With great personal responsibility, adequate support from your family, and advice from experts, you can definitely live a long and normal life.
Irvine, CA (PRWEB) August 03, 2015
A recent survey by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health notes that while an overwhelming number of Hispanics believe people can positively affect their diabetes, few look beyond diet changes to improve health.
The overwhelming 70 percent of participants queried said making diet changes was important. Far fewer participants mentioned the need for exercise (30%), maintaining a healthy weight (6%), taking prescribed medicine (37%), or monitoring blood sugar (3%) as key to successful disease management.
The survey numbers underscore the reality that Hispanics experience a higher incidence of diabetes, often with less success in controlling the disease. To that end, HealthyHispanicLiving.com (HHL), in partnership with City of Hope, continues it’s 90-day outreach campaign that began June 22, to help educate Hispanics and Latinos about diabetes and obesity.
“With great personal responsibility, adequate support from your family, and advice from experts, you can definitely live a long and normal life,” said Dr. Andres Gomez, an HHL contributor who also educates Hispanic and Latino diabetes patients, “Diabetes is not a death sentence.”
Separate Myths from the Truth
By visiting HHL, readers can access the latest from City of Hope, the world-leading research center near Los Angeles, and other HHL and national sources of news and information.
This month, Dr. Gomez, a leader with the Taking Control of Your Diabetes Program near San Diego, CA., dispels the myths that many people struggle with when diagnosed with diabetes. Is the disease contagious? Does eating too much sugar cause diabetes? Will insulin use lead to blindness, renal dialysis or amputation? These common misperceptions often prevent Hispanics from following the doctor’s orders and properly caring for themselves, says Dr. Gomez. Visit HHL to read his blog post.
Many Hispanics and Latinos also assume they’ll need to give up all the foods they love for diabetes. Not so, says City of Hope dietitian Peggy Mancini, who guides patients to control diabetes by making minor modifications to diet, while also focusing on dietary balance.
And the food that’s good for someone with diabetes, “is also good for the whole family,” Mancini notes, “It doesn’t mean forcing a special diet on your loved ones.” Visit HHL to learn more about what patients can expect when working with a dietitian.
Visitors will also find tips on healthier eating, and how super foods can help improve outcomes for people and their families living with diabetes, as well as a four-part series on the Steps to Managing Diabetes for Life, and much more.
To learn more, visit HHL, or “like” the HHL Facebook page.
About Healthy Hispanic Living
As the first preventive care online educational platform targeted to U.S. Hispanics, HHL aims to guide Hispanics to live healthier lives and to ensure preventive care engagement, accountability and self-advocacy by providing solutions and changing the conversation about health from illness to wellness. For more information, visit http://www.healthyhispanicliving.com
About City of Hope
City of Hope near Los Angeles is a leading research and treatment center for diabetes, cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the nation. For more information, visit http://www.cityofhope.org
