Undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes

Here are the stats

24,000 likely to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes in Ireland.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms often develop slowly. ... Look for:
Increased thirst and frequent urination. Excess sugar building up in your bloodstream causes fluid to be pulled from the tissues.
Increased hunger. 
Weight loss.
Fatigue.
Blurred vision.
Slow-healing sores or frequent infections.
Areas of darkened skin.

Recent RTE News Article

The largest ever study into diabetes and cardiovascular risk in Ireland has found as many as 24,000 people could have undiagnosed diabetes.

The survey by Vhi Healthcare examined 30,000 people between 2009 and 2013.

It found that 17% of people were found to have abnormal initial fasting blood sugar levels.

Men were found to be two to three times more likely than women to have abnormal blood sugar levels and undiagnosed diabetes.

Report author and Vhi Healthcare Medical Director Dr Bernadette Carr said: "The results of our research suggest that the rate of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes is higher in Ireland than in similar European countries such as Britain and Holland.

"They also demonstrate how important it is for individuals to understand and manage their own health risks.  

"By making some very simple lifestyle changes, people can improve their outcomes, and in the case of pre-diabetes can even delay or prevent progression to diabetes."

The research found that people with abnormal blood sugar levels were significantly more likely to be older, male, smokers and have higher blood pressure.

It said they were also less likely to exercise five days a week or eat fruit or vegetables each day.

Statistics on Strokes in Ireland

What is a Stroke?

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel, which is carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain, bursts or is blocked by a clot. This causes an interruption of the blood supply to part of the brain. This can damage or destroy brain cells which will affect body functions.

For example, if a stroke damages the part of the brain that controls limb movement, a person’s ability to move an arm or leg may be affected. A stroke can also affect mental processes such as how people feel, think, communicate, or learn.

The term ‘stroke’ comes from the fact that it usually happens without warning, ‘striking’ the person from out of the blue. The effects of a stroke on the body are immediate.

Did you know......
• 10,000 people in Ireland are admitted to hospital with stroke each year.
• 1,200 people in the West of Ireland are diagnosed with stroke each year.
• Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the most common cause of acquired physical disability in Ireland. 
• There are 30,000 survivors of stroke in Ireland, many of whom have significant disabilities.
• Approximately 80 per cent of strokes are caused by a blockage of an artery supplying blood to the brain. 20 per cent of strokes are caused by a bleed into the brain from a burst blood vessel in the brain.
• Under-65s account for about one third of strokes.

What can I do to prevent a stroke?

The best treatment for stroke is prevention. There are several risk factors that increase your chances of having a stroke:
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Smoking
Diabetes
High cholesterol
If you smoke – quit. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol, getting them under control – and keeping them under control – will greatly reduce your chances of having a stroke.

When stroke strikes, act F.A.S.T.

The F.A.S.T. acronym was created as a helper for people to remember the main warning signs of stroke so that they ca

n act immediately in the case of a stroke by dialling 999.

F.A.S.T. stands for:

F – Face – has their face fallen on one side?  Can they smile?

A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?

S – Speech – is their speech slurred?

T –Time to call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.

F.A.S.T.  can help you to rapidly recognise when a stroke is taking place and then act quickly to get medical treatment and prevent serious damage.

The Fight against Smoking in Ireland

The Irish government keep up the pressure to make us a healthier nation.
2003 - 28.28% of the population smoked 1 cigarette or more a day in Ireland.
2014 - Male and female smoking has declined to 21.55% and 17.59% respectively. (Statistics from HSE National Tobacco Control Office Health and Wellbeing Division)

Here's why....
2004 - Ireland was the first country in the world to introduce the workplace smoking ban on 29 March.
2009 - First country in the EU to implement a point of sale display ban on tobacco. They also change the law on tobacco vending machines introducing token only sales. The 10 pack of cigarettes was also banned at this time.
2013 - Any tobacco product placed on the market must have graphic warnings
2014 - Ireland passed a bill banning smoking in cars with children.
2017 – Ireland hope to introduce plain tobacco packaging.

Cancer prevention (www.cancer.ie)
Up to 50% of all cancers are preventable, 30% are preventable through lifestyle changes alone.
Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer, causing 30% of all cancers.
95% of lung cancers are caused by smoking.
Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals, 60 of which are known to cause cancer.
Half of all smokers will die from a tobacco related disease.
Research shows that 70% of smokers want to quit.
There are over one million smokers in Ireland.

5 Treatments of Sunburn

If you are unlucky enough to look like the photograph, then read on…. Most cases of sunburn can be treated at home.

1.     Water Take a cool shower or bath to help cool down your skin. Sponge the affected areas or apply a cold compress, such as a cold flannel, to the affected area.

Drink plenty of fluids – this helps to cool you down and replace water lost through sweating. It will also help prevent dehydration (when the normal water content in your body is reduced, causing thirst and light-headedness). Do not drink alcohol as this only adds to dehydration.

2.     Moisturiser For mild sunburn, apply a moisturising lotion or aftersun cream. Aftersun cream will cool your skin and moisturise it, helping to relieve the feeling of tightness.

Moisturisers that contain aloe vera will also help to soothe your skin. Calamine lotion can relieve any itching or soreness.

3.     Hydrocortisone cream Sunburn may also be treated by applying 1% hydrocortisone cream to the affected area. This type of cream contains a corticosteroid and is rubbed directly onto the sunburned area to reduce pain and inflammation (swelling).

