School Lunch Truce?
By Quinn Phillips
Earlier this month here at Diabetes Flashpoints, we discussed an effort led by some Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to scale back the school-lunch nutrition standards that Congress mandated as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Those standards — which cover all food sold in schools during regular hours and impose limits on fat, sodium, and sugar content — have come under fire from food industry–backed groups and many school cafeteria workers, who blame them for a drop in school-lunch sales since they went into effect in 2012. Because of this drop in sales...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - July 30, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Bang for Your Self-Management Buck
By David Spero
You can't learn all the steps required to manage diabetes at once. Whether you're experienced or a newbie, what do you focus on now and what do you get to later? One way to decide is to ask, "What activity will give me the most bang for the buck?"
"Bang for the buck" means comparing. How much benefit will you get out of something versus how much it will cost you? With self-management, the benefits can include feeling better, being healthier, and having lower glucose and blood pressure numbers. The costs can be financial (like paying for strips and drugs), effort (like learning to prepare new foods), time (li...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - July 30, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Making the Most of Your Diabetes Doctor Visit
By Betsy Carlisle
The average routine doctor visit unfortunately lasts only about 15 minutes these days. Therefore, if you want to get the most out of your appointment, you've got to be proactive. By preparing beforehand and actively participating during your visit, you can be successful in achieving and sustaining great control of your diabetes.
What to do before your doctor visit
Start communicating with your doctor several days before your appointment by sending your blood glucose log via fax, e-mail, or regular mail. This provides the opportunity for your doctor to look it over prior to the appointment. Highlight any b...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - July 29, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Betsy Carlisle Source Type: blogs
Which Butter (or Spread) Is Better?
By Amy Campbell
The world of nutrition is often confusing, even for dietitians and other nutrition experts. Debates (and bickering) rage on about which diet is best for weight loss, how much carbohydrate a person with diabetes should have, and what kind of fat is best to eat.
It's not so easy these days to choose a spread for your morning toast or your baked potato. Years ago, folks had pretty much two choices: butter and margarine. Today, we have butter, light butter, whipped butter, stick margarine, vegetable oil spread, margarine with phytosterols, margarine with yogurt, and vegan margarine (just to name a few). How do ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - July 28, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
"Our Everyday Heroes" Race Car Design Contest for JDRF
By Web Team
Want to raise money for JDRF, the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research, and make a child's dreams come true at the same time? Then you'll want to check out the "Our Everyday Heroes" Race Car Design Contest for JDRF!
The contest, which is hosted by Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers, encourages children ages 5–18 who have Type 1 diabetes to create a design for a drag race funny car. In the first round of the contest, which is open now, members of the community have the opportunity to vote for their favorite design by making a contribution to JDRF. A second round of votin...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 22, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Diabetes Developed at Midlife May Affect Brain Function in Old Age
By Diane Fennell
Developing Type 2 diabetes during middle age can affect mental function in later years by shrinking the brain, according to research recently published in the journal Neurology. Approximately 26 million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes, while another 79 million have prediabetes and are at increased risk of developing Type 2.
To determine the associations of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure with mental function, researchers looked at 1,437 adults with a median age of 80 years who did not have dementia. Using medical records, the participants were placed into three groups: those who...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 21, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
What's In the Future?
By Scott Coulter
When I was in high school, I struggled with a feeling of being weak. In particular, I really felt that having diabetes made me biologically "unfit," unable to survive without assistance, sickly, and overly dependent on outside help. I looked around at my friends and thought, "if the world descends into anarchy tomorrow, they'll all be able to hold on and survive, at least a little while, and I won't." I know, I know — worrying about survivability in the apocalypse isn't exactly rational, and it's not like my friends were a bunch of survivalists — they probably wouldn't last more than a minute. ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 20, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Five Environmental Causes of Diabetes
By David Spero
Type 2 diabetes is usually blamed on people's genes or their behavior, not on the environment. But diabetes rates are soaring worldwide. Genes could not change that fast. Here are five ways environmental changes are causing diabetes.
