Some experts have stated that diabetes affects 8.3 percent of the people living in the United States today. According to National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, diabetes has become our seventh leading cause of death. The Center For Natural And Integrative Medicine does not wish to alarm you, but we want you to know the facts and the risks involved in this disease.
This disease is also the reason for most of our country’s kidney failures, as well as non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, and new cases of blindness. It is no wonder that many experts call it “epidemic,” since it is also a prime contributor to heart disease and stroke.
What Is Pre-Diabetes?
Did you know that most people with pre-diabetes have no idea they even have this condition? According to the CDC, only 7% of the people with pre-diabetes know they have it.
Let’s look at numbers: 79 million Americans—”35% of adults aged 20 years and older—have pre-diabetes.”
Perhaps the most alarming statistic is that today, half of all Americans aged 65 years and older have pre-diabetes.
By definition, this means they had manifested conditions which are proven to occur before the onset of diabetes. For example, they all were diagnosed with high blood sugar, which has been proven to occur before the onset of type 2 diabetes. Today’s big question is “Are you at risk?”
Take Our Quick Quiz!
1. Your Age: We know you are “young at heart,” but if you are over the age of 45, you are already in a diabetes risk group.
2. Ancestry: Do you have members of your family history, living or dead, who suffered from diabetes? Is your family background African-American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander?
3. Metabolism: Have you been diagnosed with “metabolic syndrome?”
5. Vitals: Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure?
6. Extra Poundage: Are you overweight?
7. A Sedentary Habit? It might be difficult to admit, but if you are physically active less than three times a week, you are in the high risk group.
8. Motherhood: Did you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, or have you given birth to a baby weighing nine pounds or more?
If You Are In The Risk Group, Can Diabetes 2 Be Prevented?
The Center For Natural And Integrative Medicine does not want you to feel doomed, even if you determine you are in the high risk group. There are preventative measures you can take to avoid being a statistic.
“Research shows that modest weight loss and regular physical activity can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent in people with pre-diabetes.”
Measure Number One: For example, a modest weight loss of 5% to 7% of your body weight, is only 10 to 14 pounds if you are a carrying 200 pounds.
Measure Number Two: If inactivity has become habitual, find an active way to expend 150 minutes per week of physical activity. This can be as simple as taking a few invigorating walks.
If you are at risk for diabetes, the doctors and staff at the Center For Natural and Integrative Health help can help you choose healthy habits and nutrition, needed to prevent type 2 diabetes. Our patients prove everyday that it is not impossible to improve food choices, amplify physical activity, and discover the right tools to maintain weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes.
With our integrative approach and guidance, our patients empower themselves to combat this disease and its consequences.
We personally invite you to take your first steps. For a few more specific ideas, we refer you to a previous information packed blog article from this site.
We also hope you have planned to attend Mike Kehoe’s upcoming seminar at the center. The event, May 22 at 6:00 is free and you need not be a patient to attend.
