Divabetic Tea Time Poem by Lorraine Brooks

Last night, the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic hosted Divabetic’s free, fun Tea Party in celebration of National Diabetes Awareness Month with special guests: Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine SchullerTessie’s Teas’ owner Rose Hall and Harlem Heaven’s Hats owner Evetta Petty.

To everyone’s delight Poet Lorraine Brooks shared a poem about each of our guests after their presentation. Enjoy!

Divabetic Tea Time Poem by Lorraine Brooks

Showing hats to cover our heads

Whether we’re sporting a crewcut or dreads

Many styles to make us happier

Looking cool and looking dapper

Plaids and checks and stripes and such

Fabric lovely to the touch

So get your canes and gloves and spats

And visit Harlem’s Heaven Hats!

Join us in a cup of tea

Chamomile or lemon-y

Ways to heal for young and old

Meditate and heal the soul

Sit and think and leave your strife

Breathe and cleanse your spirit life

Only teas can can lift you up

So come and join us in a cup.

Fashion style and a little blush

Make you look exotic and lush

Sport a scarf or wear a tie

A little shadow for the eye

Tweeze the eyebrows and the chin

If you look good you will grin

We all want to look much cooler

So take a tip from Catherine Schuller

Divabetic’s virtual outreach event kicked off with a live Harlem Heaven’s Hat show featuring model Jennifer Lui at the Harlem’s Heaven’s pop up shop in Bryant Park ‘s Winter Village Shops in New York City.  Harlem’s Heaven Hat shop specializes in providing the right head wear and face mask for the right occasions.

Rose Hall, the owner of Tessie’s Teas, shared how simple daily meditations can help relieve stress, anxiety and even reduce your blood pressure over a cup of tea.  Tessie’s Teas are all natural caffeine-free, chemical-free instant crystallized teas that meet all of your healthy-living needs.

Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, who is a fashion curator, former plus model, coach, speaker, writer, producer, and image consultant, demonstrated eight different and divine ways to wear a scarf in honor of Dr. Deborah Birx. Dr. Birx’s ever-changing scarves captivate the internet in her daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings. One popular scarf was by Hermès, or, to be precise, Hermès’ “Retour à la Terre”, in peach. We know this because there is an Instagram account devoted to Dr Birx’s scarves!

 

Are you interested in learning how to bake with sugar substitutes? Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

FREE REGISTRATION 

How To Correctly Monitor Your Blood Pressure At Home

“When you have high blood pressure your heart is working overtime, all the time, “says Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDE on October’s Diabetes Late NIte podcast. “Measuring your blood pressure is one of the best  non invasive tests that we have available to give us a window into how well the heart is actually functioning.”

The American Heart Association recommends home monitoring for all people with high blood pressure to help the healthcare provider determine whether treatments are working. Home monitoring (self-measured blood pressure) is not a substitute for regular visits to your physician.

How to use a home blood pressure monitor

Be still. Don’t smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. Empty your bladder and ensure at least 5 minutes of quiet rest before measurements.

Sit correctly. Sit with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, rather than a sofa). Your feet should be flat on the floor and your legs should not be crossed. Your arm should be supported on a flat surface (such as a table) with the upper arm at heart level. Make sure the bottom of the cuff is placed directly above the bend of the elbow. Check your monitor’s instructions for an illustration or have your healthcare provider show you how.

Measure at the same time every day. It’s important to take the readings at the same time each day, such as morning and evening. It is best to take the readings daily however ideally beginning 2 weeks after a change in treatment and during the week before your next appointment.

Take multiple readings and record the results. Each time you measure, take two or three readings one minute apart and record the results using a printable (PDF) or online tracker. If your monitor has built-in memory to store your readings, take it with you to your appointments. Some monitors may also allow you to upload your readings to a secure website after you register your profile.

Don’t take the measurement over clothes.

Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash

Why keep a blood pressure journal?

One blood pressure measurement only tells what your blood pressure is at that moment. A diary of multiple readings taken over time provides a better picture of your blood pressure that can help you partner with your physician to ensure that your treatments  to lower high blood pressure  (HBP or hypertension) are working.

