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April 2009
Type 2 Diabetes – Are You at Risk? Diabetes has become a healthcare crisis in
The exact causes of diabetes are not known, but the research continues. What is known, is that diabetes is a condition where the body cannot produce enough of its own insulin, which is the hormone needed to turn sugar into energy the body cells can use as fuel. Food that the body converts to sugar is carried directly into the blood without being distributed to the cells, resulting in the body not getting enough fuel, and the blood sugar level being too high. People often don’t even notice the symptoms of diabetes, or know the age and weight ratio that puts them at risk. Symptoms that should prompt you to call you doctor right away are: ◗ extreme thirst ◗ constant hunger ◗ frequent urination ◗ unexplained weight loss ◗ chronic fatigue ◗ blurred vision Continued on page 10…
America. It presently kills more than 193,000 Americans each year, and it is estimated that out of 16 million Americans that have Type 2 (later onset) Diabetes, one in three do not even know they have it! Until they are diagnosed with one of its complications, such as a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or blindness, many people have ignored the earlier symptoms associated with this ‘silent’ disease. And by the time a diagnosis of diabetes is made, there can already be several years of damage done to the arteries, kidneys, eyes, and nerves – that may not be reversed. You are immediately at a higher risk for diabetes if you have a family history of the disease, or if you are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or a Pacific Islander. You are also at higher risk if you are over 45 years of age, are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have a history of diabetes during pregnancy.
Welcom e to It will be the
Welcome Shelton Family Medicine
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John V. Butler, M.D. Board Certified Family Practice
Call for your appointment
to the family of Mason General Hospital.
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ily...
sam e do ctors , staff,
hours, and location.
Bonnie J. Davis, M.D. Board Certified Family Practice
(360) 426-2653
Timothy J. Weber, M.D. Board Certified Doris H. Wilson, M.D. Family Practice Family Practice
(800) 824-8885 939 Mtn. View Dr., Ste. 100, Shelton Hours: M-F: clinic opens at 8 a.m. Call for evening & weekend hours.
Physician Assistants: Resa Delaney, PA-C Katie Hackney, PA-C
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Vol. 25 No. 2
Vitamin D The Sunshine “Hormone”
By Sarah Fulkerson, registered dietitian, certified diabetic educator at Mason General Hospital Have you heard the “buzz” about Vitamin D in the media recently? Here are a few interesting tidbits of information you may NOT have heard... ✿ Vitamin D is actually a HORMONE produced by our skin, as well as a vitamin ✿ Most Americans have sub-optimal blood levels of vitamin D ✿ Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased risk of arthritis, cancer, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, infectious diseases, multiple sclerosis, bone diseases, fibromyalgia, and many other conditions ✿ Recommended intake amounts were established only to prevent rickets ✿ In Washington and other areas of northern latitude, our skin cannot make vitamin D in the winter, even on a sunny day, and may not even make enough in the summer ✿ The amount of vitamin D our body produces from sunlight decreases with age ✿ Wearing SPF 15 decreases the body’s vitamin D production by 99%! ✿ Obesity increases vitamin D requirements because it is stored in fat cells ✿ Most foods are poor sources of vitamin D If you are interested and would like to learn more, this website is a great place to start: www.vitaminDHealth.org. Also, you may want to ask your physician to check your “25-hydroxy-vitamin D” levels next time you are scheduled for a blood test, to see if you are Vitamin D deficient. Let the sun shine!!