Diabetes Fair on Wednesday, November 5 at Martin's Point Health Care in Portland

November is National Diabetes Education Month

Martin's Point Health Care will host its annual Diabetes Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Martin's Point Health Education Center at 331 Veranda St. in Portland.

Entitled "Diabetes Care: It's your Choice," the free event will teach participants how lifestyle choices affect their health and tips on how to keep their illness under control.

The annual event coincides with National Diabetes Education Month and is aimed at providing information and answering questions about diabetes, which if uncontrolled can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and amputation.

The fair will feature activities and mini-workshops that will educate people with diabetes about the importance of controlling their blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Participants will learn how to manage stress, care for their feet, and receive information about diabetic eye disease. Martin's Point dietitians, diabetes nurse educators, and health educators will be on hand to answer questions.

The fair is free and open to the public and includes a light lunch at either 12 or 12:30. Participants must call (207) 829-2497 to reserve a place for either of the two lunch times. Or, walk-ins after lunch from 1:30 on are welcome.

[Media interested in covering the fair must call ahead so that Martin's Point health professionals can obtain release forms from participants. Call Anne Drouin at 774-5801 if planning to do a story on the fair.]

The Martin's Point Health Education Center offers a variety of resource materials, such as publications and videos, and classes that focus on a host of topics, ranging from weight management and smoking cessation to disease management.

The center, for example, offers extensive information on diabetes, which causes blood sugar levels to be too high. Over time, high blood sugar levels can harm nerves, eyes, kidneys, and heart and blood vessels. About 17 million Americans ö including about 70,000 Mainers ö have diabetes, the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Symptoms of diabetes include extreme thirst, blurry vision from time to time, frequent urination, unusual tiredness or drowsiness, and unexplained weight loss. Anyone with those symptoms should contact a doctor.

Established in 1981, Martin's Point is a not-for-profit health care provider with facilities in Portland, Brunswick and Windham, Maine, and in Portsmouth, N.H. The largest primary care practice in Maine, Martin's Point has a staff of more than 300 health care professionals and serves 54,000 patients ö including military retirees and dependents of active military personnel ö under all major health plans. Martin's Point serves patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, radiology, cardiology, and mammography, as well as other fields. For additional information on Martin's Point Health Care, visit them online at www.martinspoint.org.

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