The renowned author of The Diabetes Solution, Dr. Richard Bernstein is now ready and waiting to answer your questions on The Bernstein Connection.

In 1946, at the age of 12, Richard Bernstein developed Type 1 Diabetes, and for more than two decades, he was what he calls, "an ordinary diabetic"-one who dutifully followed doctor's orders. Despite his diligence with maintaining the disease, the complications from his diabetes worsened over the years, and like many diabetics in similar circumstances, he faced death at a very early age. Though he was indeed still alive, the quality of his life wasn't good, and by the time he reached his twenties and thirties, many of his body's systems began to deteriorate. Now, beyond his best selling books, Dr. Bernstein is opening up the airwaves to those who wish to learn from his real world experiences and conquer the daily hurdles of diabetes. He's doing so through The Bernstein Solution, offering direct access to Dr. Bernstein's methods, latest advice on diabetes, best selling books, and regular live broadcasts where Dr. Bernstein answers your questions.

I was fortunate enough to listen to his last broadcast, from August 8th. I do own The Diabetes Solution but I'm strongly considering joining The Bernstein Connection. The broadcast I listened to was as informative, if not more so, than the book! For $80 a year - if it can help a diabetic reverse damage to their eyes and kidneys, I don't think it's unreasonable at all!

Speaking of kids with T1DM, (click here for previous kid-related post) I was just browsing around Amazon's selections of books for parents of type 1 children. There are, of course, a bunch of books on the market. Maybe not quite as many as I'd expected though. (Perhaps T1 parents turn to the web for support these days?) Anyway, there were some clear favorites amongst readers. But be prepared. To get to the good stuff, you will have to sift through tons of Diabetes Cured-Overnight!-style "self-help" manuals.

A current bestseller seems to be The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Juvenile Diabetes by Moira McCarthy and Jake Kushner. Bonus: it's part of the "Everything Guide" series of books, so it's packed with info, yet reasonably priced. A good buy. Having said that, there are tons of other general guides, like this one by physician Ragnar Hanas and this one by Victoria Peurrung.

I'm intrigued by this one: Growing Up with Diabetes: What Children Want their Parents to Know by Alicia McAuliffe. And here's one that got some very positive customer reviews: Real Life Parenting of Kids With Diabetes by Virginia Nasmyth Loy. I'm noticing a few specialty-topics popping up too. Example? Getting the Most out of Diabetes Camp. This book is all about..., um, diabetes camp. (File this book under "For parents who over-prepare!" LOL) Your kids grown up into teens? Never fear, there are books for parents of big kids too.

Best title, hands down? Janette Kirkham's Don't Put Test Strips in Christmas Stockings: And Other Ideas for Parents of Children with Diabetes. This book was published back in 2002 and it looks a little tougher to get a hold of.

That's Fit did a great piece featuring the benefits fiber adds to most of our diets. In fact, the FDA recommends we eat 25 to 30 grams a day when most of us are eating less than half that amount!

Even Oprah is praising the nutritious secrets of fiber. Her helping hand, Dr. Oz, has written it all down for you in his latest book, YOU on a Diet. Oprah has featured the YOU: On a Diet Basics in a slide show on her site.

The slide show compels me to brave Borders again (at least this time I might not have to navigate swarms of Harry Potter fanatics). YOU: On a Diet promises to invigorate me with equal parts information, motivation, and change-your-life action that will harmoniously direct my body into wellness. After all - this is the doctor who has helped Oprah look like a daytime supermodel. I'm sold!

The Master Cleanser Detox raises my curiosity to insatiable levels. Many stars have sworn by it - from Beyonce Knowles to Robin Quivers. The misconception behind the safety of this practice for weight loss is reviewed by a registered dietician on The Diet Channel. The Master Cleanser is by no stretch of the imagination a healthy way to lose weight. In fact, the Master Cleanser, otherwise known as the Lemonade Diet, is a complete body detoxifying cleanse that has been around for over 60 years.

The Master Cleanser is a combination of simple ingredients in different combinations throughout the day: organic sea salt, water, lemons, syrup, cayenne pepper and a laxative tea. The day begins with a quart of salt water, followed by interval consumption of several cups of homemade lemonade throughout the day. The lemonade contains fresh squeezed lemons and water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. The lemon juice is said to dissolve built-up waste in the colon (the master cleansing agent); the cayenne pepper is for ridding the body of mucus; and the maple syrup is for energy. The end of the day includes a detoxifier herbal tea laxative. The herbal laxative is to aid the elimination process and the salt water acts as a colonic flush. The author of the original plan recommends following the diet for a minimum of 10 days, but also says that the diet can be followed for up to 20 days.

