My wife and I have been living a self-sufficient, off-the-grid lifestyle for the last six years. We switched from a modern suburban lifestyle outside of Chicago to a remote, rural mountain one. Our decision didn't happen quickly, most of it was over a fifty year period. I made my living as an artist and professional musician and my wife was in the corporate arena; not exactly pre-requisite experience for living off the grid. Successfully changing from an urban/suburban way of living to a rural self-sufficient life is first and foremost a conscious and committed change of lifestyle. The two books that most influenced our decision were "The Good Life" by Scott and Helen Nearing, they made a similar decision and lifestyle change at the same …show more content…
Therefore, if you have already developed diabetes, you may wonder whether the lifestyle changes that could have prevented diabetes will gain you anything. The answer is yes: the same lifestyle changes that might have prevented your diabetes can help you to treat it. As important as lifestyle is in causing diabetes, it may be even more important in treating type diabetes, as well as diabetes. Diabetes is unique chronic disease, affected by virtually every aspect of lifestyle, including eating, physical activity, and school, work, and travel schedule. Conversely, all of these activities are affected by diabetes. While many diseases require attention to taking prescribed medications, diabetes demands constant attention and vigilance with regard no timing and content of meals and physical activity, glucose monitoring, administration of numerous medications including insulin, foot care, and a host of other self-care requirements. And diabetes can be a petulant, jealous companion; if you ignore your care, even for a little while, it will make you pay with uncomfortable and potentially dangerous hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. And if you don't pay attention to the myriad details of care over a long period of time, the penalty can be much more severe with loss of vision, kidney failure, foot ulcers, amputations and heart disease. On the bright side, during the past two decades, clinical trials have shown us that persons with diabetes can live long, productive, and complication-free lives. Studies in diabetes have demonstrated how to achieve near-normal blood-glucose levels. In addition, we have developed effective interventions to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with diabetes. The consequence of such "tight" glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol control is improved long term health. Blood-sugar levels maintained in the near normal range over
However Diabetes can be managed through physical activity, diet and in high levels of diabetes using of insulin and oral medications to keep the blood sugar levels low. Another important impact of diabetes in human body is that it can increase risk of high blood pressure, and high cholesterol too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report “More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, up from the previous estimate of 26 million in 2010”. People can also prevent from diabetes by losing weight, being more active, and eating healthy foods. So if anyone is looking to stop diabetes or prevent it, then it’s better to change their lifestyle and follow the right path for it to reach their goal. Because just by talking about diet and exercise people can’t do anything to stop obesity and diabetes we all need to take a serious action for
Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.
For the purpose of this paper it will provide an overview of ways that diabetes, type 2, can be prevented if a person is at risk for developing it. Although there has been little research that diabetes can always be prevented there are ways that a person can delay or improve their symptoms.
Public health emphasizes the importance of prevention and proactively taking care of one’s body. As people grow older, they must follow certain guidelines to ensure that they age healthily and successfully. One of the biggest concerns facing the aging population is chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long term diseases that have a slow progression. Once chronic diseases pass “certain symptomatic or diagnostic thresholds,” they become a permanent aspect of an individual’s life because “medical and personal regimens can sometimes control but can rarely cure them” (Albert and Freeman 105). One chronic condition that is a cause of concern is diabetes. Diabetes is not only one of the leading causes of death in the over 65 population but
Although heredity plays an important role whether a person inherits diabetes and to what extent, it can be controlled through useful methods that are affordable. By changing environmental risk factors, people can reduce their risk of developing diabetes. Increasing awareness of diabetes which is a major setback for some socio-economical background and rural areas as not enough awareness is made to the general public. Identifying people at risk for the disease is also another
The American Diabetes Association (2004) defines diabetes as a subset of metabolic diseases associated with hyperglycemia secondary to insulin failing to release, act, or both. Complications related to chronic diabetes can be detrimental to one’s health including but not limited to: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputations, blindness, and other optical diseases. Furthermore, the prevalence of diabetes is rising at an astronomical rate within the United States as well as internationally. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016) an estimated 29 million people suffer with diabetes and 86 million are prediabetic within the United States (US). Without major interventions from the healthcare community,
In his book, Living Off the Grid:A Simple Guide to Creating and Maintaining a Self-Reliant Supply of Energy, Water, Shelter and More (2008) Dave Black lists the following eight reasons many people are choosing to go off grid in America today: There is no grid available, to minimize environmental impact of the grid and leave a smaller carbon footprint, to avoid utility costs, saving money by lowering bills, emergency insurance, entertainment of an intelligent mind, reducing use of fossil fuels, and public image. He goes on to explain that whatever reason or reasons a person may choose to go off grid there is a long list of realities that one must face in relation to such an undertaking. Ability, location, shelter, laws, resources needed,
Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuous medical care and patient self-management education to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications[ ].
