By: Janis Roszler, RD, CDE, LD/N

Have you ever given a speech about sex in a foreign language? I did. I just returned from a fabulous trip to Israel. The sights, smells, cuisine, museums, and history were intoxicating. But the best part of the trip was the evening that I spent speaking to 50 members of the Israel Diabetes Association (IDA)-in Hebrew (well, at least I thought I was speaking Hebrew!)

I brought one of my favorite slide presentations - "Diabetes from Head to Toe"-a fun review of diabetes care and complication prevention. I love speaking. I show slides filled with cartoons and involve the audience by asking lots of questions. My speech was held in the beautiful Yad Sarah building in Jerusalem, a wonderful organization that provides medical equipment and services to individuals regardless of race or religion. The audience ranged from American-looking folks, to very religious Chassidic individuals wearing long black coats, beards, black hats and side curls.

A local diabetes educator helped translate, but that wasn't enough for me. I like audiences to know what I'm saying when I say it. So, I peppered my speech with whatever Hebrew I could recall. I learned most of my Hebrew from watching Israeli soap operas on an international cable channel. "Alex, are you cheating on me?" "I thought you loved me!" "I'm pregnant with your brother's baby!" Unfortunately, most of these phrases weren't useful for my discussion.

Except for some electricity problems with my American-made laptop, all went really well. Starting with the "head" we discussed how everyone felt about their diabetes. A positive attitude can truly make a difference. Next, we discussed the value of oral care. Did you know that high blood sugar levels can cause bad breath? Seeing a dentist at least twice a year is recommended.

Later, I opened the topic of blood sugar testing. Are you taking blood from the pads of your fingertips or from the sides? The side is a far better choice as it is less painful and provides a better blood sample.

I spotted some blushing when I discussed the side effects that poorly controlled diabetes can have on a person's sex life-erection problems in men, lubrication, orgasm and libido problems in women…but that didn't scare me. Too many people are shy about discussing these things and don't get the help they need. Rachel, my translator, mentioned the name of an Israeli physician who specializes in sexual issues. Everyone rushed to write down his number! There are numerous treatments today for diabetes-related sexual complications. Blush all you want, diabetes should NOT ruin your sex life.

I also heard a gasp when I spoke of the importance of medical identification bracelets and necklaces. Having an information card in a purse or wallet doesn't do the job. In the United States, several deaths have occurred because individuals didn't wear their ID's. Symptoms of low blood sugar frequently resemble alcohol intoxication-your speech slurs, you become uncoordinated and shaky, etc. At least one person had those symptoms and was set aside to "sleep it off" by a medical crew that was called to treat him. They had no idea that he had diabetes. Tragically, because it was ignored, he died.

Audience questions came at a furious pace throughout the entire speech. At the end, I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers-a lovely gesture in any language. The trip was truly a special one. The IDA folks already asked me to speak again. So, off I go to watch another juicy episode of my favorite Israeli soap.

(Originally published in the eDiets.com Living With Diabetes newsletter.)