Focus on Your Health: Living Well with Diabetes

Diabetes is a complicated disease that is all too common today. This disease affects 25.8 million people in our country alone. 

People with Diabetes don’t produce enough insulin. This causes high levels of blood glucose, which can lead to Diabetes complications. 

However, it is possible to control Diabetes and live well with the disease. The Los Alamos Heart Council is pleased to provide education on this topic to our community. 

The council is hosting its annual community seminar at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 at the First Baptist Church, 2200 Diamond Dr.

In addition to a light supper, served from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and door prizes, the seminar will feature a presentation by Dr. Madhavi Garimella, a board certified Endocrinologist with Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico. 

The presentation will be 6:30-8 p.m. and 1.5 CE credit is available free to nurses for attending. 

Dr. Garimella will focus on learning about the different types of Diabetes, as well as the various ways to control and manage Diabetes. 

Diabetes can be a deadly disease, but there are many ways to control it.  In addition to medication prescribed by your doctor, Diabetes can be controlled by proper exercise and eating choices. 

According to the American Diabetes Association, physical activity can “improve blood glucose management. Activity makes your body more sensitive to the insulin you make.

Activity also burns glucose (calories.) Both actions lower blood glucose.”  In addition, the American Diabetes Association recommends making healthy food choices, such as focusing on whole grains, non-fat dairy, lean protein and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Cutting back on high calorie, high sugar foods are also recommended. 

Dr. Garimella will discuss ways to manage your Diabetes, and how to make healthy choices a part of your life. She will focus on living with the disease, and how to cope with its effects on your family, at work and while you are traveling. 

It may seem daunting, but adding physical activity to your routine is possible. Likewise, making healthy eating choices can be easier than you think. It is possible to control your Diabetes while eating nutritious and delicious food. 

Dr. Garimella earned her medical degree at Calcutta National Medical College in Calcutta, India. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico. 

She has been in Los Alamos since 2006, when she joined Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico as an Internist. She provided primary care medicine to Los Alamos residents until 2009, when she and her family moved back to Albuquerque so she could join the University of New Mexico Endocrinology fellowship program. 

She finished her fellowship in 2011, and moved back to Los Alamos, where she re-joined Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico as a board certified Endocrinologist.   

She is also board certified in Internal Medicine. In addition, Dr. Garimella works with Dee Romine, RN and CDE to provide the community with a Diabetes education program. 

This program is certified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and should be covered by most health insurance plans. For more information, please call 661-8900, or visit www.mannm.com.

If you are worried you may have Diabetes, want to avoid getting it, or have recently been diagnosed, you should plan to attend this seminar. Topics include:

• Types of Diabetes
• Why Control Diabetes?
• Managing your Diabetes – Healthy Eating, Drinking, Physical Activity and Exercise, Medications
• Life with Diabetes – Coping, Family Life, Work, Travel

This seminar could also be useful to anyone who is a caregiver for someone with Diabetes. 

The seminar is free, but registration is appreciated. Please plan to pre-register by Friday, Feb. 22. To register go to www.LosAlamosHeartCouncil.org or call the Los Alamos Cooperative Extension at 662-2656. 

In the event of inclement weather, please call 662-2656 to see if the program will be held. 

The heart council has hosted these seminars for more than a decade.  They are pleased to provide our community with education to encourage good health and a healthy heart.