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We are in the clutches of the icy hands of winter with a symphony of coughing and sneezing all around. I realise that the COVID-19 vaccines and how they were rolled out has created suspicion and reluctance in individuals when we suggest more vaccinations. Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the years of research that other vaccinations have behind them. In addition, I have seen the benefit in the general well-being of my clients with type 2 diabetes who have been vaccinated as recommended. In this blog, I therefore want to focus on the benefit of vaccinations in people with type 2 diabetes.
Vaccinations in people with type 2 diabetesWhen one considers the fast paced, high stress lifestyles we endure, one can only marvel at the fact that we find the strength to soldier on. Then we add fuel and living costs, environmental factors like load shedding, water issues, political instability and likely this strength will wane. In practice, I often meet overwhelmed and ‘sad’ clients and I am forced to acknowledge how much more stress is added on by medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus (‘diabetes’). I thus decided it was time to discuss depression and diabetes as these two conditions symbiotically feed off each other to negatively impact the lives our clients.
Sugar, sadness and strategising a way forward.The fear that life seems to be passing us by at lightning pace is compelling enough to spur us on to milk every second of every day to the fullest. We seem to be working harder, staring at screens for longer, engaging in more activities and generally shortening our nights. This rest that we sacrifice to do more is vital for both mental and physical health. The consequences of little or poor sleep can affect mood, energy levels and cause irritability. In addition, sleep issues can exacerbate, cause and reveal other more ‘serious’ medical conditions.
O sleep, O gentle sleep.As we are all aware, a new year comes with the usual flurry of new resolutions and plans to improve our lives and lifestyles. Let us hope that we have realistic goals which we can achieve and adhere to. I have made the typical promises to myself - eat healthier, exercise more and greater self-care and work-life balance. I then thought about my copious coffee consumption and whether I should be addressing this addiction as well.
Coffee- should we give up this liquid gold?It is that time of the year again where the daysseem to be longer than usual, we seem to be more tired with every passingminute and we have that nagging feeling the festive season break is just toofar away. My observation of colleagues from all disciplines, differenthospitals or practices and different geographical locations is the same… everyoneis hanging on by a thread.
Read more: Burnout in health care professionals… a ‘burning’ issue!There are two subsets of AI: machine learning and deep learning.1 Machine learning involves algorithms using pattern recognition to solve tasks, for example recognizing symptoms of breast cancer in lung scans. Deep learning involves neural networks using the human brain model and these algorithms are used for creating medical images. AI is already playing an important role in health and indeed in diabetes management. Examples of this include the amazing new technologies in our current insulin pump options or the fundal cameras paired with AI interpretation we use at the CDE for retinopathy screening. AI technology has assisted the radiology departments in a variety of ways…
Read more: AI in Radiology: is there still a role for the radiologist?I would like to firstly dedicate this blog to two members of our team who have experienced losses of family members. We, at the CDE, are a family as much as a team, and these losses have shaken us all to the core. I want them to know that we are praying for their comfort and strength during these trying times.
Read more: Is the holistic management modal ('everyone under one roof') really a game changer?Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a largely unseen pandemic. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 537 million people were living with diabetes worldwide in 2021 and around 4.2 million of these were in South Africa.1 The economic burden of diabetes-related complications on health care sectors and society is profound. The physical, psycho-social and emotional toll on people with diabetes is even more concerning. As health care practitioners, we need to focus on achieving glycemic and other risk factor targets quickly and safely…
Pharmacological agents used for diabetes have evolved over the years to address more of the 11 pathophysiological pathways causing type 2 diabetes.2 The advent of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists now allows us to address more than just glycemic control and this sets them apart from older agents. Thus, health care practitioners can now look at using these agents with enthusiasm.