Griffin Speaks

WHY SO MUCH ATTENTION ON DIABETES?

In the month of April 1965, my brother, Melvin Julius Griffin Jr. was diagnosed with the disease, Type 1 Diabetes. Melvin was nine years old. He is now 46 years old. Today children suffering with diabetes have an excellent camp to attend, Camp Seale Harris, located in Jackson Gap, Alabama.

My wife is the Diabetes Nurse Educator for the Alabama Department of Public Health. Under the leadership of Dr. Don Williamson, our Public Health Department is one of the finest in the world.

I want to share with you an excerpt from an article written by my wife, Debra M. Griffin:

Alabama’s obesity rate has doubled in the last ten years. Most states are becoming more obese. As a result of this epidemic of obesity, more and more individuals are at risk of developing diabetes as well as other chronic diseases. The focus at this time is prevention.

Individuals at risk are now classified as having “Pre-Diabetes”. According to information released from the Diabetes Prevention Program, it is possible to delay and/or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by healthy eating, losing 5-7% of your body weight and exercising a minimum of 150 minutes a week (30 minutes of moderate activity at least 5 times a week). There is evidence that those participants of the study reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%. This factor is significant for a family revolution because more children in Alabama are developing type 2 diabetes. Individuals with “Pre-Diabetes” are at risk for type 2 diabetes as well as a 50% increase risk of heart disease.

Do you have risk factors for developing this deadly disease? If you do have the risk factors you can do something about them to prevent the development of the disease. What are these risk factors? 1.) A family history of diabetes, 2.) Lack of physical exercise, 3.) Obesity, 4.) Over the age of 45, 5.) An abnormal blood glucose reading in the past (IGT or IFG), 6.) Delivering a child over nine pounds, 7.) A diagnosis of gestational diabetes, 8.) Belonging to certain ethnic groups such as African American, Hispanic or Latino American, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander, 9.) Uncontrolled blood pressure, 10.) A low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the way our body utilizes sugar. For the normal person, food is consumed and in five minutes broken down in the stomach and converted to carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are then transported to the cells by way of hormone insulin. Individuals with diabetes who do not make any insulin are labeled with having Type 1 Diabetes. Individuals who can not use the insulin that their bodies make or produces too little insulin are labeled with having Type 2 diabetes. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes are treated with insulin injections by syringe or the insulin pen, or insulin pump. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes are treated with oral medications or oral medications/and insulin. Controlling your diabetes is very important.

Experts on this disease recommend that individuals should try to have an A1C below 7, blood pressure below 130/80 and the bad cholesterol (LDL) level below 100. The A1c is the average blood sugar reading over the last three months. If your A1c is six, that tells the physician that your control has been approximately 120mg/dl and that is good. A person living with diabetes should pay close attention to their feet. An individual with diabetes should wash and properly dry their feet daily, care for their skin properly, practice good oral hygiene, seek proper eye care, take a flu shot annually, have a fasting lipid profile, and kidney exam.

Portion control is another way to prevent and/or control diabetes. Consider the plate method. The plate is divided into three sections; ½ of the plate should contain green and/or leafy vegetables, ¼ of the plate should contain starch, and ¼ meat, a serving of fruit and a cup of milk. This is a very easy method of remembering portion control.

For more information on what you can do to prevent and/or manage diabetes call Debra M. Griffin at 334-206-2066.

The grapevine apologizes for announcing that Attorney Gwen Kennedy recently got married. The grapevine’s source was mistaken and has been whipped with a wet noodle! This week the grapevine was busy admiring the new Porsche that a local Dentist recently purchased. It is one of the most beautiful cars on the road.