A Student of Diabetes
By Scott Coulter
We are (as a species) so GOOD at starting things! And we're so bad at following through. Now, as someone who has spent a lifetime practicing piano and refining my skills in that particular niche, I can often get on a high horse and lament the "lack of willpower of this generation." I often do, going on and on about how my students don't practice, how they say things like, "I want to be a famous musician," and then proceed to spend maybe 30 minutes during the course of an entire week practicing their instrument.
And yet… I want to lose weight. And what do I do about that? I make feeble attempts to st...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 30, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Two Lovely Days
By David Spero
Life can be hard, especially with a chronic illness. But there can still be times of beauty, fun, and love. I had two days like that over the weekend, and even though I paid a price for them, I think they were worth it.
On Friday, I went to City College of San Francisco for the graduation of their community heath worker (CHW) program. CHWs do vital work helping people change behavior, seek help, and navigate the health-care system. Some work with drugs and alcohol, some with violence and trauma, some with chronic illness, some with prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Some do other things as well. I...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 29, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Diabetes and Cancer
By Quinn Phillips
Two weeks ago, actress Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy, a choice she made after finding out she carries a rare gene that raises a woman's risk of developing breast cancer to about 65%. This revelation sparked a flurry of media coverage, which touched on everything from the cost of genetic testing to cultural factors that may influence whether a woman chooses to undergo a mastectomy. Suddenly, it seemed, breast cancer was on everyone's mind. So it seemed like an opportune time for Diabetes Flashpoints to discuss the link between diabetes and breast cancer, as ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 29, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Cupcakes and Gardens and Racing, Oh My!
By Jan Chait
It’s all my fault. I knew this week was coming and I should have prepared for it by writing this week’s blog entry ahead. Well, I have a huge secret: I “grew up” in a newsroom for a daily newspaper and everything I ever wrote was on deadline. There was no time to do much of anything ahead. So that’s what I’m used to and you’re going to get a bit of a potpourri of topics.
What’s this week? My granddaughter’s graduation from high school. There’s already been one party, which took place in a park near our house on Sunday. She and a friend planned it and ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 28, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Other Sweeteners to Consider: Fructose, Xylitol, and Sucanat
By Amy Campbell
Last week we looked at two sweeteners that you may not be using but that are growing in popularity. This week, let's look at a couple more.
Crystalline fructose
Fructose has been in the news a lot, thanks to the controversy about high-fructose corn syrup and possible (but as yet unproven) harmful side effects. Fructose is a natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables, and honey. It's about twice as sweet as table sugar. It's not the same thing as high-fructose corn syrup, however. While both of these sweeteners are usually made from corn, crystalline fructose, which is in the form of a fine, white powder, is...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 28, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
Older Americans Month
By Web Team
The United States has a rapidly increasing older population: As of 2009, there were nearly 40 million people in the United State age 65 and up, and by 2030, there will be more than 72 million people in this age group. To celebrate the contributions and achievements of these senior generations, May was designated as Older Americans Month in 1963. In its honor, we'd like to share some resources that older people may find useful.
The Web site BenefitsCheckUp is a free service of the National Council on Aging that, through a series of questions, helps people identify benefits that could help them save money on e...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 25, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Statin May Reduce Benefits of Exercise
By Diane Fennell
The generic cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin, previously sold under the brand name Zocor, may diminish the positive effects of exercise in overweight and obese adults, according to a small new study from the University of Missouri. Statins are the most widely prescribed type of drugs in the world and are taken by 56% of people with Type 2 diabetes.
Statin use had been linked with muscle damage and reduced function of mitochondria (the energy centers of cells). Because these medicines are often prescribed along with lifestyle changes, including exercise, researchers sought to determine whether stati...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 24, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Unexpected Teacher
By Scott Coulter
When I was 15 years old, I had my first music lesson with Art. Art is a jazz pianist who lives in my hometown of Boulder, CO, and just happens to be one of the most brilliant musical minds in the country. For reasons that are still not completely known to me, Art is not a household name in the jazz listening community. He is, however, a household name in the community of professional jazz musicians, all of whom revere him as one of the finest musicians to inhabit this earth.
