Always for Support

     College students with diabetes can feel alienated from their environment because of the incongruous lifestyle choices that they have to make in order to maintain their health. These students can alleviate those disparaging feelings by attending events held by the American Diabetes Association that are local to their respective schools.

     The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a national organization with the sole purpose of supporting people afflicted with the disease.

     “Our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all the people affected by diabetes,” according to the About Us page on the organization’s website. “We lead the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fight for those affected by diabetes.”

     The website of ADA is filled with a plethora of information for people currently managing diabetes, at risk for developing the disease, or simply for those that are interested in learning more about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

     One of the features on the website is the “Your Local Office” tool under the “In My Community” tab on the homepage, which has information on local activities sponsored by ADA.

For those with diabetes that are interested in meeting peers just like them, check out the link to ADA’s website.

http://www.diabetes.org/ 

Student Health is Lacking

     Campus clinics are tempting facilities for college students to receive their primary healthcare during their semesters. While these facilities are usually equipped to handle the most rudimentary health-care concerns, it would be unwise to trust them completely with more difficult health matters.

     On the George Mason University campus, the resident campus clinic known as "Student Health" receives many criticisms from its student population for inadequate care for their major health issues.

     David Derby, a sophomore at George Mason University studying pre-medical science, is one of the many students that are dissatisfied with "Student Health".

     “The clinic is understaffed, and is overzealous with simplistic diagnoses of colds and flues,” he said in an interview. “A close friend of mine visited the clinic for help with a sore throat, and was diagnosed with a cold and prescribed amoxicillin.”

     “It turns out she had mononucleosis, and was rushed to the hospital two days later, because mononucleosis reacts terribly with amoxicillin.”

     This is not a smear campaign against college health clinics, but a cautionary tale to take charge of your own medical care by seeking out the best possible support you can when you begin to feel sick.

     Campus clinics can be sufficient in caring for your illness, but make absolutely sure that is the case through your own research.

Exercise is the key

     “Of all the secrets to being successful at living long and well with diabetes, exercise is the one that came up the most consistently as one of the top ones, regardless of how long people had been living with the disease.”

     That excerpt is the very first sentence in the exercise section of Dr. Sheri Coldberg’s book, “The 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People With Diabetes.” This opening speaks a truth that that applies to anybody reading this blog, whether that person has a chronic health condition or not.

     The truth is that exercise is the key to a healthy living. For people with diabetes, it is specifically the key to better blood sugar control. I have personally experienced how regular exercise can have a positive effect on my blood sugars, and I assure any skeptical readers that the results will astonish you.

     Recently, for example, my blood sugar two hours after my breakfast was 271 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) according to my blood glucose monitor. In response to this reading, I exercised on the elliptical for thirty five minutes, burning over 400 calories in the process. My blood glucose reading at lunch after this workout was a much-improved 61 mg/dL.

     For more information, check the following link to a recent article that details the benefits of exercise for people with diabetes. 
http://www.oaoa.com/articles/exercise-86700-diabetes-body.html