Chronic Pain

Why Eating Fresh Fruit Can Lower Your Risk for Diabetes

Eating fresh fruit is one of the great and delicious ways to eat healthy and still pack more flavor into your diet. Not only is fresh fruit a wonderful way to help balance your diet and lose weight, it may help you avoid developing type II diabetes. Medical researchers have known for some time that the risks for developing diabetes are heavily tied to daily lifestyle habits.

Studies, for instance, have consistently shown that a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and heart healthy fats can significantly lower your risk for developing adult onset, or type II diabetes ­– especially when combined with other healthy choices such as walking or other regular exercise.

Healthy Eating Can Lower Your Risk for Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Certain Cancers

Fresh whole fruits may also boost your immune system and lower your risks of both heart disease and even certain cancers. As with any diet, it is important to remember to add a wide variety of natural, healthy food sources rather than simply eating just one or two kinds of fruit. You should also talk to your family medicine provider to create a comprehensive diet and exercise program that works with your body to help you sustain a healthier lifestyle.

Keep in mind that the best diets reduce or eliminate poor food choices such as saturated fats, empty calories, high fructose corn syrup and sugar, adding heart and blood sugar healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, and lean protein sources instead.

Surprisingly, fresh fruits are not the only thing that may help prevent diabetes. Peanut butter has a high fiber content, and monosaturated (good) fats that people enjoy eating. Be sure to carefully note portion sizes though, as it can ratchet up your calories. And even with fresh fruit, while overwhelmingly healthy, too much of a good thing can cause unwanted weight gain.

Fresh fruits should be eaten as whole as possible, removing only what is inedible such as the outer peel or rind. The skins of some fruits like apples also contain additional vitamins and trace minerals. Just be sure to thoroughly wash them to remove any pesticide residue that may have been used in growing them, or look for organic varieties instead.

Be aware that fruit juices or processed fruit may have added sugars, or have stripped away healthy fiber, which can cause a rise in blood sugar levels (fiber slows down absorption and improves blood sugar levels). A diet rich in whole grains, fresh fruits, nuts, berries and vegetables is a tasty way to reduce your chances of developing diabetes.

If you are concerned about how your diet is affecting your chances of developing diabetes, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene of Advanced Medical Clinic can answer all of your questions. To make an appointment with us in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.

Diabetic and Sleep Deprivation Go Hand in Hand

Sleep. We talk about it a lot; not getting enough and needing more are usually at the top of the list. For people with diabetes or those with pre-diabetes, the relationship between sleep and blood glucose level is antagonistic, as they both can negatively impact the other.

To start, not sleeping enough or sleeping too much can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.  Additionally, diabetes complications like increased thirst and urination can make it harder for you to sleep; yet diabetes can also make you more tired and fatigued.

If you are diabetic, you know how difficult it can be to sleep if your blood glucose levels are not in check. Eating healthily and exercising are crucial to keeping blood glucose levels where they should be and in turn increasing your chances for a good night’s sleep. Test your blood sugar before bed, so that you can head off any problems that may interrupt your sleep later.

For those of you who are at risk of developing diabetes, your sleep habits can negatively impact your risk. It is not uncommon to reach for sugary and caffeinated drinks to help wake you up in the morning.  If you did not sleep well, these drinks may be your go-to, all the while adding to your weight and further increasing your risk for diabetes.

With that said, it’s also been noted that taking naps and sleeping extremely long stretches of time can also increase your risk. Disrupting your circadian rhythms and internal clock can lead to issues with your metabolism, cardiovascular system, and immune system.

So what does all this contradictory information mean when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep?  Ultimately, it means that your diet and exercise play a key role in the value of the sleep you get. If you are pre-diabetic, getting regular exercise and eating healthy can prevent diabetes as a whole and make it easier for you to sleep at night. You will also not be as fatigued during the day and can avoid the unhelpful and unnecessary naps.

For diabetics, regular exercise and diet can help keep your glucose levels within a normal range and may also help prevent the typical culprits that wake you up at night: frequent urination, restless legs, nervousness and overheating.

Diabetes Management in Wellington

If you are concerned about how your sleep is affecting your diabetes or your risk for diabetes, board-certified internal medicine specialist Dr. Ishan can help. He will assess your situation and offer lifestyle and dietary recommendations to help control your diabetes or reduce your risk. To make an appointment with our diabetes specialist in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.

Chronic Pain Effects on Your Quality of Life

Are you one of the millions of people affected by chronic pain, or do you know someone who is? If so, you know how it can limit everyday activities while also causing strain on your professional and personal relationships. The significant impact it has on your quality of life not only affects your physical health, but your mental and emotional health as well. This is not surprising, because when you know something is wrong with your body, especially when in pain, it can wreak havoc on your thought process.

Dealing with chronic pain can be just as emotionally draining as it is physically. It is not uncommon for you to avoid social activities due to pain or even just fear of pain. If you think you may have to engage in any activity that could lead to a flare up, you may start to fear activities and social events that you once enjoyed. This fear can sometimes be debilitating and often become more worrisome than the pain itself.

Chronic pain can have a significant effect on your interpersonal relationships. In addition to foregoing social outings and activities, it can also strain relationships with family, friends and even co-workers.  Oftentimes, others need to do more than their fair share of the workload because of your physical limitations. Or perhaps the burden of financially carrying the household once your pain becomes disabling puts a strain on your marriage. These circumstances can lead to feelings of guilt and stress, which in turn can worsen your pain.

