Nobody Needs This Silicon Valley-Made Blood Sugar Tracker For 'Wellness' And Lifestyle

Nobody Needs This Silicon Valley-Made Blood Sugar Tracker for 'Wellness' and Lifestyle

Nobody Needs This Silicon Valley-Made Blood Sugar Tracker for 'Wellness' and Lifestyle
Sanos glucose tracker. Image Courtesy Hyper Wellbeing.
Since launching in 2011, Silicon Valley healthcare startup Sano Intelligence has kept a low profile. Despite raising $20 million in venture capital, the company founded by ex-Bain Capital analyst and bioengineering grad Ashwin Pushpala has yet to release its producta continuous glucose tracker that sticks to a users skin and monitors blood through an app. Gizmodo has obtained new details about the device, and how the company intends to market it as a product for metabolic insight for non-diabetics, rather than to diabetics who regularly need to track their glucose. The strategy means Sano doesnt need FDA approval, but doctors and diabetes experts interviewed by Gizmodo question whether the product would have any benefits to non-diabetics at all.
Pushpala spoke about the glucose tracker, which the company aims make available through beta release this year, at the tiny healthcare focused Hyper Wellbeing conference in Silicon Valley in late 2016. In a video of Pushpalas Wellness as a Service talk obtained by Gizmodo, he reveals the first renderings of the device, which looks like a nicotine patch with a circular piece of metal in the center, containing the bluetooth receiver and battery. It kind of looks and feels like sandpaper or velcro when you put it on the skin, Pushpala said in the presentation. These are minimally invasive microstructures that are placed on the body.
A slide from the Sano presentation explaining the devic Continue reading

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Team Diabetes on mission to prevent disease spreading on the homefront

Team Diabetes on mission to prevent disease spreading on the homefront
"Every three minutes in Canada now someone is diagnosed with diabetes. And in B.C., with 1.5 million living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, its costing our government $418 million in 2017 to deal with complications from the disease."
Published on: November 29, 2017 | Last Updated: November 29, 2017 10:18 AM PST
Kirstie McRae, left, and Carling Watson, community partnerships coordinators with Diabetes Canada, share a few lighter moments in their busy Vancouver office on Tuesday. Gord Kurenoff / Postmedia News
Kirstie McRae laughs out loud when asked Tuesday morning to honestly describe her enthusiastic colleague at the Diabetes Canada office on West 8th Avenue.
Shes definitely the crazier one, McRae declares, pointing at a grinning Carling Watson, who declines to protest. I mean, she just signed up to a do a 50K in Squamish (next August). Who does that on a whim?
Watson, looking around the third-floor Vancouver office thats being renovated as you read this, pretends she doesnt hear McRaes fun jabs, then fires back: Shes a serious yogi, part-time runner, which may be easier than training for a 50K, so Ill hold my wise comments for later!
The other thing thats crazy, and which brought these strangers together six months ago, is the diabetes epidemic in Canada, and the threat of the disease skyrocketing in B.C.
Emily and Jessica, with Team Diabetes, share a few laughs before running in the 8K event at Mays BMO Vancouver Marathon. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Allow me to take you back to the Canada-Russia Continue reading

Travel Tips while Living with Diabetes

Home Lifestyle Travel Tips while Living with Diabetes
Posted by Amanda Griswold On March 30, 2017 In Lifestyle
You might remember MiniMed Ambassador, Chris from his previous blog about Dating with Diabetes. These past few months Chris has been studying abroad and today shares with us his thoughts about traveling with diabetes and wearing an insulin pump and CGM.
Diabetes should never get in the way of your ability to explore the world. Yes, it adds some logistical hurdles that other people dont have to deal with, but there are ways to prepare so that you are ready for any problem that may arise. I love to travel and have been to nearly 20 countries and more than half of the states in the US. In fact, I am actually writing this blog post from Berlin, Germany, where I am studying abroad and traveling Europe. I have quite a bit of experience with traveling (especially now that Im in college) since I was diagnosed , so Ill break it down into a few categories that I think are often the most challenging.
Pump Sites and Reservoirs I pack one set for every three days that Ill be traveling, plus a few extras just in case I have any issues with my sites.
Insulin You need to keep it cold or at least below room temperature. I either use a FRIO pouch (soak in cool water and the gel forms a cold barrier) or standard ice packs. Also, I always pack more insulin than Im going to need, just to be safe.
Other Supplies Remember to bring extra lancets, plenty of test strips, pump and CGM batteries, a backup glucometer, and backup needles in case anything happens to your pump.
Gluc Continue reading

Vitamin Quiz

The body needs vitamins and minerals to grow, develop, and stay healthy. Also called “micronutrients,” vitamins and minerals are needed only in small amounts, unlike “macronutrients” (carbohydrate, protein, and fat), which supply the body with energy. Ideally, following a healthy diet would provide you with all of the micronutrients you need, but sometimes even a healthy diet leaves gaps, and if you don’t consume the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, for example, you may be shortchanging yourself on certain important vitamins and minerals. But vitamin supplements aren’t necessarily a quick fix — and in some situations, they can do more harm than good. What can vitamin supplements do for you? Read on to find out. (You’ll find answers later in this article.)
Q
1. Which of the following groups of people may benefit most from taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement? (More than one answer may be correct.)
A. Older adults.
B. Pregnant women.
C. People following a vegan diet.
D. People dieting to lose weight.
2. Taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement can help you prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
TRUE
FALSE
3. Which of the following nutrients are commonly underconsumed?
A. Copper.
B. Vitamin D.
C. Riboflavin.
D. Vitamin K.
4. If you take metformin to help manage your diabetes, you may be at risk for a deficiency of which of the following nutrients?
A. Potassium.
B. Vitamin C.
C. Calcium.
D. Vitamin B12.
5. Men and postmenopausal women should choose a multivitamin or mineral supplement that contains no more than 10 millig Continue reading

Abbott wins FDA approval for diabetes device that doesn't require routine finger pricks

Abbott wins FDA approval for diabetes device that doesn't require routine finger pricks
October 4, 2017 by Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune
Abbott Laboratories has gained clearance to start selling in the U.S. the first continuous glucose monitor that does not require people with diabetes to routinely prick their fingers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Abbott's FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, which already is sold in 41 other countries.
The device consists of a small sensor, about the size of a quarter, that's worn on the back of the upper arm to continuously track glucose levels. The sensor, unlike other wearable sensors, does not require patients to prick their fingers for calibration. Patients can place a hand-held reader near the device to see their current glucose levels, trends, patterns and where those levels might be headed. They can then use those readings to figure out how much insulin to take to manage their diabetes.
The device has not yet been approved for use by children in the U.S. but Abbott hopes to gain approval from the FDA.
The company is not disclosing pricing information until it gets closer to launching the product in the U.S., which will likely be before the end of the year, said Abbott spokeswoman Vicky Assardo. But she said in an email the price will be "very similar" to the price in Europe, where the reader costs about $69, and each sensor, which lasts about 14 days, also costs about $69, before insurance. In the U.S., the sensor will last about 10 days.
"We intentionally designed the pr Continue reading