Why is diabetes an imperfect science? The last 22 years of my life with diabetes have disproved as much (or more) than it has confirmed in conventional diabetes wisdom. The facts were in the studies - but researchers didn't know what to do with them, at the time. Here's where the mysteries will unfold..

The last year blogging with The Diabetes Blog has been an in your face demonstration of the imperfect science of diabetes. Many undisclosed details of studies from days gone by have proven to be a reason why diabetes has been an imperfect science. Since when has science been imperfect? When you don't complete your homework. Don't get wrong - science has done the homework, but you - the diabetic - have not been privy to every fact found in these studies. Nowadays, there's no excuse. The dog doesn't eat my homework.

It's time these facts made it to the light of day. I am taking my investigative curiosity and hanging a shingle over LoveDiabetes.com - because that's who I am: Allison Love Beatty! Let's buddy-up with the researchers and their homework. It's about time we solved the universal mysteries of diabetes. The facts are available. With combined knowledge, existential and pathological, we can make more of these studies from yesteryear and the days to come.

Someday soon we will see the trend of diabetes reverse - less diagnosis, less complications, and reduced costs. I've got Internet access, unlimited long-distance, and plenty of time. The fun is just getting started! This is my invitation to you - what's your diabetes mystery? Leave me a comment on LoveDiabetes.com so I know what's on your mind. Together we will prove there is no such a thing as an imperfect science.

Love always,
Allie B

It never ceases to amaze me how many new benefits related to strength training are discovered. Once considered to be the workout for the guy who no longer wanted to get sand kicked in his face at the beach, weight lifting has grown to become a doctor recommended way to maintain health. Serving as a testament to this is the recent discovery that strength training improves insulin sensitivity.

In the September 2006 Journal of Endocrinology Metabolism, French researchers published data suggesting that resistance training may fight against inflammation in internal tissues and organs. Specifically, they found that it improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar metabolism without any effect on C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. What's more, not only does this help to prevent diabetes, it appears as though weight training's effect ability to fight inflammation can also aid in the fight against cancer and coronary artery disease.

In a related study, researchers from the University of Southern California studied weight training's effect on insulin Resistance and body fat in Latino boys aged 14-17. They found that 16 weeks of strength training improved insulin resistance, reduced body fat and increased lean body mass by 91 percent.

Overweight teens looking to get some exercise and lose weight might want to consider activities other than the old treadmill/aerobics class route. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California would like to suggest weight lifting. They say their studies have shown strength training is beneficial for teens who are overweight and at risk for developing diabetes. Engaging in such activity can prevent or at least delay the onset of diabetes in these kids, say the authors of the study.

Although it has been known for some time that exercise improves insulin sensitivity, previous studies had been conducted on adults. This study, however, took a group of Latino teenage boys aged fourteen to seventeen, all of whom were overweight, and had them lift weights twice a week for sixteen weeks. The result was a significant reduction (91%) in insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes. The reason weight training was chosen as the exercise of choice was because it is less physically taxing than a lot of other exercises, yet visible changes are quite rapid.

The medical world lost an extraordinary person Saturday. Dr. Helen Martin, a pioneering specialist in diabetes care and a former professor at the University of Southern California (pictured), died on Saturday. Martin was one hundred years old.

Not only did Martin succeed at medical school at a time when few women attended such institutions (she graduated from USC in 1934), she did so despite being afflicted with polio. In fact, Martin has said that spending so much time in hospitals while growing up with polio was what inspired her to learn about medicine.

Among other things, Martin was known for her expertise in the area of diabetes care. She studied the influence of electrolytes on the body during diabetic coma, as well as the importance of insulin, and the role of magnesium in diabetes. She was also known for her dedication to her patients. A former colleague once remarked of Martin: "She knew every diabetic--she knew them all. I can remember some of the cases specifically that were problems, patients who kept coming in out of control--wouldn't take their insulin, their veins gone. You'd call Helen, and you'd get help, believe me."

You can read more about the accomplishments of Helen Martin in the Los Angles Times' obituary.