Consequently, the fear, isolation, and constant dependence on others can lead to depression, which is very common for people dealing with chronic pain. Because chronic pain can cause depression and depression can make pain worse, it can quickly become a vicious cycle before you even know what hit you.

It is extremely important that if you think you are depressed, you seek professional help right away.  Signs of depression can include feelings of sadness, anger and hopelessness, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, decreased appetite, and thoughts of harming yourself. Seeking professional help can break the cycle of pain and depression.

If you or someone you know is dealing with chronic pain, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and board-certified family nurse practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene at Wellington Advanced Medical Clinic can help get to the root cause of your pain. For an appointment to discuss chronic pain treatments in Wellington, call (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online.

Specializing in primary care and internal medicine, we will work with you to get your quality of life back. We don’t just want you to survive – we want you to thrive, physically and emotionally to enjoy life again.

Is Type 2 Diabetes Preventable?

With the alarming rise in diabetes diagnoses in recent years, it should come as no surprise that the medical community is doing all they can to thwart the increase. This includes empowering patients, both adults and children at risk of developing diabetes, through education.

There are 2 main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Understanding the difference between these can help you understand your risk and prevention.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes because it typically shows up in childhood, is a result of your body not producing enough insulin. While the cause is still not completely understood, genetics certainly play a critical role in its development. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% of diabetes in the adult population.

On the other hand, type 2 diabetes happens when your body produces enough insulin but you are resistant to it. It seems to be caused predominantly by lifestyle factors and makes up nearly 95% of adult diabetes. While genetics still may play some role, there are ways you can lower your risk for developing it.

Healthy lifestyle habits are a key component to lowering your risk. While there currently is no magic vaccine that prevents type 2 diabetes, there are simple lifestyle and diet changes that can greatly reduce your risk. These same changes also benefit other areas of your health, like your heart and lungs.

You are seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are overweight. Moreover, if you are obese it makes you 20 – 40 times more likely to develop diabetes. Keep your weight within a healthy range to help lower your risk of developing diabetes.

Be active! Not only does exercise help you lose excess weight, but working your muscles also helps to improve their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This in turn can lower the stress on your insulin-making cells.

Watch what you eat. Spikes in blood sugar and insulin take a toll on insulin-making cells. This makes you more susceptible to developing diabetes. Choosing foods like whole grains that slowly and gradually increase your blood sugar and insulin, over starchy and sugary foods and drinks, can significantly lower your risk.

It goes without saying that quitting smoking can drastically increase your overall health, but did you know it could greatly reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes? Smokers are statistically much more likely to develop diabetes (and many other unnecessary diseases and disorders) than non-smokers. So please, quit smoking as soon as possible.

If you are concerned about your risk or want to be evaluated for your risk for diabetes, board-certified internal medicine specialist Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and Nurse Practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene at Wellington Advanced Medical are here to help. Through a comprehensive exam, our compassionate providers fully assess your risk, and then offer lifestyle and dietary change support. To make an appointment with one of our diabetes experts in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.

What is the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and Who is at Risk?

Diabetes is a word that’s often thrown around in conversation or in media coverage due to increasing awareness of this ever-growing disease. The information can be very confusing, as there are different types of diabetes with different causes, symptoms, and risk groups. Diabetes is typically diagnosed as either type 1 or type 2, and they can be quite different.

Here are some key differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes due to the fact that most individuals with this disease are diagnosed before the age 20. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder with no known cause, except for the possibility of being passed down through genetics.

Healthy bodies produce insulin in order to break down glucose from the food we eat and help the body’s cells to absorb it for energy. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces cells that create insulin but your body mistakes these cells as foreign bodies and destroys them, preventing you from producing insulin. In these cases, you are not able to absorb the necessary glucose without regular injections of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type in the United States, and primarily affects individuals over the age of 45, those with high blood pressure or cholesterol, those with 120% or more of the recommended body weight, and those with a family history from a first-degree relative. Type 2 is brought on very slowly and is preventable if changes are made to one’s lifestyle and diet. Pre-diabetes alerts an individual to the oncoming of diabetes type 2 before the level of one’s blood sugar rises above the threshold of type 2. In order to prevent type 2 from occurring, one must recognize the changes they need to make in their diets and in daily activity and make a conscious effort to improve their condition before onset occurs.

Both type 1 and type 2 sufferers experience some of the same symptoms: frequent urination, constant thirst or dry mouth, chronic fatigue, blurred vision, excessive hunger, or sudden unexplained weight loss. Diabetes is a very serious disease and should be managed carefully and diligently. Other than gestational diabetes, which only occurs in pregnant women and resolves on its own most of the time, type 1 and type 2 diabetes are incurable. They must be diligently managed to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and to avoid further complications.

Board-certified internal medicine specialist Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and his wife, Nurse Practitioner Shariffa, have helped many patients living with diabetes enjoy happier, healthier lives. Yes, a diabetes diagnosis may sound scary, but we can help you learn how to manage your diabetes through medication management and lifestyle and dietary changes. For more information on managing your diabetes in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment or call (561) 434-1935 today.

Do you suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes? What’s the most difficult thing about living with this disorder you’ve faced so far?