10 Critical Diabetes Facts

Diabetes is a serious disease affecting millions of people around the world. It’s a chronic illness that affects the body’s ability to break food down into energy. When you eat, the food becomes glucose, which is then released into your bloodstream. The glucose is used as energy because of a hormone called “insulin” that’s produced by your pancreas.

People with diabetes have issues either producing enough insulin or processing the insulin their bodies produce. Most of us have heard of diabetes, but many don’t quite understand the disease. That’s why March 24, 2020 was Diabetes Alert Day.

10 Diabetes Facts You Should Know

Here are some important diabetes facts to help improve your awareness of this serious disease:

  1. Almost 2 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the U.S. every year.
  2. Diabetes can be fatal. It’s the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
  3. Diabetes can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy, exercising, and not smoking.
  4. Diabetes is the number one cause of adult blindness, amputations of the lower limbs, and kidney failure. 
  5. It’s estimated about 25 percent of people in the U.S. have diabetes and don’t realize it.
  6. Over 30 million people have diabetes in the U.S. alone. That’s close to 10% of the country’s population.
  7. Over 84 million adults – almost 34% of our population – have prediabetes. Prediabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar levels are higher than normal. People with prediabetes are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
  8. The number of adults diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. has tripled in the last two decades.
  9. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational.
  10. There is no cure.

For more information about diabetes or for more health awareness tips in general, be sure to keep visiting us at The Benefits Store.

Poison Prevention: 5 Things to Know

Poison Prevention

Poisoning is a more serious risk than most people realize. Of all the emergency room visits that occur every year, drug-related poisonings are responsible for 700,000 of them. Poisonings are linked to over 35,000 yearly deaths. This makes poisonings the number one cause of injury death. The third week of March (March 17-23) is Poison Prevention Week to increase awareness.

The Risk of Poisoning

Roughly 50 percent of all poisonings happen to children under the age of six. Of all the poisoning deaths every year, 90% of them are adults over the age of 20. Four of the major causes include:

  • Cosmetics
  • Household cleaning products
  • Painkillers
  • Prescription medicines (sedatives, antipsychotics, etc.) 

5 Poison Prevention Tips

The following are safety measures you should follow in order to reduce the risk of poisoning:

  1. Discard products safely – When a product is finished or no longer usable, discard it in a sealed, outdoor trash receptacle. 
  2. Keep medications and household products out of reach – Make sure children can’t reach poisonous detergents, chemical products, or medicines. Ensure you store them safely. For example, keep drain cleaners on a top shelf in your garage instead of below the kitchen sink.
  3. Keep poisonous items isolated – Don’t put poisonous products near your food. They should be stored in different cabinets to avoid accidentally mixing them up.
  4. Lock cabinets – Prevent children from getting into medicine cabinets and household cleaners by installing safety locks or childproof latches.
  5. Return products after use – As soon as you take your medication or use a household cleaner, return it to where it’s stored. Don’t leave it out.

These poison prevention tips will reduce the risk of poisoning. For more safety tips, keep visiting us at The Benefits Store.

Pet Poison Prevention: Keeping Your Pets Safe

If you own a pet, you likely take great care of it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things from which you need to protect your pets.

Pet poisonings are too common. It’s estimated there are around 100,000 pet poison cases in the U.S. every year. It’s critical for you to take precautions to prevent your pet from being poisoned.

Pet Poisoning Causes

There are many items pets may eat you didn’t realize were poisonous. All medications, including Tylenol and Advil, are poisonous to pets. Many types of everyday foods:

  • Avocados
  • Chocolate
  • Grapes
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Raisins,
  • Xylitol sweeteners

…are dangerous for pets to ingest. Several types of plants and most household products are as well.

