It's Not Easy When You're A Kid With Diabetes Or Food Allergies. Here's Something That Helps — A Lot.

It's not easy when you're a kid with diabetes or food allergies. Here's something that helps — a lot.

Children with special needs such as diabetes and food allergies can often feel left out or isolated.
There's a really ingenious idea that can help with that called "Jerry the Bear."
This bear is different from most teddy bears because a child can interact with him in ways that make it seem like they're not alone.
First developed at Northwestern University in 2013, Jerry the Bear has three versions — one for diabetic kids, one for those with food allergies, and one for helping kids understand the value of hygiene, nutrition, and exercise.
The first iteration, for kids with Type 1 diabetes, was a hit; kids all over the world have been able to use it to help control their blood sugars, deal with low blood sugars, and count carbs ... but most importantly, it helps them explain their condition to others. Here's what some parents have had to say:
"I think it's helped … conceptualize what is a carb."
"I don't want her to feel different. You know?"
"When people come over, and ... ask Conner questions, he goes to get Jerry."
"He's more than just a learning tool for her; he's a learning tool to engage the village, the community, the kids around us."
Here's one little girl's version of what Jerry is to her:
Kids with special needs can use this little extra boost of confidence — of feeling like they're not alone and having a "friend" who gets it.
But even more important, it's a really effective tool to get them to learn how to take care of themselves properly.
The Type 1 diabetic Jerry, for example, can help kids count carbohydrates, monitor glucose levels, and learn how to talk Continue reading

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Diabetes Drug ‘Significantly Reverses Memory Loss’ In Mice With Alzheimer’s

A drug developed for diabetes could be used to treat Alzheimer’s after scientists found it “significantly reversed memory loss” in mice through a triple method of action.
The research, published in Brain Research, could bring substantial improvements in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease through the use of a drug originally created to treat type 2 diabetes.
Lead researcher Professor Christian Holscher of Lancaster University in the UK said the novel treatment “holds clear promise of being developed into a new treatment for chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.”
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and the numbers are expected to rise to two million people in the UK by 2051 according to Alzheimer’s Society, who part- funded the research.
Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “”With no new treatments in nearly 15 years, we need to find new ways of tackling Alzheimer’s. It’s imperative that we explore whether drugs developed to treat other conditions can benefit people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This approach to research could make it much quicker to get promising new drugs to the people who need them.”
Although the benefits of these ‘triple agonist’ drugs have so far only been found in mice, other studies with existing diabetes drugs such as liraglutide have shown real promise for people with Alzheimer’s, so further development of this work is crucial.”
This is the first time that a triple receptor drug has been used which act Continue reading

The Best Health Benefits and Uses of Cinnamon Bark Oil

Cinnamon bark oil is obtained by steaming the bark of the cinnamon tree, or more precisely the Cinnamomum Verum tree. It is a strong, hot oil and should first be used sparingly in diluted form until you are certain your skin, lungs, and digestive tract are not irritated by it. For the health benefits, opt for Ceylon cinnamon oil over Cassia oil, even though the latter may be cheaper and more easily available.
A study published in the April 2013 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry tested cinnamon commercially available in the U.S. and found substantial amounts of coumarin, a naturally occurring organic compound that can cause liver damage if consumed in excess. The study found only trace amounts of coumarin in Ceylon cinnamon. Therefore from a safety point of view, Ceylon cinnamon is better.
The Health Benefits of Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon Oil Reduces Diabetes Symptoms
When ingested, cinnamon oil has been shown to improve the common symptoms of diabetes. It fights insulin resistance by improving the body’s response to insulin, it lowers elevated blood glucose levels, it lowers inflammation, and it increases antioxidant activity. [1]
The effects are not large, but it could be useful to use as an intervention to prevent diabetes in combination with a healthy diet (such as eating these 14 foods) and exercise program. It could be especially useful to people who used to eat unhealthy diets and who are now abandoning their old lifestyles for healthier ones. Since diabetes is one of the best predictors of obesity and even heart disease, the importance of this benefit cannot be Continue reading

Things I Want You To Know About Type 1 Diabetes

No pictures today. Instead, here is a list of things I want you to know about diabetes.
I want you to know that there is no “controlling” diabetes. There is diabetes management, there is experience, and there is a “be ready for anything at anytime”, but there is no control. We do our best to “manage” our daughter’s diabetes. But there are way to many variables that affect her blood sugar to EVER use the word control. And now that we are heading into puberty? Hormones and growth spurts and boys, oh my!
I want you to know that as much as we like to talk about how normal we try to make our daughter’s life, with diabetes there is no normal. My daughter has never been to a sleepover (not even at grandma’s). When there is a school field trip, one of us parents attends to take care of her food needs and insulin requirements. Everywhere we go, (even to the corner market) we carry a glucagon kit that has a needle straight out of this scene from Pulp Fiction. Even that trip to the market requires a backpack full of stuff. When her blood sugar is high, (which is often after meals) focus and attention are strained, making tests, studying, and learning difficult. My daughter can drink a juicebox and eat crackers in bed. Without waking up. We worry every night that she will go to bed and not wake up.
I want you to know that we live in a constant state of flux. Things change rapidly. One minute you are singing Christmas carols and decorating the tree, and the next minute you are in the ER and calling in to work sick for the next 4 days due to your child getting the flu. Continue reading

Chuck: A Diabetes Alert Dog

Chuck is a diabetes alert dog that helps this patient detect when her blood sugar is high or low.
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes due to the fact that, unlike type 1, insulin injections are not always required for treatment.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas either doesn't produce any insulin, or the insulin that is produced is not properly utilized. This is due to a condition known as insulin resistance, which prevents key parts of the body (such as muscle, fat and the liver) from responding to insulin as they should.
Insulin resistance means that sugar never makes it into the cells where it can be used for the body's energy needs. Instead, massive levels of it build within the bloodstream.
Type 2 diabetes has a gradual onset
Type 2 diabetes also differs from its younger counterpart in that onset can be very slow, lasting for years. The gradual progression is typically not noticed by the individual until the condition becomes full-blown. Being overweight helps the disease to develop faster.
Genetics can also play a part in the likelihood of diagnosis. If a parent is diabetic, the chances of a child also becoming diabetic increases as much as threefold. People who smoke and drink large amounts of alcohol are also putting themselves at increased risk.
If the disease is not managed correctly it can lead to a wide variety of other Continue reading