Art didn't mince words. If you played something mindlessly, if you got lazy, if you didn't put the kind of intention into the music ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 23, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Depression — Taking the First Step
By David Spero
We know what lightens depression. Exercise, sunshine, social contact, laughter, and avoiding sugars are some ways supported by studies. But how can you start do things like that when you're feeling down, hopeless, depressed?
I've been there, and I know a lot of our readers have too. Last time I wrote about this, Ephrenia commented,
When I start getting depressed, I want to "hibernate"… stay inside, in bed, I don't want to be around people, not even on the Internet. When I start feeling that way, I KNOW I need to do the opposite of what I FEEL like doing. The hard part is finding the MOTIVATION to DO i...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 22, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Fired for Diabetes
By Quinn Phillips
A few weeks ago, New England Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love found out that he has Type 2 diabetes. Dealing with a diabetes diagnosis is almost never easy, but for Love, this probably wasn't the worst news of the month. Last week, in what The Boston Globe describes as a "surprise move," he was released from the team for having a "non-football illness" that might interfere with his ability to play. According to the Globe article, Love had recently experienced unexplained weight loss, dropping from 310 pounds to about 280 pounds in a short period, which led to his diagnosis. Love's agent predicted that ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 22, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Not MY Adorable, Quivering Finger!
By Jan Chait
My granddaughter has been feeling dizzy once in a while. Yesterday, I decided to check her blood glucose to see if she was experiencing a bit of hypoglycemia.
Now, the kid (almost 20) has this "thing" about sharp objects. She's happy to have her sugar checked if she scrapes her knee or a cat scratches her, but to purposely poke a hole in her finger is a no-no. So I was trying to give her choices.
"What finger do you want to use?" I asked.
"Uhhhhhhh…" she moaned.
Her boyfriend, who was holding her hand, repeated, "which finger do you want to use?"
"Yours," she shot back.
In the end, I gave up on checkin...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 21, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Other Sweeteners to Consider: Agave and Coconut Palm Sugar
By Amy Campbell
Our fondness for all things sweet is ingrained in us. References to our desire for foods like honey date back thousands of years. And there's nothing wrong with that, unless you happen to indulge a little too often. There's also the dilemma that some people face regarding whether to use a "nonnutritive" (noncaloric) sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose, or something more "natural" (including real sugar). People debate and struggle with this choice all the time, and while we don't really have an answer, the good news is that it's led to more research on sweeteners of all types and their effects on healt...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 20, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
New Tool to Save Money on Medicines
By Web Team
According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes spend an estimated $11,744 a year on health-care — more than twice that spent by people who don't have diabetes. A new, free tool from NeedyMeds, "a national no-profit organization aimed at providing information to consumers on programs that help with the cost of medications and health care," may help lessen some of this financial burden.
The Patient Assistance Update Service (PAPUS) provides daily and weekly e-mail updates of all the pharmaceutical patient assistance programs (PAPs), which are run by the drug manufacturers to help pe...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 18, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Mangoes May Benefit Blood Glucose
By Diane Fennell
Mangoes may help regulate blood glucose levels and limit inflammation in people who are obese, according to the results of a small study recently presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Boston. Approximately 80% of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.
In previous studies, the research team had found that mango consumption had a positive effect on blood glucose levels in mice. To evaluate the effect in humans, they provided twenty obese adults — 11 men and 9 women — with 10 grams of freeze-dried mango (equivalent to approximately 100 grams...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 17, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Sharing Diabetes With Others (Part 3)
By Scott Coulter
Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on how to share your experiences living with diabetes with those around you, along with a discussion of some of the ways the condition can affect self-image. Check out the first installment here and the second installment here.
Feeling dependent
Being "different" is not the only feeling we must confront in social situations. Diabetes can also make us feel dependent. Case in point: In my adolescence, I took a trip to Montana to participate in a Cherokee Vision Quest ceremony. A traditional Vision Quest is a right of passage for Cherokee youth. When ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 16, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
