Sept. 21 Men’s Health event at RMH to focus on ‘Diabetic Foot Health’
| Date Posted: 9/9/2010
ROCKINGHAM – You may not know it, but your feet are at high risk for infection and worse if you have uncontrolled diabetes.
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Dr. MirFattah Mirian |
Diabetes affects circulation (blood flow), which can make your feet less able to fight infection and to heal. Uncontrolled diabetes can damage the nerves in your feet and legs, causing a condition called diabetic neuropathy that makes it difficult for you to feel heat, cold or pain.
Severe foot problems can lead to even more serious complications, including amputation. In fact, according to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are far more likely to have a foot or leg amputated than other people.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Dr. MirFattah Mirian, a Richmond County podiatrist, and Melissa Herman, a certified diabetes educator with FirstHealth’s Diabetes Self-Management Program, will be featured in a Men’s Health Event on “Diabetic Foot Health” to be held at FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital.
Scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the hospital’s Third-Floor Auditorium, the program will focus on the prevention and complications of diabetes, especially as they apply to foot health.
“Anyone can have foot problems,” says Dr. Mirian, “but even something as usually uncomplicated as a blister can lead to very serious problems for a person with diabetes. During our program, Melissa Herman and I will discuss the importance of foot health and provide information on daily foot care and diet, both of which can help lessen the chance of diabetes complications.”
The Men’s Health Night program on “Diabetic Foot Health” is sponsored by the FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital Foundation, which supports FirstHealth services for the residents of Richmond County.
“Diabetes is a very serious problem in Richmond County, which has a diabetes rate that is more than twice that of the entire state of North Carolina,” says Ken Goodman, chair of the RMH Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “In their Sept. 21 program, Dr. Mirian and Ms. Herman plan to share information about diabetes prevention and control that both men and women should find helpful, and the Foundation is happy to have a role in this important event.”
The Sept. 21 Men’s Health Night program is free, but space is limited, and registration is required. Please call (910) 417-3772 or (800) 213-3284 for more information or to register.
Participants in the “Diabetic Foot Health” program will receive a $5-off coupon for a Peripheral Vascular Disease screening conducted during the RMH Wellness Screening Day on Oct. 9.
