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Take Control of Diabetes!

Take Control of Diabetes!

Take Control of Diabetes!

*  In diabetes, your body is struggling to keep your blood sugar normal.

*  There are two types of diabetes: Typle 1 and Type 2.

*  If you have been diagnosed with either, careful attention to your food intake and prescribed medicine is the most important priority.

*  Your risk for Type 2 diabetes can be changed by focusing on food intake, weight control, and physical activity.

*  Wellivery can help you focus on these risk factors by providing affordable access to a doctor.

 

Diabetes. Sugar diabetes. Sugar.

Really scary.  Most non-medical people see it the first step towards blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart disease, and worse.

And for sure, blindness, amputations, kidney failure, and heart disease are all complications of diabetes.

But, what does diabetes mean? Where does it come from?  Can it be prevented?

Diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar (glucose) is elevated above normal.  When elevated for a prolonged time, blood vessels in organs such as the eyes, kidneys, heart, and brain, are damaged.   These organs are slowly starved of the blood flow they need and as a result, they fail.

The body controls glucose in a safe range by releasing a hormone called insulin.  Insulin is released from the pancreas, an organ buried in your abdomen just above your belly button.  In Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes, the pancreas is working normally and releasing insulin but your organs don’t react normally insulin.  This unresponsive condition is caused by excess weight which seems to release chemicals that block the action of insulin.

Type 1 diabetes is less common and occurs when the pancreas loses its ability to make and release insulin.  This occurs when the pancreas is attacked by inflammation.

Medical science hasn’t solved how to prevent type 1 diabetes.  For now, treatment requires the injection of insulin to simulate the normal function of the pancrease.

Fortunately, doctors DO understand how to prevent type 2 diabetes.  The factors that push patients to this diagnosis are:

  • too much body fat, particularly in the abdominal region;
  • too many carbohydrates in the food you eat;
  • not enough physical inactivity.

Preventing type 2 diabetes means: control of body fat, healthy eating, and regular physical activity.

Really?  Is it that simple?

Yes, this is the formula for preventing type 2 diabetes.  But, it can be a hard formula to apply.  Making it work will require the development of new healthy habits.  And unhealthy behaviors will have to be abandoned

Wellivery focuses on three aspects of diabetes.

  • screening to allow earliest diagnosis and treatment of diabetes
  • screening to detect silent complications of diabetes
  • risk reduction – to prevent type 2 diabetes from getting a foothold.

In the U.S., hospitals and pharmaceutical companies have worked hard and at great expense to treat diabetes. Countless lives have been saved by this approach.

Unfortunately, many patients die when the diabetes is diagnosed too late or when the treatment fails.

Clearly, prevention of diabetes would have a vast impact.

The U.S. healthcare system has not been successful at preventing diabetes.  Medical research has shown how doctors should work with patients to prevent diabetes and how to make screening happen.  However, this research is not universally used, and for many reasons, patients don’t have access to either screening or prevention planning.

Diabetes prevention and screening for earlist diagnosis is a primary focus of Wellivery.  Our formula?

  • Use established clinical guidelines
  • Get patients screened according to these guidelines
  • Develop a prevention plan for each patient
  • Control risk factors that are already present
  • Use the smartphone and phone visits as the primary platform for patient communication and education – not the doctor office.

Diabetes is like most chronic diseases that occur when a genetic susceptabilty that you inherited interacts with your environment (like: poor nutrition, stress, excess weight, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol).  We can’t change your genetic profile.

You CAN change the enviromental factors that will push you into diabetes.  Wellivery is designed to be your expert physician counselor, guiding you to victory over your risk of diabetes and its complications.

Wellivery also has a special focus on:

Diabetes Prevention in Children

If we can start our prevention efforts in kids that we can already recognize as high risk, we have a much better chance of making a lasting change for LIFE!

Until next topic, I wish the best of health to you!

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Leveraging Dietary Protein

Leveraging Dietary Protein

Leveraging Dietary Protein

* Why is protein needed?

* What kind of protein?

* How much?

Why is Deitary Protein Important?

