4 6 Living with Diabetes- Community Calendar A 24-Hour Job Here are some programs offered by Catherine McAuley Health Center and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (SJMH) throughout the fall hen Anne Merkel of Chelsea we can avoid having a very large infant w fire tnld hi hr d taina a t h tim ofd lir H-nxa~ hlfof and early winter. The introductory classes in BOLD are free (there is a fee for the remainder of the sessions) except for the breast- feeding class. There are also numerous classes for seniors, includ- ing educational sessions on reducing stress, varicose veins and how to prevent strokes. The Health Center's Health Promotion Van will be out in the community throughout the fall as well. For more information on classes for seniors or on the Health Promotion Van, please call 572-3675 and let them know you read about it in Capsules. 9e-i v'e 13 13 15 15 16 16 21 Hypertension screening Intro to BE TRIM! Intro to BE TRIM! Volunteering at CMHC- informational meeting Hypertension screening Hearing screening Workshop for the hearing impaired 22 BREAST-FEEDING CLASS 26 27 27 28 28 Glaucoma screening Hypertension screening Health risk appraisals Cardiac spouse support group Workshop for the hearing impaired SJMH Lobby Arbor Health Building Arbor Health Building SJMH Education Center Reichert Health Building Reichert Health Building Reichert Health Building, Fifth floor SJMH Education Center Reichert Health Building Arbor Health Building Arbor Health Building Arbor Health Building Reichert Health Building, Fifth Floor SJMH Education Center Arbor Health Building SJMH Education Center SJMH Education Center Reichert Health Building, Fifth Floor SJMH Education Center 4-8 p.m. 7-8:30 p.m. 7-8:30 p.m. 7-8 p.m. 1-3 p.m. 1-3 p.m. 10 a.m.- noon (Call 572-3816 to pre-register.) 7:30-9 p.m. (Call 572-3675 to pre-register.) 1-3 p.m. 1-5 p.m. 1-5 p.m. 7-9 p.m. 10 a.m.- noon (Call 572-3816 to pre-register.) 7-8:30 p.m. 7-9 p.m. 7-8:30 p.m. 7-8:30 p.m. 10 a.m.- noon (Call 572-3816 to pre-register.) 7-8:30 p.m. svwas 1rsL Lto s1 e au gestatounat diabetes, she burst into tears. "It was so scary I didn't know anything about di- abetes and I was worried about how it would affect the health of my baby" Diabetes is a disorder in which the body cannot convert food properly into energy When a person eats sugars and starches, the body, with the help of a hormone called insulin, converts them mainly into a specific sugar called glucose. In diabetics, the amount of glucose in the blood is not controlled, either because they don't have enough insulin in their bodies or the insulin they do have isn't working. This results in a glucose build-up which can cause increased thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, fatigue and skin infections. Over many years, if this condition isn't controlled, complications of the disease such as stroke, blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and nerve damage can result. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can occur in pregnant women. Says Marv VandenBosch, RN, di- abetes education specialist at Catherine McAuley Health Center, "If the condition is well-controlled during pregnancy, the chances of the woman not having di- abetes after pregnancy are good. By controlling the mother's blood sugar, 0 What's Up Doc? aL IeLilieor eivey. rowever, nai or the women who develop gestational diabetes will have chronic or perma- nent diabetes 15 to 20 years later." Merkel's blood sugar was almost back to normal the day after her baby was born. "I'm not diabetic now, but I don't think I'm going to be diabetes-free all my life," she says. The fact that she de- veloped gestational diabetes will play a part in her and her husband's decision on whether to have another child. Be- sides the increased risks for the fetus if the mother is diabetic, the likelihood of a woman who has had gestational di- abetes developing chronic diabetes in- creases with successive pregnancies. All encompassing disease Trudy Dunaway of Brighton did not learn about her problem with diabetes until after she switched to a Catherine McAuley Health Center physician. By then she had already had gestational di- abetes with all of her children and then developed chronic diabetes herself be- fore she became pregnant with her fourth child. "The support I received from the Health Center staff-the clinicians, the nurses and the nutritionist-was tre- mendous," she says. "They were willing to work within the restrictions of my Here are some health-related facts from our doctor's corner that may surprise you. " Fluorescent light in supermarkets quickly destroys vitamin A and riboflavin in milk kept in glass or clear plastic containers and causes the flavor to deteriorate. Milk in cardboard car- tons stays fresh and nutritious longer. " One out of three childhood poison- ings from prescription drugs involve a grandparent's medication. * The tendancy to sleepwalk is heredi- tary and occurs most frequently in childhood. According to one study, 15 percent of all children between the ages of five and 12 sleepwalk at least once. lifestyle. FDunawa, the most diffi- cult part of being diabetic was having to eat certain foods at certain times of the day. "The people at the Health Center understood that with so many young children, it was hard for me to find the time to eat when I needed to eat. They helped me plan snacks that would meet my needs but wouldn't interfere with my schedule." According to VandenBosch, diabetes is one of the most encompassing of all diseases. She stresses, "We need to know everything affecting that person's ability to control his or her condition." This includes the person's knowledge and acceptance of the disease and their method of dealing with stress and their lifestyle. VandenBosch also determines complicating conditions such as arthri- tis that might make it difficult for the person to administer insulin, for example. VandenBosch, who coordinates the Diabetes Education Program at the Health Center, works with patients in group and individual settings, depend- ing upon the person's needs. A team ap- proach is used with all patients. For a pregnant woman with diabetes, the team includes an obstetrician, an inter- nist, a dietitian, an educator, a diabetes nurse and other specialists, as needed. The goal of the program is to help dia- betics become self-sufficient, to deliver a healthy baby of normal birth weight and to avoid or minimize complications. "Diabetes is a self-help disease. We want people to be able to control their blood sugar level by following a continued on page 8 " One corporation's study found that mental health programs for employ- ees cut medical plan utilization by 50 percent. * Nearly $1 out of every $4 spent by the Michigan state government is for a health-related activity, yet less than six cents out of every dollar spent on health care is spent on prevention. " The United States Chamber of Com- merce estimates that by 1992, the aver- age employee health care will cost $5,120 per year. * Nationally, advertising costs for ciga- rettes exceed $1.5 billion each year. 61 yoysj K 3 Intro to BE TRIM! 3 Alzheimer's support group 3 Intro to PERSONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT 3 Intro to SMOKE STOPPERS 4 Workshop for the hearing impaired 4 Intro to SMOKE STOPPERS 3