Diabetes and You ! - Week One

When I sat back and actually thought to myself, “when was the last time I went to see a doctor for a physical, sparking a chance to be tested for diabetes?” Like myself, I’m sure many of you can testify to that uneasy feeling you get when it comes to doctors, hospitals, needles and things of that nature. Sometimes even when we know there’s a problem, we still choose not to go. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s silly, not to mention detrimental to let this uneasy feeling stop us from getting checked-out for abnormalities in our system. We put all sorts of unnatural things into our bodies (junk food, processed food, sodas, etc.), and place all sorts of strain on our bodies, and expect that everything will be normal. But as we neglect our bodies, the less we remember to get “checked-out”. As this occurs, the more we can expect the little problems to turn into big dilemmas and before we know, we’re spending big bucks on treatments, medications and hospital visits on conditions that would not have existed had we taken time for early detection and prevention all together.

Out of the 20.8 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes, almost 1/3 of them don’t know it! A level of concern is raised when the majority of this figure are of African descent. But one cannot fix what on does not know. That is why its important for us to be attentive to our bodies and health. Chances are nothing may be wrong, but if there is something wrong, it’s better to know now and make a plan to heal than to continue to unknowingly worsen your situation until its too late.

My people please take this quick test: http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp and get a feel for your risk of developing diabetes. This literally took me 10 seconds to do. And if you find you are at a moderate to high risk of developing diabetes, please make an appointment to be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes (a condition in which blood-sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to qualify for full-blown diabetes).This is a quick test that you can do during your next annual physical And for those of you at a low risk of developing diabetes, don’t take advantage of your health. Be good to your body and get your regular check-ups. Remember, doctors are our friends, but we must first be concerned about our bodies and our health before anyone else can be. It’s your body and temple.

Diabetes is a silent killer. Don’t let it sneak up on you.

With love,
Ms. Peace Amadi
Miss Nigeria in America 2007