Study Links Certain Environmental Toxins With Diabetes
By Diane Fennell
We have written in the past about the potential link between certain chemicals, such as bisphenol-A, phthalates, and air pollutants, among others, and diabetes. Now, new research suggests that still another category of chemicals may be linked to the development of the condition.
Perflourinated compounds (PFCs) make materials resistant to stains and sticking and are found in substances such as nonstick cookware, ski wax, pizza delivery boxes, microwave popcorn bags, dental floss, paints, and more. In addition to their presence in these products, PFCs have also been released into the environment by manufa...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 20, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Slow Change
By Scott Coulter
I decided to do a little online searching this morning to help get some ideas for what to write about. I came across the usual assortment of articles detailing research on various avenues toward a cure for Type 1 diabetes, but nothing jumped out as particularly noteworthy. I decided to take a break and have some lunch. I checked my blood glucose, did my shot, had my sandwich, and came back to the computer.
I had a profound sense of déjà vu. It seems like I've been reading these same articles for the past 20 years, always hearing about the latest "promising leads," never to be heard about again. W...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 19, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Prayer Medicine
By David Spero
Stress can kill, and fear is behind most of our stress. Unfortunately, we have an awful lot to be afraid of these days. At Christmastime, I wonder if prayer can help us deal with our fears, and maybe even with the causes of those fears.
When I say "prayer," I don't mean any particular religion. It doesn't have to be religious at all. It could be meditation or just tuning in to nature and our own bodies. But being part of a faith or belief system might make prayer more powerful for some people.
When I say "fear," I'm including all our deepest personal fears, like about diabetes, or death, or our children, or ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 18, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Unhealthy Entertainment?
By Quinn Phillips
Movie theaters have never been a friendly environment for healthy eating, with all of the fat-and-salt-drenched popcorn, candy, and sugary beverages for sale. But most diet-conscious people probably take comfort in the notion that once the movie begins, they'll be swept away to a world free of sweet, salty, crunchy temptation and concerns about body weight. According to a recent study, however, this may be a false assumption if you're seeing one particular kind of movie: one whose target audience is children.
For this study, conducted at the University of North Carolina Medical School and published earlie...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 18, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
In Sickness…or Just in Health?
By Jan Chait
In October, reader Sheri asked,
will I love when he's being cranky [because] his [blood glucose] is too high… will I serve him when his [blood glucose] is dropping and he needs to eat NOW… will I rearrange my own needs and desires to make sure that the meal I agreed to cook for him is ready at a reasonable time?
Her post made me look at my circumstances from the other point of view: That of somebody with diabetes who is being cared for by a spouse. Will he love me when I'm cranky? Will he bring me something when my glucose is dropping? Will he arrange it so that I can eat on time?
Especially when...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 17, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Don't Call My Liver Fat!
By Amy Campbell
Isn't there enough to contend with having diabetes? You need to take care of your eyes, feet, heart… Now you have to worry about your liver? Well, yes. Fatty liver disease may be something you're not all that familiar with, but if you have Type 2 diabetes, it's a good idea to know about this. Hence this week's posting!
Liver 101
Let's back up for a minute and talk about your liver. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, weighing about three pounds. It's located in the right upper abdomen, below the diaphragm. It's pretty amazing what the liver does, if you stop and think about it. Here's ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 16, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
Help Fund Diabetes Research and Hear From Santa!
By Web Team
Want to help fund diabetes research and create a fun holiday memory? Then be sure to participate in the Diabetes Research Institute's third annual "Santa Letters for a Cure" to get a personalized letter from Santa Claus — complete with a North Pole stamp — sent to your child.
All you have to do is make a donation of $15 per child, or $40 for three or more children at the same address, on this Web site. Then send an e-mail to Tom at tkarlya@drif.org including the child's full name, his (or her) age, and what he wants for Christmas. If you would like Santa to say something about diabetes, he can d...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 14, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Neuropathy Common in Young Adults
By Diane Fennell
As many as 70% of people with diabetes are estimated to have some form of neuropathy, or nerve damage. And now, new research published in the journal Diabetes Care suggests that roughly a quarter of young people with Type 2 diabetes have the condition.
