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Vol 11. No. 3
Connie Crawley, MS, RD, LD |
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Impotence affects 20 million Americans. Thirty to 50 percent of men with diabetes may suffer from this problem. Impotence occurs when a man cannot achieve and/or maintain a satisfactory erection for sexual intercourse. It may be caused by poor circulation, nerve damage, low hormone levels, medication, stress or anxiety. Having high blood glucose levels for a long time makes this problem worse. Impotence can be treated several ways. The first step is better blood glucose control. Other treatments include special vacuum devices, implants, vascular surgery, injectable drugs and psychological counseling. Many drugs that treat other diseases also have the side effect of impotence. Just switching to another medication to control a medical problem may cure impotence. But never change any medication without discussing it with your doctor first. Talk to your doctor if you or your partner suffers from impotence. With treatment, many men achieve a satisfactory sex life. New treatments are always being developed, so no man should ever give up hope.
In the past 10 years, hospital stays for all medical problems have become less frequent and much shorter. This saves money for patients and insurers. There are times, though, when a trip to the hospital may be necessary.
Diabetic complications may also require hospital treatment. In fact, a doctor may send a person with diabetes to the hospital sooner to treat a problem than someone without diabetes who has the same problem. Doctors often admit a child, teen or pregnant woman newly diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Pregnant women with poor diabetes control may also need hospitalization. Some doctors also put a person in the hospital to start an insulin pump or whenever a major change in diabetes treatment is needed. Being in the hospital is never fun, but sometimes a short stay clears up a problem faster than many visits to the doctor's office. Be assured that your doctor would never suggest going to the hospital if treatment at home was enough.
Grocery shopping when you have diabetes can be overwhelming. There are so many products available and so many temptations. What can you do to make grocery shopping easier?
Next make a list of what you need to buy. List the food on a sheet of paper sectioned into the general departments of the store. Then you will get everything you need without backtracking. Some grocery stores even provide a store map, so you could base your list on that. Shop when you are not hungry or rushed. Go alone if family or friends tend to persuade you to buy things not on the list. Buy mainly in the departments on the perimeter of the store where basic food items like produce, milk, meat and bread are located. But beware of the deli. Most deli foods are high in price, sugar, fat and/or sodium. Visit the produce department first. Choose wonderful fruits for snacks and desserts and fresh vegetables for salads and side dishes. Then go to the breads department. Select whole grain breads that are low in fat. Be careful about portion-size. Remember that one starch exchange equals 15 grams of carbohydrate. Some special breads like bagels may have enough carbohydrate in one item to equal three to four starch servings. In the meat department, choose poultry, fish and lean red meat. Allow one pound for every four servings to save money, calories and fat. Stretch that protein with vegetables and grains. In the dairy department, look for skim or part-skim dairy products. These include non-fat and reduced-fat versions of cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, whipped topping and yogurt. Cholesterol-free egg substitutes may also be sold here. In the margarine section, choose non-fat and reduced-fat spreads. Just remember that these are usually not suitable for frying or baking. The frozen dessert section isn't all bad. Choose carefully and resist the high fat, high-sugar favorites. Just be aware that fat-free and sugar-free desserts may still contain carbohydrates that you must work into your meal plan. When selecting food in the rest of the store, read labels carefully. Look for items that are lower in fat, sugar and sodium. Sometimes these products substitute other carbohydrates for the fat and sugar. This could shoot your blood glucose up if it is not counted as part of your total carbohydrate intake. Compare the serving size listed to the amount you would really eat. If the amount is smaller or larger, do some quick math to decide if the food is right for you. Look for foods that have been minimally processed. Then you will get the vitamins and minerals you need, without the added salt, sugar and fat.
If you have access to the World Wide Web, the American Diabetes Association now has a home page. This home page includes information about how to join the American Diabetes Association, information about their publications and services and even a daily recipe. The recipes that are featured are from cookbooks published by the Association. Not only can you access the recipe of the day, but also recipes that have been offered during the past week. To access the home page, type in www.diabetes.org. To get to the recipe of the day, click on "Learn about Us". When this page appears, one of the options at the bottom will be recipe of the day. Click on that and the recipe will appear. At the bottom of the recipe page will then be other days of the week you can select for previous recipes. So surf the web and get valuable up-to-date diabetes information .
This quick taco salad is a complete meal and has much fewer calories than the ones found in most restaurants. Serve with your favorite warm-weather drink and enjoy!
1. Place tortilla on cooking sheet. Broil until brown in oven. Place on plate. 2. Layer remaining ingredients on the tortilla starting with the lettuce and ending with the sweetener. Serve immediately 1 entree-size serving Nutrition Information: 1 medium-fat meat 2 starches, ½ fruit and 1 vegetable
Print copies of Diabetes Life Lines are available 6 times per year free to
Georgia Residents by calling the local county extension office.
Reprinted with permission from the University of Georgia.
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A hospital stay often is needed when the blood glucose is so high
that severe ketosis occurs or is so low that a person is very confused or
unconscious. It may also be needed if a person's blood glucose is routinely
very high, frequently drops too low or swings from one extreme to the other.
Hospital treatment may also help if a person misses work or school often
because of mental stress due to diabetes.
First, make out a week's menus. That sounds like a lot of trouble
but in the long run it saves time. The first time will be the hardest, but
it gets easier with practice.