You should not apply hydrocortisone cream to certain parts of your body including:

·        the face

·        genitals

·        broken or infected skin

            Also, avoid using hydrocortisone cream on children under two years old.

Seek advice from your pharmacist before you start using hydrocortisone cream to treat sunburn.

4.     Painkillers Painkillers can help to relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation caused by sunburn.

Paracetamol can be used to treat pain and control fever. Ibuprofen is a type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation and lower a high temperature.

Aspirin should not be given to children who are under 16 years of age. 

  

5.  Severe sunburn Severe cases of sunburn may require special burn cream and burn dressings. Ask your pharmacist for advice. You may need to have your burns dressed by a nurse at your GP surgery.

Very severe sunburn cases may require treatment at your local accident and emergency (A&E) department.

Prevention is always the best cure so remember avoid the midday sun drink plenty of fluids and

10 Reasons Why You Should Have Care At Home

FASTER DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL

With home care, Clients can come home sooner from the hospital. Since the services of nurses, and therapists can follow up Clients home, they don’t have to stay in the hospital as long.

INVOLVEMENT WITH TREATMENT

Both the client and family members can be more intimately involved with the Client’s treatment at home

SUBSTITUTE FOR HOSPITAL, NURSING HOME or INSTUITIONAL FACILITY

Depending on the severity of an illness or disability , many illness can be managed at home with the right support network.

INDEPENDENCE

Clients may only need support to administer their medications to keep them at home.  Working with the Client on physical therapy and coaching them on their recovery will build independence.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

There are no visiting hours at home. Home provides a place where family and friends can be close to the person at all hours.

COMFORT

Being at home is simply more comfortable for most people than being in an unfamiliar place.

MORALE

Clients tend to have a greater sense of well-being and overall morale when they are in the comfortable surroundings of their own home.

FASTER RECOVERY

Research has shown that recovery can be faster at home than in the hospital, particularly if there is good quality, skilled home health care available to the Client.

COST

Depending on the hours needed, home care can be much more affordable than private hospitals, nursing homes or other institutions.

www.careteam.ie

10 Weird and wonderful Health Facts

1.    Women have a better sense of smell than men.

2.     Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren’t.

3.    The human brain has the capacity to store everything that you experience.

4.     Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

5.    Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

6.    The right lung takes in more air than the left.

7.    The average human body contains enough iron to make a small nail.

8.     The average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap.

9.    Pain travels through the body at 350 feet per second!

10. In older people, memory is best early in the morning and then declines during the late afternoon.

www.careteam.ie 

Chocolate Health

Go to the dark side and enjoy your chocolate this Easter

Chocolate especially dark chocolate reduces body mass, prevents blood clots, improves numeracy, may prevent cancer, and doesn’t ruin your complexion.

Read on……

What is chocolate?

Chocolate is made from the tropical evergreen cacao beans. The cacao beans are picked grounded down to powder and then other ingredients are added to give us a variety of flavoured chocolate. The key element in chocolate that provides is goodness is flavonoids. The more processed your chocolate the less flavonoids.

Go to the Dark Side

Consuming flavonoids has been linked to heart benefits. But since flavonoids are bitter, most commercial chocolate goes through processing steps that remove these compounds. Less processed, or darker chocolates, will tend to have higher levels of flavonoids. Your best choice in terms of healthiness is to go with natural, unsweetened cocoa powder.

A small bar of dark chocolate every day can help keep your heart and cardio vascular system running well. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). 

A glass and a half

Milk chocolate is not as healthy as dark chocolate, however, it acts as stimulator to the brain, to the emotions, which helps increase stamina. Milk chocolate also contains high levels of potassium and magnesium that provide several vitamins such as B1, B2, D and E. Studies have showed that the nutrients in the cocoa and milk content of milk chocolate aid in glucose release, increase blood flow and enhance intellectual performance.

The health benefits of eating white chocolate are not at all close to those from dark or milk chocolates. White chocolate is made very differently to milk chocolate or dark chocolate and is sometimes not considered as a chocolate at all. However it does contain cocoa butter and milk solids which vitamins and minerals are present.

How do we benefit from chocolate eggactly? (Oh it is Easter; we had to get in at least one pun!)

Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

·         Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

·     Lower Blood Pressure: research suggests that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in people who suffer with hypertension (high blood pressure).

Chocolate reduces the risk of diabetes

·         A small study from the University of L'Aquila, in Italy, found that eating chocolate increases insulin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of diabetes.

Chocolate may help in cancer prevention

·         Studies carried out at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University  has shown that a compound called pentameric procyanidin, or pentamer, found in cocoa  can disrupt cancer cells’ ability to spread.

Chocolate can help with your complexion

·         Flavonoids found in dark chocolate protect women’s skin from the sun’s UV rays, according to German scientists. But that doesn’t mean you can skip the sunscreen.

Chocolate away your cough

·         Chocolate cough syrup? Scientists are currently working on a drug to stop your cough that could replace codeine. A component found in chocolate, theobromine, seems to reduce the activity of the vagus nerve, the part of the brain that triggers coughing fits.

Chocolate can help with mental maths.

·         Studies have proved people’s mental mathematical agility is increased after eating chocolate or having a cup of hot chocolate.

Chocoholics Beware !

Remember chocolate has a high sugar and fat content and should be eaten in moderation. Try to choose a dark chocolate over Milk chocolate or white chocolate.

And of course, enjoy………