Managing Diabetes during Ramadan

The National Health Insurance Company- Daman today announced plans to organize an educational seminar titled “Managing Diabetes during Ramadan” on July 16 ahead of the holy month to support patients with diabetes with expert advice on managing their health and dietary requirements during fasting.

Seminar attendants will be offered a unique opportunity to learn more about managing diabetes and planning a suitable dietary routine during the course of Ramadan. The move comes as part of Daman’s unique Disease Management Program (DMP) designed to improve the quality of life for those suffering from chronic diseases. The Program, run by the Health Support Department at Daman, provides health coaches to work closely with members to manage their conditions.

SEHA launches health awareness campaigns for Ramadan in UAE

   SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, has announced the launch of two awareness campaigns for the Holy month of Ramadan. The campaigns’ goals are to reach out to the general public about the importance of monitoring health and regulating medicine intake during the Holy month and to ensure optimal lifestyle benefits during fasting.

The first campaign, ‘Taking Your Medicine during Ramadan’, focuses on balancing your desire to fast with your medical needs during Ramadan. The campaign highlights four areas of interest, offering fasting tips for diabetic patients, individuals with heart disease, pregnant women, and children.

Walk UAE returns to Yas Marina Circuit with support of Daman

More than 10,000 expected to walk against diabetes 

WALK UAE 2010

‘START WALKING. LIVE HEALTHILY’

In support of World Diabetes Day

Starts at 3pm on Friday November 26 2010

YAS Marina Circuit, Yas Island

Abu Dhabi, UAE

(For more information visit www.Diabetesuae.ae)

Dealing with Diabetic Neuropathy

Definition

 

Neuropathy is the medical term for nerve damage. Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes; up to 26 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have evidence of nerve damage at the time their diabetes is diagnosed.

High blood sugar can injure nerve fibers throughout your body, but nerves in your legs and feet are damaged most often.

Depending on the affected nerves, symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can range from pain and numbness in your extremities to problems with your digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart. For some people, these symptoms are mild; for others, diabetic neuropathy can be painful, disabling and even fatal.

Diabetes and Exercise

 

Why is exercise important for people with diabetes?

When you exercise, your body becomes more sensitive to insulin. This means that it takes less insulin to manage your diabetes. For most people with diabetes, just taking a walk every day can cut the amount of medications they need to control their blood sugar.

Diabetes and Diet

 

How are diabetes and nutrition linked?

Glucose (sugar) is produced by the body from the foods you eat, mainly carbohydrates. So your food choices have an impact on your glucose levels.

The major nutrients in food are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You need all of these nutrients in your diet. Among the many different sources of these nutrients, some are better for you than others. For example, lean white meat (such as chicken breast with no skin) is a healthier source of protein than fatty red meat (such as hamburger). Liquid vegetable oils (such as olive and canola) are more heart-healthy than solid fats (such as margarine and butter). There are also differences among carbohydrates, and these differences are important in diabetes control.

Diabetis and New Insulins

 

What are the different types of insulin?
There are several types of insulin. They are classified by how fast they work and how long they continue to work in the body. They include:

Mealtime (or “bolus”) insulin: Short-acting insulins given before meals to control the rise of blood sugar levels after eating. They are usually given in combination with basal (long-acting) insulin:
1. Short-acting: Regular insulin
2. Rapid-acting: Lispro, aspart, glulisine

Basal insulin: Controls blood sugar levels between meals and throughout the night. This is usually given once daily and can be used alone or in combination with oral anti-diabetic medications or rapid-acting insulins:
1. Intermediate acting: NPH
2. Long acting: Glargine and detemir

Pre-mixed—Combination of bolus and basal insulins. Controls blood sugar levels after and between meals. These are usually given twice daily before breakfast and dinner. They can be used alone or in combination with oral medications.

The type of insulin your doctor prescribes will depend on the type of diabetes you have, your lifestyle (e.g., foods you eat, how much you exercise), your age, your body’s response to insulin, and how often you are able or willing to check your blood sugar and give yourself injections.

About Diabetes: Newer Medications and Newer Insulins

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you may feel overwhelmed by all the new information you have learned and will continue to learn about managing your diabetes. You already know your main goal should be to get your blood glucose (sugar) levels under control in order to increase your chances of a complication-free life. Many people know this, but need to know how to achieve good diabetes management, while balancing the day-to-day demands of diabetes with other life demands.

Abu Dhabi diabetes treatment centre accredited

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) has received its second accolade for superior healthcare in less than a year.

The Centre, established by Mubadala Healthcare in 2006 as part of its strategy to bring world-class medical expertise to the region, was recently awarded the Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation in Clinical Care.