Disease Basics
Exceptions to the Epidemic
04/25/08
Disease Basics
Obsessive-Compulsive Diabetes Testing
04/23/08
Disease Basics
Impulse Control
03/27/08
Disease Basics
By Eric Devine
“Get that out of your mouth!” I stand, hands on hips, looking at my three-year-old. She pulls the toy from her lips and looks up at me. I begin with the questions I always ask. “What can you put in your mouth?”
She answers. “Food.”
“Right.” I look severely at the toy. “Is that food?”
She sizes up the pink, plastic whatever. “No.”
“Exactly, so keep it out of your mouth.”
If only my daughter knew that this line of logic could easily be turned back on me, she’d enforce it with gusto. No, I don’t have a compulsion to put toys in my mouth, but what I do have a panache for can’t really be deemed much better. My weakness is chocolate. To my daughter’s credit, at least plastic doesn’t have any calories.
I follow a rather regimented diet, wholly free of processed foods, starch, grains, and sugar. Basically, if our Paleolithic ancestors ate it, so will I. Except when it comes to chocolate. That concoction is allowed a de-evolutionary pass.
However, I do restrict the quantity: a Hershey Kiss or two, a miniature peanut butter cup, or some M&M’s. And it’s only when the chocolate happens to be around, because of a holiday or it’s my daughter’s. I never, ever buy any. This fact, coupled with the small quantity of consumption, becomes justification for cheating on my diet, and in turn, the source of my shame.
And shame it is, because once the sweet, almost titillating sensation has worn from my tongue, I feel guilt and remorse. This isn’t due to the fact that I’ve eaten sugar and now believe that I’ve undercut all my healthful measures. Rather, it’s the lack of ability to control my impulse, or the giving in to temptation. I know I’m better than that, and to fall victim is so very demeaning.
Trust me; I understand that this small lack of willpower is starkly insignificant when compared to the other, more formidable issues we with diabetes must withstand. However, the root of the issue does not. We all have far more impulses toward “rewards” (typically unhealthy food) than we like to admit. We are in a perpetual state of saying “No.” Therefore, giving in only feels like an unavoidable circumstance. Who can keep up such dogged discipline? Well, us, if we want to maintain our health.
The only way then to proceed in these scenarios is to allow rational judgment to override desire. Yes, easier said than done, but it is a measure we must practice.
So here’s a method toward that end: the next time your “trigger” of loss of impulse appears, whether it be chocolate or baked goods, ask yourself the same questions I do my daughter, and then act accordingly.
Feasting at the Metabolic Syndrome Buffet
03/11/08
Disease Basics
Diabetes Magazine Article About Kidneys
03/07/08
Disease Basics
Much of the hard work that you do to manage your blood sugar levels and stay healthy is to protect your kidneys.
Understanding your kidneys will also help you to take care of them. Diabetes Forecast magazine recently published All About Your Kidneys. It explains how kidneys function, how to take care of them, and how diabetes threatens them.
The article should encourage you to continue your hard work so you can avoid problems with your kidneys down the road.
Diabetes and Artificial Sweeteners
02/12/08
Disease Basics
Diabetes Sick Day Refresher
01/10/08
Disease Basics
Strange things happen when you get sick. Although you may feel down and lethargic, your body may be burning a lot of energy as it works to fight the illness. If you don't eat, hypoglycemia can kick in.
If you have lost your appetite, your body may be relying on fat and glucose stores from your muscles and other body tissues. This can affect many of your hormone levels including insulin. Your blood sugars could bounce too high or fall too low.
Diabetes and Winter are Recipe for Hypoglycemia
12/21/07
Disease Basics
Jill L. Quarry's career is diabetes. She sees dozens of diabetic patients each week and she notices the subtleties that affect their lives. This week she posted a column, The Medical Minute: Diabetics need to be prepared for snow, in which she points out how winter time activities can create problems for people with diabetes.
Who Is a Diabetes Educator?
12/10/07
Disease Basics
It is not reasonable to expect your doctor to do it all with a disease like diabetes. It is also not reasonable to expect you, the patient, to shoulder the rest of the burden.
Diabetes is a complicated illness that requires a lot from patients. Much of the burden can be shared with a diabetes educator.
Understanding Cholesterol
11/08/07
Disease Basics
Cholesterol is a naturally-occurring substance in the body, but the very mention of it can strike fear in the hearts of diabetics. A little knowledge can go a long way toward dispelling fears associated with cholesterol.
What is Cholesterol?
According to the American Heart Association Web site, cholesterol is “a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells.” It is a member of a group of chemical compounds known as lipids, or fats—although cholesterol is not synonymous with fat. The two are different in that cholesterol cannot be used by the body as a source of energy, like fat is burned for energy. Cholesterol is used in other body processes like the production of cell membranes, some hormones, vitamin D, and bile. The latter is the largest use of cholesterol.