'Failings' on diabetes condemned

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News  People with diabetes need to check their blood sugar levels on a regular basis Standards for diabetes care are still not being met in England - 11 years after they were set, a report suggests.

The Department of Health recommended in 2001 that patients should receive nine basic services, including cholesterol and blood pressure monitoring, eye screening and foot examinations.

But the National Audit Office analysis said despite improvements, just half of patients were getting the checks.

The government said the NAO had taken only a "snapshot" of care.

The watchdog also criticised ministers for not having a grip on costs.

It said the NHS was spending at least £3.9bn a year on diabetes - three times more than ministers had estimated.

'Failed to deliver'

But the watchdog said better management of patients could save £170m a year through fewer hospital admissions and less complex treatment. About 24,000 unnecessary deaths could be prevented too.

More than 2.3m people are diagnosed as having diabetes.

Without effective care, patients can develop a range of complications, including blindness, amputation and kidney disease.

NAO head Amyas Morse said the Department of Health had "failed to deliver".

And he said without action, the expected rise in diabetes - by 2020 numbers are forecast to jump by a quarter - would have a "major impact on NHS resources".

The report also points out the NHS reorganisation has led to many diabetes specialists in the community leaving their posts.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said the findings were a "damning indictment of the current approach to the condition".

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said plans were already in place to improve services.

But he added: "There is no excuse for delivering anything but the best diabetes care."

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Natural Solutions For Living With Diabetes

Diabetes is a ever growing concern in today's world. It has had its largest impact in the in the western world as we become ever busier with time crunches, due dates and quotas to meet. During earlier years diabetes was not nearly as much of an issue. Many believe this is the result of many differences in society, for example having more physical jobs rather than desk jobs, lack of preservatives in food as opposed to food saturated in preservatives today, people also ate a much more balanced diet rather than eating fast food in a hurry. Many would agree that this major change in our society and the way we live pose the greatest threat for those dealing with diabeties or in danger of acquiring diabetes.

Another real danger in this world is the overwhelming amount of carbohydrates that we regularly consume. Now carbohydrates, also known as carbs are essential for energy production in the body with the help of insulin. There are good carbs and bad carbs as well. certain sugars can cause extreme irregularities in the blood sugar levels of the body and can literally take the body on blood sugar roller coaster. Todays foods that are most prevelent in today's fast paced world are full of these bad carbs as well as other elements that also contribute to poor health and blood sugar stability.

Another big contributor to the overwhelming cases of diabetes, especially in the western world is the lack of exercise. Today it is more and more common for people to have desk jobs, in which they sit in front of a computer eight to ten hours a day and go home and watch television for another three to four. This is another flaw that has been woven in to our diabetic society which most certainly plays a role in so many people who acquire this disease.

So what needs to be done? Many of the common diabetes symptoms seem almost common in today's world. We should be extremely mindful of what we eat such as organic foods that are non processed. A rich diet in whole foods and more importantly a well balanced diet, eating at regulated times of the day can significantly reduce the chances of getting diabetes and can lower the symptoms of those who already have this disease. Another important concept is to remember to get regular exercise, whether that means riding a bike or walking to work, getting a gym membership or doing any little thing possible to keep in motion can also reduce your chances of getting this horrible disease as well as reduce the common diabetes symptoms.

In short, what we put in is what we get out. Above anything, respect of your body will provide long lasting benefits as well as your mental outlook and help you in the fight against diabetes.

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Green Tea Diet Pills Jump Start Your Fat Burning And Diabeties Fighting Ability

Green tea diet pills are a good way in which you can educe your weight. It is also widely recognized as a substance that can protect against many different cancers such as stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer of the colon, oral cancer, prostate cancer, and breast and cervical cancers.

Green Tea Diet is standardized and tested to ensure that each tablet delivers the active. But the basic and best advantage of super green tea diet is that it helps in burning calories by promoting sugar and fat metabolism.

