Mr. Divabetic – Page 106

03/21/201903/25/2019

Generation Matters: Type 2 Diabetes and You by Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE

Have you ever scrolled through Instagram and Facebook posts of endless carefree moments and wondered, “is this every-day life”? The truth is that balancing home, work and relationships can be challenging! Add in a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and you may feel overwhelmed by the daily demands of diabetes management. Every person with diabetes is unique and has his or her own feelings, thoughts and perspectives about life with type 2 diabetes. Some folks view a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes as a nudge to prepare healthier meals and add in more physical activity into daily routines. Others may feel more anxious about the cost of managing the disease and feel overwhelmed with the prospect of following-up with their doctor or health-care provider.

As we get older, we may have different thoughts about our health and everyday lives. A 25-year-old woman may have different concerns about her type 2 diabetes diagnosis then she will in her 60’s. Financial issues, romantic relationships and schedules obviously change as we age and must be addressed. In order to tackle this important issue, healthline.com conducted a survey of 1500 people with type 2 diabetes across generations to explore their feelings, concerns and insights. https://www.healthline.com/health/state-of-type-2-diabetes The survey explored feedback from Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. As one of the medical reviewers for this important survey, I was intrigued by the varied perspectives across generations.

I was very interested in how people of varying ages felt about their type 2 diabetes diagnosis. About half of Millennials surveyed and about a third of Gen Xers stated that they often hide their condition from others (which may include friends, family and co-workers), because they are worried about what others might think. Additionally, younger respondents were very concerned about the cost of managing their disease, which lead to a reduction in following health care provider treatment guidelines. The cost of healthcare is huge factor associated with proper medical care and can compound fears about potential long-term complications associated with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

As I read the survey results, I was struck by the feelings of judgment, embarrassment and guilt younger people feel when they follow up with their doctor or health care provider. There are many challenges associated with being overweight and type 2 diabetes. The stigma of type 2 diabetes referred to as an “older persons” or “lifestyle” disease may cause younger people to feel embarrassed. Many survey respondents felt their diabetes diagnosis was perceived as a result of lack of self-control behaviors. This perception may lead to less than optimal outcomes, and needs to be addressed with the health care community as well as the general public. More education about type 2 diabetes is essential!

While non-judgmental diabetes language wasn’t specifically addressed in the survey, I believe it should be at the forefront of this conversation. What we say, and how we say it can make a significant difference for a person managing the complexities of diabetes. A task force with representatives from the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Diabetes Association developed a fabulous language guideline paper insightful tips around language use as it applies to addressing issues of with diabetes. https://www.diabeteseducator.org/practice/educator-tools/educator-guidance/diabetes-language-paper

Simple language swaps such as “checking blood sugar” instead of “testing blood sugar” may put a person at ease. Blood sugar is not a pass-fail grade. A person with type 2 diabetes may feel extremely guilty when they see their doctor, and therefore may not return for a follow-up appointment.

Body image was viewed differently across generations. More than 50% of Millennials and more than 40% of Gen Xers reported feeling ashamed about their bodies on a daily or weekly basis. In contrast, only 18% of Baby Boomers feel that way! Millennials and Gen Xers had recurrent feelings of guilt, embarrassment, while this was not seen as frequently in older adults. Hiding the condition was more common for younger people, which lead to issues with romantic relationships and feeling of isolation.

Gender divides were also acknowledged in the survey. Women reported more issues with self-care, including weight management. Many of the women felt that as care givers, they often put others needs before their own.

Rather than feeling overwhelming with all the “must-do’s” associated with daily diabetes care, consider taking small steps which will add up to big changes. Please speak to your health care provider, family, friends, certified diabetes educator or others in your peer support community about your concerns. You are not alone!

Please share your thoughts and comments. I would love to hear from you! Contact: Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE

Join Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE and two other outstanding certified diabetes educators, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE and Rachel Stahl MS, RD, CDN, CDE’ at Divabetic’s Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE helped us to make carbohydrate counting fun with a series of colorful Carb Kitty videos available on YouTube:

03/18/201903/18/2019

How Kevin’s Law Is Helping Save Lives of People Needing Life Saving Medications Like Insulin

On April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, Dan Houdeshell will share how his son’s untimely death, Kevin, spurred his family to take action to pass legislation to help save the lives of millions. Tune in to our exclusive interview on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.

Kevin Houdeshell, who was living with type 1 diabetes died at 36 years old because his pharmacy refused to give him insulin after his script had expired.

“He tried three times to call his doctor’s office and, four days later, he passed away from not having his insulin,” his sister, Amy Houdeshell told USA Today.

His parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell, were stunned to learn what had happened. “In the wee hours of the morning, we are wondering how can your son, or anyone, stand in front of a pharmacy desk and be turned away for a life-sustaining medication,” says Dan.

Kevin’s unawareness about his worsening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may be due to a pervasive lack of information within the community reports Insulin Nation.

“I have been in contact with so many people [with Type 1] since Kevin’s death [who] are not aware of DKA, its symptoms, the results if not rectified, and how fast DKA can kill someone or put them in grave danger,” Dan told Insulin Nation. “Many (others) in the medical profession (including ER hospital settings) are not are not aware of what can happen if someone goes without their insulin for any amount of time.

A year after Kevin died, he appeared with his wife and daughter on local TV and their heart-wrenching interview helped trigger what is now known as Kevin’s Law in Ohio.

Kevin’s Law allows pharmacists to give up to a 30-day supply of even expired prescriptions of life-sustaining drugs.

“I never imagined we would reach so many people with that one little story about my brother,” Houdeshell said.

Currently HB 64 (also known as Kevin’s Law) has been passed in 12 states and allows a pharmacist to dispense an emergency supply of insulin to a patient without a current prescription.

“No one should have to die because of an expired prescription and can’t get hold of your doctor,” said Amy and Kevin’s parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell.

Dan Houdeshell feels that there is still much work to be done even in states that have passed legislation. “It’s important to note some versions of the law have flaws,” he told Pens & Needles. “Some states allow only one refill, EVER. That is not acceptable.”

Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Luther Vandross

TUNE IN: April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. Guests include FANDROSS CEO Seveda Williams, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Pam Henry MEd, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.

Don’t miss Clued Inn, the first-time ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Register now: https://cluedinn.org/

03/16/201903/18/2019

Why 2 Young Women Died of Heart Trouble

18-year-old Félicité Tomlinson reportedly passed away from a heart attack/cardiac arrest. A person in the apartment called for an ambulance, but paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene after failing to revive her. She was the sister of One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, the oldest of seven siblings.

Her shocking death comes days after former Miss Teenager Universe Lotte van der Zee passed away at 20 after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest the day before her birthday.

Why would young women who seemed healthy die that way so suddenly?

According to HollywoodLife, Dr. Reed Wilson, a Beverly Hills GP and cardiologist stated, “a heart attack is caused by a blocked artery to the heart. The part of the heart that is supplied by the blood vessel dies and no longer pumps. If the area is small enough the individual can do very well. If it is a large area and there is no longer enough heart to pump, the patient can die. The most common deadly problem following a heart attack are abnormal heart beats that result in deadly arrhythmias and ultimately cardiac arrest where the heart stops.”

Since there were reportedly no warning signs, one can’t help wondering if a defect that went undetected?

Dr. Wilson states “some young adults can be born with abnormalities of the coronary arteries that can lead to sudden death. The heart has two arteries, a right and a left (the left immediately splits into two). But some individuals have just one that supplies the whole heart, while others have arteries that travel in strange directions to get to the heart. Both of these can lead to heart attacks.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. A heart attack is a “circulation” problem and sudden cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem.

On March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we spoke to Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE about the findings from a recent study the more young women are having heart attacks.

The study states that the proportion of heart attack–related hospitalization rates for women ages 35 to 54 increased from 21% to 31% over the last two decades.

Scientists can’t say for sure what’s causing an increase in heart disease among young women, but they do have some ideas. Last month’s study found that not only had hospitalization rates for heart attacks increased among young people since 1995, but that hypertension and diabetes rates had increased as well. The young women in the study were also more likely to be black than the young men, suggesting that heart disease is hitting young black women especially hard.

Another interesting finding was that, compared to the young men in the study, the young women were less likely to have previously been treated for conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or stroke. This suggests that women are being under-treated this link opens in a new tab for heart disease risk factors, wrote Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist at Emory University, in a commentary published along with the study. Prevention guidelines may also underestimate risk among this age group, she added.

It’s also interesting to note that the estrogen in birth control pills and in hormone patches, implants, vaginal rings and injections can cause an increase in blood clotting, which could result in a heart attack. However, that risk is still very small for most women, especially for those under 35 who do not have other risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking or obesity.

Divabetic will presenting the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience: Clued Inn on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

03/15/201903/16/2019

Lack of Knowledge About Women with Heart Disease

Patricia Addie-Gentle explained how the symptoms of heart disease can very significantly between men and women on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Do you know that much of the medical research that is used to inform our understanding of disease – and is used to teach medical providers about how to recognize and treat disease – was conducted exclusively on men? Or if women were included, differences between men and women that may have been revealed by the research were often omitted. As a result, women may be subject to substandard care because providers just don’t have the information about what’s best for them.

