World Diabetes Day "Blue Circle" Photo Contest
By Web Team
November 14 is World Diabetes Day, and in its honor, the University of Florida Division of Pediatric Endocrinology is holding its sixth annual "World Diabetes Day 'Blue Circle' Photo Contest."
The blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes, established by the International Diabetes Federation in 2006 to "give diabetes a common identity" and provide a way of showing support in the fight against the condition.
The contest challenges participants to take a picture with one or more blue circles in it to promote diabetes advocacy. Both single and group shots are welcome, and the blue circle can be worn, pain...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 7, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Diabetes and the "Obesity Paradox"
By David Spero
We hear constant warnings about how fatness leads to diabetes. But a wide range of studies show heavy people live longer and do better with diabetes and heart disease. This is called the "obesity paradox." What does it mean?
In an article in The New York Times, science writer Harriet Brown reports on the work of Dr. Mercedes Carnethon at Northwestern University. Dr. Carnethon has found that thinner people with diabetes have twice the death rate as those who are overweight or obese.
Carnethon's findings are typical. As Brown writes,
"n study after study, overweight and moderately obese patients with certain ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 6, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Carb Counting
By Quinn Phillips
For what seems like ages, carbohydrate counting has been the standard way to calculate mealtime insulin doses for people with diabetes who take insulin. By applying your personal insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio and taking your premeal blood glucose level into account, counting carbs can help you dose your insulin to achieve tight blood glucose control while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Carb counting has spread beyond just people who take insulin; it is now widely used as a general meal-planning tool for people with diabetes.
But according to a recent review of research on the sub...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 6, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Trying to Travel the Road Less Traveled
By Jan Chait
Four blocks west and I'm out of my neighborhood. Two blocks north and I'm at a major east–west road. Another three blocks west and I'll be at the restaurant to meet a friend for lunch. Except…
I'm not walking and I'm not driving. I'm riding a mobility scooter and the major east–west road is being repaved. Which is OK, since I ride my scooter on the sidewalk. Except…
The road crews have moved the barrels and barricades that were blocking the lanes on the road onto the sidewalk so the asphalt machine can do its thing. Carefully, I maneuver around the barricades and barrels, going onto gra...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 5, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Weight-Loss Meds
By Amy Campbell
If only the magic bullet for weight control really existed. We could pop a pill every day that would allow us to eat what we wanted, when we wanted. This pill would banish diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. We'd be a lot happier, too. Unfortunately, all of this is wishful thinking. A magic bullet, whether it be pill, potion, or powder, has yet to surface.
A lot of options exist for helping with weight loss, but there are pros and cons to all of them. Diets are hard to follow, exercise takes time, behavior modification is hard, and surgery seems drastic. Medications are a possibility, but ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 4, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
Take the Big Blue Test
By Web Team
It's that time of year again — the Big Blue Test Web site is open for entries!
Started by the Diabetes Hands Foundation in 2009, the Big Blue Test is a way to remind people with diabetes of the importance of staying active while simultaneously raising funds for people with diabetes in need.
To participate in the Big Blue Test, check your blood glucose. (Those without diabetes can skip this step.) Then, for 14 to 20 minutes, engage in some sort of physical activity — it can be anything from cleaning the house to swimming laps to tap dancing! Once you've finished exercising, check your blood gluc...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 2, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Dramatically Improves Heart Health
By Diane Fennell
Adopting a high-intensity interval training program along with the Mediterranean diet can dramatically improve a variety of factors related to heart health, according to new research present at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people who have diabetes.
High-intensity interval training is a type of cardiovascular exercise that mixes high-intensity bouts of activity with low-intensity breaks over the course of 20 to 30 minutes. The Mediterranean diet is an eating style that emphasizes vegetables, whole grains, fish, fruits, low-fat dairy, nuts, ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - November 1, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Candy Trade-In Party at Naomie Berrie Diabetes Center
By Web Team
If your child is being treated at Columbia University Medical Center's Naomie Berrie Diabetes Center, he or she is invited to the 14th annual day after Halloween candy trade-in party.
