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March 2012
When it comes to diabetes, people often blame the patient instead of the disease. I cannot think of another chronic illness for which this is the case. Much of the public seems to believe that we bring diabetes on ourselves. When people with diabetes are diagnosed with complications, uninformed observers often insist that it happened because they were "bad diabetics." Comments like "She didn't take care of herself" make me instantly defensive and angry. How can anyone know what that person went through on a day-to-day basis with her diabetes?
31 comments - Posted Mar 8, 2012
February 2012
As a woman with diabetes, you may have noticed that you face unique challenges, from where to place your insulin pump, to pregnancy, to hormone fluctuations. Many diabetes books offer general diabetes advice, but few focus on women beyond just a short chapter. That is, until now.
3 comments - Posted Feb 20, 2012
January 2012
Dear DH, I'm a 47-year-old man who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008. For two years, I haven't been interested in sex. I have a demanding retail job and two teenage children. I can still perform, but I am usually so tired that I fall asleep after dinner. I don't miss sex much, but my wife does, and I don't want to lose her. By the way, my A1C usually runs around 6.8%.
1 comment - Posted Jan 31, 2012
December 2011
Diabetes Health readers who are Amanda Lamb fans can watch her first-ever Christmas single, "Christmas In Love," on YouTube.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2011
November 2011
Having diabetes means attending medical appointments regularly. It's entirely possible that at some point, you experienced an incident in which a medical professional hurt your feelings, made a mistake, or told you something completely incorrect. Medical mistakes do happen. While most doctors and nurses are amazing and professional, they are also human. Errors and inappropriate comments can occur. Some simply don't understand all aspects of diabetes.
17 comments - Posted Nov 11, 2011
October 2011
Winter might be on its way, but there's plenty of fall color to celebrate in the meantime. You can find fresh inspiration with the Divabetic Octoberfest, a series of events sponsored by the nonprofit wellness group for diabetic women.
4 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2011
Dear David and Aisha, I am a 39-year-old married man who has had type 1 diabetes for 22 years. My A1C levels run around 7.5%. About six years ago, I started having trouble with erections. Now they are very rare, even with ED pills. I know you say that there is more to sex than intercourse, and my wife and I still enjoy ourselves however we can. But we both miss the erections.
6 comments - Posted Oct 5, 2011
September 2011
"If you weren't having this conversation with me, who, other than your wife, would you be having it with?" That question, in response to something I'd said about treating my nine-year-old daughter's diabetes, was posed to me over the phone by a friend I had made less than six months earlier. She has a daughter too, the same age as mine, who also has type 1. Their diagnosis came a couple of years before ours, so I respect her experience and opinion, and so does my wife, Franca.
0 comments - Posted Sep 9, 2011
When diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I was eighteen years old, scared, and confused. Although bone thin, I was older than the usual juvenile diabetic, so the doctor didn't know if I had type 1 or type 2 diabetes. At first, the doctor gave me pills to lower my blood sugar. I avoided carbohydrates and threw myself into exercise, then watched helplessly as the numbers on my blood sugar meter continued to rise.
10 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2011
August 2011
Scientific studies -- and our own common sense -- tell us that staying motivated and engaged helps control our diabetes. We know what we should resist temptation at the dinner table, monitor our blood sugars avidly, and get regular check-ups. But knowing all of these things, and knowing that self-motivation is the way to achieve them, isn't quite enough.
1 comment - Posted Aug 19, 2011
The piece of cake sits there on the plate, daring you to eat it. The blood sugar meter rests on your nightstand, an obstacle formed of lancets and test strips. Life with diabetes is a parade of challenges, from diet temptations to healthcare hassles. You know--we all know --that the only way to say "no" to the cake and "yes" to the blood sugar check is through consistent self-motivation.
9 comments - Posted Aug 12, 2011
July 2011
I am excited to have this opportunity to write a diabetes-focused blog for Diabetes Health about living and thriving with type 1 diabetes. First of all, I am extremely passionate about racing road and mountain bicycles, running 5K runs and sprint triathlons, and doing other activities that I find to compete in for Team Type 1. But before I start blogging, I would like to tell a little about myself.
3 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2011
June 2011
I recently had the experience of flying from Tampa to Los Angeles, with a layover in Atlanta, totaling about seven hours spent in airports or up in the sky. To prepare for such a trip, you have to ask yourself a lot of "What if" questions. What if your plane is delayed? What if you miss your connecting flight? What if you have to stay over an extra night? What if your pump fails? What if you are on the tarmac for four hours and you go low?
22 comments - Posted Jun 2, 2011
May 2011
Dr. Jonathan Beach is a 35-year-old emergency medicine physician who has had type 1 diabetes for 31 years. He owns and operates Urgicare, a wellness center that includes The Northeast Center for Diabetes Care and Education in Plattsburgh, New York, an isolated rural community that has few other resources for diabetes. This is his story of his life with diabetes and his professional experience with the insulin pump.
5 comments - Posted May 12, 2011
Gene Thornton was in the Army in Germany when he got type 1 diabetes. It was 1965, 46 years ago, and he was 24 years old. This is his story, in his own words.
5 comments - Posted May 10, 2011
Molly Martin is a vibrant and energetic 18-year-old from Texas who's had type 1 diabetes since the age of two. Five years ago, Molly took up motocross racing. She says, "I love riding motocross---it's just you and the bike. I feel free when I ride, like I don't have to think about diabetes. I do have to make sure that I test before I get on and during breaks, to make sure my sugar is doing what it's supposed to be doing. But when I get out there, it's just me and the bike, going."
1 comment - Posted May 5, 2011
April 2011
Phil Southerland's autobiography is an inspirational coming-of-age memoir about a type 1 baby who wasn't supposed to live. But his doctor's dismal prediction didn't take into consideration his mother's indefatigable determination that her baby would thrive no matter what, and Phil's own fierce drive to conquer every single challenge he encountered, including his diabetes. It's an engrossing book, a sports adventure story with a medical subplot and a roster of dynamic characters, the most dynamic of whom is Phil himself. If we could harness his energy, our dependence on foreign oil would be a thing of the past.
2 comments - Posted Apr 20, 2011
Greetings from Philadelphia International Airport! Airports are fascinating places...great for seeing what people look like and how they act under unusual circumstances. At this moment, I see a lot of truly overweight people. Most folks are treating the moving walkway like a ride at Disney World–just standing there, inching slowly along and staring blankly at the passing drywall. I don’t know…maybe the two sights are related. Have we really become this lazy? Have we “convenienced” our way out of being in shape? Have electronic toilet flushers, soap dispensers, and water faucets taken away our last opportunity to burn any calories at all?
0 comments - Posted Apr 14, 2011
Italian and Greek researchers conducting a meta-analysis* of the diets of more than 500,000 people have concluded that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that are common precursors to type 2 diabetes. Those factors include overweight or obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high blood sugar, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and high "bad" cholesterol.
The Mediterranean diet is high in fruit, vegetables, whole grain foods, and low-fat dairy products. Proteins include fish, legumes, poultry, tree nuts, and mono-unsaturated fatty acids from olive oil. Alcohol intake is moderate and almost always in conjunction with meals. Red meat is only an occasional menu item.
The scientists looked at 50 studies that involved more than 500,000 people, then extrapolated the effects of a Mediterranean diet from them. Although the meta-analysis pointed to the usefulness of the Mediterranean diet in fending off metabolic syndrome, its authors said that their conclusion is tentative, given the need for more research on the topic.
The study was published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
* A meta-analysis looks at a number of similar studies and tries to derive new and useful results from them by detecting common patterns among them.
0 comments - Posted Apr 12, 2011
If you, like me, have diabetes, you realize upon reflection that you are, despite the constant demands of the disease, blessed. Somewhere, sometime, you have benefited from the kindness, professionalism, and genuine concern of a medical professional, be it a nurse, pharmacist, dietitian, physician, therapist, or supporting staff.
7 comments - Posted Apr 7, 2011
Every spring since 1999, the Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA) has distributed our publication to their young campers. In honor of their youthful enthusiasm, our springtime issue always focuses on people who inspire us, from the young to the old. In this issue, we bring you the stories of people who refuse to let their diabetes limit them, people whose example re-ignites our determination to live our very best and healthiest lives. As a publisher, I am always seeking inspiration, and each of these individuals is a fresh reminder of what we can do if we put our minds to it.
1 comment - Posted Apr 3, 2011
March 2011
Francisco Zepeda is a 54-year-old native of El Salvador who owns an insurance agency in San Francisco. Type 2 diabetes runs in his family. He says, "My grandmother lived with diabetes for about 30 years, and my father has it as well. I heard about diabetes all that time, but I never thought that it was going to happen to me. And I still hope that I'm not really diabetic. They say that once your blood sugar goes up, then you are diabetic, but I don't want to believe that I'm diabetic, you know what I mean?"
0 comments - Posted Mar 31, 2011
Tony Flores is a 50-year-old native of El Salvador who works as a construction foreman. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 12 years ago, after an eye doctor told him it would be a good idea to get his blood sugar checked. He recalls, "I did the test, and they got all freaked out and told me, ‘Oh my god, your A1C is at 12%. You have diabetes type 2. You've got to cut the sugar, you've got to stop drinking orange juice and soda."
1 comment - Posted Mar 15, 2011
A paid Medicare benefit for diabetes education is rarely used by those who qualify for it, despite the fact that diabetes education provides clear health benefits.
0 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2011
Edward Danielson developed type 1 diabetes 79 years ago, in 1931, only a decade after the discovery of insulin. Edward's wife of 67 years, Dorothy, recalls, "In the spring of 1930, when Edward was ten, his teacher told his mother that he ought to be checked by a doctor because something seemed to be wrong. His mother got on the streetcar with Edward and they went down to see the doctor, who said, ‘There's nothing wrong with him. He's just slow.' So they went home. In the fall of the same year, his new teacher said, ‘Something's wrong with Edward--he ought to be checked out by a doctor.' So they went back, and that doctor diagnosed him with diabetes. They kept him in the hospital for a month because the doctors then didn't know that much about diabetes 1."
1 comment - Posted Mar 10, 2011
You know that awful feeling when a sugar low is coming. I break out into a cold sweat, feel panicky, get nauseated, and have trouble answering extremely simple questions like "Do you need to eat?" Well, I was feeling it again, and again, and I didn't know why. That's what I hate the most: When things go wrong, but I think I've been doing everything right.
1 comment - Posted Mar 8, 2011
Ten years ago, an astute physician diagnosed me with Type 2 diabetes. I exhibited none of the classic symptoms of rapid weight loss, extreme thirst, and frequent urination. I attributed fatigue to my job. For about a year before diagnosis, I experienced what I thought were yeast infections and treated them with over-the-counter medications. I later learned that this condition is a symptom of diabetes. I am non-insulin dependent.
0 comments - Posted Mar 3, 2011
Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to have type 2 diabetes, and more than a third of working adult Hispanics do not have health insurance. For this audience, Jane Delgado, PhD, has written The Buena Salud Guide to Diabetes and Your Life. Available in both Spanish and English, it's a culturally sensitive and reassuring book that dispels myths and presents detailed science while gently guiding readers toward the right path in caring for their diabetes. The tone is conversational, as Dr. Delgado speaks to her readers like a family member who knows them well and has their best interests at heart.
0 comments - Posted Mar 2, 2011
February 2011
Ellen Granberg is an obesity sociologist who studies the processes that people go through when they lose weight and keep it off. As she says, "If the problem were that we don't know what people should eat to lose weight, that would be one thing, but we don't have that problem. There are a hundred weight loss plans out there that are perfectly good. We understand all about the physiology of weight loss maintenance and the metabolic impacts, but nothing about the social and emotional impacts. People who sustain weight loss over time move through a lot of different challenges."
0 comments - Posted Feb 27, 2011
When a young person with type 1 diabetes leaves home for the first time, it's often a difficult adjustment for the parents as well as their child. Tyler Stevenson is 20 years old, in his second year at Florida State. This is what he told us about his life in college with diabetes.
4 comments - Posted Feb 22, 2011
Everywhere you look, there seems to be a great tasting high carb meal, dessert, or snack staring back at you. While away at college last fall, I found a t-shirt picturing a cupcake above a skull and crossbones. For me, that image really sums up how we need to deal with being diabetic while being constantly tempted by sugary treats.
4 comments - Posted Feb 16, 2011
Diva TalkRadio is an interactive, live internet talk-radio destination that focuses on issues and concerns of those living with, at risk of and affected by diabetes. Divabetic's founder and executive director, Max "Mr. Divabetic" Szadek serves as the resident host of DivaTalkRadio programs. This month, Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN. Constance is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and a National Spokesperson American Dietetic Association. Constance has been honored with the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group (DCE) 2007 Diabetes Educator of the Year Award. Over the course of her career, Constance Brown-Riggs has established herself as an expert on the subject of nutrition, diabetes and the cultural issues that impact the health and health care of people of color. She is not only versed in the science of medical nutrition, but also has an active nutrition counseling practice through which she sees hundreds of patients. Her ability to translate her academic and clinical knowledge into clear, understandable terms have made her a nationally renowned, sought-after speaker, educator and author. She is passionate about creating opportunities to spread the word about health and nutrition, and developing educational tools which shorten the cultural distance between patients and caregivers. Every aspect of her work supports that mission
1 comment - Posted Feb 2, 2011
January 2011
DENVER -- New episodes of a critically acclaimed, locally-produced Spanish language soap opera will focus on the obesity crisis in hopes of helping viewers better understand what causes obesity and how they can live healthier lives. The soap opera is called "Encrucijada: Sin Salud, no hay Nada" ("Crossroads: Without Health, there is Nothing").
1 comment - Posted Jan 31, 2011
It's Labor Day weekend in Pittsburgh, just outside of the Steelers' Heinz Field, and the Bret Michaels Band has come home for some hard-driving rock and roll. The 20,000 screaming fans are a generational mix, shrieking 16-year-old girls side-by-side with moms and dads who have temporarily abandoned their parental roles to dance, sing the familiar words to "Look What the Cat Dragged In," and howl into the nighttime air. On stage is Bret Michaels, the boy from Butler, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town just an hour north.
16 comments - Posted Jan 27, 2011
Your young primary care doctor may not know a lot about diabetes, according to a study led by Stephen Sisson, MD, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "When I graduated from residency here, I knew much more about how to ventilate a patient on a machine than how to control somebody's blood sugar, and that's a problem," said Sisson in a press release. "The average resident doesn't know what the goal for normal fasting blood sugar should be. If you don't know what it has to be, how are you going to guide your diabetes management with patients?"
2 comments - Posted Jan 26, 2011
It doesn't matter if you're a computer geek or complete technophobe: If you've ever made the effort to download your blood glucose meter, you probably don't have a clue about what to do with the data once you've gotten it. That needs to change. Those of us who live with diabetes need to become more adept at analyzing our own data, to see what's working and what isn't both for our own sake and that of our time-strapped healthcare providers. .
2 comments - Posted Jan 25, 2011
You'd think the world would be running through the streets in a movie-style panic. An epidemic of unprecedented proportions is inexorably advancing. In our lifetimes, half of us may develop a devastating disease that could cause us to go blind, lose a leg, or die far too soon. But we aren't in a panic. The authorities are talking it up, of course, but most of us aren't doing much at all to prevent type 2 diabetes. We're getting fatter by the year, and we're moving less and less. Many of us who already have type 2 diabetes are not making the changes that could keep its consequences at bay. Why not?
1 comment - Posted Jan 24, 2011
"Got the news today, doctor said I had to stay, a little bit longer and I'll be fine....Waitin' on a cure, but none of them are sure, a little bit longer and I'll be fine....So I wait ‘til kingdom come, all the highs and lows are gone, a little bit longer and I'll be fine."
12 comments - Posted Jan 21, 2011
Despite what many think, diabetes does not have to deter people who have the disease from enjoying Super Bowl Sunday parties along with everyone else, according to the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). In fact, managing your diabetes is often an exercise in moderation, more than anything else. With more than 24 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes, this is a very real issue, but there is no reason diabetics can't enjoy the festivities -- and the food -- at Super Bowl parties. The AADE put together the following tips for people with diabetes who want to enjoy the food - but need a little guidance about how to eat smart given all of the Super Bowl food temptations.
1 comment - Posted Jan 19, 2011
UCSF will launch one of the nation's first inter-professional, team-based simulation learning centers to prepare doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists together for the changing health care landscape.
0 comments - Posted Jan 17, 2011
Did you make any resolutions for 2011? How many of them have you given up on already? Many of my Facebook friends have enthusiastically boasted of their New Year's resolutions--lose weight, spend less time online, read more, worry less. While their goals are admirable, their resolutions rarely last. Why? I believe it's because their aim is too high or too broad, and their enthusiasm is short-lived.
5 comments - Posted Jan 14, 2011
RALEIGH, NC- DiabetesSisters is pleased to announce that registration for the 2011 Weekend for Women Conference in Raleigh, NC will open on January 1, 2011 at 8am. The Conference, a revolutionary national weekend conference designed specifically for women with diabetes, will take place April 29 - May 1, 2011 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh.
0 comments - Posted Jan 5, 2011
December 2010
New York, NY - December 31, 2010 - Divabetic, one of the country's leading health and wellness nonprofits begins the New Year with an outreach jackpot of resources and tools for those affected by diabetes. With online and special events, Divabetic's mission is to provide an empowering and supportive environment so that no one living with diabetes has to cope alone or in silence.
0 comments - Posted Dec 31, 2010
Most holiday stories are comforting and familiar, wrapped up with the happiest of endings. But the tales that swept the nation this Thanksgiving were sometimes distressing and strange, and the one told by Laura Seay has no resolution or simple solution. Seay was one of the travelers caught in the center of the debate over the Transportation Security Administration's forceful new screening methods.
6 comments - Posted Dec 23, 2010
University of Alaska Anchorage nursing student Ben McCormack was excited when a professor showed a YouTube video in his pathophysiology class. "She tries to bring in a lot of multimedia stuff to each unit," he reports. "And ‘Diabetes Rap' actually has all the information about [type 1] diabetes right in the video." "The Diabetes Rap," starring diabetic Luke Widbin, was the 2008 winner of the World Diabetes Day Young Voices video contest, thanks in part to Luke's willingness to make rhymes like "Sugar overdoses give me ketoacidosis." With well over 100,000 views, this video does an educational and entertaining job of relating the facts about diabetes. See it here.
0 comments - Posted Dec 20, 2010
An estimated two million Latinos in the United States have type 2 diabetes, a full 10 percent of the Latino population. Facebook, the fourth most popular Internet site among Latinos, reaches nearly 45 percent of the Latino population that goes online. Put those two facts together, and you have the audience for a new online game, HealthSeekerTM Explorando tu Salud, Paso a Paso ("Exploring Your Health, Step by Step").
0 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2010
November 2010
Insulet Corp., the leader in tubing-free insulin pump technology with its OmniPod® Insulin Management System, recognizes the outstanding achievements of Christopher Gorham, age 12, of Waterford, Michigan for bringing home both silver and bronze medals in the Sparring and Forms competitions at the 2010 World Karate/Kickboxing Council World Championships held in Albufeira, Portugal. Chris is a 2nd degree black belt in training for a 3rd degree black belt; he has been in martial arts since he was four years old, competing all over the world.
0 comments - Posted Nov 25, 2010
A friend of mine recently remarked that she wants her family to eat healthier, but she just doesn't know that much about nutrition. Though I can sympathize with her in some ways (nutritional education is a daunting and never-ending process), I do feel that the overall American attitude toward food is that ignorance is bliss. It reminds me of the preteen character in the movie Son-In-Law, who puts his sister's bra cups over his ears and tells his parents in a taunting voice, "I can't hear you!" Unfortunately, what you don't know CAN hurt you, and not just you, but also your family.
3 comments - Posted Nov 22, 2010
When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 23 years ago, I remember being told that having children would be a very difficult challenge. I was seven years old at the time - still a child myself - and had no interest in becoming a mom. My own mother was very distressed at this news, but I didn't pay it any mind. I had other things to focus on: trees to climb, bikes to ride, and friends to play with.
1 comment - Posted Nov 18, 2010
If you're getting information about diabetes from groups or friends on Facebook, you might want to be careful. A new study suggests that a quarter of posts in these groups are possibly ads, and not for FDA-approved treatments, either.
5 comments - Posted Nov 17, 2010
In celebration of diabetes, I want to encourage my readers to get involved in the diabetes community. There are several reasons why this is important. For one, when you are personally invested, you are also personally encouraged. Secondly, you can use your diabetes experiences to motivate others. And finally, getting involved can be a way of giving back to the world that has given you opportunities to live a better life with diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Nov 12, 2010
New technology is popping up all over in the medical community, from new diagnostic machines, to new ways of administering drugs, to an almost endless supply of self-monitoring devices such as blood glucose meters. But a technology often overlooked is one that could have the most impact-electronic medical records.
0 comments - Posted Nov 3, 2010
October 2010
Imagine that you're a miner. Imagine you have diabetes (that, at least, shouldn't be too hard). Now, imagine that you have to spend two months trapped underground with other miners. How would you do?
0 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2010
Patients who cannot discuss their diabetes with a doctor in their own language may have poorer health outcomes, even when interpreter services are available, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.
0 comments - Posted Oct 23, 2010
What do you get when international best-selling author Dr. Steven Covey joins forces with Bayer Diabetes Care and the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE)? You get an inspirational booklet that is a simple, practical resource guide to help people get started in managing their diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Oct 12, 2010
The day I learned that I had type 1 diabetes was no doubt one of the most heart-wrenching, confusing, and angry days of my life. But I quickly decided that I had to channel those feelings into something productive, something worthwhile. I gained confidence as a person with diabetes, and even though, yes, the shots stung, I wasn't going to flinch. Welcome to my life.
0 comments - Posted Oct 11, 2010
Employers are in a potentially powerful position to help employees and their families make healthier choices, hints a new study conducted by the IBM Corporation.
0 comments - Posted Oct 7, 2010
The holidays are known as a time for family gatherings, catching up with relatives, and sometimes even the occasional family conflict. Like drama at the holiday dinner table, in many ways your health is influenced by your family-for better or for worse. This year, why not start a conversation that benefits everyone? Gather your family health history.
0 comments - Posted Oct 4, 2010
Twenty years ago, when I opened Sugar Happy Diabetes Supplies in San Francisco, people would open the front door, lean in, and ask, “I’m curious. Are there enough people with diabetes for you to stay in business?” My reply was always, “You would be surprised by how many people have diabetes.”
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2010
September 2010
I’m back. I started working with Diabetes Health 10 years ago. At that time, Diabetes Health was the one publication open enough to talk about a subject that was controversial at that time… Lower Carb Options. That was my column, and I got a lot of slack from it. I didn’t understand why. People with diabetes want and need lower carb options. What was the problem with giving people options? That’s what Diabetes Health is all about – teaching people there are healthy options. Now it’s common to see lower carb options for people who have diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 29, 2010
Do you ever wish you could leave your diabetes at home? Maybe you're at a holiday party, chit chatting with your buds gathered around the bar enjoying an adult beverage (or two), maybe grazing at the table of cookies, cakes and other tempting morsels. "Oh, I think I'll try one of those. Maybe one of those too. I didn't bring my diabetes with me, so I don't have to think about it tonight." Diabetes is not last year's outfit you can leave at home, or a bad relationship you can dump and move on. It is more like a tattoo. It goes everywhere with you.
0 comments - Posted Sep 24, 2010
"What's for dinner?" is a commonly asked question in many households. As children, spouses, friends, and others stream into your home after work, school, or a day of errands, they are eager to sit down, enjoy a meal, and unwind.
0 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2010
I was reading the latest issue of one of my parenting magazines when I came across an article on children and food. The author suggested offering dessert only two to three times a week instead of every day. I laughed aloud.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2010
In late July, five teenagers and five adults hiked to the summit of Mount Shavano, one of Colorado's famed 14,000-foot peaks. For this particular group, the journey to the top of Shavano was designed to be an intensive educational experience on the topic of diabetes management. Each teenager had type 1 diabetes, and the adults were mentors dedicated to helping the teens feel more in control of the disease. The team made it to the summit by performing countless blood sugar tests, counting carbs, and experimenting with insulin pump basal rates. The outfit behind the expedition was Testing Limits, an outdoor adventure club just for people with diabetes, operated by the non-profit Insulindependence.
0 comments - Posted Sep 17, 2010
In type 1 diabetes, the body relentlessly attacks and destroys its own insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. But a study by Joslin Diabetes Center scientists now has firmly established that some of these cells endure for many decades in a small group of people with the disease-offering clues to potential treatments for preserving and even restoring the crucial cell population.
0 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2010
On July 2, 2010, when Lt. Jose Lopez took the podium at the recent Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Annual International Conference in Orlando to speak to the parents of children with diabetes, his goal was to use his own story to reassure them about their children's future. "What I most wanted to convey to them was that people with diabetes, especially children, can do normal stuff and live their dreams. I am not a super hero - and I did it."
0 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2010
Fall is a welcome season, full of bounty and beauty. The heat of summer gives way to calmer days and crisper evenings. We trade our shorts and swimsuits for jackets and jeans and enjoy campfires, hayrides, and holiday celebrations.
0 comments - Posted Sep 11, 2010
Going back to school can be a little scary for someone with diabetes. There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to making it through the school day without having problems with your blood sugar levels. In school, we strive for that all important "A" on a test; to score 100. The same is true about blood sugar/glucose levels; the closer I come to keeping my blood sugar level at "100," the better for my health and the better for my grades; high and low blood sugars aren't helpful in keeping a clear, quick-thinking mind.
0 comments - Posted Sep 10, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I am 62 years old. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1997, and I am doing OK on metformin. My last A1c was 7.2 %. About a year ago, they put me on medicine for my blood pressure (which was 142/90) and for cholesterol. I started having less interest in sex, which I had really liked before.