Pet Poison Prevention Tips

To prevent your pet from poisoning, be sure follow these pet poison prevention tips:

  • Be careful about using rodent/insecticides – Pest killers can poison your pets, so if you use them, place them carefully. Make sure you remove dead rodents immediately because they are poisonous as well.
  • Be careful about what you feed your pets – Know what you can and can’t feed your pet. If you drop food while eating it yourself, clean it up quickly.
  • Buy plants that aren’t poisonous – Research to ensure you buy plants that aren’t poisonous if your pet eats them.
  • Follow product guidelines – Certain pet products, such as flea and tick products, can be poisonous if ingested. Follow the product guidelines carefully when applying them.
  • Keep medications locked up – All medications should be inaccessible to your pets. Store them in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Return medicines immediately after using them.

These are a few pet poison prevention tips you should follow to protect your 4-legged loved ones. Be sure to continue visiting us at The Benefits Store for additional safety awareness tips.

March is about Sleep Awareness

The second week of March (This year, 8th-14th) is Sleep Awareness Week. Sleep is often taken for granted, yet it’s absolutely critical to your overall health. The National Sleep Foundation wants to spread awareness of the importance of sleep.

The Importance of Sleeping Enough

Not only is it important that you sleep enough every night, but the quality of your sleep is important too. Good sleep has been linked to learning, emotion regulation, metabolic regulation, memory consolidation, performance, and brain recuperation processes. As you can imagine, this means that sleep is particularly important to children that are still developing. 

The Risk of Not Sleeping Enough

Not getting enough sleep one night will result in what’s known as “sleep debt.” This will have a bigger and bigger impact on your health over time. An ongoing lack of proper sleep can eventually cause memory problems, increase in pain perception, weakened immune system, and depression. Additionally, sleep deprivation can lead to other risks, such as:

  • Drowsiness can lead to falling asleep while in the middle of a potentially dangerous situation. In fact, it’s estimated driver fatigue causes roughly 83,000 car accidents and approximately 850 deaths every year.
  • Magnification of alcohol effects. If you’re sleep-deprived, alcohol consumption can cause you to become more impaired than usual.
  • Poor hand-eye coordination, which affects your ability to drive safely

How Much Should You Sleep?

You should sleep on the same schedule every night. This will help improve the quality of your sleep. Adults should sleep for at least seven hours each night. Younger children need more sleep to enhance development. 

Make sure that you’re getting plenty of sleep during Sleep Awareness week and beyond. For more information about the importance of sleep to your health, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

National Children’s Dental Health Month

children's dental healthOne of the biggest health problems facing children in the U.S. is tooth decay. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry estimates over half of all U.S. children will be affected by cavities before they reach the age of five. This makes it one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the country.

Cavities can cause pain and infections. If left untreated, they can also lead to issues with speaking, eating, learning, and playing. Children’s dental health awareness is very important, which is why February is named National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Children’s Dental Health Challenges

The following are just a few of the surprising statistics about children’s dental health:

  • Twenty-five percent of children and adolescents from low-income families between the ages of five and 19 have an untreated cavity compared to 11% of children and adolescents from higher-income families.
  • Almost 20% of children from the ages of 5-11 have at least one decayed tooth that hasn’t been treated.
  • Almost 13% of adolescents between the ages of 12-19 have an untreated decayed tooth.

How to Promote Children’s Dental Health

Tooth decay can be prevented. Here are a few tips for preventing tooth decay in children and adolescents:

  • Applying dental sealants to the back teeth can help reduce cavities in permanent molars by 81 percent for at least two years after they’ve been placed.
  • Children should brush at least twice a day for two minutes each session.
  • Children should visit the dentist twice a year. A dentist can spot cavities that are beginning to form as well as take care of any cavities that are fully formed.
  • Fluoride can help prevent 33% of decay in baby teeth, which means children who brush every day using fluoride toothpaste are less likely to experience cavities.
  • Spending money on preventative care will save money in the long run. Every dollar you spend on preventative dental care can help save between $8 and $50 in dental treatment.

Children are vulnerable to dental decay, so make sure you promote children’s dental health. For more health tips, visit us at The Benefits Store.