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Spilvay Tymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
April 8, 1988 PAGE 3
Diabefe
Uiabctei hasn't always been a
problem for Indians. Years ago,
when Indians hunted, fished and
gathered their food, diabetes was
almost unheard of in Indian com
munities. Diabetes among Indians
is due primarily to changes in the
lifestyle of Indians, especially in
changes in eating patterns and exer
cise. Today, all we have to do is
hop on the car and drive to the
grocery store to buy our food. We
have eliminated the exercise we got
when we hunted, fished and gathered
our food. In addition, much of the
food we buy is not very nutritious.
We laugh and call it "junk food"
those bottles of pop, bags of chips
and cookies, frozen TV dinners,
packages of candy, boxes of "twin
kics,"etc. This type of food, together
, iih our inactive lifestyle watching
television during much of our spare
time, riding rather than walking,
etc. has resulted in many of us
Vcomming over-fat and diabetic.
Diabetes can be a very serious
condition with life threatening com
plications. According to Dr. Tom
Creelman, of the Warm Springs
Indian I!:alth Service, the records
of the community show we are
aware of 127 people, locally, with
Type II diabetes. Unfortunately,
this number has been going up
steadily since the early 1930s and
we have not seen a turnaround yet.
Several Native American groups in
the Southwest have experienced
the same problem with diabetes,
but for about one generation longer
than at Warm Springs. They are
seeing an increasing number of
complications and younger people
coming down with the disease
something we would like to pre
vent. In fact, however, we are also
beginning to find diabetes among
more and more of our younger
people.
What is Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which
the body doesnt get sugar to the
right place. The body needs sugar,
but it has to go to the right place or
problems will result. Not just sweet,
sugary foods, but many other foods
we eat are changed into blood
sugar by the blood. In blood sugar
form, our foods can be used by the
body cells for energy. The, blood
sugar. goes into the cells and is
burned to give us energy for our
dialy tasks.
lAre you a high risk?
Take this test to find out. Points
(1) I have been experiencing the
basis:
Excessive thirst (20 points)
Frequent urination (20 points)
Extreme Fatigue (10 points)
Unexplained weight loss (20 points)
Ocassional blurry vision (20 points)
(2) 1 am more than 40 years old. (10 points)
(3) I am 20 percent overweight or more. (20 points)
(4) lama woman who has had more than one baby weighing more than
nine pounds at birth. (20 points)
(5) I am of Native American descent. (10 points)
(6) I am of Hispanic or black descent. (10 points)
(7) I have a parent with diabetes. (10 points)
(8) I have an identical twin with diabetes (30 points)
(9) I have a brother or sister with diabetes (20 points)
Those scoring 30 to 50 points can hear a recorded message about
diabetes by calling 1-900-650-TEST.
900-650-RISK. The lines are open
per call, with a portion benefiting diabetes research and education.
Diabetic Breakfast Club meets monthly
On the fourth Thursday of every
month, a free diabetic breakfast is
held in the basement conference
room at the Warm Springs Indian
Health Service Clinic. It begins at
8:00 a.m. and ends approximately
9:30 a.m.
During this time, participants
are treated to a breakfast specifi
Blood sugar control includes learning about proper diet and nutrition. Educational sessions are held monthly
at the Diabetic Breakfast Club meetings.
In people without diabetes, this
process goes smoothly. In the dia
betic, however, the sugar has trou
ble getting from the blood into the
cells where it can be used. The
sugar stays in the blood. People
who have diabetes are said to have
"high blood sugar."
Insulin is the hormone which
helps the blood sugar to enter the
cell. In the Type II diabetic (Warm
Springs has only Type II diabetes
at present), there is usually enough
insulin being made by the body,
but it is having trouble getting
enough sugar into the cells because
there are not enough "doors" to the
cell through which the sugar can
pass. These doors are called "recep
tors" and without enough recep
tors, not enough sugar can get into
the cell. This causes the sugar to
back up into the blood causing
high blood sugar.
Having too much sugar in the
blood over a number of years can
result in some very serious health
problems. It can cause blindness, it
can cause your kidneys to fail, it
can cause heart disease and lead to
heart attack and stroke, it can
interfere with circulation which may
prevent stores from healing prop
erly and lead to serious infections
sometimes resulting in the amputa
tion of limbs and it can even cause
problems with your teeth and gums.
