February 27th, 2010 by

Of course you know that eating right and exercising are good for you. But do you know that a healthy diet and regular physical activity are directly related to your ability to have normal sexual function? If you have diabetes, it’s even more important to pay close attention to your diet and exercise routine.

The benefits of exercise and healthy eating constantly reinforce each other.

First of all, good blood flow to the penis is essential for erections. High levels of cholesterol and fat in your bloodstream leave deposits in the walls of your blood vessels. This leads to atherosclerosis and contributes to high blood pressure, both of which can damage blood vessels and reduce blood flow. Exercise helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A diet low in fat and cholesterol also helps to prevent and reverse the buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessels.

Second, a high blood sugar level damages nerves as well as the blood vessels that are involved in getting an erection. A good diet and the right amount of exercise help keep your blood sugar level under control. Studies show that people who exercise are less likely to get diabetes, and people with diabetes who exercise have better control of their blood sugar levels. Exercise helps you use sugar more easily. That leaves less sugar in the blood.

Eating a diet low in calories — and burning calories through exercise helps you tone your body and lose weight. Studies have linked erectile dysfunction and being overweight. Many other studies have shown that exercise fights depression, which also has a major impact on sexual function. With a leaner, toned body and a better sense of well-being and self-esteem, you’re more likely to feel sexy and have normal erections.

But there’s a lot of confusing information out there. Maybe you’re wondering exactly what you should eat and what kind of exercise to choose.

Designing a Sexy Plate

For someone with diabetes, it’s important to have a meal plan approved by your doctor and a registered dietitian who is trained in diabetes nutrition.

In general, though, there are simple ways to make sure you’re eating the right things at each meal.

One good guideline to use is the food pyramid. It tells you how much of various foods should be in your diet. The things you should eat most are at the bottom and those that should be the least part of your diet are at the top. According to the food pyramid, every day you should eat:

* 2 cups of a variety of fruit
* 2.5 cups of richly colored vegetables
* 3 ounces of whole grains like whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, or brown rice
* Up to 3 ounces of refined grains like pasta, white rice, or white bread
* 3 servings of dairy foods (A serving = 1 cup of low-fat milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of cheese)
* 5 ounces of meat, fish, eggs, or legumes for protein
* 5 teaspoons of oils (including the oil found in nuts and fish)
* 130 to 295 discretionary calories such as sweets (about 1 cookie or cup of ice cream)

(*Note: These amounts are recommended for the average adult woman. Men can consume about one ounce more in each category.)

The diabetes “exchange” system is another way of figuring out how much of what foods to eat. An exchange list shows what portion size of a given food gives you the same amount of calories and nutrients. For example, one medium-sized peach is equivalent to 12 large cherries.

The American Diabetes Association’s “Rate Your Plate” guide is a different way to look at what you’re eating. Following this guide, you divide your plate into imaginary quarters. One-quarter should contain starches, like potatoes or rice. One-quarter should contain meat. One half should contain vegetables.

Work Out Your Workout

When it comes to exercise, you don’t have to follow any “fad” workouts. Just find a way to get your body moving and your heart rate up. Here is the recommendation of the CDC:

* 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week; or
* 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week.

But what do “moderate” and “vigorous” actually mean? You can tell how intense the activity you’re doing is by measuring your heart rate while you’re doing it.

First, figure out what your maximum heart rate is. That’s the number 220 minus your age. If you’re 40, your max heart rate is 180.

To measure your heart rate while exercising, pause briefly to take your pulse. Place your middle and index fingers on the artery of your neck or wrist where you can feel your pulse. Using a watch with a second hand, count the number of pulses, or beats, in 60 seconds. That’s your heart rate. (If you’d rather take less time to do it, you can count the number of beats in 30 seconds and multiply by two.)

When you’re doing moderate exercise, your heart rate will be 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate — which is based on a person’s age. If your max heart rate is 180, your goal for moderate exercise is to get your heart rate up to 90 to 126 beats per minute (bpm).

Here’s that equation:

220 – age = max heart rate

180 x .50 (50%) = 90 bpm
180 x .70 (70%) = 126 bpm

For vigorous exercise, figure it the same way, but instead of 50% to 70% of your max heart rate, the range is 70% to 85%.

180 x .70 (70%) = 126 bpm
180 x .85 (85%) = 153 bpm

Related Posts

1. Diabeties Diets – For Life Improvement
2. Diabetes and Exercise – Just Move it!
3. Preventing Diabetes Vision Loss

Source: Ken

February 26th, 2010 by

There’s been a handful of photographers who have tackled the Diabetes 365 project for this year, and I’m proud to be in their company.  It’s a very inspiring experience, to see how diabetes is reflected in the lives of the members of D365, and how it is captured through their camera lenses.