You can read more about the gaps in knowledge and trust between providers and women patients, and the history behind that, in the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) blog.

We’re talking about ‘HEART HEALTH & DIABETES’ with musical inspiration from the rock band “Heart” on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes.

People with insulin resistance or diabetes in combination with one or more of these risk factors are at even greater risk of heart disease or stroke. However, by managing their risk factors, people with diabetes may avoid or delay the development of heart and blood vessel disease.

The rock band “Heart” was started in Seattle in the 1960s. Heart’s mix of hard rock and folk yielded one of the longest lasting and most commercially successful bands of all time. The band is fronted by sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson who wrote many of the band’s songs. Heart’s new “Love Alive” Tour kicks off this Summer with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Elle King, and Lucie Silvas.

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Author of ‘Nutrition & You’ Dr. Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, LDN, FAND, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND, Glucose SOS founder Pamela Heyward and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Heart’s “The Essential Heart” album courtesy of SONY Music.

Divabetic will presenting the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience: Clued Innon Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

03/12/201903/12/2019

‘How to Overcome Your Genetic Risk for Heart Disease’ on March’s Diabetes Late Nite Podcast

‘Nutrition & You’ Author Dr. Joan Salge Blake EdD, RDN, LDN, FAND guests on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from the rock band, Heart scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, March 12, 6 -7:30 PM, EST. Tune in to learn about Dr. Joan’s recent U.S. News article entitled, ‘ How to Overcome Your Genetic Risk for Heart Disease.’

The article reports how a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine uncovered: That a healthy lifestyle can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease – even if your family’s health history isn’t stellar.

The researchers found that people who don’t smoke, aren’t obese and eat a healthy diet, may still be able to beat the family odds of succumbing to heart disease.

Don’t know where to start to improve your diet? Try Whole Oats!

Research suggests that beta-glucan, a viscous soluble fiber found in oats, can help lower total and LDL cholesterol levels. When it comes to choosing which type of oats to buy, keep in mind that how they’re processed matters. According to Johnson McRorie, co-author of a recent article on the subject, the more processed the oats, the less potent the beta-glucan and its ability to lower your blood cholesterol levels. So, while old-fashioned oats take a few minutes longer to cook than instant oatmeal in the morning, they’re probably better for your heart.

Start your morning off with a bowl of oatmeal. Add a dash of cinnamon, which will add natural sweetness to your breakfast. When making meatballs or breaded chicken, swap out some of the breadcrumbs for oats.

We’re talking about ‘HEART HEALTH & DIABETES’ with musical inspiration from the rock band “Heart” on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes.

Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Heart’s “The Essential Heart” album courtesy of SONY Music

03/09/201903/09/2019

Fast Food Menus Are Less Healthy Than They Were 30 Years Ago

Fast food menus are less healthy than they were 30 years ago according to The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study published last week.

The researchers studied 1,787 entrees, sides and desserts at 10 chains — Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s — from 1986 to 2016. In that time, the number of items in those three categories rose 226 percent.

Across the 10 chains, the researchers found, the average entree weighed 39 grams more in 2016 than in 1986 and had 90 more calories. It also had 41.6 percent of the recommended daily allotment of sodium, up from 27.8 percent.

Sodium content rose to 23.2 percent of the recommended daily allotment from 11.6 percent, even though portion size did not grow substantially.

03/07/201903/07/2019

Improve Your Heart Health at Home and Work

How’s your heart health? If you’re like millions of Americans—about 92 million in fact—you do have to watch your heart health due to cardiovascular disease or health effects after a stroke. That means you have to pay special attention to your heart health—to what you eat, to how you feel, to how much you’re moving. Even if don’t have some health conditions that affect your heart, you have to be conscious of how your health (mental, physical, emotional) is taking a toll on your most vital organ.
Let’s look at food for starters. If you’re like many Americans, your intake of sugar, salt, and processed food is far too high. And you might be siloing your food—eating too much of the same thing, over and over again. So how else can you keep your heart pumping, happy and healthy, even while you’re at work? This graphic helps you understand the issues.

03/07/201903/07/2019

What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most is Not ‘Fur’ But ‘Failure’!

Recently I had the opportunity to share my personal story with the Beyond Type 2 website. It quickly turned into a walk down memory lane for me as the memories of the humble beginnings of Divabetic (selling t-shirts, hosting support meetings at the YMCA, and working in the basement of dLife) came rushing back.

