Innovative Options for Diabetic Patients to Control Debilitating Pain

November is National Diabetes Month, making it the perfect time to discuss the battles diabetic patients face and the measure they can take to help control their symptoms. Currently, there are over 37.3 million Americans suffering from diabetes. That's in 1 in 10 people, meaning that its more than likely someone you love has been diagnosed. Some people with diabetes also suffer from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a deliberating and progressive neurological disorder that affects approximately 30% of the diabetes patient population.² DPN can be caused when high blood sugar (glucose) damages nerves, most often in the legs and feet, leading to chronic numbness and burning or stabbing pain. The chronic disease tales a toll on an individual’s quality of life, affecting their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but there is hope.

Recently, New Age Mama got to interview two amazing women who are working to make a difference for diabetic patients.   Check out the interview in the video below to learn ways to raise awareness and discuss detection and management of this prevalent disease.

 

Speaking with Dr. Patel and was an enlightening experience. The doctor answered out technical questions and taught some creative ways to handle the pain involved with diabetes.  Farrah bravely shared her personal battle to give us a better understanding of what a diabetic experiences. If you have diabetes and want to learn from about treatment methods for DPN, Dr. Patel as provided the following tips.

• Conventional medical approaches, such as compression socks, topical creams, and prescription medications, do not always resolve DPN symptoms. But there is hope for these patients. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been FDA approved as a therapy for treatment of painful DPN of the lower extremities. A National Institutes of Health review finds that spinal cord stimulation for painful DPN is an effective and safe option for treatment.³
• SCS is a proven long-term and effective therapy for managing chronic pain.^4,5
• A spinal cord stimulator is an implantable medical device that works by disrupting the pain signals traveling between the spinal cord and the brain.
• Patients with DPN are 17 times more likely to experience significant pain relief if treated with SCS compared to conventional treatment.^6,7,8
• 86% of patients experienced treatment success after receiving SCS therapy for one year.
•     SCS can offer proven long-term therapy for managing chronic pain, with the majority of patients experiencing meaningful pain relief through five years of treatment using the device.⁹ 

About Dr. Silky Patel

Dr. Silky Patel is an interventional spine, sports, and pain management physician located in Houston, Texas,

About Farrah Stewart

Ms. Farrah Stewart is a patient of Dr. Patel’s who suffers from painful DPN and a spinal cord stimulator.

Interview is courtesy: Medtronic

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Diabetes Alert Day

 Let’s face it – we have all been that person, the one who says “it’s okay, I am fine. I will make that doctors appointment another day.” There are millions of reasons why we don’t take time to make healthy lifestyle choices. Kids, jobs, cat videos on the Internet – we’re all busy. But let me ask you this – if it were the health of your child, your parent, or another loved one, would you still procrastinate? Whatever the reason, there’s no excuse for not taking care of yourself just like you would make the time to take care of someone else!


  March 22^nd is Diabetes Alert Day. No one is excused from prediabetes. 86 million American adults (more than 1 in 3) have prediabetes and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a serious health condition that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Surprisingly, nearly 90% of those with prediabetes don’t even know that they have it. But it’s not all bad news. Prediabetes often can be reversed through weight loss, diet changes and increased physical activity. Diagnosis is key: research shows that once people are aware of their condition, they are much more likely to make the necessary lifestyle changes. Education and awareness could mean the difference in so many lives.

 Making changes may seem tough. But remember, even a small amount of weight loss (5-7% of your body weight) can reverse prediabetes before it develops into type 2 diabetes.

• Get at least 2.5 hours (150 minutes) of light aerobic activity every week. This could be as simple as going for a brisk 30-minute walk 5 days per week. Even 10 minutes at a time adds up. Small steps can lead to big changes.
• Find simple ways to be more active throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther away from the entrance of a store front when you hit the shops. Because, hey, whatever will get you moving is a step in the right direction.
• At the start of each week, create a schedule of when you’re going to exercise — and make it a priority to stick to it!

We need to communicate a sense of urgency – it’s time to take action and what better day to spread the message than on Diabetes Alert Day! If you know someone who could be at risk, encourage them to visit DoIHavePrediabetes.org for a short online test that will help them learn their risk for prediabetes.