2022 World Diabetes Day:

 The theme for this year UpTo 2023 is ACCESS TO DIABETES CARE.

We keep raising our voices and keep calling on policy makers and the government to give non-communicable diseases such as Diabetes the attention it deserve.

Access to medication is hard especially in this biting economy. If appropriate policies are translated from paper work to implementation, the burden of diabetes especially for  those who are insulin dependant if not total lifted, will be a tremendous relief.

According to WHO's recent analysis; Approximately 6% of the world’s population ─ more than 420 million people ─ live with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This number has quadrupled since 1980 and is estimated to rise beyond half a billion by 2030. While premature mortality from other major noncommunicable diseases is decreasing, early deaths from diabetes have increased by 5% since 2000. More people are living with diabetes, and more people with diabetes are dying earlier than they would have if they had access to high quality, equitable care and treatment. 

It is our hope that while we await a cure, policy makers, government and other relevant stakeholders will prioritize access to quality diabetes care especially at such a challenging time as this. 

2021 WORLD DIABETES DAY

 

Great diabetes warriors and care givers,
It's world diabetes day 2021, and we are excited. We are not there yet, but we believe we are moving forward and making progress.
With this year's theme, we want to as always call on the government, policy makers and law makers to ensure that treatment for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension receive required attention. If we can't get the drugs and other medications entirely free, let's get reasonable subsidy on them.
Living with non-communicable disease is not a choice or as a result of act of carelessness as the case maybe( considering type 1 diabetes), the government and those in affairs of policy making and implementation must rise up to the task especially in the face of the increasing hardship as a result of the economic challenges in Nigeria and Africa at large. While provisions are been made to curtail communicable diseases, let's not forget that there are people who live daily on pills and injectables, not by the choices they make but of necessities.
It is our hope that our voices be heard and something done about the rising prices of this medications so that while the rich are buying without reservations, the poor too can afford to have their daily pills.

I want specially thank my colleagues in the war front, those whose relentless efforts in their little ways are bringing about the change we desire and deserve in the diabetes community.
Many thanks to companies such as Roche and host of many others that always find the opportunity to give back, we appreciate your efforts.

Finally, we appreciate all the care givers that supports everyone living with diabetes or any other non-communicable disease, thank you for the great job, your support keeps many people's hope alive. While we hope for the days we will begin to reap the fruits of our demand for the diabetes community and other NCDs, we congratulate all those living and fighting DIABETES, YOU ARE THE REAL WARRIORS AND CHAMPIONS and we celebrate you today with great joy.💙

© Precious Diabetes Foundation
#WorldDiabetesDay2021
#roche
#pjoshdiabetesfoundation
#diabetesandhypertensionhelpsociety
#worldiabetesfoundation
#NationalAssembly

2020 WDD: NURSES MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

 The theme for 2020 world diabetes day is DIABETES: NURSES MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

Most people living with diabetes often require the service of a nurse especially those who have complications and are hospitalized. 

Nurses are involved in all round care for diabetics, starting from simple checking of the blood glucose level, counseling, administration of medicine to patients, assist in clean up of patients, etc. Nurses are just wonderful professionals.

Generally, in Africa and Nigeria in particular, there is excessive workload on our nurses, in my opinion this is the reason why it is perceived that nurses in the general hospitals are harsh on patients where as it's a function of work overload in most cases. In most hospitals, you can fine a nurse or two on night shift, having the responsibility to cater for all the patients in a single ward, this ought not to be so.

I want to use this opportunity to call on employers at all level in our health facilities to look into the problem of work overload as it concerns nurses. When a nurse have too many patients to care for, it does not only frustrate the nurse but also reduces the quality of care the patient is suppose to get. It is also important that health care facilities maintain the practice of retraining their nurses through organisation of workshops, seminars and continuous development programs.

Most importantly, it is advisable that everyone have basic knowl

edge of  diabetes, it's signs and symptoms and it's management and care, this will help cut down the burden on nursing care and also prevent complications on the part of the patient. 

We look forward to having a week long discussions on diabetes, nursing care and how  patients and their care givers can help reduce the burden on nurses. 

DIABETES CONCERNS EVERYONE, please take action to help prevent it and it's complications.

© PRECIOUS DIABETES FOUNDATION

#diabetes

#diabetestalks

#WorldDiabetesDay

#diabetesadvocatesnigeria

SARS-CoV-2, on wearing mask and gloves

Hey Guys,
Let me quickly address some issues on wearing of mask and personal protection as the SARS-CoV-2 infection continue to rise in Nigeria (may God help our effort to bring it to control) , please read through and be guided.

ON WEARING OF MASK
Must I wear mask?
The answer depends on your location, if you are coming out to the public knowing you are going to be meeting a lot of other people who will be talking to you, OHOOOO YES, WEAR A MASK!!!
We are currently at the level of community transmission, what this means is that you can get infected right at your door step, so please wear a mask when you are out, you never can tell who have the virus without symptoms.
I know wearing this mask can be very uncomfortable, especially the cloth mask, that's why you should catch some air in your safe zone like when in your car alone or walking alone on the street, but once you are around anyone, be sure to use your mask.
And please if you wear mask ensure your NOSE and MOUTH is covered else you are not masked yet, and if you must remove it, DO NOT touch the body of the mask, touch only the strings.

