Diabetes quarterly newsletter

Strides Toward a Healthier You

Walking can be especially important for people with diabetes. Simply putting one foot in front of the other for 30 minutes each day can help control blood sugar, lower high blood pressure and support weight loss.

Before you make walking a part of your fitness routine, it's always a good idea to check with your doctor, since changes to exercise habits can also require changes to your diet or medications. And don't forget to carry a fast-acting carbohydrate, your diabetes ID and cell phone-just in case.

Here are some more tips from Health Corner® TV:


Watch Health Corner® TV Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. CT on Lifetime. Visit healthcorner.walgreens.com for video clips, episode archives, recipes and much more.

Retain Your Retina Health

Simply put, your eyes' retinas act like film in a camera. Retinas convert the images from your lenses into electric signals, and then send these signals to the optic nerve in your brain.

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when excessive glucose damages blood vessels in your retinas, causing vision problems. See the difference between a healthy and a damaged retina for yourself.

So how can you help retain the health of your retinas?

  • Get an eye exam on a regular basis.
  • Keep your blood glucose levels under control.
  • Know the common symptoms of diabetic retinopathy: blindness, blurred vision, floaters, shadows or missing areas of vision.

 



No Time to Weight!

If you feel pressed for time, the idea of losing weight can seem like just another to-do for an already busy calendar. 

You can make weight loss a part of your busy lifestyle with these time-saving tips:



Glucose Got You Down?

Hypoglycemia, or a drop in your blood glucose, can occur when you take too much insulin or diabetes medicine, don't eat enough of the right foods or exercise too hard or too long.

Since hypoglycemia is relatively common, chances are you've experienced the symptoms first-hand. These are some quick actions you can take once hypoglycemia sets in:

  • Always have  simple sugars such as juice or other sugar-containing beverages, glucose tablets or raisins on-hand to take as soon as symptoms appear.
  • If symptoms don't subside within 15 minutes, consume more sugar and test your level again.
  • Test your blood sugar if you have a test kit available.
  • "Real" food takes too long to digest and should not be eaten until your sugar level comes back up.

Remember, hypoglycemia can lead to permanent damage if left untreated. Learn more about hypoglycemia and its long-term treatment options.



The Fatigue Factor

Fatigue can be confused easily with one of its symptoms- drowsiness. But there's more to fatigue than feeling drowsy. A lack of energy and motivation are also part of the fatigue equation.

Why is this important? Fatigue is one symptom of high blood glucose levels. When left untreated, high blood glucose can lead to nerve damage, kidney or eye problems, heart disease and stroke1. So when sleep, good nutrition and low-stress environments can't relieve the symptoms of fatigue, you should consider getting a doctor evaluation.

Learn more about fatigue and its long-term treatment options.

Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center experts answer commonly asked questions about diabetes monitoring, treatment, self-care, meal planning and more.

Q: I know I shouldn't eat anything with sugar in it, but I don't like the taste of most sugar-free products. What can I do?
A: What's most important is knowing how many carbohydrates are... Continue

Q: My doctor has been talking to me about taking insulin, which is the last thing I want to do. How can I avoid this?
A: A good first step is to think about why you don't want to take insulin. Are you worried about... Continue

Joslin Diabetes Center strongly recommends that you always consult your doctor or other healthcare provider before altering or undertaking any physical activity or nutritional program. Except for information, products or services which are clearly identified as being provided by the Joslin Diabetes Center, Joslin does not endorse products, services or information on this or any other web site.

Read It In Diabetes & You®

In our current Holiday 2009 issue:

  • Professional race car driver Charlie Kimball copes with diabetes in the fast lane.
  • Finding a new normal after being diagnosed.
  • Shedding light on vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin.
  • Low-cal recipes for holidays or any day.

View current issue.
View other issues in the Diabetes & You Archive.

Meatless Mains

If you're in the mood for something a little lighter, try one of these meatless dishes. Even without the additional proteins found in meat, we think they'll leave you feeling fit and satisfied :

Q: I'd like to be able to understand the prescription slips I get from my doctor. Can you tell me the most common abbreviations and what they mean?
A: The Latin and English abbreviations on prescription slips are... Continue


Q: If I have a prescription on file at another pharmacy, can I refill it at Walgreens?
A: Transferring a prescription from another pharmacy to Walgreens is easy. In fact, Walgreens handles most of the... Continue

View our Ask a Pharmacist Archives for more commonly asked questions.

Medicare B Supplies Ship FREE!

It's true: Walgreens provides free standard shipping on Part B-covered diabetes supplies and medications. Plus, we'll bill Medicare and your supplemental insurance2 directly. Learn more

Put Your Rx Records to Work

Access your Walgreens prescription records online and use them for FSA claims, taxes or simply for a medication check-up with your physician. Get Started

Social Responsibility Center

We care for our neighbors, our planet and our people. And we care with our dollars. We think it's our responsibility. Learn more

Join the Club and Save!

With Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, you can save on insulin and diabetes supplies. Learn about the club

1American Diabetes Association (ADA). Diabetes Basics: High Blood Glucose, http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/checkup-america/highbg.html (Accessed 14 January, 2010).

2 With qualified supplemental insurance.