Fighting Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month

Did you know that diabetes can lead to heart attack and stroke, blindness, or kidney failure? Glucose is a form of sugar your body uses for energy, but too much glucose in your blood can damage your body over time. For example, high blood glucose can cause heart and blood vessel disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Damage to the eyes can lead to loss of sight or blindness. Nerve damage and poor blood flow can cause foot problems, sometimes leading to amputation. You can prevent or delay diabetes problems by keeping your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control.

Symptoms

More than 6 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Many have no signs or symptoms. Symptoms can also be so mild that you might not even notice them. Some people have symptoms but do not suspect diabetes. Symptoms include:

• increased thirst
• increased hunger
• fatigue
• increased urination, especially at night
• weight loss
• blurred vision
• sores that do not heal

Many people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes complications, such as blurry vision or heart trouble. If you find out early that you have diabetes, then you can get treatment to prevent damage to the body.

Pre-diabetes means you have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Being overweight and physically inactive contributes to pre-diabetes. Weight loss that comes from healthy eating and physical activity helps combat the disease.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

The following factors may increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. The more items that apply to you, the higher your risk—so you should get tested for diabetes.

• Am over 40 years of age.
• Am overweight.
• Have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
• Family background is Alaska Native, American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
• Have had gestational diabetes or gave birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
• Have high blood pressure.
• Have high cholesterol levels.
• Am fairly inactive, i.e. exercise fewer than three times a week.
• Have polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS—women only.
• Have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
• Have other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance.
• Have a history of cardiovascular disease.

How to Stay Healthy

Control your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Talk with your doctor about what your ABC goals should be and how to reach them. A stands for the A1C test—a measure of what your blood glucose has been for the last three months. B is for blood pressure, and C is for cholesterol.

You can take these steps each day to reach your ABC goals:

• Follow the healthy eating plan that you and your doctor or dietitian have discussed.
• Be physically active for 30 to 60 minutes most days.
• Take your medicines as directed and keep taking them, even after you’ve reached your goals.
• If you smoke, quit.
• Ask your doctor if you should take aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke.
• Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails.

Diabetic Terms

• Blood glucose – the main sugar found in the blood and the body’s main source of energy.
• Cholesterol – the fat produced by the liver and found in some foods.
• Gestational diabetes – a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy.
• Glucose intolerance – a condition in which the body has blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to classify as diabetes.
• Insulin – a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life.
• Maturity-onset diabetes of the young – a kind of type 2 diabetes that accounts for 1 to 5 percent of people with diabetes and is a result of a defect in a single gene.
• Type 1 diabetes – previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes, it develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose.
• Type 2 diabetes – previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes, it accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it.

Diabetes Research at the University of Washington

• UW Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center
• R.H. Williams Laboratory
• UW Women’s Health

Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Wellness Events & Activities

Flu Clinics

• For Uniform Medical Plan enrollees, see UMP Network Vaccination Pharmacies
• For other plans, locate a flu clinic nearest you:
  • flucliniclocator.org
  • www.getaflushot.com

Free Lunchtime Blood Pressure Screenings

Thursdays | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Hall Health Center lobby | No appointment needed

As a service to the UW community, the Employee Health Center is offering free blood pressure screenings to faculty and staff. This service is being offered in the Hall Health Center lobby on Thursdays (except Thanksgiving) between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. For more information, contact 206-685-1026.

Weight Watchers @ Work

Tired of "one-size-fits-all miracle cures" that leave you feeling unfulfilled and isolated? Instead, learn how to eat right and live healthy by attending this Weight Watchers @ Work meeting:

Tuesdays | Noon - 1 p.m. | Schmitz Hall | more details

And here's a tip sheet to help you stay on track with weight-loss success during the candy-crazed Halloween period.

Managing Stress

November 17 | Monday | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Roosevelt Commons | Cost: $125 | Register here

Faced with difficult events and people? Find yourself worrying, overreacting, or tense? If so, this session offers a fresh approach. Learn tips and techniques to handle things that go wrong, and learn to manage upsetting situations more calmly. A new way of thinking may reawaken your ability to accept, appreciate, and enjoy your everyday life.

Great American Smokeout

Thursday, November 20, 2008, the American Cancer Society will urge all Americans using tobacco to stop using for the day and become aware of the many support methods available to help stay quit for good. If you're a smoker, take the single most important health step of your life: quit using tobacco today. Learn more.

Seattle Marathon

November 30 | Sunday | Begins at 7:15 a.m. | 5th Avenue between Harrison & Mercer Streets, east of the Experience Music Project

The Seattle Marathon is the oldest marathon on the west coast, and one of the top 10 in the country. Whether you are a new or returning participant, please join us for this popular event, which includes a marathon, marathon walk, half marathon, half marathon walk, and a kid's marathon. Registration & Information

Personal Health Records

ActiveHealth: For UMP and Aetna Members

Keeping track of your health information can be overwhelming. Wouldn't it be great if you had:

• One location to keep one record of all that's going on with you and your family
• A way to store and organize all your health records
• A way to share important health information with your doctors
• A way to help the environment by reducing paperwork associated with health records
• A place that not only monitors your information, but also finds, then tells you of specific opportunities to improve your health
• Access to a telephone-based nurse coaching to help manage certain chronic health conditions and meet your health goals, and
• A place that sends you valuable clinical information, helping you prioritize what's most important for your health

That place now exists. And it's online, confidential and always looking out for you. Introducing your private and secure Personal Health Record—brought to you by Uniform Medical Plan and Aetna. Learn more at:

• Uniform Medical Plan: www.ump.hca.wa.gov/medical/activehealth.shtml
• Aetna Public Employees Plan of Washington: www.aetnahca.com/personal_health_record.html

A note about security and privacy: member health information is stored on a secure server and meets all federal requirements for the protection of personal health information. No one (e.g., doctor, family) can access the information gathered by ActiveHealth without your permission. Personal information will not be shared with a member’s employer and will not affect health benefits. Participation in any aspect of ActiveHealth services is voluntary.

For Group Health and Kaiser Members

While ActiveHealth services are only for UMP and Aetna subscribers, members of Group Health and Kaiser have access to similar programs, including electronic medical records and information about conditions available via computer, specialized programs for persons with chronic conditions, and best practice guidance to doctors generated by unique member medical information. Group Health Cooperative members should contact www.mygrouphealth.org. Kaiser Permanente members should contact www.kp.org.

Wellness Partner News

BecauseWeCare

Are you looking for inspiration for a healthier life—one that reduces your chances of getting cancer or helps you to cope? Our UWellness partner, the American Cancer Society (ACS), can help. ACS provides UW faculty and staff with helpful tools and resources including a monthly newsletter, BecauseWeCare. Get your free subscription to this newsletter at www.fightcancer.org. Enter "Husky" in the log-in box.

The November issue, which is available in English and Spanish, features:

• Now is the Time to Go Smoke-Free
• Stretching: What is the Truth?
• Pumpkin Skin Care
• A Harvest of Veggies for Your Thanksgiving Table
• Leftovers Lurking? When to Eat, When to Toss
• Grapefruit + recipe

Source: American Cancer Society

For back issues, see our archive.