Some of us are using our DSLR cameras, some of us our point-and-shoots, some documenting with our iPhones or our Blackberries, but every last one of us is showing our lives with diabetes, every day.  I know I’ve talked about this project before, but watching the photos stack up in the Diabetes 365 Flickr group and seeing how, and what, people with diabetes are choosing to document their lives with this disease is incredible.

You didn’t need to join the group in January – it’s a rotating door of participants.  If you want to join the Diabetes 365 group, you can jump in anytime and start.  Every day can be Day 1.  

Source: Six Until Me.

February 26th, 2010 by

One of the common criticisms of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is its overwhelming emphasis on children and parents of children with diabetes — with little to no recognition that kids with diabetes, well… grow up. Or that ever-growing numbers of us are being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as adults. God knows I’ve been [...]

Source: AmyT

February 25th, 2010 by

I love "free shower" – which, if you’re diabetic and using an insulin pump or a CGM, you know that means "the shower when you’re changing sites and you don’t have any hubs connected to you."

It’s nice to lather up and not worry about catching on an infusion set or a sensor edge.  Thing is, this is what’s waiting for me when I’m done getting all cleaned up:

The potlock o’ diabetes crap

Yesterday was "free shower" day for me, which is a rarity now that I’m wearing two devices.  The chances of an insulin pump change synching up with a Dexcom sensor change are pretty low, so when I’m swapping both, it’s particularly nice.  And this scene on the bathroom counter is what needs to be reapplied after the fact.

That’s the potluck of diabetes devices:  the Dexcom sensor, transmitter, and receiver, and then the insulin pump, infusion set, cartridge, and little bits associated with pump site changes (like that all-important insulin).   If you look fast, you can almost fool yourself into thinking it’s a photo of make-up stuff, like any lady would have on her bathroom counter.  But the Sparlings don’t have a "powder room," – we have a "site change room." 

I’m adjusting, though.  Don’t we all?  Back when I first started pumping, I was freaked out about the whole "external symptom" because I’d existed 17 years without one.  Popping in those first infusion sets and clipping on the pump was a very surreal experience, and one that it took me some time to get used to.  ("Do I look like a robot?  Not really, but sort of.  Am I okay with looking a little like a robot?  Do I get special powers?  No?  That’s only super heroes?  Okay, well what do robots get?  They’re maids on the Jetsons?  WTF?"  The internal monologue was constant back in those days.)  Adding in the Dexcom sensor and receiver sent me back into that "Wait a minute … I’m now like a SuperRobot!" mode. 

But now, it’s been six years with a pump.  And almost two and a half years with the Dexcom.  So while free showers are nice and I like that feeling of not having anything attached, once I put on the new sensor and the fresh infusion set, I still felt fine.  The sites don’t look so scary anymore. 

They look … almost right.

(Note:  But it may be the ever-growing belly that’s making things look more proportionate lately.  Ask me in eight weeks. )

Source: Six Until Me.

February 25th, 2010 by admin

In the past few weeks, the diabetes community has suffered several tragedies in losing young people to diabetes. It is shocking and upsetting when diabetes takes the life of anyone, but somehow more so when it cuts a young life so short. Moira McCarthy Stanford is a journalist, a long-time JDRF volunteer and mom to [...]

Source: AmyT

Drug test Reduce drug and alcohol abuse with the help of drug and alcohol testing services from one of the reputed manufacturer of clinical diagnostic products in Europe

February 24th, 2010 by

We’ll start with The Bad:

• Getting my sorry arse to Boston proper yesterday should have been a quick ride.  My first appointment was at 8 am, I was leaving my house with an hour and 15 minutes to spare (I had hopes of grabbing breakfast before my appointment and getting a little work done on the trusty laptop) but traffic on the way into the city dashed all hopes of getting there on time.  It took me two hours and fifteen minutes to make a 35 minute drive.  Needless to say, I was livid by the time I had arrived at Joslin.
• And while I’m driving, I’m watching my blood sugar climb.  Crap on several levels, because as I edged closer to 170 mg/dl, I started to wonder if my insulin to carb ratio needed to be changed, I fretted about the effects on the baby, and I also realized that two hours in the car at an elevated blood sugar equaled "OMG I have to pee like you read about."
• Also, felt a dampness in my armpit and became disgusted with myself, realizing I was sweating through my shirt?  Gross, Kerri.  That’s just gross.
• Arrived at my appointment 30 minutes late, they squeezed me in, and after I gave a urine sample, they told me that I was spilling ketones for the first time in my pregnancy.  FanTAStic.