If you have been prescribed medication to lower your blood pressure, don’t stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor, even if your blood pressure readings are in the normal range during home monitoring.

Let’s Talk About Salt PSA featuring Cheryl “Salt” James

More than half of the US population has hypertension and it is more prevalent in the Black community. We know that cutting back on salt can improve blood pressure control and save lives. Our animated music video and song, “Let’s Talk about Salt” provides evidence-based tips on how to do this in a fun and relatable way.

“Let’s Talk About Salt” is a animated music video PSA starring Grammy®-winning Cheryl “Salt” James from the iconic group, Salt-N-Pepa.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, which together kills more New Yorkers than any other disease.

About one in four New Yorkers has high blood pressure, but there are usually no symptoms. Black and Latino adults are more likely to have high blood pressure than other races/ethnicities.

Blood pressure is the force of blood moving through your blood vessels. The higher it is, the more damage it can do to the inside of your blood vessels. High blood pressure can also lead to problems with your kidneys, eyes and to sexual dysfunction.

Everyone should know their blood pressure. You can get it checked by asking your health care provider, visiting a pharmacy or checking it yourself using a home monitor.

Hip Hop Public Health’s 2020 rendition which was funded in part through the American Heart Association’s New York City Community Impact Grant encourages hypertension prevention by teaching young people about healthy eating and salt consumption with a visually stimulating music video.

Hip Hop Public Health’s mission is to foster positive health behavior change through the transformative power of hip-hop music.

Understanding Your Blood Pressure Numbers

Blood pressure is reported with two numbers, one written over the other. The top number, systolic blood pressure, reflects the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart squeezes to pump blood. The bottom number, diastolic blood pressure, reflects the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes between heartbeats.

For People Not Diagnosed with Hypertension

Systolic (upper) Diastolic (lower) Category and Recommended Action
Below 120 and Below 80 Normal. No action necessary.
120–139 or 80–89 Elevated. Talk with your your health care provider at your normally scheduled visit.
140–179 or 90–109 High. Talk with your health care provider soon.
180 or Higher or 110 or Higher Dangerously High. You could be in danger. Get medical care immediately.

MORE INFORMATION 

Divabetic Mystery Phrase #33

Can you solve Divabetic’s Mystery Phrase #33? Our phrase is measured by the force that pushes on the walls of your blood vessels as they carry blood and oxygen to your organs (systolic pressure) and the force that’s created when your heart rests between beats (diastolic pressure).

Do you know what Divabetic’s Mystery Phrase #33 is?

Diabetes damages arteries and makes them targets for hardening, called atherosclerosis. That can cause high blood pressure, which if not treated, can lead to trouble including blood vessel damage, heart attack, and kidney failure.

There are several ways in which high blood sugar levels in the blood can increase blood pressure:

  • The blood vessels lose their ability to stretch.
  • The fluid in the body increases, especially if diabetes is already affecting the kidneys.
  • Insulin resistance may involve processes that increase the risk of hypertension.

In 2012, researchers quoted figures suggesting that 30% of people with type 1 diabetes and 50–80% of those with type 2 diabetes have high blood pressure in the United States.

The combination of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes can greatly increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

If your blood sugar level is too high, you may experience: increased thirst, frequent urination an fatigue. However, the American Heart Association (AHA) stresses that most of the time there are no symptoms for high blood pressure (also known as hypertension).

People usually find out they have high blood pressure when a doctor takes a blood pressure reading, or they take one themselves at home.

The reading will give two numbers:

  • The systolic is the top number
  • The diastolic is the bottom number

According to the AHA, the results will be one of the following:

  • Normal: Systolic below 120 and diastolic below 80
  • Elevated: Systolic 120–129 and diastolic under 80
  • Hypertension stage 1: Systolic 130–139 and diastolic 80–89
  • Hypertension stage 2: Systolic 140-plus and diastolic 90 or more
  • Hypertensive crisis: Systolic higher than 180 and diastolic above 120.

What is considered normal blood pressure for people with diabetes?

On the basis of recent studies, most people with diabetes should have a blood pressure that’s more than 130/80 mm.

People with diabetes can help decrease the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease by managing their blood sugar levels.

