Tag: Elvis Presley

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12 Days of Blue Christmas Gift Ideas from Mr. Divabetic

We understand why the holiday season can be difficult for people living with diabetes, or their loved ones.
It’s bound to be a stressful time as you are confronted with numerous social commitments, overly helpful relatives, busy holiday travel, financial burdens and an abundance of food and drink indulgences. A dizzying array of demands — parties, shopping, baking, cleaning and entertaining, on top of managing your diabetes can ruin your holiday spirit and compromise your hurt your diabetes health. 

If you’re fearful about the toll the holidays will take on your diabetes then let us help.

Being realistic, planning ahead and seeking support can help ward off stress and depression. Seek out community, religious, sports and/or other social events. They can offer support and companionship.

Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. And learn to say ‘no’. Saying ‘yes’ when you should say ‘no’ can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity.

Still feeling blue?
To help you de-stress and feel blessed I‘ve put together my first-ever 12 Days of Blue Christmas Gift List! 
Apart from repeated listenings to Elvis Presley sing ‘Blue Christmas’ in preparation for December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, I was inspired to compile this 12  Days of Blue Christmas Gift Guide after reading this blog post:
”Several friends and I are planning on doing the 12 Days of Christmas for a lady who really needs some pampering right now. She is sole care-giver to her husband, who is a double amputee, has diabetes and is on dialysis everyday. We are wondering what are some things we could give her to correspond to each of the 12 days. Doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, can be cute or funny. Just something to let her know we are thinking about her” posted on thriftyfun.com 
If you’re feeling stressed about overspending during the holidays but still want to be show your gratitude to that special someone living with diabetes in your life, then check out our 12 Days of Blue Christmas Gift Ideas list: 
Day 1 – Board game. I love Quiddler, winner of over 20 Best Game Awards. It’s easy to learn and fun for everyone! The goal is to arrange all the cards in your hand into one or more words. My friends and I had a blast playing this game in Ptown over the Columbus Day weekend. 
Day 2 – Pair of gloves. Peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes. Poor circulation and loss of feeling in the hands can cause people with diabetes not only to have cold hands, but also to fail to realize when cold temperatures are endangering their hands. UGG now sells gloves for men and women! Their rich leather gloves lets you use your touchscreens while keeping your hands warm. … Leather and sheepskin. Everybody I know raves that they are the “Best Gloves” ever owned. Warm, snug, and striking appearance. 
Day 3 – Picture of the friends, co-workers, nieces, nephews, pets and/or grandkids (three). 
Day 4 – Four single servings of a healthy snack! Since portion and calorie control are much easier to calculate, single-serve food products provide the health and wellness many are looking for with the added benefit of convenience. I like to carry Emerald 100 calorie pack, natural almonds & walnuts packs around with me as I run checking out all the holiday windows in New York City. 
Day 5 – The Best of the Temptations Christmas album. How it relates to ‘5’? (The “Classic 5” lineup of the Temptations featured: David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and Eddie Kendricks. The Temptations’ version of ‘Silent Night’ is the most beautiful version. The “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” intro is from Floyd Cramer’s medley. First released August, 1980, on the Temptations’ album  “Give Love At Christmas.”
Day 6 – Six pack of seamless socks. I used to giveaway Dr. Scholl’s Seamless socks at various Divabetic outreach events. They were the most popular giveaway I had! Constructed with premium materials, features a soft, non-binding top that doesn’t constrict your legs. Moisture dispersion technology keeps your feet dry and antimicrobial properties keep your feet feeling fresh. These socks feature a smooth toe seam to prevent irritation and friction on your toes, and a cushioned bottom for additional protection. The socks are cotton-free to reduce moisture absorption and latex-free to help avoid common allergic reactions
Day 7 – Lucky 7 lottery tickets! 
Day 8 – 8 oz diabetic foot & body creams from Dr. Greenfield’s and/or PEAK 10 SKIN care products. Dry skin, a frequently overlooked complication of diabetes, is an irritating side effect of chronically high blood glucose levels. Try these tricks to keep your skin healthy and soft.  Dr. Greenfield’s Diabetic Foot Cream helps reduce the risk of foot complications due to diabetes. The patented formula of emollients, vitamins, antioxidants and protein luxuriously moisturizes and softens feet while reducing painful cracking and dryness. 

