Make the Link between Diabetes and Heart Disease
Diabetes is a complex disease that can be difficult to understand and an even greater challenge to manage. The most life-threatening complications of diabetes are heart disease and stroke, which strike two out of three people with diabetes. Alarmingly, most people who have diabetes are unaware of their increased risk for heart disease and stroke. The good news is that people with diabetes can help reduce these risks by understanding and properly managing their disease.
First, managing the ABCs of diabetes -- A1C (a blood test which provides a "big picture" of your average blood sugar), Blood pressure and Cholesterol -- will help reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke and other health problems. Beyond managing the ABCs, successful diabetes care also means understanding the disease itself and how it affects your body. Link for Life is an interactive, online tool filled with practical tips and valuable information about diabetes.
"Type Two Lou," an animated character who hosts the program, takes visitors into a virtual classroom, Diabetes 101. Link for Life consists of four distinct "courses":
1. What is diabetes?
2. Diabetes and related health problems
3. The ABCs of diabetes
4. Medications
Through colorful animation, Link for Life describes how diabetes affects your body and describes the key components of diabetes care. Special features include tips on meal planning, managing medicines, diabetes self-care, and getting the most from visits with your health care providers. Most importantly, the program shows that by increasing knowledge and taking charge of diabetes, people with diabetes can reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke and other long-term health problems. To log onto Link for Life, visit www.diabetes.org/makethelink and click on the Link for Life icon in the center of the screen. To learn more about the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, call (800) DIABETES (342-2383)
Courtesy of ARA Content
BACKTO SCHOOL SHOTS DON'T HAVE TO BE PAINFUL
(ARA) - It's that time of year again -- the end of summer heralds the return to reading, writing and ?rithmatic. Getting ready for "back to school" means more than buying school supplies -- it means getting your child immunized against dangerous diseases, including measles, mumps, and polio. Many states have rigid requirements about which immunizations are required before attending school; even some colleges require booster shots.
Immunization is one of the most effective ways of preventing disease. Prior to widespread immunization in the United States, infectious diseases killed or disabled thousands each year. Preparing early and getting your child immunized can prevent a frantic call to your pediatrician once school gets underway.
You can protect your child by taking him or her to a doctor or public health clinic for immunizations. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccinations through the first 18 years, and many school systems require a full course of shots as well.
Yet, some parents are afraid shots will hurt their child. Thanks to Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride Pain-Ease, immunization doesn't have to be painful. Just before giving the injection, the doctor or nurse can spray the anesthetic directly onto the child's skin, cooling and numbing the area, then swabbing the target area with antiseptic and quickly performing the injection. This eases anxiety for both parent and child -- there will be no bad memories of painful shots or anxiety over the next inoculation. The Ethyl Chloride Pain-Ease anesthetic effect wears off in about two minutes with virtually no side effects.
For more information about making shots less scary by using a skin refrigerant like Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride Pain-Ease, contact Gebauer at (800) 321-9348 or visit on the Web at www.gebauerco.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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Dr. Harjee, your host for this column, is a board certified Internist in private practice with graduate and post-graduate training from Emory University, Atlanta. Her interests lie in Holistic and Preventive Medicine. She can be reached at (404) 501-7444.
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