Weekly
Column
To Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue,
M.D.
Pre-Diabetes
Diagnosis Is Call to Action
DEAR DR. DONOHUE:
My doctor tells me I have
"pre-diabetes." I’m not sure what
that means or how it’s treated. Am I
destined for diabetes? What should I be doing for
it? — K.M.
ANSWER:
Pre-diabetes is indicated by a fasting blood
sugar that’s higher than normal but not high
enough to be considered diabetes. People with it
can progress to diabetes. It’s sort of a
mile marker on the road to diabetes.
After a 10-hour
fast, the normal blood sugar should be less than
100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L). If it’s higher than
125 (6.9), then the person has diabetes. Numbers
between those two values indicate pre-diabetes.
Weight loss, when
indicated, is one way to get out of pre-diabetes
territory. Losing only 5 percent to 7 percent of
current body weight can usually bring the blood
sugar down to normal ranges.
Exercise is
another important way to lose the pre-diabetes
label. People who spend 150 minutes a week in
exercise can usually remove the pre-diabetes
label. Fat blunts insulin’s ability to lower
blood sugar. With less fat on board, blood sugar
normalizes.
This condition is
not just a hazard for developing diabetes. It
also leads to heart disease. When the risks for
heart disease as well as diabetes are high in a
person with an abnormal fasting blood sugar, then
the question of prescribing medicine comes to the
fore.
Collecting
By Larry Cox
Sponsored by Oldies & Oddities Mall
Meakin Dishes
Q: I have a set of Alfred Meakin dishes in the
Lombardy pattern. How can I find out how much my
pieces are worth? — Betty, Willmar, Minn.
A: I have a sentimental
attachment to dishes made by the Alfred Meakin
company. My great-grandmother chose the “tea
leaf” pattern as her everyday china when she
got married in the Oklahoma Territory in 1895. I
still have several of her original pieces and
cherish them.
To answer your question, Alfred Meakin began
producing earthenware at Tunstall, Staffordshire,
England, in about 1873. The company still exists.
Paul G. Bailey is a member of
the American Society of Appraisers and has been
specializing in British ceramics for more than
two decades. Write to him in care of Antique
Appraisal & Estate Services, 12819 SE 38th
St., PMB 320, Bellevue, WA 98006.
Q: I have a cowbell dated 1878
that originally belonged to my grandmother. Is it
valuable? — Adra, Oakland, Md.
A: Bob Bamford is president of
the American Bell Association and might be able
to help you. His address is P.O. Box 19443,
Indianapolis, IN 46219
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