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Wellness and Prevention
Wellness and Prevention
Please select from one of the following options to learn more about it and perform an online health evaluation.
Diabetes Overview.
Your Type II Diabetes Risk.
Your Cancer Risk.





Diabetes is a condition which interferes with the body's ability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is essential for the proper use of the energy contained in the food we eat. This results in a series of malfunctions, which include an excess of a type of sugar called glucose in tests on the blood and urine. Glucose comes from digestion of carbohydrates presented as starch (foods such as corn, rice, potatoes and bread) and sugar (found in fruit, honey, milk and other sweet foods) and from the liver's stores of glycogen. Currently, the growth of diabetes in Canada is at epidemic levels. Over two and a quarter million Canadians have diabetes and one-third of them are undiagnosed. Type II diabetics often go undiagnosed for 6.5 years. Diabetes is divided into two categories: Type I also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and Type II usually managed with a combination of diet, exercise and oral medication.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when certain specialized parts of the pancreas known as islet cells, are destroyed and no longer produce insulin. Type I reflects an inability to metabolize carbohydrate caused by an absolute insulin deficiency. This type of diabetes most frequently occurs in children and young adults. It is treated by insulin injections, diet and exercise. An adequate supply of insulin is very important, as it helps the body efficiently capture energy from the food we eat, and is necessary to the proper functioning of the body. Type I diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 % of diabetics. The causes of type 1 diabetes are largely unknown. Risk factors currently under study include exposure to cow's milk in infancy, and infections of various kinds.


Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:



Type II diabetes generally occurs because of a failure at the cellular level, a condition spurred by obesity, environmental factors, and genetics. Body tissues, i.e., receptor sites lose their sensitivity, and as insulin attempts to deliver glucose into the cell, the key no longer fits the lock. Blood glucose, barricaded from the cell, accumulates in the bloodstream. Unlike Type I diabetes, insulin therapy is usually not indicated in Type II diabetes, for, typically, these individuals already have too much insulin in their bloodstream. After an extended period of excess insulin secretion, the pancreas may, however, lose its ability to produce insulin and the type II diabetic may then become insulin dependent. Type II usually occurs later in life and affects 90 percent of people with diabetes. In Type II diabetes, the onset is usually after 40 years of age but can occur at any age. In fact, the incidence of Type II diabetes among 30 year olds has gone up over 70% in the last decade. Physicians are increasingly reporting the diagnosis of Type II diabetes in teenagers, as well. The number of teen-agers being diagnosed with Type II diabetes (an age group not normally targeted) indicates a poor diet, i.e., one high in carbohydrates, causes chronic states of hyperinsulinemia, increasing the risk of diabetes and premature cardiovascular disease. More recently, an association between insulin resistance and an elevation in systolic blood pressure has, also, been observed in teenage boys.

Symptoms
Although those with type II diabetes experience symptoms for many years before they are diagnosed many do not. The symptoms of Type II diabetes may include.


The disease continues to advance and those affected -- whether or not they are aware of what is happening -- can go on to develop long-term complications and related medical conditions. These can include: Note:
**Blindness is 25 times more common among diabetic patients compared to non diabetics

***Waking in the early morning hours to urinate may be the first symptom noticed as polydipsia and polyuria are homeostatic mechanisms the body uses to extract sugar from the system.

It is proposed that by the year 2010, diabetes will exceed both heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of death through complications and that 1 in 4 persons over the age of 45 will be diabetic.


Please click on the button below to take an online test that deduces the probability of diabetes in an individual. The test should only take from 5 to 10 minutes.


Diet Management
Diet is one of the most challenging aspects of managing diabetes care. Keep in mind, however, that eating to control your diabetes is no different than eating for good health, something we should all be doing. The emphasis should be on realistic goals rather than set rules and regulations. Following is a list of key points you should keep in mind as you work towards your goal of near-normal blood glucose levels.

1. Establish consistent eating patterns. Regardless of whether you are on diabetes medication or not, you should not skip meals. If insulin or certain oral medications are part of your treatment plan, and you skip a meal, you could have a low blood glucose reaction. If you aren't on medication, but skip a meal, you are likely to overeat at the next meal, which could result in a high blood glucose level. Additionally, people who skip meals are more likely to miss certain food groups that are important for overall good health.

2. Invest in a book on Glycemic Index a concept researched and developed at University of Toronto.

"The Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index-The Groundbreaking Medical Discovery" by Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Johanna Burani

"The Glucose Revolution Life Plan" by Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Johanna Burani

"The Glucose Revolution- An All-in-One Resource to the Lifelong Benefits of the Glycemic Index- the Scientifically Proven Tool that Will Revolutionize What Foods You Eat" by Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Johanna Burani

"Choice Menus Presents - Meal Planning For One or Two People" by Marjorie Hollands, Margaret Howard



Statistics from Health Canada
Here are some facts and figures about diabetes in Canada:

  • over two and a quarter million Canadians are estimated to have diabetes
  • about a third of adults with diabetes are unaware that they have the condition
  • diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada
  • 40% of Canadians with diabetes develop long-term complications
  • diabetes and its complications account for 25,000 person years of life lost before age 75
  • more than 60,000 new cases of diabetes come to light every year
  • physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, leading to obesity, play a major role in the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes
  • the two population groups at highest risk of diabetes are:
    • Seniors -- 10% of Canadians aged 65 have the disease, compared to 3% of those aged 35 to 64
    • Aboriginal people -- type 2 diabetes rates are 3 to 5 times higher in Aboriginal communities than in the general population
  • diabetes is controllable
  • type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by modifying two known risk factors -- obesity and physical inactivity
  • there is presently no known means of preventing type 1 diabetes
  • health care costs for diabetes and its complications amount to about $9 billion a year
  • the human toll includes reduced life expectancy, increased stress on individuals/families, increases in work and school absences and, when complications develop, career disruption and personal hardship
  • if present trends continue, type 2 diabetes will increase in Canada due to the aging of our population and rising obesity rates.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/ahi/diabetes/english/facts/index.html

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Cancer
Your Cancer Risk
Your Cancer Risk is an interactive tool that through a series of questions estimates your risk of cancer and provides personalized tips for prevention. It doesn't tell you if you'll get cancer or not. Anyone can use Your Cancer Risk, but it's most accurate for people age 40 and over who have never had any type of cancer.

http://www.yourcancerrisk.harvard.edu/

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