Diabetes (DM) is one the many initiatives that Healthy People 2020 have been focusing on to reduce this disease morbidity and mortality rates throughout the communities. In the United States alone, the number of individuals diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 1.5 million in 1958 to 25.8 million in 2011. The Center for Disease and prevention (CDC) also estimates in the year 2011, 79 million people age 20 and over were noted to have pre-diabetes, in which the blood sugar was higher than normal levels, however, have not reached the level for a diagnosis of DM. Eleven percent of those individuals with pre-diabetic readings of raised blood glucose will progress in full blown diabetes a matter of three years. Healthy People 2020 have used evidence –based practices to aid in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Evidence have shown by simply modifying one’s lifestyle such regular exercising and healthy eating have been recognized to effectively prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in high-risk persons. Case in point, the Diabetes Prevention Program research trial revealed that the utilization of lifestyle interferences had its utmost impact in elderly adults and was also effective in all racial groups.
Going off grid is the desire of many Preppers, and some have successfully done just that. It requires planning and hard work however, and furthermore it requires you keep an eye on the future.
But if it’s not taken care of, uncontrolled diabetes can damage a persons’ vision, cause nerve damage and infections to the feet. Also, it can cause poor blood circulation and kidney disease. Many of these problems can be prevented by having a low fat, low alcohol diet, maintaining a reasonable body mass, and working out thirty minutes five days a week. Performing these activities can also help reduce the risk of getting diabetes.
Diabetes is associated with wide range of complications such as chronic renal failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and neuropathy (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). There is no known cure for diabetes, but the disease can be controlled through health management that includes multiple perspectives of care such as medications, blood glucose monitoring, diet, nutrition, screening for long-term complications and regular physical activity (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). Managing diabetes may be complicated and requires the knowledge and skills of both healthcare providers and the clients. Studies have shown that to prevent or delay diabetic complications due to diabetes, counseling and other lifestyle interventions are the effective therapy. Even with many policies set up for diabetes, 8.1 million Americans are undiagnosed with diabetes mellitus, and approximately 86 million Americans ages 20 and older have blood glucose levels that considerably increase their risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus in the next several years (CDC, 2015). For diabetes care to be successful there needs to be a good understanding of the disease and management by both patients and healthcare providers,
There are 180,00 families in America living a sustainable lifestyle and roughly around 1.7 billion people worldwide living without depending on the grid. (Palameri 1; Perez qtd. in Wood 1). The number of Eco villages, sustainable and intentional communities are rising across the nation as more people are discovering that they possess a strong inclination to live in the same manner as the Amish. This phenomenon is becoming a progressively popular choice for people from all walks of life. Not only are environmentalists and survivalists escaping the city life in efforts to live off the grid, but single families and people who are seeking to explore a simplified lifestyle are also joining the trend.
Another way a person could manage or prevent diabetes is by exercise and diet. With the right diet and the amount of exercise, a person who has the traits of a prediabetic, can nearly diminsh the chances for them getting type one or type 2 diabetes. According to The American Diabetes Association, ''prospective studies have demonstrated that lifestyle modification in the form of diet and regular moderate exercise sharply decreases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals who have impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose.''3 Becuase in some peoples cases, obestisty and blood pressure are factors that may cause diabetes, a change in what people eat and the amount of physical activity they get, can ultametly change their medical standing. People who already have type 2 diabetes and choose to manage it with diet and exercise, also have to take insulin shots but, they may argue that it's healthier to live irght and take insulin. When a person who already has diabetes exercises and eats healthier, this can actually reverse or slow down the natual course of the disesase. 3
Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.