Benefits

More than four thousand years ago, green tea diet has become a staple beverage for most Asians because of its countless health and medicinal benefits. It seems that each study yields more benefits of the tea.

One of the benefits of having such diet is providing a potential cure for cancer. Rather it's about supplementing your diet with green tea so that you can receive its weight loss benefits that go along with that.

Some people even call it weight loss tea as it has benefits including increasing metabolic rates and fat burning ability, as well as providing antioxidants that help decrease free radicals in your body.

There are a large number of remedial benefits of drinking Green Tea and research has confirmed that consuming a small amount like just one cup a day can greatly assist in weight reduction and fat burning. What you have to do is incorporate the tea into your daily diet, which needs to be a healthy and balanced one, for the benefits to really show.

Diabetes

In the US, there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to 7% of the population. Do you or a loved one need all the help you can get managing this condition.

Diabetes and excess weight are very closely related; the risk increases with weight gain. Dietary supplementation with EGCG could potentially contribute to nutritional strategies for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

New herbal supplement product uses green tea and cinnamon for controlling diabetes. Consult doctor before use if you have, or have had, diabetes, hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, ulcer, iron-deficiency, osteoporosis, anxiety, depression, kidney, liver, or heart problems; gastrointestinal disorder, heartburn, gallstones, fever, a bleeding disorder, if you are sensitive to caffeine, if you smoke or consume alcohol daily or if you are taking any medications or remedies such as blood thinners, daily aspirin, asthma, cold or flu remedies; antidepressants, ulcer, antipsychotic or migraine medications, birth control pills or stimulants.

Conclusion

Creating a green tea diet is not about going on a liquid diet where all you consume is green tea. If you want to jump-start your fat-burning ability, then this is the product for you.

The truth is that the astounding weight loss being achieved on the Green Tea diet is just one of the numerous miracle-like benefits of simply drinking it. A combination of this with the green tea diet is a successful and effective method for maintaining health and physique or also losing weight. The Green Tea diet is all natural and is healthy providing additional benefits to their body as well.

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Diabetes report shock

 By Laurence Cawley

DIABETES treatment is a postcode lottery with one of Essex’s health areas being cited as one of the nation’s worst areas in a report by the National Audit Office (NAO), it emerged last night.

Published today, the NAO survey highlights a massive variation in care quality from region to region.

In some regions, only 6% of sufferers received the recommended levels of care compared to 69% in the highest-achieving primary care trusts (PCTs).

Not a single PCT delivered the nine basic care processes which reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications such as blindness, amputation or kidney disease.

The report highlighted Mid Essex PCT as one of the worst performers with less than 9% of patients getting the nine basic tests recommended by the Department of Health (DH).

Mid Essex last night hit back saying the figures used by the NAO - which relate to 2009-2010 - are out of date, did not factor in the PCT’s use of a different test to the one audited and did not reflect the care now being given to people with diabetes.

According to the NAO, the DH was not holding poorly performing PCTs to account.

The authors say: “The Department holds information to assess performance but there is a lack of accountability for PCTs who fail to ensure that the recommended standards of care are met.”

The report says: “People with diabetes require regular review of clinical indicators of disease progression.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “The DH has failed to deliver diabetes care to the standard it set out as long ago as 2001.

“This has resulted in people with diabetes developing avoidable complications, in a high number of preventable deaths and in increased costs for the NHS.

“The expected 23% increase by 2020 in the number of people in England with diabetes will have a major impact on NHS recourses unless the efficiency and effectiveness of existing services are substantially improved.”

A spokeswoman for Mid Essex PCT said: “We have looked closely at this audit and it does not present a true picture of diabetic care in our area in 2012.

“The National Diabetes Audit (NDA) is based on 2009/10 data. It shows that NHS Mid Essex is in the mid range for seven out of the nine care processes that have been measured but there are two care processes that have significantly reduced our overall score.

“One relates to a routine blood test for creatinine that GPs order for diabetic patients. We believe that diabetic patients in mid Essex are receiving this test routinely as our Quality and Outcome Framework Figures (QOF) from our GP practices indicate this. It seems that this information was not captured by the NDA system in 09/10.

