Diabetic Shoppe

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Diabetic Shoes and Orthotic Delivery

At The Diabetic Shoppe we have one particular service that we especially take pride in. The fitting and delivery of our Custom Orthotic Insoles and Diabetic Shoes. People don’t really know how much goes into that aspect of the business and they often think that they just get diabetic shoes from The Diabetic Shoppe but in reality what we provide is quality of life for a large percentage of patients.First, it’s important to note that we have a fleet of vans to go with a fleet of Pedorthists who fit and deliver each pair of shoes and orthotics that we create. We also have a huge high grade milling machine that creates the custom orthotics and a team of orthotic specialists who design and alter each one. Imagine the scope of that operation when you also have a team of people who are responsible for billing the products and a separate team who is responsible for collecting the necessary paperwork to make billing possible. Vans, gas, people, software, infrastructure and expertise are all required to make this work.

So, what is “this.” It’s simple when you realize that every patient who gets diabetic shoes is a diabetic. Then extrapolate and understand that every diabetic is in danger of amputation of lower limbs toes and other conditions related to their feet and diabetes. Finally, understand that diabetics usually can’t “feel” these conditions and perhaps can’t even see them very well until it is too late, the reality starts to dawn on you.When you get diabetic shoes you get the following every single year:

A foot exam from your doctor, which is a paperwork requirement

A very thorough foot exam from our Pedorthist when they do your fitting.

A final exam when the shoes arrive and we ensure a perfect fit

A good, high end pair of shoes

Finally, 3 pairs of very high grade medical custom orthotic insoles (often these retail at a Podiatrist for 600 dollars a pair)

So, knowing all of this, it’s easy to see how, on average, a company like ours helps the Diabetic.  The Diabetic Shoppe by day in and day out fitting and delivering diabetic shoes we reduce the overall amount of debilitating amputations. It is also easy to see why your insurance pays for this preventative measure. With an average cost per amputation/recovery of $50,000 dollars and many subsequent complications which follow loss of a limb, not even counting the quality of life the patient loses, we feel we are providing a great service. Our diabetic shoes are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives and offer a great value to the insurance companies. Prevention is key and these products with the included foot exams end up saving a lot of money and a lot of sorrow.So next time you hear someone say “I don’t need diabetic shoes” remember that the shoes are really one of the least important parts. I would argue that the foot examinations each year and the findings from these are the real key in prevention of foot problems down the road, and diabetics have foot problems.

When you don’t routinely get, your feet examined as a diabetic you are taking a risk. You don’t feel like it because you’ve probably went your whole life without really worrying about your feet. You have to take care of yourself and the number one way to do that as a diabetic is to monitor your blood glucose and have your feet and eyes examined regularly. Insurance companies want you to have this service. They are begging you to take preventative treatments because it helps everyone. We are very proud of the services we offer and if you take advantage of our diabetic shoes one time, you will keep coming back.

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Diabetic Testing Inaccuracy Part 1

I started selling Diabetic Testing Supplies about a decade ago. When I started, meters that offered no coding were all the rage. Just years before, testing meters were monstrosities. They were huge and required a huge amount of blood. Samples could only be taken from the finger and they required a complex coding system to validate results and guestimate blood glucose.Since then, the meters haven’t changed all that much. They’ve been perfected, but at their core they are still just the same simple system they have always been. As flawed as they are, they are still “good enough” for the use that they have been assigned.

I won’t want you to think this article is strictly an abuse on testing supply manufacturers. Instead this article is meant to help diabetic patients understand why their medical testing results swing so rapidly from test to test. Ever since I’ve been selling test strips, I’ve been asked “why is my meter reading differently that it did a minute ago?”Let’s start with how testing meters work. Test strips contain an enzyme that reacts to the glucose in the blood. The test strips is exposed to blood glucose and administered a brief electrical impulse. Thanks to the miracle of quantum physics, the electrons are measured and an estimate is made of how strong or weak the pulse was on the other side of the circuit. Depending on the strength of that circuit, a corresponding number is generated and displayed on the screen to give you an idea of what your blood sugar is.So far, so good right? The US requires these meters to have about a 20% margin for error about 95% of the time. Whoa! Hold your horses. My math experts out there are screaming. Josh, with a 20% margin for error, how can you call that accurate. You are telling me that if my blood glucose is 100, then I can get a reading between 80 and 120 and my meter will still be considered legally accurate? Bingo, my friend. Crazy or not, in the world of blood glucose

Testing Supplies

, you can test the same sample back to back and arrive at an 80, or a 120, and both of those tests are correct.That’s not all. The biggest problem there is the “95% of the time.” This allows the meter to give wildly inaccurate results 5% of the time. So if your blood glucose is 100 and your meter tells you that glucose is 600, as long as it only does it about 1/20 times, your meter is still accurate.Okay, okay, so your meter isn’t very “accurate” but it’s accurate enough to do the following things with:

Take diabetic medication(assuming you test regularly and take each test result with a grain of salt)

Have an insulin pump delivery insulin to you based off its results

Create a log of your blood glucose to determine how well you are controlling your diabetes

These are weighty tasks to assign to something so inaccurate, but fear not. I’m going to tell you why that’s okay soon enough, but first let me tell you why these inaccuracies exist, and a few other problems you may run into when testing your blood glucose.