0 comments - Posted Sep 7, 2010
August 2010
The Flamingo Flock diabetes awareness campaign is the brainchild of 9-year-old Noah Brokmeier, "The Diabetes Dude." Noah's blue flamingos are landing on lawns nationwide and appearing at big events like the Boston Marathon. Wherever they go, the birds pose for pictures, which are then posted on Noah's website, www.thediabetesdude.com. The location of the birds is also flagged on his "official flamingo tracking map," to show the progress and growth of the campaign.
0 comments - Posted Aug 30, 2010
Hi Everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know about a big event I have coming up! Next Thursday, August 26th, I am chartering a bus that I am filling with 50 of my closest friends with diabetes and traveling from Taunton, MA to New York City to invade the Today Show on NBC with my blue flamingos! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a HUGE impact on people and let everyone know about my campaign! I hope that by doing this, people will realize that diabetes is a REAL disease that effects so many of us, young and old, and I hope to encourage people from all over the country to get out and do something to help raise diabetes awareness just like me and my friends!
0 comments - Posted Aug 25, 2010
Novo Nordisk announced today the availability of NovoDoseTM - the first-ever mobile insulin dosing guide for physicians to look up dosing guidelines and blood glucose goals for their patients with diabetes, a disease that affects nearly 24 million Americans. The guide is available as an application on iTunes and is specific to Novo Nordisk's modern insulin analog portfolio: Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection), NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection), and NovoLog® Mix 70/30 (70% insulin aspart protamine suspension and 30% insulin aspart injection, [rDNA origin]).
0 comments - Posted Aug 24, 2010
Since 1970, Joslin Diabetes Center has awarded a 50-year bronze medal and certificate to recognize the remarkable achievement of a successful life with insulin-dependent diabetes for half a century or more. To date there have been approximately 2,663 50-Year Medals awarded by Joslin Diabetes Center. Joslin Diabetes Center has awarded medals to recipients throughout the world, including individuals from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, South America, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
0 comments - Posted Aug 21, 2010
"Absolutely not. I'm not going to mess with that."
0 comments - Posted Aug 18, 2010
A week of Spanish study (5 days of classes) concentrated on your professional specialty. You will have 30 contact classroom hours, as well as opportunities outside the classroom for use of your Spanish. This course may qualify for continuing education units. Information on this is being developed. The course is arranged through Language Link, the U.S. Office for the Spanish Language Institute (800.552.2051, kay@langlink.com), and is sponsored by the AADE California coordinating body.
0 comments - Posted Aug 9, 2010
We can all come up with plenty of excuses not to test our blood sugar. For one, yeah, it stings a little (No pain, no gain, the angel on my shoulder whispers in my ear). For another, testing isn't convenient, no matter how quickly the meter works or how small it is. While seemingly everyone else is carelessly enjoying a meal or leaping into the swimming pool, you are on the sidelines trying to ignore your diabetes. And of course, sometimes, we just do not want to know what the number will be. It's easier to ignore the ugly truth than face it.
0 comments - Posted Aug 3, 2010
July 2010
We are always investigating new ideas, research findings, treatment options, and educational materials to share with you. This issue is very exciting because we were able to talk with experts and those with diabetes, and write about everything from traveling with type 1 in Italy to investigating why hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are so dangerous.
0 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2010
Now that it's summer, I'm enjoying a typical teacher's vacation: summer break. I have three months of freedom, which for many is a dream come true. However, I live in the sweltering Midwest, where it's typical to see mid-summer temperatures of one hundred degrees or more, with an even higher heat index. These oppressive temperatures can continue into late October.
0 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2010
Last summer, I led the third annual swim-run biathlon for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, which hosts two Massachusetts camps for children with type 1-Camp Joslin for boys and Camp Clara Barton for girls. It was at Camp Joslin that I met a memorable eight-year-old boy who exemplifies what being a diabetes hero is all about. I'll call him "Adam."
0 comments - Posted Jul 29, 2010
NEW YORK, NY, July 26, 2010 - Recalling the desperate fight for life that used to be waged by juvenile diabetes patients, and commemorating the events of 1921 that inaugurated a new era of hope for them and their families, the New York Historical Society will present the exhibition Breakthrough: The Dramatic Story of the Discovery of Insulin from October 5, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Exploring the roles of science, government, higher education and industry in developing and distributing a life-saving drug, the exhibition will bring to life the personalities who discovered insulin and raced to bring it to the world and will tell the story of one extraordinary New York girl-Elizabeth Evans Hughes, daughter of the leading statesman and jurist Charles Evans Hughes-who was among the very first patients to be saved.
0 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2010
I was in the parking lot of the mall, walking past wheelchair parking, when I noticed a man using the lift gate of his specially equipped van. There he was, lowering himself and his motorized wheelchair down to the ground all by himself. As I walked through the mall that day, I couldn't get the man in the wheelchair off my mind.
0 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2010
Hardly a day goes by that I am not asked a question related to diabetes. I'm a "heart on my sleeve" diabetic. Because one of my jobs, writing articles and guest blog posts, centers on the subject of diabetes, I'm known, in part, by my disease.
0 comments - Posted Jul 24, 2010
Looking for novel ways to help improve patient outcomes, the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is using innovative adult education techniques to train diabetes educators around the world. While the cultural and epidemiological differences in each region can be challenging, David L. Horwitz, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Chief Medical Officer of the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, feels confident this program can make a positive impact to help improve patient outcomes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2010
There's nothing quite like a dip in the Mediterranean Sea at sunset. The warm, clear water, shimmering clouds, and sound of families enjoying aperitifs at beachside cafes--it was the perfect start to a late-summer Italian holiday. We were visiting my boyfriend's brother, who had moved from England to Genoa a few years prior. It was my first time across the Atlantic, so my boyfriend Dunstan and I tried to make it count with 10 days filled with dinners, family celebrations, a road trip to Rome, hiking, and plenty of swimming.
0 comments - Posted Jul 13, 2010
My diabetes and I have traveled a lot of miles together in nineteen years. Racing Ironman triathlons in Australia, Europe, the Carribean and all over North America, climbing and camping at the top of 14,000 foot Mt. Whitney, and of course dozens of family vacations and business trips. Packing equipment and supplies for an Ironman triathlon and 3 weeks in Australia requires a bit of planning and preparation, but when you have diabetes you feel like you do that for just a weekend out of town. Meters, strips, insulin, syringes, infusion sets, pump supplies, snacks . . . a simple weekend trip becomes a lunar expedition.
1 comment - Posted Jul 10, 2010
When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the disease became my entire life. I was drowning in paperwork telling me who to pay, what to eat, how to medicate, and what to do if I got sick. But as months and years passed, diabetes management became just a part of my goal to live healthfully. I realized that I couldn't compartmentalize my health. I cannot pinpoint when my obsession with all things healthy started, but once it did--well, I've never looked back.
0 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2010
Summer has arrived, and for many, that means it's time to take that long-awaited vacation. Visions of sunny beaches, gourmet meals, mountain resorts, adventurous excursions, and campgrounds dance in our minds. The word "vacation" is typically a synonym for "letting it all go." No worries. No cares. Just pure indulgence. But for people with diabetes, an upcoming vacation can bring on anxiety and stress. For many of us, our disease thrives on routine and predictability, and vacations do not adhere to our everyday lives.
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2010
June 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I have been married for 14 years. I am 36 and my husband is 39, and we have a seven-year-old daughter. About six months, ago my husband found out that he has type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 29, 2010
One day as I was multi-tasking (making dinner, washing dishes, supervising my daughter, returning phone calls), I suddenly grew very annoyed at the music we were listening to. I had recently purchased a children's CD for my daughter, and it hit me that all the songs sounded the same. What a waste of twelve dollars, I thought, as I headed toward the CD player to shut it off. As I reached down to hit the "off" button, I noticed a small, unfamiliar icon on the display screen. I crouched down to further examine and then laughed aloud.
0 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2010
A Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled that only school nurses can give insulin shots to children in public schools who have diabetes. The decision by Judge Lloyd Connelly overturned a 2007 California State Department of Education decision that allowed trained school staff, as well as nurses, to administer such injections.
1 comment - Posted Jun 25, 2010
Diabetes is often perceived as a physical disease, an issue with one's body. But those of us with diabetes know that it affects every area of our lives, including our emotional, spiritual, and mental health. People with diabetes are more likely to experience depression than the average person, and it doesn't take a doctor to explain why. Diabetes is daunting, complicated, and confusing. There's no one-size-fits-all explanation or treatment plan, and even when we arrive at something that works, diabetes throws us a curveball and we are forced to reinvent our treatment regimen---time, and time, and time again.
0 comments - Posted Jun 18, 2010
As a type 1 diabetic, I have found that it's a good idea to plan for the unexpected when traveling. Life is full of surprises, and so are vacations. The flight is late. The flight has been cancelled. We had a flat tire or ran out of gas. There is an accident on the highway, and the traffic isn't moving. Who would have ever thought that airline flights would be grounded for five days in most of Eastern Europe because of volcanic ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland? If a diabetic had planned on going for a week-long vacation in England or France and had taken limited insulin, syringes, or infusion sets, he might have been in big trouble. Trying to replenish medical supplies in a foreign country could prove to be very difficult.
0 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2010
One of the most inspiring personalities of the 2010 Vancouver Games, Olympic cross-country skier Kris Freeman sheds his skis and poles this week to kick off his 6th annual diabetes summer camp tour with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly Diabetes). Freeman, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 10 years ago at age 19, will share his amazing comeback story from coast to coast and encourage children with diabetes to continue pursuing their dreams.
0 comments - Posted Jun 14, 2010
WASHINGTON - In collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) launched the Good Health ClubSM Physician Toolkit - unique educational materials designed to foster better communication between pediatricians and their patients on childhood obesity and diabetes prevention. The toolkit will be available to pediatricians in communities across the country.
0 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2010
It's a cool Sunday evening, and I'm sitting in a lively Italian restaurant. My husband is across the table. We've just placed our orders, and we're engaged in easy conversation.
0 comments - Posted Jun 8, 2010
I've been told by my medical team, those who work hard to make sure I live a healthy life with my diabetes, that I am a "good patient." They are pleased that I do what I am supposed to: check my blood sugar, keep my appointments, eat healthy foods, and exercise. They also remark that they wish all their patients took their diabetes management as seriously as I do.
0 comments - Posted Jun 3, 2010
It's early on a Thursday morning in a hotel ballroom in downtown Oakland, and attendees at a breakfast of the annual meeting of the California Dietetic Association are still working on getting fully awake. That problem is solved two minutes after Jay Hewitt, the breakfast's inspirational speaker, takes the stage. Hewitt, a 41-year-old lawyer who was diagnosed with type 1 in 1991, knows his audience is an experienced group of professional dietitians that has dealt with every type of patient and heard every kind of excuse for failure.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2010
May 2010
Investigate. Inform. Inspire. This statement is not only our commitment to you, the readers of Diabetes Health, but also a call to action. In our June/July print issue (available online June 1 under the Digital Edition tab), we've done some investigating. We tracked down educational agencies, websites, software, and applications, and we've listed them for you in our 2nd Educational Resource Guide.
0 comments - Posted May 31, 2010
It was a great win for diabetes on Sunday night as Bret Michaels, lead singer for the rock band Poison and reality TV star, was crowned the latest Celebrity Apprentice winner after struggling with several medical scares in the past month. Just as impressive is that throughout the season, Michaels' various wins raised more than $390,000 for the American Diabetes Association, including the final challenge prize from Snapple, worth $250,000. The 47-year old Michaels has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was six years old.
0 comments - Posted May 29, 2010
A new contest, "Give Back. Simply Win." sponsored by Bayer Diabetes Care will shine a spotlight on people with diabetes who are making a difference in their local communities. Three grand prize winners will meet international singing sensation Nick Jonas and Bayer will donate $5,000 to three not-for-profit charitable causes, one selected by each winner.
0 comments - Posted May 24, 2010
Grammy-award-nominated teen pop sensations the Jonas Brothers helped raise more than $250,000 at the annual "Rock For Diabetes" benefit on May 16, held at the home of Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. More than 200 people attended this year's benefit, which raised funds for the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2010
People with diabetes who have limited health literacy are at higher risk for hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA.
0 comments - Posted May 20, 2010
Over 80 years ago, famed diabetologist Elliot Joslin said about the treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes: "Ketoacidosis may kill a patient, but frequent hypoglycemic reactions will ruin him." Unfortunately, hypoglycemia continues to be the most difficult problem facing most patients, families, and caregivers who deal with the management of type 1 diabetes on a daily basis. Frequent hypoglycemia episodes not only can "ruin," or adversely impact the quality of life for patients, but also, when severe, can cause seizures, coma, and even death.
10 comments - Posted May 13, 2010
Nobody will believe you created these perfect cherry "pies" in under 30 minutes. (And of course you don't have to tell). Fresh raspberries complement the cherry pie filling perfectly and add a fresh homemade quality while refrigerated piecrust makes them as easy as, well, pie!
2 comments - Posted May 11, 2010
I woke up on the floor of my living room, soaked in sweat. I could not stand, or even sit up. I could not raise my arms or control my hands enough to grasp anything. Forget reaching for the telephone, even if my brain could have formulated the thought to try. I could not speak, but I lived alone, so there was no one to hear anyway. I did not know what day it was, but the hot July 4th late afternoon sun was shining brightly through the windows. After an unknown period of time, my brain must have had a flash of coherence that I was having severe hypoglycemia.
8 comments - Posted May 8, 2010
Chicken Caesar Salad is undoubtedly one of the most popular (if not the most popular) entrée salad featured on restaurant menus. But what most people don't realize is that most recipes for Chicken Caesar Salads contain more fat and calories than a loaded Big Mac-that's a big problem, especially if you are watching out for your health. Here's an easy way to create a delicious and healthful restaurant-quality Chicken Caesar right at home. To enjoy it as a side salad, simply leave out the chicken.
1 comment - Posted May 3, 2010
Bret Michaels suffered a brain hemorrhage last week, and his official website states that he remains in critical condition in ICU under 24-hour supervision by doctors and medical staff. His doctors are hopeful that he can make a full recovery, but that could take weeks or months.
3 comments - Posted May 1, 2010
April 2010
Increasing physical activity for greater health among the American public will take center stage on May 3 with the launch of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP or Plan). The signature events of the launch will be a press conference at the National Press Club and briefings with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina are providing the organizational infrastructure for writing the plan. The implementation of the plan will be coordinated by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA). The goal of NPAP is "to encourage everyone to be more physically active, reduce barriers to inactivity, and make sure our communities and institutions provide opportunities to move."
1 comment - Posted Apr 29, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I am a 60 year old married woman who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes eight years ago. In the last two years, I have lost interest in sex. I just don't feel like it, although I still like hugs.
3 comments - Posted Apr 26, 2010
Diabetes Health is excited to welcome you to "Ask Nadia", a new column by founder and editor-in-chief, Nadia Al-Samarrie. Nadia's adeptness in diabetes health comes from more than 20 years experience as a caregiver, managing the myriad of Type 1, Type 2 and pre-diabetes related issues in her own family, as well as from the knowledge acquired through her devoted and passionate tenure as the publisher of the prominent Diabetes Health Magazine.
2 comments - Posted Apr 3, 2010
While the words "diabetes" and "camp" may not sound like they belong in the same sentence for most people, they sure do for thousands of kids across the country. Diabetes camp is their time to share experiences, learn, and have fun with other kids who have diabetes. You'll find the usual camping activities like hiking, arts and crafts, boating, swimming, and sitting around the campfire, but also lessons on adjusting your insulin pump to compensate for sports and how to give yourself an injection.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2010
March 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I am a 55-year-old man who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago, and I think it made me depressed. The depression eventually got so bad that I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. My doctor referred me to the psych clinic, where they put me on Paxil (paroxetine). The medication is helping my depression, but ruining my sex life. Basically, I can't get an erection, but I don't really care because I'm not interested anyway. I have no desire. My wife is still interested, however, and she is really upset about my lack of desire for sex. I don't like hurting her, and I don't want us to break up over this, but the depression was awful. I don't want to go back to that. What can I do?
4 comments - Posted Mar 16, 2010
Being a teenager is hard enough, but being a teenager with diabetes can be brutal (and being the parent of a teenager with diabetes can turn you into a basket case). Last month, I wrote about the challenges of being newly diagnosed. This month, let's talk about handling diabetes during the teenage years.
5 comments - Posted Mar 5, 2010
When I was undiagnosed and sick, I was very angry with God. I didn't understand why I was weak, fatigued, constantly thirsty and hungry, scarily thin, and mentally foggy. I prayed and prayed for an answer. I cried, I cursed, and I yelled. Nothing. For a year and a half. When I received my diagnosis in a local emergency room, I felt instant relief. Finally, I had an answer, a name, and some hope. But soon after, the anger reappeared, this time because God had failed to pass over me. I had done nothing to earn this fate. Why me?
18 comments - Posted Mar 2, 2010
This is a terrific family favorite. The thick and velvety Parmesan cream sauce that adorns this dish mimics rich Alfredo sauce (only without the requisite butter and cream). If you don't have bowtie pasta on hand, feel free to substitute any pasta.
3 comments - Posted Mar 2, 2010
February 2010
My four-year-diabetes-diagnosis anniversary is almost here. It falls on March 24th, a day just like any other to most people, but a day full of sadness, loss, and victory for me. Will I celebrate? I'm not sure if reflection is a form of celebration. I'd much prefer a birthday-like affair featuring balloons, cards, and, of course, something sweet to eat. But I also feel as if the impending date is much like a funeral on the calendar, a time for mourning as well as reflection.
28 comments - Posted Feb 26, 2010
Kris Freeman, a member of the United States cross-country ski team has a story unmatched in Olympic competition history. Freeman, 28, is the first athlete with Type 1 diabetes to compete in an Olympic endurance event.
0 comments - Posted Feb 15, 2010
Many of us have a "BFF" (Best Friend Forever), but people with diabetes or pre-diabetes need a BFF who understands the importance of maintaining a healthy diabetic lifestyle -- a "DFF" (Diabetes Friend Forever). To honor these unsung heroes, Dreamfields Pasta is launching a first-of-its-kind contest to pay tribute to the special people who help make living with diabetes a manageable experience.
2 comments - Posted Feb 6, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I'm 26 years old and engaged to a woman I've known since college. We live together, love each other, and have good sex, but now I'm having doubts. A year ago, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She started taking insulin, and it has been rough. Four times now she has started sweating and shaking and saying strange things. Twice this happened during sex.
11 comments - Posted Feb 3, 2010
January 2010
Thousands of elite athletes from around the world are making their final preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Every snowboarder, short track speed skater, ski jumper and hockey player shares a dream of standing on the medium wearing an Olympic gold medal.
7 comments - Posted Jan 29, 2010
Altruism is unselfish concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism among others.
0 comments - Posted Jan 29, 2010
Although my boys love to order Chicken Parmesan when we dine out, the health content is always a concern - especially because it usually arrives thickly breaded, deeply fried, smothered in cheese, and served on a mountain of spaghetti. Here's a terrific and easy stove-top recipe that's filled with all of the same great flavors, but none of the excess fat and carbs.
0 comments - Posted Jan 20, 2010
Bestselling cookbook author and nutritionist Marlene Koch (pronounced, serendipitously, "cook") has been dubbed a "magician in the kitchen" when it comes to creating great-tasting, healthy recipes that everyone can enjoy, including those with diabetes!
1 comment - Posted Jan 20, 2010
Many meaningful events, experiences, and accomplishments have gone into making me the person that I am today. In my life, most of the important milestones came and went as they do for every kid. But for some of us, life throws a curveball and introduces a trauma or an unexpected event that will forever change our lives. When my most meaningful event occurred, on May 22, 2000, there were no cheers, applause, or laughter in the room. That was the day I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
21 comments - Posted Jan 19, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I hope you can help me. I am 49 years old and was diagnosed with type 2 five years ago. My husband still wants sex. I don't even want him to touch me. He is very mean to me. He yells at me and calls me names.
16 comments - Posted Jan 12, 2010
"You have diabetes." Have you just heard these words? Or maybe you recently heard it about your son or daughter. The oxygen rushes out of your body. A knot forms in your stomach. "What now?"
11 comments - Posted Jan 4, 2010
December 2009
According to Marlene, finding the perfect mix of ingredients is key when creating healthier versions of your favorite foods. From composing a healthier sandwich to perfecting pasta dishes and creating delightful desserts, Marlene reveals some of her tastiest ingredient tips:
1 comment - Posted Dec 31, 2009
CHICAGO, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chicago Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) have already helped send 44 children to American Diabetes Association diabetes camps next summer - with four games left in the NFL season.
1 comment - Posted Dec 18, 2009
‘Tis the season to be jolly? The most wonderful time of the year? Joy to the world? Between Black Friday, meal preparations, decorating, dealing with clashing family members, and party after party, the holiday season can be one of the most stressful times of the year. The joy and jolly that we sing about in Christmas carols hardly resonates in our lives as we prepare for and then attempt to survive the stress of the holidays.
3 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2009
Dear Diabetes Health, I am 57 years old. About five years ago, I saw my doctor because I was feeling tired. My waist size was up, and I was not interested in sex. I almost never got an erection. The doctor diagnosed type 2 diabetes and put me on metformin. He also prescribed Viagra, which helped sometimes, but not all the time.
5 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2009
The road to my diabetes diagnosis was anything but easy. Over Thanksgiving break during my first semester of graduate school, I fell ill with a horrific stomach virus. I was too busy to be sick, swamped with student essays to grade and papers to write for my own classes. But as the following year and half progressed, I felt worse and worse. I suffered from chronic sinus infections, drastic weight loss, extreme thirst, and constant fatigue. As I bounced from doctor to doctor, I grew increasingly discouraged. No one could figure out what was wrong with me.
16 comments - Posted Dec 4, 2009
November 2009
PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one-third of doctors surveyed said they did not have enough time and did not receive sufficient reimbursement to provide comprehensive care to their patients with diabetes, according to the results of a study of endocrinologists and primary care doctors published in American Health & Drug Benefits.
4 comments - Posted Nov 20, 2009
I recently ran into Theresa Garnero at the California AADE annual meeting and discovered that Diabetes Health had not yet reviewed her book, Your First Year with Diabetes: What To Do, Month By Month. We regret the oversight because it's a great resource for anyone dealing with the shock of a diabetes diagnosis. And Garnero is the perfect author for a book like this. She's an award-winning certified diabetes educator (CDE) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with board certification in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM), and she earned an Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). She is also a former national educator of the year, a cartoonist, and the 2008 global recipient of Inspired by Diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 6, 2009
October 2009
Dear Diabetes Health, Hello! I am 60 years old and have had type one for about 24 years. It has been quite some time since I had a relationship, and now I have one coming at me. The problem is, I am very dry. The commercially sold products don't seem to help, and Intercourse isn't comfortable. What do you recommend that I try? And what about a libido enhancer? I need this relationship to work because living alone is tough, and my partner likes his intimacy. Please!!!
2 comments - Posted Oct 31, 2009
The statistics are chilling. Children born today have a one-in-three chance of developing type 2 diabetes. For Latinos, however, that risk is one-in-two.
2 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2009
Eurotech, an 84-year-old technology company, recently introduced its EverywareTM Medical Gateway, a remote monitoring device that it hopes will bolster the already notable effectiveness that home care diabetes monitoring has had in reducing hospital admissions. Along with several partners, including IBM and Roche, Eurotech demonstrated the device at the October Continua Health Alliance Fall Summit and Plugfest held in Boston.
1 comment - Posted Oct 22, 2009
Dear Aisha and David - I am a 22-year-old woman with type 1, on a pump. I've only had one real boyfriend, and we broke up two months ago. He said that my diabetes didn't have anything to do with it, but I'm not sure. I think that the lows scared him. Sex with him was good, but I don't have much to compare it with.
7 comments - Posted Oct 2, 2009
Dr. Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH, FACPM is a very interesting man. He served as the Acting Surgeon General of the United States in 2006 and was made Chairman of the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute in October 2007. The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is designed to serve as a home for the diabetes family and a trusted place of diabetes learning that will inspire diabetes innovation, improved care, and better outcomes worldwide. Through the Institute, Johnson & Johnson is opening and operating state-of-the-art instructional facilities around the world to provide health professionals with education and training aimed at improving diabetes patients' outcomes by working at the community level.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
According to the American Diabetes Association, "one out of every three children born today will face a future with diabetes if the current trends continue." It's a sobering thought. Because November is designated American Diabetes Month, it seems a good time for those of us in the diabetes community to reach out to those who will face diabetes in the future: the 57 million Americans who are currently at risk for type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
In our June/July 2009 issue, we published a letter from reader Sheila Payne, who wrote that we had been far too positive about continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in our June/July article Get the Facts on Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Her letter provoked a stack of letters from people who believe that the benefits of CGM substantially outweigh its negatives. To let you in on the debate, we are reprinting Ms. Payne's thought-provoking letter here, followed by two equally thoughtful responses from readers.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
September 2009
Kansas City, Mo. - Moises Aldape helped Team Type 1 stamp its authority on the Tour of Missouri Sunday by winning the Michelob Ultra King of the Mountains title.
1 comment - Posted Sep 22, 2009
That old dog is me (thirty-seven years living with diabetes). There's a lot to be said for teaching someone who's lived with diabetes for years new ways to manage diabetes, and some new things that have come into the marketplace recently.
9 comments - Posted Sep 20, 2009
August 2009
See the new video on DiabetesHealthTV with columnist Riva Greenberg. She discusses her new book 50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life: And the 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It.