PEAK 10 SKIN skin care products use high levels of proven active ingredients that will make a difference in the hydration and protection of your skin.  PEAK 10 SKIN products contain no parabens, no added fragrances, no gluten and are never tested on animals.
Day 9 – A gift certificate for Nine West Shoes (flats preferred).“You only get one set of feet in this lifetime,” says Dr. Curry. “It’s important to take care of them properly. The sacrifice of wearing the latest fad in shoe wear is not worth the health risk of permanent foot deformities with accompanying knee or hip pain.” Our pick is to add a dose of luxury to any holiday ensemble with the Nine West® Sholette loafer.  
Day 10 – Ten hours of great movies (your favorite DVD’s)
Day 11 – Eleven toothbrushes (one for almost every day of our Diabetes Blue Christmas celebration! ). Regular dental visits are important. Do you know tat when diabetes is not managed properly, high glucose levels in saliva may help bacteria and plaque thrive. Plaque that is not removed  can eventually harden into tartar? Research suggests that treating gum disease can help improve blood sugar management, and decrease complications. 
Day 12 – Calendar. Grab a T1D Exposed calendar. The mission of this beautiful Nude Diabetes Advocacy Project is to promote awareness, connect people living with type one diabetes (T1D), and fundraise for both local and global diabetes organizations. Living with T1D changes a person’s body, and the T1D Exposed calendar features tasteful nude portraits of individuals embracing those changes and their lives with type one. Our good friend, Doris Hobbs, participated in this year’s calendar. 
Remember, the holiday season can be an extremely stressful time for all of us. But stress, both physical and mental, can send your blood sugar levels out of whack. It’s important to start taking steps now to relax, unwind and/or mediate to keep yourself and your family healthy for life.
TUNE IN: Don’t miss December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring music by Elvis Presley on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6 PM, EST. We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes make you feel ‘blue’ during the holiday season with our panel of experts. Guests include ‘Walking With Peety’ Author Eric O’Grey, Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, 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 new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music. The album brings together Elvis Presley’s best-loved yuletide performances from “Elvis’ Christmas Album” (1957) and “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

NEED MORE INSPIRATION? Our panel of experts, Divabetic community members and past Diabetes Late Nite guests will be sharing their Blue Christmas Gift suggestions on this blog for the next twelve days to help you enjoy the festive spirit of the season without compromising your diabetes health!
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Celebrating A Diabetes ‘Blue’ Christmas on Diabetes Late Nite

We’re celebrating a Diabetes ‘BLUE’ Christmas with musical inspiration from Elvis Presley on December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast scheduled for Tuesday, December 12,2017, 6 PM,EST. 

Feeling blue?

Know someone with diabetes who gets irritated without any rhyme or reason? And it’s hard to guess what triggered the mood swing.

Moods swings affect people living with both type I and type II diabetes alike. It is difficult to say whether diabetes triggers mood swings or living with diabetes makes you moody. ‘Fluctuations in blood glucose level leads to change in levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and 5HT. When this happens it makes one prone mood swings and then to anxiety and depression, in the long run,’ explains Dr. Pradeep Gadge, Diabetologist, Shreya Diabetic Care, Mumbai.

Mood swings are more evident when one fails to express pent up emotions. So whether it is feeling low or inability to concentrate, it is better to talk and express it. If that doesn’t help, writing notes to yourself even on your phone’s notepad can also do the trick. Social interactions can also help in managing moods and emotions.

