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November is National Diabetes Month, and with cases of the disease at an all-time high in the U.S., individuals must do everything they can to stay healthy. Learn more about diabetes prevention and also how to stop prediabetes in its tracks with these five helpful tips. Diabetes is a disease that is increasingly making its way into the public consciousness, and not in a good way. In fact, according to USA Today, diabetes has a greater health impact on Americans than heart disease, substance use disorder or COPD, with 30.3 million Americans diagnosed with the illness — and many more who are at risk for developing it. And those with prediabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less, according to the Mayo Clinic. The American Medical Association notes that 4 million U.S. adults have prediabetes. Check out the American Diabetes Association’s prediabetes risk test. The good news: There are ways to manage — and even reverse — prediabetes. Renown’s Certified Diabetes Educator Stephen Compston, RD, LD, CDE, shares five steps for managing blood sugar and also avoiding an eventual diagnosis. How to Prevent Diabetes Eat healthy foods. Plan meals that limit (not eliminate) foods that contain carbohydrates, which raise your blood sugar. Carbohydrates include starches, fruits, milk, yogurt, starchy vegetables (corn, peas, potatoes) and sweets. “Substitute more non-starchy vegetables into your meals to stay satisfied for fewer carbohydrates and calories,” Compston says. Exercise. Blood sugar is the body’s basic energy source. When you exercise, you are lowering your blood sugar. “People with prediabetes usually want to stay off of medication, so they must add something to their normal regimen that lowers blood sugar,” Compston says. “In this case, exercise is medicine.” Lose weight. A small decrease in your weight can drastically decrease your risk of developing diabetes in the future. The Diabetes Prevention Program study showed that a 7 percent decrease in body weight (14 pounds for a 200 pound person) can reduce a person’s risk of developing the disease by 58 percent. Get more rest. Studies link sleep issues to an increased risk of insulin resistance. It can also make it harder to lose weight. Thus, people that don’t get adequate sleep are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. See your doctor regularly. Schedule an appointment with your primary care provider at least once a year so you can track your health together. “A regular check-up and lab work can help identify what your blood sugars are doing so you and your doctor can develop a good plan for delaying the onset of diabetes,” Compston says.

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Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is on the rise for adults and children in the United States. Although genetics play a role, you can take steps today to lower your risk of developing this life-altering condition. Michael Raymund Gonzales, MD with Renown Endocrinology answered our questions about Type 2 diabetes and gave us some useful tips for prevention. What effect does diabetes have on the body? And who’s most at risk? First, it’s important to know the difference between the two most common types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is the result of the body’s inability to make insulin, which is a hormone your body needs to be able to use sugar, or glucose, for energy. Type 1 is not preventable, and people who have it were either born with it or they developed it later in life due to an autoimmune process that attacked the pancreas that went unrecognized. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body makes the insulin hormone, but it might not make enough or work well enough for the body to use sugar for energy. This is called insulin resistance. This condition usually develops later in life but is preventable with proper diet, exercise and weight loss. However, due to the obesity epidemic, type 2 diabetes is occurring more often in younger individuals.  Diabetes hurts the body’s ability to break down glucose, so rather than it being used for energy, glucose stays in the bloodstream, which can cause problems. But with early detection and the help of your doctor, diabetes can be managed so that complications are avoided. Left unmanaged, however, diabetes can affect major organs and lead to heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, skin conditions and more. Type 2 diabetes also results from risk factors that you can’t control, including your family history, race and age. However, there are a few risk factors that you can watch out for, such as being overweight, inactivity, diet choices, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglycerides.

Read More About Type 2 Diabetes: What You Should Know

Renown Health is proud to embrace the Reno-Sparks culture that makes our community stand out, which is why we sponsor the Reno Rodeo, an early summer staple with roots in the community as deep as our own. One of our many ties with the Reno Rodeo includes Renown Regional’s own emergency room nurse and Miss Rodeo Nevada 2022, Gabby Szachara. A Reno native, Gabby developed a love for the Reno Rodeo at a very young age. “I loved watching the girls on the Reno Rodeo Flag Team when I was little and knew I wanted to be part of the Reno Rodeo someday,” said Gabby. “As I got older, I started to make connections and build relationships with some people in the rodeo scene, and they generously lent me their horses so I could participate in the Reno Rodeo Flag Team.” Gabby was on the flag team for three years before being crowned Miss Rodeo Nevada 2022 last year.  Before joining the Reno Rodeo Flag Team, Gabby was a student at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a member of the women’s volleyball team. In December 2017, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public health. At first, Gabby was interested in a career in sports medicine – it made sense with her background in athletics. But, after working in the medical field as a certified nurse assistant and an emergency medical technician, she grew passionate about patient care and decided she wanted to become a nurse. “I’ve always loved teamwork and helping others,” said Gabby. “It’s important to me to be there for others, especially when it might be their worst day.”  In December 2021, Gabby graduated from Truckee Meadows Community College with a nursing degree and joined Renown Health this February. “I love Renown for various reasons. Everyone here is so nice and welcoming, and there is a great team dynamic,” said Gabby. “And I love that Renown’s main color is purple because that is my favorite!” When Gabby isn’t in her scrubs and caring for patients, she is in western wear and carrying out her duties as Miss Rodeo Nevada. “I do a lot of traveling across the country to attend other rodeos,” said Gabby. “I enjoy meeting so many wonderful people and experiencing the culture of different states.” Gabby’s main goals as Miss Rodeo Nevada are to promote the western way of life, agriculture, rodeo and community benefit. In addition, she visits local schools to talk with kids about how they can get involved in these areas and inspires them to turn their dreams into reality.  Gabby has a special place in her heart for the Reno Rodeo. “Reno is my home, and the Reno Rodeo is the heart and soul of summer in northern Nevada. Everyone comes together and dusts off their boots to have fun and also contribute money to important causes in our community,” said Gabby. “I love the comradery, the friendly and healthy competition and the great people.”  If you’re going to the Reno Rodeo this weekend, watch for Gabby and her horse, “Torque.”  And if you see Gabby in the halls at Renown Regional, give her a high-five for all her hard work as a nurse and Miss Rodeo Nevada!

