Prevention

Topics

All (58)Staying healthy (34)Support Strategies (15)Understanding complications (9)

Diabetes and Men's Sexual Function
Staying healthy

Diabetes and Men's Sexual Function


Erectile dysfunction (ED), the inability to sustain an erection sufficient for intercourse, is a common complication of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in men. Affecting 35 percent to 75 percent of men with diabetes, particularly tho ...
Diabetes and Women's Health
Staying healthy

Diabetes and Women's Health


Diabetes management concerns for women include sexual dysfunction as well as issues surrounding birth control, pregnancy, and menopause. ...
Diabetes Health Maintenance Schedule
Staying healthy

Diabetes Health Maintenance Schedule


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Fending Off the Flu
Staying healthy

Fending Off the Flu


While the flu might be an uncomfortable nuisance for many people, it's a different matter for people with diabetes. They're six times more likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die with flu and pneumonia than flu s ...
Fit to Fly
Staying healthy

Fit to Fly


Every time you fly, your diabetes travels with you. Air travel may require you to adjust your insulin or medication schedule and heighten your vigilance for symptoms of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). Plan ahead to avoid problems w ...
Five Health Issues Women with Diabetes Face and What to Do: Our bodies, our diabetes
Staying healthy

Five Health Issues Women with Diabetes Face and What to Do: Our bodies, our diabetes


Donna was surprised when her doctor told her she had diabetes. The diagnosis occurred during a visit for a recurring yeast infection. She never guessed that the problem could be due to diabetes. ...
Get Off the Blood Glucose Roller Coaster
Staying healthy

Get Off the Blood Glucose Roller Coaster


Dramatic fluctuations in your blood glucose levels have significant physical symptoms and increase your risk of diabetes-related complications. Often, the first signs that your levels may be off-target are changes in your thinking ...
Holiday Survival
Staying healthy

Holiday Survival


Jan was tired of feeling lousy during the holidays. “I ate and partied like everyone else. By the time I got home, I was so stuffed I couldn't button or zip my pants. I was so uncomfortable, I'd crash. The next day I still felt awf ...
How to Drive Safely with Diabetes
Staying healthy

How to Drive Safely with Diabetes


For most of us, driving represents independence, competence and control. Additionally, many people need to drive for economic reasons: to get to and from work, or as part of their job. But you may have wondered: Can I drive safely ...
Hypoglycemia
Staying healthy

Hypoglycemia


The definition of hypoglycemia—or “low blood glucose”—is a blood glucose level that falls below 70 mg/dL. Some situations that can result in hypoglycemia include: ...
Just Learned You Have Diabetes? Feeling Overwhelmed?
Staying healthy

Just Learned You Have Diabetes? Feeling Overwhelmed?


I talk with many people who have just been diagnosed with diabetes. Their reactions range from denial to despair, with most people taking it pretty hard. I often hear words like “shocked” and “overwhelmed” used to describe initial ...
Keeping Your Numbers in a Healthy Range
Staying healthy

Keeping Your Numbers in a Healthy Range


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Lessons Learned from a Child
Staying healthy

Lessons Learned from a Child


This article was originally published in 2005. My wonderful son Stefan has had diabetes since he was nine years old. On the occasion of his 30th birthday, a few years ago, I thought about him and reflected on what he has taught m ...
Living Long and Healthy with Diabetes: Part One
Staying healthy

Living Long and Healthy with Diabetes: Part One


The First of a Two-Part Series In an effort to recognize people who have lived with insulin-dependent diabetes for 25, 50 or 75 years, Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston started its Medal Program to commemorate “dedication to lifelo ...
Living Long and Healthy with Diabetes: Part Two
Staying healthy

Living Long and Healthy with Diabetes: Part Two


The Second of a Two-Part Series In an effort to recognize people who have lived with insulin-dependent diabetes for 25, 50 and 75 years, Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston started its Medal Program to commemorate "dedication to life ...
Making Diabetes Care Easier and More Effective
Staying healthy

Making Diabetes Care Easier and More Effective


My younger sister Mary Sue developed diabetes in 1959, when she was nine years old, and my son Stefan was diagnosed with diabetes almost exactly 20 years later, when he was seven. I don't have diabetes, but because I am so close to ...
Men's Sexual Health
Staying healthy

Men's Sexual Health


If you are a man, you probably worry about how diabetes affects your sexual functioning. And for good reason: more than half of all men with diabetes will suffer from erection problems during their lifetimes. Nearly every man has t ...
Mood Matters
Staying healthy

Mood Matters


Imagine feeling too low or lethargic to monitor your blood glucose levels, take your medications or engage in all the other things you must regularly do to manage your diabetes. For countless people with diabetes, this is an all-too- ...
More Keys to Winning at Losing Weight
Staying healthy

