| Welcome to the August issue of the Access
Digest newsletter. This month, we discuss
the potential causes resulting in hyperglycemia
and hypoglycemia. As with most complications associated
with diabetes, managing your glucose level, blood
pressure, cholesterol, diet, and exercise can greatly
reduce the risks associated with diabetes. In this
issue, we take a closer look at the causes of hyperglycemia,
hypoglycemia, and how to prevent them. |
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In
This Issue |
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Hyperglycemia is the medical term
that describes a high content of glucose (sugar)
in your blood. This condition is present with
most people who have diabetes. Hyperglycemia
is the major cause of the complications associated
with diabetes. It occurs when your body produces
too little (not enough) insulin or when your body
cannot use insulin properly. If left untreated,
hyperglycemia can result in serious health problems.
It is very important to understand what hyperglycemia
is, the symptoms, and how to treat it. Hypoglycemia, sometimes called
an insulin reaction, refers to having too little
glucose in your blood. Hypoglycemia occurs
on occasion to almost everyone who has diabetes.
Although sometimes you cannot prevent it from
happening, by understanding the symptoms you can
treat it before it becomes worse.
Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia can be very
dangerous and it's essential to understand the
symptoms and treatments so you can act quickly.
Both conditions can be diagnosed very quickly
by testing your blood using your glucose meter
and test strips. Hyperglycemia can be treated
by injecting insulin or taking medication to lower
the blood glucose. Hypoglycemia can be treated
by drinking juice, eating candy, or taking medication
to increase the glucose in your blood.
Eating a healthy diet every meal is essential
to maintaining proper glucose levels. The
question many people ask is, "it's all so complicated
- where do I start?" In the Healthy Living
section below we bring it all together with the
top 10 tips to improving your diet. The
key to successfully changing your lifestyle is
to take it one step at a time. Make small
changes every few weeks and search for healthy
foods that you will like. Before you know
it, you'll feel better, have more energy, and
your blood glucose will be under much better control.
We hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter
and thank you for choosing Access Diabetic
Supply as your choice for diabetic supplies. |
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Hyperglycemia |
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What is Hyperglycemia?
Hyperglycemia is the condition where your blood
glucose is too high. Everyone with diabetes
should try to manage their blood glucose within
a specific target zone, typically 70 - 100 mg/dL.
The purpose of your diabetes management plan is
to maintain your blood glucose within the target
zone, which will prevent long term complications.
Hyperglycemia can occur when you:
Source - Mayo
Clinic
- Eat too much
- Exercise less than you planned to
- Experience physical stress, such as a cold,
infection or influenza
- Experience emotional stress, such as conflict
in your family or workplace
Read more
How to treat Hyperglycemia?
When you experience the
early signs of hyperglycemia, test your blood
glucose several times and record your results.
WebMD
recommends the following treatments:
- Drink more water
- Exercise more
- Change your eating habits
- Change your medications
- Call your
doctor if your blood glucose is consistently
greater than 180 mg/dL 1-2 hours after a meal
or if you have two consecutive readings greater
than 300 mg/dL
Read more
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Hypoglycemia |
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Hypoglycemia exists when your blood glucose is too
low. The symptoms and severity can vary from
person to person. "Despite our advances in
the treatment of diabetes, hypoglycemic episodes
are often the limiting factor in achieving optimal
blood sugar control. In large scale studies looking
at tight control in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes,
low blood sugars occurred more often in the patients
who were managed most intensively. This is important
for patients and physicians to recognize, especially
as the goal for treating patients with diabetes
become tighter blood sugar control." Source
- Medicinenet
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia: Source - American
Diabetes Association
- Shakiness
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Hunger
- Headache
- Pale skin color
- Sudden moodiness or behavior
changes, such as crying for no apparent reason
- Clumsy or jerky movements
- Seizure
- Difficulty paying attention,
or confusion
- Tingling sensations around
the mouth
Read more
How to treat Hypoglycemia?
The fastest way to treat
hypoglycemia is to ingest sugar in the form of
glucose tablets, fruit juice, or candy.