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The Importance of Diabetic Shoes

Diabetic Shoes are items that many recently diagnosed diabetics don’t really have to think much about or go out of their way to buy. The reason for this is that the feet of diabetics tend to be relatively standard for a long time, even after a diagnosis of diabetes.

Typically once diabetes has been diagnosed your body has slowly grown resistant to the hormone insulin and as a result more of this hormone is released. At the same time your blood sugar levels remain elevated for longer periods of time before returning to normal. Over time both of these end up causing a slow degradation of the health of your feet.

In advanced diabetic patients the years of damage inflicted on the body usually results in a couple things. First the nerves in the feet slowly lose their sensitivity to pain and or irritation resulting in more frequent foot injuries. In standard feet, irritation is more likely to be addressed and corrected before damage occurs but when you can’t feel the beginning stages of a blister you are unlikely to stop it before it forms.

Second, a lifetime of diabetes often results in poor blood flow to the extremities and capillaries around the body. The feet are major areas of the body that are affected by the poor circulation, and as a result, these areas of the body are less able to heal and more likely to succumb to infection. As you can see the two main problems that long term diabetic symptoms inflict on the feet only amplify the risk to your feet.

A good pair of diabetic shoes will be designed to address both issues. They will first be intended to minimize any and all irritation and protect the feet from outside elements which could hurt them. They will be closed toes and a little wider so that wide foot or oddly shaped feet will fit comfortably in the shoe and minimize pressure points and spot where skin irritation could occur.

People suffering from diabetes have compromised pancreatic functioning. Simply put, this means their pancreas either doesn’t produce any or enough insulin. Because insulin is the hormone responsible for controlling our blood sugar levels, this causes disruptions in our blood system particularly your veins. Diabetics commonly report problems affecting their vision, kidney function and their hands and legs. The problems with your feet are mainly the result of poor circulation leading to a loss of sensation in your feet.

Small foot problems for diabetics can be magnified due to their hyposensitivity or lack of feeling. A minor sore or cut can lead to something more serious as your feet not only take longer to heal but may also have trouble resisting any possible infections. In extreme cases, a nonhealing wound can develop from a small unnoticed foreign object in your shoe, and the resulting infection could require surgery or amputation. In most cases, suitable footwear will drastically reduce the chances of your feet developing problems.

A Good Diabetic Shoes Near Me will also not constrict the foot and make the problem of poor circulation even worse. If there’s anything that is important it is your body’s ability to fuel itself, fight against infection, and heal. This is why finding molded shoes, wide shoes, or custom made shoes for diabetics is important and worth the money. When the shoe is made specifically to fit the foot of a diabetic, it is going to be more likely to protect the foot and give it every opportunity to remain healthy on its own.

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Custom Orthotic Insoles

Envision your foot was floating in a casual state. The base of your feet would hold a specific shape and that shape in all likelihood isn't a level line. Regardless of the possibility that you are level footed, the shapes on the base of your feet are one of a kind. These shapes are extraordinary to each foot. Current prescription has set aside the opportunity to mark each top and valley that the base of your foot produces. On the off chance that you've been sufficiently appalling to have foot issues, you may have heard terms like first metatarsal or plantar belt while portraying areas on the base of your feet. No one supposes feet are in reality level. So since your feet aren't generally level on the base, when you step onto a level surface, it makes weight focuses on your feet. These focuses relate the one of a kind tips of the mountains that traverse the base of your foot. The thought behind Custom Orthotic Insoles is to reflect your foot with a relating specially crafted orthotic embed that slips into your shoe. After your feet have been shaped or filtered, the pinnacles are drawn and a processing machine removes a correct inverse outline on a bit of EVA that coordinates with the base of your foot. Having a surface that matches the base of your foot balances out and enhances adjust, however more essentially it decreases weight focuses. These weight focuses are what declines the impacts of issues like Plantar Fasciitis, poor dissemination, and general foot torment in particular ranges of your foot. Basically, a custom orthotic insole evacuates any holes between your foot and your shoe. As you can envision, the advantages of this are noteworthy, however Custom Orthotic Inserts are not shoddy. To start with they require a foot exam and custom form or output to be made from the foot. That sweep then must be transported in into a PC, programming must make the orthotic which is then transferred to a processing machine. Once the Orthotic is processed, a great insole will be hand sanded to evacuate any harsh edges, and a few top layers are stuck on to anticipate buildup and diminish the general unbending state of the orthotic (quality orthotics are firm or semi-firm, gel or other delicate orthotics are short enduring and made to be reasonable).