0 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2009
Three days after a routine physical last November, 84-year-old Louis Zorich was called by his doctor and told that he had type 2 diabetes. The first words out of the seasoned actor's mouth were "There's been a mistake." Louis, who's been married to Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis for 47 years, proceeded to explain (incorrectly) to his doctor, "Men don't get diabetes. My three brothers don't have it, but my mother had it....It may be genetic, but only the female side of my family can have diabetes."
2 comments - Posted Aug 21, 2009
In June, I attended the ADA's 69th Scientific Sessions Conference that was held in New Orleans this year. Among other presentations, I listened to Mary Sullivan's very interesting talk offering practical advice on better inpatient diabetes care. We've written numerous times online about how hospital glycemic control needs to be improved. For example, you can read our article on DiabetesHealth.com called, "U.S. Academic Medical Centers Are Not Cutting the Mustard."
0 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2009
Last May, 24-year-old Charlie Kimball was in Car #35, taking Turn 3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Firestone Freedom 100. He was in radio contact with his pit crew, who informed him that he had a headwind coming out of the turn and onto the 5/8 mile "straight." Charlie kept an eye on the car next to him, moving closer and beginning to crowd it on the inside. Having raced professionally for six years, he knew that he had to make a move, and soon. He shifted into sixth gear and accelerated.
2 comments - Posted Aug 8, 2009
Initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Rob subsequently discovered that he had type 1. Knowing that he needed to exercise more, he returned to professional surfing. Today, he is a sponsored professional athlete who uses a CGM.
10 comments - Posted Aug 7, 2009
It's very likely that you, like most people, believe many myths about diabetes. If you do, you might actually be doing yourself harm. Learning the truth can empower you (as it did me) to make choices and take actions that increase the quality and length of your life.
9 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
In 1994, Kelli Kuehne was on a roll. That year, she won the United States Girls Junior Amateur Golf Championship and a year later, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship, repeating that win in 1996 while also taking the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship. The roll continues. Today, Kelli Kuehne is still playing matches in the LPGA and, through it all, has never allowed type 1 diabetes to beat her on the golf course or in her life.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
Because we have good health insurance, my son sees his endocrinologist twice a year, his diabetes health educator twice a year, and his nutritionist once a year. Meanwhile, he sees his school nurse one to three times a day. As you know, this relationship can make a difference for the rest of a child's life.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
July 2009
San Francisco's Winterland Arena, an old ice skating rink converted into a music venue in 1966 by rock promoter Bill Graham, became legendary for the shows that happened there. It was the site of some of the most memorable moments in rock ‘n' roll history, and through its back door once walked some of the greatest stars ever known. Although Winterland no longer exists, its door lives on, and that very door is now available for purchase!
0 comments - Posted Jul 30, 2009
Never underestimate the power of people with diabetes and their families. When we as a consumer group purchase more fruits and vegetables, walk or bicycle instead of taking the car, and educate ourselves about a healthy lifestyle, we are addressing global issues as well as personal ones and can have a strong, positive effect on the future.
1 comment - Posted Jul 23, 2009
A man who has been married for 15 years suddenly begins losing weight and buying new clothes. He starts staying late at work and taking weekend business trips, unusual behaviors for him. His wife thinks he is having an affair. Why?
0 comments - Posted Jul 22, 2009
Could the medical community be overlooking 2.5 million people who have diabetes? Currently, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes. Although an estimated 17.9 million of them have been diagnosed, 5.7 million (nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease. If lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people comprise 10 percent of the U.S. population, then 10 percent of people with diabetes are part of the LGBT community-about 2.5 million people.*
3 comments - Posted Jul 22, 2009
Growth hormones, peer pressure, independence struggles, and mood swings: welcome to the teenage years! There's nothing like a warning glance from a fed-up teenager to make a parent retreat. As your child takes more control of his or her diabetes, it becomes ever more tempting to step back and avoid the friction that sometimes comes from being involved. Nevertheless, your teenager needs your reliable presence more than ever. The beauty, strength, and sheer courage our kids exhibit in meeting their teenage challenges can inspire us to stand up and work with them to keep their health and well-being firmly in the forefront of their minds. Each child and each situation is different, but here are a few suggestions for staying on your teen's diabetes team.
0 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2009
April 2009 was an exciting month at the University of Alberta. It marked the tenth anniversary of an unprecedented approach to islet transplantation, recognized globally as the "Edmonton Protocol." Each year since that milestone has produced evidence of progress in the art of islet isolation and the science of the transplant process. I know this because I lived it. I am patient number thirty-three, one of the many who have witnessed the evolution of this continuing innovation.
7 comments - Posted Jul 11, 2009
Dear Aisha and David: I am a 66-year-old woman who has had diabetes for over 64 years. My husband is 52. He wants sex two or more times day. I hate it. I have no sexual drive, and most of the time it is painful. It was not always like this, but he has always wanted more sex than any man I know! We talk about things, but he basically ignores a lot of what I say when it comes to sex. He is actually a very caring person and has put up with a lot considering all the complications I have after 64 years of diabetes. We have been together for 18 years (married for nine). He waits on me hand and foot. I have to tell him to let me do things myself!
14 comments - Posted Jul 10, 2009
I would exercise if I had more time... if I had a health club membership... if it didn't hurt so much... if I knew what exercises to do... if I could do it with my family... if I could control my blood sugar...
0 comments - Posted Jul 8, 2009
June 2009
Rachel and her husband adopted a beautiful baby girl in November of 2008. Their daughter is now seven months old. You can read Rachel's article about diabetes and adoption here.
5 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2009
With Type 2 diabetes emerging as an epidemic, primary care clinicians need to become savvy at initiating and adjusting insulin. Given the nationwide shortage of endocrinologists, referring all patients on insulin for endocrine appointments is not realistic in most areas of the country.
0 comments - Posted Jun 24, 2009
I hear voices in my surroundings as the cloud of confusion gradually begins to lift. "Curtis, can you hear me?" "Curtis, what was the score of the football game?" "Curtis, do you know where you are?"
6 comments - Posted Jun 18, 2009
Gale Fullerton is a 65-year-old Californian who has the distinction of being a Joslin 50-Year medal winner. Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., knew that good self-management was the key to minimizing long-term diabetes complications, and the medal program was designed as an incentive for those committed to good diabetes care. In 1970, Joslin Diabetes Center expanded the program and began awarding a 50-year bronze medal. They presented the first 75-year medal in 1996.
24 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2009
Drug companies spend billions of dollars on research, and it's obvious that they spend more billions on advertising. Well, according to the New York Times, they spend the most billions on giving nice things to doctors: pens, samples, banquets, trips, and educational opportunities among them. For doctors, in fact, there is a free lunch: Pharma companies spend as much as a billion a year just on lunches for doctors. And over 90 percent of doctors have accepted at least some of this largesse from the industry.
5 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2009
As the article in this issue discusses, smoking and diabetes is a dangerous combination. Smoking is bad enough on its own. I am writing to you as a former smoker of eight years. I started smoking in France in the 1970’s in a Parisian café. I thought smoking Gauloises at the age of 15 made me sophisticated and in vogue. I imagined I looked stylish and mature like the adults I knew who smoked. Their smoking seemed to justify my habit. It never occurred to me that I was risking my health or that I was starting something that would take me years to quit.
1 comment - Posted Jun 1, 2009
May 2009
On May 1, 2009, American Diabetes Wholesale paid tribute to Joyce Malaskovitz, PhD, RN, CDE, the winner of their 2nd Annual Diabetes Educator of the Year contest. They also recognized esteemed Diabetes Educator of the Year finalists Suzanne Laws, MS, RD, LD, CDE, and Laura Terrio, RN, BS, CDE.
1 comment - Posted May 22, 2009
The polls are open for voting for new members of the AADE board, AADE officers, and the nominating committee. Diabetes Health wishes Board of Directors candidates and former DH Guest Editors, Jane Jeffrie Seley, Kim Higgins, and Deborah Greenwood, the best of luck.
1 comment - Posted May 19, 2009
Dear Sex & Diabetes, I have had type 1 diabetes since the age of ten. When my husband and I were first married, I had no trouble with my sex drive. After the births of our three children, however, I noticed a big decrease in desire. I have also had a hysterectomy and have gained 50 pounds since we were first married. Do you think my weight has something to do with it? I really don't feel it is fair to put my husband through my lack of desire. He still seems to want me.
2 comments - Posted May 12, 2009
April 2009
Welcome to Diabetes Health's new column on sex and diabetes, by David Spero RN and Aisha Kassahoun. Once a month, we'll publish questions submitted by our readers, along with David and Aisha's responses. Send your questions to love@diabeteshealth.com and watch for their answers to appear in this column.
9 comments - Posted Apr 14, 2009
March 2009
It was in the spring of 2005 that I received a call from the director of the diabetes camp in the state where I lived and worked as a sales rep for a blood glucose meter company. He was calling to ask if I would volunteer as a counselor at the week-long camp, which served around 200 campers, the vast majority with type 1 diabetes. I'd known for years that counselors were always in demand at the camp, but had never stepped forward to volunteer. I'd heard the stories of how tough and exhausting it was keeping up with your group, performing 2:00 AM blood sugar checks, and ensuring that they all stayed safe and had fun. Frankly, I'd always had serious doubts as to whether I was up to it. This, however, was the first time that I had been directly asked to volunteer, and something inside me made me grudgingly agree. As I drove to the campsite to begin that week in June, though, I'd be lying if I did not admit to being as nervous as any of the kids who were attending.
5 comments - Posted Mar 6, 2009
February 2009
Dear Editor,
You are right when you wrote that CDE's were becoming an endangered species, but were you aware that the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) is part of the problem?
11 comments - Posted Feb 19, 2009
Do you like reading articles in Diabetes Health?
Have you read one thing that made a difference in handling your diabetes?
Do you like sharing our cartoons or downloading our product charts?
It's for these reasons that Diabetes Health is rated the #1 diabetes magazine website by Alexa.com. Over 600,000 diabetes patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers worldwide recognize Diabetes Health magazine as the essential resource for living long and well with diabetes.
8 comments - Posted Feb 10, 2009
As we go to press, President-elect Barack Obama has not yet been sworn into office but he and Senator Tom Daschle, Secretary-designate for Health and Human Services, have made it clear that health care will be a top priority. They have pledged to make health insurance work for people and businesses. One suggested reform in the Obama-Biden health plan is requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so that all Americans, regardless of their health status or history, can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums. This will be good news for the diabetes community.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2009
Cards, gifts, chocolates, flowers, and romantic gestures. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is supposed to be about? My husband Brian and I had been going on that theory until 2002, when the holiday had the audacity to come around one month after our son Danny was diagnosed with diabetes. That year, we woke up, wished each other Happy Valentine's Day, and started talking about blood sugar levels, carbohydrates, insulin, exercise, and pharmacies. We hit those same topics during the day by phone, and although we vaguely planned to go out for dinner, by evening Danny wasn't feeling well, and we spent part of the night on the phone to Children's Hospital. We did remember to kiss goodnight before we collapsed into a restless sleep, but were poised for the alarm to wake us so we could test Danny's blood sugar levels again at midnight.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2009
January 2009
Remember that New Year's resolution that you made a few weeks ago? Oh yeah, that one. How's that going? If you're like most people, you may have started to slack off just a little bit. Or even worse, maybe it's already a distant memory. No worries, I won't tell. Let's get you going again.
1 comment - Posted Jan 27, 2009
December 2008
Are you a scientific anomaly like me? Have you or someone you know reversed the complications associated with diabetes? Did you suffer microvascular and macrovascular damage during the “growing pains” of coming to terms with having no choice but to live your life with diabetes? Then, did you turn around and find love and hope, which made you change your life? And after changing it, did you find after several years that you were healing the damage that you had incurred by your own misguided hand?
117 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2008
About a year ago, Cheryl Tooke found herself in the last place she ever wanted to be. She weighed 268 pounds, and her doctor had just diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes.
84 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2008
When the sun rose that morning, I was in the kitchen as usual with my daughter, preparing to take my insulin. I usually don't take it in front of her, but we were engaged in one of those frustrating conversations that were so common now that she was a teenager.
20 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
Diabetes Health magazine recently had the pleasure of interviewing Doug Burns for a lengthy feature. He is a well-spoken and forthcoming man with a good sense of humor and an easy-going manner. Altogether, he comes across as a very nice person. On Sunday, however, Doug Burns was severely beaten by police during an episode of low blood sugar that occurred at a movie theater in Redwood City, California.
60 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
It has been rags to riches for singer Elliott Yamin. With his naturally soulful singing voice, listeners feel his raw emotion and they like it. When you hear him, you know immediately that few guys in any musical genre sing with this kind of authenticity.
29 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
Bob Cleveland wondered if he’d live when he went to the hospital as a 5-year-old. In 1925, hospital visits were made for dire reasons.
3 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
November 2008
Dear Laura,
I just finished viewing your clip online. You seem like a very intelligent and involved mom who decided it was time to take charge. I applaud you, and I agree with many points you make, but I disagree with your position on food.
11 comments - Posted Nov 17, 2008
Diabetes care creates its own culture. There is a passion that surrounds the caretakers of the diabetes community. It is the small successes that spark us to keep on until the next one. Diabetes care creates champions out of all of us. I'd like to mention just a few of the hundreds of diabetes educators I have met.
9 comments - Posted Nov 10, 2008
October 2008
I read with interest the article by Cynthia Heinz in which she spoke to her local school board, describing a worst case scenario for a child with severe hypoglycemia. As a veteran parent with 15 years of dealing with diabetes in our local public school, I have a few things to add to the discussion.
9 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2008
I have had type 1 diabetes for 16 years and, after a long path with many ups and downs, I have finally achieved optimal diabetic health. I have discovered the special lifestyle and diet mix that works and have brought my A1c from 11.4% to 5.2% while increasing my energy and overall health. I'm an elite athlete who plays professional ice hockey, and I currently run marathons.
19 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2008
Halloween scares me. It scares me even after seven years of helping my 14-year-old son with diabetes enjoy the holiday. We have created a comfortable tradition. Our neighbors get Danny non-food items. We go to a neighborhood bonfire and tell scary stories, and my husband Brian buys back most of Danny's candy and brings it to his office. Through experience, I am no longer afraid of the possible highs and lows, and, thanks to the blessing of cell phones, even Danny's teenage wandering feels okay. If you were a spider on our wall, we'd all appear excited and happy about Halloween.
7 comments - Posted Oct 20, 2008
I rush to the hospital, hoping to get there in time. When I arrive, I find my newly diagnosed diabetic with a blood sugar of 1027. He is vomiting all over the place and might have a seizure soon. He is in diabetic ketoacidosis. It's time for my dream job.
5 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
I'll never forget the afternoon of January 22, 2003, and the phone call that came from Derek's pediatrician. I was just leaving my classroom that day when I noticed the light on my phone lit up, alerting me to a new voicemail. My heart stopped when I listened to the message. The doctor asked me to call him back as soon as possible.
2 comments - Posted Oct 6, 2008
November is National Diabetes Awareness month. It's a good time to reflect on your blood glucose successes and have compassion for what you may view as failures. What's in a glucose reading anyway? It's just a number. It gives you feedback for a certain time period. Everyone struggles with maintaining good blood sugars. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone. In this issue, you will find everyday heroes who are committed to reminding other people that we are all in this together. Since dialog is what it's all about when dealing with your diabetes, I am happy to tell you about a new section of our popular web site, Diabetes Health Forums. It's a place where you can participate in an existing discussion or start a new one of your own. Learn more at www.diabeteshealth.com/forums.
0 comments - Posted Oct 2, 2008
September 2008
These days, Doug Burns is a modern Sampson. The reigning Mr. Universe, he’s two hundred pounds of sheer muscle and the picture of good health. Of the skinny little boy with type 1 who used to work out in the woods alone, all that remains are a wry sense of humor and an attractively self-deprecating manner. They’re unexpected in a man who’s triumphed in the uber-masculine world of bodybuilding, but there’s a lot that’s unexpected about Doug Burns.
31 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2008
August 2008
As an Ironman triathlete with type 1, I get asked a lot of questions.
How do you control your blood sugar during a race?
What foods do you eat?
What products do you use?
How do you balance work, family, training, and diabetes?
Sometimes, people simply ask me if I am nuts.
3 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2008
I was forty-five years old when I found out that I had type 2 diabetes. I don't know why I was shocked. Diabetes ran like a river through my family. My father had type 1. He died at the age of forty-one from a heart attack, but my mother always insisted that it was partly because he didn't "manage" his diabetes well.
2 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2008
Results from a Harris survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) show that people with diabetes who must take insulin often struggle with dread and negative impacts on their lives because of it. But more than half of them—52 percent—are reluctant to share their concerns with their healthcare providers.
10 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
Bayer Diabetes Care previewed a new partnership at the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) annual meeting this month in Washington, DC.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
At the beginning of 2007, we began studying guidebooks and making reservations for a long-anticipated trip to New Zealand and Australia. With limited funds and so much we wanted to do, we decided our budget would go farther if we stayed at hostels. At the same time, we were concerned about Al’s rising blood sugar scores. After visiting relatives during Christmas and celebrating the New Year, Al’s morning scores were as high as 154 mg/dl.
3 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
The hemoglobin A1c test (HbA1c) is a staple among people with diabetes attempting to map out their long-term blood glucose levels. However, it is not a standard test for non-diabetics, even those whose doctors suspect they may have the disease.
14 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2008
With their waiting rooms crowded and exam rooms full, many physicians say they are too busy to be good communicators. Those who study physician time-management, however, think otherwise. Certain communication skills can foster efficiency and effectiveness during an office visit without sacrificing rapport with patients, according to researchers at the University of Washington (UW) and the University of Rochester.
1 comment - Posted Aug 5, 2008
July 2008
In a report published in the December 23, 2000, issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom write that hypoglycemia is one of the complications of diabetes most feared by patients. They point out, "Intensive research has been devoted to the development of hypoglycemia alarms."
13 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
The newly opened Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine in Stoughton, Mass., is now offering comprehensive wound management care, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which has been used successfully to treat diabetic ulcers.
1 comment - Posted Jul 31, 2008
What do an African medicine man, a diabetes researcher, a feminist philosopher, and a Native American psychologist have in common? They are all part of a new documentary, now in production, dealing with the psychological component of living with diabetes.
15 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
July 27, 2008 marked the eighth full month that my son has not used insulin. His last A1c was 5.9%, on July 9, 2008. On August 14th of this year, it will be one year since he was originally diagnosed with type 1. As you know, he was taken off insulin on November 27, 2007, about a month after getting the experimental drug teplizumab. I don't know if it is the drug or not, but others have taken it with good results. It will be interesting to see if they ever get the drug approved and can use it quickly on newly diagnosed type 1s.
15 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
You might think that having a disease is the last thing you would want broadcast over the World Wide Web. But for some writers, getting the word out there is the main idea. In a world inundated with celebrity gossip and angst-ridden posts, a few people rise above the online mess and use their blogs to foster a sense of community in what could otherwise be an isolating dilemma: living with diabetes.
10 comments - Posted Jul 25, 2008
“Let’s take care of the patient.” That must be the credo of hospitals that make U.S. News & World Report's “Best Hospitals” rankings, in which hospitals are judged not in routine procedures but in difficult cases across an entire specialty. In the nineteenth year of this annual review, hospitals are ranked in 16 specialties, from cancer and heart disease to respiratory disorders and urology. Out of the 5,453 hospitals put through a rigorous statistical mill, only 170 scored high enough to appear in any of the specialty rankings.
2 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2008
Dear Editor,
I felt I needed to write you because of all the press you do on Nick Jonas. I am the mother of a nine-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with type 1 five months ago. I won't describe the horrendous day we found out, but I want to say that I did not want any of the doctors or nurses to say the word “diabetes.” I was so fearful that my daughter would completely fall apart (even more than she already had). I knew she knew what diabetes was because she is a huge fan of Nick Jonas.
101 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2008
Have you heard the story of the little boy who was on the beach after a storm? Thousands of starfish had washed ashore, and he picked up one after another and threw them back into the sea. A man watched him work and after some time said to the boy, “Look at all these starfish. You’re never going to be able to save them all. Do you think all your work will make a difference?” The boy thought for a minute as he looked up and down the beach. “I don’t know,” he said as he picked up another starfish and flung it into the brine, “but it sure will make a difference to this one!”
4 comments - Posted Jul 10, 2008
The 2008 Amputee Coalition of America’s annual national conference in Atlanta June 19 through 22 set new attendance records, driven by interest in the proposed federal prosthetic parity law and other issues of importance to amputees.
0 comments - Posted Jul 10, 2008
The non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices says there has been an increase in reports about mix-ups between prescriptions of insulin U-100 and insulin U-500 (U-500 is a concentrated insulin that is five times stronger than U-100).
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2008
I’ve always been a pretty good traveler. I simply checked the weather at my destination and packed accordingly. Easy. Then I learned that I had diabetes, and suddenly even weekend trips required an intense amount of additional preparation.
2 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2008
June 2008
Every pilot’s nightmare is the thought of losing his medical certification and being stopped from flying. That happened to me in May of 1986, when I was diagnosed with type 1. In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices, Canada, along with every other country in the world, would not allow insulin-dependent pilots to hold any type of pilot’s license. My short eight-year career with Air Canada came to an abrupt end, and I was told in no uncertain terms that I would never be allowed to fly an aircraft again.
9 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2008
Dear Editor:
A few weeks ago, I was reading in bed at around one o’clock in the morning. I got up to administer my twice-daily Lantus dose and a small amount of Humalog to "cover" the carbs I'd consumed about an hour earlier.
1 comment - Posted Jun 26, 2008
How would you describe a minor hiccup in your daily care that just happens out of the blue, especially when just moments before, you felt fine and everything seemed perfect? That’s a ‘diabetes bad hair day’ according to Divabetic, a national nonprofit diabetes outreach organization, currently on tour with its free national diabetes outreach program, ‘Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes.’
1 comment - Posted Jun 19, 2008
It doesn’t matter whether your doctor is a blunt bull-in-a-china-shop type or a hand-holder who tries to deliver the news as softly as possible: it’s a shock when you learn you have type 2.
3 comments - Posted Jun 19, 2008
Sheri Colberg, PhD, who has type 1 diabetes, is an exercise physiologist at Old Dominion University who specializes in research in diabetes and exercise. She has co-authored an inspirational and relevant book called, “50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes.”
3 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2008
Dear Editor,
Sometimes the personal challenges we confront lead us to recognize value and opportunities we had not discovered before. That has been my recent experience, and that’s why I am especially proud to be a member of the Phoenix legal community.
3 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2008
Dear Diabetes Health,
After reading the story in the April/May Diabetes Health about the mother and daughter who won approval from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to pay for the continuous monitor, I wanted to share our story.
5 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2008
Dear friends of Diabetes Health,
We value your hard-earned diabetes wisdom and we want you to share it with the world! Please join us as a professional or lay diabetes advisor in one of our Diabetes Health website content Rooms.
3 comments - Posted Jun 6, 2008
In the 17 years I have known Robert Oringer, I can honestly say that he has a soaring entrepreneurial spirit and a fierce independence – he is a man who is hard to harness. His mind is always ticking, excited by the next innovative idea.
2 comments - Posted Jun 2, 2008
May 2008
While none of us would have asked for diabetes, and it's a semi-regular (OK, almost constant) pain in the butt, and I go from highs to lows both in my blood sugar and my frustration level, I still try to remain focused on my blessings: the good in my life and what diabetes gives me.
1 comment - Posted May 30, 2008
Editor's Note: This week's letter is from Joan Hoover, one of our favorite and most outspoken board members. Joan is also our patient advocate advisor. She is a tireless diabetes educator and advocate for people's access to clear, accurate, and unbiased information about the disease. When Joan speaks, we sit up and listen! Her letter is addressed to Editor-in-Chief Scott King and Diabetes Health pharmacy advisory board member R. Keith Campbell. Campbell had commented favorably on news that a doctor had successfully treated obesity in children by prescribing amphetamines.
7 comments - Posted May 22, 2008
Dear Editor, I am a medical student in the M.D. program at Oregon Health and Sciences University and a type 1 diabetic of almost 10 years. I use a Medtronic pump and I also use their continuous glucose monitoring system (Paradigm Real-Time).
34 comments - Posted May 22, 2008
Hello Grandma, Hello Gramp,
here I am at Diabetes Camp.
I am having lots of fun,
and after lunch today, I tested 91!
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2008
Let me start with my maternal grandmother, Helen. Helen had diabetes and lived to the age of 73. We all assumed that she didn’t do a good job with it, as we would often find candy wrappers under her bed. When it came to taking care of herself, Helen was my mother’s role model.
5 comments - Posted May 15, 2008
You can't have diabetes without knowing about the merits of exercise.
1 comment - Posted May 8, 2008
"Insulin Quiz: Are You Smarter Than a Doctor" (April-May '08, pp 12-15) was an excellent article, if perhaps a little frightening. I couldn't help but wonder how well the parents of diabetic children would do on the quiz, and where they might have learned their lessons.
6 comments - Posted May 8, 2008
I was diagnosed with type I insulin-dependent diabetes 54 years ago at the age of 22 months. A dear family friend suggested my parents take me to our family doctor and have me checked for diabetes after I showed some of the more common symptoms. I was unusually cranky and always hungry, but had a stomach that was hard to the touch as though food was not digesting properly. I was also always thirsty, drinking a lot and urinating frequently. Our doctor tested my blood sugar, and the result was high enough to indicate diabetes. He put me on 60 units of insulin per day and told my parents to take me to the hospital 30 miles from the little Western Kansas town where we lived to get a shot of insulin once a day.
