Lions Club International has taken on Diabetes as one of its global causes, with the purpose of helping to eliminate this dreadful disease that affects nearly 422 million people world wide.
This year, in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Lions are on a mission to make their mark by screening 1,000,000 people for Type 2 diabetes. Lions Club International established November 14, 2019 as National Diabetes Awareness Day asking Lions around the world to educate and discuss Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.
Durbin Lions Club invited Rachel Taylor, PA-C with Community Care, to talk with its members about the causes, dangers and treatment of Type 1 and 2 Diabetes. Taylor said there are statistics on the number of people who have strokes, heart attacks, eye diseases or cancer, but the underlying cause could be diabetes.
She described how diabetes can be controlled through proper eating and regular exercise.
Taylor said in her 10 years of practice she has noticed an increase in obesity in Pocahontas County school children.
An estimated 12 percent of West Virginia’s citizens are diabetic, and it ranks as one of the top states for obesity.