Diagnose Your Diabetes Risk In Under A Minute: The Five-Finger Test

Here we will present you very easy and simple test that can be done at home. The test will help you to find out more about diabetes. Diabetes affects almost one out of every 10 Americans. In 2012, more than 29 million Americans had diabetes. Of that approximate 29 million, only 21 million were diagnosed, with the remaining left undiagnosed. Approximately $245 billion is spent on diagnosing diabetes every year. Even more shocking: 86 millions of Americans are affected by pre-diabetes.

The condition can be diagnosed through a blood test.

What Is Pre-diabetes?

When someone is diagnosed with pre-diabetes they have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, yet not at a diabetic level. The name “prediabetes” comes from the fact that many people with pre-diabetes are on their way to becoming diabetic and, although not everyone with pre-diabetes develops type 2 diabetes, many will.

Longterm pre-diabetes also leads to other serious conditions such as heart disease and nerve damage. Because the signs are not really visible you can learn to recognize them and  take action to help yourself.

Symptoms:

• Increased urination
• Increased thirst
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Increased hunger
• Sores that do not heal

How to diagnose pre-diabetes?

The a blood test where glucose levels are examined can determine diabetes and pre-diabetes. If you levels are above a certain point (100 milligrams per deciliter), you are diagnosed as pre-diabetic. If your blood glucose levels are higher (126 milligrams or above per deciliter) you are diagnosed as diabetic.

Alternatively, here is step by step instruction for pre-diabetes diagnosis.

• Hold up 1 finger if you are a man, none of you are a woman. Keep the finger up.
• Hold up 3 fingers if you are over the age of sixty, 2 fingers if you are over fifty, and 1 finger if you are over forty, none if you are under forty.
• Hold up 1 finger if you believe you do not get enough physical activity, none if you believe you are physically active enough.
• Hold up 1 finger if anybody in your family has diabetes, none if your family does not have a history of diabetes.
• Hold up 1 finger if you have high blood pressure, none if you have a normal blood pressure.
• Hold up 3 fingers if you are severely overweight (obese), 2 fingers if you are overweight, 1 finger if you are slightly overweight and no fingers if you are at a healthy body weight.

If you find that, by the end of doing this self-diagnosis you are holding up five fingers or more, then there is a good chance that you have pre-diabetes. This type of diagnosing uses the factors that most researchers believe are associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Even though it is not 100% accurate, most experts believe that it is a good way of assessing your diabetes risk.

If this test indicates you have pre-diabetes please take a blood test for further diagnosis. Lifestyle changes will provide you greater chances to reduce your risk and live a healthy life.

~Thanks to the Health Advisor Group