One of the inquiries we get asked a ton is Do I truly require uniquely crafted orthotics? what's more, the appropriate response is not exceptionally straightforward. As a matter of first importance, you require a foot exam which would incorporate a survey about general use. For instance, on the off chance that you are a runner, I would check for over or under pronation. Essentially, that is the point at which your foot would lean somehow amid your general running stride. Custom orthotics can redress pronation by inclining the orthotic somewhat internal or outward relying upon your particular foot, which thusly would adjust your joints putting less weight on them for each walk. For runners especially, bring down appendage joint wellbeing is a major ordeal, and this is a case of how custom orthotics do enhance the general capacity of a runner to continue onward. On the off chance that your knees and lower legs hurt, you will probably diminish the measure of time you run. Everybody profits by custom shoe embeds. Be that as it may, anybody with issues identified with foot wellbeing will frequently be required by their doctor to buy these versatility sparing weight relievers. An affirmed Pedorthist or a Podiatrist ought to fit you and you ought to make a point to buy your custom orthotics from a Joint Commission guaranteed merchant. There are a considerable measure of a scam business people out there with regards to this item, so do your exploration.

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Custom Orthotic Insoles

Imagine your foot was hovering in a relaxed state. The bottom of your feet would retain a certain shape and that shape almost certainly isn’t a flat line. Even if you are flat footed, the contours on the bottom of your feet are unique. These contours are unique to each foot.

Modern medicine has taken the time to label each peak and valley that the bottom of your foot produces. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have foot problems, you may have heard terms like first metatarsal or plantar fascia when describing locations on the bottom of your feet. Nobody thinks feet are actually flat.

So since your feet aren’t really flat on the bottom, when you step onto a flat surface, it creates pressure points on your feet. These points correspond the unique tips of the mountains that span the bottom of your foot. The idea behind Custom Orthotic Insoles is to mirror your foot with a corresponding custom made orthotic insert that slips into your shoe. After your feet have been molded or scanned, the peaks are drawn and a milling machine cuts out an exact opposite design on a piece of EVA that matches up with the bottom of your foot.

Having a surface that matches the bottom of your foot stabilizes and improves balance, but more importantly it reduces pressure points. These pressure points are what worsens the effects of issues like Plantar Fasciitis, poor circulation, and general foot pain in very specific areas of your foot. In essence, a custom orthotic insole removes any gaps between your foot and your  Diabetic Shoes.

As you can imagine, the benefits of this are significant, but custom orthotic insoles are not cheap. First they require a foot exam and custom mold or scan to be created from the foot. That scan then has to be imported into a computer, software must create the orthotic which is then uploaded to a milling machine. Once the Orthotic is milled, a good insole will be hand sanded to remove any rough edges, and several top layers are glued on to prevent mildew and soften the general rigid shape of the orthotic (quality orthotics are firm or semi-firm, gel or other soft orthotics are short lasting and created to be inexpensive).

One of the questions we get asked a lot is Do I really need custom made orthotics? and the answer is not very simple. First and foremost, you need a foot exam which would include a questionnaire about general usage. For example, if you are a runner, I would check for over or under pronation. To put it simply, that’s when your foot would lean one way or another during your general running gait. Custom orthotics can correct pronation by leaning the orthotic slightly inward or outward depending on your specific foot, which in turn would align your joints putting less pressure on them for each stride. For runners particularly, lower limb joint health is a big deal, and this is an example of how custom orthotics do improve the overall ability of a runner to keep going. If your knees and ankles hurt, you are more likely to reduce the amount of time you run.

Everyone benefits from custom shoe inserts. However, anyone with issues related to foot health will often be required by their physician to purchase these mobility saving pressure relievers. A certified Pedorthist or a Podiatrist should fit you and you should make sure to purchase your custom orthotics from a Joint Commission certified vendor. There are a lot of snake-oil salesmen out there when it comes to this product, so do your research.

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Why Should I Monitor my Blood Sugar?

Blood sugar testing is done to determine the levels of glucose (blood sugar) in the blood stream. This test is most often performed on patients suffering from Diabetes mellitus (DM). The doctor, patient, or caregiver will pierce the skin drawing a blood sample. Then s/he will test the sample chemically. There are numerous methods and techniques for testing. Mostly, the system measures the electrical characteristic of the blood in order to provide an average blood glucose reading from the current test sample. This gives a reading of the glucose concentration in the blood. People with diabetes must undergo this test frequently. A diabetic needs to understand the importance of Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring and the role it plays in their life.

Monitoring technology has progressed significantly over the past two decades. More often than not, current blood glucose testing is performed in the home using simple, inexpensive, small, and accurate Blood Glucose Testing Strips.

All diabetic patients have to take their health seriously. Monitoring their blood sugar levels on a regular basis is one of the few ways to improve results, and arguably the most significant. Type 2 diabetes’ patients must check their glucose on a regular basis, 2x daily testing or more is ideal.

Patients on an insulin dosage almost certainly perform this test more than once each day. Some even test as many as ten times every day. This allows the user to extrapolate the effects of insulin and perhaps even adjust the dosage as needed. Many times this will even help the patient determine when they should take their next insulin dosage.

When the glucose levels within the blood increase beyond a certain level, the results can be severely damaging. Doing these Blood Glucose Monitoring Solution regularly allows fast response to abnormal glucose levels. A high glucose level in blood is condition known as Hyperglycemia. A low blood glucose level is termed as Hypoglycemia.

With regular monitoring of blood sugar, it is possible to understand how the body reacts to food, exercise, insulin, and other medications. A blood glucose monitor is an electronic device used to measure glucose levels. After inserting a disposable strip into the meter, one is able to apply a small sample of blood. Moments later, the meter will generally display blood glucose levels digitally. It is quite an effective method for monitoring blood sugar.

