Welcome to My Diabetes Information
Here you will find valuable information about diabetes that will help you to live better. Check back often for daily updates and new articles. Also you will find valuable offers from companies that provide solutions for those living with diabetes.
Exercise Like Crazy, But Don't Run Away from Insulin
01/28/09
Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Treatment Options, Prevention, Disease Basics, General
As you know, there are certain ethnic groups that run a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you belong to one of these noble heritages, you have a lot to celebrate that far surpasses the worries associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Whole Grain Reaffirmed As Effective Diabetes Fighter
01/26/09
Prediabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Type II Diabetes, Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Prevention, General
Whole grains can reduce the risk of diabetes, and that medical notion was upheld in a recent scientific study from a major University. We've known the benefits of whole grains for a few decades. The fiber aids digestion, and helps the digestive system assimilate carbohydrates properly. The germ from whole grains is an abundant source of nutrients like phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. A professional nutrition publication authored by a group of professors from Harvard University reinforces how effective whole grains are at reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Cravings
01/23/09
None.
This Diabetes Web Site is For You
01/21/09
Treatment Options
By Matt Nilsen
Recently I was talking with someone who was searching for information because she was confronting prediabetes, in spite of an aggressive exercise regimen. She asked me about strategies she should employ and wanted to know if she could beat diabetes. I told her she should be working closely with her doctor to develop strategies for her specific form of diabetes. It may be time for her to start an antidiabetes medication like metformin. I also said that if she develops diabetes, she should not postpone starting insulin early. It is likely to help her pancreas stay viable longer.
Is Your Health Plan Helping You Manage Diabetes?
01/19/09
Treatment Options
California managed care organizations need to do a better job of monitoring diabetes.
Do you know how well your managed care organization manages diabetes? HMOs, PPOs, health plans and health insurance companies all comprise the world of managed care. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an organization that accredits HMOs and other health insurers. You can look up a report on many health benefits providers and insurers.
Taking Care of Diabetic Feet
01/16/09
Treatment Options
New research by orthopedic surgeons reinforces effective ways to prevent diabetic foot problems. Poor circulation, ulcers, infections, blisters, and nerve damage occur too often in diabetic feet. There are strategies you can use to keep your feet healthy.
To protect your feet from diabetes complications you should:
Short-Acting Insulin for Diabetes Management
01/14/09
Treatment Options
About 7 million Americans use insulin to help manage diabetes. If you live with type 1 diabetes, insulin is essential. For most people with type 2 diabetes it is not essential, but may be helpful.
There are many different types of insulin and insulin analogs that you and your doctor can consider. Ideal insulin control comes from:
Weight Loss Surgery and Diabetes Remission
01/12/09
Treatment Options
Remission is a strong word. With some treatments, people living with type 2 diabetes can bring their diabetes into remission, or in other words, cure it for a number of years. Weight loss surgery is a powerful therapy that can help bring type 2 diabetes into remission.
In a recent study conducted at Monash University, in Melbourne, Australia, more than 70 percent of diabetic participants who had weight loss surgery achieved diabetes remission two years after the procedure.
Patients in the study who used conventional diabetes management brought diabetes into remission less than 15 percent of the time. While exercise, medication, insulin, and proper diet reduced blood sugar substantially, it did not produce remission in the majority of patients.
Love that Pump
01/09/09
Treatment Options
Log It Or Lie About It
01/07/09
Treatment Options
By Eric Devine
I put the blood on the test strip, and while my meter calculates, find my logbook. The meter returns the result and it’s neither what I anticipated nor desire—typically a reading above 200 mg/dl. I frown and toss the strip into the garbage, somehow angry at the device, as if it is responsible for my failing.
Even after 17 years, that’s what it always feels like. I’ve failed, but now, with pen in hand, I have the option to record my error. To write or to not write the number, that is the question.
This dilemma is one we are faced with on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times in a day. I cannot remember the last “perfect” day I’ve had. There has always been a high or low reading amidst my blood sugar results that detracted from the overall goal of tight control. Therefore, is it so wrong for me to want to exclude a result or two?
What if I just alter a reading from say 300 mg/dl, down to 250 mg/dl? That’s not as bad, right? I know it isn’t honest, but if these little lies give me even a minor sense of accomplishment or absolution, regardless of how misleading, how wrong can they be?
We all know the answer: The only one you are fooling is yourself. It’s true, because, ultimately, your lab results will reveal your true status, and if the numbers from your logbook don’t match up, you’ll have some explaining to do. How do we face the music?
There are meters that have a built-in logbook software component, which automatically records the results. These numbers can then be uploaded to a computer and printed for review. This method is incredibly straightforward and leaves little room for error— intentional or not. As I heard one diabetes educator say, “I prefer those because they are more honest.”
However, for those of us more inclined toward pen and paper, the advice is simple, but equally straightforward: Write down all of your results, the good and the bad.
Regardless of how you track your blood sugar, try to accept that your readings are not you, but merely a reflection of a short duration of your care. This is, obviously, the most difficult aspect of juggling the numbers.
No one likes to feel ashamed of his or her efforts and subsequent results, especially when so many variables don’t appear to be represented, and when such judgment is passed based on them. But there is nothing dazzling about deception, however face-saving it might feel. It is better to stand marred, but true, than it is to offer false representation.