“The second relates to protein testing. The test used in mid Essex was different to the one in the national audit but was equally as effective so people with diabetes in mid Essex were not disadvantaged. We now commission the protein test that the NDA measures.

“Since 2009/10 progress has been made in a number of the care process areas. We are also making a number of improvements to diabetic care that are not measured by this audit including developing more integrated commissioning for diabetic patients so that local access to services improves and care is more ‘joined up’.

“A handbook for diabetic patients, to enable them to record and plan their care more effectively has been developed and piloted. We will be distributing this to all GP practices in mid Essex by August 2012.”

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How Do Snacks Loaded With Sugar Relate to Diabeties

It is a common notion that a person with diabetes is advised not to eat anything that is loaded with sugar. Most patients with diabetes tend to stay away from sweets because sugar is a big "NO" to their diet. However, the truth is that small amounts of sugar are allowed for a diabetic patient.

Experts state that a person with diabetes can eat small portions of sweets as long as they maintain healthy lifestyle and diet.

Sweets do not actually cause blood sugar levels to shoot up anymore than products which are made up of starch with the same amount of calories. In fact, sugar is just one form of carbohydrates.

Still, it is not advisable to load up on sweets if the goal is to lose weight, keep fit and maintain an ideal blood sugar level.

Reading Food Labels

If you are a person with diabetes, Practice Reading Food Labels and Nutrition Information. This way, you can determine just how much carbohydrates or sugar you are taking.

Food Substitution

It is also important that you Practice Food Substitution. This is essential in the diabetes diet.

EXAMPLE

Let's say you want to have some cookies today, you will have to remove something from your diet today to compensate. The cookies will substitute for what you will remove in your diet. If you are supposed to have chicken breast and potatoes, you will have to give up the potato and go for just the chicken breast.

Do not forget that snacks loaded with sugar can make you gain weight fast. Being overweight is not advisable for patients with diabetes. For weight control and maintenance, set your limits on sweets and be smart with your food choices.

Check Blood Sugar Levels

If you are considering eating some snacks loaded with sugar, make it a habit to check your blood sugar level.

Consult Your Doctor

If you want to make some diet modifications, CONSULT your doctor first. The doctor can discuss and advise you on the things you need to observe based on your type of diabetes particularly planning your diet and maintaining your weight control.

If you are a person with diabetes and having difficulty with weight control, you should consider using ProShapeRx Pills along with a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. Its ingredients are 100% Pure and Natural, with no harmful side effects.

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East Anglia ‘faring better than most’ in diabetes postcode lottery

Treatment for diabetic patients is a postcode lottery with a massive variation in quality of care from one region to another, according to a report which reveals that East Anglia is faring better than most areas.

In some regions, only 6pc of people with diabetes received the recommended levels of care compared to 69pc in the highest-achieving primary care trusts (PCTs), a National Audit Office (NAO) report found.

But not a single PCT delivered the nine basic care processes, which reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications such as blindness, amputation or kidney disease, to 100pc of patients.

In Norfolk, 61pc of patients were given the nine tests which are recommended by the Department of Health (DH), which put it in the highest percentage bracket of between 60pc and 69pc for trusts in the country.

Cambridgeshire and Suffolk were placed in the second highest-performing group of PCTs, with between 50pc and 55pc of patients receiving the tests. Great Yarmouth and Waveney was in the same group, with 57pc of patients.

The worst offenders were Mid Essex and Swindon PCTs, where less than 9pc of patients received the tests in 2009 to 2010.

The report said that the DH is not holding poorly performing PCTs to account.

NHS Norfolk and Waveney says diabetes is a condition which patients routinely manage themselves, supported by their GP or practice nurse.

Dr Alistair Lipp, medical director of NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said: “We do not rest on our laurels; all GP Practices in England are offered financial incentives to deliver all of these care processes and there are clinically-led networks across Norfolk and Waveney which promote good practice.