Read More About Meet Gabby, Renown Regional ER Nurse and Miss Rodeo Nevada

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and can overcome by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness bloom. – Nelson Mandela, February 2005, Make Poverty History Campaign in London Lifting away the curtain that symbolized the front door, I entered a dark, cinderblock room and instantly became overwhelmed by an unpleasant odor. Working with oncology patients as a Child Life Specialist and an Occupational Therapist for over ten years, I recognized that smell. I had arrived in Guatemala – more than 3,000 miles from Reno – and it was my first day of a week-long trip where I would be serving alongside physicians in low-income communities providing free medical care for residents. My name is Brittany Jemmoua, I am an occupational therapist at Renown, and I recently volunteered with Kalan Kuxtal, a non-profit Guatemalan organization. I served alongside physicians by providing free primary care mobile clinics and home visits. The care we provided focused on prevention, intervention, education and lifestyle/medication management as we partnered with local entities, such as fire stations, community centers and schools to transform hundreds of lives. Speaking in both English and Spanish, I collected patient intake information, performed exams, tested for diabetes, and collaborated on a diabetes research project focused on daily risk assessment. Beyond these tasks, I immersed myself in the culture and learned more from the Guatemalan people than I could have ever imagined. Similar to Renown, Kalan Kuxtal Operates with Community at its Core Kalan Kuxtal, a Mayan expression meaning “life guardian,” is different from other volunteer medical trip organizations, and I took home valuable insights and lessons from their way of life that I now consider daily in my practice at Renown. I expanded my knowledge about diabetes, hypertension, pharmacology, infectious diseases, pregnancy complication, vector-borne illness and tuberculosis. We conducted home visits for socially neglected populations rather than expecting everyone to come to our clinics. I found that being welcomed into people’s homes gives you a different lens in which to view how their medical diagnoses interact with living conditions, occupations, and quality of life. This is when I met Mercedes and her mom. Her mom, Ms. Valencia, had jaundice skin and a substantial Basal Cell Carcinoma aggressively protruding from her face that impacted eating, hearing, seeing, sleep and social interactions. This opportunity to serve within their home led to an important palliative care conversation that would have been missed had we stayed in the clinic. We combed the rural neighborhoods assessing people’s risk for diabetes, taking glucose tests and educating families about their next steps. Many individuals had uncontrolled diabetes and misunderstandings regarding basic health management strategies. At the end of the day, many people demonstrated feelings of empowerment by actively offering solutions regarding how they will manage their day-to-day glucose with diet and exercise. Small actions can lead to big changes, and in the long-term, these health actions can help them avoid medication costs and focus on affording basic life necessities, such as water and electricity. Kalan Kuxtal organized a cultural day that included going to local businesses and community leaders to learn more about how they support the people of Guatemala. For example, Valhalla Macadamia Farm’s main goal is to help communities gain access to income, employment, and improved wellbeing by donating macadamia trees to families to grow and then sell macadamia products. A Weeklong Trip with Lifelong Impacts Each patient made a lasting impact on me, both personally and professionally. One specific family I saw in the clinic had a unique situation in that their two-year-old daughter, Margareth Elizabeth Cifuentes Bautista, was laboriously diagnosed with irregular corneal syndrome associated with glaucoma of congenital origin. Due to Guatemala’s limited prenatal screens and interventions, Elizabeth is nearly blind. While highly spirited and happy, she trips, bumps and feels her way through life. One barrier to her healthcare access is that her hard-working parents remain well below the poverty line, making less than $900/month. I am working to connect them with generous US Ophthalmologists and pediatric eye specialists to explore how we might save her sight and help her family. Their biggest dream is that she could recover her eyesight. “I know that this is not a life-threatening situation, but it is still something that never stops hurting me,” Jorge Cifuentes, Elizabeth’s father, said. “Unfortunately, our situation here is very hard. This country [Guatemala], although beautiful, it is very difficult to get ahead. We are people living in underprivileged conditions which complicates our situation even more. However, we are still trying to thrive by being kind and hardworking people. Thank you for helping us.” I have had the privilege of an opportunity for education, access to healthcare, employment and am aware that inequity and injustice prevail. This experience reinforced my understanding that medicine is a physically and mentally demanding profession that requires a commitment to service, continuous learning and adaptation both on local and global scales. I encourage everyone to please join me in serving the underserved by volunteering. Brittany is an experienced Occupational Therapist at Renown and volunteers with Kalan Kuxtal and other entities, such as The Robert Unsworth Foundation and Rock Steady Boxing to elevate communities. She loves being an Occupational Therapist; however, her life experiences confirm that her true calling is to become a physician. She is currently applying to medical school. Brittany is eager to earn the responsibility to improve lives and communities as their engaged physician. Brittany is tentatively scheduled to return to Guatemala at the end of this year to continue partnering with the people for a better future. You are welcome to join!

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You may recognize her from billboards around town or the cover of Renown's latest annual report, but what you might not know is the story behind the now-familiar face. Paola Espinoza-Patino is the oncology unit's associate nurse manager at Renown Regional, and she grounds her work in hope and determination daily. Meet Paola:

Read More About Paola’s Story: Bringing Hope and Determination to Patient Care