17 comments - Posted May 8, 2008
A word of caution about the values used below. This study was conducted using people without diabetes. Some people with diabetes experience symptoms at higher glucose levels than the study suggests. Other people with diabetes appear to function well with blood sugars in the 30's and 40's (mg/dl). Therefore, the values in the study should only be used as an approximation. This study also used plasma glucose levels. Your values done at home might be 20 percent lower or higher than these lab values. For example, epinephrine release in someone without diabetes would begin at about 63mg/dl with a home blood glucose meter.
43 comments - Posted May 1, 2008
April 2008
Carol Whitton of Coral Springs, Florida, discovered that her blood sugar often increased sharply after she drank a diet soda while dining in a restaurant. So she started to test her diet drinks for sugar, a practice she learned from watching the “Living With Diabetes” television program.
29 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
Hi, Keith,
One of our most popular articles right now is about the many, many folks who accidentally mix up their insulin bottles and take a huge dose of fast-acting insulin by mistake, thinking they are taking long-acting. (See the article and the 22 reader comments here.)
10 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
Have you ever met anyone who thinks they get enough exercise? Everywhere you look there are books, web sites, exercise videos and articles telling people how to get started and how to stay motivated. Our family certainly avoided any kind of exercise plan. Although we played in the yard, took walks, rode our bikes, and played soccer, I never woke up thinking, "What can we do for exercise today?" Even though I knew we weren't active enough, I didn't want another thing to do.
0 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
The FDA has cleared the OneTouch UltraLink wireless meter as the only meter certified by Medtronic to wirelessly communicate with its diabetes management products in the United States. The meter uses Medtronic-certified wireless technology to transmit glucose readings directly to MiniMed Paradigm insulin pumps and the Guardian® REAL-Time continuous glucose monitoring system. This makes bolus dosing more accurate and easier for patients compared to the manual entry of blood glucose readings.
8 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
Does Low-Carb Cheat Young Children of Their Needs?
KheurserRD wrote us to say, “From a dietitian's perspective, 30 grams of carbs doesn't allow for much. It would not allow for the recommended amounts of milk/milk equivalents or fruit a child needs. Not to mention the lack of fiber. Whatever happened to balance, portion control, physical activity, and eating within your calorie needs? ...If such extreme restrictions are being made, how can very young children meet their requirements for calcium and other vitamins and minerals present in milk or fruit and some carbohydrate-containing vegetables? Were these children monitored for nutritional deficiencies, or have the long-term effects of such a diet been studied when the diet was started at such a young age? Even if there are no recommendations for fiber, diets rich in fiber are associated with the prevention of many diseases.”
6 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2008
How did Lilly approach you to be F.A.C.E.’s spokeswoman? How long will you do it?
Before Lilly even contacted me, which they did through my manager, I’d been pretty outspoken about my diabetes. After discussing it, we agreed that my role is to get out and meet and greet people, and talk about diabetes. One of the things I’d like to get across is that celebrities are more than just stars – they’re real human beings with real human problems and concerns.
0 comments - Posted Apr 21, 2008
I was working at my computer when my 37-year-old daughter, Laura, walked into my home office and burst into body-wrenching sobs. She finally managed to blurt out that a doctor had just told her that my 7-year-old grandson had juvenile diabetes and needed to go straight to the hospital. I didn't want to add my own upset to the chaos of the day, so I went through the motions, calming Laura and being as helpful as I could. My husband Jack, a psychiatrist, canceled his patients and picked up Danny and his ten-year-old sister Jessica at school. The five of us met Laura's husband Brian at the hospital and spent two days learning as much as we could about Danny's diabetes.
5 comments - Posted Apr 21, 2008
We’d like to invite diabetes professionals, persons with diabetes (and the people who love and help them) to contribute articles to Diabetes Health.
0 comments - Posted Apr 21, 2008
Forty-six years of coping with IDDM hasn’t stopped me! I’m a published, award-winning poet, an actress and, in my “retirement,” a vocalist. All this from a girl from a far off place known as The Bronx – and a policeman’s daughter, no less!
0 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2008
It’s late October, 2007, and Prof. Wendy Coleman has just learned about a competition called the Bayer Dream Fund. Coleman, a type 2 who was diagnosed in 2005, has been told that the fund grants a large cash award to the competition winner – money the winner can use to fund a personal project designed to spread the word about managing and living successfully with diabetes.
4 comments - Posted Apr 10, 2008
Hi, Mr. King: Thanks so much for Diabetes Health. Being a type 1 diabetic, I have benefited from many of its articles. I would like to tell you a story concerning my daughter, Morgan, and say what an inspiration Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers is. Morgan is 12-½ years old and a huge Jonas Brothers fan! Of course she and her friends wanted tickets for the Louisville Palace show in February. A few of her friends’ mothers went and stood in line on the cold morning that the lottery tickets went on sale.
53 comments - Posted Apr 10, 2008
Editor: I’m writing in regard to an article in Diabetes Health (Feb/March 2008) on page 27 about help in avoiding near-fatal mistakes taking insulin. To read the original article, go here.
9 comments - Posted Apr 9, 2008
When we ran the story “Type 1 Pop Star Nick Jonas Tells His Story” on our website in April 2007, we didn’t expect it to generate the hundreds of responses that it has since then. The story continues to receive new comments every week.
136 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2008
In November 2005, with an A1c of 7.5%, I was told that I had type 2 diabetes. It shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to me because my mother has type 2 and her mother died from complications due to her uncontrolled diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2008
When Dee Brehm was diagnosed in 1949 with type 1 diabetes, her prospects were not bright: a permanent chronic condition, a reduced life span, potentially devastating complications and perhaps no children. She married Bill Brehm in 1952, and they began a partnership knowing that together they would have to manage her disease. Dee subsequently defied the dim outlook for her life: She has two children and six grandchildren, and she has surpassed the half-century mark with this disease having been spared the ordeal of complications.
23 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2008
Hello to all of you hardworking diabetes educators. We have some exciting news from California! It's about the first case of a health insurance company paying for a patient's continuous glucose monitor, as well as the ongoing monthly supplies. It's also the story of a mother-and-daughter team that had the courage to blaze a new trail for us all. These two women, Laura and Gillian Miller, truly went where no man has gone before! That's why Diabetes Health Professional is honored to tell their story, which you can read on page 27.
1 comment - Posted Apr 2, 2008
March 2008
Fifteen-year-old Californian Laura Miller, a brittle diabetic, and her mother, Gillian, thought they had a strong case when they asked Blue Cross in late 2007 to pay for a continuous glucose monitor for her.
15 comments - Posted Mar 27, 2008
Editor:
My son was diagnosed in August 2007 with juvenile diabetes. I am a registered nurse and was devastated by the diagnosis because I was just completely paralyzed by the fear of potential complications. It was also a tremendous shock to be on the other side of health care – receiving information from hurried staff, including doctors, glancing at their watches while I asked one too many questions.
28 comments - Posted Mar 21, 2008
I am a diabetic and was taking four insulin shots per day and still had problems with my sugar. I did two months of research on the Web because I had to find a way to get off the shots. I hate needles I was astonished at what I found on natural herbs!
37 comments - Posted Mar 19, 2008
Five weeks ago I hurt my ankle. Really hurt it. I either tore a tendon or a ligament or had a severe stress fracture or something. Although I’ve been to my podiatrist twice now, the diagnosis is still unclear. The X-ray showed no break, and while the doc didn’t feel I needed an MRI, I figured that if my insurance paid for it, I did. I want to know we’re doing everything possible to get this fixed as quickly as possible (which already seems impossible after five weeks), because not walking is having several unpleasant effects on me:
3 comments - Posted Mar 19, 2008
The table was set for Thanksgiving and all the family was there. Joey, the baby, was the center of attention. This would be the second Thanksgiving he had witnessed in his relatively short life. Somebody remarked that he looked thin, but Sandra, Joey's mother, thought that it was just a sign of growth. As the turkey and mashed potatoes were served, the family turned its attention away from the cooing baby to ladling piles of food onto plates. Joey didn't eat much that night, but kept asking for more to drink.
20 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2008
Perhaps more than anyone, people with diabetes know that the motto “Just say no” often doesn’t work.
28 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2008
For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) came out in support of low-carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes who want to manage their weight. The ADA announced this landmark decision in December 2007 with its 2008 clinical practice recommendations. The latest recommendation is in sharp contrast to decades of promoting only low-fat/high-carb diets.
2 comments - Posted Mar 9, 2008
People Are Talking is where you'll find the inspiration and true stories of people just like you.
0 comments - Posted Mar 9, 2008
One of the cartoons you recently published, where a character eats chocolate because his sugar is too low, gave the wrong message. Chocolate should not be used for treating hypoglycemia. There is too much fat in it for it to be effective.
10 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2008
February 2008
Until August 2006, I was a healthy 44-year-old female with no family history of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes has been so difficult, not because of the shots or management - although it is incredibly time-consuming to take care of yourself.
66 comments - Posted Feb 23, 2008
Blondie Fram has been living well with type 2 diabetes for at least four decades, and probably many more before she was diagnosed. She attributes her long life with diabetes first and foremost to solid family ties. "I have had wonderful support from my children and their spouses," she says.
1 comment - Posted Feb 10, 2008
I have been using insulin for over 29 years, and during this time I have experienced too many lows to recall. My endocrinologist informed me that insulin users who have an A1c less than 7 percent typically require emergency assistance for hypoglycemia about every six to nine months.
26 comments - Posted Feb 7, 2008
My son Nathan is a 17-year-old diabetic surfer. We live in France. I'm planning to send him one month this summer to surfing places in the U.S., either on the East Coast or California.
0 comments - Posted Feb 6, 2008
January 2008
It is always interesting trying to observe something that we don't ourselves live with. Though I do not have diabetes, I am surrounded by it through family, friends and work on a daily basis.
13 comments - Posted Jan 30, 2008
Editor: I am an enthusiastic reader of your magazine. I appreciate the number of times you have tackled some of the bigger questions of diabetes management that others have ignored.
31 comments - Posted Jan 23, 2008
My introduction into the world of diabetes occurred long ago, when I was diagnosed with brittle diabetes at the age of six. I spent the majority of my childhood in the hospital. There, my doctors, nurses, and nutritionists taught me how to balance my food intake and insulin injections so that I could lead a somewhat normal life.
0 comments - Posted Jan 11, 2008
Among the many possible complications of diabetes is sexual dysfunction. It's not talked about as much as something like neuropathy, so people (especially women) often don't connect their sexual problems to their diabetes. And even if they do, they often can't raise the topic with their healthcare team.
0 comments - Posted Jan 2, 2008
December 2007
Forget the inspirational tapes and cancel the personal trainer! People with diabetes looking for motivation when it comes to exercise may have to look no further than the lowly pedometer.
4 comments - Posted Dec 26, 2007
I am writing to share my experience with a low carbohydrate diet tailored to meet our needs as vegetarians. We have two people with type 1 diabetes in our family, and we have been vegetarians for over fifteen years.
7 comments - Posted Dec 26, 2007
I recently had the good fortune to come across two very good cookbooks for people with diabetes. The first is The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook: The Whole Food Approach to Great Taste and Healthy Eating, by Jackie Newgent, RD, published by the American Diabetes Association.
0 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2007
"Delight" is a word rarely found in company mission statements, but it's part of Owen Mumford's rather sweet and very British declaration - the company aims to "delight its customers" with its products, keeping in mind that they just might "change the life of our nearest and dearest."
0 comments - Posted Dec 19, 2007
For more than fifty years, I have been a type 1 diabetic. I am writing to bring attention to the fact that huge amounts of insulin are wasted due to the insulin packaging practices of the pharmaceutical industry.
39 comments - Posted Dec 11, 2007
November 2007
"If You Have…Diabetes" is a new educational DVD about diabetes. There are plenty of those. But this one is groundbreaking. Other DVDs just hand a stack of information on a plate to people who may be too overwhelmed or in denial to take it in.
0 comments - Posted Nov 30, 2007
October 2007
I am a survivor and proud of it. Not only have I lived with diabetes for 52 years, since the age of five, but I am also a breast cancer survivor for over fifteen years.
3 comments - Posted Oct 22, 2007
Chip Sullivan is a golf pro. This June he played his best game ever, beating the top club professionals in the country and qualifying for the fourth time to play against the likes of Tiger Woods in the PGA championship tour.
2 comments - Posted Oct 17, 2007
Saul Katz is one charismatic health bar maker, a fascinating talker and visionary who makes health bars seem like the most important thing in the world. In 1989, he began his quest to create a "functional food" that would combine science, nature, and great taste in a snack bar. Not only did he want his bar to promote health, enhance performance, and prevent disease; he also dreamed of air-dropping his bars to disaster victims in need of a good self-contained meal. It's taken over a decade of intense scientific alchemy to achieve, but he's managed to do it all.
1 comment - Posted Oct 1, 2007
Anyone who knows Al Lewis of Vancouver, BC, understands why he wouldn't switch to an insulin pump until a waterproof model became available in 1977: His whole life has revolved around water.
2 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2007
Bryan Stubblefield is a big ruddy man with the gentlest manner you could imagine. This is the story of his little boy, who's overcoming almost insurmountable problems, and of the man who has learned from him what it really means to be a father.
1 comment - Posted Oct 1, 2007
September 2007
When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year, my doctors and I were rather shocked. I was only 27 years old at the time, slender and in good shape. Diabetes does run in my mother's side of the family, so I wasn't completely taken aback.
2 comments - Posted Sep 28, 2007
I met Perry at a neighborhood Food Co-op four years ago when he noticed my jacket's JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) emblem, introduced himself, and asked if I knew of any diabetes support groups. His three-year old son, Max, had recently been diagnosed with type 1.
1 comment - Posted Sep 24, 2007
If ever there were a diabetic trailblazer, the honor should go to James William Quander, the longest-living African-American with type 1 diabetes on record. Born in 1918 in Washington, D.C., he was diagnosed with diabetes in early 1924, shortly before the age of six.
0 comments - Posted Sep 21, 2007
It will soon be November, and National Diabetes Month will be here once again. It's a time when I like to reflect upon my past with diabetes and try to look into the future.
0 comments - Posted Sep 20, 2007
Swaying in rhythm like drunk fans singing their team fight song, we campers bellowed our camp theme, clapping and banging on dining tables: "Shock, shock for Camp Firefly! We take the insulin - try not to cry!"
7 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2007
I've been doing a lot of flying lately, and it's given me time for reflection. While aloft a few days ago in JetBlue's comfy seat, as I took out my syringe and Humalog to dose for my snack, I realized how many things I no longer do that I was once taught to do.
1 comment - Posted Sep 16, 2007
Sheri Colberg, PhD, is writing the 2nd edition of her book, The Diabetic Athlete. Updated throughout, it will cover the use of the newest insulins, new medications like Symlin and Byetta, and all the latest devices.
0 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2007
Diabetes is sometimes called "the thinking person's disease," and it's not hard to understand why. One consequence of living with diabetes is a constant undertow of diabetes-related thought.
1 comment - Posted Sep 10, 2007
Dialysis is a subject cloaked in alarming myths and misconceptions. The public mind tends to envision dialysis patients as huddled in seedy clinics, hooked up to machines like iron lungs and knocking weakly at death's door.
1 comment - Posted Sep 8, 2007
August 2007
I've generally been a "good" person. I try to do those ten things on Dalai Lama's list. You know, be kind, not hurt others, let people know you love them, hear a tree when it's falling even if you're not there...
2 comments - Posted Aug 30, 2007
A Canadian Olympic rower and marathon runner, Chris Jarvis, age 26, exhibits the endurance of most elite athletes. However, few would know that for nearly 13 years he has lived and struggled with type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 25, 2007
Dr. Stephen Covey is a mesmerizing lifestyle guru who has revolutionized business management with his seven principles of living life effectively. When his wife was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he was shocked to learn that four out of five people don't know how to manage their diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Aug 24, 2007
Friday at 12:00 noon Pacific time, Diabetes Health's flagship TV show, Diabetes Live, is coming to you live on our website at DiabetesHealth.com.
0 comments - Posted Aug 16, 2007
Courtney Lovell remembers vividly when her little sister, Marah, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. As the eldest in a family of seven children, Courtney was her mom's right hand.
1 comment - Posted Aug 16, 2007
Just after he turned sixteen, Noah Moore got type 1 diabetes for Christmas. It didn't seem like a gift at the time, but it sent him on a journey of creative diabetes advocacy that has made his life into a gift to us all.
0 comments - Posted Aug 9, 2007
Parents of newly-diagnosed children with diabetes have something in common - they don't sleep soundly through the night. Anxiety soars in the darkness. When our son Danny was diagnosed at age seven, my husband Brian and I barely closed our eyes, and we set our alarm to check on him at least once every night.
3 comments - Posted Aug 2, 2007
July 2007
This book chronicles one woman's lifestyle change and how her journey ignited a popular movement called the "Meltdown" that brought an entire county together in a community-wide weight loss experience.
0 comments - Posted Jul 24, 2007
Not to be outdone by his older brother Gerald (the oldest living person with diabetes most of his life), Bob Cleveland is believed to be the longest-living person with type 1 diabetes to date after Gladys Dull, who beats him by less than a year.
2 comments - Posted Jul 24, 2007
The kind of book for which the word "compendium" was invented, this is a straightforward, thorough resource book with something about everything.
0 comments - Posted Jul 23, 2007
This excellent book by David Spero, RN, is about the social roots of type 2 diabetes and how powerlessness and lack of hope lead to and perpetuate it.
0 comments - Posted Jul 23, 2007
You can rack your brain and make lists by the dozens, but it's still hard to be sure you've covered everything when you're preparing for a trip and you have diabetes. The last thing you need is to be stuck at an airport and find you've forgotten something critical.
0 comments - Posted Jul 22, 2007
We are seeking stories of people who are diabetes heroes. You know them: they've struggled against adversity and overcome it with grace. They've gone above and beyond to help others, or they're simply an inspiration to everyone they meet.
0 comments - Posted Jul 20, 2007
A life-time resident of the Syracuse, New York, area, Gerald Cleveland has had a history of not quite coming out on top - at least until now.
2 comments - Posted Jul 19, 2007
Born on the family dairy farm in New York, the second of five children, Carolyn Gridley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after her grandmother noticed sugar crystals on her diaper that attracted the bees and flies around the farm.
1 comment - Posted Jul 11, 2007
The Washington boys, Kamaal and Malcolm, were the first to bring diabetes to the world of comic books with Dr. Diabetes, a super-villain who is overcome by our hero Omega Boy in a pair of stories that introduce type 1 diabetes in a kid-friendly format.
0 comments - Posted Jul 11, 2007
Each year, one hundred thousand peregrinos, or pilgrims, set out for Santiago De Compostela in northwestern Spain to visit the bones of St. James buried beneath the cathedral. Called El Camino de Santiago, it's one of the world's largest Christian pilgrimages.
1 comment - Posted Jul 6, 2007
Q: My mother, who is a "brittle diabetic," has been sent to a skilled nursing facility for two weeks of rehabilitation following a seven-week hospital stay. I am amazed and frightened at the lack of concern for and attention to her diabetes care at the nursing home.
1 comment - Posted Jul 3, 2007
Colorado Springs, CO, July 2, 2007 - LifeScan, Inc. announced the 2007 recipients of the LifeScan Prize for Athletic Achievement on June 30 at the annual meeting of the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association (DESA).
0 comments - Posted Jul 2, 2007
I was diagnosed with diabetes in September 1953. During that summer, I was in my second year of graduate school at UCLA when I noticed that I was losing weight and had severe polyuria (frequent urination).
1 comment - Posted Jul 1, 2007
June 2007
Kevin Powell is an athlete, first and foremost. Twice a year, he competes in an Ironman event, a grueling test of endurance that entails a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-mile bike ride, topped off by a full marathon of 26.2 miles.
2 comments - Posted Jun 28, 2007
Kamaal Washington was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was nine. He's thirteen now. In those four years, he's become an advocate for diabetes and the author, with his brother Malcolm and help from his parents, of a diabetes educational superhero comic book that's swept the nation beyond their wildest expectations. But it all started when he began to be really, really thirsty.
1 comment - Posted Jun 27, 2007
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three, and I have lived with it for 62 years. I can still remember my mother learning to inject insulin into an orange at Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas.
1 comment - Posted Jun 24, 2007
Anne Williamson has had type 1 diabetes for forty years, since the age of seven. But because of the Easter basket incident, she still vividly remembers her time in the hospital. Anne was alone in her hospital room when a volunteer insisted on leaving a candy-filled Easter basket by her bed.
0 comments - Posted Jun 23, 2007
Late one evening while watching TV with my husband Phil, I reminded him to check his glucose level. His reply was the usual: "I'll do it later." Knowing him as I do, I was frustrated. He has the tendency to procrastinate, so I chose a different approach. "Why don't you check mine, and we'll compare."
0 comments - Posted Jun 21, 2007
Researchers say that owning a dog can lower your blood pressure. Think what this means. A hug to Rover may soothe your cardiovascular system more than a fistful of beta blockers. And what about stroking Sweet Pea? Send in the endorphins.
0 comments - Posted Jun 19, 2007
In 1960, I was a scrawny thirteen-year-old…very scrawny. When my mother recognized that I was eating a lot (and drinking a lot) and not gaining any weight, she took me to the family doctor, who diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes. I recall that my parents were devastated.
0 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2007
Several years ago, my husband Brian and my son Danny were eating at the Food Court of a local mall. "Dad, when someone gets three wishes from the genie in the lamp, why don't they just wish for more wishes?" Danny asked.
0 comments - Posted Jun 14, 2007
The insulin pump is a wonderful device, a marvel of engineering that allows diabetics to screw up at the push of a button. With the pump in use, however, instead of staring at a syringe and racking your brain to remember what you injected into where and how much, a few button clicks will remind you of your mistake, allowing you to correct it with unprecedented accuracy.
0 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2007
When Maureen "Moe" Murray was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1954, she was told that she probably wouldn't live to adulthood. If she did, she wouldn't be able to get pregnant, and if by some miracle she did conceive, she would certainly miscarry. Fifty-two years later, she's a dynamo of a woman who's disproved every one of those dire predications.
0 comments - Posted Jun 8, 2007
People without diabetes completely miss the real difficulties of being diabetic. For one thing, it's not so much about what I can't eat as what I have to eat.
0 comments - Posted Jun 6, 2007
I'll never forget coaching my oldest child's soccer practice on that cool damp evening in late April. The moment I laid eyes on my ten-year-old daughter as she walked onto the soccer field, I knew that something wasn't right.
0 comments - Posted Jun 6, 2007
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Ginger Graham, the CEO who led Amylin during the launch of its two first-in-class medicines, Byetta and Symlin. A fascinating woman with a very personal leadership style, she had the following to say about her past achievements and her future hopes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2007
May 2007
That long snout on a typical dog is there for a very good reason. It gathers up scent molecules and sends them deep down to special sniffing cells that hold 25 times the number of scent receptors that we humans have. Dogs can sense complex odors that are 100 million times weaker than our little noses can. Among those scents is the chemical mix that bodies manufacture when they are getting dangerously low on blood sugar.
1 comment - Posted May 29, 2007
In November 1924, three years after the discovery of insulin in 1921, six-year-old Gladys Dull began her long life of insulin injections. To our knowledge, she is the longest-living person with diabetes to date.
10 comments - Posted May 29, 2007
A type 1 diabetic, 21 years old, pedals a bicycle for nine straight days, nine hundred miles from Tecumseh, Michigan, to Grand Island, Nebraska.
0 comments - Posted May 24, 2007
Regarding your article on the Banting Homestead ("Historic Homestead of Insulin Discoverer May Become Housing Development"), I would like to point out a number of facts that have not received sufficient attention.
0 comments - Posted May 24, 2007
Recently, while preparing to give a speech, I found myself reminiscing about my life with diabetes. It was 33 years ago that I was diagnosed with type 1, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2007
Forty Years Old and Leaking Like a Sieve - When I turned forty, my body began to break down like an old used car.
0 comments - Posted May 18, 2007
In any one-on-one contest, My Beloved beats me every which way. Smarter and more attractive, with better genes and the clout of a Harvard degree, she’s got me by the proverbials. But I maintain an edge in one tiny area. And my edge is gaining as we’ve begun checking our rear view mirrors for that era called Middle Age.
0 comments - Posted May 11, 2007
What is the best kept secret in weight management? When I became a type 2 diabetic and had to lose a significant amount of weight, I wanted a program that was guaranteed to succeed. I tried low carbohydrate dieting, but found it too difficult.
1 comment - Posted May 10, 2007
Continuous Glucose Monitors Are Revolutionary - I’ve always believed that if I could give myself insulin conveniently and constantly knew my blood glucose, I could control my blood sugar almost as well as a non-diabetic person. Nine years ago, an insulin pump made the first condition come true. Since then I have been waiting for the magic blood sugar machine.
2 comments - Posted May 10, 2007
With its focus on the feminine and its message of community, Novo Nordisk’s Divabetic program is currently making its way across the nation. At Divabetic events, women are invited to explore a “Makeover Maze” of personalized diabetes education that’s light-years from the standard sterile clinical setting.
0 comments - Posted May 9, 2007
Brenda Novak has no small goal: She wants to develop a fundraising tradition for the JDRF that will rival Jerry Lewis’s telethon.
0 comments - Posted May 5, 2007
On March 28, 1950, nine-year-old Betty Adamski Schunke entered the hospital with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. She remembers the date vividly. She also remembers the words of her pediatrician, one of the first women in the field: “You can do anything you want to do as long as you remember you have diabetes and plan accordingly.” A feisty, stubborn little girl who strove for perfection and never backed down, she took it for her motto.
0 comments - Posted May 4, 2007
We’ve gotten the results from our women's sex survey, and now the word is out about you, your diabetes, and sex...
0 comments - Posted May 3, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, April 19, 2007 - Eat right. Exercise. Monitor blood sugar. Take medication regularly. This is the advice physicians give the more than 20 million Americans affected with diabetes. Yet implementation of these recommendations is often far from ideal, putting patients at greater risk for damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes, and feet.
