Parades – Divabetic

08/26/202408/26/2024

Under The Vines: Adult-Onset Blindness

Season 3 of one of my favorite Acorn TV shoes, Under The Vines, tackles the challenges of adult-onset blindness. The blindness of the owner of the neighboring vineyard, Hilary (Catherine Wilkin), is worsening. What Hillary is experiencing isn’t just a great storyline in a TV drama; it’s more common than you think.

One of the leading causes of blindness in U. S. adults is mismanaged diabetes. Diabetes Retinopathy is a condition caused by diabetes, which disrupts the body’s ability to convert food into energy and can damage the eyes.

Many people with diabetes don’t realize they have it until organ damage has occurred, so regular health and vision check-ups are essential.

Hilary struggles to accept her condition and ask for help. She is stubborn, willful, and narrow-minded, much like many people struggling with worsening health conditions. She flatly refuses her rival, Miranda’s offers to take her to the doctor, clean her house, and help run her vineyards. Of course, Miranda has ulterior motives for helping Hilary, but that’s another story.

If you’re concerned about your vision, follow the advice of healthcare collaborators on how often you should go for exams. Always contact an eye care provider when you have a change in vision or something wrong with your eyes. Wear your prescription glasses and contact lenses when necessary.
If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar levels tightly managed, and manage your blood pressure if you have high blood pressure.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. They cause the eye’s lens to harden and turn yellow. In the US, nearly 20.5 million people over 40 have cataracts.

The type of treatment available depends on your condition. Providers can treat some forms of blindness with medications or glasses but can’t treat others, such as those where your eyes are missing or completely damaged. In these cases, your provider may recommend visual rehabilitation. Vision rehabilitation aims to enhance visual functioning to meet your goals and improve your quality of life.

Actors Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards star in Under The Vines as two city slickers who inherit a failing vineyard, Oakley Vineyards, in rural New Zealand. The only problems are that neither of them has ever done a hard day’s work—and they despise one another.

Under The Vines is a fun, easygoing watch.

07/20/202407/20/2024

Watercolor Washes And Blood Sugars

My second watercolor class was about washes. It proved to be just as challenging as the first class, but it was still a blast from start to finish. We used a large brush and loaded up with the paint mixture in a smooth, sweeping motion side to side. The three main types of watercolor washes are flat, graded, and variegated. You can attempt them with a wet brush on dry paper or a wet brush on wet paper. My goal was to create transparency with the paint.

I adore my instructor, Eva, from Bulgaria. She’s passionate about art and teaching art. When she travels back to Bulgaria, she doesn’t like to take photos because she feels photos can’t capture your memories. I’m paraphrasing, but I love her thoughts. I arrived early so I could ask her about her artwork. She is a chemigram artist. A chemigram has been called ‘the ultimate adventure of gelatin silver bromide’. It’s made by painting with chemicals on light-sensitive photography paper. According to Eva, you can’t see what you’re creating until you process the paper, and there’s a high probability that it might not work out. Eva likes it because you can’t control it.

Drinking water can help dilute blood sugar levels, but no single food or drink can directly reduce the amount of sugar in your blood. Different foods affect your blood sugar differently, creating bigger or smaller rises for longer or shorter periods. High blood sugar—known as hyperglycemia—can lead to dehydration, as the body tries to eliminate excess glucose through urine. Excess urination is one symptom of diabetes.

When dehydrated, your blood becomes more concentrated, including glucose. Drinking water can help rehydrate your blood and dilute the sugar, which can help lower blood sugar levels. Water can also help your kidneys filter out excess sugar through urine, which can further help flush sugar from your body.

Taking fast-acting insulin medication is the fastest way to lower blood sugar. Talk to your healthcare collaborators about the best self-care plan for you.

04/10/201704/11/2017

Raising Awareness for Diabetes at the Easter Parade 2017

I’’ll be raising awareness for diabetes in a fun, new way at this year’s Annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in New York on Sunday, April 16, 2017, 12:30 PM

Don’t let the parade pass you by! Tune in to Facebook Live (Divabetic) to catch all the sights and sounds live from the Red Carpet with guests Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP and hat designer, Evetta Petty and more!

Never been to the New York Easter Parade?

“Sunday best” gets new meaning during this annual procession, wherein participants show off elaborately constructed hats— shaped like gigantic Easter baskets, the NYC skyline and the Coney Island Cyclone! The tradition started in the mid-1800s, when high-society ladies would promenade in their Easter finery after church, and has since evolved into a showcase for millinery.

While most of the hats on display at the Festival will be outrageous you can still add an extra touch of magic, refinement, and/or edge to an outfit with a much modest sized hat.

What’s one big hat trend for Spring/Summer 2017?

“With access to Cuba, its retro influence is having a powerful impact on the fashion industry,” according to Evetta Petty, the owner of Harlem’s Heaven Hat Shop in New York City. “There are colorful exotic prints that are mixed with natural raw elements. Rich, graphic, brilliant patterns paired with kitschy accessories like bold voluminous necklaces and bangles as well as tassels, pompoms, and ruffles for an updated vintage look.”

Hats are also an important staple for the summer season, since they help to shield us from the sun.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to avoid too much sun exposure and sunburn, particularly if you take certain medications, such as glyburide (brand names Micronase, DiaBeta, and Glynase), glipizide (Glucotrol, Glucotrol XL), and glimepiride (Amaryl), as well as diuretics and NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen and celecoxib [Celebrex] according to Diabetes Self-Management magazine.

People with diabetes should avoid sunburn because it can stress your body and raise your blood glucose. Wear a good sunscreen (we recommend PEAK PROTECTION sunscreen spray SPF29), lip balm that contains SPF, sunglasses as well as a hat when out in the sun and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Most people don’t realize that while driving your neck, hands and left side of your face is exposed to sun!

“If you drive 1/2 hour or more per day to work the sun is constantly beaming through the windshield on your hands,” says PEAK 10 skincare founder, Connie Elder.“Use sunscreen on the back of your hands and neck.”

I’ll be challenging people’s Diabetes Wellness IQ with games at the Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival. Test your knowledge with this question: Sunscreen doesn’t expire – True or False?

Answer: TRUE. Go ahead and throw out last summer’s bottle of sunscreen. Although sunscreens are usually labeled with an expiration date and have a shelf life of approximately two years, it’s important to buy a new bottle every summer to ensure that your skin is well-protected.

There are lots of amazing designs to try on this year but what’s the one trend that will set you a part from the other run-of-the-mill fashionistas in your town?

“The headwear industry welcomes the return of the turban with feathers and glitzy embellishments!,” says Evetta and adding, “also, wide brimmed hats with floral trimmings are a strong look this season.”

Have fun dressing for Sunny days and HAVANA NIGHTS.