Page 29 - ENEW- April 2021 edition

Vol. 8, No. 5 Page 29

OUR GLOBAL CAUSES

FACES OF
DIABETES
INNOVATION: DIABETES EDUCATION AND
RACE FOR A CURE AWARENESS
SERVICE INTO ACTION
There are two main type of Diabetes: Type
I and Type II. Type II is further broken According to the IDF (International Diabetes Fed-
down into Prediabetes and Diabetes. Preventative Measures eration),
Improve diet – cook/prepare more meals
According to the American Diabetes Asso- at home *1 in 10 people lives with diabetes;
ciation (ADA) 1 in 2 of us is living with Get Active – walk, run, ride, swim
Prediabetes or Diabetes. There are 34 *1 in 2 adults with diabetes, predominantly type 2,
million Americans with Diabetes and 88 Take care of your Mental Health – MH remain undiagnosed;
million with Prediabetes. affects many aspects of our daily life:
*1 in 3 American adults have pre-diabetes and of
WHAT CAUSES DIABETES? how you think and feel, handle stress, that number, 9 in 10 with pre-diabetes don’t know
relate to others and make choices. This that they have it.
makes it harder to stick to your diabetes
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to care plan THIS is why diabetes is considered an epidemic!
process GLUCOSE for absorption into the
cells. In searching for a cure, the CDC has a However, we know that most of us as Lions are
National Diabetes Prevention Program
(NDPP) which works in partnership with not certified diabetes educators, so what can we
It is important to remember that Diabetes public and private organizations. The do??
is a progressive disease, which means, it partners make it easier for persons at risk
usually brings changes. The most effective for Type II Diabetes to participate in evi- Here is some food for thought:
way to monitor your blood sugar levels is dence-based lifestyle change programs.
by having your A1c tested every three More information on the NDPP may be Although we are not optometrists or ophthalmolo-
months. gists, we can still champion sight. We are not
accessed from the CDC website.
audiologists, but we can still champion hearing.
Risk Factors: *Scientific Research is working on: Im- In the same line of thought, we may not be certi-
mune Modulation: unlocking the immune fied diabetes educators, but we can still champion
Genetics and family history system’s role in Diabetes diabetes.
Weight
Age Beta Cell expansion and replacement: One of the best ways we can do that is by sharing
Inactivity with as many people as possible the Pre-diabetes
Presence of Auto Antibodies Type I and II Diabetes both develop due Risk Test. Though the simple test is not a diagno-
Diet Poor Mental Health sis, it can help people to see if they may be predis-
Extreme High Cholesterol levels to the dysfunction and demise of insulin posed to pre-diabetes and it helps open the conver-
Gestational diabetes sation with their health care provider. It is im-
High Blood Pressure secreting cells. portant because there is a small window of a cou-
ple of years that those diagnosed pre-diabetic can
Early Signs and Symptoms: Research: – is working to improve meth- make healthy lifestyle changes to keep from mov-
Both types have some of the same telltale ing toward type 2 diabetes or at least delay the
signs: ods of boosting and replacing Beta cells progression. In addition, especially during the
Hunger and fatigue Covid19 pandemic, we can share resources about
Peeing more often and being thirstier and imaging them to ensure long term where people can go for assistance in paying for
Dry mouth and itchy skin survival. their prescription medications and insulin.
Blurred vision
The most important thing is knowledge.
Complications of Diabetes *More information on Scientific Research Knowledge is power and we as Lions can share
information and tools with the community to help
can be found at City of Hope website. individuals make educated decisions. We have an
important partnership with the Association of
Diabetes Care and Education Specialists
Reported by, (ADCES). Their website,
www.DiabetesEducator.org, is loaded with infor-
Lion Escline Green mation and tip sheets, in both English and Span-
ish, that we can share in the community. Also,
LCI’s website, www.lionsclubs.org/diabetes, is