0 comments - Posted May 3, 2007
April 2007
Nick Jonas is a personable boy of fourteen who happens to be a member of the Jonas Brothers Band, a group of three brothers with a devoted following of very passionate young fans. In November 2005, Nick Jonas found out that he had type 1 diabetes.
1466 comments - Posted Apr 27, 2007
At 63 years old, I've coped successfully with insulin-dependent diabetes for 46 years. Education and acceptance are the keys, but it took me years (and the support of loving family and friends) to achieve them.
0 comments - Posted Apr 27, 2007
Dismal Predictions - In 1949, at the age of 13, I was diagnosed with diabetes. I was told that I would have to take shots for life and that my life would probably last only 25 years longer. Furthermore, I could eat no candy, and all my children would be diabetic.
2 comments - Posted Apr 23, 2007
I am athletic and a diabetic.
I wonder if I will ever quit basketball.
I hear the ball bouncing on the court.
I see me in the hall of fame of all the sports I play.
I want to score 1,000 points in my high school career.
I am athletic and a diabetic.
0 comments - Posted Apr 20, 2007
3 Great New Books reviewed: Cheating Destiny, The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting and Know Your Numbers, Outlive your Diabetes
0 comments - Posted Apr 15, 2007
After author Laura Plunkett’s seven-year-old son, Danny, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she felt engulfed by anxiety and overwhelmed by the challenges of his care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 15, 2007
This last couple of months have been a tumultuous time for me and my family. I moved to town from a house in the country, so my young teenagers could be closer to their friends and the village life available here in Fairfax. The move was chaotic, as moves always are, but we finally made it. Unfortunately, once we got to town, the temptations to teenagers multiplied, and my son (who is not diabetic) found himself in trouble over some experimentation with alcohol.
0 comments - Posted Apr 13, 2007
Like a fish on a fragile line, handling teenagers requires a delicate touch. My teenage son Danny has type 1 diabetes, and I’ve learned that when he overlooks important aspects of his self-care, it’s paramount not to let the lines of communication break. Sometimes calm restraint is the best option, as a recent incident demonstrates.
0 comments - Posted Apr 12, 2007
If you don’t know what diabetes is, I’ll explain to you what it is. Hi, my name is Erin. I’m eight years old, and I have diabetes. I can tell you what I have to do every day to keep myself healthy. Now I have to check my blood sugar four times a day, every day. And I also have to take shots. No, it’s not fun, but I have to.
0 comments - Posted Apr 11, 2007
To the general public, the mood swings of a teenager are the wildest personal roller coaster around. But there’s another roller coaster out there that puts that kiddie ride to shame: the mood swings of a diabetic person like me. In an average teenager, hormones cause mood swings.
1 comment - Posted Apr 11, 2007
Six years ago, Julie DeFruscio’s two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Two years later, her 13-year-old son was also diagnosed with type 1. And four months after that, her ten-year-old son diagnosed himself with diabetes - unfortunately, he was right.
0 comments - Posted Apr 11, 2007
I read with interest Scott”s recent column (“Starting the Conversation”) in which he described eating all the ice cream. Having spent 36 years as a type 1, and now almost seven years cured after a kidney/pancreas transplant (KPTX), I have a unique perspective.
1 comment - Posted Apr 10, 2007
To be a cancer surviving athlete is to be admired. That has not been the case for me as a diabetic athlete. There has never been a special finish line acknowledging the courage, perseverance, and sheer determination it takes to live with diabetes and be out on that course riding, running, or walking. I want this to change.
0 comments - Posted Apr 9, 2007
I was really pleased to see the article about Andy Bell, (“Buffed Into Health”). I am a sociology professor at William Woods University and have forwarded this article to the nurse on campus, as well as to the Human Performance Department.
0 comments - Posted Apr 9, 2007
In the article about diabetes in birds (“Treating Diabetes In Birds”), the question about blindness caught my attention. Our budgie has diabetes symptoms: continuous thirst, heavy urination, chubby body, and can't fly anymore. He has become partially blind.
1 comment - Posted Apr 9, 2007
Half of Fifty 50’s profits are donated to research seeking a diabetes cure that, once found, will put Fifty 50 out of business. Its a novel business plan, funding your own demise, but it works for Gary Russell, the companys president and one of its three founders, along with John Beers and Patricia Gawdun. Since the company debuted its first product in 1991, its given away over ten million dollars to diabetes research.
0 comments - Posted Apr 7, 2007
Dr. David Reiss had never heard of diabetes until age 16, when he found out he had type 1 during his college physical exam. He rebelled and refused injections for a year, but by then there were ketones in his urine and he had no choice. That was 42 years ago, when people gave themselves just one injection a day.
0 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2007
March 2007
The day after my eleventh Easter, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I got a shot that very night, and at least two shots every day for the next fifteen years, until I went on the pump. It seems appropriate that on the day the disease took over my body, a fire took over the chimney of our house.
0 comments - Posted Mar 29, 2007
All is not well with Boomer Wells, the 43-year-old pitcher for the San Diego Padres who found out two weeks ago that he has type 2 diabetes. A large man, 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 250 pounds, with a BMI of 30, he’s technically obese. But he says that he’s already making changes that will control the disease by eliminating rice, pasta, potatoes, white bread, and fast food from his diet. He’s also cut out alcohol (except for a glass of wine now and then so that he can “still run with the guys.”)
0 comments - Posted Mar 21, 2007
Think back to the first time you tasted alcohol or puffed your first cigarette. As odd as it sounds (and unfortunately), after your first distaste you may have learned to like them. Obviously, we can condition ourselves to enjoy, even relish, something we once hated. This can and does work for the positive as well.
0 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2007
Neal Brenner, 41 of Roanoke, Virginia is embarking on the journey of a lifetime which began on March 8 and lasts until March 24. With nothing but a laptop, a satellite phone, and his insulin pump to manage his diabetes, Neal will drive over 4,800 miles through the Arctic Circle with a friend as they take part in a 16-day adventure from Edmonton and ending in Tuktoyaktuk (the uppermost edge of Canada’s Northwest Territories).
0 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2007
New York, NY - According to NY Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report released January 30, 2007, one in eight adults in New York City has diabetes. Among those, African Americans have one of the highest rates at nearly 14.5%. Nationwide 2.6 million African Americans over the age of 20 have diabetes. That’s 10 African Americans for every 6 white Americans with diabetes. Of the 2.8 million African Americans with diabetes, only 1.5 million have been diagnosed. An estimated 730,000 don’t even know they have the disease!
0 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2007
February 2007
Nancy was totally blindsided when she found out she had diabetes. A 56-year-old lab technician at the time, Nancy was doing some work in the lab. She tested her own A1C and found a reading of 7.3%.
0 comments - Posted Feb 7, 2007
Brian MacLeod, 47, is arguably the best blind golfer in North America. Reigning king of the U.S. Blind Open and four-time defending Canadian champion, he’s shot as low as 83 and is on track to be the best in the world. But it’s been a long haul to the fairway for MacLeod.
0 comments - Posted Feb 7, 2007
Great article on Adam Morrison (“Adam Morrison Above the Rim with Basketball and Diabetes Control”). I am a pediatric diabetes educator. I’ve printed the article and distributed it to a couple of difficult patients who are basketball fanatics, and I intend to keep it on hand for future use.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
Death Valley is hardly a common place to be raising awareness of diabetes. This past fall, however, several hundred people with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and other bicyclists passionate about improving diabetes care rode 105 miles at upwards of 90 degrees to raise money for diabetes research in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) “Ride to Cure Diabetes 2006.”
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11 months old, and I have struggled for almost 46 years to keep control of it. With diabetes, you never get a break.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
You might know me as the publisher of Diabetes Health. I’m also a mother of two, the daughter of a woman who died of type 2 diabetes, and a theater buff. But from now on, I hope you’ll come to know me as someone who brings important stories to you every issue, stories about people who are making a difference in diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
We’ve made big strides on our new Web site since I last wrote to you, and it’s shaping up into an exciting and dynamic community gathering place. Once it’s been inaugurated, you’ll want to drop in on a daily basis and check out what’s happened since the day before. We’re going to be posting all our articles hot off the press, and the input from you will be right there as well, ready for the lively back-and-forth that already animates your letters to the editor.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2007
January 2007
Hundreds of women affected by diabetes across the country are feeling great about themselves and learning to stay that way, thanks to an innovative diabetes outreach campaign presented by a world leader in diabetes care, Novo Nordisk. Called “Novo Nordisk Presents Divabetic—Makeover Your Diabetes,” the program combines personalized diabetes education with free salon and spa services in a crash course designed to help every woman’s “inner diva” take charge of her own and her family’s health.
0 comments - Posted Jan 25, 2007
It was supposed to be a simple test: I’d pee in a cup, listen to my doctor’s suggestions to feel better, and go home with a prescription. Except on that day, it wasn’t that simple. I sat in the exam room and waited for my doctor to return. When he finally did and started to talk, saying that he suspected diabetes, I remember seeing my mom’s face fall.
0 comments - Posted Jan 17, 2007
December 2006
During this time of year, we are all busy. Many of us are so overextended with demands on time and energy that we allow our usual health routines to fall by the wayside.
0 comments - Posted Dec 7, 2006
Biggest Gripe Is That There Will Never Be a Cure
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2006
Adam Morrison, 22, is an NBA star that also has type 1 diabetes. He does not, however, have a horror story about his type 1 diagnosis that makes his ascension to NBA stardom seem like an “in-your-face” to an endocrinologist’s pessimistic predictions.
2 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2006
November 2006
When Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive lineman Kendall Simmons won the 2002 Joe Greene Great Performance Award for being the Steelers “Rookie of the Year,” he felt at the top of his game.
0 comments - Posted Nov 27, 2006
In honor of National Diabetes Month, we welcome you to Diabetes Health’s “Best-Of” issue.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2006
The idea for this article came to me one night after attending a diabetes support group at a local hospital. During the meeting, the discussion of serious complications became so graphic that there was an air of melancholy and hopelessness permeating the entire room. I thought, "What we really need is the good news." I tried to imagine whether I would miss any part of having diabetes if I could be cured today.
2 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2006
October 2006
I wish to raise awareness about and concern for dental problems that might be complicated by the new Exubera therapy and other therapies employing the dry powder inhaler (DPI) technology as a means of administering therapeutic medications.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2006
I have two teenagers! If you’re a parent of a teenager, you know why I used the exclamation point. Everything is changing fast in their world, and I try to keep up.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2006
September 2006
On June 28, 2006, the Charlotte Bobcats made Adam Morrison the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft. Three weeks earlier, the Seattle Mariners made Brandon Morrow the No. 5 pick in the Major League Baseball draft.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2006
As I get older, I get more calls from friends and family members telling me about their recent diabetes diagnosis. A little over a year ago, my first cousin Jeannie called to announce her inclusion in the growing type 2 club.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2006
August 2006
On the front cover of this issue, you may have noticed something different—our new masthead. To reflect our ever-evolving growth and our goal of helping those with diabetes stay healthy, our new design places equal emphasis on both diabetes and health. It also gives us a more unified and identifiable image that ties together all of our publications.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
“I can bend over and paint my own toenails now,” says Annie, who had bariatric surgery on February 5, 2005.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
“The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan: Living Well and Being Fit With Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight” (Marlowe & Co., 2006) is the book I hoped would be there for me one day if I were to be diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
Medtronic MiniMed has linked an insulin pump with a continuous glucose monitor. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April, the pump part of the combination is already available. The company expects the monitor component to be available by the end of August.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
July 2006
“The Ultimate Calorie, Carb and Fat-Gram Counter: Quick, Easy Meal Planning Using Counts for Your Favorite Foods” (Small Steps Press, 2006) is a new book by Lea Ann Holzmeister, RD, CDE.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
We all knew that he would do it sooner or later, and now he has. Will Cross became the first American with diabetes to summit Mount Everest—the highest point on earth. Cross, a 39-year-old father of six from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made it to the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest on May 23, 2006.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
For Ed, diabetes wasn’t only a wake-up call—it was an alarm clock.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
In “The Diabetes Game: A Teenager’s Guide to Living Well With Diabetes” (Rewarding Health, 2006), 17-year-old Nora Coon offers teenagers advice on how to cope with juvenile diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
June 2006
It used to be called late- or adult-onset diabetes; now it is called type 2. Instead of occurring primarily in people in their 60s or 70s, it is now found in people of all ages—even youngsters in grade school.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
Many of you may remember “The Canal Murder,” a murder mystery written by Evelyn Geisler, part of which was serialized in Diabetes Health last year.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
Eli Lilly and Co. has announced a call for entries for the 2006 LillyforLife Awards.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
In recent history, can you think of a more popular television show than “American Idol”?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
May 2006
This month, we hear from Rachel, who will tell us about the process she is going through right now.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
For nine years, Jay Leeuwenburg was a star offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is now the subject of “Yes I Can! Yes You Can! Tackle Diabetes and Win” (ComServ Books, 2005).
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
My life depends entirely on getting little squirts of insulin into my bloodstream on a regular basis. Too little, and high blood glucose hijacks my moods—tired and cranky are the watchwords here. Too much insulin makes my BGs plummet—and shakiness and confusion take over until I eat something containing sugar.
3 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
One good thing about having diabetes—you quickly learn the importance of numbers. And you are about to read some numbers that should bother you as much as a bad A1C.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
When retired NBA center Chris Dudley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1981, the high school sophomore’s first concern was whether he would be able to continue playing sports.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
April 2006
On January 7, 2006, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ava Grace Baker. She was 8.4 pounds and 20.25 inches long. It took 30 hours, but it was worth every moment. Well, almost every moment.
7 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Some things I remember very clearly. Like the moment the doctor told me that I had to take injections for the rest of my life. This news bothered me horribly. But what if he had told me I could inhale the insulin instead? I would have been on cloud nine.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Ernest had high triglycerides and his blood glucose was rising. He thought he was doing all right, so you can imagine what he thought when I recommended that he increase the amount of fat and protein in his diet and decrease his carbohydrate intake.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Hala Khalaf is the author of “Young Voices: Life With Diabetes” (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). Her book is an intimate portrayal of how culture influences the daily lives of 13 young people with diabetes from around the world.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
March 2006
Have you ever thought, “No one understands me or my problems”? You felt alone. You felt overwhelmed. You struggled intensely.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
I wish “Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes With Insulin” (Marlowe & Co., 2004) had been available in 1993 when I was first diagnosed with type 1.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
Dennis Robinson, a University of Missouri economist, says, “Give me a challenge, make it make sense, and I can do almost anything. That’s how I could lose 60 pounds and keep it off, and even take insulin.”
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
It is no secret that diabetes has become an enormous international problem. Right now, there are over 194 million people worldwide with diabetes. That number is expected to rocket beyond 334 million in the next 20 years. Something has to be done and quickly.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
For six seasons, actor Aida Turturro has played the role of Tony Soprano’s sister Janice on the award-winning and critically acclaimed HBO series “The Sopranos.”
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
Anne Peters, MD, is director of the clinical diabetes programs at the University of Southern California (USC). Her latest book, “Conquering Diabetes” (Hudson Street Press, April 2005), has been hailed as one of the most “real” and readable diabetes guidebooks to date.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
February 2006
On November 1, 2005, Animas Corporation and Nicole Johnson Baker announced the winners of the first annual Diabetes Heroes essay contest.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
For Deb it was a vicious circle. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 33 years ago at age 20. It was four weeks before her marriage. You can imagine the stress she endured at that time. “I have lived on a diabetes rollercoaster ever since, until about eight months ago,” she says.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
I have always been fascinated by scientific research and public participation in the process. My pregnancy has offered me many opportunities to be a research participant myself.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
“I’ve been taking insulin for 31 years.” People always gawk at me when I divulge this. “But you look so healthy,” they reply.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
Kris Freeman, 25, is a three-time national champion and the number one cross-country skier in the United States. In the history of American cross-country skiing, Freeman is the second most successful skier of all time.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
January 2006
You may not believe it by looking at me now, but I have weight issues. I’ve had them since I was a child. I’m telling you this because I know it’s hard to relate to someone who tries to help you with your weight problems if that person is not overweight herself.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
To be honest with you, I only recently got used to saying “18.2 million people have diabetes”. I was stuck on telling people, “15 million have diabetes” for the longest time. In fact, I can even remember saying “13 million have diabetes” only a few years ago.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
For Scott Verplank, staying on top of his diabetes with frequent blood glucose testing means staying on top of his game for the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour.
8 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
December 2005
Remember the old song “Sleigh Ride”?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
It is December, and besides holiday celebrations, accounting and taxes seem to be on a lot of people’s minds. Now, that may seem like a drag, but here is a positive spin.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
You remember the American Express commercial, “Don’t leave home without it”? After some recent experiences of three of my diabetic patients, I tell them the same thing about fast-acting glucose.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
Scott Dunton, 20, is a world-class professional surfer, currently ranked 220th in his first year on the professional circuit.
4 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
November 2005
Every November, we hear about National Diabetes Month. It is the one month out of the year when the mainstream media call attention to this epidemic that is sweeping our nation.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
To look at actor Mark Consuelos, the first thing you would think is that he is a man who has it all. He’s young, good looking, healthy, an accomplished actor, married to another television star and the father of three children.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
He grew up among country folks in Mississippi. As a child, he performed on street corners for dimes, sometimes in four towns each night. That was only the beginning for the man who ended up being perhaps the most successful blues musician of all time.
1 comment - Posted Nov 1, 2005
October 2005
Come October, I immediately start thinking about Halloween and trick-or-treating with my children. I always allow myself a few chocolates—if I can get them away from my kids as we go door to door. “May I have a piece?” I ask them, sweetly. “Sure, Dad,” they say, as they let me rummage through their bulging goody bags. I choose a piece of plain chocolate, like a mini Hershey bar, or one with nuts, but I stay away from anything with caramel in it. Depending on how much I eat, I will need two to five extra units of fast-acting insulin this night.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
“I think it is possible to end the diabetes epidemic,” says Veronica Atkins. She is not kidding.
1 comment - Posted Oct 1, 2005
Will Cross has taken diabetes to new heights—literally. The Pittsburgh-based expeditioner and former high school principal became the first person with diabetes to reach the South Summit of Mount Everest, with a successful summit on May 31.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
“Good Carbs, Bad Carbs” by Johanna Burani, MS, RD, CDE, is a thorough look at nutrition, food and the role of the glycemic index.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
There here, they’re there, they’re everywhere! It’s the Diabetes Police—your family, friends and others who criticize your diabetes behaviors. They disapprove of your food choices, point out your weight gain, accuse you of skipping your medication and nag you to exercise more. These well-meaning individuals care about you, but they make life with diabetes more difficult and can create tension in a relationship. Here are some examples of ways that the Diabetes Police operate in our lives:
1 comment - Posted Oct 1, 2005
September 2005
Hurricane Katrina is being called the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Thousands of people were left stranded without adequate food, shelter, water, and medical supplies. Many of these people were diabetics who are now forced to struggle with unspeakable conditions and a lack of medical supplies necessary for the control of their diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 8, 2005
I lean heavily on the feedback I receive from all of you because it helps me to shape the direction of this magazine. Many times, readers alert me to debates about hot topics taking place in the diabetes community, and other times I like to start discussions myself.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
Diabetes Cure May Reside in Adult Stem Cell Research
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
August 2005
I have been overweight my whole life. When I was in grade school, the other kids called me “fatty.” It didn’t help that the PE teacher created an unpleasant competitive environment and didn’t teach us how to care for our bodies.
1 comment - Posted Aug 1, 2005
Presenting what it calls “an intimate portrayal of the lives of 13 extraordinary young people,” Novo Nordisk has published “Young Voices, Life With Diabetes.”
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2005
Low-carb guru and best-selling cookbook author Dana Carpender’s latest offering is “Low-Carb Smoothies: More Than 50 Fabulous Recipes the Whole Family Will Love.”
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2005
He trains about 22 hours during the average week—not counting the additional seven hours of workouts on weekends. Through his twice-daily workouts, he totals nearly 120 miles of bicycling, about 10 miles of swimming and between 50 to 100 miles of running each week. For Ironman triathlete Jay Hewitt, training and diabetes have something in common: Working at them every day is critical to achieve his goals.
1 comment - Posted Aug 1, 2005
July 2005
This is another letter in response to Scott King’s column that ran in the February 2005 issue (“Random Shots”).
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2005
I love the music of Paul Simon. In his song “Senorita With a Necklace of Tears” he writes, “. . . There is a frog in South America, whose venom is a cure . . . more powerful than morphine and soothing as the rain, a frog in South America has the antidote for pain . . .” I always liked that lyric and have often wondered if it actually is true.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2005
The article "High Fructose Corn Syrup: Is This Disguised Sugar Affecting Your Diabetes?"(May 2005) unfortunately suggests that food manufacturers are misusing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a natural, home-grown sweetener from Midwest corn fields.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2005
Molly-Jayne Bangert, BSN, RN, CDE, working in the rural Southwestern United States, is passionate about increasing diabetes awareness and reducing risks associated with diabetes and pre-diabetes
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2005
June 2005
This past April 12, 2005, would have come and gone like any other day had I not seen a headline in my local paper that caught my eye:
3 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2005
We are all accustomed to seeing nice, safe, uplifting public service advertising about diabetes on television, featuring cute kids, compassionate parents and diabetes fighters.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2005
“Omega Boy Versus Doctor Diabetes” is a comic book written by brothers Kamaal and Malcolm Washington. The brothers—ages 11 and 9, respectively—are the sons of Alonzo Washington, publisher, co-writer, co-creator and owner of Omega 7 comic books.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2005
May 2005
Back in February, I wrote about what I keep in my diabetes kit. Well, just last month, the contents of that kit, along with my waist pack, disappeared during a trip out of town. I found myself without a meter and no insulin. Anyone whose life depends on these things will be able to identify with me—I felt quite naked.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
A1C Author Did Not Prepare or Endorse A1C Chart
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
Adding to her series of cookbooks, nutritionist and author Robyn Webb has written “Italian Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes or Less” (American Diabetes Association, 2005).
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
Legendary endocrinologist Francine R. Kaufman, MD, has written a new book entitled “Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America—And What We Must Do To Stop It” (Bantam Books, 2005).
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
Many people don’t realize this, but the only reason many of us are so concerned about our cholesterol levels is that to date, cholesterol has given us a “best guess” as to our risk for heart disease.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
April 2005
I appreciate the many letters we received about my February 2005 column. It’s great to have a good debate every now and then.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
Chris Reichert, RN, MS, CDE, is the director of the Diabetes Care Center at Parkview in the Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado. In 1990, she developed the diabetes program at Parkview and became a certified diabetes educator in 1992.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
Over the last six years, I have had numerous memorable moments and treasured experiences, but among the best was the day I was named an Honorary CDE by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
If you read Diabetes Health, live in Illinois and love baseball, then you know Ron Santo.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
Have you ever quit soon after starting an exercise program? If you have, you are not alone. Lots of people start a new activity with the best of intentions, but before long, they stop. If you are sitting on the sidelines, here are some tips to help you get back on track:
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
March 2005
A while back, a friend of mine who is very overweight went to see his doctor and was found to have an A1C of over 9%. He also had high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and arthritic knees.
1 comment - Posted Mar 1, 2005
On March 20, 2005, dLife, the first-ever nationally televised diabetes program, goes live on CNBC. Anyone with cable television will have access to the show every Sunday night.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
Veronica Atkins, the widow of the late low-carb pioneer Robert Atkins, MD, is coauthor with Stephanie Nathanson of the new “Atkins for Life Low-Carb Cookbook.”
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
It’s pretty much a truism that video games are bad for children’s health. They hold their minds hostage, promote sedentary behavior and can even desensitize them to violence.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
Several readers have asked what happened to our serialized novel, “The Canal Murder” by Eve Geisler, of which seven chapters appeared in recent issues of Diabetes Health.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
February 2005
A friend recently asked me what I have in the diabetes pack that I carry everywhere.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
Our first date was the very definition of a diabetes disaster.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE, was named Diabetes Educator of the Year by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
Novo Nordisk recently began awarding scholarships to Native American nursing students.
1 comment - Posted Feb 1, 2005
Editor’s note: The following review contains content that may be unsuitable for our younger readers.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
Be it on Broadway, the Silver Screen or your television set, you have probably seen actor Victor Garber in some role or another. After all, he played Jesus in “Godspell.”
2 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
January 2005
I have always hoped for a cure for diabetes—who hasn’t?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2005
Hot off the presses and in time for the holiday comes “The Secrets of Living and Loving With Diabetes: Three Experts Answer Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Ask.”
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2005
December 2004
I recently spoke at the Diabetes Camping Association’s annual meeting for healthcare professionals and camp directors. This group serves a network of more than 150 organizations providing summer vacation camp for children, and adults, with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
Following the success of “The Low-Carb Barbeque Cookbook,” Carpender returned to the test kitchen and created “500 More Low-Carb Recipes: 500 All-New Recipes From Around the World.”
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
This time of year presents extra challenges. It’s not easy to live with and manage diabetes during the holidays, but it can be done. Here are some tips for staying focused, fit and in control during this season:
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
This month, we feature Frida Theros, RD, CD, CDE, who works with the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah in Cedar City, Utah.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
For people living with diabetes, constant vigilance is required in order to stay healthy. But when a person with diabetes has a child, the parent must balance the demands of taking care of children while also attending to his or her own health needs. From one parent living with diabetes to another, here are a few suggestions: 1 Manage Your Stress
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
November 2004
Though I didn’t get a cake, I just celebrated my biggest birthday. I have now lived for 30 years with diabetes—that’s 30 years of effort and worry, 30 years of information-gathering, testing, dieting, hypos, injections and doctor visits. Somehow, luckily, I have thrived.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
Patti LaBelle says she is thankful that she passed out on stage during a concert performance 10 years ago.