 

Here area few effective ways to lower your blood pressure levels:

  1. Stop smoking
  2. Increase activity and exercise more
  3. Lose weight if you’re overweight
  4. Cut back on sugar, refined carbohydrates and processed foods

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Cooking Party with special guest, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

FREE REGISTRATION

Divabetic Mystery Phrase #29

Can you solve Divabetic’s Mystery Phrase #29? Our phrase can help you feel full longer, without adding any additional calories.

 

The human body comprises around 60% water.

It’s commonly recommended that you drink eight 8-ounce (237-mL) glasses of water per day (the 8×8 rule).

Do you know our brain is strongly influenced by your hydration status?

Studies show that even mild dehydration, such as the loss of 1–3% of body weight, can impair many aspects of brain function as reported by Healthline.

Do you know what makes up 73 percent of the human heart? The answer is water, which is why when it comes to blood pressure health, water is the drink of choice.

Additionally, water will not raise blood sugars, which is why it is so beneficial to drink when people with diabetes have high blood sugar, as it enables more glucose to be flushed out of the blood. When your blood sugars are running high, your body will try to flush excess sugar out of your blood through the urine. As a result, your body will need more fluids to rehydrate itself. Drinking water can help the body with flushing out some of the glucose in the blood.

Having high blood sugars can also increase the risk of dehydration, which is a risk for people with diabetes.

Even mild dehydration can affect you mentally and physically.

If you don’t like the taste of water, it can help to add a slice of fruit, such as orange, lemon or lime. You can prepare cut slices of these fruits and store them in the freezer ready for use.

Make sure that you get enough water each day for your overall diabetes health.

 

We’re talking about depictions of diabetes on the silver screen including Steel MagnoliasSoul Food and The Baby-Sitter Club on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from 2Cellos. How realistic are these portrayals? How do we feel after viewing them?   Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Glucose SOS founder Pamela Heyward, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Kent Gash, Jessica Clark and Muniq Gut Health Shakes Founder, Marc Washington.

Throughout this podcast we will be featured music from the album ‘Score’ by 2Cellos courtesy of SONY Music.

 

 

New DASH Diet for Two Cookbook by Rosanne Rust, MS, RDN

Blood pressure is the single most important number for people with diabetes to know according to Diabetes – What To Know‘s website.

High blood pressure is a common disease that develops when blood flows through your arteries at higher-than-normal pressures.

A person with diabetes and high blood pressure is four times as likely to develop heart disease than someone who does not have either of the conditions. About two-thirds of adults with diabetes have blood pressure greater than 130/80 mm Hg or use prescription medications for hypertension.

“I was diagnosed with high blood pressure 6 years after I wrote my first DASH diet book. So I know what it’s like to help manage blood pressure with diet, ” writes Rosanne Rust, MS, RDN, Author of the new DASH Diet for Two cookbook. “It’s full of recipes that I have cooked for my family. You’ll enjoy 125 healthy recipes that can fit into a DASH lifestyle that helps lower blood pressure.”

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, proven to help manage high blood pressure.

The DASH diet has been ranked Best Diet Overall for eight years in a row by U.S. News and World Report.

“I like using the 80/20 rule for eating well,” says DASH Diet for Two Cookbook Author Rosanne Rust, MS, RDN.

“I just want you to try sticking to the eating style most of the time (meaning 80 percent or more). It includes a variety of food, including meatless meals, poultry, pork and beef recipes, sides, salads and dessert.”

THE DASH Diet For Two: 125 Recipes to Lower Blood Pressure Together BUY NOW

You usually don’t have symptoms from high blood pressure until it has caused serious health problems. That is why it is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Your doctor will diagnose you with high blood pressure if you have consistently high blood pressure readings.

We’re talking about movie characters with diabetes including Steel MagnoliasSoul FoodMad MoneyThe Baby-Sitter Club and Nothing In Common on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from 2Cellos. How realistic are these portrayals? How accurate is information about diabetes and diabetes self-care?  And how do we feel after viewing them?  With all the emotional and physical complications comes drama, making characters with the condition a good plot point on the silver screen.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Glucose SOS founder Pamela Heyward, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Kent Gash, Jessica Clark and Muniq Gut Health Shakes Founder, Marc Washington.