As part of the ongoing SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, researchers looked at data from 399 youths with diabetes, all of whom had been diagnosed before they turned 20. The 329 participants with Type 1 diabetes had an average age of 15.7, while the 70 participants with Type 2 had an average age of 21.6. Those with Type 2 had a higher body-mass index (a ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 13, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
Know Thyself
By Scott Coulter
Explaining diabetes to other people is tricky sometimes. It's a complicated thing to manage, and for those who don't live with diabetes day-to-day, it's easy to oversimplify. So many times at dinner parties, gatherings, or other festivities someone might catch me having some dessert and inform me that, "you shouldn't be eating that, you're diabetic!" I usually take that opportunity to explain insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios, how sugar can be part of that ratio as long as it's not the majority, and other facets of the disease. If nothing else, they walk away a little more informed, and it's one less person w...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 12, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Mediterranean Gorge
By Quinn Phillips
People with diabetes — both Type 1 and Type 2 — are often told about the importance of portion size and meal planning. Limiting portion sizes, many sources and studies say, is often the key to weight loss and better health both for people with diabetes and those in the general population. But what if the key to good health isn't limiting portions at each meal, but stuffing yourself for just one meal each day?
So suggests a new study, published earlier this month in the journal PLoS ONE. According to an article on the study at Medical Daily, researchers at Linköping University in Sweden so...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 11, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Try Slowing Down
By David Spero
Fatigue is a big problem in diabetes, and there are a lot of treatments for it, too. But the first one, slowing down, is the hardest. It has great potential benefits, but a bad reputation.
Many people can't even imagine slowing down during the holiday season. Dinners to plan, presents to buy, families traveling around; they all take time. Then you have to work to make money to pay for all the celebration.
But if you can't rest during the holidays, when can you rest? Maybe when you fall into a coma? Our civilization is seriously screwed up around doing things all the time. Time not spent "productively" is tim...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 11, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Isn’t It Time for the Snow to Melt?
By Jan Chait
So how’s the weather where YOU are? Where I am, it’s cold and snowy and icy. I had to reschedule my pulmonologist appointment because, while going down a ramp that acts more like a bobsled run is a bit scary but kind of fun, getting back up it is impossible.
That was to be this afternoon, but I get to stay home instead. It may be a good afternoon to make bread dough to freeze. (I make the loaves, then freeze them as soon as the loaves are formed. When it’s time to make bread, I let the loaves thaw and rise and then bake them for nice, fresh bread.)
Last week, I did make it to the ophthalmolog...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 10, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Calorie Conundrums
In this study, 25 men and women were divided into three groups, each consuming more than 900 extra calories per day. Each group consumed a different amount of protein. All three groups gained weight, but the group consuming the least amount of protein gained the least amount of weight. But everyone gained fat at roughly the same rate. The conclusions: Calories are what matter as far as weight gain goes, not so much the type of calories.
But a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2010 begs to differ. More than 120,000 men and women were followed in four-year intervals over anywhere from 12 to 20 years. ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 9, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
Study on Parental Stress in Caring for Children With Type 1
By Web Team
If you are the parent of a child between the ages of 8 and 16 who has had Type 1 diabetes for at least six months, researchers want to hear from you.
Doctoral candidate Elena Dumont, a student at the Yeshiva University Graduate School of Psychology, is conducting a research study to understand how parental stress due to having a child with Type 1 may be related to different parenting styles.
Volunteers will answer three questionnaires, either online or by mail. According to the researchers, participation will take approximately 15 minutes. For every respondent, a donation will be made to JDRF, the leading ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 7, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Study on Parental Stress in Caring for Child With Type 1
By Web Team
If you are the parent of a child between the ages of 8 and 16 who has had Type 1 diabetes for at least six months, researchers want to hear from you.
Doctoral candidate Elena Dumont, a student at the Yeshiva University Graduate School of Psychology, is conducting a research study to understand how parental stress due to having a child with Type 1 may be related to different parenting styles.
Volunteers will answer three questionnaires, either online or by mail. According to the researchers, participation will take approximately 15 minutes. For every respondent, a donation will be made to JDRF, the leading ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 7, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