More Keys to Winning at Losing Weight


In 1991 there were four states in the United States where more than 15 percent of adults were at least 30 pounds overweight. By 1997, just six years later, the number of these states had increased to 34. By 2003, 15 percent of adul ...
No More Carb Confusion
Staying healthy

No More Carb Confusion


What is low-carb dieting and what can it do for you when you're trying to control your glucose and your weight? It's true that carbohydrate-rich foods have the most immediate impact on your blood glucose control. But you'll find that ...
Our Best Tips
Staying healthy

Our Best Tips


The good news for people with diabetes is that there is a ton of helpful advice out there. The bad news is, there is a ton of helpful advice out there. How do you sort through it all and find the information that is truly useful and ...
Pass This Test!
Staying healthy

Pass This Test!


Before reading any farther, stop and estimate your blood glucose level. Write down the figure. Now test your glucose. How did your guess and the results of the actual test compare? If you underestimated or overestimated your blood g ...
Prevention
Staying healthy

Prevention


The complications of diabetes can be minimized, controlled, or even prevented by improving your blood glucose control. Long-term studies have shown that maintaining near-normal blood glucose levels dramatically reduces the likeliho ...
Sick Days
Staying healthy

Sick Days


Pay close attention during periods of illness, when stresses on your body can make it difficult to maintain good glucose control. The body can respond to an illness by sending out stress hormones. These hormones create an environmen ...
Sick-Day Solutions
Staying healthy

Sick-Day Solutions


By Lance Porter Pay close attention during periods of illness, when stresses on your body can make it difficult to maintain good glucose control. ...
Simple Steps to Rejuvenate Your Diabetes Management: Take the Jump Start Pledge!
Staying healthy

Simple Steps to Rejuvenate Your Diabetes Management: Take the Jump Start Pledge!


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The 7 Healthy Behaviors
Staying healthy

The 7 Healthy Behaviors


Managing your diabetes is a lot of work, and requires a lot of knowledge and skills in order to manage it. Oftentimes, the person we look to for guidance is our diabetes educator. But, in a 15-minute visit, are you really learning ...
The Diabetes-Dental Health Connection
Staying healthy

The Diabetes-Dental Health Connection


Take a good look at your smile in the mirror. If you like what you see, you may be doing a good job of managing your diabetes. On the other hand, if your oral health could stand some improvement, you may need to beef up your diabetes ...
Top 10 Tips for the Newly Diagnosed
Staying healthy

Top 10 Tips for the Newly Diagnosed


Whether you've recently been diagnosed or had diabetes for a while, there is a lot to know about this condition. Here are 10 essential skills that will put you on the right path with your diabetes management and help you live your ...
Treatment of Hypoglycemia
Staying healthy

Treatment of Hypoglycemia


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Type 2 in Adults
Staying healthy

Type 2 in Adults


Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90 percent or more of the diabetic population. ...
Ways to Prevent or Delay Complications
Staying healthy

Ways to Prevent or Delay Complications


The complications of diabetes can be minimized, controlled, or even prevented by improving your blood glucose control. Long-term studies have shown that maintaining near-normal blood glucose levels dramatically reduces the likelihood ...
What to Do When You're Sick
Staying healthy

What to Do When You're Sick


It's no fun being sick. But when you have diabetes, you need to take special precautions. When you're sick, it's just more difficult to maintain your blood glucose levels in your target range. Your body releases hormones that can rai ...
Women and Diabetes
Staying healthy

Women and Diabetes


I have a friend and colleague whose name is Lois Jovanovic. Lois is an endocrinologist. She treats lots of people who have diabetes, and she has had diabetes herself for many years. Lois tells her patients that diabetes chooses onl ...
Coping and Blood Glucose Monitoring
Support Strategies

Coping and Blood Glucose Monitoring


Dealing with a chronic illness, on top of daily responsibilities and life events, can be challenging. People with diabetes are twice as likely to experience depression, and stress - in any form - can make it difficult to stay in your ...
Diabetes Police or Diabetes Support: What's the Story in Your Family?
Support Strategies

Diabetes Police or Diabetes Support: What's the Story in Your Family?


