• Eye Care for People with Diabetes
• Diabetes-related causes of respiratory symptoms
• Healthy Living
• Q & A
• Helpful Links
• Diabetes News

Welcome to the March issue of Access Digest. This month we are looking at the relationships of diabetes to eye care, respiratory problems, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA.

Our Lifestyle Tip is on Medicare coverage for people with diabetes, including the latest plan offerings and changes and the importance of compliance. Our Recipe of the Month is Warm Asparagus and Red Pepper Salad, an entree that is as healthy as it is delicious. 

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.

Eye care is especially important for people with diabetes because of the increased risk of developing eye complications from the disease. Blindness is 20 times more common in people with diabetes.

All people with diabetes should take precautions to help reduce their risk of developing eye problems. Here are some eye care tips. Schedule regular appointments with your eye doctor so that any eye problem can be detected early and treated.

• Maintain control of your blood glucose levels.

• Keep your blood pressure in control. High blood pressure by itself can lead to eye disease, so if you have high blood pressure as well as diabetes, it is especially important that you take steps to control both conditions.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Avoid smoking.
• Exercise regularly.

Read More

Diabetes-related causes of respiratory symptoms

Studies show that 21 causes of respiratory symptoms are related to diabetes, or a family history of diabetes (from a list of 1384 total causes). These diseases and conditions may be more likely causes of respiratory symptoms if the patient has diabetes, is at risk of diabetes, or has a family history of diabetes.

1. Angina - brief chest pain episodes

2. Diabetes - Breathing problems

3. Diabetic Ketoacidosis - breath odor

4. Endometrial Cancer - lung cancer

5. Flu - Bronchitis

6. Group A Streptococcal Infections - pneumonia

7. Group B Streptococcal Infections - pneumonia

8. Heart attack - dyspnea

9. Heart block - breathlessness with exertion

10. Heart disease - shortness of breath

11. Heart failure - cor pulmonale

12. Invasive group A Streptococcal disease - Respiratory distress

13. Melioidosis - pneumonia

14. Pancreatic cancer - lung cancer

15. Streptococcal Infections - pneumonia

16. Stroke - breathing difficulty

17. Thromboembolism - Pulmonary embolism

18. Tuberculosis - Progressive shortness of breath

19. Type 1 diabetes - Breathing problems

20. Type 2 diabetes - Breathing problems

21. Uterine Cancer - lung cancer

Read More

OSA, Cardiovascular Consequences, and Treatment Options

Obstructive Sleep Apnea affects approximately 20 million people in the U.S. alone, and millions more are affected worldwide. Over the last 10 years, significant research has been performed and now there is overwhelming evidence of the connection between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease. Specifically, people affected by sleep apnea are at increased risk for hypertension (also known as high blood pressure), coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis), heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, diabetes, and even death.

This scary list of adverse health outcomes demonstrates the significance of diagnosing sleep apnea in a timely manner, in order to initiate treatment. Fortunately, sleep apnea is a treatable condition. And you might be surprised that there are different options for treatment. With the right guidance from qualified experts, successful treatment is readily attainable.

First of all, we must dispel any myths, which prevent many people affected with sleep apnea from seeking the appropriate medical attention. The biggest myth is that only overweight or obese people get OSA. That is simply not true. In fact, many people who are considered to be at their ideal body weight, based on BMI (Body-Mass Index), are in fact diagnosed with OSA or Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). UARS is a form of sleep-related breathing disorder in which a person has frequent arousals from sleep due to respiratory airway collapse or obstruction. Often, the events are not as obvious as seen in OSA, and in many cases, a person affected by UARS may not even snore. However, people with UARS may complain of unrefreshing sleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, or excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue. UARS, like OSA, is a treatable medical condition.

Read More

March Lifestyle Tip: Diabetes and Your Medicare Coverage

It's never too late to review your Medicare coverage and keep up to date with recent changes.

Start with the "Original Medicare Plan," which most Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers are already familiar with. This is the traditional Medicare coverage that provides coverage for hospitalization, doctor’s visits, outpatient care, and more. Here's a summary of key points covered in this article:
 

• Part A - Information on basic hospitalization coverage offered through Medicare.
• Part B - Includes information about "Welcome to Medicare" and coverage of diabetes supplies and services.
• Medigap - Includes information about changes made in 2006.
• Medicare Advantage (formerly known as Medicare + Choice) - An alternative to the Original Medicare Plan
• Part D - The new prescription drug benefit.
  
  Read More

This month our featured recipe is Warm Asparagus and Red Pepper Salad. Our chef reports, "There are never any leftovers when I make this salad. Serving the vegetables warm or even at room temperature really brings out the bold flavors."

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.