes to check with a physician before beginning an exercise program. When training with a diabetic, it is important to understand the dangers of injecting insulin immediately prior to exercise. An individual with type I diabetes injecting their normal amount of insulin for a sedentary situation can pose the risk of hypoglycemia or insulin shock during exercise. General exercise guidelines for type I are as follows: allow adequate rest during exercise sessions to prevent high blood pressure, use low impact exercises and avoid heavy weight lifting, and always have a supply of carbohydrates nearby. If blood sugar levels get too low, the individual may feel shaky, disoriented, hungry, anxious, become irritable or experience trembling. Consuming a carbohydrate snack or beverage will alleviate these symptoms in a matter of minutes.

Before engaging in exercise, it is important for blood sugar levels to be tested to make sure that they are not below 80 to 100 mg/dl range and not above 250 mg/dl. Glucose levels should also be tested before, during, after and three to five hours after exercise. During this recovery period (3-5 hours after exercise), it is important for diabetics to consume ample carbohydrates in order to prevent hypoglycemia.

Exercise will greatly benefit an individual with type II diabetes because of its positive effects on insulin sensitivity. Proper exercise and nutrition are the best forms of prevention for type II diabetics. It is important for training protocols to be repeated almost daily to help with sustaining insulin sensitivity. To prevent hypoglycemia, progressively work up to strenuous activity.

As with individuals with type I diabetes, carbohydrates should also be present during training to assist in raising blood sugar levels if the individual becomes low.

William is a personal trainer and runs www.myfightclub.com

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But let me ask you this. Why? Why, if not for some form of denial, have you neglected all or part of your diabetes care? Is it because you are stupid? No. It is because you are lazy? No. It is because you want to die? No. Well…there aren’t many reasons left other than your mind began to use denial as a coping mechanism.

Denial is the norm for someone newly diagnosed with Diabetes. It is a way of coping with bad news and a way for our brains to accept things little by little. Diabetes care is a huge responsibility that is thrust onto a patient without much wiggle room. You can kind of see how or why a newly diagnosed patient may exhibit denial.

But what about those of us who have stayed on top of our diabetes care for a long time? How is it that we can suddenly find ourselves slipping back into denial? It’s not like one day you wake up and you completely deny the fact that you have diabetes. No, denial is way more insidious than that. It may start out like this:

• I can’t make my doctor appointment today…I’ll call sometime next week and reschedule
• A couple of cookies isn’t going to kill me
• I don’t need to check my blood sugar level…I can feel when something is wrong
• I have diabetes but it’s not “that serious” because I don’t have to take insulin
• I ran out of my medication but I just don’t have time to go fill it…I’ll get it another time

Now, before you know it you haven’t gone to the doctors in weeks, you’re not taking your medication, you’re not checking your blood sugar level which would give you an indication of what your avoidance is actually doing to you, and you are not eating well.

Then…the shame sets in. After a while you will realize that you don’t feel good. So now, you are slowly coming out of the denial but because you let yourself get back into this situation you are feeling shameful. Shame and guilt are your enemies. They will keep you doing the same destructive things out of embarrassment and fear.

<h3>How To Get Back On Track With Your Diabetes Care</h3>

Now that you have come out of your denial you need to take action. Just a few steps in the right direction will get you back on track with your diabetes care.

Call Your Doctor – The first thing you are going to want to do is call up your doctors office. Let them know that you have not been very diligent about your diabetes care lately and as of this instant you are getting back on track. Get the first available appointment with them.

Start Taking Your Medication Again – If you have either been kind of lax with taking your medication or you have failed to refill your medication the next thing you would want to do is start taking it again. So go to the sink and get yourself a glass of water or head to the drugstore and refill that prescription.

Start Monitoring Your Blood Sugar – Just test it. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? You’re going to see that because you have been completely avoiding all of your diabetic responsibilities that you’re blood sugar is extremely high. Well, so be it. You gotta start again somewhere. Just because you avoid testing your blood won’t make the high level disappear.

Wow…look what you’ve accomplished already. You have started testing your blood again, you have started taking your medication again and you are scheduled to see your doctor. You’re not too far off from being completely on top of your diabetes again am I right?

