November is officially 'American Diabetes Month'.  Yet - before allies can be rallied to help to defeat diabetes - we must first understand what it is...

What is diabetes?  What are its causes, methods of treatment and safe methods prevention?

Diabetes is a disease that develops when a person’s insulin is not effective, or when a person’s body lacks the ability to create enough insulin.

What is insulin?

Insulin is a hormone that helps the body to regulate and process carbohydrates such as starch and sugar into calories.  Without this hormone, the body has a high blood glucose (sugar) level, and individuals must be careful about the amount of carbohydrates and sugars they intake in their daily diet.

It is estimated that 7% of Americans have diabetes.  Out of that 7%, almost one-third have yet to be diagnosed.  While anyone is susceptible to this disease, www.diabetes.org does ascertain that certain races are more highly susceptible to developing Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 Diabetes is most prevalent in:

• African Americans
• Latinos
• Native-Americans
• Asian-Americans
• Pacific Islanders

Also, while truly anyone is at risk, there are a number of other factors that can increase one’s risk such as:

• Having a family history of diabetes
• Anyone age 45 or older
• Not performing routine exercise
• Anyone who is overweight

These are all individuals who are at a much greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

If left untreated or if poorly managed, diabetes can cause nerve damage, numbness in the fingers or toes, damage to the eyes, kidneys, heart and/or nervous system.

No matter your risk factors, there are some steps that can be taken to decrease those risks, and some forms of diabetes can be prevented completely.

Measures can be taken to control diet, activity, weight, and medications and/or insulin can be prescribed by a doctor to help manage or even avoid the onset of diabetes.

Research performed by the Diabetes Prevention Program proved that 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity combined with a weight loss of 7% of the initial body weight was successful in reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 58%.

 Hopefully, with an increased awareness in health risks and management techniques, diabetes can be better managed or avoided far more often in the next years.

Click here to order your Diabetes Wristband to help keep awareness going all year long:
Diabetes Wristband