A normal blood glucose reading is between 70 and 130 mg/dl. Diabetics often have an average blood glucose that is much higher. The A1C test is a lab test designed to measure and extrapolate blood glucose levels over a long period of time. 

An A1C test is pretty simple. Glucose (sugar in your blood stream) builds up and binds to the hemoglobin which is a protein in your red blood cells. The A1C test simply measures how much is bound. These red blood cells live for roughly 3 months so an A1C test will provide results from about the last 3 months and the lab can then extrapolate an average blood glucose level. An A1C test is excellent for lab test but in most cases a simple blood glucose machine will work better for most users. It gives you a snapshot of your blood glucose at that moment, more easily allowing you to apply reactive medications.

With advancements in medical science and technology, blood glucose monitoring has become very simple and convenient. Today, people battling from diabetes can check their blood sugar levels without depending on anyone. Diabetics are also able to take a shot of insulin privately without the necessity of a lab test. Those with diabetes have many advantages today and they should take advantage of testing to ensure their diabetes is under control.

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Diabetes

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus (Type 1 and Type 2), is a chronic disease which happens when the body is no longer able to sustain necessary levels of insulin or utilize the insulin in the body (the difference being due to Type 1 or Type 2), or when the pancreas is no longer able to produce insulin. Not being able to use or make insulin effectively leads to high blood sugar (glucose) levels (which is known as hyperglycemia). Over the long term, raised glucose levels can cause damage/harm to the nerve systems by stopping important messages from getting to, and from the brain. The nerve damage is known as neuropathy.

Diabetes Supplies is actually the fastest growing long term disease and it affects millions of people all over the world. This condition can lead to serious health issues, including kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, blindness, foot ulcers, amputations, and even complications during pregnancy. With that said, let’s take a look at the types of diabetes.

Types of Diabetes There are 3 main types of diabetes. They include;

-Type 1 diabetes; Type 1 diabetes (which used to be known as juvenile diabetes), is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body’s immune system attacks and then destroys cells in the pancreas which make insulin. Type 1 diabetes mostly develops in young people, however, it can also develop in adults. With this type of diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin because the immune system has attacked and/or destroyed the insulin producing cells. About 5% of people who have diabetes got type 1 diabetes. People who have type 1 diabetes have to take insulin on a daily basis in order to stay alive.

-Type 2 diabetes; Type 2 diabetes is a condition where your body doesn’t produce adequate insulin, or when the liver, fat and muscle cells don’t react to insulin. It’s usually associated with obesity, and it’s more common in middle aged and older people. This is the most common type of diabetes and about 95% of the adults with diabetes got type 2 diabetes. People who have type 2 diabetes can try to manage the condition through proper diet and appropriate exercises, however, over time most of them will need oral drugs and/or insulin.

-Gestational diabetes; Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes which occurs during pregnancy to women who’ve never had diabetes before, but experience high Blood Glucose Test Strips check the glucose level. It’s caused by hormones of pregnancy or lack of adequate insulin in the body. Gestational diabetes can lead to health issues for both the mother and the baby, if it’s not controlled. This type of diabetes affects about 4% of pregnant women and usually goes away after the baby is born. However, having gestational diabetes raises the risk for developing type 2 diabetes later on.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

Many people with this condition tend to experience one of more symptoms. Some of the main symptoms of diabetes include, but not limited to; extreme hunger, increased thirst, fatigue, and a frequent need to urinate. In addition to this, some patients complain of weight loss, and loss of muscle bulk. Other signs include; itchy skin, blurry eyesight, sores which heal slowly, a tingling in the feet, and loss of feeling in the feet. With that said, it’s important to note that there are some people with diabetes who have no symptoms at all.

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Diabetic Nerve Pain

If you are a Diabetic Supplies you may have started to feel a tingling in your feet or toes. This is often caused by diabetic nerve pain. Reduced blood flow and high blood glucose levels often leads to damaged peripheral nerves.  These damaged nerves cause sensations such as a tingle at first, transform to a pain (sometimes severe) and can end up with numb extremities or ultimately end in amputation as time goes  on. This is partly caused and exacerbated by reduced blood flow in the extremeities which is caused by a number of combined factors.

There is no known cure for nerve damage. Diabetic neuropathy as this is known, is not ideal, but that doesn’t mean Diabetic Footwear patients should give up. The pain and discomfort experienced as part of diabetic neuropathy can and has been successfully managed.

Neuropathy is often caused by high blood glucose that interferes with a nerves ability to send and receive signals. Considering that this is a nerve’s main  job  that resulting neuropathy is a major  problem. It also reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of the walls of the small sensitive blood vessels  (capillaries) that carry vital nutrients and oxygen to the localized area and the nerve. Without that  oxygen and nutrients, the nerves and surrounding tissue cannot function properly and over time  function is reduced as damage is done.

This can be exacerbated by using alcohol or tobacco, poor diet and even vitamin deficiencies.  That  tingling sensation you feel is often malnourished or suffocating nerves misfiring. Think of them as an alarm.

