Diabetes Capital of United States

Blankenship’s a family of 10 in Logan County, West Virginia have all been diagnosed with type 2 or adult onset- diabetes, they also lost their mother due to complications caused by diabetes.

West Virginia as well as the entire United States has seen an increase of type 2 diabetes over the past 30 years. A study carried out in in 1975 found, that 10 million people in the United States had diabetes in an update of the study it was found that there are now 23 million people with the disease.

Within most of the Blankenship family, life has become a daily regimen of injecting themselves with artificial insulin, and keeping a constant watch on blood sugar levels. With most cases patients with diabetes have to test their blood sugar levels 3 times a day.

When someone has diabetes their pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, the hormone that cells need to convert sugar into energy. If this hormone or insulin is absent, blood sugar levels, which normally measure at 80-120 will skyrocket causing blackouts, comas and in some cases death.

Diabetes is at an epidemic level in the United States, but epidemiologists are saying that diabetes is now more like a pandemic. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, as well as non-traumatic amputation, blindness, nerve damage to your fingers and toes. Diabetes is a far more serious disease than most people think, education on this deadly disease needs to be made more available to everyone.

One of the Blankenship sisters died and another has to be transported by ambulance to a hospital for dialysis treatments three times a week.

Diabetes is not a painful disease if it were people would take it more seriously, without pain or discomfort we tend to go on with our daily routines, without changing our diets and getting the exercise that we should. People that have diabetes need to understand that having a high blood sugar level is wreaking havoc all throughout their body.

To learn more about the Blankenship family click here: ABC News

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine

In 1918 there was a flu pandemic that killed 30 to 40 million people.

The H1N1 pandemic is the first one to hit with such great force in 41 years.

While targeting certain age groups 6 months to 24 years and those with underling health problems such as heart, liver, kidney disease as well as asthma the medical community is trying to avoid millions of deaths with H1N1. It is recommended that children from 6 months to 9 years of age get 2 doses of the H1N1 vaccine.

People 65 and over have immunity to the swine flu virus, due to the fact that they have had the swine flu at some point in their life when they were younger. Laboratory test that were done proved this pre-existing immunity.

In the U.S. Deaths due to the swine flu have at this time climbed to over 1,000 adults and over 100 children. According to the World Health Organization deaths are mounting in the thousands, the number of people infected as of Oct. 30, 2009 with the swine flu is over 440,000.

Even with the warnings there are over 47% of the U.S. population state they will not get the vaccine. The World Health Organization cannot stress enough how important it is to not only get the H1N1 vaccine, but also the regular flu vaccine as well. Over 30 to 40 thousand people 65 and older die each year from the regular seasonal flu. Even with the long lines to get the swine flu vaccine, waiting a couple of hours could be the most important thing you can do for your families’ health.

• Guarding against the swine flu can be as simple as washing your hands frequently and using hand sanitizers.
• Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, or cough and sneeze into your elbow.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.
• Avoid friends and family that are ill.
• Eat healthy foods such as fruits, fruit juices, vegetables.
• Make sure to get plenty of sleep and exercise.