• Avoiding Eye Problems
• Diabetes and Allergies
• Healthy Living
• Q & A
• Helpful Links
• Diabetes News

Welcome to the April issue of Access Digest. This month we are offering some tips on avoiding eye problems, environmental pollution and allergies. 

Our Lifestyle Tip for April is a Spring Diet Makeover, and appropriately our Recipe of the Month is Spring Asparagus Soup.  

As always, when you see "Read More" at the end of an article, or something that is underlined, you can click on it to be linked to another Web site where you'll find more information. When you find a site that you may want to visit again in the future, you can bookmark it.

Each month we receive questions from our readers. We post some of the more frequent questions and answers for everyone to read. If you have questions or comments of your own, please e-mail them to us at the end of this issue.

We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. Thank you for making Access Diabetic Supply your choice for diabetic supplies.

First and most important, keep your blood sugar levels under tight control. In a Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, people on standard diabetes treatment got retinopathy four times as often as people who kept their blood sugar levels close to normal. In people who already had retinopathy, the condition progressed in the tight-control group only half as often. These impressive results show that you have a lot of control over what happens to your eyes. Also, high blood sugar levels may make your vision temporarily blurry.

Second, bring high blood pressure under control. High blood pressure can make eye problems worse.

Third, quit smoking.

Fourth, see your eye care professional at least once a year for a dilated eye exam. Having your regular doctor look at your eyes is not enough. Nor is having your eyeglass prescription tested by an optician. Only optometrists and ophthalmologists can detect the signs of retinopathy. Only ophthalmologists can treat retinopathy.

Fifth, see your eye care professional if:

- your vision becomes blurry
- you have trouble reading signs or books
- you see double
- one or both of your eyes hurt
- your eyes get red and stay that way
- you feel pressure in your eye
- you see spots or floaters
- straight lines do not look straight
- you can't see things at the side as you used to.

Read More

Diabetes and Allergies

Although the rate of common type 1 allergies is not necessarily more common in persons with diabetes, other autoimmune disorders which can result from hypersensitivity are more commonly seen in persons with diabetes.

People who take insulin are more likely to be allergic to the older, less-frequently used animal insulins. However, there are rare cases where a person can be allergic to the new, synthetic insulins. It is more likely that a person may be allergic to a buffering agent added to intermediate or longer acting insulins than to the insulin itself.

Sometimes a person may appear to have an allergic reaction to insulin when it may in fact be an allergy to latex. Latex is found in many syringes, the rubber stoppers on most insulin vials, and even in some adhesive strips.

For those who may have an allergy to buffering agents, insulin pump therapy may be advisable. Rapid acting insulin needs to be taken every few hours and is best administered via an insulin pump.

Read More

April Lifestyle Tip: Spring Diet Makeover

Are you ready to shed those bulky winter clothes? Follow these four diet makeover tips for a healthier, fitter "springtime you."

It's not unusual to let your attention to healthy eating lapse a bit in the winter. After all, who can see you in those cozy -- and bulky -- woolen sweaters? But spring is here, and it's time to get back out there and show the world what you're made of. Just making a few small changes in your everyday diet can add up to big changes in a healthier, fitter you. Here are some easy tips to get you started.

1. Vegging Out. "Volume is where it's at," says Victoria Shanta Retelny, RD, LD, of Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute in Chicago. That means filling up on foods that give you the most bang -- or in nutrition-speak, satiety -- for the least amount of calories.

2. Get Hot. First thing in the morning, that is. Hot cooked cereal like oatmeal has about one-fifth the calorie density of dried cereal, says Jay Kenney, PhD, RD, weight-control expert at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Aventura, Fla. Hot cereal has just 300 calories per pound; dried cereals pack in a whopping 1,400 to 2,000 calories per pound. "Hot cereal is more filling," Kenney says. "It keeps you fueled well into late morning, helping you avoid the 10 a.m. munchies."

Eating a high-fiber breakfast can also help stave off diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, says Victoria Shanta Retelny, pointing out that even though the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend three servings of whole-grain foods daily, USDA surveys show that fewer than 1 in 10 people consume the recommended amount of whole grains.

3. Think Green. When it comes to beverages, green tea is a healthier choice than soda, says Molly Kimball, RD, sports and lifestyle nutritionist at the Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. One can of regular soda has about 140 calories, says Kimball, which translates into 9 teaspoons of sugar. Green tea, on the other hand, has 0 calories (if you skip the pre-sweetened variety).

Read More

This month our featured recipe is Spring Asparagus Soup.

Below are a few of the typical questions our customer care department has answered on this month's theme. Each question is linked to a Web site that gives an answer and provides more detail. We hope you find this section helpful.