Healthy Living Newsletter
Take Charge 2!
Featuring Healthy Eating Habits
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| In 2006, Mercy Hospital audience members had the opportunity to meet delightful and sometimes grumpy Mr. Sweet (pictured above, played by Jeff Hoomaian) as he and his wife Mrs. Sweet learned the importance of diabetes self-management. This year, Mr. Sweet returns with his wife to find greater understanding when strolling the grocery store and reading food labels. Special thanks...appreciation is extended to Bayer Health Care & Key Diabetes Supply Company for their help in producing the event. |
He’s back! Grumpy, but always charming, Mr. Sweet is returning to Mercy Hospital with his wife Mrs. Sweet, as they continue their journey toward understanding Diabetes Self-Management.
Mercy Hospital’s Diabetes Education program is pleased to bring the Sweets back along with their list of delightful characters, including the Mercy Hospital Diabetes Education team and local physicians.
Appearing live and on-stage last year, community members had the opportunity to meet Mr. & Mrs. Sweet. Mr. Sweet had been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and had a difficult time managing his blood sugar levels. The performance allowed Mr. Sweet as well as the audience to understand the importance of having frequent contact with his physician as he became aware of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) 7 Self-Care Behaviors.
This year, the team will take the Sweets on a new journey toward understanding how to successfully maneuver their way through a grocery store and accurately read food labels while incorporating healthy eating habits.
The Sweets will be joined in their journey with special guest appearances by Sushma Reddy, MD, one of the Blue Water Area’s premier endocrinologists; and Dawn Lambrecht, MD, a family practice physician with Mercy Family Care — Marysville.
The physicians as well as the Mercy Hospital Diabetes Education team will also reinforce the 7 Self-Care Behaviors.
Currently there are 21 million individuals living with diabetes. More than 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes. It is estimated that more than 50 million Americans will have diabetes by the year 2020; this rate increases five percent each year.
What’s more, diabetes is the number one complication of heart disease. November has been identified as National Diabetes Awareness Month, and Mercy Hospital invites the community to learn more about this manageable disease.
Major Types of Diabetes
There are four major types of diabetes. They include:
Type 1 diabetes
Results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, the hormone that “unlocks” the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5 to 10 percent of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes
This type of diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women — about 135,000 cases in the United State each year.
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 21 million currently diagnosed with the disease.
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| Sushma Reddy, MD, (left) a leading Blue Water Area endocrinologist will join with Dawn Lambrecht, MD, (right), a family practice physician, in an appearance of “Take Charge 2! Featuring Healthy Eating Habits,” hosted by the Mercy Hospital Diabetes Education program on November 3, 2007. |
“Take Charge 2! Featuring Healthy Eating Habits” will be held Saturday, November 3, in Mercy Hospital’s Baggot Street Café. The cost of the program is $10 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Informational booths will also be available. Program registration begins at 8 a.m., with the curtain going up at 8:30 a.m. The program will conclude at 1:15 p.m.
Diabetes patients and their family members who attend this enjoyable, one-time-only performance will learn how to maneuver through the grocery store, read food labels effectively and will be provided a general overview of the AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors, including:
- Taking medications
- Monitoring
- Healthy eating
- Being active
- Reducing risks
- Healthy coping
- Problem solving
Mercy Hospital and its Diabetes Education and Management program have been providing
services to area diabetes patients for 16 years. Recognized by the American Diabetes Association, Mercy’s program offers education services and meets the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education.
Mercy’s program offers in-depth patient education and its self-management training program is certified by the Michigan Department of Community Health. Each year, Mercy Hospital hosts a community education event such as “Take Charge 2! Featuring Healthy Eating Habits” designed for and dedicated to patients with diabetes.
For more information about this event and to make your reservation to attend, please call toll-free 1 (888) MERCYME. The cost of the event is $10 and payment will be accepted during the event’s registration.
To find out more about Mercy Hospital and its diabetes education program, visit The Diabetes Information section of this website.
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