Type 2 Diabetes: Are You at Risk? | Shirisha Avadhanula, MD

We usually think of visiting our physician when we need a diagnosis and treatment but pharmacists, healthcare professionals practicing in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication, are another resource. In February of 2018, the online journal PLOS ONE reported on a study in which Norwegian community pharmacies were helpful in diagnosing previously unknown cases of Type 2 diabetes.

If you want to manage your blood sugar better, you may have come to believe you have no choice but to eat meat. Even if you prefer not to, whether due to health reasons or because you think it is ethically wrong, you may feel like you have no choice. You do have a choice. It is possible to avoid meat and still maintain good control of your blood sugar levels.

As most diabetics know, a modicum of exercise can help you reverse your diabetes. But various exercises can also deliver a series of benefits for your brain. What are these benefits and which ways of exercising are most appropriate for brain health?

A study from the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, confirms earlier reports that supplementation with curcumin, a dried powder from turmeric root, and piperine is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels in people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In February of 2018, the journal Drug Research (Stuttgart) reported improvements in blood sugar and liver health after the participants were treated with both supplements.

Stress and negative emotions are critical factors in increasing the likelihood a person will develop obesity or Type 2 diabetes. In fact, a study evaluating the efficiency of a 3-week relaxation program enhanced by virtual reality and portable mp3 players was able to reduce the emotional eating in sixty female participants who reported using food to comfort them (Manzoni et al., 2009). The program included twelve individualized relaxation training sessions or imagination conditioning. At the end of the study, weight, behavior, and psychological data were collected, and relaxation training was concluded to be effective in reducing emotional eating episodes, depression and anxiety, and perceived self-efficacy.

In February of 2018, the Scandinavian Journal of Medical Science and Sports reported on a study on exercise in women diagnosed with Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related diabetes. Scientists at the University of Zagreb and several other research facilities in Croatia and Slovenia found exercise itself is not harmful when guidelines are followed, and can, in fact, be helpful to the pregnant woman.