November is Diabetes Awareness Month

November is American Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes is a silent killer that threatens the lives of millions of Americans every year that can lead to many ailments and even death

Every year, over 1.5 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the U.S., adding to the count of more than 30 million Americans who are currently living with this disease. In fact, according to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes ranks 7th in the leading causes for death in Americans. Furthermore, given its higher incidence in Senior Citizens, diabetes is linked to poor eating habits during their youth—which makes it even more important to create healthy eating habits from an early age.

Diabetes affects people of all ages and ethnicities. It is also often the cause of complications that lead to death, as well as to amputations and blindness, among other equally damaging consequences. Amazingly enough, over one third of people do not know they have diabetes until they are screened for it as a result of unrelated symptoms or diseases. The most common form is Type 2 Diabetes, which can be controlled through medication and healthier living. However, Type 1 Diabetes requires for people to depend on insulin, making it a more complicated health management process.

For diabetes patients, dietary management is a necessity to ensure their glucose (sugar) levels are kept under control. Failing to control diabetes can lead to heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments, as well as kidney failure and foot complications. Overall, a healthy diet and regular checkups with your doctor can help you manage diabetes for decades. But failing to manage diabetes can lead to blindness and other ailments that will progress in severity over your lifetime—often beyond the point of repair or recovery.

MyMRI wants you to be aware of diabetes and encourages you to get tested for pre-diabetes or diabetes. Younger people can start with a diabetes checkup which, if negative, can simply be replaced by pre-diabetes monitoring every so many years. Always consult a healthcare professional or your family doctor on when you should monitor the chance of diabetes from developing. Being proactive can lead to a better life and to a decrease of the risk of having diabetes in later years of your life.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply