Hand Exercises
Here are some simple exercises to rehabilitate hand function for that folks with diabetes, arthritis, or having suffered a stroke can use on a daily basis to help restore proper feeling and function.
Simple … yet effective hand exercises!
Can’t hurt to try!
Simple Basics about Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the deadliest diseases in the world and one in four people in America have this disease. The diabetes disease touches everyone ~ children ~ babies ~ adults ~ men ~ women ~ young ~ old. It does not discriminate!
That’s why it is important for everyone to understand — What is diabetes?
This is a very simple explanation, in laymen’s terms, to help us try to figure it all out.
Diabetes can be divided into three phases.
The three stages of diabetes are
Pre-Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
The underlying cause of this disease is the body does not use or is not able to accumulate glucose. The glucose is a form of sugar. As the levels of high glucose enters the blood stream, it causes the blood sugar to rise in our body.
How does glucose affect the body?
The body uses glucose to produce energy. All foods that contain sugar are digested into sugars such as glucose by the body and that is transferred via the blood to the cells. The glucose in the blood stops circulating and enters the body cells and once inside the cell, the glucose is used as fuel in order to develop energy.
The body produces the hormone insulin, which the body uses to push glucose into body cells. When there is not enough insulin, this process stops working, the glucose is not transferred to the cells and that results in the blood sugar level rising in the body.
What is Pre-diabetes?
This is the first stage usually diagnosed as a diabetic is the “pre-diabetes” category. This happens when there is a shortage of insulin required for pushing glucose into body cells or the body has become resistant to insulin.
The people with pre-diagnosed diabetes are in danger of getting diabetes and if they take the proper precautions and make some changes in their lifestyle, they often are never diagnosed with the disease.
Often the physician will use your blood sugar numbers to make their determination. If your blood sugar readings are above normal and not enough in order to be classified as diabetes, they might consider you as pre-diabetic.
Another term used for the “Pre-diabetes is also as “Impaired Fasting Glucose”, or “Impaired Glucose Tolerance.”
The good news is that early sign gives you an opportunity to change your status and prevent type 2 diabetes. Usually there is no medication necessary in the pre-diabetes phase – just learning to change your eating habits of the control, make some changes in your lifestyle and an become more active. Getting proper training and education will also help you to get out of diabetes risk.
What is type 1 diabetes?
This used to be referred to as juvenile onset diabetes or insulin-dependent. In type 1 diabetes, a person’s body cannot produce insulin. This type of diabetes usually occurs early in life, but it can happen at any time is life.
The research is still going on diabetes type one. The reasons are known are very little as to why the body does not produce enough insulin to use glucose to make energy has. This diagnosis is almost always a permanent one and medication is required to control it.
What is type 2 diabetes?
This used to be referred to as adult onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent, but in recent years many children are also being diagnosed as such, so it now commonly called Type 2 diabetes.
When a person’s body becomes resistant to insulin, their sugar levels are uncontrolled and medication is required. This type of diabetes usually happens in midlife, and for some reason is more common in men. Often Type 2 diabetes can be genetic and it is almost always a result of an inactive lifestyle and being overweight.
Type 2 diabetes can often be controlled with proper medications, making changes to your lifestyles and losing some weight.
Diabetes Care Club
You just received the diagnosis – you are a diabetic and you know nothing about diabetes care. And your doctor had given you a bunch of instructions and prescriptions.
To say you are walking around in a state of confusion is a slight understatement.
Be sure to get in touch with your insurance or Medicare so you know what you are covered for. You should also get in touch with the American Diabetes Association and ask them for information about support networks, contacts, and suppliers in your area. You can access most of that via the Internet.
Do a search on Google or YouTube for other options. There are many choose from. But be sure to check out the Diabetes Care Club.
Here’s some information that might be helpful to you.
The Diabetes Care Club
Here’s some more information:
Be sure to make sure you know all your options when developing a plan for your diabetes care.
Explaining Diabetes to your child
We don’t understand it ourselves, yet suddenly we are faced with explaining diabetes to your child. How do we explain something we don’t understand ourselves?
Really, how are we suppose start explaining diabetes to our children – this “thing” is that has turned their life upside down?
We’ll never understand everything – just like we don’t really understand how a microwave works or what makes a computer function. We just know that if we put food in tthe microwave, puch aa few buttons, our supper will be hot and cooked. And in theory, if we punch some letters on the keyboard and make some clicks with a “mouse” that things will happen on the computer screen…. well that’s the theory, remember. We all know that computers have a “mind of their own” and don’t always function as we hope. That’s why the microwave is a much better analogy. You can count on that to work. LOL
That’s how it is with diabetes. We may never understand all the medical things, but we know that if we follow the doctors rules and take our medication, that our life will improve.
Explaining diabetes so a child understands
But children are a different breed. Their most used sentence is “WHY?” And as parents, we don’t have the answers. We don’t understand ourselves.
Art Linkletter came to the conclusion years ago that “out of the mouth of babes” comes real wisdom and his TV show proved that.
In this 21st century, the same can be said for YouTube. Real wisdom, real insight can be found there.
Some kids do get it. They understand. They can explain.
Explaining diabetes only as a child can
This kid knows what it’s all about.
Simple explanations – so simple a child can understand it …
That’s because a child is making the presentation. We can all learn something from him.
