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Good control isn’t just carbohydrates!
“If you have diabetes, you are two to four times as likely to end up with heart disease,” says Joslin patient educator Nora Saul. “Controlling your risk factors for heart disease can make a significant difference in your overall health.”
You can take a big step forward with Joslin’s class on “Cholesterol: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” The 90-minute session can help you address these issues in a fun and interactive way, she says. Classes are limited to ten people, so that each attendee can get personal attention from the instructor.
The class covers food and nutrition, exercise and medications, and everyone ends up with an action plan that they can take home. “For one person, it might be that they will start exercising,” notes Saul. “For somebody else, it might be that they will reduce their consumption of cheese.”
“This class is for you if you understand the basics about diabetes and want to learn about something else you need to know,” she says, adding that most people with type 2 diabetes may have issues with cholesterol.
On the upside, research has shown that you can get up to a 20 percent reduction of cholesterol levels with diet and exercise. “I don’t want to say that diet and exercise and making changes is not difficult,” says Saul. “But that’s what this class is for. Even making small changes can help your medication work better, and for some people diet and exercise are all that is needed to bring lipid levels into control.”
While your physician may give you a referral for the class, you don’t need a referral to attend. For most people, the costs are fully covered by insurance.
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Patient educators Amanda Kirpitch, Sophia Cheung and Nora Saul can tell you what you need to know about your cholesterol—and help you make an action plan.
Classes are the third Tuesday each month. For more information and to register, please call (617) 732-2440 . |
