Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?

Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?
Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?
Earlier this month, Gizmodo published a story about Sano Intelligence, a healthcare startup that is making a continuous glucose tracker that sticks to a users skin and monitors blood sugar elevations through a mobile app. The news Gizmodo wanted to make a point of is that Sano plans to market the product to people without diabetes. If youre wondering what the tech publication thought of it, their headline says it all: Nobody Needs This Silicon Valley-Made Blood Sugar Tracker.
My first instinct was also that it sounded ridiculous and in my head I poked fun: Ooh, look what this slice of pizza does to my blood sugar. Cool! I couldnt imagine why anyone with normal body functions would want to be privy to their short-term spikes and dips. It appeared that Sano was taking short cuts. Instead of focusing on changing the lives of people with diabetes, the company was looking to make a quick buck. (Quick in medical-device land is still far from quick.)
After my initial reactionary response, I spent time thinking about why anyone would want to be tethered to physical updates like those of us with diabetes (myself included). Are people without diabetes curious to learn more about their deeper metabolic functions? And, is it worth it to those of us with diabetes to keep an eye on new product launches like the one from Sano Intelligence ?
But first, what is it? The Sano tracker is a small stick-on sensor that feels like a piece of Velcro. Its covered in hundre Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Type 2 diabetes has its breakthrough – researchers take note

There’s not a week that goes by without a team of researchers thinking they’ve found a new way to treat type 2 diabetes.
“This drug could represent a new avenue for treating type 2 diabetes.”
Each time I see a line like this I can’t help but shake my head a little. Why? Because I know full well that the breakthrough towards treating type 2 diabetes has already been found.
A few years ago, getting type 2 diabetes under control whilst coming off all diabetes medication was perceived to be unthinkable. But within recent years, this has become a regular achievement. Now, each month people are being told by the doctors who first diagnosed them that their diabetes is now resolved. Their diabetes is back in control and as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they can happily say “so long” to their diabetes meds.
Seeking a holy grail
It’s frustrating seeing researchers searching for a holy grail: the drug that treats a condition without any side effects. To the best of my knowledge, no such drug for a metabolic condition has ever been created.
All drugs end up causing side effects. It doesn’t matter how excited the researchers or the drug companies get at first, it takes only a few years before the full extent of the side effects start coming out of the woodwork.
The magnificent thing about a healthy, low-carb diet is that, not only does it have none of the long-term side effects of drugs, it actually makes people better in all sorts of ways.
It doesn’t just help control blood sugar, it helps with weight loss, reduces depression, blood pressure, improve Continue reading

Adult stem cell therapy Diabetes, heart disease are no longer death sentences

A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Home Health Adult stem cell therapy Diabetes, heart disease are no longer death sentences
Adult stem cell therapy Diabetes, heart disease are no longer death sentences
3:07 amIn Health by Nwafor Polycarp Comments
Studies into the potential applications of Adult Stem Cell (ASC) Therapy are rapidly expanding, thanks to the fast gaining popularity of regenerative medicine.
Regenerative medicine is a branch of medicine that restores damaged or malfunctioning cells and tissues due to age, disease or congenital defects.
It comprises of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy, ASC, Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) Therapy and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Therapy, among others. Meanwhile, only the PRP and ASC are currently available in clinically settings, proven and considered safe for practical use in humans.
Doctors practicing in this relatively new field of medicine have very strong passion for it because of the possibilities it provides. Regenerative medicine is the medicine of tomorrow that is available today and holds a lot of promises with the results that we see in the US and Nigeria.
For example, as doctors, we were taught in school that the central nervous system rarely regenerates, that there is little or no hope for paralyzed patients, and that damaged brain tissue may be a permanent condition, just to name a few.
Nowadays, the re-gro Continue reading

World Diabetes Day - Research uncovering link between gut health and pregnancy outcomes

As part of World Diabetes Day, an Australian Diabetes Society’s (ADS) research grant recipient discusses her work in diabetes and pregnancy and shares tips for women and healthcare professionals on optimising wellness for mums and babies.
World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2017, aims to raise awareness of the right of all women with diabetes to a healthy future.
In Australia there are currently:
600,000 women with diabetes. There are 57,000 women and girls living with type 1 diabetes and 502,000 women and girls living with type 2 diabetes
185 women newly diagnosed with diabetes each day
10,000 women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
More than 100 pregnant women developing gestational diabetes every day
38,000 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes in the past 12 months
One third of women with gestational diabetes needing insulin therapy during pregnancy to manage their diabetes
More than 36,000 women of child bearing age with “existing type 1 diabetes (16,000) or type 2 diabetes (20,000)” and with special needs during pregnancy.
Dr Helen Barrett is a member of the ADS and is a practising Obstetric Physician and Endocrinologist. She is currently the Director of Endocrinology at Mater Hospital Brisbane and a Senior Research Fellow at Mater Research .
“My passion is to improve the outcomes for women and their babies during complex pregnancies and my research interests are strongly tied to my clinical work,” she said.
“Many women with diabetes and their babies do well in pregnancy with the right planning and management from their multidisciplinary healthcare Continue reading

How to Improve Blood Sugar Control During Your Period

How to Improve Blood Sugar Control During Your Period
As if blood sugar management isnt hard enough already, adding in the constantly changing hormone levels of a womans menstrual cycle seems like a cruel joke. Here's how to get blood sugar control when your hormones are out of control.
The menstrual cycle's hormone levels impact the body's sensitivity to insulinit's not that you've suddenly developed an inability to count carbs.
Contrary to the basic explanation we all received in the 8th grade, your hormones are changing every single day of the month, and you can bet those hormones impact your sensitivity to insulin, too.
Trying to determine when the hormones of your menstrual cycle impact your blood sugars and how to adjust your insulin dosesin an effort to keep your blood sugars in your goal rangefeels nearly impossible to predict. And for each woman, that entire process and reaction can be slightly different, so there isnt a one size fits all plan.
To give guidance about how to make diabetes management less stressful during that time of the month (or, more accurately, the whole month),OnTrack Diabetes reached out to Jennifer Smith, RD, CDE from IntegratedDiabetes.com (And Jenny should know since shes lived with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years!)
The Fab Four: Hormones and Your Blood Sugar Levels
Every month, explains Smith, the body cycles through hormones that are meant to essentially prepare the body for pregnancy.
There are three phases that your body cycles through the follicular, the ovulatory and the luteal phase.
The four hormones that regulate your Continue reading