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The following article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contains valuable information about the dangers of having diabetes and being pregnant and what you can do to help prevent or control the condition and keep your baby safe. 

Control your blood sugar before and during pregnancy to help prevent birth defects and other poor outcomes, such as miscarriage or stillbirth.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot use the sugars and starches (carbohydrates) it takes in as food to make energy. The body either makes too little insulin in the pancreas or cannot use the insulin it makes to change those sugars and starches into energy. As a result, the body builds up extra sugar in the blood. Controlling diabetes means controlling blood sugar by keeping it within a certain range by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking medicines (pills or insulin) as ordered by the doctor.

How can uncontrolled blood sugar affect my health and the baby?

Your health

The extra sugar in the blood can damage your body’s organs, such as the heart, eyes, and kidneys, if it is allowed to build up in the body too long. It can also cause:

• Increased chance of needing C-section
• Preeclampsia
• Miscarriage or stillbirth
• Early or preterm birth

Baby’s health

• Birth defects
• Extra large baby
• Low blood sugar in infant after birth
• Increased chance of overweight obesity and diabetes in your child later in life

Are there different types of diabetes?

There are three common types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas makes no insulin or so little insulin that the body can’t change blood sugar into energy. Type 1 diabetes must be controlled with daily insulin shots, diet, and exercise.
• Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body either makes too little insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes to change blood sugar into energy. Often type 2 diabetes can be controlled through eating a proper diet and exercising regularly. Some people with type 2 diabetes have to take diabetes pills or insulin or both.  (continue reading…)

(article Via The Medical News photo source)

This flu season more than 2900 Rite Aid pharmacies are offering regular seasonal flu shots and starting September 1, flu shot locations and clinic dates will be available at www.riteaid.com and by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494.

Many Rite Aid pharmacists have already been giving regular seasonal flu shots following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice that anyone who wishes to reduce the risk of getting the regular seasonal flu get a flu shot as soon as they are available. More than 2,000 certified immunizing pharmacists in more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores will give regular seasonal flu shots now and throughout the flu season. After locating a Rite Aid store with an immunizing pharmacist at www.riteaid.com or toll-free 1-866-751-1494, customers should call the store to check if appointments are necessary. Rite Aid pharmacists also can counsel customers and answer questions about both the regular seasonal flu and H1N1 flu.

Nurses will be giving regular seasonal flu shots on a first come, first served basis at flu shot clinics in more than 1,800 Rite Aid stores from September 23 through mid-December. Clinic locations will be available September 1 at www.riteaid.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494. (continue reading…)

Naturally, when you think of exercise you think of losing weight, and getting toned.  However, there’s another organ that benifits from exercise that you might not think of—your skin.  That said, you might also find exercise to be much cheaper than anti-wrinkle creams, and other magical potions you find in department stores.

“It’s no secret that exercise has important benefits for the entire body. But what many people don’t realize is that our skin is the largest organ of our body, and thus, the benefits can be enormous,” says Audrey Kunin, MD and dermatologist.

According to WebMD, increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out.  Also, exercise will create the ideal environment within the body to optimize collagen production.  Yes, collagen production.  As you may or may not know, collagen is produced in the dermis [second layer of skin] and acts as the skin’s support structure.  As collagen production decreases, wrinkles on the surface of the skin become deeper. (continue reading…)