There are a number of ways to treat neuropathy, such as pain management, antidepressants, anti-seizure meds, and other techniques. These things can be quite expensive; they usually aren’t what some would consider natural and they often come with some pretty big side effects. They also do not affect the health of the nerves, so in essence they treat the symptoms and not the cause.

With the advent of modern medicine, we also see lot of junk product. We see multi-vitamins that do not do the job they claim, and it’s hard to separate the good from the bad. We often recommend a good multivitamin to combat some of the issues related to neuropathy as an alternate path to help improve nerve health. Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin B, and Omega-3s are very common in multi-vitamins targeted at nerve health.

If you do decide to try a good multivitamin to help manage your nerve issues of any type, we recommend shopping with a company that provides a lot of support and documentation for the product. A good study on the products benefits is a necessity and be sure that you never buy a multi- vitamin without consulting your clinician and getting a guarantee of some sort from the company providing it to you. Do not go to a pharmacy and try to pick one out yourself. You are paying the doctor already, why not get his/her opinion.

You will hear that multi-vitamins can’t really affect certain degenerative conditions for parts of the body, but consider the success of multi-vitamins in eye health over recent years. If you’ve been to the doctor lately and you have a problem with your eyes it is very possible they have recommended a multi-vitamin formula that contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. Look at the success of glucosamine and chondroitin on joint health and see how quickly these words have found their way into our public discourse. We are finding out how important what you eat is to your overall health and discovering new paths every day.

Trying a good nerve health supplement is definitely recommended if you are starting to experience neuropathy. Be sure to consult your clinician, and make sure your body has enough of what it needs to combat the effects of diabetes.

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Diabetic Shoes and Orthotic Delivery

C

At The Diabetic Shoppe we have one particular service that we especially take pride in. The fitting and delivery of our Custom Orthotic Insoles and diabetic shoes. People don’t really know how much goes into that aspect of the business and they often think that they just get diabetic shoes from The Diabetic Shoppe but in reality what we provide is quality of life for a large percentage of patients.

First, it’s important to note that we have a fleet of vans to go with a fleet of Pedorthists who fit and deliver each pair of shoes and orthotics that we create. We also have a huge high grade milling machine that creates the custom orthotics and a team of orthotic specialists who design and alter each one. Imagine the scope of that operation when you also have a team of people who are responsible for billing the products and a separate team who is responsible for collecting the necessary paperwork to make billing possible. Vans, gas, people, software, infrastructure and expertise are all required to make this work.

So, what is “this.” It’s simple when you realize that every patient who gets Diabetic Shoes is a diabetic. Then extrapolate and understand that every diabetic is in danger of amputation of lower limbs toes and other conditions related to their feet and diabetes. Finally, understand that diabetics usually can’t “feel” these conditions and perhaps can’t even see them very well until it is too late, the reality starts to dawn on you.

When you get diabetic shoes you get the following every single year:

A foot exam from your doctor, which is a paperwork requirement

A very thorough foot exam from our Pedorthist when they do your fitting

A final exam when the shoes arrive and we ensure a perfect fit

A good, high end pair of shoes.

Finally, 3 pairs of very high grade medical custom orthotic insoles often these retail at a Podiatrist for 600 dollars a pair.

So, knowing all of this, it’s easy to see how, on average, a company like ours helps the Diabetic.  The Diabetic Shoppe by day in and day out fitting and delivering diabetic shoes we reduce the overall amount of debilitating amputations. It is also easy to see why your insurance pays for this preventative measure. With an average cost per amputation/recovery of $50,000 dollars and many subsequent complications which follow loss of a limb, not even counting the quality of life the patient loses, we feel we are providing a great service. Our diabetic shoes are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives and offer a great value to the insurance companies. Prevention is key and these products with the included foot exams end up saving a lot of money and a lot of sorrow.

So next time you hear someone say “I don’t need diabetic shoes” remember that the shoes are really one of the least important parts. I would argue that the foot examinations each year and the findings from these are the real key in prevention of foot problems down the road, and diabetics have foot problems.

When you don’t routinely get, your feet examined as a diabetic you are taking a risk. You don’t feel like it because you’ve probably went your whole life without really worrying about your feet. You have to take care of yourself and the number one way to do that as a diabetic is to monitor your blood glucose and have your feet and eyes examined regularly. Insurance companies want you to have this service. They are begging you to take preventative treatments because it helps everyone. We are very proud of the services we offer and if you take advantage of our diabetic shoes one time, you will keep coming back.

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Why Braces Are So Important

Robert L;Salmon

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The Diabetic Shoppe offering diabetes testing supplies and products online throughout United States. Call today and ask how to get discount diabetic supplies by

The Diabetic Shoppe offering diabetes testing supplies and products online throughout United States. Call today and ask how to get discount diabetic supplies by mail order 1(888) 571-3533.

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Custom Orthotic Insoles

Imagine your foot was hovering in a relaxed state. The bottom of your feet would retain a certain shape and that shape almost certainly isn’t a flat line. Even if you are flat footed, the contours on the bottom of your feet are unique. These contours are unique to each foot.

Modern medicine has taken the time to label each peak and valley that the bottom of your foot produces. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have foot problems, you may have heard terms like first metatarsal or plantar fascia when describing locations on the bottom of your feet. Nobody thinks feet are actually flat.