Who gets Type II
Diabetes?
Anyone can develop diabetes,
but we know there are certain risks
which make the likelihood of develo
ping diabetes greater. These include:
being overfat, not getting enough
exercise on a daily basis, being over
.30 years of age, having other
members of your family who are
diabetic or, if you are female, hav
ing had high blood sugar during
pregnancy. If you have any of
these, your chances of developing
diabetes are increased.
What are the early
symptoms of diabetes
Diabetes is a sneaky condition.
Usually we know about diabetes
long before it causes some of the,
more serious problems we have'
mentioned. The early symptoms
can include:
Fatigue: When the muscle cells
are listed for "yes" answers.
following symptoms on a regular
Those scoring 50 or above may call
Tuesday only. There is a $1 charge
cally designed for the diabetic. It is
always very delicious. An educa
tional session follows the eating of
breakfast. This session deals with
many questions and concerns peo
ple have about diabetes. It is very
informative. This breakfast club is
a time for learning and sharing
information and for Retting tougher
noiApri
can't get the sugar they need for
energy, the person becomes weak
and feels tired much of the time.
Frequent urination: The kidneys,
whose job it is to clean waste from
the blood, can't reprocess all the
extra sugar so some of the sugar
overflows into the urine. The diabe
tic need to urinate more frequently.
Increased thirst: Frequent urina
tion requires a lot of water. There
fore, the diabetic feels thirsty much
of the time.
Blurred vision: This is probably
due to the way the lens and fluids in
the eye utilize the sugar.
Sores that don't heal: The blood
vessels may be partially closed and
circulation is poor.
Increased hunger: Sometimes ac
companied by unexplained weight
loss.
Sometimes, there are no signs
and symptoms: You first find out
you have diabetes only when your
doctor has done a simple blood test
checking for high blood sugar.
These early symptoms can be
managed fairly well with nutritional
changes, exercise and, at times medi
cation. With diabetes, the more
serious, long-term problems may
take ten to IS years to show.
Blood sugar can be
controlled
Because some of the early symp
toms can be treated well and go
away, many people feel the dia
betes has gone away and that no
further problems will come. This is
not so. Diabetes stays with you
daily. It does not go away. To
avoid the later problems with dia
betes, a person with diabetes needs
to pay close attention to their life
style, especially their nutrition,
weight and exercise. They also need
to get regular medical checkups
including eye and dental exams.
Through lifestyle changes and
new oral medications, the cells of
people with Type II diabetes can be
coaxed into accepting insulin and
working normally. You play a key
part in controlling blood sugar.
Managing and preventing high blood
sugar includes finding out about
diabetes and having your blood
tested periodically to determine your
blood sugar level. In Warm Springs,
the Wellness Program and I.H.S.
hold free blood sugar screenings at
various locations on a monthly
basis.
If you become diabetic, vour
You can increase target cells
TARGET
Before: Few Receptors
Insulin receptors on target
cells actually increase in number as
you slim down. With more recep
tors to bind insulin, glucose has a
better chance of getting inside the
cells. So, by losing excess weight
and eating the right foods, you help
to correct the two basic problems
of type II diabetes: hyperglycemia
and a low number of insulin
receptors.
Insulin receptors work better with
and talking with our friends. There
is no blood work done and no
exercise class.
If you are interested in learning
about diabetes, plan to attend our
next session which will be held on
April 28th. For more information,
contact the I HS clinic or Eva at the
Tribal Wellness Office (ext. 205).
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Learning to manage blood sugar
doctor will help you make the
diagnosis and plan with you a pro
gram of control that will meet your
specific needs. A dietitian can help
you understand your dietary needs
and help you work out a food plan
that will help you manage your
diabetes. If you have to take medi
cation, your doctor or nurse will
instruct you in it's management.
Maybe even more important in
controlling and stopping diabetes
is the encouragement of good, healt
hy lifestyles early in life, because
prevention is much more sucessful
than treatment in diabetes.