Diabetes Meal Plan – To me, this is the hardest part at first. Changing our diet can be a very difficult thing to get used to. But…if you are testing your blood again like you should be, you are going to really see the impact that eating a diabetes friendly diet has on your blood sugar level. Keep in mind that it takes people about 27 days of continuously doing something to make it a habit that will stick. Use this as a motivator. Do you really want to get up to 25 days of eating healthy, go off your diet, and then have to start training your brain all over? Me either.

Start Talking – Now, there would be no way that you could slip in denial if you were seeking out the constant support that you need for your diabetes. The reason I say this is because when we are talking about our diabetes we are keeping the actual severity of the situation fresh in our minds. This helps avoid the situation where we convince ourselves that “it’s not really that bad” or “this bite won’t really hurt”.

In my opinion, the support in dealing with diabetes is the most important factor to getting back on track and staying there.

So there you have it. Even though as of this morning you considered yourself to be a train wreck…you are back on track baby!

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If you want to prevent erection problems or keep them from getting worse, you must control your blood sugar and get your numbers as close to normal as possible. That means diligent self-monitoring, taking any diabetes medications your doctor has prescribed, and being committed to healthy living.

The best approach is to follow a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and maintain a normal weight. Some people with diabetes are able to gain control of their blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes alone. Some may need to take medication to keep their numbers as close to normal as possible. But it’s important to keep in mind that diabetes medications work best when you make the effort to eat right and be physically active.

The Key to Success: Testing Blood Sugar Levels

If you have diabetes and take insulin you should test your blood sugar levels three or more times daily. Home blood glucose monitoring can be done fasting, before or two hours after meals, and at bedtime. Exactly how often you should test your blood sugar and at what times depends on your specific needs and what your doctor tells you to do.

When you’re trying to get your levels down to your goal, or if you are changing therapies, it’s a good idea to test more often. By testing before and after meals, in the morning, and before bed you can create a detailed picture of how your blood sugar fluctuates throughout the day. That will help your doctor tailor your treatment for the best control.

Everyone with diabetes should know his A1C score. The A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels over three months. If you haven’t been doing regular finger-sticks, this test will tell you how well you’ve been controlling your blood sugar levels.

The A1C test score is given as a percentage, ranging from 6% to 12%.

A score below 6% is normal for people without diabetes. You should aim for an A1C score of less than 7%. If you have a score any higher than that you are at higher risk for problems like erectile dysfunction. It’s best to have your level checked at least twice a year.

Even a 1% drop in your A1C score has a big impact. One of the largest studies so far on type 2 diabetes shows that people who lower their A1C score by 1% have a 35% lower risk for the kinds of complications that cause ED. One study directly linked high A1C scores to erectile dysfunction and low A1C scores to better sexual function.

If at all possible, you should aim to get your A1C score down into the range of 6% or less, where people without diabetes are. Research has shown that there’s no floor, so to speak, when it comes to the benefit of lowering A1C.

If your blood sugar levels have been out of control, you should have the test more frequently.

Another important factor is how you take your diabetes medication. Follow directions carefully and don’t skip doses. Skipping doses often results in worse blood sugar control and added complications from the diabetes. And don’t forget guys, if you want to be a tiger in the bed, check your blood sugars so you don’t end up down and out.

Hot Girls Hot Girls

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The benefits of exercise and healthy eating constantly reinforce each other.

First of all, good blood flow to the penis is essential for erections. High levels of cholesterol and fat in your bloodstream leave deposits in the walls of your blood vessels. This leads to atherosclerosis and contributes to high blood pressure, both of which can damage blood vessels and reduce blood flow. Exercise helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A diet low in fat and cholesterol also helps to prevent and reverse the buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessels.

Second, a high blood sugar level damages nerves as well as the blood vessels that are involved in getting an erection. A good diet and the right amount of exercise help keep your blood sugar level under control. Studies show that people who exercise are less likely to get diabetes, and people with diabetes who exercise have better control of their blood sugar levels. Exercise helps you use sugar more easily. That leaves less sugar in the blood.

