With the number of individuals who have diabetes rising every day, it is important to do everything possible to manage the disease if you have it.  Controlling diabetes is a major step in reversing it.  Depending on how far the disease has progressed, diabetes can often be controlled by diet and other healthy lifestyle ideas.  Many individuals have controlled their diabetes so well in this manner that they have managed to keep it under control without medication.

All of these issues are important medical issues that should be discussed with your physician.  Also, there are steps you can take to control your diabetes.  Some of them include finding out as much as you can about diabetes by reading information on the internet or through other sources and talking to your doctor.
If you are urinating frequently, very thirsty and tired, talk to your doctor about these symptoms and have him check to see if you possibly have diabetes.

Other ways to manage diabetes if you or someone you know has it is to get regular care from your doctor.  If you are on a limited income and need help with medication, food or other necessities that you need, your doctor will be able to help you with some of those things and connect you with the right organizations to help you with the rest.

In addition to these important ways, it is important that you learn how to control your diabetes by eating right and getting exercise.  Take an active role in controlling your diabetes by keeping track of how you feel every day, keeping track of your blood pressure, testing your blood glucose daily, being active every day by walking, doing some sort of exercises.  Be sure to eat right – your doctor and the American Diabetes Association and various web sites are helpful in providing recipes that are “diabetes smart.”  If you are on medication, take it every day.

There are many things you can do to manage your diabetes, but these are the basics that will help you every day.  Managing your diabetes can help you maintain healthier blood pressure and avoid other health problems and complications from the disease, as well as keeping your diabetes from progressing further and faster.

Pre-Diabetes is a condition that is just what it sounds like.  It is a situation where an individual’s blood glucose level is higher than it should be, but not high enough to actually be Diabetes.  If a person has Pre-Diabetes it is likely that they will develop full-blown Diabetes within the next 10 years from the time they begin Pre-Diabetes symptoms.

There are, however, measures that can be taken to deal with Pre-Diabetes to delay or prevent Type 2 Diabetes.  These measures can also help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke – both of which are at increased risk with Type 2 Diabetes.

One important measure an individual can take if they have Pre-Diabetes is to control their weight and engage in moderate physical activity.  Increased weight – especially with lack of physical activity – makes the body work harder, creating a situation where blood glucose levels increase, insulin levels become abnormal and your risk for heart issues, high blood pressure, possible stroke or heart attack and other health problems increases dramatically.

If you are not sure whether you have diabetes or Pre-Diabetes, but you are having symptoms such as frequent urination, excessive thirst, sudden weight gain or loss, sores – especially on the feet – that don’t heal quickly, and extreme fatigue, check with your doctor.  Your doctor will then perform tests to see if you have Pre-Diabetes or Diabetes.  These tests include a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test, in which your blood glucose is measured after you have gone at least 8 hours without eating anything.  Another diagnostic test is an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test which measures your blood glucose after you have gone at least 8 hours without eating and 2 hours after you have had a glucose based beverage.  The other test that can be done is a Random Plasma Glucose Test, which is a blood test that is taken by your doctor (or the lab) without regard to when you ate or drank anything last, just to determine along with your other symptoms if you have Diabetes – but not to determine if you have Pre-Diabetes.

It is important that you be aware of any symptoms that you might have and check with your doctor regarding Pre-Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes.  With proper diet, exercise, care and treatment, you can lower your health risks and strengthen your life.

For Diabetes information contact the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-342-2383 or find them on the web at www.diabetes.org.
 

Childhood Diabetes is also called Type 1 Diabetes.  A child or young person that has diabetes is in a situation where their body does not create enough insulin, and as a result, it needs to be treated by the person taking insulin shots to provide for the insulin not being produced in the body.

The production of insulin, which is an important hormone, happens in the pancreas.  The food a child eats is broken down by the body into a sugar called glucose.  The sugar is carried through the blood and gives the body energy.  Insulin helps the sugar enter the cells in the body and controls the amount of sugar in the blood.

What happens with diabetes is that there ends up being too much sugar in the blood because there is not enough insulin to balance out the sugar.  This can cause many heath problems, and if they are not treated, these problems can end up being fatal.

In childhood diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes), the pancreas cannot create enough insulin because many of the cells in the pancreas are being destroyed, sometimes due to the body’s immune system destroying the cells.  Sometimes Type 1 Diabetes occurs due to hereditary factors, as it can be genetic and run in families.