The holiday season triggers mood swings for many of us.  We may stress about finances, fight with family members, feel overwhelmed, slip into bad eating habits, ignore blood sugars and/or gain weight.

We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes dim your dazzle during the holidays with our panel of experts.

Guests include ‘Walking With Peety’ Author Eric O’Grey, Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, 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 new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music. The album brings together Elvis Presley’s best-loved yuletide performances from “Elvis’ Christmas Album” (1957) and “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

TUNE IN: Click on this Diabetes Late Nite link for inspiration to live healthfully during the holiday season.

https://youtu.be/Uwfz5mMLSDM

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How To Walk Off Your Thanksgiving Day Feast with Your Dog

A typical Thanksgiving meal contains more than 3,000 calories and is high in fat and carbohydrates. What does it do to your diabetes self-care plan?

A feast can be challenging for people with diabetes who are trying to manage blood glucose levels and weight but with careful planning, you can make healthy choices that fit into your diabetes meal plan and enjoy this wonderful celebration with friends and family.

Make your day about togetherness and family fun, and not just about the food by adding some exercise, like taking your dog for a walk, to your Thanksgiving Day celebration.

“Physical activity is the currency with which you pay for food,” says Pamela Peeke, M.D., author of Fight Fat After 40 (Penguin USA, May 2001)

My friend and colleague, Debby Kay, who is a pioneer in scent detection work for over 40 years and a member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers offers these tips for Turkey Day walks with the dog:

  1. Keep up the pace, most people walk too slow to make the walk enjoyable for their dogs. Dogs are anxious to get out and see what’s around the next corner so keep your pace brisk, even for the little guys. No stopping along the way though, keep moving.
  2. Walk to an area where the dog can relieve themselves, stop there and give a release word(s) like “free” or “okay get busy”  When they are finish resume your walk.  Keeping the walk and potty time separate will make for an enjoyable and productive walk for you both.
  3. If you see another dog that is reactive to your dog or your dog is reactive to another dog, turn around and go in the opposite direction or cross the street.  Have treats in your pocket and distract your dog by asking him to look up at you while you are walking away, once he is looking at you and walking nicely with you THEN treat him but keep on moving.
  4. Walk with a buddy to keep it more interesting for everyone.
  5. Don’t over do the walk. 15 minutes is good for little dogs, 30 minutes is about right for medium to larger dogs.
  6. If there is ice on the walkways or salts have been put down where you are walking, put those booties on your pup’s feet to protect him from chemical burns and potential poisoning from absorbing things through their pads.

THANKSGIVING TIP:  Let your family members know they can support you and your diabetes wellness by walking around the block with you after dinner.

In celebration of National Diabetes Awareness month, for November only, Debby Kay has a special offer for all the people struggling to train their own dogs to be alert dogs. She is discounting a bundle of all her materials for this training by 15%.

You will get Debby Kay’s starter Snoopers kit for collecting samples and training aids, her handbook on training alert dogs AND the DVD that goes with that book AND finally the complete scent training course in a two DVD set, separately these items sell for $345 but with this discount you can get the complete set for the low price of $292.82 + S&H.

To order you set today visit:
http://www.debbykay.com/product/diabetes-training-package/

 

Debby teaches Super Sniffer®workshops for amateur dog owners and professional trainers alike.  She has set up several non profit organizations worldwide for Diabetes Alert Dogs and her Sweet Snoopers program is now in 22 countries around the world helping people manage this disease better through the use of trained  alert dogs.

TUNE IN: Debby Kay joins us for December’s Diabetes Late Nite on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. We will be featuring songs from the new Elvis Presley Christmas album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This wonderful album features his classic hits and covers Blue Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Silent Night and The First Noel.

The album brings together the legend’s yuletide performances from his 1957 Christmas Album and Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas from 1971, re-imagined with new arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

A deluxe edition of the album, containing four bonus tracks (new symphonic versions of material from Elvis’ Peace In The Valley EP) will follow shortly after November 24.

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