Which leads me into The Eh:

• Turns out that my blood sugar was climbing because my infusion set wasn’t connected to my body.  The pump was on my hip, the site in my arm, but the two weren’t joined at the set, leaving every bolus and every basal unit pooling into my armpit.  Thus explaining the stain on my shirt (and the fact that what I thought was sweat was, instead, vital insulin units).  Two hours without insulin explained the high, the headache, and the ketones.  And also made me feel extremely dumb.
• My eye dilation was deemed "inconclusive" by the retinologist.  She said that my right eye was perfectly fine, but the left did still have two spots close to the macula.  Again, less an issue with the spots themselves and more with their precarious location.  "But I feel comfortable with you attempting a vaginal delivery.  But if you have a long labor, or a difficult labor, you’ll need to have a c-section."  My initial response was "Oh, but I’d really like a healthy baby and healthy eyes for myself, so would a section be a better chance at having both?  Or do you just want me to push, possibly harm my left eye, and then possibly still have the c-section?  Does not compute."

But thankfully, there’s still The Good:

• BSparl remains at a steady, healthy weight, and her heartbeat was lovely enough to make my own skip a beat.
• My doctor called me at nine o’clock last night to tell me that she reviewed my eye exam with the other high risk OB/GYN and they feel confident in recommending a c-section.  Their main concern is the Factor V Leiden issue, which could cause a clotting concern with the delivery wound, but I’ve already had my medical team advise me that I’d be on Heparin for a few weeks after delivery.  They just want the baby out safely, and for my eyes to remain intact.  I’m on board for that, as I’d like to be able to clearly see this creature we’ve created. 
• And now I know how she’s arriving, and I can start Googling that and freaking out.  No, I know not to Google and not to completely melt down.  But honestly, the whole "giving birth" thing, no matter the method, has made me nervous for years.  And it’s strange to know that in eight weeks, I’ll be doing it.

Which brings me to the best part of The Good:  Only 64 days until I can hold her in my arms and tell her I love her.   It’s on. 

Source: Six Until Me.

February 24th, 2010 by

Men with diabetes are twice as likely as other men to experience erectile dysfunction (ED). What’s more, they tend to develop erection problems 10 to 15 years earlier than men who don’t have diabetes. Those numbers may sound grim, but there’s hope. You can take control of your sexual health by managing your blood glucose, or blood sugar levels.

If you want to prevent erection problems or keep them from getting worse, you must control your blood sugar and get your numbers as close to normal as possible. That means diligent self-monitoring, taking any diabetes medications your doctor has prescribed, and being committed to healthy living.

The best approach is to follow a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and maintain a normal weight. Some people with diabetes are able to gain control of their blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes alone. Some may need to take medication to keep their numbers as close to normal as possible. But it’s important to keep in mind that diabetes medications work best when you make the effort to eat right and be physically active.

The Key to Success: Testing Blood Sugar Levels

If you have diabetes and take insulin you should test your blood sugar levels three or more times daily. Home blood glucose monitoring can be done fasting, before or two hours after meals, and at bedtime. Exactly how often you should test your blood sugar and at what times depends on your specific needs and what your doctor tells you to do.

When you’re trying to get your levels down to your goal, or if you are changing therapies, it’s a good idea to test more often. By testing before and after meals, in the morning, and before bed you can create a detailed picture of how your blood sugar fluctuates throughout the day. That will help your doctor tailor your treatment for the best control.

Everyone with diabetes should know his A1C score. The A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels over three months. If you haven’t been doing regular finger-sticks, this test will tell you how well you’ve been controlling your blood sugar levels.

The A1C test score is given as a percentage, ranging from 6% to 12%.

A score below 6% is normal for people without diabetes. You should aim for an A1C score of less than 7%. If you have a score any higher than that you are at higher risk for problems like erectile dysfunction. It’s best to have your level checked at least twice a year.

Even a 1% drop in your A1C score has a big impact. One of the largest studies so far on type 2 diabetes shows that people who lower their A1C score by 1% have a 35% lower risk for the kinds of complications that cause ED. One study directly linked high A1C scores to erectile dysfunction and low A1C scores to better sexual function.

If at all possible, you should aim to get your A1C score down into the range of 6% or less, where people without diabetes are. Research has shown that there’s no floor, so to speak, when it comes to the benefit of lowering A1C.

If your blood sugar levels have been out of control, you should have the test more frequently.

Another important factor is how you take your diabetes medication. Follow directions carefully and don’t skip doses. Skipping doses often results in worse blood sugar control and added complications from the diabetes. And don’t forget guys, if you want to be a tiger in the bed, check your blood sugars so you don’t end up down and out.

Related Posts

1. Caffeine Raises Blood Sugar Levels In Type 2 Diabetics
2. Lower Your Blood Sugar With These 3 Daily Tips and Understanding the Glycemic Index
3. Change Your Old Blood Sugar Meter to Something Stylish

Source: Ken