So since your feet aren’t really flat on the bottom, when you step onto a flat surface, it creates pressure points on your feet. These points correspond the unique tips of the mountains that span the bottom of your foot. The idea behind Custom Orthotic Insoles is to mirror your foot with a corresponding Custom Orthotic Insert that slips into your shoe. After your feet have been molded or scanned, the peaks are drawn and a milling machine cuts out an exact opposite design on a piece of EVA that matches up with the bottom of your foot.

Having a surface that matches the bottom of your foot stabilizes and improves balance, but more importantly it reduces pressure points. These pressure points are what worsens the effects of issues like Plantar Fasciitis, poor circulation, and general foot pain in very specific areas of your foot. In essence, a custom orthotic insole removes any gaps between your foot and your shoe.

As you can imagine, the benefits of this are significant, but custom orthotic insoles are not cheap. First they require a foot exam and custom mold or scan to be created from the foot. That scan then has to be imported into a computer, software must create the orthotic which is then uploaded to a milling machine. Once the Orthotic is milled, a good insole will be hand sanded to remove any rough edges, and several top layers are glued on to prevent mildew and soften the general rigid shape of the orthotic (quality orthotics are firm or semi-firm, gel or other soft orthotics are short lasting and created to be inexpensive).

One of the questions we get asked a lot is Do I really need custom made orthotics? and the answer is not very simple. First and foremost, you need a foot exam which would include a questionnaire about general usage. For example, if you are a runner, I would check for over or under pronation. To put it simply, that’s when your foot would lean one way or another during your general running gait. Custom orthotics can correct pronation by leaning the orthotic slightly inward or outward depending on your specific foot, which in turn would align your joints putting less pressure on them for each stride. For runners particularly, lower limb joint health is a big deal, and this is an example of how custom orthotics do improve the overall ability of a runner to keep going. If your knees and ankles hurt, you are more likely to reduce the amount of time you run.

Everyone benefits from custom shoe inserts. However, anyone with issues related to foot health will often be required by their physician to purchase these mobility saving pressure relievers. A certified Pedorthist or a Podiatrist should fit you and you should make sure to purchase your custom orthotics from a Joint Commission certified vendor. There are a lot of snake-oil salesmen out there when it comes to this product, so do your research.

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A Comprehensive Overview of Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Being a multi-system disorder, diabetes can produce symptoms in many different parts of the body. When it causes nerve damage, the condition is called diabetic neuropathy (manifesting itself as peripheral neuropathy and retinal neuropathy). These neuropathies occur when high blood sugar levels have been left uncontrolled for prolonged periods of time. The condition takes time to manifest, and often the symptoms are discernible only after a couple of years. Unfortunately, about 50-60% of patients with diabetes end up with neuropathy at some point of time during the course of the disease. In fact, Diabetes Supplies is the most prevalent cause of neuropathy in individuals worldwide.

What are the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy?

The symptoms of neuropathy tend to appear gradually. Many a time, the first onset of nerve damage involves the nerves of the limbs. This can trigger symptoms like numbness, or a feeling of ‘pins and needles’ in the feet. Common symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are as follows:

• -Nausea and indigestion • -Dizziness upon standing • -Incessant sweating • -Muscle weakness or atrophy (waste away) • -Difficulty with coordination and balance when walking • -Loss of sensation of touch • -Vaginal dryness in women • -Erectile dysfunction in men • -Numbness in your extremities Symptoms vary according to the type of nerves affected.

What causes diabetic neuropathy? Development of nerve damage in Diabetes Footwear is usually related to consistent presence of uncontrolled blood sugar. Other factors that can lead to neuropathy are as follows: • -Damage to blood vessels, similar to that caused by high cholesterol levels • -History of sustained periods of glycemic imbalance • -Hypertension (high blood pressure) • -Mechanical injury, including injuries occurring from carpal tunnel syndrome • -Ischemic (damage to or dysfunction of tissue)heart disease • -Age more than 40 years • -Certain lifestyle choices, such as excessive smoking or alcohol use • -Low levels of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B-12) Certain medications like metformin that are taken to mitigate the symptoms of diabetes may reduce levels of vitamin B-12. Hence, it is advisable to have a routine blood test to identify any vitamin deficiencies. How is diabetic neuropathy diagnosed?

Diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy typically includes a comprehensive physical examination, and a general discussion about the patient’s symptoms and medical history. During the physical exam, your health care provider will check your reflexes, as well as your ability to perceive different sensations, such as temperature, touch and vibration. They will also check your blood pressure, muscle tone, and heart rate, to adjudge the degree of diabetes complication. Additionally, your doctor may perform a filament test as well, to detect the sensitivity in your limbs. At the time of this test, the doctor will use a nylon fiber in order to check your feet for loss of sensation. Alternatively, a tuning fork can be used to detect your vibration threshold. The doctor may even test your ankle reflexes.

