Health & Fitness
Sugar Shock: Is Diabetes Killing Us?
The work of LIFT-Levántate and other organizations that bring testing and diabetes education to the community is crucial. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States killing approximately 73,000 people a year.
Sugar Shock: Is Diabetes Killing Us?
By Kristina Amoroso
When Cristina Chanteloup first entered graduate school and was writing her first paper she experienced an inability to focus, a brain fog. She attributed it to other factors telling herself, “boy I must have gotten too old to write papers.” The scary truth was revealed when she went to her doctor and screened positive for diabetes. Her numbers were so high that her doctor said she was borderline for having a stroke or a heart attack. For Cristina, this was hard news to receive, but she got serious about her diagnosis and it has shaped her career.
Cristina, a therapy intern, provides counseling services for participants with diabetes at LIFT-Levántate in San Rafael. One example of her work is with a mother and her two children. Through talk and art therapy Cristina helps this mother identify her personal roadblocks to achieving a healthy lifestyle. She also helps the participant’s children to understand the experiences of their mother in coping with the disease. “The children are at risk of developing diabetes if behaviors don’t change in the home,” she said. Cristina’s counseling work at LIFT-Levántate is aligned with LIFT’s goal to provide the community with the knowledge and tools to have a healthy lifestyle.
Marin Programs: Diabetes Prevention
LIFT-Levántate’s Community Diabetes Program aims to reduce type 2 diabetes in at-risk communities through prevention, screening and management. “Without testing and diagnosis, diabetes can cause life-threatening complications before you even know you’re sick” says Oscar Guardado, Health Educator Bilingual at Health and Human Services of Marin and Director of the Health Education Program at LIFT-Levántate. LIFT-Levántate brings free diabetes screenings to many community events and facilities. A1C tests are expensive, approximately $36 per test, because it provides specific information about a person’s average blood sugar level over the last three months without the need to fast.
Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Testing: Free Marin Screenings
LIFT-Levántate hosted free blood sugar screenings for the community at the Binational Health Week Canal Health and Safety Day on October 5th, 2013 and will provide free screening again in Marin City on Friday, November 15th. The San Rafael Rotary Club saw the importance of screening our communities and donated $2,500 worth of supplies for community testing. Based on risk factors, 62 individuals who came to Canal Health and Safety Day were given the A1C test. 55% screened either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
The highest risk patients were referred onsite to Marin Community Clinics for an appointment, and one individual was taken directly to the clinic for an immediate evaluation. “Events like these help raise the public’s awareness of the risk of diabetes and can prevent the disease from occurring in full. A person who is pre-diabetic can make lifestyle changes and never become diabetic” said Dr. Matt Willis, Public Health Officer of Marin County Health and Human Services.
Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The work of LIFT-Levántate and other organizations that bring testing and diabetes education to the community is crucial. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States killing approximately 73,000 people a year. In California diabetes costs taxpayers and businesses approximately 24 million dollars every year. One in seven California residents has diabetes and many remain undiagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes is on the rise and as many as one in three adults in the United States are projected to have diabetes by 2050.
What can we do?
Marin County Department of Health and Human Services’ HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) Initiative is a good place to start. HEAL (http://www.marinheal.org) brings together residents and community partners from throughout Marin to create a roadmap to improve community health. Partners are committed to working together to improve healthy eating and active living in all the places we live, work and play in Marin.
Get involved and get tested today. To find out where LIFT-Levántate (www.lift-levantate.org) is offering testing contact info@lift-levantate.org or (415) 507-1564.
