Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 5, 1 May 1991 — Screening clinics aim to prevent complications of diabetes mellitus [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Screening clinics aim to prevent complications of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus and the serious complications of diabetes affect over 80,000 people in Hawai'i. Native Hawaiians are especially at risk of developing diabetes and related complications. Diabetes is the number one leading'cause of adult blindness, and leads to some degree of eye damage in up to 90 percent of all persons who have had diabetes for 15 years or longer. Persons who have diabetes are two to three times more likely to have heart disease than persons who do not have diabetes, are two to six times more likely to have a stroke, 15 times more likely to have an amputation, and 500 times more likely to have kidney disease. Yet steps ean be taken to control and prevent this disease. The Hawai'i State Disease Control Program holds free clinics periodically for persons with an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The purpose of the clinics is to prevent and delay some of the more serious complications of diabetes in persons who do not have regular complete eye, foot, or dental exams. Screening testsare done by volunteer specialists and include: • Complete eye exam for retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, and vision • Foot exam for circulation problems, shoe fit, and other problems whieh may lead to amputations. • Blood pressure and blood sugar • Dental screening for gum disease A nurse who specializes in diabetes reviews all screening results and recommendations with eaeh client at the end of the elinie. Copies of all the screening tests are sent to eaeh individual's private physician after the elinie. As needed, the nurse works together with the client and his or her physician to assist the client in better understanding diabetes and follow up on the recommendations from the screening. Referrals

to specialists are made through the private physician. For more information, contact Ms. Marie Robello, RN, at 548-6000. A recent diabetes education and screening elinie was held in February in Hauula at the Satellite City Hall. It was a joint venture between the Hawaii State Diabetes Control Program, the Hawaii State Hypertension Program, the Deparment of Health's nutrition branch and Office of Hawaiian Health, and the SFMC Northern Koolau Health Education and Windward Public Health Nursing Section. Though the screening clinics were open to all persons with diabetes who had been referred by

their physicians, it was especially targeted to areas of high Hawaiian populahon. Another new feature of the elinie was to add educational displays on traditional Hawaiian nutrition, an idea of Fern Clark, director of the Office of Hawaiian Health. Special guest presenters were Henry Auwae and Sabina Mahelona, herbalists and la'au lapa'au practitioners. These knowledgeable kupuna are frequent guests at health outreach programs whieh seek to encourage Hawaiians to take better care of their health, especially by utilizing traditional approaches to diet and use of herbal medicine.

Participants in the day-long screening elinie had personal attention paid to their health needs and were also served a delicious Hawaiian luneh including broiled mahimahi, taro, sweet potato, lomi salmon, fresh fruit and poi. A simple free brochure given out at the screening elinie tells patients "If you have diabetes, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, you ean become healthier by following the ways of our ancestors." It recommends eating foods of old Hawai'i, including limu, luau leaves, fern shoots, taro, poi, breadfruit, fish, ehieken, sweet potato, banana, and yam. It recommends cooking by baking, broiling or steaming, using little salt for seasoning, and avoiding foods in high fat or sugar, such as sausages, canned meat, packaged or processed meat, potato chips, cookies and cakes, iee cream, sugar, candies, fake juices and soda. . _ - * m

If you would like to participate in a future screening elinie, or if your organization would like to help sponsor one in your community, eall Aliee Taniguchi of the Diabetes Control Program office at 5486000.

Henry Auwae discusses Hawaiian herbal medicine at Hauula screening elinie.