October  2003
(Volume II, Issue 9)
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DIABETES IS LIFE THREATENING!
Diabetes is an insidious condition afflicting an estimated 20 million Americans; and half of them are undiagnosed. Another 17 million Americans are pre-diabetic (persons diagnosed as pre-diabetic are highly likely to develop diabetes within 10 years). One in 3 American children born in 2000 could develop diabetes. Minorities have an even higher risk:  a 1 in 2 chance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

TYPE 2 DIABETES IS 75% PREVENTABLE!
Diabetes is a disease of modern lifestyle – obesity and inactivity. We must guide our children to proper nutrition and physical activity to STOP the growing epidemic of diabetes. Diabetics and pre-diabetics must learn of their condition before they can be treated. Therefore, the areas of our primary focus are early identification utilizing the DEFEAT DIABETES^® Screening Test and increased public awareness through our DEFEAT DIABETES^® Community Outreach and Schools Programs.

November is DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH
People with any risk factors should be screened at a younger age.  Researchers concluded they could catch close to 100 percent of all new diabetes cases if doctors tested everyone with a single risk factor. Diabetes is not just an American problem, but a worldwide "Catastrophe". With good medical control, diet and exercise, the benefits and quality of life can last many years.

We have great recipes from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom, that are sure to warm you up in these late fall days. And our Readers' questions are challenging my research skills all the time. Keep them coming.

New Treatments on the Horizon look very promising. In clinical trials is an electrical "pacemaker" which makes a person feel full, which may be THE answer to morbid obesity. A new device 'blocks' the pain signals that would normally be triggered with the injection. Health experts are calling for a new food pyramid that puts less emphasis on carbohydrates.

Mr. Diabetes^®,  Andy Mandell, has walked through Washington and Idaho and is now in St. Regis, Montana, for a total of over 4300 miles walked for Diabetes Awareness. The weather in the Rockies has turned  COLD. To read more...

WE NEED YOUR HELP to continue our highly recognized and well received programs, but we would like to do more. The Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.

Good Health,
Lisa M. Rasolt
Program Director
lrasolt@DefeatDiabetes.org

Awareness + Action = Prevention™
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Did you know?
Exercise causes cells to become more sensitive to insulin, so sugar is taken out of the blood, and exercising muscles use more sugar. The result is a more normal blood sugar level.
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Latest News
New Screening Could Catch All New Diabetes Cases  Current diabetes screening guidelines are effective, and if followed, could catch virtually all new cases, study findings indicate. The guidelines recommend that people without any symptoms should be screened for diabetes every 3 years starting at age 45. In people with risk factors, screening could be more frequent and begin earlier.
Growing Risk For Diabetes Makes Early Testing Crucial  About 17 million people in the United States have diabetes, and about one-third don't know it. Another 20 million Americans are at risk for the disease, and more than 70,000 a year die of complications from the disease. About 95 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes, which is most common in adults older than 40 but increasingly is affecting younger adults and even teenagers. Researchers concluded that if doctors tested everyone with a single risk factor, they would catch close to 100 percent of all the new cases.
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Mr. Diabetes^® Says
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." - William James
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Year 2000 Babies High Risk for Diabetes One in three babies born in 2000 will likely develop diabetes in their lifetime, new CDC calculations show. Women and minorities face the greatest risk. Obesity is the driving factor for the increase. "The message here is for all Americans -- diabetes is an epidemic." "But the good news is that in the last few years, studies are showing that it can be prevented or at least delayed."
Diabetes 'Catastrophe' Warning One of Britain's most senior doctors warned yesterday that we are heading for "one of the biggest health catastrophes that the world has ever seen" as diabetes spreads across the globe. Over 300 million now have Pre-Diabetes and expected to grow to 472 million says, the President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), who is calling for changes in eating habits and lifestyle.
Steps for your Health Latest data show only 15 percent of adults over 18 exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.  Experts are urging more people to take it on. walk everyday for 30 minutes. Walking lowers your risk of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart attack, osteoarthritis, obesity and stroke. It is recommended you work up to walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
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Did you know?
A brisk 15-minute walk is equivalent in relaxation power to taking 5 milligrams of Valium. "It has biochemical effects, washing away of stress chemicals. It's very soothing. You release endorphins when you exercise. It has a calming and mood-elevating effect."
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Good Diabetes Control Benefits Last Many Years In diabetics, intensive control of blood sugar levels seems to slow the progression of kidney disease many years after such control has ended, new research shows. The new findings complement those reported in 2000, which showed that intensive therapy also provides a persistent reduction in the risk of diabetic eye disease. In addition to slowing the progression of kidney disease, intensive therapy reduced the risk of high blood pressure.
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Diabetic Recipes recipes
The weather's getting cool, the leaves are turning colors and our clocks are set back. It's time to go in the kitchen and get warmed up with some GREAT recipes by Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom.
Spinach-Chicken Rollups
Pumpkin-Cider Soup
Chile-Corn Muffins
Breaded Trout with Almonds
Cucumbers 'n' Onions with Garlic Yogurt
Fresh Berries and Pineapple with Papaya Dip
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Treatments On The Horizon
Electrical Stimulation Of Stomach Suppresses Appetite To Help Weight Loss  A kind of pacemaker for the tummy, an implanted electrical device that fools the body into feeling full, appears to be an effective alternative to radical digestive surgery for helping obese people shed large amounts of weight.
New Product: ShotBlocker Using the gate control theory of pain management, Bionix has developed a device that is placed on the patient's skin and stimulates the surrounding nerves. It's called ShotBlocker. The nerves respond by 'blocking' the pain signals that would normally be triggered with the injection.
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With no Government funding, Defeat Diabetes Foundation relies on the generosity of "We the People" to help keep our programs going and growing.   We can't do it alone ... We need your financial support!
Make a "Tribute", "Memorial", or "General" donation.
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Experts Call for New Food Pyramid Health experts on nutrition and diet called on the government to overhaul its public dietary guidelines, charging that heavy reliance on carbohydrates and fear of all fats has left the nation seriously overweight. The Department of Agriculture's pyramid oversimplifies the food groups and stresses such food as bread and pasta at the expense of more proteins and unsaturated fats.
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Readers' Forum
Q - I was writing to ask if a person has sleep apnea can it cause a person's blood sugar to rise. I've been testing my sugar levels myself and this pattern is emerging. I wake up and when I take the test my blood sugar is about 150 and I have a bad headache(unless I have a strong painpill, I have to wait over an hourfor it to go away). I wait until before lunch and check again with theresults being closer to 90-100. I am also about 50 lbs overweight. Also mya1c, was at 5.7%. Could my episodes of apnea lead to high sugar results during the night?  - Will - for our answer

Q - What should I do  if two of my toes on each foot are  swollen and I am in a lot of pain? I have type 2 diabetes. - Mary - for our answer
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Did you know?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), somewhere near 75 percent of the U.S. population fails to get 30 minutes of daily exercise, whether that's walking or some more strenuous form of sport or recreation. Approximately one-third live a life offically defined as sedentary.
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This concludes the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter.

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