Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 S y Senior Could You Have Prediabetes? Sa e a Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about prediabetes, and how can you know if you have it? My 62-yearold husband, who’s in pretty good shape, was recently diagnosed with prediabetes and didn’t have clue. Could I have it too? Wondering Spouse Dear Wondering, Underlying today’s growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes is a much larger epidemic called prediabetes, which is when the blood sugar levels are higher than they should be but not high enough to be called diabetes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 84 million Americans today have prediabetes. Left untreated, it almost always turns into type 2 diabetes within 10 years. If you have prediabetes, the longterm damage it can cause – especially to your heart and circulatory system – may already be starting. But the good news is that prediabetes doesn’t mean that you’re destined for fullblown diabetes. Prediabetes can actually be reversed, and diabetes prevented, by making some simple lifestyle changes like losing weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on carbohydrates. Or, if you need more help, oral medications may also be an option. Get Tested Because prediabetes typically causes no outward symptoms, most people that have it don’t realize it. The only way to know for sure if you have it is to get a blood test. Everyone age 45 years or older should consider getting tested for prediabetes, especially if you are overweight with a body mass index (BMI) above 25. See CDC.gov/bmi to calculate your BMI. If you are younger than 45 but are overweight, or have high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes, or belong to an ethnic group (Latino, Asian, African or Native American) at high risk for diabetes, you should get checked too. To help you determine Seni BY JIM MILLER ld Y H your risk of diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a quick, online risk test you can take for free at DoIHavePrediabetes.org. Diabetes Tests If you fi nd that you’re at risk for prediabetes, there are three different tests your doctor can give you to diagnosis it. The most common is the “fasting plasma glucose test,” which requires an eight-hour fast before you take it. There’s also the “oral glucose tolerance test” to see how your body processes sugar, and the “hemoglobin A1C test” that measures your average blood sugar over the past three months. It can be taken anytime regardless of when you ate. Most private health insurance plans and Medicare cover diabetes tests, however, if you’re reluctant to visit your doctor to get tested, an alternative is to go to the drug store, buy a blood glucose meter and test yourself at home. They cost around $20. If you find that you are prediabetic or diabetic, you need to see your doctor to develop a plan to get it under control. The ADA recommends losing weight and doing moderate exercise – such as 150 minutes a week of brisk walking. And when lifestyle changes alone don’t work, medication might. The ADA recommends the generic drug metformin, especially for very overweight people younger than 60. For more information on diabetes and prediabetes or to fi nd help, join a lifestyle change program recognized by the CDC (see CDC.gov/diabetes/prevention). These programs offer in-person and online classes in more than 1,500 locations throughout the U.S. Over the course of a year, a coach will help you eat healthy, increase your physical activity and develop new habits. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior n r ior EARTH DAY | FROM PAGE 2 cording to a company press release issued this week. “This is really the starting point,” WIN Waste Innovations External Communications & Outreach Manager Mary Urban said in an interview at Rumney Marsh on Tuesday afternoon. “We’re going to expand this to other parts of the country where we operate. We’ll be doing tree canopies in Baltimore, waterway cleanups in Florida and tree plantings in Fitchburg in a few weeks,” Urban said. “Our main goal is to preserve and conserve and protect.” “A new standard for landfi ll management” Geoff Wilson, who has managed the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary since its inception adjacent to the Wheelabrator plant, called the cleanup “an extension of the work we do at Bear Creek.” Wheelabrator created Bear Creek in 1997 with the goal of providing a natural habitat for bird species and other wildlife as well as space for educational and recreational opportunities for students and adults. The 370-acre sanctuary is a habitat for nearly 200 bird species, in addition to other wildlife – including coyotes, foxes, raccoons and snakes. The sanctuary encompasses more than 16,000 feet of walking trails, a half-acre exhibit garden and meeting and lecturing areas, according to Wilson. “One of the main focuses of cleanups like this is to get the plastic material and discarded Styrofoam before it breaks up into the environment and gets harder and harder to pick up,” Wilson said. Wilson described the sanctuary as an environmental model which has been replicated nationally and throughout the world. “Twenty-five years ago, we integrated a migratory wildlife sanctuary on an active landfi ll in what was then the fi rst of its kind. Starting in the period of 2005 to 2008, we started getting calls from other companies in the U.S. and around the world,” Wilson said. “It set a new standard for landfi ll management. I know of 300 companies around the world – some as far away as China – that have followed our example,” he said. Chris Karras, President of Charles George Companies, WIN Waste Innovations, said the cleanup this week “is not a oneand-done event.” “We’re trying to change the way people once thought of the waste industry,” Karras said in an interview at Rumney Marsh. “Our new company slogan – ‘Performance for the Planet’ – really says it all. We’re more than a RECEIVING INSTRUCTION: Volunteers gathered on Tuesday (April 20) at Rumney Marsh Reservation to help with cleanup of trash and other debris. collection company. We’re more than a waste-to-energy company. We’re all of the above,” Karras said. “Our vision is to be here for a long time and to grow the business. At the end of the day, it is very important to us to have a positive business and have a positive impact on the communities where we are operating. We hope to have many more of these kinds of events.” 1. On April 23, 1981, a mix of cowhide, plastic and shark cartilage was used at Massachusetts General Hospital to create what medical fi rst? 2. What four U.S. states border Mexico? 3. What animal’s diet consists of about 99% bamboo? 4. April 24 is the start of World Immunization Week, which was created in 2012 by WHO, which stands for what? 5. What 1919 Sherwood Anderson book is subtitled “A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life”? 6. What is done annually in the River Thames that is called “Swan Upping”? 7. In April 1930, “The Poor Millionaire” fi lm was released, which was what important “last”? 8. April 25 is the Academy Awards; what fi lm based on a Ken Kesey novel won “Bests” for Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay? 9. In what two U.S. states is coffee grown? 10. At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, what was introduced as Fairy Floss? 11. On April 26, Charles Francis Richter was born, inventor of the Richter Scale, which measures what? 12. The longest U.S. Senate fi libuster was in 1957 by Strom Thurmond for how long: 5:46, 11.20 or 24:18 ? 13. On April 27, 1791, what Charlestown, Mass., native was born who is the namesake of a famous code? 14. What Irish writer reportedly said before he died in 1900, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do”? 15. In 1983 Redondo Beach, Calif., adopted what fl ying non-bird as its offi cial bird? 16. How are Alvin, Simon and Theodore similar? 17. On April 28, 1937, the 1st U.S. animated electric sign (including ball-tossing cats and a cavorting horse) presented a free four-minute show in what Square? 18. What is an orchestra’s largest family of instruments? 19. What part of the human body contains about a quarter of the body’s bones? 20. On April 29, 1899, what jazz great was born who composed “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”? ANSWERS 1. First U.S. artifi cial skin transplant 2. Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas 3. Panda 4. World Health Organization 5. “Winesburg, Ohio” 6. The river’s swans are counted for their owner, the queen. 7. Last U.S. feature-length silent fi lm 8. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” 9. California and Hawaii 10. Cotton candy 11. Earthquake magnitude 12. 24:18 13. Samuel F.B. Morse (Morse code) 14. Oscar Wilde 15. The Goodyear Blimp 16. They are members of Alvin and the Chipmunks, a virtual band created in 1958 for a record. 17. Times Square 18. Strings 19. The feet 20. Duke Ellington
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