December 2006: Health Briefs from Baylor Health Care System
Follow These Tips to Help Control Your Diabetes
When you have diabetes, you run the risk of a host of other conditions-heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, eye disease, kidney disease and nerve disease, for example. But keeping your diabetes under control can help minimize your risk of dangerous complications.Terry Exstrum, M.D., an endocrinologist on the medical staff at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, offers these tips for keeping diabetes in check:
Control your weight. About 80 percent of people with adult-onset diabetes are obese. Weight loss may dramatically improve diabetic control and may even put the disease into remission, especially in the early stages.
Exercise. Exercise can help control weight, increase the effectiveness of insulin and improve cholesterol levels.
Get educated. "Multiple studies have shown that people with diabetes who have had formal diabetes education have fewer hospital admissions, shorter hospital stays and a reduced incidence of complications," Dr. Exstrum says.
Stop smoking. Smoking dramatically increases the already high risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease that people with diabetes experience.
Control your blood sugar. Keeping your blood sugar within recommended levels can reduce the rate of eye, nerve and kidney disease by one to two-thirds. "Also, many people with diabetes simply feel better when their blood sugars are well controlled, with increased energy, decreased thirst and urination, improved mood, better wound healing, and decreased susceptibility to common infections such as urinary tract infections, yeast infections and common viral illnesses," Dr. Exstrum says.
Eat well. A healthy, well-balanced diet is critical for controlling blood sugar, weight and cholesterol.
Keep your cholesterol in check. Studies show many people with diabetes should be held to the same standards of cholesterol control as people with known heart disease.
Get annual eye, kidney and nerve function exams. The eye condition called diabetic retinopathy can be treated more effectively in its early stages. And, kidney and nerve function problems caught early can be treated and closely monitored.
Keep your follow-up appointments and take your medications. Physicians are constantly frustrated and dismayed by patients with diabetes who stop their medications or don't follow up as directed, often because they feel OK, don't feel any different on the medications, don't think they need the medication anymore or have side effects that they don't discuss with their doctor.
"Ignoring your diabetes because you feel OK doesn't mean the disease isn't ruining your health," Dr. Exstrum notes.
More information about Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.
Flu Season is Here- Follow These Tips to Keep You and Your Family Healthy
It's flu shot season and this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added a new recommendation for flu shots for children ages 6 months to 5 years."What we've found out is that up to one in 1,000 children can be hospitalized for complications from the flu-that's higher than we thought initially," says Steven Davis, M.D., an infectious disease specialist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving. "One of the most important things people can do is talk to their physician about getting vaccinated."
Not only do young children frequently come down with the flu, they often spread it to their grandparents. And grandparents who are weak or have chronic conditions like diabetes or lung problems may risk complications from the disease.
"There's lots of flu transmission over the holidays, with people traveling, visiting extended families and taking public transportation," Dr. Davis says.
He recommends two tried and true (but underused) strategies for keeping yourself and others healthy:
Wash or disinfect your hands frequently. "It's common sense, but it can be very helpful in preventing transmission in flu season," Dr. Davis says.
Cover your cough. "We remind people in the ER, if they cough or sneeze, to use a tissue and hand disinfectant," Dr. Davis says.
If you do get the flu, see your doctor right away. Medications such as TamifluŽ and RelenzaŽ can cut the intensity and duration of your symptoms.
But who needs a shot? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these people should get a flu shot every year:
- children ages 6 months to 5 years
- people 65 years of age and older
- people 2 years old or older who have an underlying, long-term illness
- women who will be pregnant during flu season
- people who live in nursing homes or other chronic-care facilities
- people who are 6 months to 18 years of age and take aspirin daily
- health care workers who have contact with patients
- people who have or take care of a baby under 6 months old
More information about Baylor Medical Center at Irving.
Don't Ditch Your Diet During the Holidays - Follow These Tips
The holidays are right around the corner, and that means parties, family get-togethers and plenty of our favorite comfort foods. What would a holiday be without turkey, dressing, pie, cranberries and more?Is it possible to navigate the holidays without ruining our diet? Yes, says Dee Rollins, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., clinical dietitian and nutrition educator for Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine. The key is to be conscious of what we eat.
Rollins offers these eight tips for healthy holiday eating:
- Never go to a party hungry. Many people skip meals before a party. That sets them up for failure. Instead, eat regular meals that day and have a small snack before you leave home. Try cheese and crackers, a piece of fruit or peanut butter on toast.
- Remember why you're there. The party may be based around food, but you're there to socialize. Make eating secondary. Don't hover around the food table. Take what you want and move away.
- Enjoy your favorite holiday foods. Select the special foods you might not get at any other time during the year-like dressing and gravy-and savor them. Skip the rest. Rollins' philosophy is, "If it isn't 'to die for' wonderful, why eat it?"
- Watch the calories that come with beverages. A glass of wine might be 150 calories, while a cocktail with fruit juice might have 200 calories.
- Portion size counts. We may be expected to overindulge during the holidays, but over time, we'll pay the price. If the portion you've been given is super-size, you don't have to eat it all at once. Enjoy a small helping and ask if you can take home the rest.
- Pay attention to your body. It takes 20 minutes for the signal to reach our brain that we're full.
- Don't forget to exercise. Many people may turn to food when they feel overwhelmed. When our stress level goes up, we eat more and sleep less. Exercise can help. Make it part of your holiday routine.
- Be a helpful hostess. Offer the healthiest food you can. Alter a recipe so it's low-fat or lower in sugar. Make the brownies bite-size. Plan a beautiful spread with fruit and vegetables. People will eat what you serve.
Four Ways to Take Care of Your Ticker
With the holidays approaching, many of us are already in shopping mode gathering gifts for friends and loved ones. This season, why not give yourself a gift: the gift of a healthy heart.Here are four ways to put your heart at the top of the list:
1. Know the risk factors for heart disease. They are smoking, age, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and family history.
2. Know your numbers. Blood pressure and cholesterol are the big culprits in heart disease. Do you know your numbers? "Blood pressure is normal when the top number, the systolic reading, is less than 120," says Kanti Agrawal, M.D., a cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. The lower, or diastolic, number should be below 80.
When it comes to cholesterol, "We recommend that people have their first complete lipid profile around age 20, repeating every five years after that if levels are within the normal range," Dr. Agrawal says.
The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL, LDL (bad cholesterol) less than 100 mg/dL, and HDL (good cholesterol) higher than 40.
If your numbers are high, talk with your physician about medication and lifestyle changes to bring them down.
3. Know the warning signs of heart attack.
- Pain, squeezing or pressure in the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck or jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating, nausea or lightheadedness
4. Practice prevention. Stop smoking, lose weight, exercise regularly, lower your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure. The most important step you can take? See your doctor for a regular checkup.
When you take care of your heart, you give yourself a gift that lasts season after season.
More information about Baylor Medical Center at Garland.