5 Questions About Type 1 Diabetes And Mental Health Answered

5 Questions About Type 1 Diabetes and Mental Health Answered

5 Questions About Type 1 Diabetes and Mental Health Answered
We interview Dr. Beverly Adler about her work tending to the mental health needs of the diabetes community.
Dr. Beverly Adler (aka Dr. Bev, right) is an award-winning certified diabetes educator and diabetes psychologist. She has combined her first-hand knowledge of living with Type 1 diabetes with a PhD in clinical psychology to serve the mental health needs of those within the diabetes community. Shes also written two self-help books and many articles, and does speaking engagements. We caught up with her via email to ask her a few questions about mental health care for people with Type 1 diabetes.
What has been your experience, as a mental health professional, working with people with diabetes?
When I see patients who are newly diagnosed, they are generally stressed and feel overwhelmed with all the information which they have to learn. I try to help them reduce their anxiety levels. Many people with diabetes are in denial and dismiss the seriousness of living with this chronic illness. I think they so fear the possibility of serious complications in the future that they hide their heads in the sand like an ostrich. Some people are so angry about their diagnosis that they have a hard time managing a self-care regimen. My goal with everybody is to help them accept their diabetes. I think it helps them to know that I also live with diabetes and can be a role model for them. Our goal is to do the best that we can which does not mean being perfect, since there is no such thing.
How would you recommend a pers Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Scientists in Texas closer to diabetes cure with unconventional treatment

Scientists in Texas closer to diabetes cure with unconventional treatment
by: Marty Toohey, American-Statesman Staff Updated:
SAN ANTONIO, Tx. - Years of testing remain, but UT Health San Antonio researchers say theyve cured Type 1 diabetes in mice.
In peer-reviewed paper, they say a gene transfer can wake up cells in the pancreas to produce insulin.
Health researchers at the University of Texas think they have found a way to trick the body into curing Type 1 diabetes.
The immune system of a person with diabetes kills off useful beta cells, but the UT researchers say they have found a way to make other cells in the pancreas perform the necessary work. Their approach, announced earlier this month in the academic journal Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology , not only would have implications for Type 1, formerly called juvenile diabetes, but also could help treat the far more common Type 2 variety, also known as adult-onset diabetes.
The researchers have cured mice, which are genetically similar to people but different enough that new rounds of animal testing and millions of dollars more are needed before human trials can begin. The researchers approach is sure to garner skeptics, at least in part because it is a significant departure from the many other attempts at curing diabetes, which typically involve transplanting new cells and/or suppressing the immune systems attempts to kill off useful ones.
By contrast, were taking a cell that is already present in the body its there, and its happy and programming it to secrete insulin, without changing it otherwise, sa Continue reading

Day In The Life: Jeweler To The Stars Juggles Business, A Baby And A Diabetes Diagnosis

Day In The Life: Jeweler To The Stars Juggles Business, A Baby And A Diabetes Diagnosis
{{article.article.images.featured.caption}}
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. {{article.article.magazine.subscription_text}}
Fashion may not seem a likely pursuit for a girl who grew up with three brothers in North Carolina. Yet, after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Mignonne Gavigan Smith followed her passion to Paris to study at the Sorbonne and Parsons. Following a move to New York City, where she completed her studies at Parsons NY, she honed her skills at Marc Jacobs, Loeffler Randall and Rachel Roy before deciding to go it alone. The decision was sparked by a wardrobe hack. In search of the perfect accessory, Smith ripped a couture gown and tied a swathe around her neck as a necklace. Three years later, Smiths handmade jewelry brand Mignonne Gavigan , known for its beaded scarf necklaces and oversized earrings, employs a team of eight women in NYC, is carried at major retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, and is adored by celebritiesincluding Jessica Biel, Nina Dobrev, Selma Blair, Sofia Vergara, Victoria Justice, Kate Mara and Katy Perry. Here, Smith shares a typical day in the life of a working mom juggling a business, a marriage, a nine-month-old and a type 1-diabetes diagnosis.
7 AM: I set my alarm for seven, but I sleep for as long as Fi Continue reading

Smoking and diabetes: Risks, effects, and how to quit

Smoking and diabetes: Risks, effects, and how to quit
Reviewed by Natalie Olsen, RD, LD, ACSM EP-C
The health risks of smoking are well known, and most smokers already know the risks they are taking.
For people with diabetes , however, smoking is a serious risk factor for numerous health issues they may face. Smoking may even cause diabetes.
Quitting is the best course of action smokers can take for their health. However, some strategies may reduce the health effects for some of those with diabetes.
Smoking and diabetes: Can smoking cause diabetes?
Smokers are more likely to develop diabetes than non-smokers.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for at least 90 percent of cases worldwide.
Type 2 diabetes is also closely linked to certain lifestyle factors, including smoking. In fact, smokers are 30-40 percent more likely than non-smokers to develop diabetes. People who have diabetes already and who smoke are more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes.
Smoking damages cells and tissues, increasing inflammation . It also causes oxidative stress , which is when molecules called free radicals damage cells. Both these conditions are linked to an increased risk of diabetes. They can cause other health problems, as well, including cardiovascular disease.
Research further suggests that heavy smoking increases abdominal fat . Even in people who aren't obese or overweight, excess abdominal fat is a risk factor for diabetes.
The health risks of smoking are numerous, and researchers are constantly uncovering new health concerns associated with smo Continue reading

Smart Snacking With Diabetes

When you feel the urge to snack, its easy to satisfy your cravings with something sweet and salty. A box of cookies or bag of chips quenches that hunger. But with a little creativity and determination, snacking can be a healthy quest that helps keep your blood glucose steady while adding important vitamins and minerals to your diet.
When we think of snacking, we usually think of it as something unhealthy or a mini-meal, said registered dietitian Angela Ginn-Meadow, CDE , senior education coordinator at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Baltimore. The purpose of snacking is to get us from one meal to the next. It shouldnt be a full-course meal, but a tiny meal that contains carbohydrates and protein.
Ginn-Meadow, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, recommends following the 80-20 rule for snacking: 80% of snacks should be healthy to maintain your weight and blood glucose levels and 20% can be slight indulgences. Snacking is driven by both physical and emotional impulses and its the mindless snacking that gets us all into trouble, she added.
In the past, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended three meals and three snacks a day. Currently, the ADA recognizes that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to eating and therefore recommends three meals a day and allows more flexibility on whether people choose to eat snacks.
Driving past fast food to instead opt for healthy snacks may seem impossible. If you add quick and easy to that list, it can feel downright overwhelming. Where to start? Check with yo Continue reading