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Regulating glucose for life

Diabetes is becoming one of the leading causes of death among Americans, and cases of this disease are growing at an alarming rate. Blood Glucose Test Strips literally has become a modern-day, silent epidemic. More than 29.1 million Americans are estimated to have diabetes, with many of these cases going undiagnosed. The cost of diabetes to the U.S. health care system is estimated at $245 billion per year. The saddest thing about diabetes is that most of these individuals may have been able to prevent the onset of the disease with proper awareness, diet and exercise.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to utilize glucose (sugar) for energy. We currently recognize two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas can’t make insulin because the immune system attacks it and destroys the cells that produce insulin. Kids and teens with type 1 diabetes are at risk for other autoimmune problems, but these disorders are not actually caused by the diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body produces either low levels of insulin or no insulin at all. Insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, is necessary for the regulation of the glucose we ingest in our diet. Type 2 Diabetes Supplies  is the most common form of diabetes, and develops over time. In type 2 diabetes, the body does not use insulin effectively to regulate glucose levels, which results in a condition known as insulin resistance.

Traditionally, individuals are diagnosed with diabetes when they present a fasting glucose level of 100 mg/dL or greater. However, it is well documented that the damage that is associated with diabetes can begin at a fasting glucose level of 75 mg/dL and can begin decades before the actual diagnosis of the disease. That damage can include vascular, ophthalmic, kidney, and neurological problems.

The critical first step in addressing diabetes is changing to a lifestyle of more exercise to use excess glucose taken in, a healthy diet to minimize the intake of glucose taken in, and frequent (but small) meals to minimize the development of insulin resistance. The goal in preventing diabetes is to address rising fasting glucose levels long before they reach 100 mg/dL. To do that, there are a number of nutritional and herbal supplements that have been shown to be helpful in regulating glucose and addressing problems before they start.

Alpha lipoic acid is a unique antioxidant that has been shown to be helpful in maintaining blood sugar levels and minimizing some of the neurological side effects of diabetes, such as diabetic neuropathy. Berberine, which is found in our Berberine Support product, has been shown to regulate not only glucose levels, but modulate lipid levels as well, often as effectively as prescription medications. Chromium and zinc have been shown to be essential minerals in helping manage blood sugar and support insulin production. Diabetes Balance is a unique formulation that features a wide array of natural products that have been shown to regulate blood glucose levels and keep them from elevating. Inositol has been shown to improve insulin receptors in the body and Neo40 Pro has been shown to increase vasodilation and circulation to minimize increasing vascular damage.

Contact The Diabetic Shoppe for some great tips on how to manage your blood glucose levels. We offer diabetic education and interesting information that will help you say in control of blood glucose levels. Watching your weight, exercising, eating healthy and developing good habits can all contribute to reducing blood glucose levels. We believe in nutraceuticals but healthy habits in general are the key to sustained health and well being.

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Why Should I Monitor my Blood Sugar?

Blood sugar testing is done to determine the levels of glucose (blood sugar) in the blood stream. This test is most often performed on patients suffering from Diabetes mellitus (DM). The doctor, patient, or caregiver will pierce the skin drawing a blood sample. Then s/he will test the sample chemically. There are numerous methods and techniques for testing. Mostly, the system measures the electrical characteristic of the blood in order to provide an average blood glucose reading from the current test sample. This gives a reading of the glucose concentration in the blood. People with diabetes must undergo this test frequently. A diabetic needs to understand the importance of Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring and the role it plays in their life.

Monitoring technology has progressed significantly over the past two decades. More often than not, current blood glucose testing is performed in the home using simple, inexpensive, small, and accurate blood glucose testing equipment.

All diabetic patients have to take their health seriously. Monitoring their blood sugar levels on a regular basis is one of the few ways to improve results, and arguably the most significant. Type 2 diabetes’ patients must check their glucose on a regular basis, 2x daily testing or more is ideal.

Patients on an insulin dosage almost certainly perform this test more than once each day. Some even test as many as ten times every day. This allows the user to extrapolate the effects of insulin and perhaps even adjust the dosage as needed. Many times this will even help the patient determine when they should take their next insulin dosage.

When the glucose levels within the blood increase beyond a certain level, the results can be severely damaging. Doing these Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring tests regularly allows fast response to abnormal glucose levels. A high glucose level in blood is condition known as Hyperglycemia. A low blood glucose level is termed as Hypoglycemia.

With regular monitoring of blood sugar, it is possible to understand how the body reacts to food, exercise, insulin, and other medications. A blood glucose monitor is an electronic device used to measure glucose levels. After inserting a disposable strip into the meter, one is able to apply a small sample of blood. Moments later, the meter will generally display blood glucose levels digitally. It is quite an effective method for monitoring blood sugar.

A normal blood glucose reading is between 70 and 130 mg/dl. Diabetics often have an average blood glucose that is much higher. The A1C test is a lab test designed to measure and extrapolate blood glucose levels over a long period of time.

An A1C test is pretty simple. Glucose (sugar in your blood stream) builds up and binds to the hemoglobin which is a protein in your red blood cells. The A1C test simply measures how much is bound. These red blood cells live for roughly 3 months so an A1C test will provide results from about the last 3 months and the lab can then extrapolate an average blood glucose level. An A1C test is excellent for lab test but in most cases a simple blood glucose machine will work better for most users. It gives you a snapshot of your blood glucose at that moment, more easily allowing you to apply reactive medications.