6 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
Susan B. Sloane, BS, Rph,CDE, has been a registered pharmacist for more than 20 years and a certified diabetes educator for 15 years.
2 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
October 2004
In the last few months, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) met and issued guidelines on caring for a child with diabetes at school. After their annual meeting in July, the AFT released a brochure outlining their position on diabetes care.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
Many Other Healthy Lifestyle Centers for People with Diabetes
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
We asked a few pump “veterans” what they love and hate about their pumps. Here is what they had to say.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
Q: I just noticed that my strips are code 10, but I forgot to change my meter, which is still set at code 2. My meter is a LifeScan OneTouch Ultra. I don’t know how many bottles of strips I have gone through at this wrong setting.
Have my readings been too low, or too high? And by how much have they been off?
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
I am thrilled that last month’s cover person, Gary Hall, Jr., has claimed the title of “Fastest Swimmer in the World”!
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
Baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and hockey are all sports that proclaim, “It’s autumn.”
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
September 2004
I can still hear the voices and see the faces of people telling me, when I was younger, that having diabetes would keep me from doing this or keep me from doing that.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
This past August, Gary Hall, Jr., represented the United States at the Olympics in Athens, Greece. It was the third Olympics for Hall—having competed in the 2000 and 1996 Olympics where he won a total of eight medals.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
This month, we feature Allen Bennett King, MD, CDE, FACP, FACE, assistant clinical professor at the University of California Natividad Medical Center. Dr. King is the cofounder and medical director of the Diabetes Care Center in Salinas, California.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
August 2004
“It seems that if you want something done around here, you gotta do it yourself!”
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2004
Lee Iacocca is mad as hell about the state of diabetes research and he doesn’t want to take it anymore.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2004
July 2004
Dick Clark has had diabetes for at least 11 years—but he only made it public this past spring.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2004
Do you remember “American Bandstand”?
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2004
June 2004
So, you aren’t pleased with your blood glucose control.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
As we age, we tend to get heavier, weaker, slower and more prone to injury, disability and chronic disease.
1 comment - Posted Jun 1, 2004
Sure, it’s easier these days to find lower-carb options at restaurants, but let’s face it, traveling can provide an excuse that allows us to lose control. “I’m on a trip,” or “I’m on vacation,” seem to always be the popular refrains. But there is no vacation from diabetes or weight and health management.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
Fast on the heels of her two best-selling cookbooks, Dana Carpender’s new collection of low-carb barbecuing recipes has just been released.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
Here at our offices in Fairfax, California, there has been this blank canvas. And to this canvas, our design, editorial, sales and circulation staff have been adding radiant colors and dynamic shapes of all kinds.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
“Are those new wraps at Subway good for me?” “If I make applesauce with Splenda, can I eat all I want?” “How do I count the carbohydrates in low-carb yogurt?” Do questions like these cross your mind every time you dine out, set foot in the supermarket or flip through a recipe book?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
May 2004
Mindy Mendenhall plays basketball the way a bull browses a china shop. She’s all muscle and emotion under the hoop, and she’s manic enough to launch her body across the court after loose balls.
1 comment - Posted May 1, 2004
According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, of the 17 million Americans with diabetes, 90 to 95 percent have type 2.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
The number of people opting for insulin pump therapy grows. Worldwide, the number is approximately 300,000.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
Wow! This is my 142nd, and last, column for Diabetes Interview.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
April 2004
Who would have ever dreamed it? A year ago this column debuted when Diabetes Health asked me to write a feature article about some of the research related to lower-carbohydrate diets.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
“Using Insulin” may soon become the new bible for “everyone who wants to end blood glucose highs and lows.”
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
Robert Guillaume is best known for his work in television, where he earned two Emmy Awards and four NAACP Image Awards for his role as Benson DuBois on “Soap” and “Benson.”
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
Yes, it's true—we are changing the name of our magazine.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
March 2004
If you are reading this column, you have probably decided to try the lower-carb approach to your diet—or you are at least thinking about it.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
“Smart Pumping for People With Diabetes” by Barbara J. Anderson, PhD, and Howard Wolpert, MD, a new book published by the American Diabetes Association, teaches people with diabetes how to use the insulin pump effectively.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
Nearly 10 years ago when Chris Smith was 27, he got bad news in the form of a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Now known as the Diabetic Chef, Smith is making the most of having diabetes by “re-teaching America to cook.”
1 comment - Posted Mar 1, 2004
February 2004
Best-selling cookbook author Dana Carpender has released her newest collection of tasty lower-carb recipes, entitled “15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes: Instant Recipes for Dinners, Desserts, & More!” (Fair Winds Press, 2003).
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
So you want to lose weight. Prepare for war!
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
I know that it’s already February, but I am writing this column in January and I am still thinking about my New Year’s resolutions.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
The National Basketball Association officially announced the retirement of Chris Dudley, after a 16-year NBA career.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
Having a chronic disease like diabetes can put a great deal of pressure on a relationship. In fact the divorce rate for people with chronic diseases is known to be higher than that of the general population.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
January 2004
Welcome to our annual Product Reference Guide. This month, we depart from our usual fare to bring you an overview of the main categories of diabetes products, including a collection of our comprehensive charts from 2003. We hope you find it useful!
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2004
December 2003
Della Reese’s positive attitude has always helped her survive—overcoming childhood challenges of poverty, struggling to carve her place in America’s entertainment industry, and dealing with her type 2 diagnosis nearly four years ago while filming the CBS TV show “Touched by an Angel.”
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2003
August 2003
John Lasseter has manufactured entire worlds out of thin air.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2003
May 2003
There is nothing like a family member's health crisis to totally shake up your world.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
Insulin pump users can get sick, just like everyone else.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
Make sure that when you inject the glucagon, you push down on the plunger with lots of force," said the nurse practitioner. "It's very important that you remember to do that!"
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
Fourteen years ago, when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Douglas Cairns was forced to give up his dream of being a military flight instructor. He was told he could never fly again.
1 comment - Posted May 1, 2003
The hardest part was not the climbing," says Midge Cross, 59, of her attempt to scale Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. "It was the tedium."
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
John Dennis, 58, says that self-monitoring to control his type 2 diabetes comes naturally because he is used to "going it alone." After all, taking care of himself is as much a solo responsibility these days as sailing his 50-foot boat around the world.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
A foundation headed by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has donated $150,000 to the American Diabetes Association's youth camping program.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
"Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story" - John Barth. Here at Diabetes Health, we call our May issue the "heroes issue." Why? Because, beginning about five years ago, we started giving nearly 15,000 copies of this issue to diabetes camps all over the United States. In each year's May issue, we like to feature people we think of as heroes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
John Dennis, 58, says that self-monitoring to control his type 2 diabetes comes naturally because he is used to "going it alone." After all, taking care of himself is as much a solo responsibility these days as sailing his 50-foot boat around the world.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
Thanks for the Type 1.5 Article. I just received my February 2003 issue of Diabetes Health and was pleased and excited to read the article "What's Your Type? Diabetes Isn't Always Easy to Classify" (p. 40).
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
April 2003
I feel conflicted just reading the title of this column. "Fats"—the word just seems to have a nasty ring to it. How could fats be good?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
Francine R. Kaufman, MD, president of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and division head of endocrinology at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, California, was presented with the Woman of Valor Award at a benefit dinner on February 6, 2003.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
With the concepts of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) influencing the way many people with diabetes eat, four leading researchers on the glycemic index have written a book to help people better understand this approach.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
A healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise, is important in the fight against diabetes. Yoga can complement such a lifestyle and help to keep diabetes under control.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
There aren't enough hours in the day to exercise," a patient once told William Polonsky, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
March 2003
In Defense of Non-Western Medicine. I was disappointed with Ron Zacker's editorial in the December 2002 issue ("Keep Your Eyes on the Prize," p. 46). It seemed that Zacker lost sight of the prize with his statement, "Too much information and too many options can distract us from what's really important."
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2003
I can't wait to see what my next A1C will be! My last one was 7.3%, with my blood glucose up, down and all around. I was low, I was high, and just way out of control.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2003
February 2003
In an effort to help fight the diabetes epidemic among the Latino population in the United States, organizations in four states have received $10,000 each from the Aventis Adelante! Diabetes Community Excellence Awards. The Spanish word "adelante" means "to preserve" or "to move forward."
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
When a "planned care" system of healthcare delivery was instituted in three primary-care practices in Wisconsin and Minnesota, it resulted in better care by physicians and in better diabetes control for their patients, according to researchers from the Mayo Health System Diabetes Translation Project.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
Valentine's Day is a time we think of the loved ones who are there for us—whether they are parents, siblings, friends or a spouse. I think of my wife, Nadia, who from the day we met liked me for who I am.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
In today's busy world, it's difficult enough for most of us to get a meal on the table at all - let alone following a healthy meal plan every day.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
January 2003
I have just had the best trip of my entire life! It all started when Carl Butler asked me to be a keynote speaker at a diabetes conference he was organizing. The first surprise was the location—Carl lives in Guam and is part of a group of wonderful, dedicated individuals who planned this educational conference for Guam and its surrounding islands.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
December 2002
At our house, we have avoided trans fats since 1993. This was the year Diabetes Health first printed a report about the dangers of eating margarine, which is often made from hydrogenated oil. Our 1993 article cited a study done in 1974, which indicates that scientists have been aware of the hazards of trans fats for quite some time.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
There exists today an unprecedented amount of medical information for people with diabetes: the magazine you are holding, the Internet, television, radio—even billboard ads. We are inundated.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
Rufus and Ruby, created nearly eight years ago by a mom whose son has type 1 diabetes, floated gently back to earth on October 9, 2002, after taking a one-week trip aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
November 2002
Guilty pleasures are certainly in abundance between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. However, if you are a person with diabetes, too much guilty pleasure may make your A1C resemble something less pleasant than a picture print by Currier and Ives.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
It's inevitable. Every time Hollywood releases a movie with a character who has diabetes, those of us "in the know" sit with clenched teeth, noting every inaccuracy and wondering whether the powers-that-be in Tinseltown have any clue at all. Are they going on misconceptions that "everybody" believes to be true? Do they bother to research diabetes?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
Do your favorite restaurants and fast-food eateries fit comfortably into your diabetes meal plan?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
As an insulin pumper, are you prepared for unexpected (or expected) events? For instance, there might be a time when you are not using your insulin pump—either by choice or by necessity. Is this a time for panic?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
Do your favorite restaurants and fast-food eateries fit comfortably into your diabetes meal plan? Now they can!
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
October 2002
Frequently now I come across an article or a quote or a joke that my mother would like, and I reach for the phone to share it with her.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
September 2002
"Your Child Has Diabetes" is an easy-to-read resource that touches on the basics of diabetes in children: understanding the difference between type 1 and type 2, using insulin and oral medications, planning meals and exercise, and dealing with the emotional aspects of having diabetes. It is packed with illustrations and written for a seventh- and eighth-grade reading level.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2002
August 2002
Over the Fourth of July weekend, my family and I went to the county fair. It was a great day, but the noise really started to bug me, and I began to get cranky. How dare the barkers at the carnival shout so loudly! Why did the rides have to play music incessantly? My children wanted money for this ride and that toy, and I wanted to yell at them and tell them they couldn't have one more nickel!
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2002
July 2002
The actions of Dawn Prindall's preschooler brought home to her the importance of diabetes education for people with diabetes and their families.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2002
It's a busy time of year. School is out, camp has begun and vacations are being planned or taken.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2002
June 2002
Last night, I woke up a little before 3 a.m. and tested my blood glucose. It was 52. I had to get up and eat. Here I am, going to Weight Watchers, exercising, trying to take off another 15 pounds, and my efforts are being thwarted by diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
I Developed Type 2 Diabetes From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
May 2002
When it comes to exercise, there's literally no place but home for some of us. Many people cite a lack of transportation, finances or time as reasons for not going to a gym or fitness center. And many rural areas simply don't have gyms or fitness centers. Whether real or perceived, these problems do bring one option to the fore—exercising at home.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
What do the school nurse and the education staff of your child's school know about insulin pump therapy? What should you tell the school system?
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
Beauty, Grace and Diabetes: Ballerina Zippora Karz, now 37, started studying dance at the age of 7. At 18, she was invited to join the New York City Ballet—one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
Things were not going along "swimmingly" for Gary Hall Jr. in 1999. He recalls feeling "like I had the flu. I'd get better, then shortly I'd get sick again."
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
If hunting alligators in pitch darkness doesn't make Todd Sievers jumpy, then it's no wonder he can unflinchingly kick field goals in front of a packed crowd with a game on the line.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
This past December, Jason Johnson, 28, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles baseball club, was the co-winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award. The award is presented annually to a major league player who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.
1 comment - Posted May 1, 2002
For Bret Michaels, diabetes hasn't stopped the show—it's just added an extra chord to the loud, exciting, pyrotechnically enhanced melody.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
Imagine discovering at a young age that you are a gifted athlete—gifted enough to possibly one day represent your country in the Olympics. Imagine training and honing your skills for years and years, until you are among the best at a particular sport. Imagine the Olympics on the horizon and within your reach—so close you can almost taste it.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
The heroes featured in this issue have two things in common: They've achieved top success in their various fields, and they have diabetes. I'm inspired by these people, who face the same challenges that I do with diabetes. It's too easy, sometimes, to use diabetes as an excuse not to try. Seeing these individuals reach the top encourages me to do as much as my capabilities allow.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
April 2002
For the first time in years, I bought something from the Misses Department, not the plus sizes!" exclaims Sue Felton, a woman of 43 who's been battling obesity and type 2 diabetes for the past five years.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2002
Back in December 1992, two years after we started Diabetes Health, I was shocked to learn that Mom had developed diabetes, too. I wrote in these pages about how she had complained to me that she was tired and couldn't get off the sofa. She was depressed, and sometimes she slept all day. Then she got worse. She was sick, lethargic, had tingly feet and blurry vision. I was concerned for her health and suspected that she had diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2002
March 2002
While many books on diabetes management are written for people who have the disease, the Joslin Diabetes Center has just published one with doctors in mind. "Joslin's Diabetes Deskbook: A Guide for Primary Care Providers"— written by Richard S. Beaser, MD, from Harvard Medical School, along with members of the Joslin staff—provides background information on diabetes and its complications as well as outlining the most current approaches to managing and treating the disease.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
Living with diabetes means living in a world of limitations—some imposed by society and some by the disease itself. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 5, I've spent the last 35 years trying to break free of those limitations.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
A little boy wanted ice cream after dinner one night. Because his parents had already counted his carbohydrates and given him a carefully calculated dose of insulin, his mother tried to dissuade him.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
February 2002
Wanna be an athlete? Wanna be a rock star? Lauran Gangl has done a little bit of both—without letting her type 1 diabetes get in the way.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
Whether you are a beginner or a veteran of insulin pump therapy, a new book called "Optimal Pumping: A Guide to Good Health With Diabetes" could prove to be a valuable resource.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
As you may be aware, NovoLog (insulin aspart) is the new rapid-acting insulin analog from Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc. On paper, its action is supposed to be similar to Lilly's Humalog (insulin lispro). However, my experience, as well as the experiences of other people I've talked to who are using it in pumps, is very different.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
January 2002
Seniors with diabetes may need to make changes to their diet to remain healthy, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). In addition, people may have more difficulty preparing food as they get older.
0 comments - Posted Jan 2, 2002
At 81 years of age, Eva Saxl has a lifetime of rewarding accomplishments behind her—careers as a writer, teacher, philanthropist and lecturer and a history of living with type 1 diabetes for more than 60 years with no complications.
2 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2002
Sam and Joan were sitting in my office at the hospital outpatient diabetes center. Sam seemed a little bored, and Joan appeared to be anxious. Sam had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by his internist, who suggested that he come to our center for specialized treatment and education. Because I use the family approach to diabetes care, Joan was there, too.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2002
When Will Medicare Cover the Cost of Insulin Pumps for Type 2s?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2002
December 2001
A low-lit bar with warm brown leather couches and an audience that's captured, utterly amused. That's the kind of crowd that Jackie Payne, blues singer with a career spanning over three decades, faces every Friday evening. Not such a bad deal for a musician whose livelihood was seriously threatened six years back, when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
Food and gifts! What would the holidays be without them? From the traditional dishes we prepare every year to the unusual and exotic specialty, from the highly frivolous gift to the perfect one matched exactly to the needs of the recipient, we strive to make the holidays wonderful by providing food and gifts for the people we love.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
On a beautiful, clear day in November, the editorial staff of Diabetes Health gathered on the 31st floor of the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square for our first—but definitely not last—editorial retreat.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
Correction: In the Letters to the Editor of the November issue (p. 61), we made an incorrect statement about the use of Lantus. The sentence should read "..those who take three meal-time shots of short-acting insulin plus basal Lantus will take four shots of insulin a day." We apologize for this error.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
November 2001
I was a 325-pound chef; a cooking machine with rave reviews; a man given to extremes. Then, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Suddenly, I had to change my diet and I was stunned and beside myself with concern. I have always had a lover's quarrel with food, but now I had to search for alternative ingredients that would appease my taste buds while being nutritious and beneficial for a diabetic diet.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
"Okay, so I know I should do it. I know it will decrease my blood sugar. I know it will burn more calories. It's supposed to improve my circulation, cholesterol, triglyericdes and A1c. Rumor says it will even make me feel better. I know, I know, I know! Go ahead—blame me for not doing it!"
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
John Hughes of Woodburn, Oregon, had never bothered to get a letter from his doctor stating that he has diabetes and is required to carry sharp-pointed insulin-pump infusion sets, lancets and emergency syringes with him into airplane cabins.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
The September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C and Pennsylvania are perhaps the single darkest event in the history of the United States.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
If you're breaking your back—or calculator—trying to compute the carbohydrates in every meal in order to set your insulin dose, then work no more. Family Health Publications of Costa Mesa, California, is now offering a software program that counts the amount of carbohydrates in the most common type of foods, including fast food. The program can by uploaded on to a PalmPilot, where the carbohydrate count, in addition to calorie, fat and protein content of a selected food pops up on the screen.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
This month, I am featuring the second in a series of guest editorials. Jan Chait, a frequent contributing writer to DIABETES HEALTH who has type 2 diabetes, writes this one.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
This month, I am featuring the second in a series of guest editorials. Jan Chait, a frequent contributing writer to DIABETES HEALTH who has type 2 diabetes, writes this one.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
October 2001
I recently had a drink with 124 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of fat and 23 grams of protein in it. It is important to know that two hours prior to this, I rode my bike for one hour and 45 minutes at a moderate-to-high effort. Now I will tell you how I adjusted and administered my insulin to make sure my blood sugar stayed level.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2001
Jane Seley, RN, MPH, MSN, GNP, is a doctoral candidate from New York City and a good friend of mine. Jane has served on our advisory board since the very beginning, over 10 years ago.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2001
September 2001
What's so unusual about the life of Charles Ray III? His story is a simple one—about a man from Raleigh, North Carolina who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 22 years without developing a single complication. Ray maintains consistently low A1c levels (averaging between 6% and 7%) and leads a life of hard work (as an evening-shift cook) and careful play (drinking only non-alcoholic beer).
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2001
August 2001
For Marco Meijerink, having type 1 diabetes is a challenge, but it is not his biggest challenge.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2001
I always love this time of year! It’s just after the American Diabetes Association’s scientific sessions, and there is always a wealth of new research and products that are introduced to us in the diabetes community.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2001
Like many people with diabetes, Gayle Hoover Thorne of Sacramento, California, was led to her type 2 diagnosis by water—or rather, the feeling that she couldn't get enough of it.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2001
July 2001
"The thrill of victory—the agony of defeat" can play havoc with your blood-glucose levels—even if you're merely cheering for your favorite team.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
Diabetes can seem like a thankless job—all work and no pay. That's why the Joslin Diabetes Center and the Eli Lilly Company give out awards to people with diabetes who have lived with the condition for long periods of time.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
When Karl Smith was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in August 1922, he started out on what he calls "starvation" to treat his condition. He stayed on that "treatment regimen" until December 24, 1922.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
Karl Smith, a type 1 for 79 of his 85 years, remembers having type 1 diabetes as a child but not having any insulin with which to treat the disease.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes incorporate 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber into their diets on a daily basis in order to control their blood sugars. To help people with diabetes meet this goal, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston has published a new high-fiber cookbook entitled "The Joslin Diabetes Healthy Carbohydrate Cookbook."
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
Stomach Stapling Not a Cure for Type 2 Diabetes
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
June 2001
There is no doubt that camps are an educational and fun experience for kids with diabetes. But what about the big kids? Diabetes camps for adults age 17 and older do exist, and like camps for kids offer similar experiences.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
Carlos's HbA1c had been above 10.2% for the last three clinic visits. We were frustrated because he was 16 years old, had a great personality and knew a lot about diabetes management. Every time he came to clinic without his blood-sugar records, he would promise to bring them next time and also promised to get his HbA1c down. It was hard not to believe him because he was such a nice guy.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
In 1981, Phoenix Suns' center Chris Dudley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16. He never thought for one second, however, that the disease would interfere with his dream to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
There is really no single method that is a sure-fire way to deal with having diabetes. First, however, it is important to realize that diabetes is very different in each individual.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
Gary Hall Jr., winner of an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming, will be attending the Children With Diabetes 2001 Conference and Expo sponsored by Diabetes 123.com and the Children With Diabetes Foundation. The event will take place at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida from July 18-22.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
Carla Elliot liked to keep busy. A bright and outgoing 14-year-old girl, Carla involved herself in as many activities as she could. Whether it was swimming, cheerleading, softball, 4-H club meetings or simply running around the neighborhood, Carla was there.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
May 2001
In my February column ("Seeing Red"), I printed a summary of foot-care guidelines ("Important Steps for Foot Care") as outlined by Richard Bernstein, MD, FACE, FACN, CWS, of the Diabetes Center in Mamoroneck, New York.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
April 2001
We are proud to present an exclusive report from the "Diabetes Chief," Endocrinologist Dr. Allan Spiegel, MD.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2001
For Kim Hanchette, MEd, CDE, keeping up with the diabetes Joneses has never been a problem. With the conclusion of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial in 1993, Hanchette says most doctors in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, had come to embrace the concept of self-management. As a CDE at an outpatient clinic there, Hanchette had her work cut out for her, with patients flowing in at a steady stream for classes on nutrition, glucose levels, exercise and medication.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2001
March 2001
The letters we print in our "Letters to The Editor" section are among the most passionate and controversial letters you will read anywhere. If you don't want to get your passions aroused, then maybe you should skip this section.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2001
Kris Berg, EdD, stresses that the most important benefits from starting and maintaining an exercise regimen will be those we do not see, including:
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2001
February 2001
When my mom saw that her hammer toe was bright red and swollen, she knew she was in trouble, even though she was in no pain. Mom, a type 2, had been to her podiatrist just two weeks before for routine foot care. This included trimming a callus on that toe. My mom takes great care of her diabetes. She tests before each meal, has good HbA1cs and sees her doctors regularly.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
Although runners of all levels are welcome at the New York City marathon, its course is unrelenting-a 174-foot ascent in the first mile, another steep climb in Queens, and 26.2 miles of hard asphalt that stretches from Staten Island to the Bronx and back down.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
For millions of people with diabetes, technology has supplied us with wonderful, helpful aids to help control blood sugar. While some of these medications come in pill form and remain stable when stored out of light and at moderate temperatures, people with diabetes who use insulin need to depend on more than technology to make sure their insulin is in top form.
1 comment - Posted Feb 1, 2001
January 2001
For the past 25 years we have been hearing that the cure for diabetes is "right around the corner."
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2001
“Skydiving was like being reborn,” says type 1 Josh Glazov, 30, of Chicago. “It established a purpose in my life and restored a goal to pursue. Before skydiving, life was something to be endured. After I began jumping, however, life was something to be enjoyed and cherished.”
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2001
December 2000
Recently, I was leafing through the latest research findings of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Israel. I found a lot of interesting research on diabetes that I would like to share with you.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2000
Do family, friends and co-workers treat you "special" because of your diabetes?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2000
October 2000
Many of you probably record your blood glucose in a diary or logbook, which you bring to your healthcare team on routine visits. This logbook has been an important component of diabetes treatment programs since the days of Dr. Elliot Joslin (Joslin Diabetes Center), the late pioneering diabetes specialist. Dr. Joslin believed important events in a person's life and diabetes treatment should be entered into a diary that both that person and his health care team could refer back to for treatment decisions.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2000
People with type 2 diabetes are capable of increasing their physical activity levels, according to a recent survey of doctors in the United Kingdom.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2000
Exercise for people with diabetes is crucial for good glycemic control. Type1s can reduce their insulin doses and type 2s can reduce the risk of numerous complications. But exercise for people with diabetes also requires special attention because it has special risks.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2000
In addition to being an assistant professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and DIABETES HEALTH's exercise advisor, Sheri Colberg, PhD, can add "author" to her list of credentials.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2000
September 2000
Scott King: We have been reporting on the GlucoWatch since 1995. Can you tell us how the industry is viewing this product?
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
You made the decision to use an insulin pump. You overcame your anxiety about inserting that infusion set, and you found some basic techniques to wear or hide the pump. But still, some questions may remain. Maybe you're wondering about getting your set to stay in place. Maybe you're concerned about finding an appropriate site to begin with. Either way, the following tips and tricks should help you choose and maintain an infusion site that gives you as little trouble as possible.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
August 2000
Recently, Dr. James Shapiro and a team of transplant surgeons at the University of Alberta in Edmonton transplanted islets into 10 people with type 1 diabetes. In previous studies, only eight percent of islet-transplant recipients have remained off insulin for one year. The Edmonton Protocol is the first study in which 100 percent of islet-transplant recipients have been insulin-independent for one year.
