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Dear Nadia: I have had type 2 diabetes for 20 years and it is difficult to get or maintain an erection. I don’t want to talk to my doctor about it until I know what my options are. So, I have been reading up online about my different alternatives. Do know which therapy works the best? John Dear John: There are several recommended therapies for
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Dear Nadia, I am pre-diabetic, or I was. My A1c has been in the normal range for about a year now. However, for the last two months, I have been suffering from hypoglycemia. The first few times my numbers were in the 50s and 60s, but when I treated it tonight, it was 49. I had become confused and could barely figure out how to
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Dear Nadia: I’m 56 and underwent bypass surgery four months ago. Normally, in the early morning, I check my blood sugar level. It shows an A1c as low as 4.0% (68 mg/dL) and up to 5.5% (111 mg/dL.) But after doing exercise, my blood level goes up to 6.3% (134 mg/dL). Is this good or bad? I’m on medication. Katherasan Dear Katherasan: Your question is
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Click here to listen to the audio version of Diabetes Health In The News Researchers recently made a major breakthrough regarding metformin, the popular diabetes drug. In the past, researchers believed that this drug worked in the blood stream, but recent studies have found that it actually works in the gut. Clinical trials have determined that metformin works primarily in the lower intestine. These
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Burnout is common among people with diabetes, especially those who have had the disease for years, even decades. Diabetes management can be exhausting, confusing, and frustrating, particularly when you think you are doing everything right but your blood sugars still fail to cooperate. We’ve all heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In terms of diabetes, this means recognizing that
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A new study shows that a majority of people taking drugs to treat type 2 diabetes stop taking their medications within six months, while almost all of them stop taking them within a year. Research presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago earlier this year showed that the rate of drug discontinuation among type 2 diabetes patients was 89 percent for those
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Twelve years after it began as a summer placeholder designed to keep Fox TV viewers hanging around until the fall season, “American Idol” has become one of this young century’s most renowned cultural phenomena. From the show’s modest beginning, record producer and musician Randy Jackson has been at its heart, the memorable judge who has popularized such greetings as “Dawg!” and such praises as “I
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The Mayo Clinic Health Letter for August 2012 has published three lifestyle changes that could stave off the progression of prediabetes to full-blown type 2 diabetes. The list isn’t new, but its periodic reiteration indicates that healthcare researchers and providers have settled on a simple prescription for staying diabetes-free. The three changes are: Consume fewer calories and cut back on fat Take a brisk 30-minute
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Editor’s Note: Portions of this report were taken from a press release from CVS-Caremark. It seems commonsensical to say that employees who take their medicines as prescribed are more productive than workers who risk medical problems because they neglected to take their meds. Now a CVS Caremark research study confirms that notion: Employees who adhere to their medications and schedules as prescribed averaged seven fewer
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Novo Nordisk’s new variety of long-lasting insulin, insulin degludec, reduces low blood sugars while improving overall control, according to a pair of studies published in the prestigious journal The Lancet on April 27. The phase 3 studies looked at 1,635 people and compared the new insulin with a standard insulin glargine. It appeared effective for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. For type 2s,
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