On Friday I went to Borders to get my hands on a copy of the Mater Cleanser. Big mistake after I realized it was the debut of the latest Harry Potter book. I should've called! In any event - I forfeited fighting Gryffindors and Hogwarts to find the book. I returned home to scour the internet for personal reviews of the Master Cleanser. The most important thing I discovered was that people who use the Master Cleanser to lose weight are misinformed. The Master Cleanser is intended for ultimate toxin elimination - not weight elimination. For entertaining enlightenment - I strongly suggest reading the Amazon.com customer reviews!!

The discovery of insulin, in 1922, was a breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes and it produced a remarkable increase in the life expectancy of diabetic patients. Animal-derived insulins have been used to treat people with diabetes since insulin was first discovered and continuously subjected to various purification technologies. In 1973, Novo produced a purer type of insulin, called monocomponent insulin. This set a new standard in purity. In 1982, Human Monocomponent was the world's first insulin preparation identical to human insulin. It was actually pig insulin, modified by enzymes, to appear identical to human insulin.

When Novo tried to introduce monocomponent insulin into the USA, Lilly fought back with 'human' Humulin insulin. Before Humulin insulin became available, insulin had been produced from animal sources, pigs and cows. It is believed by some that the animal insulin provided the diabetic with better awareness of hypos, and it is certainly true that the long-acting animal insulin such as Ultralente are longer-acting than their 'human' equivalents. The fact that both pig and cow differ from human insulin by certain amino acids (1 in pig and 3 in cow) has lead the majority of physicians to recommend 'human' insulin. 'Animal' insulin became increasingly hard to find, particularly in the USA (see This Little Piggy Left the Market).

In the late 1990s Eli Lilly developed Lispro, brand name Humalog. This was approved for prescription use in the UK and the US by 1996. This insulin has a shorter activity curve than Regular. This means it can be injected closer to the meal time, even after it. Studies have shown that it does not improve control as measured by long-term indicators (Hba1c), but that it does decrease the number of hypos. Glargine, brand name Lantus, was approved for use in the US in 2004. It has become widely touted as better than other long-acting insulins because it has a plateau effect on glucose control that lasts for approximately 24 hours. Some people find it acts a little shorter (and some doctors don't believe that's possible!) So there you have it - the short and sweet version of the history of insulin. I strongly suggest anyone who wishes to fill the spaces between the discovery in 1922 and present day to pickup The Discovery of Insulin (Michael Bliss). I welcome all comments to fill-in the pivotal details I've failed to include.

Who would've thought that the same company who gave rise to Super Mario Brothers would transform a generation into virtual athletes? And I know what you're thinking - don't even try to turn this video gaming habit into a banner health campaign. Hold the phone, sister. Read on and you'll see what Nintendo has done.

The calorie-carnage begins with a wireless remote -- like a piece of sporting equipment. In fact this wireless piece is your symbolic tennis racket, baseball bat or golf club. Players use the momentum of their body movements to engage a sensor placed on top of the television. The freebie games that come with Nintendo Wii are: tennis, golf, baseball, and even boxing. Of course the games to choose from are as far as the imagination can stretch. You can even pay to download the good old games like Super Mario Brothers and other hits from back in the day. The gaming actively involves movement of the biceps, shoulders, core and even the legs. All of this, of course, happens in the comfort and privacy of home, which means users of any age or skill level can hit the virtual court, diamond or links anytime.

In a study of 25 kids 8 to 12 years old, researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, found that kids playing active video games (Sony's EyeToy and Konami's Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2) expended roughly double the energy of kids playing sedentary video games.

Wii has attracted a devoted following, including 26-year-old Mickey DeLorenzo, of South Philadelphia. The multimedia developer quickly attained cultural hero status by blogging the results of his 30-minute-a-day Wii exercise regimen. DeLorenzo, who lost 9 pounds between Dec. 3 and Jan. 15 just by playing Wii games.

If you're still curious what the game looks like in action take a moment to watch a crafty commercial Nintendo put together. The theme of the commercial is: Wii would like to play. Enjoy!

Being a nerdy sort of gal, I generally turn to books when I need motivation. I find reading about the topic concerned is what really gets me thinking and gives me all kinds of new ideas on how to tackle a problem. So today's health tip is: read up to get motivated. There are tons of books out there for diabetics and many of them are excellent resources, summing up the latest medical knowledge about diabetes and its treatment and packed with suggestions on how to achieve optimal health whilst living with the disease.

I was just browsing around on Amazon to see what the latest reads are, and there are a ton that have been very positively reviewed by readers. The top ranked book right at this moment is The First Year Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. Reviewers say this is an excellent, easy-to-follow and down-to-earth guide. In the Dummies series, there is Diabetes for Dummies, which has also done well with readers. There are also tons of cookbooks and dietary advice books out there, all of which are fun to explore.