YMCA
(631) 580-7777
www.ymcali.org
15 Herkimer Street
Mastic NY 11950

Celebrity Services

Substance abuse treatment services
Services Provided: Substance abuse treatment
Type of Care: Outpatient

Insurance Protocols

Insurance companies use statistics to define protocols for the average patient and the statistically most cost effective treatment. These results in rules requiring doctors to get approvals from insurance companies to do procedures or prescribe certain drugs hinder doctors' ability to provide good timely care. Insurers are in the business of making cost effective health care decisions. Insurers often require doctors to get approvals before they can authorize certain types of care in an attempt to save costs and prevent unnecessary procedures. On average, this can be cost effective for the insurance policy. However, for many, those decisions result is slower treatment, worse outcomes, and adverse side effects.

Type 2 Diabetes and Weight

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and blindness. In 2002, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States. This form of diabetes is most often associated with old age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes and physical inactivity. The disease is more common among certain ethnic populations.
More than 85 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. Doctors do not know exactly why overweight people are more likely to develop diabetes. Doctors think that being overweight causes cells to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy. When a person is insulin resistant, blood sugar cannot be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. In addition, the cells that produce insulin must work extra hard to try to keep blood sugar normal. This may cause these cells to gradually fail.
A person may lower his or her risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of physical activity he or she does. If a person has Type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help him or her control blood sugar levels and prevent or delay complications. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow a person to reduce the amount of diabetes medication he or she takes. The Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing just five to seven percent of body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.