Some of the main symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes are excessive thirst, urinating a lot and losing weight.  Some of the treatments include learning about the disease and learning about what type of diet can be helpful and healthy for diabetes.  It is important for the family to learn this information.  Another part of treatment is controlling blood sugar through use of a glucose meter to check the levels, but just as importantly, exploring the choices for a good diet and sticking to it.  Keytone tests are also important.  Basically, they test the urine and can tell you if enough insulin is being produced.  Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you how they work.

It is also essential to have continuous treatment and monitoring through your family’s or child’s doctor, not only for the child that is diagnosed with diabetes, but also to have the entire family tested, as well. 

Juvenile, Childhood or Type 1 Diabetes can be managed and controlled in a way that will allow your child to live a normal life, doing the same things that other children do.  There is a lot of information available.  One of the best sources of information is the American Diabetes Association.  You can call them at 1-800-342-2383 or visit the on the web at www.diabetes.org.

With threats of terrorist attacks and many natural disasters happening around the world, our awareness for the need to be prepared if a disaster strikes has recently increased. If you have diabetes it would be a good idea to create an emergency kit. It will only take a few minutes to collect what you need to be prepared for any unexpected event that may happen. The American Diabetes Association has prepared helpful tips on creating an emergency kit for people with diabetes.

They have suggested storing 3 days worth of diabetes supplies, which could include oral medication, insulin, insulin delivery supplies, lancets, extra batteries for your meter and/or pump, and a quick-acting source of glucose. All these items should be kept in an easy-to-identify container, and stored in a location that is easy to get to in an emergency. 

Your emergency supply kit should also contain a list of emergency contacts and, if you are a parent of a child in school or daycare, physician’s orders that may be on file with your child’s school or day care provider.  As always, it is a good idea to wear medical identification that will enable colleagues, school staff members, or emergency medical personnel to identify and address your medical needs.

If you are a parent of a child with diabetes, it is important that your child’s school has clearly identified the school staff members who will assist your child in the event of an emergency evacuation. For those who are away from home, consider informing your colleagues, friends, and family members about your diabetes and where your emergency supply kit is kept. 

Repaglinide (Prandin) is an oral medication for lowering blood sugar  in diabetics. It is in a class of drugs for treating diabetes type 2 called meglitinides and is chemically unlike other anti-diabetic medication. In a three month study, Prandin dropped fasting blood glucose values by 61 mg/dL and post meal blood glucose values by 100 mg/dL. Prandin is short acting and given before meals.  It is particularly beneficial in lowering blood glucose after meals and does not tend to lower fasting glucose levels to the same degree. Prandin has been used in combination with other medications, such as metformin (Glucophage), with impressive results. In 83 patients with type 2 diabetes, blood sugar control improved significantly with the addition of Prandin to Glucophage.

Prandin interacts with other medications. Therefore, the doctor must be aware of all other medications a patient is taking before prescribing Prandin. The usual starting dose is 0.5mg before each meal and can be increased to 4mg. The maximum daily dose is 16mg. Prandin is used with caution in people with kidney or liver abnormalities. Since Prandin increases insulin levels, it has the risk of causing abnormally low blood sugars. Blood sugars that remain severely low can result in sweating, tremors, confusion, and may lead to coma and seizure. In addition, the use of Prandin has been associated with headaches, muscle and joint aches, along with sinus infections in some individuals. This drug should not be used in pregnancy or by nursing mothers. The dose may need to be adjusted in older people, since the elderly may metabolize medications at a slower rate. 

There are many critical diabetic testing supplies and other important items you should always have readily available. The number one thing would be insulin and if you are insulin-dependent it is vital to always keep several days supply on-hand in case of an emergency. The blood glucose meter is another must-have. Of course your blood glucose meter won’t function without the proper test strips. Always keep plenty of these handy, so that you can test your blood sugar level on time, every time. If your diabetes puts you at risk for hypoglycemia, a supply of glucose tablets should always be kept with your diabetes testing supplies. It will be convenient to have a diabetes supply carrying case to keep everything organized.
There are several other useful things to have on hand. One is to have medical identification to lets people know you have diabetes if you are in an accident and unable to communicate. Everyone should have extra batteries on hand for their testing meter. Stash some sugar free substitute in a handy place, especially if you are going out.
Having these diabetic test supplies readily available will allow you self-monitor your insulin levels, and protect yourself from short and long-term complications that may arise. Situations can arise unexpectedly so always keep a good amount of supplies on hand. This will also help if an emergency happens.

Tanita Corp of Japan, will begin selling a portable digital urine glucose meter that indirectly checks blood glucose level by measuring urine glucose level. The meter is called UG-201 and will go on sale June 20, 2008 in Japan. The company has sold a stationary digital urine sugar meter since 2004.