I don’t think I would have been so honest or forthright in my writing if not for Boehringer Ingelheim’s sponsorship of Divabetic’s newest program, Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Rooms. This new sponsorship helped me push past multiple failed attempts at sponsorship and the never-ending negativity from the greater diabetes community, and get back in the game!

I’m hoping my story can help inspire others because I know that not everyone is able to get past their failures.

“Failure is always a demoralizing and upsetting experience. Failure makes your mind trick you into believing things that aren’t true,” according to the Psychology Today website. “Unless you learn to respond to failures in psychologically adaptive ways, they will paralyze you, demotivate you, and limit your likelihood of success going forward.”

Failure Distorts Your Perceptions of Your Abilities

This is true for me. I haven’t spoken about the ‘makeover’ years in quite awhile because I really thought I failed. My inability to get sponsorship for anything else after Divabetic’s makeover program ended really broke my spirit. I didn’t think I was good at anything involving diabetes outreach. Additionally, several ‘haters’ on social media thought I was strictly ‘fluff’ and not informative or educational. I also was the target of homophobia after presenting a free diabetes outreach program at a well-known African-American Methodist Church which stopped me from ever presenting faith-based outreach again.

The Pressure to Succeed Increases Performance Anxiety and Causes Choking

Everyone from the Divabetic-Makeover Your Diabetes team kept asking me why we weren’t getting sponsored by another pharmaceutical company. What they didn’t know was that my proposals were being rejected on a daily basis! I became frustrated, angry and upset as I tried to rework the program into various formats and different sponsorship levels – all without success.

I remember hosting a Divabetic Zone at the Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) Expo. The crowd loved us! Plenty of sponsors saw first-hand how our Divabetic area was packed throughout the day. I hosted portion control games, ‘Single Ladies, Single Servings’ and ‘Dancing In Cars’ workouts all day on Saturday afternoons but still no one returned my calls on Monday mornings.

The Psychologically Healthiest Response to Failure Is to Focus on Variables in Your Control

After what seemed like my millionth failure in achieving sponsorship I chose to go inward. I stopped volunteering to be part of other people’s and organization’s diabetes outreach events and focused solely on Divabetic podcast and videos. I put my head down and focused on the work. I added music to Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcasts courtesy of SONY Music, created health games and reworked podcast segments with a variety of guests.

Psychology Today advises people facing similar situations to break down the task or goal in question to those aspects that are in your control and those that are not. Then go through the list of aspects that are not in your control and figure out how to take control of them—by improving your skill-set, planning, relationships, knowledge, preparation, etc.

It worked for me! Feeling in control is a literal antidote to feelings of helplessness and demoralization that will motivate you to try again, minimize your chances of another failure, and increase your likelihood of success!

Podcasting allowed me to flex my creativity and explore new ways to educate people about diabetes and diabetes self-care. A chance meeting with Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes at a Book Expo in New York led to Divabetic’s annual mystery podcast. Trust me, no one in their right mind was willing to hire me as a ‘mystery writer’ except for me (I couldn’t pay anyone else to do it!). Somehow I managed to convince my Diabetes Late Niteteam and colleagues to participate in a mystery radio podcast. We had so much fun that here we are six years later getting ready for present our sixth annual mystery podcast, ‘Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes’ in September 2019.

And that’s not all! Our annual mystery podcast was such a healing experience for me that I actually swallowed my pride and submitted a proposal in October for a new diabetes outreach program based on the mystery podcast.

I happy to announce that Divabetic will presenting the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience: Clued Inn on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

03/05/201903/05/2019

Combining Heart Health Education and Diabetes Alert Day Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. More than one in three women is living with some form of cardiovascular disease.

Women with high blood pressure have an 83 percent higher risk of heart attack then men with hypertension.

Women smokers have a 55 percent higher risk of heart attack than male smokers.

Women with type 2 diabetes are 47 percent more likely to have heart attacks than men living with diabetes.

The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions.

Risk factors that you can manage or treat with lifestyle changes and your healthcare provider’s help include:

High blood pressure

Smoking

High blood cholesterol

Lack of regular activity

Obesity or overweight

Diabetes

Risk factors that you can’t change include:

Age

Gender

Heredity (family health history)

Race

Previous stroke or heart attack

Start by knowing your numbers. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, which is why knowing your heart health risk is critical to prevent cardiovascular disease. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn about your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and BMI (Body Mass Index).

