Archive for March, 2010

Taking Diabetes to School



Product Description
This color illustrated book for elementary age children contains an instructive story of a grade-schooler with diabetes who tells his classmates about the disease and how he manages it. The story offers sensitive insight into the day-to-day school life of a child with a chronic illness. Includes Ten Tips for Teachers and; Kids Quiz–This text refers to the Paperback edition…. More >>

Taking Diabetes to School



If a person who suffers from diabetes mellitus type II experiences temporarily elevated blood sugar, does this affect their ability to drive, operate machinery etc? Thanks to everyone who answers.



You need to take care of your diabetic child as it has significant emotional and physiological impact on his or her life. Your child’s daily routine, good and bad habits, forgetfulness and outright disregard for things that should be done, can all be supervised at home. However, situation is different at school. You have to believe and ensure that your diabetic kid and the teachers at school will take care of your children health.

You need to communicate and discuss the matter to teachers, classmates, and school officials before your child heads off to school, it’s vital. It is necessary to update them all potential situations that may arise for a diabetic child. The school teachers and school officials should have a plan in place to handle any emergencies.

The kids with Type I diabetes which can require insulin shots throughout the day
However, these can be self administered. School officials need to be aware of how often such shots should be given. School administration should be well prepared to allow a time and place for your child to receive his or her insulin shots. Teacher should assist the child in his or her requirement to drink water or the need to use the restroom.

You need to take utmost care to inform your child’s classmates because it’s a personal one for your kid. If such a disclosure is made, it should be presented so that your child’s self esteem should not hurt. You should educate them the basics of blood sugar and insulin and the need to supplement the body’s needs with insulin shots. Please make this information sharing an interactive one and allow the children to ask questions.

Inform classmates, teachers and school officials how a diabetic kid can behave unusually due to lack of sugar in blood. Your child may display occasional anger, become headachy, or become confused about simple matters. In such instances, the teacher or school nurse must offer your child fruit juice, a piece of candy or soda pop to help bring his or her blood sugar level up.

You need to educate your child on how to understand the early signs of diabetic crisis. The diabetes symptoms include tiredness, becoming shaky, feeling butterflies in the stomach, sweating. These are subtle signs that your child’s blood sugar level is dropping and he or she needs a small meal to bring sugar level back under control.

School plays a major role in every child’s all aspects of life. Your diabetic child, though a special child and requires special treatment but has the same dreams and interests as other children. Give them required assistance so that the kid can live a relatively normal school life. Your interaction with school officials, teachers and your kid’s classmate and their assistance is utmost necessary for a diabetic kid.

Author is the webmaster for
childhood-diabetes.php, a website dedicated to disseminating information on diabetes, its symptoms, its treatments, and its complications on diabetes

Blood sugar regulation is a major health concern, as almost 21 million Americans are diagnosed diabetics. Additionally, the American Diabetes Association believes that 54 million more Americans can be characterized as pre-diabetic, meaning they have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetic. The condition of imbalanced blood sugar levels can lead to a number of other health risks including blindness, heart disease, and loss of feeling or peripheral pain leading to possible amputation of peripherally-damaged tissue, impaired kidney function, and nerve damage. One must remember that risk not only lies in the development of diabetes, but in the increase of risk factors.

Preliminary studies on vitamin C and its ability to improve insulin resistance have not given much evidence to support the safety or efficacy of nutritional supplements in helping diabetic-related conditions. However, there are several foods and nutrients that need further investigation such as DHEA and EGCG, which mimic and augment beneficial metabolic and vascular actions of insulin. Additionally, nutrients such as dark chocolate, magnesium, and glucosamine are also being looked into. Efforts are being made to raise the level of knowledge on scientific development of dietary supplements as related to health promotion, health maintenance, and disease prevention. Research is being encouraged on natural compounds and many studies are quickly being published.

A shift in how products are viewed is leading to an increased acceptance of nutritional supplements in the medical community. A study combining a cholesterol-lowering drug with a B vitamin proved to lower heart attack risk by up to 90 percent in some patients. With over half of the population using a combination of prescription, a blended approach may offer real benefits and help to increase the overall acceptance of supplements.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral which is necessary for normal insulin function and proper protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism. It can provide the critical help that is needed to support healthy blood sugar levels. However, chromium on its own is poorly absorbed and has little effect on insulin. Instead, chromium nicotinate or polynicotinate is said to dramatically increase not only the efficacy, but also the safety of chromium. This combination demonstrates significant health benefits to those who have problems regulating blood sugar. One study has even proven that chromium picolinate may reduce the risk of insulin resistance, therefore, possibly reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

There are hundreds of products that claim to support healthy blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes and its associated problems. In addition to the previously discussed nutrients, there are other natural options available. Cinnamon has been proven to have significant effects in reducing blood sugar in pre-diabetic men and women. Corosolic acid has been shown to possess anti-diabetic properties as well as significant amounts of tannins, which are shown to act as activators of glucose transport in fat cells.