Eating a diet low in calories — and burning calories through exercise helps you tone your body and lose weight. Studies have linked erectile dysfunction and being overweight. Many other studies have shown that exercise fights depression, which also has a major impact on sexual function. With a leaner, toned body and a better sense of well-being and self-esteem, you’re more likely to feel sexy and have normal erections.

But there’s a lot of confusing information out there. Maybe you’re wondering exactly what you should eat and what kind of exercise to choose.

Designing a Sexy Plate

For someone with diabetes, it’s important to have a meal plan approved by your doctor and a registered dietitian who is trained in diabetes nutrition.

In general, though, there are simple ways to make sure you’re eating the right things at each meal.

One good guideline to use is the food pyramid. It tells you how much of various foods should be in your diet. The things you should eat most are at the bottom and those that should be the least part of your diet are at the top. According to the food pyramid, every day you should eat:

* 2 cups of a variety of fruit
* 2.5 cups of richly colored vegetables
* 3 ounces of whole grains like whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, or brown rice
* Up to 3 ounces of refined grains like pasta, white rice, or white bread
* 3 servings of dairy foods (A serving = 1 cup of low-fat milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of cheese)
* 5 ounces of meat, fish, eggs, or legumes for protein
* 5 teaspoons of oils (including the oil found in nuts and fish)
* 130 to 295 discretionary calories such as sweets (about 1 cookie or cup of ice cream)

(*Note: These amounts are recommended for the average adult woman. Men can consume about one ounce more in each category.)

The diabetes “exchange” system is another way of figuring out how much of what foods to eat. An exchange list shows what portion size of a given food gives you the same amount of calories and nutrients. For example, one medium-sized peach is equivalent to 12 large cherries.

The American Diabetes Association’s “Rate Your Plate” guide is a different way to look at what you’re eating. Following this guide, you divide your plate into imaginary quarters. One-quarter should contain starches, like potatoes or rice. One-quarter should contain meat. One half should contain vegetables.

Work Out Your Workout

When it comes to exercise, you don’t have to follow any “fad” workouts. Just find a way to get your body moving and your heart rate up. Here is the recommendation of the CDC:

* 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week; or
* 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week.

But what do “moderate” and “vigorous” actually mean? You can tell how intense the activity you’re doing is by measuring your heart rate while you’re doing it.

First, figure out what your maximum heart rate is. That’s the number 220 minus your age. If you’re 40, your max heart rate is 180.

To measure your heart rate while exercising, pause briefly to take your pulse. Place your middle and index fingers on the artery of your neck or wrist where you can feel your pulse. Using a watch with a second hand, count the number of pulses, or beats, in 60 seconds. That’s your heart rate. (If you’d rather take less time to do it, you can count the number of beats in 30 seconds and multiply by two.)

When you’re doing moderate exercise, your heart rate will be 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate — which is based on a person’s age. If your max heart rate is 180, your goal for moderate exercise is to get your heart rate up to 90 to 126 beats per minute (bpm).

Here’s that equation:

220 – age = max heart rate

180 x .50 (50%) = 90 bpm
180 x .70 (70%) = 126 bpm

For vigorous exercise, figure it the same way, but instead of 50% to 70% of your max heart rate, the range is 70% to 85%.

180 x .70 (70%) = 126 bpm
180 x .85 (85%) = 153 bpm

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Source: LifeScan, Inc.

· OneTouch® Ultra® Test Strips – Genuine(L) Counterfeit®
· Click Here to Download Image

Performance testing of the counterfeit test strips obtained by LifeScan to date shows erratic test results that do not meet LifeScan’s performance specifications. It is unknown how counterfeit test strips which may be in the marketplace will perform. LifeScan cannot ensure the accuracy and reliability of blood glucose test results obtained from test strips it did not manufacture. Patients should discontinue use of these counterfeit test strips and replace them immediately. Patients should also contact their physician to assess potential treatment implications. Use of these counterfeit test strips could result in inaccurate test results that may lead to improper treatment. For example, insulin treatment based on inaccurate blood glucose results could result in serious injury or death.

