Former Miss America Nicole Johnson Joins JDRF Mission Control

Former Miss America Nicole Johnson Joins JDRF Mission Control
Written by Mike Hoskins on September 8, 2017
We've long been big fans of Nicole Johnson, winner of the 1999 Miss America contest who's now also legendary in the Diabetes Community for her volunteer advocacy efforts, authoring several diabetes books, and the creation of organizations and programs like Bringing Diabetes Home, Students With Diabetes and most recently the Diabetes Empowerment Foundation.
Beyond her pageant fame, she's one of us, a compatriot who fully "gets it" when it comes to living with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed herself during her college years in 1993.
Now, Nicole has taken a full-time position as National Director of Mission for the JDRF , an organization she's been volunteering for since the early days following her diagnosis. In this newly-created position, she will serve under Chief Mission Officer Dr. Aaron Kowalski , whose team aims to "broaden our programs that affect people's lives in the day-to-day," he tells us. Fun fact: 4 of the 5 people on this team live with T1D themselves.
Not surprisingly, Nicole has hit the ground running -- in her first weeks on the job, she's already kickstarted a new JDRF program to train young psychologists to better assist people with diabetes.
Its an exciting time, Nicole says. The JDRF is giving me the ability to explore, on their behalf, what we can do to help people right now. Honestly, its pretty inspiring to be turning this page. Its good for all of us that theres this insistance in trying to make good things happen for people.
Nicole recalls Continue reading

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JDRF Announces National Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program

JDRF Announces National Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program
Newly created program to increase capacity in diabetes clinical psychology, diabetes psychology research
NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --JDRF today announced the creation of a National Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program to increase capacity in diabetes clinical psychology and diabetes psychology research.
The United States faces a severe shortage of qualified psychologists able to provide care for people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), even as the need for them is increasing and being recognized in benchmark diabetes care protocols. Psychologists must be trained to meet the unique psychological and behavioral health needs of people with T1D, who manage a chronic disease that requires careful management all day and night, for life.
"We want the brightest minds in medical research to be focused on type 1 diabetes, and this program will begin to help remedy the lack of psychologists in diabetes care," said Derek Rapp, JDRF President and CEO. "By training additional psychology professionals to address the needs of people facing type 1 diabetes, we intend to help reduce the significant daily burden of this disease for as many people as possible, while we continue our search for a cure."
The National Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program will fund training for at least eight fellows over the next two years. Each fellow will be a postdoctoral student who will complete a year of training in diabetes clinical centers with some of the top research centers in the country. They will be dedic Continue reading

Diabetes Awareness Month: When is it and what happens?

Diabetes Awareness Month: When is it and what happens?
Reviewed by Natalie Olsen, RD, LD, ACSM EP-C
Every November, people with diabetes, health care professionals, and patient organizations across the United States take part in National Diabetes Month. The event is to raise awareness of diabetes, and the impact it has on millions of Americans.
National Diabetes Month is important as more than 29 million Americans have diabetes , yet 1 in 4 of these people are unaware that they have the condition.
What is the theme for National Diabetes Month 2017?
In 2017, the theme for National Diabetes Month is Managing Diabetes - It's Not Easy, But It's Worth It .
The theme for 2017 serves to remind people with diabetes that although managing the condition is difficult, they're not alone.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) explain that 2017's theme highlights the importance of managing diabetes to prevent diabetes-related health problems.
For example, people with diabetes are twice as likely to have a stroke or get heart disease compared with people who do not have diabetes. They are also more likely to develop these conditions at an earlier age than people without diabetes.
People with diabetes are at increased risk of kidney problems because high blood sugar levels can damage the kidneys over time. This damage can occur long before a person starts to experience any obvious symptoms.
Diabetes can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels, leading to serious, difficult-to-treat infections, particularly in the feet. In some cases, ampu Continue reading

The diabetes wakeup call that got this young Philly doctor to change his life

The diabetes wakeup call that got this young Philly doctor to change his life
Like a lot of new physicians, a busy residency left me with little time for exercise or a balanced meal. Id never been overweight, but suddenly my waistline was expanding.
But I wasnt too worried after all, I was only in my 20s. What could a few temporary pounds do to hurt me?
It was a story I had often heard from patients, onlynow it was playingout in my own life.
But to my surprise, I learned at a routine checkup that I had prediabetes elevated blood sugars that can eventually progress to diabetes if untreated. Over time, without proper management, diabetes can take a toll on your entire body. It can ravage your nerves, take your limbs, imperil your kidneys, clog your arteries, and render you blind. There are few other diseases as destructive as diabetes and fewer as common. Diabetes already affects nearly 30 million Americans with another 84 million , or a third of adults in America, having prediabetes. Ninety percent of those with prediabetes dont even know they have it.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes,comprising90 percent of all diabetes cases in the U.S. The less common form, Type 1 diabetes, is an autoimmune condition that usually, but not always, starts in childhood. Type 2 diabetes is a byproduct of insulin resistance, meaning that insulin works less effectively, so you need more of it.
And while it is true that the risk of developing Type 2 increaseswith age, we are seeing more people younger than I was, even children, with what once was called adult-onset Continue reading

Why It’s Important To Understand Diabetes and Kidney Health

For many of us, staying healthy is not a destination, it’s a journey. In addition to being moms we wear many hats: sister-in-law, daughter, wife, daughter-in-law, and maybe even a coach! We often put ourselves last on the list of priorities, especially if we’re looking after our own parents too.
It is so easy to stop caring for yourself or to get overwhelmed trying. But, when you stop caring for yourself, your ability to care for your child is impacted and your ability to enjoy motherhood may be affected.
Many of us have just come off a busy festival season with Diwali, Karva Chauth and even Eid in the fall. As we head into winter, following Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take stock of our health and well-being.
You may know that being South Asian puts you at an increased risk of diabetes, but did you know that people with diabetes, high blood pressure or who have a family history of kidney disease are at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD)? [ia]
Our kidneys are vital organs to our health, regardless of age.
Here are just some of the things our kidneys do every day[ib]:
Remove waste and excess fluids from the body
Regulate the balance of fluids, salt, potassium and other minerals that are necessary for good health
Release hormones, which regulate blood pressure, red blood cell production and many other important tasks in the body
There are many risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Some you can control, such as smoking and lifestyle choices, while others are outside your control such as age or ethnicity.[ii] People of Aboriginal Continue reading