Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
Posts with tag health
Posted Jul 26th 2007 6:14PM by Diane Rixon
Filed under: Type 2, Diet, Lifestyle, Research, Exercise
Ever noticed that people tend to be around the same weight as spouses and friends? Well, it's not your imagination. A study just out in the
New England Journal of Medicine reports that obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, acts somewhat like a contagious disease - so when one person puts on weight, others around them follow suit. This, the researchers say, helps explain why Americans have gotten so fat in recent decades.
The study,
a summary and discussion of which is featured in The New York Times, involved the analysis of a social network of 12,067 people over a period of thirty-two years (from 1971 to 2003). Researchers tracked not only the health and weight loss/gain of these people, but also who knew whom, who was friends with whom, and who was related to whom. Over time, it became clear that those whose friends became obese were much more likely to grow obese themselves. The likelihood, in fact,
tripled in the case of close friends. Interestingly, friendship mattered more as a determining factor than did being related or being neighbors with someone.
It works like this: people tend to share the lifestyle habits of their family and friends. Folks who consider salads delightful and who enjoy
frequent jogs around the park generally surround themselves with similarly-minded folks, and it shows in their trim physiques. Likewise, fast-food munchers who enjoy lots of TV tend to hang out with a similar crowd...and their thighs - not to mention waistlines,
hearts, blood sugar levels etc. - suffer the consequences. Another factor, says researcher Nicholas Christakis, is the perception of the self in relation to others: "You change your idea of what is an acceptable body type by looking at the people around you."
Posted Mar 20th 2007 7:43AM by Allie Beatty
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Lifestyle, Exercise, Books, Products
Tai Chi for Diabetes is easy to learn, effective and safe. It is designed to prevent and improve control of diabetes. The program will help to improve muscle strength, increase heart and lung activity, as well as improve balance and harmonize mind and body.
Gentle exercise helps people with diabetes by improving the control of blood glucose level. Tai chi is a gentle exercise with strong emphasis on mental relaxation, it is reasonable to assume tai chi can help to control diabetes by improving cellular uptake and glucose metabolism. Tai chi can also help mitigate the effects of stress, which is shown to make the control of diabetes worse. Tai chi reduces stress and improves relaxation.
The major problems of diabetes are complications such as hypertension, heart disease, visual impairment and vascular problem. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy, a condition that the nerves of feet are damaged thus affects balance and walking. Tai chi has been proven to be effective in improving balance and mobility.
The immense power of the mind has not been fully estimated. As one of the most effective mind-body exercise, Tai Chi teaches the student to be mindful of the intrinsic energy from which he or she can perceive greater self-control and empowerment. The mental training in Tai Chi will enhance clarity of the mind, improve relaxation and uplift mood.
The Tai Chi for Diabetes DVD costs $25. It includes 90 minutes of a general introduction of Tai Chi and diabetes, warm up and cooling down exercises, Qigong for Diabetes, 11 basic movements and 8 advanced movements. Viewers can learn different part at their own pace using the easy-to-learn and step-by-step instructions. If you prefer a less expensive option, you can order the Tai Chi for Diabetes Handbook for $10 or you can subscribe to the newsletter for free. Your budget, your decision.
Below I've included some feedback from people who have firsthand knowledge of Tai Chi for Diabetes. Here's what they have to say:
"I use your video a lot to perfect my technique, to check accuracy of movements, listen to instructions and recall various Tai Chi principles." Jana Solovka, Vic. Australia
"I have been practicing Tai Chi for over 20 years, and I have found no one that compares with Dr Lam - your presentation and expertise are what make the difference." Ted Stark, OR, USA
"The other day I was at the library and saw your video on the shelf... I was impressed with your presentation and the ease of following along. It is clearly one of the best Tai Chi instructional videos I have seen." Allan J. Glazer, DPM USA
Posted Jan 29th 2007 8:24AM by Allie Beatty
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Research, Opinion
Shane Ellison, an organic chemist known as the people's chemist, warns the public about a popular sweetener. He bravely hypothesizes that a commonly used sweetener may "explode internally". He uses this term to describe the potential to damage many parts of the body such as our genetic map known as DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid.