Obesity Prevention:

The American diet tends to be high in carbohydrates and fats.  Excessive intake of these nutrients is driving an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.  If protein intake is increased, it crowds out carbohydrates and fats and also makes you less hungry between meals.  The result, less obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Skeletal Health:

Many adults don’t have enough protein in their diet to support minimal health of the skeleton.  A diet low in protein cannot provide the amino acids necessary for all body systems.  The consequence?  Loss of muscle mass becomes a serious problem.  When you lose muscle, your risk of injury from falls increases.  For example, hip fractures are related to lower leg weakness (the result of reduced muscle mass).  Furthermore, normal spine shape depends on the muscles in the back to resist forward bending.  When muscles along the spine are lost, a forward bend in the  spine occurs, creating back pain and decreasing lung volume, which increases your risk of pneumonia or respiratory failure if you get sick.  

Glucose Metabolism: 

Beyond its importance for your skeleton, muscle plays a huge role in energy metabolism. Muscle in your skeleton is an essential consumer of glucose .  When you have less muscle, blood glucose gets out of control and the risk of diabetes increases.  

CONCLUSION:

We need protein for muscle health and all of its benefits.

What Kind of Protein? 

There are both plant and animal sources of protein.  Is one better than the other?

A recent study from China points the the value of having dietary proteins from a wide range of plant and animal sources.  In this study,  people  who consumed protein from a wide variety of sources experienced fewer problems with high blood pressure. 

CONCLUSION:

Get Protein from Variety of Sources:

 

Dietary Protein is Essential

How much dietary protein?  

The answer for people with regular intentional physical activity: 1 g of dietary protein for each kilogram of body weight.  So if you weigh 180 pounds (82 kg), you need 82 g of dietary protein each day.  Let’s consider an average eating scenario to see if it will deliver this much.

Breakfast: poultry egg x 2 (12 g)

slice of whole wheat toast (3.6 g)

sausage patties  x 2 (10 g)

greek yogurt x 1 cup (16 g)

blueberries 4 oz (0.5 g)

Lunch: Flour tortilla (for taco) x 2 (8 g)

chicken filling x 6 oz (52 g)

spinach leaf x 2 (1 g)

Dinner Salmon filet x 6 oz (34 g)

brussel sprouts x 6 oz (1 g)

dinner roll x 1 (2 g)

Total: 140 g!

If that a typical meal plan for you, then you can easily get 100 g of protein daily.

If you are doing resistance exercise to build strength, you need more protein.  Studies indicate that you will need approximately 2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram of body weight to make strength gains.  That could be tough to do without inserting some concentrated protein shakes into your daily meal plan.

 

Protein for Strength?

Dietary Protein Summary:

  1. Dietary Protein Is Essential!
  2. A wide variety of protein is best for your health;
  3. You should aim to consume 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight – double that if you are working to get stronger.

Want to learn more?  Here are some references that will make interesting reading!

Protein – Which is Best?  Hoffman et al, 2004

Dietary protein intake and human health.  Wu, 2016

Dietary Reference Intakes, NIH

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Subscribe Now!

Get email notifications when I post new Health Topics.

Maintaining Muscle Mass

Your Maintaining Mass While Losing Weight: The Why, What and How!​ Introduction: Weight loss drugs such as Semaglutide and Tirzepatide have allowed my patients to see more weight loss than in the past.   While the weight loss advantages of these medications is...

Is Tirzepatide For You?

Is Tirzepatide For You?

* As you know, excess body weight increases your chances of: heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.* Studies show that medication, hospital and doctor costs are higher if you are overweight or obese.* Good News! Small changes in your weight can pay off big in reducing...

Change Your Weight for Better Health!

Change Your Weight for Better Health!

* Extra body weight increases your chances of: heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.* On top of these scary issues, medication, hospital and doctor costs are higher if you are overweight or obese.* Good News! Small changes in your weight can dramaticlaly...

Quit Smoking: How Wellivery Can Help

* Cigarette smoking is the most powerful risk factor that you can control!* Quitting isn't easy and usually takes several tries.* The benefit for preventing heart attacks and cancer is huge.* Wellivery will help you get there by prescribing medication that...

Doctor Visits on Your Phone!

Doctor Visits on Your Phone!

Quality chronic disease care depends on self-management by patients. A large part of my role as a physician is teaching self-management skills. Crucial to these skills are techniques you will use to assess: - Your Symptoms, and, - Your Chronic Disease...

Everyday Health for

Everybody!

 Same Day Appointments are Available.

720-900-0943

Telemedicine for You!