Throughout this podcast we will be featured music from the album ‘Score’ by 2Cellos courtesy of SONY Music.

 

 

Can A Selfie Monitor Your Blood Pressure?

Great news for the Kardashians! Future blood pressure monitoring could become as easy as taking a video selfie. Researchers have developed smartphone-based technology that can accurately measure blood pressure from a video of a person’s face.

Finding an accessible, easy way to monitor blood pressure could be a breakthrough in healthcare. Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure and many don’t even know they have it, according to the American Heart Association.

“High blood pressure is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease — a leading cause of death and disability. To manage and prevent it, regular monitoring of one’s blood pressure is essential,” said study lead author Kang Lee, Ph.D., professor and research chair in developmental neuroscience at the University of Toronto in Canada. 

READ MORE 

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Phyllis Hyman

Don’t miss August’s Diabetes Late Nite on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 starting at 6 PM, EST. We’re talking about ‘Diabetes, Sleep & Mental Health Issues’ on Diabetes Late Nite with musical inspiration from the iconic Phyllis Hyman.

Guests include Alyson Williams, Queen Diva, Patricia Farrell PhD, Kristina Wolfe, ‘Tabouli: The Story of a Heart-Driven Diabetes Alert Dog’ Author Matt Pelicano, Elizabeth Vaughan Gallagher, Stacie Shonkwiler, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach with Patricia Addie-Gentle.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Phyllis Hyman’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

TUNE IN

One Cocktail A Day Could Cause High Blood Pressure

A recent study reports that as little as one cocktail a day may contribute significantly to high blood pressure (hypertension) according to an article on Everyday Health.

“If you only drink a moderate amount of alcohol ( 7 to 13 drinks per week), ask your provider to check your blood pressure at each visit,” said Amer Aladin, MD, lead author of the study and a cardiology fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “If your blood pressure is elevated you should take appropriate measures to reduce it, which possibly means reducing your alcohol consumption.”

Why Does Alcohol Stress the Heart?

People who drink alcohol may be more likely to eat unhealthy foods and exercise less. Alcohol consumption may also increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which may have a negative effect on heart health.

“The takeaway is that if you are suffering from high blood pressure, take a look at your alcohol consumption,” says Sarah Samaan, MD, a cardiologist with Baylor Scott & White Legacy Heart Center in Plano, Texas,. “If you drink regularly, cutting back to just a few times per week may make a significant difference.”

Tune in to April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast to hear more about diabetes and heart health with musical inspiraion from Luther Vandross on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 PM, EST

CLICK TO LISTEN

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.

Did you miss Divabetic’s new outreach program, Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy plenty of great information about diabetes and heart health at: Know Diabetes By Heart

Saunas May Be Good for Blood Pressure

A Finnish study suggests that regular sauna visits can reduce the risk for high blood pressure.

Nearly 79 million adults in this country — one of three — have high blood pressure, and half of those being treated for it still have systolic pressures over 140.

The study, in the American Journal of Hypertension reported that people who took two to three sessions were 24 percent less likely to have hypertension, and four to seven visits a week reduced the risk by 46 percent.

The study controlled for body mass index, alcohol consumption, resting heart rate, smoking, family history of hypertension and other variables as reported by the New York Times. 

Did you know the best exercise to manage high blood pressure may be to divvy up your workout into bite-size pieces?

In a 2012 study by Dr. Gaesser, three 10-minute walks spread throughout the day were better at preventing subsequent spikes in blood pressure — which can indicate worsening blood pressure control — than one 30-minute walk. And if even a 10-minute walk sounds daunting, try standing more often.

“Exercise intensity does not appear to play any significant role” in helping people control blood pressure, Dr. Gaesser said

A: Troponins rise after a heart attack, or after excessive sitting.

Troponins are proteins produced by cardiac-muscle cells when they are hurt or dying. A heart attack releases a sudden tsunami of troponins into the bloodstream.