Manufacturers of the popular sweetener were furious over his accusation. They claim that the information included in Shane's article contains many inaccuracies and false information. They asked him to discontinue any further dissemination of these false and damaging statements. They continued by saying that if he fails to take these actions promptly, that they would consider the need for further legal action. Undeterred by such threats, Shane asserts that he is entitled to his own "hypothesis." Readers should understand that he is making no definitive statements. Instead, he is expressing his grave concern over this drug disguised as a sweetener. He feels that consumers have a right to know the whole story behind what may be a very dangerous scam in the artificial sweetener business - or not.
Shane holds a master's degree in organic chemistry. He is internationally recognized as an authority on therapeutic nutrition. Check out his life saving health briefs and natural cures to see for yourself if he's crying wolf or if he's got a scientific leg to stand on.
Posted Nov 27th 2006 9:50PM by Chris Sparling
Filed under: Type 2, Research, Daily News
According to the CDC journal of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (easily one of the least appealing names of a publication that I've ever come across, but I digress), 
half of the estimated 21 million adults living with diabetes in the U.S. rate themselves as having only "fair" or "poor" health. The researchers involved in putting forth this information found this self-estimation of health very unsettling, for it can be associated with the increasing number of people with diabetes who are experiencing complications such as kidney failure, lower extremity amputation, and heart disease.
Despite what may be expected, these self-appraisals are coming not from people who are 45 and older, rather they are being reported by people aged 18 to 44. The information was collected through a survey conducted by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and reexamined by the CDC. The researchers discovered that almost half of the respondents who had diabetes reported being only in "fair" or "poor" health -- as compared to people who do not have diabetes, who were three times less likely to claim such an unhealthy status. Moreover, the statistics from this study show that the reports of people with diabetes who reported "fair" or 'poor" health rose from about 36% in 1996 to 43.4% in 2005.
It's highly unlikely that these self-reports of health are anything but accurate, since the overall number of people of diabetes soared from 9.9 million to 13.7 million between 1996 and 2003. And, the individual spending of people with diabetes also rose markedly over this period of time; from an average of $476 to $883. These numbers are staggering, and it only serves to further support the need to find a cure for this chronic illness. If the government needs more convincing (as if the numbers mentioned aren't somehow enough), it should look at just how much diabetes will cost the health care system in the years to come. As it stands now, overall care for patients with diabetes -- including treatment in and out of the hospital and for other illness such as congestive heart failure -- averaged more than $10,000 annually. Bottom line: find a cure. Treatment is great, insulin is amazing, and all these fancy glucose monitors and every other expensive gadget to hit the market are all well and good, but they are not a cure. Plain and simple. Again, find a cure. Fast.
Posted Sep 1st 2006 12:31PM by Allie Beatty
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2
This Sunday, September 3, 2006 join the uproarious laughter of Jim Turner (best known for HBO's Arli$$), as he tests your trivia talent while paying tribute to the unspoken heroes of the diabetes community, healthcare professionals and caregivers. He uses his Diabetes Toolbox to facilitate the introductions. From what I've heard, the Diabetes Toolbox alone is worth tuning in!
Jim, a co-host of dLifeTV, was diagnosed as a type I diabetic in high school. He has found that sharing his experiences as a diabetic will help other diabetics understand that they are not alone. The unique gift Jim uses to relay this message is his craft for comedy.
So if you think that you or someone you know is a celebrity trivia genius, tune into dLifeTV (on CNBC) this Sunday, September 3, 2006 at 7:00PM ET/4:00PM PT and rediscover Susan (Heidi Swedberg) , the ill-fated fiancé of Seinfeld's George Costanza; Jeffrey Rosso the high school guidance counselor from Freaks and Geeks; Spin City's Carter Sebastian Heywood and many others who team up to remind you that they exist and deserve their own kind of special recognition -- just like diabetes caregivers!
Posted Aug 31st 2006 2:27PM by Allie Beatty
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2
Think the real world -- New York to California. That is exactly what Gina Capone did to capture the attention of a girl like myself, ransacking search engines for some refreshing diabetic websites. Gina, with her friend Jon, copiloted the launch of DIABETEStalkfest.
Focusing on the forgotten generation, young adults between the ages of 18-35, DIABETEStalkfest is an online community built by people with diabetes for people with diabetes.
Gina, a type 1 diabetic and native New Yorker, and Jon Schlaman, who has a son with type 1 diabetes and lives in California, met on a diabetes message board. Jon and Gina realized there was a shortage of good, fun, diabetes-related sites on the internet. Gina and Jon, formed a lasting friendship and business partnership, communicating only through message boards and IM's.
