Diabetes Education

Finding out you have diabetes is very scary. But don't panic! Sure, diabetes is serious. But people with diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives. You can too by taking good care of yourself. Take a team approach to managing diabetes. Learn more about the programs offered through your physician and the professionals at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Our Diabetes Education Program has been awarded the prestigious American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program. Together, we can improve the quality of your life.

We offer education classes for gestational diabetes and chronic diabetes.

These classes cover topics such as:

• Learning to live with diabetes
• Planning meals
• Medications
• Blood sugar monitoring
• Exercise
• Lifestyle changes
• Stress management

We also offer personalized programs such as:

• Personalized exercise programs
• Hands on nutrition education
• Computerized blood sugar monitoring
• LIFE Center membership
• Follow up consultations at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months

Could you have diabetes and not know it?

Twenty six million Americans have diabetes. One in three doesn't know it! Take this Diabetes Risk Test to see if you are at risk for having diabetes. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and Pacific Islanders. If you are a member of one of these ethnic groups, you need to pay special attention to the results.

What is diabetes?

Simply put, diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or does not properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. (To learn much more about diabetes, visit the web site of the American Diabetes Association.) The cause of diabetes is a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. There are two major types of diabetes.

• Type 1 is an auto-immune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to stay alive. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5-10 percent of diabetes.
• Type 2 is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough, or to properly use insulin. It is the most common form of the disease. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95 percent of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions, due to an increased number of older Americans, and a greater prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
• In addition, gestational diabetes develops in 2 to 5 percent of all pregnancies but almost always disappears when the pregnancy is over. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Other specific types of diabetes result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses.

Diabetes is a Silent Killer

Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its life-threatening complications.

• Blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20-74. Each year, from 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight because of diabetes.
• Kidney Disease. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. In 1995, nearly 28,000 people began treatment for kidney failure because of diabetes.
• Nerve Disease and Amputations. About 3 out of 4 of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which, in severe forms, can lead to lower limb amputations. In fact, diabetes is the most frequent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations.
• Heart Disease and Stroke. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have heart disease, which is present in 75 percent of diabetes-related deaths. And, they are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer a stroke.