But even slightly elevated troponin levels, lower than those involved in heart attacks, are worrisome if they persist, most cardiologists believe. Chronically high troponin levels indicate that something is going wrong inside the heart muscle and that damage is occurring and accruing there. If the damage is not halted or slowed, it could eventually result in heart failure.

Sitting for hours on end is unhealthy, even if you occasionally exercise. People who sit for more than about nine or 10 hours each day — a group that includes many of us who work in offices — are prone to developing diabetes, heart disease and other problems, and most of these risks remain relatively high, even if we exercise.

Excessive sitting also has been associated with heart failure, a condition in which the heart becomes progressively weaker and unable to pump enough blood to keep the rest of the body oxygenated and well. But how sitting, which seems to demand so little from the heart, could be linked to heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot respond adequately to exertion, has been unclear.

Enjoy more Weekly Health Quizes at the New York Times.

We’re taking about ‘MINDFULNESS’ with musical inspiration from Pink on January’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2018, 6 PM, EST.

Mindfulness is a technique adopted to becoming aware of moment-by-moment thoughts, emotions and physical sensations in a non-judgmental way. … In the US, mindfulness is being increasingly used for eating habits and diabetes management. Research has shown that mindfulness enhances clinical effect of glycemic control.

Mindfulness can help break down the constant cycle of becoming stressed, anxious and depressed. Pressures and strains of everyday diabetes life cause an internal battle of avoidance.
People strive to avoid ‘negative emotions’ such as guilt, sadness, frustration and anger and instead are attracted to feelings of happiness and contentment.

Mindfulness allows you to accept the way you are feeling rather than constantly battling to try and change it.

Guests include Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, ‘Walking with Peety’ Author Eric O’Grey, Poet Lorraine Brooks, ‘Yoga for Diabetes’ Author, Rachel Zinman, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring songs from the Pink’s ‘Beautiful Trauma’ album courtesy of SONY Music. TUNE IN

 

Why The New Blood Pressure guidelines Are Important

On November’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we discussed the new guidelines redefining who should be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Surprisingly doctors say nearly half the US population meet the new criteria.

How about you?

Under the new guidelines, developed by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, anyone with blood pressure of 120 over 80 is considered to have “elevated blood pressure” while any patient with a reading of more than 130 over 80 will be classified as having “Stage 1 High Blood Pressure.” High blood pressure was previously defined as 140 over 90 or higher.

What these guidelines are emphasizing is there’s so much benefit from a better blood pressure number and paying attention to blood pressure and not ignoring it, even if you’ve never had a complication of heart disease.

“Yes, we will label more people hypertensive and give more medication, but we will save lives and money by preventing more strokes, cardiovascular events and kidney failure,” Kenneth Jamerson, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System who was involved in writing the guidelines said in a statement.

These new guidelines aim to get the public to recognize that high blood pressure is very important and that it does contribute to what’s the biggest cause of death and disability for Americans, which is heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

There is real value in taking on the work of getting one’s blood pressure down.

About 25% of people with Type 1 diabetes and 80% of people with Type 2 diabetes have high blood pressure. If your heart’s working overtime all the time then you need to talk to your healthcare provider about lifestyle and medication management.

There is also significant evidence to show that chronic hypertension can speed the arrival of cognitive problems associated with aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. That is because the blood vessels that supply the brain can weaken just like the heart. In a 2009 Clinics in Geriatric Medicine article, Dr. Thomas Obisesan wrote, “hypertension is recognized as the most consistent risk factor for stroke and, importantly, AD [Alzheimer’s disease].”

LISTEN NOW: November’s  Diabetes Late Nite podcast with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE, Constance Brown Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDE, Mindy Bartleson, T1D, blogger at “There’s More to the Story”, and author, Hairstylist & Salon Owner, Karline Ricketts, and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’.

Enjoy an exclusive first listen of “Whitney Houston – I Wish You Love: More From ‘The Bodyguard’”ahead of the album’s release date courtesy of SONY Music. This 25th anniversary of “The Bodyguard” soundtrack album features the hit song, “I’m Every Woman” echoing the recent statistics that 1 in 10 women are now living with diabetes.

Throughout the podcast we will be talking to experts about ways to safeguard you and your family from experiencing diabetes health-related complications such as stroke, blindness and amputatio