The California Dept. of Public Health along with the Center for Disease Control require masks to be worn in ALL health care facilities. COVID is a respiratory virus; as such all staff, patients and visitors must adhere to this directive at all Riverside Medical Clinic locations. ANYONE who refuses to comply will be asked to leave the facility. Many patients treated at clinics such as RMC have health issues that put them at a higher risk. This mask policy is designed to protect all our patients.
In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled, but it can be surprisingly difficult to detect – according to the CDC, 1 in 5 US adults has it but doesn’t know it. Warning signs can be mild, and often some of the most harmful effects of high blood sugar like nerve damage or vision loss are the first thing to bring diabetic patients into the office. Fortunately though, early blood sugar testing, nutrition management and medication can decrease the risk of diabetes complications.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body converts food into energy during digestion. When digestion occurs with no complications, most of the food you eat is turned into a simple sugar, or glucose, and released to your bloodstream for use in the body. In response to the release of glucose, your pancreas issues the hormone insulin. That insulin is the sign your body needs to allow the blood sugar into your body’s cells to convert to energy.
If you’re diabetic, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or use its existing supply effectively, and your blood sugar can’t enter your cells as it needs to. Over time, that glucose with nowhere to go builds up in the bloodstream, causing health problems like heart disease, vision loss and kidney disease. There’s no cure for diabetes, but doctors can detect it with blood sugar testing.
With a few exceptions, there are three main types of diabetes:
Diabetes can go undetected for years without many clear symptoms. If you or your child experience any of the following, you may be at risk for type 1 or type 2 diabetes:
For type 2 diabetics, these symptoms can appear after blood sugar has been high for a longer period of time:
A few other risk factors for developing diabetes include:
Unfortunately, researchers don’t fully understand what causes diabetes, but for type 2, excess weight and lack of physical activity are major factors. You can train cells to become more efficient at absorbing blood sugar by engaging in what scientists call “insulin-sensitive activities.” Other than reducing stress and ensuring to get proper sleep:
If you have diabetes or are looking to get tested, Riverside’s Comprehensive Diabetes Center at our Brockton Avenue location can provide the guidance you need for diagnosis or disease management. Riverside Medical Clinic also offers endocrinology services at four of our locations, but any of our physicians can help you find the right specialist. Schedule an appointment or give us our Diabetes Center a call at (951) 782-6236 to learn more.