Eating properly is an essential
part of the treatment and preven
tion program. Beginning children
at an early age to develop proper
eating habits and eating nutrition
ally sound diets may help us to pre
vent diabetes in the future in Warm
Springs. Eating properly is not as
hard as it may seem. Most often,
eating less fat foods, eating and
drinking less sugar foods and eat
ing smaller amounts of food will
CELLS
After: More Receptors
regular exercise. Research has
shown that existing receptors work
better, perhaps by binding insulin
more tightly. More important, the
number of receptors on target cells
increases in people who are fit
Glucose can get inside the cell:
more quickly following a meal
thereby reducing blood sugar levels
Hyperglycemia becomes a prob
lem when it is not controlled. But.
through diet and exercise, you can
keep blood glucose low and reduce
the chances of developing compli
cations. Hyperglycemia can be controlled
by regulating blood glucose levels
through both exercise and well
planned meals. Think of exercise
as a self-prescription. Test your
blood or urine sugar levels to see
when they are highest. Then talk to
your doctor or diabetes educator
about using exercise to control
your hyperglycemia. After you've
begun an exercise program, check
daily glucose records to see how
you're doing.
Follow the dietary program
that your doctor, dietitian, or nurse
has developed. You will soon see
how easy it is to control your dia
betes by eating right and checking
your progress with regular glucose
testing.
Free Blood
April 13 10:00 a.m. to Noon Community Center
April 20 10:00 a.m. to Noon Kah-Nee-Ta, K.W.S.I and K.W.S.O.
May 11 10:00 a.m. to Noon Fire Management
May 18 10:00 a.m. to Noon Fire Management
June 8 10:00 a.m. to Noon Warm Springs Mill
June 15 10:00 a.m. to Noon Warm Springs Mill
July 13 10:00 a.m. to Noon Tribal Warehouse
July 20 10:00 a.m. to 1 1:00 a.m. Day Care Center
July 20 11:00 a.m. to Noon Presbyterian Church
Fourth Thursday of Every Month 10:00 a.m. to Noon Tribal Administration Building
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level includes regular testing at one of
result in reaching a proper weight
for your body frame and keep your
blood sugar at normal levels.
Exercising regularly also helps
with weight loss. It decreases the
appetite and helps your body burn
fat more efficiently. Research has
shown that as you lose weight
(both through watching your diet
and regular exercise), the number
of receptors (doors) on target cells
increases. It also suggests that the
existing receptors work better with
regular exercise. With a large num
ber of efficient receptors, the blood
sugar can get inside the cells more
quickly following a meal. This results
in lower blood sugar levels.
Regular exercise may also help
reduce the genetic tendency to deve
lop diabetes. If Type II diabetes
runs in your family, do not wait
until you get the disease. Start now
to eat a proper, well-balanced and
nutritious diet. Get fit and stay as
active as oossible. Walk instead of
Early signs and signals of
high blood sugar
Fatigue Feels
"Increased thirst
Frequent urination
i
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Have sores that
Experiences blurred vision
Have sore gums
Increased hunger
Losing weight
i
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l
If you are experiencing any of these
symptoms, you may have diabetes. Check
with your doctor.
Are you at risk for
getting high blood sugar
Are you heavy?
Are you inactive?.
Are you over 30?.
Do you have family members with high
blood sugar?
Did you have high blood sugar during
pregnancy?
If you answered "Yes" to any of these, you
may be more likely to get diabetes. Have
your blood sugar checked.
Sugar Screening Clinic
the free blood sugar screening clinics.
ride whenever you can. Enroll in an
exercise program. Take advantage
of the exercise equipment and pro
grams available through the Wel
lness Program, the Community Cen
tcrand the Extension Service. Work
in your yard, go camping, go fish
ing, go for a hike with your family.
Do something that keeps you active
for the rest of your life.
Through an understanding of
diabetes and it's treatment, meal
planning, regular exercise and in
some cases, medication, you can
control diabetes if you have it and
possibly avoid or delay getting
diabetes if you don't. Know the
signs and symptoms, know what
risks you might have and have your
blood sugar tested on a regular
basis. Be informed. Ask for dia
betes information from the IHS
clinic or the Wellness Program.
Take charge of your own health
don't wait for it to take charge of
you.
tired much of the time
don't heal
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