Understanding your blood pressure for diabetes
Myth “You know if you have high blood pressure because it gives you headaches” Truth High blood pressure does not always give you symptoms, and it is often found by chance during routine health...
Category: Diabetes
Who’s who in my healthcare team?
Who will help me manage my diabetes? You will be helped by a team of people trained in diabetes care, including your doctor, an endocrinologist, a diabetes specialist nurse, a diabetes educator, a registered...
Diagnosing Type 2 diabetes
Diagnosing Type 2 diabetes is straightforward and consists of tests to check the level of glucose in your blood. Initially, your health professional may use fingerprick blood tests and urine tests, both of which...
Myth “Having diabetes give you mood swings”
Is it true that my diabetes is caused by being overweight? I feel so guilty. It’s true that being overweight makes your own insulin less likely to work properly. However, to develop Type 2...
Blood tests to diagnose diabetes
Although urine and fingerprick tests can reveal a higher than normal blood glucose level, you need one or more of three laboratory blood tests to diagnose diabetes; the random or fasting blood glucose test...
The A1c Test
What is an A1c test? The A1c test (each letter is pronounced separately) provides information about your blood glucose level. It measures the amount of glucose attached to the hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying molecule) in your...
Carrying out a blood glucose test
Do all blood glucose meters work in the same way? No. the exact procedure for carrying out a blood test will vary according to which type of blood glucose meter you have. With most...
Monitoring equipment for testing your blood glucose level
Specialized equipment is available for you to test your blood glucose level wherever you are. Testing is usually done by inserting a blood testing strip into a blood glucose meter and applying a blood...
Some reasons for highs and lows of blood glucose reading
The occasional high or low blood glucose reading doesn’t indicate that you diabetes is out of control (although treating a low blood glucose as soon as possible will prevent it from dropping lower). However,...
Monitoring your diabetes – What your results mean?
What can I do if I regularly get high readings? You can identify the cause by looking at the times when your readings are high and considering what you were doing in the hours...
Factors that affect your blood glucose
These everyday factors have an influence on your blood glucose level. Understanding the effect of each will mean you can take action to prevent your blood glucose level rising too high or falling too...
Understanding your blood glucose level
Why do I need to monitor my blood glucose level? The only way to know if your blood glucose level is within the recommended range is to take s ample of your blood and...
Food and drink for diabetes
Eating healthily is one of the main ways in which you can manage your diabetes and help keep your heart and blood vessels working efficiently. You may be overweight if you have Type 2...
Food types and how they affect health in Diabetes
Complex carbohydrates (starches): e.g. rice, potatoes, pasta – your body’s main source of energy, they cause a gradual rise in your blood glucose – about two-fifths of each meal should consist of this type...
Healthy eating for diabetes
Myth “People with diabetes can’t eat sugar” Truth It’s impossible to avoid sugar altogether but sugar and sugar foods are converted into glucose faster than other foods so they can cause a sudden rise...
For Diabetes – When to eat
Should I eat at specific times? No, but if you know when your pills or insulin work, you can make sure that your meals or snacks coincide with these times – your health professional...
Why are carbohydrates important in Type 2 diabetes?
Carbohydrates, also known as sugar, starch, and fiber, are broken down into glucose when they are digested, and insulin then helps that glucose move into your cells to be used for energy or stored...
Childhood vaccines not linked to type 1 diabetes
There is no association between an increased risk of type 1 diabetes and childhood vaccines, according to a new study. There has been some suggestion childhood vaccines may be associated with the development of...
Healthier Cooking for Diabetics
How can I cook food to make it low in fat? Grill, steam, microwave, or bake foods rather than frying them to reduce their fat content. Placing meat on a rack in the oven...
Diabetes and Alcohol
Is it safe to drink alcohol? There is no reason why you shouldn’t drink alcohol when you have diabetes, unless you have been advised not to because of other medical conditions or treatment. How...
Low calorie, low carbohydrate diets
I’m always reading about new weight loss diets. Should I avoid them because I have diabetes? It depends on the eating plan that is being recommended. The most effective ways to lose weight healthily...
Oxidized LDL
The prime focus of most drug research concerning cardiovascular disease has been about lowering cholesterol levels, and that is about all you will hear in their ads on television. However, thousands of studies are...
Physical Activities for Diabetes
Myth “You have to spend a lot of time being active to get any benefit” Truth The recommended amount of activity is 30 minutes five times a week. But you don’t’ necessarily have to...
Reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes?
Is it possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes? If you know that you are prone to diabetes because, for example, you have a family history of Type 2 diabetes or you had diabetes during...
Long-term Complications of Diabetes
I’ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. What sort of health problems might I develop in the long term? You are at increased risk of two main sets of complications: those affecting your...
World Diabetes Day
November 14 celebrates World Diabetes Day, the primary global awareness campaign for diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not...
Type 2 Diabetes and young people
Can children and teenagers develop Type 2 diabetes? Yes; although traditionally Type 2 diabetes has affected only older people, with the increased tendency for children and teenagers to be overweight and less active, the...
Who gets Type 2 Diabetes?
Can you be born with Type 2 diabetes? No. type 2 diabetes is a condition that develops over time. It is most common in people over the age of 40, but there are increasing...
Causes of Type 2 diabetes
Is it possible to discover why I got Type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes develops as a result of a combination of factors, and it’s not possible to know exactly why you have developed...
Drugs that increase your risk of diabetes
Certain drugs for long-term conditions can raise your blood glucose level or prevent your insulin from working properly. If you take any of the following drugs, you have a higher chance of developing Type...