The inviting thing about DIABETEStalkfest is that you can find real friendships and support. Express yourself at their message board, or connect with other people in their online chat or even catch a live chat with professionals in the field. Join the unscripted fun on DIABETEStalkfest!
Posted Aug 31st 2006 1:33PM by Allie Beatty
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2
Anybody who has been granted the dubious distinction of multiple blood glucose readings a day will appreciate the lively approach my endocrinologist has applied to diabetes management. As his cartoon-depicted alter ego, Dr. Grady brings you straightforward explanations of the medical issues in the form of comic strips. His approach is the CartoonMD®, which is medical information made very, very simple.
A new class of diabetes agents was created and released on the market for patient care called the incretin mimetics. Greek to you, too? Exactly. Here's what I did -- take yourself a minute or two to pay homage to the comedic genius and frustrated artist that I proudly (and often) call doctor. If nothing more, you'll enjoy the momentary reminiscing of Saturday morning cartoons with an intellectual spin.
I encourage everybody to take a look at the educational entertainment from the good doctor, Dr. Grady. It truly is medical information that goes down easy!
Posted Jul 30th 2006 6:53PM by Diane Rixon
Filed under: Diet, Lifestyle
A popular article from
The New York Times is worth a look. It's all about how people are so much more robust and healthy than were previous generations, particularly comparing today's Americans with those from the mid-1800s or the early 1900s. One of the topics discussed at length in the feature is disease, specifically chronic diseases that used to be commonplace and affected people from relatively early ages.
The article discusses various studies that link health and longevity to health in early childhood (and, specifically, the availability of good food, vaccinations and antibiotics). These studies have also identified a link between individuals' health and longevity and the state of their mothers' health during pregnancy.
One example: researchers studied the health of babies born to women who were pregnant during the Dutch famine, which occurred during World War II, between November 1944 and May 1945. These babies seemed no worse for their mothers' terrible suffering - their birth weights were normal, for example. However, it was found that now, as age catches up with those people, they are developing chronic diseases, including diabetes, at unusually high rates.
Similarly, a study of children born to mothers who were pregnant during the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 found that they were also more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses than were children born to women pregnant before or after the epidemic. Again, the incidence of diabetes was higher than for other people - in this case, twenty percent higher by the age of sixty-one.
The conclusion? When a mother is ill or starved during pregnancy, the danger is not just the health of the baby, but for that child as he or she grows, and even for the rest of his/her adult life. That is, the experience of the mother may predispose the child to illnesses that typically do not develop until later in life (middle age or later).
Posted Jul 11th 2006 12:08PM by Dalene Entenmann
Billboard.com has announced the
death of Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Syd Barrett from complications of diabetes. According to Billboard, Barrett left Pink Floyd over thirty years ago due to mental health issues, and lived the remainder of his life in seclusion with his mother in Cambridge, England.
Known for psychedelic rock, Pink Floyd, with Barrett and members Roger Waters, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason, gained an international cult-like following due to its innovative
beyond the boundaries rock.
By some accounts, Barrett's LSD drug use created mental problems for him and he eventually retired from the band to live in his hometown of Cambridge. Pink Floyd band members dedicated two songs to Barrett, who was seen as influential in all that Pink Floyd symbolized and position it held in the rock world, with
Shine on You Crazy Diamond and
Wish You Were Here.
At the Live 8 benefit, Gilmour, Waters, Wright and Mason performed
Wish You Were Here in Barrett's honor. Barrett was 60.
Posted Jun 12th 2006 11:06AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Drugs
Diabetes Mine's
Amy Tenderich is blogging the American Diabetes Association's 66th Annual Scientific Sessions. While Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association is
blogging the same convention, Tenderich promises to give her readers the uncensored and totally unofficial scoop. I believe she will more than deliver on her promise.
I am certain everyone in the online diabetes community is well aware that Tenderich blogs the
Diabetes Mine, but if you are new to diabetes and reading this, her blog is a must visit. Amy -- diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago -- is all-things-real with the intelligence and sharp commentary to back it up. A most excellent blogger and blog.
Posted Jun 12th 2006 7:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Drugs
Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association, is blogging the American Diabetes Association's 66th Annual Scientific Sessions. From June 9 - 13, the annual convention brings together leading scientists and health professionals to present the latest study findings and to discuss the current and future progress in the field of diabetes prevention and care.
