Artificial Pancreas Offers Hope To Diabetes Patients

Artificial pancreas offers hope to diabetes patients

An artificial pancreas developed by Boston researchers shows considerable promise to dramatically change the treatment of type 1 diabetes, potentially enabling 2 million Americans to eat what they want without counting carbohydrates or calculating insulin injections, researchers announced Sunday.
Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University developed the experimental device, which consists of an automated pump that releases the hormones insulin and glucagon and a glucose monitoring system controlled by an iPhone app.
“We encouraged them to eat whatever they wanted while they wore the bionic pancreas,” said Dr. Steven Russell, an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who led the study. “They went on a diabetes vacation, eating ice cream, candy bars, and other things they normally wouldn’t eat — like taking out a new sports car and seeing what it can do.”
In a new study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers found that 52 adults and teens who used the mobile system for five days had healthier blood sugar levels compared to when they used standard treatments that required them to check their own blood sugar levels and determine how much insulin to inject via a pump device.
“This is not a cure,” said study coauthor Edward Damiano, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University who holds a patent on the software that makes the automatic dosing decisions. “It’s taking diabetes management to its ultimate potential and unburdens people with type 1 diabetes from thinki Continue reading

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What Parents of Children with Diabetes Wish You knew…

Have you read the blog post “What Everyone with Diabetes wishes you knew“? Go and read it if you haven’t. Bring tissues. After I wiped away the tears, I began to think about “what parents of children with diabetes wish you knew.” Some of us don’t have diabetes ourselves but we still have very strong feelings about the issue. As parents of people with diabetes, we have things that we wish our children knew. There are also things that we wish that the general public knew.
Parents of children with diabetes wish that the our children with diabetes knew that….
We would take this disease from them in a heartbeat…a heartbeat.
With every tear that they shed, we have privately cried a hundred more… We didn’t want you to see how much it hurts us to hurt you. We told you that we do this to keep you healthy and alive (and we do) but it kills us too.
No matter how old you are, we still want to “make it better”. Seriously. Still.
We know that you can handle it. We just wish that you didn’t have to…As parents of children with diabetes, when we were completely responsible for your care, we got tired and wanted a break. We understand that you, as the person with diabetes must feel the same way at times. We wish we could carry the burden for you.
Even when we don’t ask you how your readings are, we are still wondering if they are okay…We know that you are more than a number. As parents of children with diabetes, we understand that blood glucose levels are only part of the story but we want you to be okay. We want to know that the readings are okay as well.
We Continue reading

This Ancient Medicine Cures HIV, AIDS, Diabetes, Cancer, Arthritis & Many More…

There has often been controversy when it comes to the medical field about medications that could prove to be life-changing. This is because history has shown that whenever a large positive in the direction of medicine takes place, there tend to be controversies of whether government and big medicine companies like Big Pharma are intentionally paying people out to bury their ideas of advanced medicines so that people continue paying for their lackluster product. This remains a topic of argument today.
The Newest But Oldest Cure
This argument may end up resurfacing shortly, because there is believed to be a new medication that is coming out. This medication may be revolutionizing the field of medicine due to seemingly endless medicinal effects that this remedy provides. It is believed to be capable of curing HIV, AIDS, diabetes, cancer, strokes and many other sicknesses that commonly plague the world.
The remedy for creating such a powerful is believed to be produced by the usage of black cumin seed oil. It is believed to be a remedy for healing cancer. It has been tested on animals who have cancer, and it has shown that it is perfectly capable of getting the job done. These black cumin seeds are capable of also assisting with many of the other sicknesses listed earlier. Despite this fact, for some unusual reason, the seeds have not been tested through the typical protocol to proceed and release it to the public, despite the fact that there is reportedly very little to no risk in using these seeds. This could stem towards the oft brought up conspiracy of big medicinal compani Continue reading

The Diabetes Wristwatch Is Here!

Saying that managing your diabetes can be a hassle is a tremendous understatement. Not only is it something that requires constant thought, it’s also time consuming, expensive, and sometimes even painful. But what if we said one company has created a feature on one of their popular products that could potentially make things just a bit easier?
The Apple Watch will soon offer people with diabetes a convenient way to monitor their glucose levels! Dexcom sensors will enable users to transmit their readings directly to the Watch. But how!?
Sensors, embedded beneath the skin, will be responsible for checking the user’s blood sugar levels every five minutes. It will then feed the results to a receiver that will send the information to the device. From the app, the user can both monitor their readings and share the results with whomever they’d like.
In addition to the convenience the watch affords wearers, it offers an added benefit to the parents of children with diabetes. The Apple watch will make it possible (and convenient) for parents and caregivers to monitor their kid’s blood glucose levels when they’re away. In the same vein, physicians can monitor their patients in real time. This feature could lend a lot to peace of mind, as well as patient/doctor communication.
The next goal for Dexcom developers: eliminate the receiver from the equation, allowing information to be transmitted directly from the transmitter to the Apple Watch, eliminating a piece of the bulky gear required in continuous glucose monitoring.
Interested in more diabetes technology that could make Continue reading

Joint Disorders Associated with Diabetes

Among the many side effects of diabetes are bone and joint problems.
There are a variety of musculoskeletal problems that can cause pain in the fingers, hands, wrists, shoulders, neck, spine, hips or feet.
There are many different types of musculoskeletal disorders, and some are unique to diabetes. The musculoskeletal system includes the muscles, bones, joints, ligaments and tendons. Problems in these areas can affect mobility or cause deformities, joint pain or stiffness, numbness or a "pins and needles" sensation in the arms or legs.
The statistical correlations between joint disease and diabetes are strong – the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 52 percent of people with arthritis also have diabetes – but the process tying the two together has not been determined. Diabetes is also the foremost cause of neuropathic joint disease in the U.S., with the foot as the most commonly affected region.
Charcot Joint
Charcot joint, also known as neuropathic arthropathy, is a diabetes-related disorder that results in damage to lower-limb joints. The deterioration is the result of nerve damage, a common side effect of diabetes. While occurring primarily in the feet, the ankles and hips may also suffer damage. Symptoms of the disorder may include pain, numbness or tingling, and the affected joint may become unstable or deformed.
Dupuytren's Contracture
People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing Dupuytren's contracture. Dupuytren's contracture causes knots to form in the layer of tissue underneath the skin of the palm. As these knots harden, they eventu Continue reading