National Diabetes Association

The National Diabetes Association in every country provides valuable information about local and regional events. In the United States, it is the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). It partners with National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

There is a lengthy list of publications available from the NDEP. Some of them are listed here.

4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes for Life

These four steps help people with diabetes understand, monitor, and manage their diabetes to help them stay healthy. This publication is excellent for people newly diagnosed with diabetes or who just want to learn more about controlling the disease.

If You Have Diabetes, Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers

Learn more about the importance of knowing your blood sugar numbers. This publication contains information on the A1C test, self-monitoring blood glucose, and working with a health care team to set blood glucose targets and reach them.

Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime

If you have diabetes, your feet need special attention. This illustrated booklet helps you care for your feet and provides tips to avoid serious foot problems.

Small Steps. Big Rewards. Your GAME PLAN to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Information for Patients

This three-booklet package helps people assess their risk for developing diabetes and implement a program to prevent or delay the onset of the disease. Includes an activity tracker and a fat and calorie counter.

You can order any of these and others at the web site: http://ndep.nih.gov/index.aspx

Or you can write to them or call them at:
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
1 Information Way, Bethesda, MD 20892–3560
Phone: 1-800-860-8747 (for bulk orders or CDs) or 1-888-693-NDEP (for no cost orders)
The phone numbers are toll free.

The American Diabetes Association

The other branch of the National Diabetes Association is the American Diabetes Association (ADA). It is a huge informational organization that promotes research. They raise millions of dollars every year.

At the American Diabetes Association web site, www.diabetes.org, you can:

• Chat online with an ADA representative who is knowledgeable about diabetes.
• Read a diabetes article in the latest issue of Diabetes Forecast.
• Find information about diabetes recipes.
• Get information about diabetes camps for children with diabetes.
• Read research articles in the news.
• Search for information about specific topics.
• Take a risk test.
• Sign up to ride in the Tour de Cure cycling event.
• Shop the ADA store and support the mission of the American Diabetes Association.

The Causes of Diabetes

The causes of diabetes vary depending on the type of diabetes.

1. Type 1 diabetes is a disease of young children and young adults. It is an autoimmune disease. The body kills the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
2. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that afflicts adults who are overweight and inactive. It is affecting more young people than ever before. Your body’s cells are no longer sensitive to insulin. Doctors call it insulin resistance.
3. Gestational diabetes occurs only during pregnancy. Its cause is hormones from the placenta in the uterus.

In all three instances, there is insufficient insulin to handle the glucose your body is producing. Glucose is the by-product of digestion and is carried by your bloodstream to all the cells in your body.

In the presence of insulin, the glucose can pass into the cells. Without insulin, the glucose stays in your bloodstream. A normal glucose reading is about 100 mg/dL. With diabetes, that number can double or even triple.

The effects of diabetes are serious. You can read about those complications elsewhere on this web site.

Conclusion

We started with the National Diabetes Association. We progressed to the American Diabetes Association and then the causes of diabetes. We hope that this information has been helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Margaret Stenerson
March 11, 2010