5 Questions With...Julia Blanchette, PhD Nursing Student Working To Save Camp For Children With Diabetes

5 questions with...Julia Blanchette, PhD nursing student working to save camp for children with diabetes

Julia Blanchette (CWR 14), a PhD student at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, still remembers how distressed she was when she was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7.
She also has never forgotten how much better she felt about living with diabetes when she attended a summer camp with other children who also suffered from diabetes.
Today, she conducts research at Case Western Reserve University into the adverse psychosocial effects of Type 1 diabetes on self-management outcomes among those transitioning from pediatric to adult health care. She has also stayed connected to summer camp, working the last few years at the nations oldest camp for children with diabetes, Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury, Ohio.
In fact, her research at the university was spurred by real-world observations she made while working as dispensary manager at the camp, which has also served as a Capstone site for undergraduate nursing students.
Everything is tied togethermy own experience growing up Type 1 diabetes and transitioning to adulthood, the importance of the camp experience, the support network the children gain and my research, Blanchette said. I am now a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator.
Diabetes camp is so importantchildren learn how to be independent individuals with Type 1 diabetes.
So when The Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland on April 5 announced the immediate shuttering of the camp, Blanchette was among those who was moved to help keep the camp open this summer.
She and a few others organized camp supporters via social media in the days and weeks Continue reading

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Can You Get Diabetes from Salt?

What does sodium have to do with your risk of type 2 diabetes?
Its well-known that a poor diet, inactivity, and obesity are all associated with type 2 diabetes . Some people think that the amount of sodium you consume also plays a role. But in reality, eating too much sodium doesnt directly cause diabetes.
The relationship between salt and diabetes is more complex.
Sodium is responsible for controlling the balance of fluids in your body and helps maintain a normal blood volume and blood pressure. Consuming too much salt can raise blood pressure, resulting in fluid retention. This can cause swelling in the feet and other health issues that are very harmful to people with diabetes.
If you have diabetes or prediabetes , the amount of sodium you consume can worsen your condition by causing hypertension (high blood pressure). Those with diabetes or prediabetes are at a greater risk of high blood pressure, which can make a person more susceptible to heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
While many natural foods contain salt, most Americans consume sodium through table salt, which is added during cooking or processing. The average American consumes 5 or more teaspoons of salt daily, which is about 20 times as much salt than whats needed by the body.
The saltiest foods are those that are processed or canned. Foods sold in restaurants or as fast food also tend to be very salty. Here are some common high-sodium foods:
meat, fish, or poultry thats been cured, canned, salted, or smoked, including: bacon, cold cuts, ham, frankfurters, sausage, sardines, caviar, and anchovi Continue reading

A Day in the Life with Type 1Diabetes

Posted in Cost , Diabetes , Exercise , Food , Medical Supplies , Type 1 by Tracy Gnadinger
Halloween is a surreal holiday. Its my favorite holiday, but it is also a reminder of how much life with an incurable chronic condition affects my perception of positive childhood memories. Im lucky that I could grow up with trick or treating without Type 1 diabetes, but I am also cursed in that I will never relish in the same devilish appetite now that I have a disease that negates sugar.
So, it seems appropriate on this almost All Hallows Eve and in preparation for November National Diabetes Awareness Month that I should write about what its truly like to live a day in the life of someone with Type 1 diabetes. A few weeks ago, I took an ordinary Monday (well, as ordinary as a Monday can be) and tracked every time I thought about my diabetes every time I checked my blood sugar, every time I calculated carbohydrates for a meal, every time I felt something was off, and every time I administered insulin to keep my body alive.
Even I was amazed at how much managing diabetes has become a part of my everyday life. With advancements in technology, Im able to do more, and Im able to have more variety in the foods I eat. But that doesnt mean I dont think about it any less. That doesnt mean I can take a break from being there for my body.
So, heres one example of one day (because no day is the same) with Type 1 diabetes (there are no days off). Its a long one, so bear with (just keep in mind that this is really how much I think about diabetes on a daily basis believe me, it sucks).
Continue reading

Type 2 Diabetes is the Perfect Disease

From the perspective of the healthcare industry, type 2 diabetes is the perfect disease. Unlike, say, pneumonia, which necessitates an antibiotic for 14 days and then its over, type 2 diabetes starts with one drug, then two, and then three or more, not to mention the drugs used for associated conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, eye diseases, and accelerated dementia. And all of these drugs are prescribed for years, often a lifetime (albeit shortened compared to those without diabetes), resulting in a pharmaceutical bonanza of profit. To the drug industry, diabetes is the gift that keeps on giving.
Here are some sobering statistics: There are now 30 million people with type 2 diabetes in the United States, three times this number with prediabetes. Costs likewise are staggering: $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in reduced productivity every year. Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes adds, on average, $7,900 to an individuals annual healthcare costs. (Before they smartened up, annual reports of publicly traded pharmaceutical companies gushed over the surge in people with type 2 diabetes, hailing the epidemic as an unprecedented opportunity for revenue growth. They recognized recently that this could become a publicity faux pas and stopped using boastful wording.)
But there is a major oversight in all this: Type 2 diabetes is a disease of lifestyle and poor food choices and, to a lesser degree, inactivity, nutritional deficiencies, and other modern disruptions, made worse by the advice of agencies who pose as health advocates Continue reading

A New Perspective On Metformin Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes

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A New Perspective On Metformin Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes
The evolution of metformin therapy through the decades.
Studies such as the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) post-randomization follow-up have established that the risk of cardiovascular and microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes can be mitigated with stringent glucose control. However, maintaining blood glucose levels within goal range remains difficult for patients to achieve. The DCCT demonstrated that as HbA1c goals are approached the incidence of hypoglycemia increases exponentially. The risk and fear associated with hypoglycemia is a key factor in patient’s and practitioner’s difficulties in reaching target blood glucose levels. As such, healthcare providers err on the side of caution when setting goals for their patients.
Another issue facing patients with type 1 diabetes is the prevalence of insulin-induced weight gain and eventual insulin resistance and subsequent insulin dose requirement increases. Patients often experience increased blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol levels as consequence. Because of these challenges non-insulin therapies have emerged as possible solutions for patients with type 1 diabetes. Following the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) published in 1998 the world was introduced to metformin hydrochloride as a safe option for all type 2 diabetes patients and was no longer r Continue reading