November is National Diabetes awareness month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 9.4% of the US population, or 30.3 million people, have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes—a disease that affects your body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels—is not a death sentence. With proper management and weight loss, the symptoms of the disease can be reversed. However, poorly managed diabetes can lead to a number of complications—heart disease, kidney disease and nerve damage (neuropathy) to name a few—and to a reduced life expectancy.

There is a financial cost to poorly managed diabetes as well. According to the CDC, on average the annual out-of-pocket cost of medical care for someone without diabetes is $3,673 as compared to an annual cost of $9,202 for someone with diabetes. Add in treatment for the additional health conditions associated with type 2 diabetes, and that number jumps to $17,762, annually.

Prevention is Possible

Luckily type 2 diabetes is not only treatable, but also preventable. In the United States, it is estimated that 33.9% of the population—or 84.1 million adults—is prediabetic. Being prediabetic does not mean that you will end up with type 2 diabetes. Medications can reduce the number of new cases of diabetes by up to 31%. However, medications alone are not the answer. In fact, changes in lifestyle, like increased exercise and a healthier diet, are far more effective and can reduce the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes by 58%, and 71% in individuals over the age of 60. For example, did you know that reducing your weight by just 2.2 pounds reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 13%?

Programs and Services at DCMC

At Door County Medical Center, we have a number of programs that can help prevent type 2 diabetes or help those who have been diagnosed with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes manage the disease and its symptoms. DCMC’s Carmen Schroeder, a Registered Dietician Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator, and Ruth Norton, a Registered Nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator, are on staff to help guide you through each program, either one-on-one or in a classroom setting.

DCMC programs include:

• Lifestyle Nutrition Coaching. This is a great option for those who have been diagnosed with prediabetes and would like one-on-one sessions. Lifestyle Nutrition Coaching is designed to support people interested in improving their health and well-being through diet. As Ms. Schroeder puts it; “Think of it as having a personal trainer to support healthy eating.”

• Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). Medical nutrition therapy is a therapeutic approach to treating medical conditions, specifically diabetes and kidney diseases, via the use of an individually tailored nutrition plan devised and monitored by registered dietitian nutritionist. Individuals meet to review their current eating habits and health history and work with the dietitian in setting nutrition goals to improve your health.

• Diabetes Self-Management Training. This option is for those with diagnosed diabetes that covers all aspects of disease management: from glucose monitoring; to medication management; to nutrition, exercise and stress management; to setting individual goals. As Ms. Schroeder says, “We give patients the information they need to stay healthy and safe. We give them the survival skills they need to manage their specific healthcare needs.”