ON WEARING HAND GLOVES
In the prevention of this COVID 19, wearing of hand GLOVES is a disaster happening everywhere including on you who is wearing it. My teenage cousin was telling me she feels wearing hand gloves is safe because she saw some of our law makers wearing it on television during their plenaries, well I don't know what their doctors and medical advisers are doing about that.
Wearing hand gloves is dangerous even to you who is wearing them. With your hand gloove you can pick up all the bugs and deposit them on your phones, your hand bag, your pockets, your car keys, pen and many other stuff that you don't care to sanitise before touching them with your bare hands after you remove the gloves. Another example is wearing gloves to the market or grocery stores, you touch from one product to the other, transferring bugs to the food packs and foods without packs and you still use same infected gloves to touch your pocket/bag and the money you take out to pay or the change you return to your pocket, I mean!!! Wearing and removing hand GLOVES in disease prevention have techniques medically, else you will end up contaminating what you are protecting.
Please keep all the gloves away, WASH YOUR HANDS regularly and in the absence of water and soap, use your HAND SANITIZER.

As a diabetic or a diabetes care giver know that you (or your loved one living with diabetes) is highly at risk of complication when infected with the virus, so please stay as safe as possible.
May God continue to protect us by his mercies and grace.

#diabetescare
#COVID19
#SARSCoV2

Dietary management approach tip

I was reading up Gout and it's management, ooooh boi, you need to see all the list of foods to avoid, virtually all food except veggies and fruits, even at that some fruits are also listed to avoid.

In management of diabetes some care providers and care givers still ask their patients not to eat carbohydrates, some poorly informed patients eat only beans and it's likes until their organs develop problems.

You don't "always" have to boycott eating any type of food. Diabetes can be effectively managed by making food choices based on your current blood glucose level. Until a cure is found, fight right, you will surely win always.

Understanding Cholesterol

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is an important constituent of our body's cell membrane. It is an oil based substance which travels in the body through lipoproteins.

Cholesterol can be good or bad. When it is high, cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and can cause heart attack.

Cholesterol is fat-like in appearance. It is produced by the body and can also be consumed in food. It is essential for:
- Building component of cell structure
- Producing hormones
- Vitamin D production
- Food digestion

Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol:

1. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) which carries "BAD" cholesterol
2. High density lipoproteins (HDL) carries "GOOD" cholesterol.

*Lipoproteins are molecules that transport fats in extracellular fluids.

Risk factors for high cholesterol
- Family history
- Life style choices; diet
- Sedentary life style

Causes of high cholesterol
- Consumption of food high in:
a. Cholesterol such as animal fat, meat, cheese
b. Saturated fats in diary products, fried foods, certain processed food.
c. Saturated fats present in some baked foods, deep fried foods, processed foods etc
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- liver or kidney disease
- Pregnancy or conditions that increases female hormones
- Certain drugs that lowers HDL and increase LDL

How do I feel when cholesterol is high?

High cholesterol is one of the causes of :
- "He just slumped and died"
- "Sudden death"

In other words, one can be living with a very high blood cholesterol without knowing until he/she develops complications and visits the hospital. In the event of high cholesterol, plagues deposit in the wall of arteries and cause narrowing of the walls which in turn reduced blood flow, causing artherosclerosis and other complications such as
              -stroke
              -heart attack
              -death
So, frequent blood test (lipid profile in this case) will help detect high cholesterol and of course prevent this risk.

How do I control high cholesterol?
The first major way is prevention, to prevent is to eat healthy. So most of the things we eat and call enjoyment are "killer mates".

In the event of high cholesterol, life style modifications such as diet and exercise will help a lot. If this fails your doctor can prescribe medications such as statin to lower the cholesterol levelq.

Food(s) that help reduce and maintain cholesterol are:
- Nuts: cashew, groundnut, walnut etc
- Vegetable oil
- Soy
- Beans
- Vegetables: okra, eggplant
- Oats
- Fibre rich foods: wheat
- Fruit like apples, grapes, strawberries
- Whole grains: corn, barely, millet

In all, maintaining a healthy weight and avoids habits such as smoking eiwi help a great deal.

Normal values for cholesterol are:
Total cholesterol------- <200mg/dl
HDL-------------------------- 40-80mg/dl
LDL--------------------------- 50-150mg/dl

We are here to help you win DIABETES!

"Ij please call me", that was the message my friend dropped on my inbox. I didnt take her serious because I felt if she is serious she will call me.

Her next message read, "you no want call untill I die here, I need your advice on diabetes". Immediately I read diabetes, me wey no get call credit, piam! I loaded my phone, called her asap.

She have been diabetic for 5years, it started with gestational diabetes, never able to reverse it, had all her three kids premature. We spoke at length, I asked questions about how she have been managing the diabetes. She never got any tangible counseling, have been doing the dietary aspect all wrong without considering her blood glucose levels. As at when we were speaking her fasting blood glucose was at 9.8mmol/L. Did I add she developed hypertension as well. All this have affected her eyesight.

By God's grace I was able to put her through the sure things she can do to be in charge of her health, 2-3weeks later, her story is different, blood glucose levels have dropped to 4.5mmol/L, blood pressure is also down.

As a diabetic you are your own doctor, look for people who are informed and learn from them, tryout healthy options, select and stick to those that best keep your blood sugar in check. Read books and surf the internet on ways to manage diabetes naturally.

As a care giver living with someone who has diabetes, your responsibility does not end in providing for them, encourage them, support them especially with respect to meals, let them don't feel left out, join them to make and eat healthy meals, it will help you as well.

Type 2 diabetes is reversible, any one can achieve that. Having problem managing your health, contact us today for the help you need.
#diabetestalks
#diabetes