1 comment - Posted Aug 1, 2000
July 2000
You'll find this months "letters to the editor" to be very interesting. On several topics, our readers are clearly divided. Our article on nighttime hypoglycemia shocked one reader and drew praise from another.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2000
I know people sometimes say that developing an illness was both the best and the worst thing to ever happen to them. I used to find it hard, however, to imagine how an illness could be anything but bad.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2000
Peter Chase, MD, professor of pediatrics and clinical director of Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes in Denver, has introduced a revised, kid-friendly coloring book called "A Book for Coloring and Learning About Diabetes."
1 comment - Posted Jul 1, 2000
June 2000
This article has been updated. Please read the related article below.
70 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
This month's cover features an especially inspiring group of people. All of them have diabetes, but it hasn't stopped a single one from achieving pinnacles in their careers and taking their dreams further than most people even dream of.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
I know a young man. He is only 17. He appears to be a typical, everyday, run-of-the-mill teenager. He wears pants that are a size too big. His hair is in a crew cut. He drives a 1986 Nissan pickup with the windows down and the stereo blasting. He winks at the girls while sitting at the red lights and has a charming half-grin when he smiles.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
Kellie Kuehne, 23, is in her third year on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. Kuehne (pronounced key-knee), who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 10, is a two-time U.S. Women's Amateur champion.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
Diabetes Camp-The Best Thing to Happen to My Son
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
Gary Hall Jr., the gold and silver medalist swimmer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, is considered America's finest freestyle sprint swimmer.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2000
May 2000
Five years ago, on Mother's Day, Eileen Clarke got a surprise that changed her family's life. Her twin daughters, Kelsey and Kayla, just months old, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Kelsey started injections that day, and Kayla soon followed. From infancy, Kelsey and Kaylas' lives were given to the realities of needles, lancets, strict meal schedules and healthy foods.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
Let me start off with a big thank you to all of you. As a person with diabetes, I feel I have the best job in the world! An important goal for me is giving consumers of diabetes products and treatments a voice. That is why you will find your voices included in these pages.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
As all people with diabetes know, one of the greatest challenges you will ever encounter is confronting the problem of maintaining an exercise program. Unfortunately, it is a challenge requiring skills that are not taught by most health clubs or included in most fitness literature.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
Editor's note: Before changing your treatment plan, always advise your physician or health care practitioner.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
April 2000
I thought Daniel Trecroci's foot care feature in the February issue ("Does the Shoe Fit? Important New Products for the Diabetic Foot") was very well written and organized. It is always good to express opinions from a variety of specialties.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
March 2000
It seems that each new issue of Diabetes Health is more exciting than the previous one.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2000
Jay Leeuwenburg is an imposing, 6-foot, three-inch, 295-pound physical specimen which goes a long way in his field of work as an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). Even before Leeuwenburg was a teenager, he weighed as much as 170 pounds. At the age of 12, however, he began losing weight at a rapid pace, and eventually whittled away to 130 pounds. Upon seeing a doctor, Leeuwenburg discovered he had type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2000
February 2000
This is a hard column to write this month.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2000
You may not be a dummy, but chances are you are overwhelmed by all the diabetes information you are bombarded with, information that can be highly complex, technical and fast-changing. Information about diabetes can be difficult to incorporate into a healthy life.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2000
January 2000
In November 1995, DIABETES HEALTH reported that a company named Cygnus was developing a new wristband device called the GlucoWatch monitor that was to give sugar readings every 20 minutes. Cygnus said they hoped to introduce the GlucoWatch monitor to the market by the end of 1997. Over the years, as we have covered this story, the launch date has crept forward. It has taken much longer than Cygnus had anticipated, but at least they never gave up.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2000
Being a 25-year-old woman who has had type 1 diabetes for 20 years, I have had my share of ups and downs.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2000
December 1999
I recently got together with a new friend named Chris Newman. Chris is the product manager at Disetronic, a maker of insulin pumps. We met on an airplane coming home from a diabetes conference. I had been there representing this magazine, and he was there representing Disetronic. Like me, he has type 1 diabetes and is the father of young children. We compared notes on how we manage our diabetes.
9 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
On September 11, 1998, Jackie Warren Demijohn, 42, a domestic violence outreach counselor from Farwell, Michigan, took a monumental leap in controlling the diabetes she had suffered from for the last 37 years. Demijohn underwent the first-ever islet and bone marrow transplant at the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) in Miami.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
November 1999
I attended a party this weekend at a friend's house. The hostess said, "Scott, I want you to meet my brother-in-law, Alan. He has diabetes, and you two should talk."
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
National Diabetes Month is always a good time to stop and take stock of how much you really know about managing your diabetes. With a large assortment of new books on the market, understanding your diabetes can be that much easier.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
October 1999
Welcome to this month's issue, and our feature story on driving.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1999
In 1993, Ross Adler of Lakewood, Washington, was 58 years old and taking a four-shot-per-day regimen of NPH and Regular insulin for a total of 110 units per day. His HbA1c was 8.4%, and his fasting C-peptide was 3 ng/mL which strongly suggested type 2 diabetes was caused by insulin resistance. Obviously, with such a high HbA1c, his injected insulin was not lowering his blood sugars.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1999
How do diabetes nurse educators keep up on the latest information? First of all, they read Diabetes Health. That's what they tell us every year at the Annual Meeting and Educational Program for the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). This year's convention, the 26th for the AADE, was held in Orlando, Florida.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1999
Nothing has changed. Recent studies show that the majority of Americans are still exercising less and gaining more weight. This could mean trouble for people with diabetes, and anyone who wants to stay healthy.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1999
September 1999
In 1978, at age 21, I ran away to Hawaii to work on a cruise ship. In those days, I never told anyone that I had diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
Not too long ago, I received a hero's medal from Joslin Diabetes Center for having diabetes for more than 50 years. Now approaching 52 years with diabetes, I'm still going strong. I've had a few complications from diabetes, but nothing that has kept me from leading an active life. The complications I've experienced have made me more determined to maintain my present quality of life.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
Doctors Say "Noncompliant" is an Irrelevant Term
1 comment - Posted Sep 1, 1999
In a new book, "The Diabetes Cure," author Vern Cherewatenko, MD, claims that an herbal compound, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), coupled with a chromium supplement, plus some serious dieting and exercise, is the cure for type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
August 1999
Recently, while trying to keep track of the kids and the shopping list at a big department store, yours truly had a low blood sugar. I immediately sat down, and my meter confirmed a reading of 52 mg/dl. Fortunately, I was carrying glucose tablets and everything was okay.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1999
DI: First, we have a message to pass along. Shannon Openshaw called us, from Bemidji, Minnesota. Her 11-year-old daughter, Adrienne, was diagnosed with diabetes in March. Shannon and Adrienne want to tell you that you gave her courage. She was feeling like she was going to have to give up a lot, but you changed that. They say, thanks.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1999
July 1999
A great number of skin creams and lotions are formulated for, and marketed to, people with diabetes, but why? What is it that makes people with diabetes require skin care products, and why do those products need to be specifically designed for diabetics?
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
You like our changes! All of us at DIABETES HEALTH enjoyed hearing from so many of you that you liked our new layout. We now start the feature stories inside the publication, which reduces the number of page jumps. This opened more room on the front page for our talented art director, Hansen Tom, to create a beautiful illustration.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
DIABETES HEALTH: Can you give us a typical day for you, in terms of diabetes self-care?
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
Visually Impaired Need Braille on Insulin Vials
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
June 1999
I wish that someone had handed me this issue when I got diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
NutraSweet Manufacturer: Beware Internet Rumors, Not Us
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
“I was scared to death.” Freezing, out of food and lost near the top of one of the world’s highest mountains, type 1 Colby Smith has to decide. Should he save himself and head down the mountain to safety and leave his friend behind to die, or stay with his friend, which could kill them both.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
DIABETES HEALTH: Chelsea Smith, a 6-year-old reader from Sidney, Maine, was just diagnosed a few weeks ago. First, she wants to know if she can get a poster of you. And, she wants to ask you, do you still take shots?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
May 1999
Readers Sweet On Aspartame Article but ADA Sour
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1999
Miss America, Nicole Johnson, took time out at the "Day of Hope" to say hello to DIABETES HEALTH publisher Scott M. King. The "Day of Hope" was held March 27 in Palm Springs, California, as a diabetes product fair and research forum. It featured Miss America and three speakers from the diabetes business and research world. Alberto Hayek, MD, a leading islet researcher, announced that he is replicating beta cells 1 to 25,000, a true breakthrough on the road to islet transplantation. Another speaker, Scott R. King of Islet Sheet Medical, will collaborate with Hayek and use the replicated cells for his company's work in encapsulating islets for transplantation. Finally, Russell Potts, vice president at Cygnus, hopeful makers of a watch-like, noninvasive glucose monitor, presented his views on noninvasive blood testing.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1999
April 1999
Readers Desperate to Hang On to Animal Insulin
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1999
March 1999
I recently spoke to 200 people at the Desert Diabetes Club in Palm Springs, California. The talk went great, and the Question & Answer part of the speech was the best part for me because it gave me an opportunity to see what was on the minds of people with diabetes. I learned that what people with diabetes wanted the most was tips and information they could use for the treatment of their diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1999
February 1999
Our top feature this month examines the controversy surrounding the popular type 2 diabetes drug, Rezulin. Should a medication that has demonstrated injury in some individuals be withdrawn from the market? Or, should we consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks?
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
My daughter, Savannah, was diagnosed with diabetes at 9 years of age. At that time, she was put on insulin injections. For at least the first three years, her HbA1cs were in the normal ranges, and we were able to control her diabetes. She started having problems, however, as soon as she got into her teenage years. Her HbA1cs rose to the 8% range, and no matter what we did, nothing helped.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
Kurt hates shots. Since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 4, my wife and I administered all of his shots, whether he was at home, school or a slumber party. Kurt seemed unusually sensitive to pain. Although Kurt was intelligent enough to draw them up, count carbs and appropriately suggest how to treat highs and lows, he refused to do the shots himself.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
The photographer for our injection technique photo essay is Greg Bailey of San Francisco.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
Dear Scott King-From Ann Landers - Many thanks for your letter and the excerpts from emails sent by your readers in response to my column on diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
Jerry Long was 8 years old when he first went to the rodeo in his hometown, Roswell, New Mexico. Almost 50 years later, he's still at it, having won 18 titles, a couple saddles and more belt buckles than anyone could ever use.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
February seems a good month to view the wintry weather outside from a comfortable chair, accompanied by a steaming cup of sugar-free hot cocoa and a pile of diabetes cookbooks. From the many available choices, here are a few I highly recommend:
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
January 1999
On this issue's front page we begin the story of Ann Landers' comment that people with diabetes who test and inject at restaurant tables exhibit "gross insensitivity and very poor manners."
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
When I read the letter from Katherine Smith of Wood River, Illinois ["Stop Covering Type 2 Diabetes"], I immediately felt that this woman needed to be properly informed. Diabetes, no matter what type, cannot be cured, and any research in the field of diabetes is beneficial to all.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
Authors Biermann and Toohey strike again. This prolific diabetes duo has updated their supremely popular book, The Diabetic's Book: All Your Questions Answered. Praise for previous editions says that it is a down-to-earth, practical and upbeat guide anyone can understand.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
Last month I received a medal from the Joslin Diabetes Center for surviving diabetes for over 50 years. I became part of an elite group of over 1200 type 1s who refuse to surrender to diabetes and keep on going despite some heavy loads on our systems. How do you survive this disease and keep on living life to the fullest? It isn't easy, or they wouldn't hand out hero medals to us survivors.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
December 1998
My wife's mother, Carol, has been staying with us recently. She's had type 2 diabetes for 14 years, and this past year her vision deteriorated to the point where she is now legally blind. Then, she had a stroke six months ago.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
Tis the season for gift giving. Every year, the kid in me loves to exchange Christmas "wish lists" with my husband, Danny. Year after year, his wish remains that I continue to take good care of my diabetes and stay healthy until he can figure out a way to find the cure. I am always moved by his kindness, partnership and generosity of spirit. This year, I wondered how other families with diabetes feel about holiday gifts. I thought you might enjoy hearing some responses to my question.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
November 1998
Five years ago, Nicole Johnson, 24, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after contracting a flu virus. Up until that point, blood glucose management was probably something to which she had never given much thought. She learned that her daily life would be forever altered as a result of the disease.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1998
October 1998
Diabetes is a rich and growing industry. Last year alone, the diabetes medication market grew 23 percent. Furthermore, 2,186 more of us are diagnosed with diabetes in this country every day. Do the math and you'll see a growing market.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1998
September 1998
I, personally, enjoy reading the recently published diabetes research. We subscribe to several journals which publish findings from doctors and other researchers.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
Vince Brewerton has had type 1 diabetes for nine years. By using a software program that was compatible with his glucose meter, he was able to learn how to tighten his control. The software allowed him to see how his glucose levels changed throughout the day and, in turn, adjust his insulin doses accordingly.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
Preliminary results from research performed at Children's Hospital Los Angeles by the Starbright Foundation suggests that the Diabetes CD-ROM is effective in teaching kids about diabetes. When compared to other education methods-including a three-hour group session of educational games and activities and a 1991 Nintendo video game designed to help kids learn about managing their insulin levels-the CD-ROM produced the best overall results. For example, children who used the CD-ROM had better HbA1c levels, higher diabetes knowledge scores, and were more comfortable talking to parents and friends about their diabetes than those who engaged in the other activities.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
It was over a business meal in a fancy Buffalo, New York, restaurant that the hottest new weight-loss and insulin-control program was born. The program is called Sugar Busters.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
August 1998
Last night I woke up with a start. Before opening my eyes I was sure there was a loud phone ringing at the foot my bed. When I looked, there was no phone. Why was I awake then? I went to the dinning room to test my blood sugar, and sure enough, it was low-34 mg/dl. I had glucose tablets right there and I ate them.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1998
July 1998
Prompted by Scott King's April 1998 column ("Questions for a Cure"), Camillo Ricordi, MD, sent in his response to Scott's series of questions regarding islet cell transplantation. Ricordi is a Professor of Surgery and Medicine and Chief of the Division of Cellular Transplantation, Department of Surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the scientific director of the Diabetes Research Institute in Miami. He is a pioneer in the field of islet cell transplantation and is credited with developing an islet cell isolation technique that allows researchers and doctors to obtain enough islets from a single pancreas to treat a recipient.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1998
Jeremy, who was attending summer football practice, did not want to wear his pump while playing. He had a morning basal rate of 1.0 units (Humalog) per hour. Halfway through practice, he would do a finger stick test. If his glucose was any higher than when he started, he would reconnect to his pump long enough to deliver a 1.0 unit bolus. However, he found this was not working. Practice lasted up to four hours and his afternoon glucose levels were frequently high.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1998
There are few feelings as potent or deep as the love we hold for our children. Their playful innocence reaches into our hearts, past many adult concerns and preoccupations, and reminds us about simplicity. A toothless smile, the infectious laughter from a tickle, a clinging hug - simple, yet profound reminders of what is truly important. Our children change us from the inside out, if we let them. Yet I have never liked drastic change. I prefer slow, predictable adjustment. But neither slow nor predictable characterized the type of change I experienced in the summer of 1990.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1998
June 1998
I was very saddened to find out that Steven Craig, an islet cell transplant patient that we have written about on so many occasions in the magazine, had died at the age of 43. It seems that Mr. Craig took his own life, and his death was not a result of his diabetes, or was it?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1998
Sixty-seven-year-old Gerald Lundstrom thinks it's his hearty Swedish stock that has something to do with his good health after fifty years of diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1998
May 1998
Ever wonder what goes on behind the political machinery of our Nation's Capitol? How exactly do our congresspeople find out what's really important to people with diabetes? Patient advocate and long-time DIABETES HEALTH contributor Joan Hoover found out firsthand when she was recently invited to Washington, D.C., for the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus Briefing on diabetes research. Here is her personal account of that meeting.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1998
April 1998
U-Lactin Lotion - 8 oz for $11: "It's available at a low price, and it combines the benefits of ten percent urea and two percent lactic acid. There are no other cremes out there with this combination. The lactic acid helps exfoliate the dead skin cells and the urea helps to hold the moisture in the skin. This is good for anyone with dry skin." - Lea Roberts
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
I was thrilled to hear President Clinton had allocated $300 million more to diabetes research. It felt like diabetes was finally getting some of the attention it deserved. Still, it feels like the battle is only half won. I firmly believe that the research community should be held accountable to us - the people with diabetes who will eventually benefit from their work. Unfortunately, the average person with diabetes has very little say in what sort of research gets funded.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
Linda Fredrickson, MA, RN, CDE, vice president of global medical education at MiniMed Inc., writes that pump users who do not swim for such an extended period of time usually disconnect from their infusion site. Fredrickson offers Emily Adamski, a 15-year-old who was recently on the cover of Diabetes Forecast, as an example of how the pump can be managed when swimming.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
Every time I draw up an insulin shot for my son Joey I am acutely aware of what could happen if the immediate future does not proceed as I expect. Most of the time the problems that arise are not the result of anything Joey or I have consciously done, but rather are the fault of circumstance, i.e., a meal is not delivered on time, an unexpected phone call is received or a car breaks down after an insulin injection has been given. Unforeseen events like these can usually be remedied by carrying supplies of sugar and insulin. But recently I experienced an unpredictable event that had dangerous consequences.
9 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
In response to February 1998's article "Out of Africa" on Arthur Teuscher's, MD, work in Tanzania, DIABETES HEALTH has received numerous letters and phone calls from concerned readers asking where they can donate insulin and money to those diabetics who lack the basics of diabetes care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
March 1998
This month Spencer turns five. He was born two years after we started Diabetes Health, and Miranda followed 19 months later. In many ways, we have all grown up together.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1998
February 1998
I was seventeen years old when the doctor told me I had diabetes. In the weeks that followed I heard many strange things about my new disease. Friends, neighbors and relatives had plenty to say about my diabetes and very little of it was positive.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
Arthur Teuscher, MD, has been committed to providing quality diabetes care for many years and has truly international experience in the field. He attended medical school at the University of Berne and the University Paris. He did his residency at Boston City Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston in the early fifties.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
Every person with diabetes needs to be informed about current treatments and advances in the fight against diabetes. However, just 10 years ago there was little helpful information available. "It was monumentally depressing. There was little in the way of selection when it came to books on diabetes and what there was made it sound like you'd have to live the rest of your life like a lab rat," says Barbara Toohey co-founder of The Sugar Free Center and co-owner with June Biermann of Prana Books.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
January 1998
Last month I excitedly reported that a march on Washington had been announced. However, it grew so fast that the planners had to step back and take a second look. They are now calling it a "Political Impact Rally," and the date might be changing. For more information, a toll free number has been set up by volunteer Robin Harrison. Call (888) 253-7144 to find out more about this emerging, grassroots advocacy campaign.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1998
Wanna lose 15 pounds in just under 12 hours? Just try Scott Coleman's liquid diet.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1998
December 1997
Last month, hundreds of thousands of African-American women marched on Washington, D.C. in a show of solidarity. This followed on the heels of the Promise Keepers' rally and the Million Man March two years ago. Each of these called for the participants to take a more active role in their own families and communities.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
Q: What information do you have on the latest work being done on islet cell transplants for type I diabetics? When my 13-year-old daughter was diagnosed four and a half years ago, it seemed a cure was around the corner. Now it seems there are more obstacles than resolutions. Any hopeful information?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
Health Care Professional Calls to Save Insulin
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
November 1997
In 1994 there were 110.4 million people with diabetes worldwide. By the year 2010, researchers estimate the number will skyrocket to 239.3 million.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
It seems like half of America is either on a diet or thinking about going on one. Every month a new exercise fad is promoted as the miracle solution to weight loss. Entire sections of grocery stores are devoted to fat-free foods and low-calorie snack items. Book shops feature the latest in celebrity exercise books and tapes. Yet, statistics tell us that Americans are still gaining weight.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
October 1997
When human insulin first appeared on the market it was thought to be a "special" insulin and the beef/pork insulin that I had taken for years was termed "standard" insulin. A lot has changed since those days. What was once thought to be the standard is now in danger of being pulled from the market.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1997
September 1997
I recently learned of a famous diabetologist, Dr. Lawrence in England, who made all the endocrinologists he trained take a shot of insulin to experience an insulin shock. He felt this was necessary for them to become good doctors.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
Laura Greenfield has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 18 years. When told by health professionals that exercise would help her control BGs she tried it. Unfortunately, Laura discovered that exercise is a tricky balancing act and not simply a matter of physical exertion. At first, she found it made it even more difficult to maintain stable BG levels.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
August 1997
In May, I printed a survey in my column asking you how you felt about the direction of NIH spending on diabetes research. We have received an overwhelming response to the survey. My personal thanks to everyone who sent in a response.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
1. The current diabetes research funding system needs to be reformed.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
I developed diabetes at age four. Since having the disease I have been fearful. Not fearful of the ravages of diabetic complications, nor the endless medical tests and incompetent residents; but fearful of rejection due to my diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
July 1997
I have been taking the new insulin Humalog for almost a year now. It took plenty of getting used to - I had to increase my basal insulin and completely relearn when to take my meal shot. But it's been working great.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1997
Adam Greiner's story as told to DIABETES HEALTH by his mother, Barbara Greiner-Read, RN, CDE from the Valley Health System in Hemet, Calif.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1997
June 1997
Information from a leader in the field of islet cell transplantation has gotten me very excited. The novel work being done with pig islets by Encelle, Inc. appears to hold great promise for the success of cross-species islet transplantation.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
You're over 50 and taking time to smell the roses when suddenly you get stung. The doctor says you have type II diabetes and must alter your lifestyle. Forget those maple bars at the office every morning. Dust off your running shoes in the back of the closet. That midlife crisis has arrived, and it's nothing you expected.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
Get a medical exam before you start an exercise program. Exercising in the morning while the insulin level is low works well for most people with type I diabetes. Exercising 30 minutes to two hours after a meal or snack works well for most people. Prevent low blood sugars with slow carbs, such as athletic bars or protein-enriched pasta. Treat low blood sugars with fast carbs, such as glucose tablets or dextrose candies. Eat a protein/carb snack or a bar with slow-acting carbohydrates (Nite Bite, etc.) before bed after intense/long exercise or any exercise out of your ordinary range to keep your blood sugar from dropping overnight. Regular exercise trains the body and stabilizes the blood sugar. Always carry fast carbs with you as you exercise. To learn more about exercise and diabetes check with your health care professional and read STOP the Rollercoaster, a comprehensive book on managing your blood sugars (available by calling 800-988-4772).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
The Diabetic Man: A Guide to Health and Success in All Areas of Your Life
by Peter Lodewick, MD, June Biermann and Barbara Toohey
(Lowell House, $16)
To purchase call Prana Publications at (800) 735-7726.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
May 1997
In the past few months two of my columns seem to have touched a raw nerve. In one piece I asked, in reference to the money earmarked for diabetes research each year by the National Institutes of Health, "What would you do with $300 million?" The other column that generated several reactions was a piece focusing on the great strides made by AIDS activists in their efforts to influence research funding decisions. Reactions to both columns have been pouring in ever since.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1997
1. The current diabetes research funding system needs to be reformed.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1997
April 1997
Even after 22 years of managing my diabetes I run into situations that get me wondering, "Am I having a hypo or am I just under stress?" These situations always serve to remind me that despite our very best intentions and efforts to make it so, life is anything but predictable.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1997
During a recent trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law I hit a piece of metal on the interstate and my front left tire was ruined. Changing the tire wasn't a difficult process, but it used energy that was not accounted for in my calculations of exercise, insulin and food intake.
