November is National Diabetes Month. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and blindness, but 25% of Americans have it and do not know it. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main type of sugar in the blood. Glucose comes from the foods you eat and is the major source of energy.
Diabetes kills millions of people every year and can affect anyone. The ways you could get this life altering disease varies. Some people are predisposed to it, while others are affected by environmental factors such as—viral infections. There are two types of diabetes – type one and type two.
Type one diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body produces little to no insulin. In this case, the hormone needed to allow sugar to produce energy is missing from the body. This means that anyone who has type one has to inject insulin several times daily. This is also known as insulin dependent.
Type two, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar.
There is no cure for diabetes, but many people have lived with it by maintaining a healthy food diet and working to be physically fit. Self-pumping insulin devices were invented in recent years to make it easier for people living with the condition.
One major celebrity who shows awareness about diabetes is Nick Jonas. Yes, the youngest Jonas Brother has lived with type one diabetes ever since he was sixteen. Since writing a song about his experiences as a diabetic, he teamed up with Bayer to provide more awareness to the public about diabetes.
The most recent product Bayer has come out with is the CONTOUR® USB meter. This helps those living with diabetes figure out their insulin levels with even less pain to their fingers. It is also a USB that is able to plug into your computer to keep track of your insulin levels from day to day.
If you think about it, it is kind of ironic how Thanksgiving is in National Diabetes Awareness Month. During Thanksgiving, a lot of people celebrating the holiday eat a lot more than they should. There are the turkeys, the hams, and all of the side dishes to choose from.
Every day of the year, including this November, please be smart. You should always get a physical annually.; eat healthy, exercise and be aware. And if you know someone with diabetes, make sure they eat healthy too.
