Jo's Cafe

Welcome to a new week!  I got my new walking shoes in last week and tried them out on Saturday.  For those that may not know, my toes would go to sleep when I walked.  Went to a foot doctor, wrong shoes (duh).  I spent $$ on a pair of New Balance sports shoes and off I went.  (FAIL)  After having a few good gym workouts with the shoes, the toes started numbing up again.  Last weekend I went to the New Balance website and did some intensive searching on their shoes.  New Balance is the shoe my foot doctor recommended.   I found what I felt was the right shoe and printed out the more detailed information.  Right at the bottom of the information I found this note:

Medicare / HCPCS code = A5500 Diabetic shoe

I was sold right there.  So they came in Thursday and I hit the treadmill with them on Saturday.  Yes, my little toes numbed a bit, but I slowed down my speed and within a minute the numbness went away.   I was able to complete a good 30 minute walk (and 2 minutes on the elliptical) and am so happy.   So, my advice – research!  (major duh)

It was (and is) very important to me to get in the exercise to help manage my diabetes, get in better shape, and work on getting off the high BP and cholesterol meds.  But there is another reason that good glucose control is necessary.

Elevated blood sugars can affect memory
Study reveals diabetes takes toll on brain, too

Spikes in blood sugar can take a toll on memory by affecting the dentate gyrus, an area of the brain within the hippocampus that helps form memories, a new study reports.

Researchers say the effects can be seen even when levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are only moderately elevated, a finding that may help to explain normal age-related cognitive decline because glucose regulation worsens with age.
[...]
In the study, researchers used high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging to map brain regions in 240 elderly subjects. They found a correlation between elevated blood glucose levels and reduced cerebral blood volume, or blood flow, in the dentate gyrus, an indication of reduced metabolic activity and function in that region of the brain.

Additional Reading:

• Low carb best for diabetics When you have a disease that, by definition, consists of the inability to properly regular your body’s blood sugar level and/or insulin levels, it makes perfect sense to eat foods that do not cause havoc with blood sugar and insulin.
• Diabetes testing kits stolen from drug store (WTF?) A man walked into the Walgreen’s Pharmacy empty-handed, but left carrying a white plastic grocery store bag containing three diabetes test kits valued at $240, police said.

 Have a great day everyone!

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