This page will be filled with ideas from research, the medical and mental health communities, and organizations like SAMHSA and NAMI to provide information to help you in your journey navigating through the eight dimensions of wellness in your own life.
DIABETES
Let’s start with a discussion about an interesting article from the AARP Magazine on Diabetes! The title is “The War on Diabetes: Remarkable Breakthroughs in Prevention and Treatment.” Okay, the names says it all. It brings up the questions: If we know so much, now, why are so many more people being diagnosed with diabetes, even though we know the consequences (problems with eyes, liver, kidneys, liver, heart, brain… early death). Prevention is the key, yet this article tells us that 3/5 of those over 65 and 2/3 over 45 have diabetes or prediabetes (pg.11, 2026). YIKES!
The article is worth reading (January 2026). If you get the AARP Magazine, we highly recommend reading it. If you do not, find someone who gets it and borrow this issue. The article outlines five “breakthroughs” that could change the outcomes for Americans: 1.) weightloss drugs that are more affordable or becoming more affordable, especially for very overweight people and older adults, 2.) the availability of effective prevention programs (only if we are willing to use them and follwo through that is), 3.) blood sugar monitors that are wearable and can continuously monitor our blood sugar levels, 4.) heart and kidney protection drugs that can be used in conjunction with weightloss or diabetes control methods, and 5.) a variety of insulin delivery systems
Wingmen, Shipmates, & Battle Buddies wants to add that the most important thing we got from this article is that the majority of people who have diabetes or prediabetes do not know they have it, because they have not been screened or have not had a recent screening. We recommend that each of you over the age of 45, and younger people who are overweight, get a screening, every few years to ensure that you can take measures to protect your body from further damage. Like almost every disorder in health and wellness: Early detection is the key to positive results!