Diabetes runs in my family. My sister Mary Sue was nine when she got it, and she is now in her fifties. My son Stefan, now in his thirties, got it when he was seven. Many families are like mine, with more than one person who has di ...
Healthy Conversations: How to Talk to Your Doctor
Support Strategies

Healthy Conversations: How to Talk to Your Doctor


Good diabetes management requires an ongoing relationship with your doctor and other health professionals. But doctors are busy people, and the average office visit is short. How do you make the most of it? Here are some simple gui ...
Help from Your Pharmacist
Support Strategies

Help from Your Pharmacist


If you are like most people, your pharmacist is the health care provider you see most often. I have patients who take lots of pills, sometimes 30 or more a day. That's a lot of trips to the drugstore and a lot of interactions with ...
How Your Family and Friends Can Help You Manage Your Diabetes
Support Strategies

How Your Family and Friends Can Help You Manage Your Diabetes


Being diagnosed with diabetes is a shock. No one wants to admit it, but part of what makes it so upsetting is that it reminds you of your mortality. If your pancreas can let you down, what next? Suddenly you no longer have that feeli ...
Motivating Yourself for Diabetes Self-Management
Support Strategies

Motivating Yourself for Diabetes Self-Management


One summer I planned a family vacation on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It took a lot of effort to find the right place, save all the money I needed, and get all my work done before the vacation. But I did it all because I was motivate ...
Plan to Succeed
Support Strategies

Plan to Succeed


Managing your diabetes takes work—a lot of work, every day. It's impossible to manage your diabetes perfectly, and very few people even come close. But most people could do more to stay healthy. Could you? ...
Psyching Out Diabetes
Support Strategies

Psyching Out Diabetes


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Reframing: A Great Way to Banish
Support Strategies

Reframing: A Great Way to Banish "Diabetes Overwhelmus"


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Taking Charge of Your Diabetes Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Support Strategies

Taking Charge of Your Diabetes Without Feeling Overwhelmed


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Talking Back to Diabetes: What Are You Saying to Yourself?
Support Strategies

Talking Back to Diabetes: What Are You Saying to Yourself?


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The Dating Game
Support Strategies

The Dating Game


Ahh, dating. It's hard to think of anything the average person looks forward to more—or is more nervous about—than getting to know the object of their affection. Add in any kind of complication—diabetes, for example—and the stress me ...
The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 1: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Support Strategies

The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 1: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute


Living well with diabetes takes emotional strength. Why? Because this is a tough disease. Diabetes is more than just a simple matter of eating right and taking your medications. Staying strong emotionally is key to keeping stress a ...
The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 2: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Support Strategies

The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 2: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute


Living well with diabetes takes emotional strength. Why? Because this is a tough disease. Diabetes is more than just eating right and taking your medications. Staying strong emotionally is the key to keeping stress and your blood g ...
The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 3: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
Support Strategies

The Emotional Side of Diabetes - Part 3: Things You Should Know: A series from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute


Living well with diabetes takes emotional strength. Why? Because this is a tough disease. Diabetes is more than just eating right and taking your medications. Staying strong emotionally is the key to keeping stress and your blood g ...
Cut Your Risk in Half
Understanding complications

Cut Your Risk in Half


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Diabetes and a Healthy Heart
Understanding complications

Diabetes and a Healthy Heart


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Diabetes Complications
Understanding complications

Diabetes Complications


In addition to the day-to-day requirements of self-care, people with diabetes often live with the concern that they may develop the serious health complications that are associated with the condition. The primary areas of the body th ...
Hardening of the Arteries: Some Hard Facts
Understanding complications

Hardening of the Arteries: Some Hard Facts


Cholesterol can form deposits (plaque) within artery walls. ...
Neuropathy and Diabetes
Understanding complications

Neuropathy and Diabetes


About 60 percent to 70 percent of people with diabetes develop some form of nerve damage (neuropathy), though they may experience no symptoms. Neuropathy typically develops slowly. The best way to prevent this condition is to maintai ...
The Major Types of Long-Term Diabetes Complications
Understanding complications

The Major Types of Long-Term Diabetes Complications


Diabetes is a complicated disease. But don't confuse this thought with the term “diabetes complications”! Those things called “complications” are potentially serious health problems that can appear if diabetes is not well managed. ...
The Most Important Complications You've Never Heard Of
Understanding complications

The Most Important Complications You've Never Heard Of


Keeping your blood glucose levels in range lowers your risk of developing diabetes complications like vision problems, cardiovascular disease, and kidney and nerve damage. But did you know that this same prevention strategy could hel ...
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Learning to Help Yourself
Understanding complications

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Learning to Help Yourself


It's a whole new world out there when it comes to diabetes. Each month brings more exciting developments: more information about causes, treatments and cures; new medications for keeping blood sugar, fat and pressure levels as clos ...
Women and Diabetes
Understanding complications

Women and Diabetes


By Richard R. Rubin, Ph.D., C.D.E. I have a friend and colleague whose name is Lois Jovanovic. Lois is an endocrinologist. She treats lots of people who have diabetes, and she has had diabetes herself for many years. Lois tells her ...
 
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