With advancements in medical science and technology, blood glucose monitoring has become very simple and convenient. Today, people battling from diabetes can check their blood sugar levels without depending on anyone. Diabetics are also able to take a shot of insulin privately without the necessity of a lab test. Those with diabetes have many advantages today and they should take advantage of testing to ensure their diabetes is under control.

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Braces, Mobility, and Quality of Life

Mobility is important to health. It burns calories, and often provides activities that stimulate the mind and body. Maintaining motion in old age is a good way to also maintain a high quality of life for elderly patients. Mobility allows for independence as well as human contact that is not easily replicated in a stationary setting. For diabetic patients, mobility also improves overall fitness and can help reduce the damaging effect of diabetes over time. Exercising, for example, is a key attribute of mobility that can improve health.

Diabetic Product Online can be both preventative and reactive in nature. Most often they are prescribed to address pain associated with mobility in specific locations on the body. The Upper back, Lower back, Ankle, Wrist, and Knee all have associated brace products covered by a wide array of insurances. As one ages or with overuse, chronic pain can occur.

As our population ages there will be a major rise in the number of elderly people and people on social security and Medicare. There is without a doubt a correlation between mobility and quality of life(QoL), but the relationship is hard to define directly. However it should not be ignored. Look at mobility as an operation; a physical act that brings about subsequent acts. From there it is easy to extrapolate how mobility improves QoL. For example, one is happier if they can grab a snack when they want it. One is less happy when they are made to wait for said snack or are unable to obtain it themselves. You can see the relationship exists in some manner, but is hard to factually define and outlay. As a society, it will be beneficial once we are able to develop and improve that operational concept of mobility, which then can be measured. Once it can be measured it can be used in arguments to expand coverage for mobility improving items and also to correlate and perhaps define the relationship between mobility and general health. An example would be, should a gym membership be covered as a preventative medication by health insurance but (like many other medications) require a certain amount of participation for continued coverage? IE: We believe exercise probably helps us live longer but we need to be able to prove that, with specific examples, and then request that it be covered in order to get it covered as a health insurance line item and procedure code.

When deciding if your mobility is hampered, make sure to consult your physician first. Once your physician examines your condition you will be able to properly assess the situation and make the decision to take the first steps towards an improved quality of life. There are many providers of orthotic braces and you should find one that fits your lifestyle.

To get started with a brace today, simply contact The Diabetic Shoppe, or another provider of mobility solutions. Your quality of life is very important, so treat it as such.

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Custom Orthotic Insoles

Imagine your foot was hovering in a relaxed state. The bottom of your feet would retain a certain shape and that shape almost certainly isn’t a flat line. Even if you are flat footed, the contours on the bottom of your feet are unique. These contours are unique to each foot.

Modern medicine has taken the time to label each peak and valley that the bottom of your foot produces. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have foot problems, you may have heard terms like first metatarsal or plantar fascia when describing locations on the bottom of your feet. Nobody thinks feet are actually flat.

So since your feet aren’t really flat on the bottom, when you step onto a flat surface, it creates pressure points on your feet. These points correspond the unique tips of the mountains that span the bottom of your foot. The idea behind custom orthotic insoles is to mirror your foot with a corresponding Custom Orthotic Insert that slips into your shoe. After your feet have been molded or scanned, the peaks are drawn and a milling machine cuts out an exact opposite design on a piece of EVA that matches up with the bottom of your foot.

Having a surface that matches the bottom of your foot stabilizes and improves balance, but more importantly it reduces pressure points. These pressure points are what worsens the effects of issues like Plantar Fasciitis, poor circulation, and general foot pain in very specific areas of your foot. In essence, a Custom Orthotic Insole removes any gaps between your foot and your shoe.

As you can imagine, the benefits of this are significant, but custom orthotic insoles are not cheap. First they require a foot exam and custom mold or scan to be created from the foot. That scan then has to be imported into a computer, software must create the orthotic which is then uploaded to a milling machine. Once the Orthotic is milled, a good insole will be hand sanded to remove any rough edges, and several top layers are glued on to prevent mildew and soften the general rigid shape of the orthotic (quality orthotics are firm or semi-firm, gel or other soft orthotics are short lasting and created to be inexpensive).

One of the questions we get asked a lot is Do I really need custom made orthotics? and the answer is not very simple. First and foremost, you need a foot exam which would include a questionnaire about general usage. For example, if you are a runner, I would check for over or under pronation. To put it simply, that’s when your foot would lean one way or another during your general running gait. Custom orthotics can correct pronation by leaning the orthotic slightly inward or outward depending on your specific foot, which in turn would align your joints putting less pressure on them for each stride. For runners particularly, lower limb joint health is a big deal, and this is an example of how custom orthotics do improve the overall ability of a runner to keep going. If your knees and ankles hurt, you are more likely to reduce the amount of time you run.

Everyone benefits from custom shoe inserts. However, anyone with issues related to foot health will often be required by their physician to purchase these mobility saving pressure relievers. A certified Pedorthist or a Podiatrist should fit you and you should make sure to purchase your custom orthotics from a Joint Commission certified vendor. There are a lot of snake-oil salesmen out there when it comes to this product, so do your research.