The outer cartons of the recently discovered counterfeit test strips have all of the following characteristics:

OneTouch Ultra Test Strips
(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061013/NYF098-a )
— Multiple Languages-English and French text on the outer carton;
— Lot Number 2691191 (located on outer carton and vial); and
— Limited to 50-Count OneTouch Ultra Test Strip packages.

OneTouch (Basic/Profile) Test Strips
(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061013/NYF098-b )
— Multiple Languages-English, Greek and Portuguese text on the outer
carton;
— Lot Numbers 272894A, 2619932 or 2606340 (located on outer carton
and vial); and
— Limited to 50-Count OneTouch (Basic/Profile) Test Strip packages.

A detailed description of this issue, specific information for merchants, and periodic updates are available at www.GenuineOneTouch.com.

Upon identifying these incidents, LifeScan immediately notified the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is vigorously pursuing legal actions. The company is also notifying wholesalers, distributors, retailers and pharmacists so that they can quickly identify and remove the counterfeit test strips from the market. Any merchant or patient who discovers counterfeit products is encouraged to report their finding by calling LifeScan at 1-866-621-4855. In addition, any patient or healthcare professional that discovers counterfeit products should file a report with FDA’s MedWatch program by visiting: www.fda.gov/medwatch/What.htm or calling 1-800- FDA-1088.

LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, and a leading maker of blood glucose monitoring products, is dedicated to creating a world without limits for people with diabetes. For healthcare professional resources, and information on diabetes care and LifeScan products and services, visit www.LifeScan.com.

(1) The counterfeit OneTouch Ultra Test Strips are intended for use with
the OneTouch® Ultra®, OneTouch® Ultra® 2, OneTouch®
UltraSmart®, and OneTouch® UltraMini(TM) Blood Glucose Monitoring
Systems.
The counterfeit OneTouch (Basic/Profile)Test Strips are intended for
use with the OneTouch® Basic®, OneTouch® Profile® and
OneTouch® II Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems.

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If you know anything at all about Diabetes care you know the importance of eating a healthy diabetic friendly diet.

photo credit: size8jeans

In the same token, if you know about eating healthy diabetic friendly foods you must be buying healthy diabetic friendly foods at the grocery store.

If you are buying healthy diabetic friendly foods at the grocery store…you’re broke.

What is someone with diabetes supposed to do when they go to the grocery store on a very strict budget? Well, what they might do is start to buy sustenance that is less that diabetic friendly because that’s all they can afford. Not good.

I’m going to give you a few grocery shopping tips that will keep the rising gas prices from raising your blood sugar.

There is no way around the fact that the price of wheat and grains has tripled in the past 10 months. You could say, “ok, I’ll just cut down on the amount of products I buy that contain wheat and grains”. Really? Do you realize just how many products contain these things?

It is being estimated that because just about all of our meat/dairy sources are fed wheat and grains as their primary food source we can expect there to be a huge spike in the cost of 80% of our groceries.

So the end result of our rise in gas prices is that all of the healthy foods that diabetics need in order to maintain control of their blood sugar levels will significantly increase in price.

So keeping that in mind, I’m going to list a few tips and tricks which give some hints on how to save money at the food store on healthy foods:

photo credit: paulancheta

• There is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs…but white are cheaper
• Instead of buying individual serving sizes of yogurt which can be quite expensive, buy a large container and separate into one cup servings yourself
• Instead of buying canned beans, try buying dry beans as they triple in volume when you cook them. A 1lb bag will yield 6 1cup servings when cooked.
• Stay away from individually priced snacks, a larger container and the do it yourself method will cut down on the cost in the end
• Try to buy boneless cuts of meat since you are paying a price per pound…bones add weight without being edible.
• If fresh fruit is too expensive buy frozen or canned fruit in water. If you can only get fruit packed in syrup all you have to do is rinse it before eating

These are just a few of the many, many ways for you to save money on your next grocery shopping trip. For more ideas like this you can check out a great article on the American Diabetes Association site giving even more money saving ideas.

With the nicer weather coming I recommend buying all of your vegetables from local farms. Not only is the price cheaper but you are also supporting a local farmer and you are also being “green” as you are buying a product that did not need to be shipped by any polluting means such as a diesel truck.

