Welcome to Diabetes Awareness Month!
In today’s world, there is an awareness of something every day. Today and for the whole month, we want to give a warm Welcome to Diabetes Awareness Month. We’ll touch on some of the key points of diabetes here, but we would also encourage you to look into more detail at diabetes. Whether you are someone with diabetes or know someone dealing with diabetes, you can be a source of knowledge and comfort to someone dealing with diabetes.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and during this time, diabetes organizations work to raise awareness about the condition through a variety of initiatives. One way they do this is by encouraging people with diabetes to share their personal experiences dealing with the condition. This helps show others that diabetes can be managed successfully and provides hope to those newly diagnosed.
A history lesson
A hundred years ago in 1921 since insulin was discovered and in 1922 the first-ever insulin injection into a human has given.
Banting and Best began their experiments by testing on diabetes-linked dogs. One of the dogs survived for 70 days after injections of a drug called Isletin. The first successful injection given to a person with diabetes occurred shortly afterward.
The International Diabetes Federation founded World Diabetes Day to raise awareness of the worldwide epidemic of the disease. The date is November 14. Banting and Dr. Charles Best were the main inventors of the liquid form of insulin, which has been shown to be an effective treatment for diabetes.
Kari Rosenfeld, an Oregon D-Mom, was the main force behind the UN Resolution for an international symbol for diabetes. She developed the concept for the logo as part of a campaign. Her daughter, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 7 years old, was also a part of the campaign.
The idea of a United Nations resolution was brought up by Professor Martin Silink, who guided the IDF during the 2003 annual meeting of the organization in Paris. Without his leadership, there would be no other ones. Professor Silink is a remarkable leader and without him, the IDF would not have been successful.
She took on the role of project manager, handling all aspects of achieving the new resolution. Along with this, she created a “Unite for Diabetes” public awareness campaign, built around the resolution. The campaign was aimed at “going beyond so many mixed messages about diabetes to create a unified campaign that could embrace them all.”
After careful consideration, they chose the Blue Circle as their official symbol. The Blue Circle is an international symbol similar to the pink ribbon for AIDS awareness or the red ribbon for bring- home-the-troops campaigns. They felt the Blue Circle would be recognizable and have a wide appeal.
The blue hue of the Unite for Diabetes symbol evokes the color of the sky, and the circle represents the unity of the group. The Unite for Diabetes symbol is an important part of raising awareness for diabetes prevention and management.
Things to watch for
Awareness, education, and understanding of diabetes are required for better access to diabetes care. Due to the unpredictable realities of this condition, it is important for people dealing with diabetes to have access to technology that can help them monitor their blood sugar levels on a regular basis. Having awareness, education, and understanding can help improve access to diabetes care.
If blood sugar levels rise, the organs become more vulnerable to damage, and the risk of complications with the feet increases. The feet and legs are more at risk as they are farther away from the core of the body.
A person with diabetes who doesn’t even know they have the disease can experience peripheral neuropathy, a condition where pins and needles can appear in the toes and feet. This is because high blood sugar levels can damage nerves throughout the body. If you have impaired protective sensation, it means you can’t feel when something is injuring your skin. For example, you might not realize you’re stepping on a sharp object, or that your shoes are causing a blister. This can lead to further skin damage.
Diabetes can negatively affect blood circulation in a few ways. Excess sugar in the blood can damage small blood vessels throughout the body, but this damage is often most noticeable in the feet. Poor blood flow can make it more difficult for wounds to heal and also increases the risk of infection. These problems can become serious quickly, so it’s important for people with diabetes to take good care of their feet and see a doctor if they develop any foot problems.
If there is a compromised immune system, wounds and skin breakdown can lead to life-threatening infections and amputations. The feet are especially vulnerable to infections such as cellulitis, and the nails are also at risk.
If left untreated, these conditions can quickly become serious enough to require hospitalization or even result in death. These issues require prompt and proper care to reduce the chance of further complications. By receiving the right treatment, patients can improve their chances of making a full recovery.
You need one
Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) are devices that can be used to help manage blood sugar levels, by providing information on trends and patterns. CGMs can be particularly useful for people who have difficulty keeping track of their blood sugar levels, or who are at risk of emergency situations. In addition, using a CGM can improve the quality of life for people with diabetes, by giving them more information about their condition and helping them to better control their blood sugar levels.
Let’s move forward
There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. We can make a slight correction to the saying and say, “It takes a community to care for those with diabetes.” In all honesty, we could say that for many conditions, but for now, let’s just focus on diabetes.
As we wrap up this edition of our blog we want to say one more time, Welcome to Diabetes Awareness month.
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