Sugar Crisis

The ancient art of tai chi may help in controlling or lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, two small studies suggest.

In one study, Taiwanese researchers found that tai chi helped lower long-term blood sugar levels in 30 middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes. In the second, an Australian team found that a combination of tai chi and qigong benefited 11 adults at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Both tai chi and qigong (pronounced “chee-kung”) are ancient Chinese practices designed to promote good health. Qigong combines gentle movements, meditation and breathing techniques; tai chi involves slow, fluid movements combined with mental imagery and deep breathing.

Both are moderate, low-impact activities, and recent studies suggest that older adults could reap a number of health benefits from tai chi, such as lower blood pressure, a reduced fall risk and improved arthritis symptoms.

The new studies, both published online by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggest that tai chi might aid in managing type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome — a collection of risk factors for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

For the first study, Dr. Kuender Yang and colleagues at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital followed 30 middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes, each of whom was matched with a diabetes-free “control” of the same age and sex. For 12 weeks, participants attended an hour-long tai chi class three times per week.

At the end of the study, Yang’s team found that the diabetes’ patients showed a reduction in their average HbA1c level — a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

In the second study, Dr. Xin Liu and colleagues at the University of Queensland looked at the effects of a specially designed tai chi/qigong program among 11 middle-aged to older adults with elevated blood sugar.

Seven of them also had metabolic syndrome, including high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and impaired blood sugar control.

The researchers found that, after 12 weeks, participants showed a dip in both their average blood pressure level and waist size. There was also a small improvement in blood sugar control.

The findings are “very promising,” Liu told Reuters Health. The researcher added, however, that this was only a small pilot study.

What’s needed, Liu explained, are randomized controlled clinical trials, where participants are randomly assigned to either perform tai chi/qigong or serve as a comparison group. Liu’s team has just completed such a study, but the results are not available yet.

SOURCE: British Journal of Sports Medicine, online April 1, 2008.

When you have diabetes, your diet is an important part of your treatment plan. And of course you know what you’re eating - a turkey sandwich, a glass of skim milk, a sugar-free fudge pop. But do you pay attention to the details? Reading food labels can help you make the best choices.
When you’re looking at food labels, start with the list of ingredients. Keep an eye out for heart-healthy ingredients such as whole-wheat flour, soy and oats. Monounsaturated fats - such as olive, canola or peanut oils - promote heart health, too. Likewise, use food labels to detect unhealthy ingredients, such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.

Keep in mind that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The main ingredient is listed first, followed by other ingredients used in lesser amounts

Marianne Flagg
Content provided by Healthwise
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes have regular exams and tests according to the following schedule:1

Schedule for exams and tests beginning at diagnosis of diabetes Time interval
Exams and tests

Every 3 months Visit your doctor for:

A review of your blood sugar levels since your last checkup. Your doctor will evaluate whether your prescribed treatment needs changing.
A blood pressure check. Keep your blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg.2 If you have high blood pressure, ask whether you should monitor your blood pressure at home. Your child with diabetes needs to keep his or her blood pressure within the levels appropriate for his or her age.
An examination of your feet for signs of injury, infection, or other foot problems.
A hemoglobin A1c or similar test (glycosylated hemoglobin or glycohemoglobin). If your blood sugar levels are remaining stable and your treatment hasn’t changed, this test may be done every 6 months.
A blood glucose test. Check the accuracy of your blood sugar meter at this time to see whether your home blood sugar tests are reliable.

Every 6 months Visit your dentist for a dental exam to check for gum problems.

Every year Visit your doctor for:

A cholesterol (LDL and HDL) and triglyceride test. If your levels are normal, you may be tested every 2 years. If your child’s levels are normal, have him or her tested every 5 years.
Adults with diabetes need to keep their LDL cholesterol level less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L), their triglyceride level less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L), and, if possible, their HDL cholesterol level more than 40 mg/dL (1.15 mmol/L). Women may need a higher HDL level than men.1
Children with diabetes need to keep their LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL (2.60 mmol/L).3
A thorough examination of your feet, including testing your ability to feel sensation. Your child with diabetes may not need a thorough examination of his or her feet each year.
A shot for influenza (flu) for ages 6 months and older. 1

Shop the perimeter of grocery stores, where you’ll find the freshest foods. Avoid temptation in the middle aisles, where canned, boxed, and frozen goods are shelved.
Reach for the least-processed version of any food. Try to cut out prepared, pre-mixed foods like stove-top dinners: they’re not “helpers” when it comes to diabetes and nerve pain.
Have fun trying a new kind of starchy vegetable, like baked yams, oven-roasted carrots, or cooked lentils, instead of white rice or dinner rolls.

Taking into consideration the type of physical activity is important in managing diabetes. Be sure to ask your doctor before engaging in a specific activity. If your activities are too strenuous, you might experience low blood sugar level. Choosing safe activities is important because you do not want to encounter accidents once you do not feel well. Pick activities that will allow you to be active while not keeping you too occupied as you forget about monitoring your condition. Constant diabetes testing will be very helpful in choosing physical activities for you. Regularly checking your blood sugar level before and after your exercise will tell you what works and what does not.

Coping with diabetes is a process that takes time. While we are faced with a serious condition, it should not be a scary situation for you and for your friends and family if you learn to adjust to it together. Involving people in your lives and opening up will ease your transition. Controlling the disease should not be a chore and finding ways to make it fun for you is just a matter of having a positive perspective. Optimism is your best friend and if you learn to be optimistic, healthy and smart living amidst the disease is just in your fingertips.

Diabetes through the years has become an epidemic in the western world. With its subtle symptoms as the disease starts, it is described as a silent killer where diagnosis can be shocking to patient who believed they were healthy all along. For patients just receiving the news that they have diabetes, it might be the end of it all in coping with the disease.

However, as diabetes becomes one of the most serious conditions, steps have been taken to make diabetes very manageable and controlled as long as the patient can adjust properly. Many people who have diabetes through the years can attest to that. Having a lifestyle change should not stop you from living a healthy, active, and fruitful life.

Diabetes testing is required for a reason. Monitoring your glucose levels tells you what your score is. All diabetes patients have a target range of blood sugar level that they need to work on and it would be difficult to achieve these targets without constant diabetes testing.

However, diabetes testing can be a burden as you teach yourself to do it everyday. Although home tests are designed to be convenient, it can chip away some time that you have set for other things. Therefore, understanding the importance of diabetes testing will help you cope with this new task.

If you want to keep things private, try to take diabetes tests where you can be alone. Diabetes tests are non-invasive and are small enough so that other people won’t notice it. You can designate a spot in your home or in your school or workplace that you can go to carry out the tests.

6 - 10 servings of complex carbohydrates a day
2 servings of non-fat or low-fat milk or yogurt
3 - 4 servings of vegetables
2 - 4 servings of fruits
3 - 5 servings of fats and oils
4 - 7 ounces of meat, poultry, fish, or other proteins like eggs and cheese

Split entrees or dinner-size salads when you eat out, or have a small salad and appetizer instead of an entree.
Keep a good diabetes diet book on hand to find portion sizes for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.
Buy a new set of measuring cups and spoons and keep them out on the counter, so you’re more motivated to measure servings.