Hear ye! Hear ye! I have an announcement to make. About 3 months ago, a committee formed to explore the possibility of creating a new conference series for adults with type 1 diabetes. Most conferences are currently geared towards all types of diabetes, but a group of us felt there should be more for the unique challenges that are posed to adults living with type 1.

With that in mind, we are conducting an interest study for the conference. Who would you like to see at the conference? Tell us what is missing from Type 1 diabetes (besides the obvious **cure**). This will help us with programming, as well as securing sponsorships for the event. Besides giving you all you want from the latest and greatest in type 1 diabetes - you have a chance to leave your mark on this revolutionary event. At the end of the survey, there is a question about creating a name for the conference. The committee will choose the winning name. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Know Your Numbers, by Amy Tenderich and Dr. Richard Jackson. The second and third places prizes are a Six Until Me mug and a Diabetes Mine mug, donated by Kerri Morrone and Amy Tenderich.

The survey closes on Friday, September 7, 2007 so don't miss your opportunity to voice your opinion. Take the survey today!!

Works by the modernist painter Charles Demuth (1883-1935) are now on display at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Add Demuth to the pantheon of notable Americans with diabetes. Demuth lived nearly his entire life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He had a hard life, being type 1 diabetic at a time before digital meters and pumps and all that good stuff. Not only that, he was diabetic at a time when insulin was only beginning to be used.

So, you may well ask: what did they do in the dark, dark pre-insulin days? Well, dear reader, the treatment was pretty unsophisticated. Starvation, basically. They got you eating as little as possible. Not surprisingly, life expectancy was not good in those days! Demuth suffered from a lack of energy and eyesight problems. Eventually, he was started on insulin and his health improved as a result.

For subject matter, Demuth frequently turned to the increasingly industrialized landscape of his hometown, Lancaster. Icons of the industrial skyline - smokestacks, water towers and the like - were often the subject of his paintings. The Amon exhibit is titled "Chimneys and Towers: Charles Demuth's Late Paintings of Lancaster." The exhibit will remain on display in Fort Worth through October, when it will relocate to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, FL, then it's off to the Whitney Museum in New York City.

Click here to read more about Demuth and this new exhibit.

Wow. I love the Internet. All you wanted to know - and then some! - about rocker Bret Michaels and his experiences with Type 1 diabetes can be found at DiabetesHealth. No, wait! Don't leave. I swear, this is really quite interesting reading.

Michaels (44) is the longtime vocalist with the campy hair metal band "Poison," most famous for the weepy 1988 power ballad "Every Rose Has its Thorn." Don't laugh. The guy has sold 25 million albums. Anyway, about the diabetes: Michaels was diagnosed with the condition at age six. The early diagnosis, Michaels says, was a blessing in disguise in that he grew up accepting it as part and parcel of everyday life. He remembers going to insulin shock at least four times as a child, and recalls one incident when his father, afraid Michaels was having a seizure, tried to force his mouth open and Michaels bit down so hard he nearly separated dad from finger. Aww. Good times!

Like lots of diabetic kids, Michaels attended diabetes camp and says he remains a big supporter, even contributing fundraising dollars to underwrite camp scholarships.

His observations on diet are worth reading. Favorite food/dietary weakess? Peanut butter: "Man, I could eat a jar of it, and that's why I have to just keep it away from me." And he stresses his secret comes down to portion control. "Cut 'em back," Michaels says. "The more carbs you pound in, the more your blood sugar's just going to rise. Your blood sugar goes high, you start to gain a lot of weight, and next thing you know, it's a lose, lose, lose situation that just spirals down."

Michaels is now on a three shots-a-day regimen and checks his blood sugar levels four to six times daily, and makes it eight times a day when he's on tour. He goes backstage twice during shows to check his blood sugar. He also admits he's "a little old school," in that he sticks with standard injections and meters. Pumps? Apparently, Michaels is not "cosmetically ready for the pump just yet." Guess it's hard to conceal a pump under spandex...

Insulin pumps are especially helpful to match your insulin to your lifestyle, instead of the other way around. The pump delivers insulin in varying, small amounts throughout the day, more closely resembling a healthy pancreas. Type 1 diabetics of all ages are using the insulin pump, and even some type 2 diabetics have chosen to try the pump.

Insulin pumps boast better blood glucose control, even a potentially lower A1C. The American Diabetes Association lists some pros/cons of the insulin pump. The pump eliminates the need for multiple injections, significantly reduces large swings in blood glucose, makes diabetes management easier, and can improve the quality of life. Pumps have a convenient disconnect port so you can shower, swim or bathe in an instant. On the negative side, the pump can also cause weight gain or ketoacidosis if the catheter falls out, can be expensive, requires initial training and can be troublesome to cart around. However, the pump is relatively small and can be worn fairly inconspicously in a waistband, pocket or even a sports bra.

For 24 hours a day, insulin pumps deliver short-acting insulin through a catheter placed under the skin. After an initial training period, you program the pump to deliver various doses of basal insulin throughout the day to keep blood glucose steady between meals and during the night. Then you press a few buttons to deliver bolus insulin to cover carbohydrates in meals/snacks. Conveniently, a bolus dose can also be administered to cover your inability to refuse grandma's cherry pie or act as a corrective dose to treat an unexpected high blood glucose level. No more needles, but the port site does need to be changed every few days.

Head to The Diabetes Mall to see the more popular pumps on the market, along with books and resources to aid your research.

Julie DeFruscio is a proud mother and the co-owner of Pump Wear. When Julie's little girl was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001, she was fitted with a big dorky insulin pump harness. Julie was horrified. When she went looking for alternatives to the bulky contraption she found they were just as medical-looking. Feeling that the last thing little kids need is to be lugging around medical equipment that screams "I have a disability" to the world, DeFruscio began designing her own insulin pump holders. She ended up going into business with friend Dawn Juneau. Hey presto! Pump Wear was born.

The company produces cool and stylish insulin pump holders for adults and kids. There are little packs that clip around the waist, perfect for wee ones, and there are also pump pack t-shirts, which have pump pockets sewn on the back or front (see picture). All are colorful and very hip and most definitely not medical-looking. Check out the Pump Wear website to view all the available designs and to shop online.

Here's some important news for parents of preschool-aged Type 1 diabetic children: according to a new study, Type 1 kids do better on insulin pumps than on daily insulin shots. According to researchers from the Loyola University Medical Center, the pumps, also known as continuous delivery devices, are "safe, effective and superior" to insulin injections. Moreover, switching a child with Type 1 diabetes to a more effective treatment such as this as a very young age decreases the likelihood of serious health complications as that child matures.

Interestingly, the researchers also note that the pumps have so far not been widely used on very young children. They speculate that one reason might be a fear on the part of doctors and parents that little ones might tamper with the devices. In fact, this was not a problem, at least with the children involved in this particular study, all of whom were aged between two and seven years. Personally, I find that surprising...

Ontario is putting up the money to purchase insulin pumps for children with diabetes in the Canadian province. It is the first province in the country to do so. The pumps will cost $12 million this year, $30 million next year, and will be supplied to an estimated 6,500 children. "These pumps will help keep these children healthier and reduce emergency room visits," says Finance Minister Dwight Duncan. The change was agreed to as part of a $1.9 billion increase in health-care spending. The increase will also pay for such services as upgraded newborn screening, an influenza pandemic plan, improved breast cancer screening, and new hospitals in eleven cities.