This information is updated from my book Diabetes: Sugar-Coated Crisis, published in 2007. Since then, things have changed, mostly for the worse. Hopefully, knowing how the environment makes people sick will help you protect yourself against it.
Unhealthful food. People were not made to eat large quantities of refined carbohydrates — the "white things," such as sweets, br...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 19, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Your Chance to Be on TV!
By Web Team
Do you have Type 2 diabetes and use Level Foods products to help manage your condition? Are you in the New York City area? Then you have the opportunity to be interviewed this week for a feature on Level Foods that will air on a major television network this coming April! If you are interested, please send an e-mail to georgie@bigcouchmedia.com.
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Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 19, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
(Un)healthy States of America
By Quinn Phillips
As we've discussed in the past here at Diabetes Flashpoints, the United States is, by many measures, the unhealthiest country in the developed world. Some, but certainly not all, of the blame for America's higher rate of health problems can be attributed to the high rate of obesity in the United States: 33% of Americans are obese, compared with 27% of Britons and Australians, 22% of Belgians and Norwegians, and 18% of Danes and Swiss (and only 5% of Japanese). As we noted in a piece a few years back called "Southern Girth," obesity is not uniformly distributed across the United States. Now, a new survey s...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 19, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
No, This Is Not What "Spring Forward" Means
By Jan Chait
It was another exciting night in the Chait household. One minute I was watching TV; the next, I was watching the floor fly up to smack me in the face. "Jan," I said to myself, "you're supposed to lean back in a recliner — not lean forward."
And then I proceeded to get up onto my scooter. Not always easy. This room serves two purposes: It's a TV room and it's my office. In other words, it's a bit crowded in here, and I can't park my scooter perpendicular to the front of the chair as usual. Due to the location of the recliner, the scooter seat is closest to the chair.
I managed to turn the seat around, kin...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 18, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Unconventional Ways to Lose Weight…Maybe
By Amy Campbell
America's quest to lose weight continues. As a nation, we're heavier than ever and just as eager to shed those pounds quickly and painlessly. More than 30% of US adults are obese; this statistic is the same as it was 10 years ago, so things aren't getting much better. There's a clear link between being overweight or obese and Type 2 diabetes, and excess weight is linked with many other health conditions, as well.
Losing weight is hard and keeping the weight off is harder. And while the concept of being "fit and fat" has taken hold, the reality is that obese people who are deemed to be "metabolically healthy...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 17, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
The Faces of Diabetes
By Web Team
Feeling alone in dealing with your diabetes? Then you'll want to check out Faces of Diabetes, a photography project by Edward Fieder.
Fieder, who has Type 1 diabetes, started the Faces of Diabetes Web site "so that people with diabetes, no matter their location, can come together to share their stories and experiences." The site includes a gallery of faces, along with stories of how diabetes has affected the lives of those pictured.
Want to be a part of the site? Then send an e-mail to TheFacesofDiabetes@gmail.com describing how having the condition has affected your life, along with a photo of yourself. I...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 15, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Many Americans Taking Meds That Work Against Each Other
By Diane Fennell
Roughly 75% of older Americans have multiple chronic conditions, and more than 20% of them are taking medicines that work at cross-purposes — improving one of their conditions while worsening another — according to new a new study in the journal PLoS One.
To determine the prevalence of this "therapeutic competition," researchers from Connecticut and Oregon looked at 5,815 adults age 65 and older in the United States. Using Medicare claims and in-person interviews, the study authors identified 14 of the most common chronic conditions treated with at least one medicine, along with medication c...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 14, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Credit Where Credit Is Due
By Scott Coulter
It's amazing how easy it is for us to deny ourselves the credit we deserve. I'm horrible about this! I shame myself so easily, it's ridiculous. And I'm far too hard on myself MOST of the time. I've always known this, and yet continue to do it more often than I want to admit (pardon me while I shame myself over my bad habit of shaming myself...). What got me started on this topic? I'm listening to a recording I made recently as I write this (just a demo recording, nothing major), pleasantly surprised with the way I played on it. I'm surprised, because I usually HATE hearing myself recorded. I usually avoid ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - March 13, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
