Rule your diabetes, don't let your diabetes rule you. That's
the advice of Dr. Ian Blumer, author of the best-selling book
Diabetes for Canadians for Dummies. He spoke at Collège Boréal
Wednesday evening.
Diabetics need to get control of their disease by empowering
themselves with information, he says.
"If you have appendicitis, you lie on the operating room
table, the surgeon operates, and you get better," says Blumer,
a diabetes specialist who practices in Durham.
"But if you have diabetes, you have to be the surgeon and
you have to take charge. You have to basically know as much as
you can about the measures to stay healthy."
The Canadian Diabetes Association brought the doctor in as
the keynote speaker for its regional annual meeting.
There are more than two million diabetics in Canada, and
only 10 percent of them have Type 1 or childhood onset
diabetes. The other 90 percent suffer from Type 2 or adult
onset diabetes.
Both types of diabetics should eat properly, exercise
regularly and check their blood-sugar levels often, says
Blumer.
They should also have a yearly eye exam, keep cholesterol
and blood pressure under control and check their feet daily to
avoid foot ulcers and possible amputation.
"If their (blood-sugar) levels aren't within target, they
need to know which health-care provider to call to help them
along. There's no value in testing your blood, finding it high,
and not knowing what to do about it," says Blumer.
In Sudbury, people can learn more about diabetes management
by visiting the Diabetes Education and Care Program, located at
the Centre for Life on Durham St.
For more information about Blumer's diabetes management strategies, go to www.ruleyourdiabetes.com .