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1. Prevent diabetes from ever occuring.
2. Develop the cure to diabetes.
3. Or take care of the people who have it in order to prevent complications.

All three approaches are actively being pursued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC, or Center for Disease Control. The National Institutes of Health is involved especially in doing research of methods to cure both type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes, but they are focusing on type 1 diabetes. The Center for Disease Control on the other hand, is focusing most of the programs that it runs on ensuring that all proven science is put into daily practice for those who are dealing with diabetes. The general idea is that if every piece of important research and science is made meaningful in the day-to-day lives of people who are dealing with diabetes, then the research is not wasted. These are the approaches for a cure that are currently being pursued:

• Pancreas transplant.

• Transplantation of Islet cells which produce insulin.

• Development of an artificial Pancreas.

• Genetic Manipulation, which will create pseudo islet cells by inserting the human insulin gene into fat or muscle cells which do not normally make their own insulin.

These approaches are still facing challenges, like preventing rejection by the immune system, finding enough adequate insulin cells, keeping transplanted cells alive, etc. Progress is being made fairly consistently however, in all of these areas.

Is insulin a cure for diabetes? No, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, and neither is injecting it. Insulin can allow a diabetic to survive, but many devastating consequences can be caused by the disease when the blood sugar level is crudely controlled. The insulin injections a diabetic takes cannot be as precisely or as continuously adjusted to maintain sugar levels that are safe, in the way that blood sugar and insulin levels match normally.

The diabetic can risk a dramatic injection of insulin when blood sugar levels are too low. These reactions can include loss of consciousness, confusion, coma and even possibly death if not handled properly. When the injected insulin is below the amount that is required, the diabetic’s blood sugar can rise to cause damage to the diabetic’s eyes, heart, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels. Insulin is not a cure for diabetes, because it does not restore the diabetic’s ability to adjust their production of insulin every minute, which is a normal part of living.

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Taking on the role of spokeswoman for the BYETTA Let’s Talk Campaign, Delta Burke has been battling her own diabetes and wants to share the importance of a healthier more active lifestyle.

If you or someone you are caring for is battling diabetes and are in the New York area please stop by the BYETTA Let’s Talk Campaign’s booth where you can speak with Virgina Valentine, see Chef Smith cook some tasty and health meals and also talk to Nikki Kimbrough of Bally Total Fitness. Keep in mind when battling type 2 diabetes, knowledge is power.

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Don’t have any diabetic friendly gift ideas? No worries. I have put together some Christmas Gift Ideas for Diabetics that should make any Diabetic on your list happy.

What’s great is that not all the gifts are diabetes themed but all are included in the American Diabetes Gift of Hope program meaning partial proceeds go towards Diabetes research and awareness. What better Christmas gift could a diabetic receive than support for finding a cure for diabetes?

Pocket Page Recipe Book $15.99
We all know that diet is one of the most important elements in living a diabetes friendly lifestyle. A great gift for the diabetic in your life would be providing a place for them to organize all of those diabetes friendly recipes that they have been accumulating. Go one step further and gather some diabetes friendly recipes to fill their book for them.

Snowman Cookie Jar $19.99
I know that this may seem a little impersonal and actually kind of cruel – diabetics can’t have cookies right? Wrong. Instead of giving them an empty cookie jar you can fill it with homemade diabetes friendly cookies. There are tons of places on the web that you can find wonderful diabetes friendly cookie recipes. The diabetic in your life will appreciate the homemade touch.

Cast Iron Fragrant Wax Melter $17.99
Now like I said, not all the gifts have to have a diabetic theme to them. This one is just plain cool. You should also remember that partial proceeds from your purchase of this gift go towards diabetes research and awareness…a gift in itself. This wax melter comes with Cinnamon and Apple scented wax and will remind anyone in smelling distance of a homemade apple pie.

Make A Donation
One of the most thoughtful gifts you can give a diabetic is an honorary donation to the American Diabetes Association in their name. This donation will go towards finding a cure for Diabetes. The person you are making the donation in honor of will receive a card in the mail personalized with a message from you announcing your care and support. To me this is the best gift a diabetic could receive.

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