This nutrient has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels and support small, amounts of weight loss. CoQ10 has been shown to reduce oxidative damage to LDL-cholesterol and improve glucose utilization. Fiber has been shown to lower after-meal blood sugar levels by approximately 20 to 40 percent and is also believed to lower insulin secretion by about 40 percent. Pycnogenol significantly lowers high blood sugar levels in a dose dependant manner by inhibiting enzymes of the digestive system which break down complex sugars into basic sugars such as glucose. Pycnogenol delays the absorption of sugars in the blood stream and prevents the high blood glucose peaks that typically follow meals. Omega fatty acids significantly changes insulin-related function. Medicinal mushrooms lower both blood sugar and insulin levels.

Lastly, natural sweeteners such as stevia and Luo Han is available in a number of products including many types of candy, and has been proven to not elevate blood sugar levels all the while sweetening the foods we love most.

More information on blood sugar support supplements like cinnamon and stevia is available at VitaNet, LLC Health Food Store. http://vitanetonline.com/

An astounding 23.5 million Americans are estimated to have diabetes. While there is no cure for diabetes, the good news is that in most cases type 2 diabetes can be prevented! By making important changes to your health, you can lower your risk of developing diabetes! Why wait till there is a problem? By starting to be aware of your blood sugar now, you can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes today!

Before individuals develop type 2 diabetes, most of them display “pre-diabetes” symptoms– blood glucose levels that exceed normal, but are not quite high enough to technically classify them as diabetic. There are roughly 57 million people in the United States that are considered to have pre-diabetes. Certain health problems put you at a higher risk for developing diabetes. Being overweight, having unhealthy cholesterol levels, smoking, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity contribute to the development of diabetes and heart disease. It is very important to identify these symptoms early before they turn into problems…remember there is no cure for full-blown diabetes!

While studies have shown that some medications may slow the development of type 2 diabetes, healthy diet and regular exercise have been proven more effective! By dedicating just thirty minutes a day, (5 days a week) to moderate physical activity, combined with a 5 to 10% reduction in body weight, have produced an amazing 58% reduction in diabetes in the test groups. It is never too late to start tweaking your lifestyle towards healthy!

It is very important to have plenty of fiber in your diet, it may reduce the risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. It has been found that fiber intake has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Fiber has an added benefit of helping you feel fuller after eating, even if you have had a smaller helping, which could help promote weight loss. Some tasty foods that are high in fiber are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds!

Another staple food that has shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels are whole grains. Although it’s not clear why, a definitive link between lower blood sugar and whole grains has emerged. A good rule of thumb is to try and make at least half your daily grains whole grains. Whole grains mostly come ready-to-eat, some examples to include in your diet are pasta products, various breads, and ready-to-eat cereals. To be sure that you are choosing products that do indeed have whole grains in them, just look for the word “whole” on the package in the list of ingredients.

It is in your best interest to skip the fad diets such as the low-carbohydrate or the low-glycemic diets. They may help you loose weight at first, but the long term effects of helping reduce the risk of diabetes are unknown. By excluding certain food groups from your diet, you are giving up essential nutrients that those foods have to offer! So remember, think about portion control and variety as part of a healthy eating plan, instead of just excluding certain foods!

Since diabetes can be prevented by just practicing good eating habits and getting enough exercise daily, it is good to know that there are products available to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels that are already within normal range! One such product is called Sugar Minders, an all natural herbal supplement that is sugar free. Sugar Minders includes Nopal Cactus, Cinnamon Bark, and Blueberry Leaf Extract which also helps to promote healthy circulation and heart function. If you are one of the many people suffering from pre-diabetes it is never too early to start changing your unhealthy lifestyle today! For more information or to purchase Sugar Minders, please visit my website: http://www.alternative-health-supplements.com/sugar-minders.htm

Steven Johnson is interested in maintaining a vital, active, and healthy lifestyle. For more information on products that relate to the issues of diabetes, along with other life-enhancing nutrients please visit his website Alternative Health Supplements.

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