Tell U.S. Senators To Keep Diabetes Research Funding

Only months after helping the Miami Heat win the 2013 NBA title this past June, NBA star Ray Allen is now putting the drive and energy he had on the court towards advocating the need to keep and increase funding for diabetes research on Capitol Hill.
The Special Diabetes Program, which has been funding type 1 research since 1997, is currently in danger of government funding cut backs. Allen's six-year-old son, Walker, is one of three million Americans living with type 1 diabetes who hope this funding can bring about a cure in their lifetime.
Since 2004, the U.S. government has dispersed $150 million towards type 1 and type 2 diabetes related efforts. However, to rework government budgets, Congress is now looking into transitioning funding from a 3-year grant to a single-year renewable program.
Let's speak up for type 1 diabetes research and keep the momentum going! Sign this petition to tell U.S. Senator Bill Neslon (FL), chair of the Special Committee on Aging and Senator Patty Murray (WA), chair of Senate Budget Committee of the importance for multi-year funding to make headway in type 1 diabetes research. Continue reading

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Nat'l Diabetes Awareness Month

National Diabetes Awareness Month begins November 1 - and you can be part of it.
T1D Looks Like Me is a simple, powerful, interactive way to highlight how type 1 diabetes (T1D) affects millions of people all round the world – including 1.25 million in the U.S.
Donate your social media status for November 1 to JDRF. By doing so—and encouraging your friends to do the same—we can build worldwide momentum for our message. Sharing our voices as ONE is a powerful way to create a worldwide trending topic designed to raise awareness and show the world that T1D doesn’t have one look. Instead, T1D Looks Like Me.
Together, we will open hearts and minds to the complexity and seriousness of T1D, and the demands that people impacted by this disease face every day. Continue reading

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

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