You At Your Best

Special to NWa Democrat-Gazette Diabetes can cause blurry vision, hunger, thirst and fatigue; a lesser-known associated condition is hearing loss. In fact, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) found hearing loss to be about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those without the disease. The evidence suggests that diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear. Prior to co-founding Wolfpack Hearing Clinic with her husband and audiologist, Dr. Dustin Richards, Marla Richards, MS, RD, LD worked in private practice as a Registered Dietician and is still licensed to do so. She has seen firsthand the often- overlooked link between diabetes and hearing loss. "Like treatment of hearing loss, every one of my clients was an individual with unique needs and thus required unique strategies," Marla says. "Diabetics were some of my favorite clients." "As a dietitian, my job involves positive lifestyle change and permanent quality of life improvement," she says. "Diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is very similar. We take a thorough and long-term approach to ensure that your hearing loss is properly diagnosed and treated, and no longer a detriment to your quality of life." The study linking hearing loss with diabetes is alarming to many otolaryngologists and audiologists because there is no recommendation for hearing loss screenings in a diabetes care regimen. See your doctor if you think you might be pre-diabetic or if you suffer from diabetes and believe you may have the beginning stages of hearing loss. "The first step is a hearing test," says Marla. "If you are one of the millions who live with diabetes, pre-diabetes, and/or hypertension, it is important to establish a baseline hearing evaluation with a licensed audiologist. We are happy to provide this service to you at Wolfpack Hearing Clinic." For more information, visit Wolfpack Hearing Clinic at 2630 E. Citizens Drive, #7 in Fayetteville, call (479) 957-9300 or go to wolfpackhearing.com Diabetes diagnosis connected to hearing loss By KimBerly marquez NWa Democrat-Gazette The Northwest Arkansas region is home to the largest Marshallese population in the continental United States. Because the Marshallese are a Pacific Islander community, they face many health disparities due to the current and historical relationship they've had with the United States. Between 1946 and 1958, "the US Pacific Nuclear Weapons testing program was responsible for denoting 76 atomic and thermonuclear weapons in the Marshal Islands, which is equal to 7,200 Hiroshima-sized bombs" (DHH). Unfortunately, the US military's weapons program has had an ongoing impact on the Marshallese health and land for decades, as the nuclear fallout from weapons testing resulted in long-term contamination of the native food supply and their health. Prior to the US invasion, the Marshallese diet consisted of fresh plants and seafood, which remained consistent with low obesity and diabetes rates. Therefore, due to the lack of native foods, Marshallese began to depend on imported processed foods high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, as "the US provided canned meats and rice as food commodities during and after nuclear testing," according to the DHH. It is no surprise then that, because the Marshallese community has been accustomed to processed foods after migrating to the US, approximately 50% of Marshallese adults have type 2 diabetes, according to a study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2017. Family Model We can help the Marshallese community affected by diabetes by following a family model approach. In a research study by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2012, to gain a better understanding of the burden of diabetes in the community, investigators uncovered how family and matriarchal kinship plays a crucial role in the life of the Marshallese patient with diabetes. In order for an individual to change his or her health habits, the family must change as well. In the Marshallese culture, family includes extended members and many households include multiple generations, which shows their cultural view of family and health. Therefore, the best way to help educate and help treat diabetes is through the implementation of a family model, which increases the likeness of lifestyle changes, as they feel supported by the family. "Treating diabetes as a family disease influences the planning of educational interventions by including family support members in assessment, modification, and the development of new dietary routines" (McElfish et al., 2015). Language and Diabetes One important reason why the Marshallese community has little to no understanding of what diabetes is or how it affects the body and their overall health is the lack of knowledge on basic internal anatomy and the biological function of the body (McElfish et al., 2015). The Marshallese language does not have words for many internal organs and does not have common words to describe how internal organs function. As such, it is important to be aware of linguistic and cultural differences of the Marshallese community when treating them for diabetes or questioning them about their health habits. Family model used to help Marshallese community in NWA approximately 50% of marshallese adults have type 2 diabetes according to a study conducted by the Department of Health and Human services in 2017. SATURdAY, OcTOBER 27, 2018 | nOvEmBER - diABETES nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST | YOU AT YOUR BEST | 13

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