American Diabetes Month is a time to raise awareness of diabetes prevention and control. In the United States, 24 million people are living with diabetes and 57 million more are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes may include fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. You should also monitor your glucose level and take medicine if prescribed.

Over time, if it’s not controlled, type 2 diabetes can cause serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and blindness. You may be at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:

• Are overweight
• Exercise less than 3 times a week
• Are over 45 years old
• Have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Are African American, Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American or Pacific Islander
• Have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes

 The Lake Health Diabetes and Renal Care center offers many programs.  For more information, please visit https://www.lakehealth.org/diabetes-and-renal-care-center

Lake Health Resource Center

The Patient and Community Resource Center, located in the Carol DeJoy Lake Health Resource Center, is available for all Lake Health patients, family members and our community residents.  It is located on the 1st floor, Suite 113 in the Physician Pavilion adjacent to TriPoint Medical Center. 

To visit the Carol DeJoy Lake Health Resource Center please call to check on staff availability.  Email and voicemail are available 24/7.

Carol DeJoy Lake Health Resource Center
Phone:  440-639-4387 or ext.42019
Email:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• American Diabetes Association complete guide to diabetes: the ultimate home reference from the diabetes experts.
• American Dietetic Association guide to eating right when you have diabetes / Maggie Powers.
• American Diabetes Association guide to insulin & type 2 diabetes / Marie McCarren.
• Diabetes & heart: healthy cookbook / American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association.
• Gestational diabetes: what to expect / American Diabetes Association.
• Life with diabetes: a series of teaching outlines by the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center / lead authors,
• The family guide to fighting fat: a parent's guide to handling obesity and eating issues / Texas Children's Hospital.
• The new family cookbook for people with diabetes / American Diabetes Association; the American Dietetic Association.
• What to expect when you have diabetes: 170 tips for living well with diabetes / by the American Diabetes Association.

Overviews

• Basics about Diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• I Have Diabetes (National Diabetes Education Program)
• Introduction to Diabetes (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• JAMA Patient Page: Diabetes

Latest News

• Multivitamins Don't Reduce Diabetes Risk (11/04/2010, Reuters Health)
• Haitian Americans Show Poorer Diabetes Control (11/03/2010, Reuters Health)
• Diabetes Tied to Colon Cancer in Men, Not Women (11/02/2010, Reuters Health)
• NIH Researchers Identify Genetic Elements Influencing the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (11/02/2010, National Human Genome Research Institute)
• Number of Americans with Diabetes Projected to Double or Triple by 2050 (10/22/2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• More News on Diabetes

Diagnosis/Symptoms

• Diabetes: Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Diagnosis of Diabetes (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Glucose Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Microalbumin Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Treatment

• MedlinePlus: Diabetes Medicines (National Library of Medicine)
• Treatments (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Prevention/Screening
• Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Power to Prevent: Helping African Americans Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (National Diabetes Education Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Take Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
• Ten Ways African Americans Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (National Diabetes Education Program) - PDF
• Ten Ways Hispanics / Latinos Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (National Diabetes Education Program) - PDF
• Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (National Diabetes Education Program)
• Alternative Therapy
• CAM and Diabetes: A Focus on Dietary Supplements (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
• Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies for Diabetes (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Nutrition

• MedlinePlus: Diabetic Diet (National Library of Medicine)

Source: www.medlineplus.gov

If you would like more information, please contact a Lake Health Professional Librarian