What about diabetes?
Diabetes, or too much sugar in the blood, is a major cause of blindness, kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and amputation of the lower legs and feet. Nova Scotia has one of the highest rates of diabetes in Canada. Blood and urine tests can determine if your blood sugar level is normal or not.

Questions to ask your doctor or nurse:

• What can I do to prevent diabetes?
• If I have it, how often do I need eye and dental exams?
• How should I take care of my feet?
• What is the right weight for me?

If you have diabetes, other questions need to be asked about proper nutrition, what medicines to take, etc. So it is important to get good medical advice.

What about osteoporosis?
The meaning of the word osteoporosis is “porous bone”. This condition, which causes bones to be thin and break easily, can be detected with a bone density test.