November Is Diabetes Month – YV Farm Workers Clinic Is here To Help

November is National Diabetes Month and I'm sad to say it runs in my mom's side of the family.  I am monitoring my blood sugar levels as I have been getting close to dangerous territory and over the years several aunts and uncles have died from complications of diabetes.   Type 2 is a lifestyle consideration and the numbers show we are going in the wrong direction!  According to a news release from the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, the number of people with diabetes in 1980 totaled 5.6 million.  In less than four decades the CDC says hat number has increased to more than 20 million.

The Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic wants you to know  that there are two types of diabetes. A diabetic person either doesn't make enough insulin or can't effectively use their insulin. Type-1 Diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is the condition where your body will not make enough insulin and is more rare; about 5 percent of all diagnosed cases are deemed as Type-1 Diabetes.   A person with Type-2 Diabetes is still able to make insulin in the beginning stages, but their body is unable to properly metabolize the blood sugars, or is resistant to insulin.

Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic health care teams  are working with patients to help manage, control, and prevent diabetes and its consequences.  With a team of medical, behavioral, and dietary professionals in their corner, YV Farm Worker diabetic patients are encouraged that beginning with a few small changes, the disease is manageable and controllable  -- recommend patients start walking 15-20 minutes a day and reducing weight because blood sugars usually go down as the weight goes down.”

Some patients find the diabetes diagnosis difficult to deal with. Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic also includes behavioral health counselors on site who are able to provide a brief intervention or consultation as a regular component of the patient’s visit.