You should always keep a small supply of sugar
tablets available to you at all times. About
15 minutes after taking in sugar, you should test
and record your blood using your glucose meter
and test strips.
American Diabetes Association recommends the following treatments:
- 3 Glucose tables or
- 1/2 cup of fruit juice or
- 5-6 pieces of hard candy
- Consult your Dr. or dietician for other good sources
Read more |
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Healthy Living:
Monthly Recipe & Lifestyle Changes |
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Many
people recognize the importance of maintaining a
proper diet but do not know where to start.
It may all seem very complicated, however the answers
are easily available. This is a lifestyle
that will significantly improve your overall health.
Eating sensibly and exercising regularly will have
a positive impact on your blood glucose levels.
Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are caused and treated
directly by the foods you eat.
Changing your diet can be very difficult.
Try changing one thing at a time. Search for
foods that appeal to you and are also healthy.
It's important to have a rounded diet with sufficient
carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The most
amazing thing that most people find is that they
can find foods that taste great and are also very
healthy. The suggestions below should provide
you with a good start
Top 10 suggestions to improving your diet:
- Eat
foods closest to the source - foods that have
not been processed. These foods include:
fruits, vegetables, and different types of meat.
- When
eating meat (beef, fish, chicken, etc.) the
portions should not exceed the size of your
palm.
- Eat a lot of leafy greens
like romaine salad and broccoli
- Eat small meals 5 or 6 times
a day. Do not eat large meals
- Drink plenty of water instead
of soda (diet or regular).
- When eating foods high in
sugar, eat protein (nuts) along with it.
- Reduce the amount of foods
high in cholesterol - such as red meat.
Eat cold water fish like Salmon (wild).
- Reduce your intake of foods
white in color like white bread, salt, white
flour - they are highly processed.
- In between meal snacks include
raw almonds, smoothies, and power bars.
Raw almonds and walnuts are great for you.
- Vary your diet - variety
is the spice of life - try to rotate your foods
every 4 days.
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This
month, our feature recipe is a common entree prepared
in a healthy manner - Chicken Parmesan
Source
- American
Diabetes Association . "This
recipe, with its vibrant colors, is a cheerful,
easy meal! If you like, make your own tomato sauce
or add your own spices to a prepared sauce. If you
need to watch the sodium in your meal plan, choose
a low-sodium brand of prepared sauce, but add 1
Tbsp of oregano or Italian seasonings to spice it
up. You can also replace the chicken in this dish
with veal or turkey breast."
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Chicken Parmesan
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Chicken Parmesan
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Source: American Diabetes
Association
Number of
Servings - 8
Ingredients
- 1 ea - 26-oz jar seasoned tomato sauce
- 20 oz - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup - shredded mozzarella cheese, part
skim
- 1/2 cup - grated Parmesan cheese
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Directions
- Preheat the oven to
350 degrees F
- In a 9x13-inch baking
pan or large casserole dish, spread half of
the tomato sauce. Place the chicken on the sauce,
then pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on the chicken,
then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover and bake until
bubbly and cheese is lightly browned, 30 minutes.
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Nutritional
Information - Chicken Parmesan
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| Amount Per Serving (serving size 1/8 of
recipe) |
Calories
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153 |
| Calories
from Fat |
41 |
| Total
Fat |
5g
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| Saturated
Fat |
2g |
| Cholesterol |
51mg |
| Sodium
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762mg |
| Total
Carbohydrates
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7g |
| Dietary
Fiber |
1g
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| Sugars |
5g |
| Protein
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22g |
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Questions
& Answers - Ask the Experts |
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Each
month our staff will provide answers to questions
and take your feedback. If you have urgent questions
about your order or your meter, we encourage you
to call our customer care department at 1-800-276-5712.
We will do our best to provide answers to all
your questions, and we encourage you to also consult
your physician.
Below
are a few of the common questions our customer
care department answered from our last newsletter.
We hope you find them helpful.
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Access
Diabetic Supply |
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