Halloween can be challenging for kids with diabetes. To help them enjoy the holiday while keeping their diabetes under control, the health-care professionals at the Berrie Center show their patients how to count carbohydrates in candy and adjust their insulin dosing accordingly. On the day after Halloween, from 4 PM to 6 PM, the children are invited to dress in their costumes and visit the Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion, ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 31, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Living Longer
By Scott Coulter
I just read about the results of a study showing dramatically improved life expectancy for people living with Type 1 diabetes. The study compared life expectancy now as compared to life expectancy in 1975. The difference was over 15 years. Aside from being good news, it's an important reminder.
I'm the first person to admit that complaining comes far too easily to me. I can whine with the best of them, and have wasted plenty of time in my life bemoaning what's "lacking," or lamenting my own obstacles. And living with a chronic, incurable major disease has certainly given me fuel for the fire on many occasi...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 31, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Should You Think About an SGLT2 Drug?
By David Spero
There are new drugs in diabetes town. The SGLT2 inhibitors work in the kidneys. They cause glucose to leave the body through the urine. Presto — blood glucose comes down. Could there be any disadvantages to this approach?
The kidneys work with glucose all the time. They have several ways of keeping glucose levels up. Kidneys make glucose by breaking down the starch called glycogen. They create new glucose from chemicals like lactate and glycerol. Kidney parts called nephrons absorb glucose from the urine and put it back into the blood.
This is all good for most people, because it preserves glucose, ou...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 30, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Is Self-Monitoring a Waste?
By Quinn Phillips
Self-monitoring of blood glucose for people with Type 2 diabetes is often a contentious topic. There is little doubt, of course, that for people with diabetes who take insulin, self-monitoring plays a crucial role in calculating the correct dose, allowing for far better blood glucose control than would otherwise be possible without a very high risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). But for people with Type 2 diabetes who don't take insulin (or an oral diabetes drug that carries the risk of hypoglycemia), there is longstanding debate about whether self-monitoring is worthwhile, with some experts arguing...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 30, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Sometimes Diabetes Just Provides Too Much Excitement
By Jan Chait
My friends have their pet names for me, most often Jan E. Cakes or Granny Janny. Now, a friend who goes back to fifth grade has a new one for me: Calamity Jan. It fits, especially after an escapade last week.
Mechanical objects don't like me. Not even mechanical objects with microchips. A little-known fact about me is that I was a music major in college (bassoon, if you're curious). That is, until I discovered printing presses when I wrote for (and later became editor of) the college newspaper.
I fell in love with printing presses. The noise. The power. The smell of ink. The excitement of seeing a huge roll of...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 29, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Will the "Diet Debate" Ever End?
By Amy Campbell
One of the joys (and burdens) of being a dietitian is the feedback that I get about the merits and pitfalls of various types of diets. Some people ask about certain types of diets because they're curious or because they want to lose weight/manage their diabetes/live longer, etc. Other people take a firm stance or position (often zealous in nature) that the "X" diet (fill in the blank here) is really the ONLY diet to be following if one wants to lose weight or lower his blood glucose. They'll argue and sometimes, I admit, become rather rude and dismissive if I or others won't jump on their particular bandwag...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 28, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
T1D for a Day
By Web Team
Want to know what it's like to live with Type 1 diabetes every day? Then you'll want to check out the "T1D for a Day" campaign from JDRF, with support from Lilly Diabetes.
As part of the campaign, you will receive up to 45 text messages over a 24-hour period from professional snowboarder Sean Busby simulating the blood glucose monitoring, injections, and decisions that people with Type 1 encounter on a daily basis. Sean has had Type 1 diabetes for nine years.
According to JDRF, "Each of his messages will show you what it’s like to manage the blood glucose testing, insulin injections, and dietary choi...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 26, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Acarbose May Equal Metformin for Diabetes Control
This study is the first head-to-head comparison of metformin and acarbose as initial therapy for Type 2 diabetes after failure of therapeutic lifestyle modification," according to the researchers. "Metformin should remain as first-line treatment for patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, while patients with exaggerated postprandial excursion [high after-meal glucose levels] can be treated with an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor as an alternative therapy before cardiovascular benefits of acarbose are validated and confirmed in ongoing studies."
Limitations of the study include the absence of a placebo (inactive treatm...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - October 25, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
