diva health – Divabetic

05/28/202305/28/2023

Tina Turner, Mismanaged High Blood Pressure & Chronic Kidney Failure

Tina Turner is ‘simply the best’ for raising awareness for the link between untreated high blood pressure and kidney failure during her lifetime.

“I can’t remember ever getting an explanation about what high blood pressure means or how it affects the body,” Tina Turner said in an article for Show Your Kidneys Love, an international campaign for kidney health.

“My kidneys are victims of my elevated blood pressure” -Tina Turner

She was on dialysis after having a kidney transplant years ago due to untreated hypertension. Untreated hypertension can cause blood vessels to narrow, decreasing blood flow to the kidneys. Without proper blood flow, the kidneys cannot remove excess fluid and waste from the body — and as that fluid builds up, blood pressure will only increase further. Chronic kidney disease may cause arms, legs, and face swelling. It’s a dangerous cycle that can lead to kidney failure, but intervening early is possible.

“I considered high blood pressure my normal,” Tina Turner is quoted on Show Your Kidneys Love’s website. “Hence, I didn’t really try to control it. In 1985 a doctor gave me a prescription for pills of which I was supposed to take one a day, and that was it. I didn’t give it any more thought. After suffering a stroke in 2009 because of my poorly controlled hypertension I struggled to get back up on my feet. This is when I first learned that my kidneys didn’t work that well anymore. They had already lost thirty-five percent of their function. I tried to learn more about these organs’ function and meaning. Most people probably don’t even know where their kidneys are located and what they are for until their health is at stake.”

Mismanaged high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure in the US.

Memorial Day Weekend is an excellent time to inform people of the link between alcohol and high blood pressure. Drinks with friends can be the best part of a three-day weekend, but when, what, and how much you drink matters.

Research shows drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure. Repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure.

What is Moderate Drinking?

Moderate drinking means having no more than one drink daily for women and no more than two drinks for men.

One can argue that Tina Turner frequently admitted she didn’t smoke or drink alcohol. But she admitted that after being diagnosed with high blood pressure in 1978, she thought of it as her “normal” and didn’t attempt to control it.

“I put myself at great danger by refusing to accept the reality that I required daily medication for the rest of my life,” she wrote on Instagram on March 9.

“Show your kidneys love. They deserve it.”

We’re discussing kidney disease and diabetes on this Divabetic podcast with musical inspiration from P.M. Dawn.

Prince Be, the psychedelic pop-rap group P.M. Dawn’s frontman, suffered various health problems from mismanaged type 2 diabetes. He had several strokes, including one in 2005 that left him partly paralyzed, and gangrene, which led to the partial amputation of one leg. He died of renal failure resulting from complications of diabetes at age 46.

Renal failure (often called kidney failure) is when the kidneys stop working and cannot remove waste and extra water from the blood or keep body chemicals in balance. Acute or severe renal failure happens suddenly (for example, after an injury) and may be treated and cured. Chronic renal failure develops over many years, may be caused by conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, and cannot be cured. Chronic renal failure may lead to dialysis (cleaning the blood by passing it through a membrane or filter) or a kidney transplant.

Podcast Guests: Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, Lynette Luckers from the Marion Luckers Kidney Foundation, Chef Robert Lewis aka The Happy Diabetic, Janis Roszler, RD, CDCES, FAND and Luther Vandross Superfan, and Historian Leon Petrossian.

Tina Turner believed most people don’t know their kidneys are located; this video proves they don’t know where their pancreas is either! Your pancreas produces insulin. Insulin lowers blood sugar levels in your body.

05/24/202305/24/2023

Divabetic Podcast Inspired by Etta James

Etta James inspires this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.

After the six-time Grammy award winner conquered her drug addiction in 1988, she struggled with her weight. At the peak of her obesity, she reportedly weighed as much as 400 pounds. At just five foot three, this weight gain often left her bedbound, and when she did appear publicly, she was seen in a wheelchair. She was unable to perform during this period.

However, after successful gastric bypass surgery, she lost over 200 pounds and began to perform again.

She told Ebony Magazine in 2006 she could sing “lower, louder and longer” than before.

However, she still had enormous difficulty adjusting to her smaller stomach. “I had trouble keeping food down,” she said. Her mental health also suffered. “I went through a depression. You’re doing well, and then all of a sudden you’re not. I thought I was going to fail.”

Etta James’s openness about her frustrations in managing her weight after the surgery has helped other people cope with the same issues. It’s important to remember you’re not alone if you struggle with weight loss issues, depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. You owe it to yourself to get comprehensive treatment for all your symptoms—including your mental health symptoms. Seek a referral to a mental health professional to get the treatment you need for any mental health issues you are dealing with.

As she entered her 70s, Etta James began struggling with health issues. She was hospitalized in 2010 for a blood infection and other ailments. It was later revealed that the legendary singer suffered from dementia and was receiving treatment for leukemia.

Podcast guests include Lorraine Brooks, Dr. Monique Renee Rolle, Catherine Schuller, Susan Greenberg Weiner, and Mama Rose Marie.

Throughout the podcast, we will spotlight Etta James’ iconic recordings from the All The Way and The Essential Etta James albums courtesy of SONY MUSIC.

Diabetes Late Nite podcast inspired by Etta James, is free on iTunes, BlogTalkRadio, and Spotify.

02/09/2021

Divabetic Remembers Mary Wilson

Mary Wilson, from the Supremes, who sang with Diana Ross on eternal hits like “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,“ has died at age 76.

https://youtu.be/ZAWSiWtUK2s

“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” Gordy said in a statement. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.,” Barry Gordy, Motown Records’ founder, expressed his sadness at the loss of a music luminary told Rolling Stone. “Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”

Mary Wilson began her career in Detroit in 1959 as a singer in a group called the Primettes that went on to become The Supremes, with members Diana Ross and Florence Ballard.

Mary Wilson stayed in the public eye up until very recently, appearing on the TV Show Dancing With the Stars and releasing her fourth book, Supreme Glamour.

Her publicist, Jay Schwartz, confirmed the singer’s death to Rolling Stone, but did not reveal a cause of death.

Luther Vandross loved the Supremes and their music! Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and the Supremes sit on his personal Mount Rushmore reported the New York Times. His twist was that he frequently emulated female singers with his voice – a synthesis of Franklin’s gospel fire, Dionne Warwick’s impeccable intonation and diction and Diana Ross’s yearning, which he then effortlessly glided from robust baritone to tremulous tenor.

We’re celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as vision loss) on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

Guests include Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, Nat Adderley Jr., Dr. Khoshnevis, Danny Clay, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE. Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s album, ‘The Night I Fell In Love’ courtesy of SONY Music.