2 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1997
March 1997
I recently read a terrific new book about AIDS activism that has me very excited. It has powerful insights into the pharmaceutical industry, government regulations and the politics of activism that I believe can be applied to diabetes as well. The book, Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of Knowledge, is written by Steven Epstein.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
Exercise for people with diabetes is crucial for good glycemic control. Type Is can reduce their insulin doses and type 2s can reduce the risk of numerous complications. But exercise for people with diabetes also requires special attention because it has special risks. The following list of recommendations should help you avoid any unnecessary risk when it comes to all forms of exercise - from dancing to jogging.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
Interested in learning more about how to control your diabetes? Steven Edelman, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego, is directing a series of conferences specifically designed for people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
February 1997
Your response to DIABETES HEALTH's subscription information raffle cards was overwhelming. Congratulations once again to the 20 winners of five-year subscriptions announced last month.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
Bill King was training for the Philadelphia marathon when he noticed that no matter how much he drank, he had an inexhaustible thirst. He was easily fatigued and had to go to the bathroom constantly. He had been running and training hard since the age of 17 as a competitive runner. Yet, at 24, it suddenly seemed like everything he had worked for was slipping through his fingers due to this mysterious illness.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
January 1997
It seems hard to believe that a simple, over-the-counter vitamin could greatly reduce the chance of developing cardiovascular disease, lower HbA1c levels and improve insulin sensitivity without anyone having noticed. But, until recently, vitamin E seems to have been doing just that.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1997
November 1996
October 1996
I've just returned from the big diabetes conference in New Orleans. It was a gathering of over 2,000 diabetes educators and companies representing products and services relating to diabetes. We had a booth in the exhibit hall along with hundreds of other companies. Three of us from Diabetes Health attended the show to shake hands with diabetes educators and meet with advertisers, and I also attended some of the lectures.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
Like many people with diabetes, Ted Wright doesn't always wait 30-40 minutes to eat after injecting his regular insulin.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
In the current controversy between advocates of high-carbohydrates versus those who insist upon low-carbohydrates, doctors have taken to making broad, sweeping statements concerning the human race. Each side seems to have a completely different idea of what causes disease.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
September 1996
My mom and I were on the phone last night talking about our diabetes. She's a type 2 on insulin and really struggles keeping her blood sugars down.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1996
There came a point in Evelyn Narad's life when she knew it was time to get serious about losing weight. She was 75 years old and had been diagnosed with type II diabetes 22 years ago. A broken shoulder and hand in the summer of 1995 kept her from exercising, and every inactive day she spent inside her house seemed like another pound gained.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1996
August 1996
A new book which may revolutionize the way people with diabetes analyze food is being published out of Australia and Canada. The book, The G.I. Factor: The Glycaemic Index Solution, is a definitive look at an underutilized tool.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1996
Diabetes has affected my life since before I was born. You see, my father was diagnosed with diabetes in his early teen years. By the time I was born, chronic high blood sugars had done their devastating damage to him-he was nearly blind and in the advanced stages of diabetic kidney disease. He died of the latter complication when he was just over 30 years old. I was nearly 3 at the time and my older brother was five. My mother was left to raise us alone, and developed good deal of anger at the disease. I know many of us share that anger towards diabetes and how it has affected our lives.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1996
Until recently, 21-year-old Don Fitzreiter didn't have any problems with his diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1996
The first recipients of the Lifescan Prize for athletic achievement were announced at the 1996 International Diabetic Athletes Association (IDAA) Conference held in Tempe, Arizona, March 31 - April 3. This year the $20,000 prize was split three ways by Pratt Rather, Klaudia Birkner and Erick Gonzalez Fritsche, each earning over $6,000 toward equipment and training.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1996
July 1996
There has been much debate in recent years surrounding the use of animal vs. human insulin. Since the introduction of human insulin over 10 years ago, the reputation of animal insulin has taken a beating. Critics have derided it as an antiquated, impure and a less desirable alternative, and in many countries it has been taken off the market completely. This trend, however, may be unwarranted and depriving some people of an insulin which suits them best. New research is answering many questions about this controversy.
2 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1996
June 1996
In our May issue we presented you an exceptional piece of reporting, which originally appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The story, about Biocontrol Technology, Inc., was written by Gazette Staff Writer Patricia Sabatini, who has been following the company for quite a while now. DIABETES HEALTH has also been watching Biocontrol, and as I look through our stories and those run by the Post-Gazette I am hit with one notion: It must be nice to make $700,000 a year and not even have to deal with the pesky task of actually producing a product.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
Reviewed by Bruce W. Bode, MD
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
Not satisfied just working 40 hours a week in diabetes care, Eva Bradley, RN, BSN, CDE, designed a remarkable new exercise routine for people with diabetes in her spare time. The program, which Eva calls "Spiritualcise," combines the physical needs of self-care with the emotional needs of self-esteem.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
This past February, actress Mary Tyler Moore took time out from the release of her new film Flirting With Disaster to address the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education subcommittee on the importance of diabetes research.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
May 1996
I was recently invited down to Palm Springs by Jim Cook to participate in "A Day of Hope," a day of researchers speaking at the Eisenhower Medical Center Desert Diabetes Club. For two years, Jim, President Emeritus of the Desert Diabetes Club, has worked on this one day to invite all the people concerned about diabetes in the Palm Springs area to hear scientists talk about the latest research-the things Jim feels offer the most hope to people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
April 1996
I have been sifting through the pages of several diabetes medical journals from all over the world over. My impressions are mixed. A very few articles are clear and significant for people with diabetes, while most are written only for a select few. These have titles so complicated, I have to get out the medical dictionary even to read them. I don't question their validity, but with titles such as "Anglotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism and development of diabetic nephropathy in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus," it makes it difficult to know whether I'm looking at the next cure or maybe a stepping-stone for someone to get their next grant. I read through over 300 articles and selected the seven which follow. I felt these had relevant information to help people with diabetes make better informed choices.
1 comment - Posted Apr 1, 1996
In 1993 Terri Hopkins was diagnosed with diabetes and placed on insulin. Until only recently, Terri was miserable. Not only was she trying to accept her diabetes (a process that took about two years), but she gained weight. Her blood glucose levels averaged 260 mg/dl, and with an A1c of 9.8, she realized that she would never feel comfortable about having a baby.
1 comment - Posted Apr 1, 1996
The Diabetes Sports and Exercise Book by Claudia Graham, CDE, PhD, MPH, June Biermann and Barbara Toohey
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1996
Hypo-Hyper: 101 Short Stories About Diabetes
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1996
March 1996
Jolted awake at 4 am with a low blood sugar, my heart racing, is not my first choice to begin a bright day. While it was still dark, I staggered out of bed to find my tube of Dex 4's. I should have tried to get right back in bed, but my hunger was overwhelming. Grabbing a bathrobe, I plodded out of the bedroom to plunder the fridge. I ate three oranges, a pear, and two pieces of toast before my hunger pangs subsided. I was wide awake with my heart still pounding from the hypoglycemia.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
Go to any bookstore and look at the diet and cookbook section. You'll find book after book of lowfat diet plans and cookbooks. Go to any market and you'll see shelf after shelf of lowfat products. You'd think the lowfat lifestyle was the only way to go. The Fickle Finger of food facts can't abide by this. It just has to swivel in the opposite direction. And strangely enough, that swivel is starting right here in Diabetesland.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
February 1996
The big news of the day for me is that carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of a group of muscular-skeletal manifestations common to diabetes. Most people know about retinopathy [eyes], nephropathy [kidneys], and neuropathy [nerves]. But many are not aware of this whole other group of degenerative problems that relate to the joints.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1996
Forget the uptight approach to diabetes management. When patients come to Rhonda Howard, RD, CDE, at the Humphreys Diabetes Center in Boise, Idaho, they are taught to trust their bodies instead of fight them.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1996
In August 1992 I was taking life for granted and having a great time. I was especially elated because I had lost weight, dropping from 135 to 113 pounds.
1 comment - Posted Feb 1, 1996
Troglitazone is a new insulin-action enhancer currently in the third phase of clinical testing. Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research has announced that a pilot study at St. Joseph Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., showed that the drug lowers blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study also found that the drug can help reduce and even eliminate daily insulin injections in type 2 diabetics.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1996
Now in its sixth edition, Diabetes Mellitus: A Practical Handbook by Sue K. Milchovich, RN, BSN, CDE, and Barbara Dunn-Long, RD, is a terrific source of information for anyone with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1996
January 1996
A little more than two months ago, I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a painful affliction of a nerve in the wrist-a problem that turns out to be 15 times more common in people with diabetes than in the general population. Last issue, I wrote about my early prognosis and the healing methods I had already tried. I asked people to call the DIABETES HEALTH office and tell me about their experiences with CTS. To my amazement, I received calls from dozens of readers. I found all of your stories helpful. Many of you asked me to report back about what I've learned.
1 comment - Posted Jan 1, 1996
In her subtle way, my wife Maria suggests that I began to "fall apart" after we married. The inference being that I kept the lid on damaged goods to win her hand. "Coincidence," I tell her.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
The Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center in Virginia published a report in the May 1995 American Journal of Hypertension about the use of tolazamide as an alternative to insulin therapy.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
December 1995
Here in San Francisco, we are marking the sixth anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. My insurance company is celebrating by doing all they can to not insure homes against pesky natural disasters. My agent called recently to tell me the company never received our payment, and they were canceling our insurance.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
Managing the only diabetes facility of its kind in the state of Kentucky is not an easy job, but Liz Grabowski, RN, CDE, MSN, ARNP, loves it.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
You reach a point in your life when it's time to set an awesome goal for yourself. I was at that point when I saw an ad for the California AIDS Ride 2, a seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. They called it "the adventure of a lifetime," and they were right!
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
One day Don Brennen was windsurfing near the San Francisco Airport. The sport is a strenuous one, and when he began to lose his balance and feel disoriented, Brennen blamed it on the exertion combined with fumes from the airport. Luckily, he made it back to the beach and began to feel better.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
November 1995
About a month ago I was driving to Santa Cruz and noticed a tingling in my fingers. It got worse when I put my hands up on the steering wheel and better when I rested them on the bottom. During this two-hour drive, it was a struggle to keep my fingers from falling asleep. Soon after, I began to wake up often during the night, having to reposition my hands so they would stop tingling.
8 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
Whom do you turn to for your changing needs as a teen with diabetes? Jean Betschart and Susan Thom have produced a great book that is sure to bring independence to the lives of many young adult readers.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
October 1995
As a publisher whose primary goal is to provide my readers with the truth, it was a real challenge to explore the work Loran Medical Systems is doing.(see page 1, October 1995 issue).
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1995
At last! Someone who not only listens, but actually responds in the best possible way! Janet Meirelles, RN, is a Certified Diabetes Educator, a support group facilitator, as well as a gifted listener and author. Her book Diabetes is Not a Piece of Cake should be in every home and library.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1995
Glucose Meter Debate!
The following letters are from our new internet users group. Join us at diabetes@netcom.com.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1995
September 1995
Does diabetes leave you feeling alone? Join the club-literally. Diabetes support groups are forming all over the country, offering people with diabetes a chance to share info, ideas and good company.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
As you know, there is much to diabetes beyond what transpires within the doctor's office. My life, the past 30 years, has included nearly all facets of diabetes-from the purely medical to the organizational, financial, political, research and international aspects of diabetes- but always with an eye on the need to rid ourselves of the scourge itself.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
Recently I attended a book reading by one of my favorite authors. The coffeehouse was packed with his admirers. Sometime around the middle of the reading, I sensed that I was becoming hypoglycemic. I reached into my purse for the fruit bar I put there just for this purpose. As I began to open it, I realized for the first time that the wrapper was extremely noisy. I stopped unwrapping. When I resumed, I did everything I could to silence the crinkly wrapper. When the woman in front of me looked back at me and glared, I quickly (and loudly) ripped it open to end the noise.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
He looks a little like NBA player Charles Barkley, but Charles Ray III is another kind of star.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
The transplantation of pancreatic islet cells is the only known potential cure for type I diabetes, and in spite of many promising results in animal studies, it remains a highly experimental and costly operation for humans. In January 1994, DIABETES HEALTH spoke to Steven Craig, the first person to receive encapsulated islet cell transplants.
2 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
August 1995
Big news-LifeScan has won its patent infringement lawsuit against Polymer. People with diabetes see this issue as more than just an impersonal business announcement. This news affects our lives.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
I suppose it happens at least once in the life of a type I DM'er. After almost nine years, I had my first *BAD* hypo.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
July 1995
This article is part of an exercise chapter from the authors' new book, Stop The Rollercoaster, written with Lois Jovanovic-Peterson, MD. The book explains the use of multiple injections, carb counting, blood sugar patterns, and reducing risks for complications. Stop the Rollercoaster will be available from Torrey Pines Press (800) 988-4772 in September. For a diabetes update and information on the internet, set your browser to diabetesnet.com.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
It was a year ago that Evelyn Narad found herself practically immobilized by a broken shoulder. A 74-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes, she was very overweight, dependent on daily insulin, and miserable.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Set your expectations correctly. Give yourself about two years to master your diabetes. Mastering your diabetes is a lot like skiing: It takes just a day to get started but years to get good at it. Go with the flow. The process of mastery is not only long but cyclic, too. There are times of great satisfaction and times of great frustration. When you're succeeding, pat yourself on the back for all of your hard work-you deserve good health. When you're frustrated, honor that emotion. Just keep working at it until you bust through to the next level. Expect setbacks along the road. Sometimes you'll even think that you're regressing and getting worse. Contact people who can help you. Unfortunately 95% of people with diabetes are not seeing a specialist. You can't get good advice from people who don't know about diabetes any more than you can squeeze blood from a turnip. Find out the qualifications of those you entrust with your health. Ask questions such as, "When was the last diabetes seminar you attended and what did you learn?" Ask for references. Interview some of their patients with diabetes. Don't hesitate to speak up for yourself or bring someone who will-mother, daughter, brother or friend. Write down your questions. If you want to eat pumpkin pie, ask a dietitian to help you figure it out. You are the consumer; spend your healthcare dollars wisely. 4. Read books that can help you. Don't rely completely on your doctor or your diabetes care team. Diabetes care is changing very quickly and you need to read to stay informed. In the past five years alone major changes have affected diet, insulin, and insulin delivery, and blood testing. Pump therapy and the management of type 2 diabetes have also undergone big changes. Don't go looking for trouble. If you have diabetes you need to test your blood sugar regularly. When your blood sugar is consistently over 180 mg/dl, it starts to damage body tissues. This is how beef jerky is made, by curing meat in sugar. Years of high blood sugar can cross link your proteins and weaken your body. Become street smart about foods and exercise. You need to become an expert about these things. Here are some questions everyone needs to find answers for: How much carbohydrate, how much fat and how much protein is in this food? How fast will it raise my blood sugar? How much fruit can I eat and when? Do I know how to count carbohydrates? How much insulin should I take if I exercise? Which kind of insulin should I be using? Should I be on an "intensive insulin therapy?" Join a group. Admit that you might want support. Ask around for an existing meeting or start you own. There are good books about starting support groups. I just heard two great names: a type I women's group that goes by "Don't Call Us Honey!" and some pump-using women who call themselves "Babes on Pumps." These people feel absolutely great about what they are doing. There you have it-7 steps to mastering diabetes. I'm sure there are more, but I'm out of room.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Eileen Corkery started her career as a visiting nurse, bringing healthcare into peoples' homes. Fifteen years later, she's still educating, but now people come to her.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Sarah and Puffle: A Story for Children About Diabetes by Linnea Mulder, R.N.-27 pages, $8.95 + S&H
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Good food is one of the joys of life...but what if you don't have time for culinary school? The solution to the age-old question is at hand-Frank R. Blenn's Healthy Selects series.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Having diabetes doesn't make us all instant medical experts. It can be just as hard for us to understand "doctor lingo" as it is for the average guy on the street-we just hear more of it!
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
June 1995
I woke up yesterday at 3 a.m. I wasn't quiet sure if it was because I was having a low blood sugar or waking up from a bad dream.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
I suppose the story begins when I first developed the symptoms of diabetes, at age 35.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
Reader Disappointed with DI, Says We've Lost Our "Enthusiasm"
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
May 1995
I have a collection of coffee mugs. There is one mug in particular that is my all-time favorite ... a fact I made known to my husband in hopes to secure my exclusive rights to it. He used it the other day -I forgave him.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1995
April 1995
Eli Lilly responded to Ressmeyer with a letter informing him that "The rising costs of continued production of some formulations, in view of decreasing therapeutic use of them here and abroad, forced us to reevaluate our strategy. The result was that we substantially narrowed our insulin product line by discontinuing some lesser used products, such as animal Ultralente insulin."
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
Captain's Log, Stardate 43015.283.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
After three months on the pump, I may have my basal rate close to being set. This comes just in time to begin a new physical labor job in a week or so and refigure the whole dang process.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
Jean Oswald Konrady, RN, a diabetes educator at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla., died in August. She was 43 when she lost her battle with breast cancer.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
Intensive Management? Tight control? Those words are pretty daunting. I don't think you have to be a teenager to rebel against the idea of tight control.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
March 1995
In our November and December issues we tackled the topic of animal insulins being pulled off the market by Novo Nordisk in our article "Where's the Beef?" Also in my column I wrote about my personal experiences with taking beef Ultralente insulin (beef U). I had discovered an insulin which worked perfectly for me while I was off my insulin pump. While taking beef U I had better blood sugar control than I had ever been able to achieve before. The rub in this matter is that the insulin, beef U is no longer available.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1995
Diabetic complications are usually listed as the five horrors: blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy, heart attack, and amputation.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1995
February 1995
It appears that I am an atypical diabetic. I am a type 2 who was not obese at the time of diagnosis at age 44. In addition, I wound up on insulin within six months of diagnosis, after I had made a good faith effort to maintain my blood sugars with diet, exercise, and oral medications.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1995
Nomination Letter:
It is our great pleasure to recommend our colleague, Laurinda Poirier, MPH, RN, CDE, Director of Clinical and Educational Services here at the Joslin Diabetes Center, for your "Educator of the Month.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1995
They say there are two types of people in this world; Those who go around obstacles and those who just go right over them.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1995
January 1995
December 1994
Martha Teter, RN, M. Ed., CDE was selected as the Diabetes Educator for Western Ohio in 1991, and is a member of the Dayton Area Diabetes Association. She is presently the coordinator of the Diabetes Education program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, Ohio.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1994
November 1994
October 1994
Phyllis Furst, RN, MA, CDE is a diabetes nurse educator in Long Island, New York. She is the Diabetes Education Director at the Endocrinology and Diabetes Associates of Long Island in Rockville Center, a 3 physician diabetes and endocrinology practice, and has had type I diabetes for 22 years.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1994
August 1994
Q: I am going on 58 years old and have had diabetes since 1980. Initially I weighed 127 at 5' 8". I was unusual in that I was not overweight. The first 8 years my control was micronase and jogging with poor results, including 11 pounds of weight and muscle loss, and for the last six have been on insulin. I am now on regular before meals and ultra lente at bedtime. For the last four years I've been on a 3 day weekly weight lifting and cardio program at Gold's gym. By 1993 I had gained 29 pounds with much of that being muscle. A diet change to more vegetarian brought me to my present 136. Until last October I was completely debilitated after exercise to the point I would have to take a nap and felt like I was hit by a truck. In October, with a new trainer, I decreased my weights and started doing the same routine each day, with a new cardio routine, actually more strenuous in part. My routine is 12 minutes on the Gauntlet, and 13 on the treadmill, and 1 1/2 hours weight lifting.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1994
Evelyne Fleury-Milfort, RN, MSN, CDE, FNP, is a diabetes nurse educator in Los Angeles, California. She works at the University of Southern California University Hospital and at a low-income clinic.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1994
July 1994
June 1994
Susan Thom, RD, LD, CDE, is a dietician and diabetes educator in Cleveland, Ohio. She runs a private practice called Diabetes Associates with her partner, an RN, and is involved in many local programs as well as national ones. Susan Thom is also the incoming president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1994
April 1994
Many of you read my column one year ago about the birth of my son Spencer. It was probably the most popular column I had ever written and described an event that was extremely challenging.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1994
Margaret J. Wilkman, RN, CDE, is a clinical nurse specialist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. She is part of a consulting team, consisting of an endocrine specialist, a dietitian, and a clinical nurse specialist, that sees patients with diabetes who were admitted to the hospital for reasons other than diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1994
February 1994
Diabetes is commonly misunderstood as a debilitating condition that may prohibit us from being able to work, exercise, travel, or live full, productive lives. This kind of misinformation is often the source of wrongful discrimination.
2 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1994
January 1994
Q: I am a brittle diabetic and live in fear every day as my blood sugar goes from high to very low within a few hours, and I never know it's low until it is too late. I understand there's a new oral drug for this, and I hope you can share some information with me. Also, I'd like to know what's new in terms of a cure-I hear rumors, but never see the new techniques or good news in doctor's offices. Please share any news of new treatment.
6 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1994
December 1993
This past week I was in bed for two days with a severe cold, probably stress induced. Forced to rest, I had time to reflect on this past year. What a year-what a lot of stress! I think it has been the most event-filled year in my life. Below are a few of the major changes that have filled 1993.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1993
November 1993
My father, age 72, fell getting into bed and broke his hip in early September. After laying in pain on the floor of his bedroom for 24 hours, he was finally discovered and taken to the hospital. He underwent successful surgery to mend his hip, but came down with pneumonia the next day. I immediately drove to Sacramento to see him, and help take care of him. When I arrived, he was barely able to breath or talk. When I asked him if he wanted me to help him get better, he said he wasn't sure if he wanted to live or die. He had fractured his hip once before and he was clearly depressed over the prospect of having to relearn how to walk.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1993
August 1993
It took years of refining my multiple injection techniques for me to get my blood sugars down to the levels achieved in the DCCT study. It was tough, but with monitoring 8-10 times/day I was able to lower my average blood sugars and my hemoglobin A1C tests. During this period I could not get health insurance and had to save money wherever I could. I would reuse my syringes until the markings rubbed off and I would cut my strips in half. (Don't try this now because today's meters don't work with cut strips.) Then for a brief period in 1989 I was part of a group health insurance plan that paid for durable medical equipment. This enabled me to afford purchasing an insulin pump.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993
Dr. Polanski is a world renowned clinical psycologist in the field of diabetes, who works at the Joslin Diabetes Clinic in Boston. In this interview with Pat Gallagher on national radio, he talks about the "dark" side of diabetes, and answers calls from listeners calling in response to the question: "what is most difficult for you about living with diabetes?"
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993
July 1993
I got a real kick out of one of the lapel buttons worn at the recent diabetes conference where the DCCT results were announced. The button stated "Joslin was right all along." This is in reference to one of the fathers of diabetes care-Elliot P. Joslin. Way back in the 1920's he said that normalization of blood sugars was instrumental for PWD to stay healthy. He founded one of the first diabetes teaching centers in the world-to show PWD how to do it. "It" was how to eat, exercise, and take insulin to achieve good blood sugars.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
The future of health care in America is going to involve more personal responsibility for self-care and preventive maintenance. We're going to have to learn to analyze and handle many of our own health problems, and one of the most effective ways to do this is through bibliotherapy.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
In an effort to report on all sides of the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial), we interviewed eleven of the participants about their experiences; four on conventional therapy, four on multiple injections, and three on the pump. Here are excerpts from our interviews with them. It is interesting to note that whenever someone from the conventional therapy group became pregnant, she was transferred to one of the intensive therapies for the duration of the pregnancy.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
For the last ten years the DCCT has been a big part of the participants' lives, affecting everything from what they eat to how they control their diabetes. The study is over now; the doctors have proven the effectiveness of intensive therapy, they have told us that tight control is the new standard in diabetes care. But they have not told us what the new therapies are like and how they affect our day to day life. For that we must talk to the participants themselves. We contacted eleven of the patients for their insights on the study and the therapies they used.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
June 1993
A survey involving over 1400 family-practice and general-practice physicians, internists, and pediatricians suggests that less than one third of the non-specializing physicians who treat people with diabetes agree with the "acceptable ranges" for blood glucose and HbA1c levels recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The three designated "acceptable ranges" are: fasting blood glucose levels between 70-120 mg/dl; two hour post-meal blood glucose levels less than 180 mg/dl, and HbA1c levels less than or equal to 8%.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
Brett Michaels is the lead singer of the rock group, "Poison," which has sold over 15 million albums. As a rock star, he is on the road 9-10 months of the year, travelling throughout the United States and Europe. In this interview with Pat Gallagher on the live radio show, "Living with Diabetes," he shares his heartfelt ideas and philosophy about living with diabetes. Brett's unusual lifestyle and his willingness to be outspoken about his diabetes provide a sense of encouragement and inspiration to many young people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
What does the future hold for health care in America? Nobody knows for sure, even those on Hillary Rodham Clinton's committee-maybe especially those on her committee! But one thing is certain. Whatever the new system turns out to be, its going to involve more personal responsibility for self-care and preventive maintenance. We're going to have to learn to analyze and handle many of our own health problems. And one of the most effective ways to do this is through bibliotherapy.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
April 1993
March 1993
This month we devote our entire "letters to the editor" column to one letter. Also presented is an answer from a member of our medical advisory board.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1993
January 1993
I put on my reporters cap and I called Robert Rosenthal over at Futrex recently. I asked Robert about the rumors I had been hearing about his meter making it through clinical trials. Though 44 companies are working on it, Robert and his company, Futrex, Inc., have been getting a lot of publicity about their new non-invasive (bloodless) blood glucose meter. They call their device the "Dream Beam," and it uses infrared light to "read" blood sugar levels through the skin.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1993
December 1992
To have my own mother come down with diabetes was quite of a shock. It is a big issue for me because my life is already dedicated to helping people with diabetes get a fair shake, and this is such a switch. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 17, and it was my mom that cared for me and brought information into our home. Now I have the chance to impact her life in much the same way.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1992
Why should having diabetes undermine any of your lifelong goals or ambitions? Take Dennis Testoni for an example of someone who hasn't allowed his diabetes to impose barriers on his life. Ever since he was a kid, Dennis wanted to skydive. Even after being diagnosed with type I diabetes in 1967 when he was thirteen, Dennis never lost sight of his goal.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1992
Alan Marcus MD, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist, is extremely active in the diabetes community. He serves on many advisory boards and speaks frequently to groups of all sizes. His practice is in Laguna Hills, CA, and he serves as Asst. Clinical Prof. at USC.
1 comment - Posted Dec 1, 1992
November 1992
In his editorial in the Summer '92 edition, Scott King, prompted by my article "Islet Cell Research-Putting the Cart Before the Horse?," stated that he was pushing forward with the confidence that he wouldn't lose his life to diabetes. I fervently wish that to be so. It is a wish that I have for all who must live with diabetes, and we are working toward that end.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
Dr. Alan Marcus is a diabetes specialist who practices in Laguna Hills, California. He is also a medical advisor to MiniMed Technologies and a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk Insulin. Dr. Marcus also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine for the USC School of Medicine.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
September 1991
If you are searching around for an inspirational book, look no further. Diabetes and Doing Your Best is a personal account of a young teen's early experience with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1991
Tamara Norris and Cyndie Flores are insulin pump users who started their own business selling pump accesories. In talking with DIABETES HEALTH, Tamara and Cyndie discuss their first experiences using the insulin pump, and their decision to go into business.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1991
Having diabetes can produce a whole series of feelings and emotions. Examining these "emotional aspects" will help us take care of ourselves both psychologically and physically. In this column, Daryn Stier addresses some of the issues that often arise among people with diabetes and their family and friends.
1 comment - Posted Sep 1, 1991