Your heart depends on it. For more information about heart health go to the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org.

Alert ! Day for Type 2 Diabetes Awareness

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 is the American Diabetes Association’s “Alert ! Day” for type 2 diabetes awareness. Each year, held on the last Tuesday of March, is a one-day event that encourages everyone to take the type 2 diabetes risk test and participate in activities that will teach them about reducing their risk for diabetes.

Five factors are used to determine your risk for type 2 diabetes which include: your age, your gender, for women: whether you were ever diagnosed with gestational diabetes, whether you have a close family member with diabetes, whether you have high blood pressure, your level of physical activity, and your weight category.

Only your healthcare provider can tell you for sure if you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Higher body weight increases diabetes risk for everyone.

The good news is you can manage your risk for type 2 diabetes. Small steps can make a big difference in helping you live a longer, healthier life. For more information about Alert ! Day go to: the American Diabetes Association’s website

Combining Diabetes Awareness with Heart Health Education

For one night only, on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, you can enjoy a FREE outreach event at NYC’s #1 Escape Room Experience, Clued Inn, with a heart health twist. Clued Inn’s goal is to enliven the mission of the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Alert Day with a one-day wake up call and encourage further action through an interactive, gaming experience. Clued Inn aims to change perceptions about early recognition of type 2 diabetes, inform about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart health, and promote intervention before it leads to cardiovascular disease.

In many ways, type 2 diabetes is a puzzle since the most common symptoms vary from person to person. The same skills needed to succeed at the game are also necessary for preventing cardiovascular disease for people with type 2 diabetes. The escape room experience fosters the same collaboration as diabetes management. Players explore possibilities, think of creative solutions, ask questions, listen to answers, and try new ways of doing things. No one goes it alone and there’s more than one way to find a solution. All of these behaviors can be put to good use when tackling a health issue with your healthcare provider(s). For these reasons, Clued Inn offers a fun learning experience for everyone to improve problem solving skills and learn about the connection between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also gives at-risk individuals and their families better knowledge of the questions and conversations to be conducted at the next appointment they have with their healthcare provider.

Can you escape before it’s too late?

Solve the special “Diabetes and Heart Health” puzzles for a chance to receive prize giveaways, diabetes and heart health resources, and meet with nationally recognized diabetes educators. Online registration is quick and easy and the entire Escape Room Experience is totally free courtesy of the Clued Inn sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim. For further information, and to register, go to www.CluedInn.org.

Dr. Beverly S. Adler, aka “Dr. Bev”, is a clinical psychologist and Certified Diabetes Educator with a private practice in Baldwin, NY. She was honored in 2016 with the “Certified Diabetes Educator Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

She is the author/editor of two diabetes self-help books which include insightful lessons of empowerment written by successful men and women with diabetes. She has published articles in print and online about diabetes management – always with the focus on emotional adjustment. Dr. Bev has been quoted in numerous magazines and contributed to a monthly diabetes advice column online. She is a frequent contributor to the Divabetic Diabetes Daily Wire, where she blogs about diabetes topics from the psychological perspective.

Dr. Bev has lived successfully with type 1 diabetes for 42 years. You can connect with her on her website www.AskDrBev.com and on Twitter @AskDrBev.

03/03/201903/03/2019

Emotional Eating vs. Binge Eating By Michelle May, M.D.

Have you noticed that you reach for food when you’re feeling stressed, bored, lonely, mad, or sad?

When your habit is to use food instead of paying attention to what these emotions are trying to tell you about your underlying needs, those needs go unmet. And of course, those unmet needs will continue to drive emotional eating!

Emotional eating is using food to regulate emotions, in other words, attempting to manage your mood with food.

Emotional connections to food are normal; we eat to socialize, express love, have fun, soothe a hurt, and reward ourselves for a job well done. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Emotional eating only becomes a problem when it’s the primary way you cope with or avoid your feelings.

Emotional eating does sometimes leads to binge eating – but binge eating is not “just” overeating. In fact, it is defined as eating a significantly larger amount of food than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. During a binge, a person feels out of control or feels that they can’t stop eating. Some describe it as a trance-like state.

Listen to Dr. Michelle May on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

Other guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, R & B Singer Alyson Williams, ‘Here & Now’ Songwriter and Entertainer Terry Steele, Seveda Williams, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian and Luther Superfan John Price.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Busy Body’ courtesy of SONY Music. On ‘Busy Body’, Luther Vandross’ third album features ‘Superstar’, ‘For the Sweetness Of Your Love’, and the duet with Dionne Warwick entitled ‘ How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye’.