Don’t let diabetes win

Educate yourself by attending the next Health Talks

Diabetes health tips from the expert.

The statistics are astounding.

There is no cure for diabetes, but managing it and staying healthy can have an impact.

Thirty seven million Americans have diabetes. One in 5 don’t know it. Nearly 100 million Americans have prediabetes, a number that has increased since 2019.

Education can go a long way and that’s where Cookeville Regional Medical Center’s Diabetes Center plays a role.

“The staff at the Diabetes Center offers education services focusing on teaching self-management skills to patients with diabetes and their families,” said Kim Mayberry, director of the Diabetes Center. “The program utilizes a team approach in developing an individualized plan for each participant.”

Mayberry will be talking about the program and more during the next Health Talks, set for Tuesday, Nov. 29, at noon.

Mayberry is a registered nurse with more than 26 years of experience. She is a certified diabetes care and education specialist as well as board certified in advanced diabetes management.

She is also a certified insulin pump trainer for Insulet – Omnipod, Medtronic and Tandem. In addition to that, she also provides training for continuous glucose monitoring with products such as Dexcom, G6, FS libre 2 and Medtronic Guardian Connect Systems.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. High blood glucose can cause health problems over time. The main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any stage. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to survive.

Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people.

Gestational diabetes develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a greater chance of developing type 2 later in life. Sometimes diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is actually type 2 diabetes.

Risk factors

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are age 45 or older, have a family history of diabetes or are overweight. Physical inactivity, race and certain health problems, such as high blood pressure, also affect your chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

What health problems can people with diabetes develop?

Over time, high blood glucose leads to problems such as

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Eye problems
• Dental disease
• Nerve damage
• Foot problems

To join the next Health Talks event, visit https://tinyurl.com/3hkc82su to get the booking information.

We hope to see you there!

In the meantime, please visit our website, crmchealth.org, and sign up for our newsletter so you won’t miss a thing.

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