Tanita Corp have had many request for a portable model because people are always on the go. Although the UG-201 is unable to measure the blood sugar level itself, it contributes to the prevention of metabolic syndrome and diabetes by measuring the urine sugar level, which is closely correlated with the blood sugar level. The product allows easy measurement simply by urinating on the sensor.  This meter is convenient and easy to use. Results show in about six seconds.

Although there is no manufacturer’s suggested retail price, the expected market price for the starter set including the main unit, sensor cartridge, etc is about $154.00. Each sensor cartridge is good for 200 uses and will cost $58 to replace. The company is aiming at initial annual sales of 3,000 sets and cumulative sales of 30,000 sets by fiscal 2010.

According to a new study published this month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, high prescription drug co-payments are associated with lower adherence and higher total healthcare costs. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline. They were able to investigate the effects of varied co-payment levels on oral diabetes medication adherence, health resource utilization, and total health costs for PPG Industries employees, retirees, and dependents.

This was a 2-year retrospective study on the effects of Health Plan Co-payments on Adherence to Oral Diabetes Medication and Health Resources Utilization. In comparing medication adherence and healthcare costs for patients with diabetes, PPG Industries, a global manufacturer and provider of coatings, glass and chemical products, noted that those with lower co-payments had better adherence to oral diabetes medicines, and averaged $3116 less per year in total health care costs than those in the highest co-payment group.

Poor medication adherence can be attributed to several factors. The effects of high prescription drug co-payments have been studied extensively since they have often been used by employers and insurers in an attempt to contain spiraling drug costs for chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and to prevent individuals from seeking unnecessary medical care. Increasing co-payments has been shown to decrease use of medications for chronic conditions. Until recently, few studies have investigated the relationship between co-payment level, adherence, and use of subsequent health resources.

Teens with Type 1 Diabetes prefer use Insulin pumps as part of treating the disease but an FDA study shows the device has been linked to injuries and a few deaths. Although, the FDA is not saying the teens with juvenile diabetes should not be provided the insulin pump.  Insulin pumps can help make life more manageable. Parents need to be keeping a close eye on their children’s devices and understand that the machine is not infallible.Problems observed in the study were not taking care of the pump or dropping them. Also it is believed that there is simply a lack of education because teen weren’t sure on the correct use. 

With the proper care the pumps can be a part of normal teen life for diabetes patients. Up to 100,000 teens may already be using the machine that costs about $6,000 with supplies running at $250 a month.

Insulin pumps are used for Type 1 diabetes. Between 5 and 10 percent of all diabetic cases are Type 1 which is also known as juvenile diabetes. The pumps are small, the size of a cell phone, and worn on a belt or carried in a pocket. Through a plastic tube that is inserted under the skin insulin is carried into the body. The user tells the machine how much insulin to give prior to each meal based on the estimated carbs they are eating. There are also devices designed to give a constant low level flow of insulin.

Even with the pump patients must check sugar levels, because one of the problems that has been observed is a blocked tube that can quickly cause an episode of high blood sugar. “In a matter of a few hours, all the insulin in the body disappears,” said Dr. John Buse, the American Diabetes Association’s president for medicine and science. “Metabolically, the child starts to spiral out of control.

Although there are some problems with the insulin pump it has quickly become a vital part of diabetic treatment for teens.  Teens need to be aware of these risks.

Generally this blog provides information abut obtaining help with low or no cost medical supplies and information pertaining to the illness itself. This blog is about a time sensitive event that will benefit juvenile diabetes research.

A triathlon will be held on  Sunday , May 11, 2008  at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. We found the following details on Www. http://gustavus.edu:

The triathlon is being organized by the Epsilon Pi Alpha fraternity at Gustavus, which has a history of supporting diabetes-related causes. In 2007 the fraternity raised $6,500 to support Insulindependence programs. The fraternity will look to surpass that amount this year during its Diabetes Awareness Project, which will feature several events beginning Monday, April 21 and concluding with the triathlon on May 11.

Insulindependence was founded by Gustavus alumnus Peter Nerothin. A nonprofit public benefit corporation based in San Diego, Calif., Insulindependence aims to change diabetic lives through adventure travel, educational outreach, and web-based community support. The organization operates through a global network of outdoor enthusiasts working together in an effort to promote healthy, proactive lifestyles to diabetics lacking financial resources, positive role models, and adequate guidance in professional healthcare.

If you are in the Minnesota area and want to participate, you may register at http://www.insulindependence.org/gusti_tri.asp