“We would advise all patients to attend for diabetes check-ups when invited to do so by their GP.”

Without regular monitoring and treatment, diabetics can experience complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney disease.

The authors of the report recommend that services for the growing number of people suffering from the disease are “adequate” to help minimise additional costs which are generated by diabetes-related complications.

NHS Suffolk has been holding regular sessions to help GPs learn how to better manage difficult cases of diabetes with Ipswich Hospital diabetes consultants offering them advice.

Dr Mark Lim, a public health doctor for NHS Suffolk, said: “Diabetes care is really important which is why we have enhanced the GP contract to include more services at locations closer to patients and why we have been buying time from hospital consultants to advise GPs on better management.”

South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon said: “The National Audit Office couldn’t be clearer. Having set standards for care way back in 2001, the Department of Health has been failing diabetes patients for over a decade.

“Only half of diabetes patients have received the recommended levels of care and estimates show that up to 24,000 people die each year of avoidable diabetes-related complications.

“This isn’t good enough. The NHS’s treatment standards have been in place for over a decade and it is unacceptable that they still are not being met. The Department of Health needs to do more to ensure that people with diabetes get the care they need.”

The NAO is warning an expected 23pc increase by 2020 in the number of people in England with diabetes will have a major impact on NHS resources unless the efficiency and effectiveness of existing services are substantially improved.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “It has been clear for the last 10 years what needs to happen to fix the problem, but the plan the government published on this has never been implemented.

“Action is needed now and escalating diabetes costs threaten to wreck the NHS budget so this is an issue that affects all of us, not just people with diabetes.”

kim.briscoe@archant.co.uk

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Diabetes Population May Rise To 53 Million Within 13 Years In USA

By the year 2025, researchers predict that 53.1 million individuals in the United States will have diabetes (mainly type 2 diabetes) - a 64% increase from 2010. The study is published in Population Health Management

Diabetes is a life long disease in which there are high levels of glucose in the blood. In type 1 diabetes the body does not produce insulin and in type 2 diabetes the body either produces insufficient amounts of insulin or ignores it.

William Rowley, M.D., and Clement Bezold, Ph.D., Institute for Alternative Futures (Alexandria, VA) projected the dramatic increase using their Diabetes 2025 Model. In addition, the model enables the researchers to estimate the potential benefits of society-wide changes in lifestyle and healthcare delivery systems to reduce the burden of diabetes.

Over the last thirty years, obesity rates in the USA have grown steady, as have rates of diabetes, mainly type 2

Journal Editor-in-Chief David B. Nash, M.D., MBA, Dean, Jefferson School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA, said:

"Diabetes is now a national security issue as it threatens all aspects
of our nation's well-being."

Diabetes Type 2 is mainly a result of becoming overweight/obese and long-term physical inactivity, while Diabetes Type 1 is the result of an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas; mistaking them for pathogens (harmful substances or organisms). Diabetes type 2 is a preventable chronic-disease, while diabetes type 1 is not. Diabetes type 1 has nothing to do with lifestyle.

In an Abstract in the same journal, the authors concluded:

"This research is important because little data exist that project the future prevalence and potential costs of diabetes at the state and metro area level. With this data, key stakeholders can make informed decisions concerning diabetes, its impact on their communities, and resource allocation."

Written By Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our diabetes section for the latest news on this subject. "Creating Public Awareness: State 2025 Diabetes Forecasts"
William R. Rowley and Clement Bezold
Population Health Management, May 2012, doi: 10.1089/pop.2011.0053. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Grace Rattue. "Diabetes Population May Rise To 53 Million Within 13 Years In USA." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 18 May. 2012. Web.
24 May. 2012. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

posted by rusty on 23 May 2012 at 12:31 pm

Your projections are nonsense! You fail to take into account that various diabetes organizations continue to lower the blood sugar number which defines diabetes, thus automatically including more of the marginal patients. There is no diabetes epidemic.

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