Key steps to living well with diabetes are:

1. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and whole grains.  Consider a plant based diet.
2. Avoiding all soda and sugar sweetened beverages
3. Eating a diet low in sugar, meat, dairy and eggs in diet.
4. Exercising 4-5 times a week, include strength training.
5. Taking medications as directed. Let us know if you are having problems with any of your medications.
6. Monitoring blood sugar regularly.
7. Have a medical check up at least every six months.
8. Have an eye exam yearly.
9. Have a dental exam every 4-6 months.
10. Get a pneumonia shot when diagnosed with diabetes and again at age 65.
11. Get a flu shot every year.

The American Diabetic Association website is full of very helpful resources and information.

Together we can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and peripheral vascular disease for those living with diabetes.

Vaccines are a key component to healthy living.  Immunizations have greatly reduced the burden of disease in our patients today.  We are strong proponents of preventing life-threatening disease by appropriate vaccinations.  We will be happy to discuss with you the benefits and risks of vaccinating you and/or your child.

Schedule of Vaccination, by Age
2 months:  Pediarix (DTaP, polio, Hepatitis B), Prevnar (pneumonia), Hib (meningitis), Rotarix (diarrhea)
4 months:  Pediarix (DTaP, polio, Hepatitis B), Prevnar (pneumonia), Hib (meningitis), Rotarix (diarrhea)
6 months:  Pediarix (DTaP, polio, Hepatitis B), Prevnar (pneumonia)
12 months:  ProQuad (MMR and chicken pox), Hepatitis A, Hib (meningitis), Prevnar (pneumonia)
18 months:  Hepatitis A, DTaP
4 years:  Kinrix (DTaP and polio), ProQuad (MMR and chicken pox)
11 years:  Menactra (meningitis), TDAP (tetanus and whooping cough), HPV (human papilloma virus–but this is 3 shots, the second is 2 months from the first, the last is 4 months from the second)
16 years:  Menactra (meningitis)

Flu Shot
In addition, we recommend all people over 6 months of age, get a flu shot every fall (egg-free flu vaccines are available at your pharmacy).  

Pneumonia Shot
Pneumonia shots are given to all people at age 65.  Pneumonia shots are given to those younger than age 65 if they have diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or cancer.

Tetanus Shot
The TDAP is now recommended every 10 years (starting at age 11) to prevent tetanus infection but also to reduce the spread of whooping cough which is life threatening to infants.

Resources
The CDC is a wealth of information about vaccines:   www.cdc.gov/vaccinesgreatly

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading cause of stroke, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, blindness, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease and aneurysm.  We want to treat anyone who has a resting blood pressure consistently above 140/90.

Successful treatment of high blood pressure requires attention to diet, exercise and medications.

1.  Diet–the DASH, Whole Food Plant-Based, and Mediterranean diets all lower blood pressure
2.  Exercise–moderate exercise (intense enough that you can’t sing but mild enough that you can still talk) for 30-45 minutes 4-5 x a week.
3.  Medications–we have seven different types of medications that effectively lower blood pressure, but only if taken as prescribed every day.

We work with our patients to implement diet, exercise, and medication changes that are tailored to meet each patient’s needs.

Resources
The DASH Diet
The American Heart Association
Plant-Based Eating