So far, some of Kahn's posts have covered such topics as: insulin and longevity; endocannabinoids, oral insulin, the new A1C test, who is responsible for optimal diabetes care; the worm study; and you are what your mother ate during her pregnancy. The posting is written in a light and easy manner, not requiring the average person to being a textbook of medical definitions to make sense out of what is being said. I assume Kahn will continue blogging through June 13. You can read Richard's D.C. Diary
here.
Posted Jun 11th 2006 10:00PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Drugs
In an earlier post, we shared study findings
linking diabetes to depression. As a result of this, the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis researchers recommended that diabetics would benefit from taking antidepressants in order to control depression.
In another post, we shared study results that University of Alberta researchers were able to establish that Type 2 diabetes patients tended to have a
history of depression extending back before they were diagnosed with diabetes.
Most recently, during the American Diabetes Association
annual meeting, study results were presented that suggest antidepressants actually appear to increase progression to diabetes in people who are already at risk for the disease. Not exactly in line with the previous two studies, is it. Keeping up with research can be
exhausting at times. Stay with me. The ending of this post is priceless.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers collected information on 3,000 people who took part in the Diabetes Prevention Program. According to the researchers, those who took antidepressants regularly were two to three times more likely to develop diabetes. No increased risk was reported for those not taking antidepressants. However, the study participants who took the glucose-lowering drug metformin with antidepressants also had not increased risk of developing diabetes.
I am going to end this with a direct quote from study co-leader Richard Rubin, "We don't have a clue what's going on."
Posted Jun 11th 2006 9:18PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Drugs
USA TODAY ran a
feature story that covered an American Diabetes Association, ADA, briefing over the weekend in which Robert Rizza, president of the ADA, stated that 7.2 million diabetic disabilities and deaths could be avoided by a simple daily pill that combined low-dose aspirin with drugs that lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. A
polypill is what Rizza called it.
Rizza went on to say that this treatment would cost approximately $100 dollars a year per person. According to the ADA, 21 million Americans have diabetes with an additional 41 million Americans at risk of developing diabetes. When I read this, it struck me that this is either a groundbreaking statement that has profoundly promising implications in the future treatment for diabetes -- or this is common knowledge in the diabetes community and then -- why is no one acting on this knowledge and developing the pill Rizza is referring to? Then again, is creating a mega-pill combining so many different medications in one pill -- prudent?
I am going with groundbreaking news, as the information shared in this weekend briefing was based on a mathematical model produced by Archimedes that predicts various outcomes based on variables in treatments. Now that they have this information, what will they do with it?
Posted May 24th 2006 8:08PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle
Kerri Morrone, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was six years old, blogs the typical life issues of a bright and full of light twentysomething woman at Six Until Me. The blog tagline reads
diabetes doesn't define me but it helps explain me. And the blog is true to the tagline in posts that are filled with a daily life where diabetes is never far away.
Bloggers begin blogging for a number of reasons. Morrone began blogging as a means of creating an online community for herself with other diabetics. As she tells it, one spring afternoon, she goggled diabetes looking for the personal voices in the world speaking out, reaching out, and connecting to others who understood on an intimate level what it means to be diabetic. She found them blogging. Morrone has a delightfully engaging way with words and is a natural-born storyteller. The better blog seems to invite you in with a comforting welcome that makes it easy to stay awhile and come back often.
Six Until Me is a better blog.
Posted Mar 20th 2006 11:04PM by Heather Craven
Filed under: Diet, Lifestyle
Imagine a world where heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other
maladies could be controlled by highly specific diets. Some researchers are hoping this to be the case. Nutrigenomics is the study of food and diet, and how
each interacts with specific genes to increase the risk of certain disease. One new company, Sciona, is hopping on this opportunity and has created at-home kits designed for
individual use. By simply filling out a detailed questionnaire, swabbing your inner cheek and depositing the swab
in the provided receptacle, the company will then analyze the DNA and form to create a detailed diet for your specific
medical and health needs. The laboratory analyzes 19 genes that affect bone health, heart health, antioxidant and
detoxification, insulin resistance, and inflammation and then recommends several dietary changes to counteract the
genetic weaknesses. Whether or not this will be the diet trend to end all others is yet to be seen. To be able to
control so many illnesses by diet, and diet alone, would be a dream come true.
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