Why You Need (And How To Find) Diabetes Education Courses

Why You Need (And How to Find) Diabetes Education Courses

Why You Need (And How to Find) Diabetes Education Courses
Your guide to gaining the know-how, skills, and support to live well with diabetes
Becky Blanton could count on two fingers what she knew about diabetes in the days and weeks that followed her type 2 diagnosis: I couldnt have sugar, and I had to take insulin every day, says Blanton, 61. She was only half right. I took the initial information provided by the diabetes educator, but I didnt take it seriously, she says. Since there were no symptoms, I just ignored it.
Fast-forward a year and a half to 2014. Late one night, she suddenly felt nauseous, lightheaded, and inexplicably angry. She shared her symptoms on Facebook, where her friends include other people with diabetes, as well as nurses and paramedics. About 10 minutes later, I hear a knock at the door, and its [emergency medical services], insisting I go with them to the emergency room, says Blanton, who lives in rural Virginia. She had dismissed the concerns of a Facebook friend who suggested she go to a hospital; he called the emergency response team.
Blanton, as it turned out, was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This life-threatening condition happens when extreme high blood glucose, along with a severe lack of insulin, results in the breakdown of body fat thats used for energy, causing a buildup of acids, called ketones, in the bloodstream. Though its more common in people with type 1 diabetes , DKA can occur in people with type 2 as well. Its usually triggered by illness, infection, or missed doses of medicinesall of which can lead to high Continue reading

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High fructose corn syrup causes diabetes what is the evidence?

High fructose corn syrup causes diabetes what is the evidence?
The internet claims that high fructose corn syrup causes diabetes and a bunch of other maladies . Usually based on some weak evidence, the usual suspects have triedto link high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to Type 2 diabetes .
Like many of these medical myths, there is, at its core, some tiny bit of evidence that is generally misinterpreted or misused. But lets take a close look at Type 2 diabetes, HFCS and the evidence that either supports or refutes the hypothesis that drinking HFCS is any more responsible for the disease than other sugars.
Just for background, type 2 diabetes mellitus (or type 2 diabetes, T2DM) is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose with insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. In general, someone with T2DM produces low (or maybe even adequate) levels of insulin, but various cells and organs become resistant to insulin, so cells dont remove or store blood glucose.
Although the cause of T2DM is not completely understood, it results from a complex interaction between diet, obesity, genetics, age and gender. Some of the causes of T2DM are under a persons own control, like diet and obesity, but many of the causal factors arent.
Because they are often confused, its important to note that T2DM has a completely different etiology and pathophysiology than type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM, and once called juvenile diabetes). Type 1 diabetes results from the inability of the beta cells of the pancreas to produce insulin, as a result of an autoimmune disease. Continue reading

GLP-1 Diabetes Drug Neutral for the Heart

GLP-1 Diabetes Drug Neutral for the Heart
-Once-weekly exenatide safe for CV outcomes but falls short of showing benefit
by Crystal Phend, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today 2017-09-14
This article is a collaboration between MedPage Today and:
LISBON -- Extended-release exenatide (Bydureon) was safe for the heart but didn't help prevent cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes among a mixed primary and secondary prevention population, the EXSCEL trial showed.
For the primary composite endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke, the once-weekly GLP-1 diabetes drug fell just short of showing a cardiovascular benefit, Rury Holman, FRCP, of the Diabetes Trials Unit at the University of Oxford in England, and colleagues reported here at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting and in a paper published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine .
Note that this large, pragmatic randomized trial failed to demonstrate that extended release exenatide was superior to placebo in terms of cardiac outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes.
This stands in contrast to trials with certain other agents in the GLP-1 class, which showed beneficial cardiovascular effects.
Rates for the composite after median follow-up of 3.2 years were 11.4% with the drug versus 12.2% with placebo (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-1.00), each used along with usual care. That translated to noninferiority for safety (P<0.001 for noninferiority) but missed superiority for efficacy (P=0.06 for superiority), as had been annou Continue reading

Abbott Secures Health Canada License for FreeStyle Libre System for People with Diabetes - Jun 29, 2017

Abbott Secures Health Canada License for FreeStyle Libre System for People with Diabetes
- Revolutionary system eliminates the need for routine finger sticks1 and finger stick calibration
- Provides real-time glucose levels for up to 14 days
- Will be reimbursed by two major Canadian insurers; available in the coming months across Canada
ABBOTT PARK, Ill., June 29, 2017 / PRNewswire / -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced the Health Canada license of its FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, a revolutionary new glucose sensing technology for Canadian adults with diabetes. The first-of-its-kind system eliminates the need for routine finger sticks,1 requires no finger stick calibration, and reads glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days.
"The first word that came to mind when I learned about FreeStyle Libre was 'freedom'," said Maria Miclea, who has been managing her Type 1 diabetes for eight years. "Freedom from the pain of routine testing and from social awkwardness. Also, peace of mind, knowing that I can quickly and easily scan my glucose levels whenever and wherever I want to help better manage my diabetes."
With traditional glucose monitoring systems, people with diabetes often have to stick their finger a number of times throughout the day2,3 to test their glucose levels. With Abbott's FreeStyle Libre system, people now have a convenient, less painful alternative to get a glucose reading. The disposable sensor is worn on the back of the upper arm. The system measures glucose every minute in int Continue reading

Ghana ranks 6th on diabetes table in Africa

Ghana has been ranked sixth among other Africa countries, according to statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on diabetes between 2016 and 2017.
The Chairperson of International Diabetes Federation of West Africa, also President of National Diabetes Association of Ghana, Elizabeth Esi Denyoh, who made this known at the commemoration of the 2017 World Diabetes Day at Kyebi in the East Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region, explained that it is estimated that undiagnosed diabetes accounts for 60 percent of those with the disease in Cameroon, 70 percent in Ghana and over 80 percent in Tanzania.
She said Ghana, among other Africa countries, counts approximately 13.6 million people with diabetes, which includes sub-Saharan Africa counts over seven million people with diabetes.
According to her, Nigeria has the highest number of 1,218,000 diabetes cases, followed by Uganda and Tanzania.
Speaking further on the theme: ‘Women Unite Against Diabetes’, Mrs Denyoh appealed to the government to reverse the decision of the cancellation of VAT exemptions on all the diabetes drugs because of their high cost in order to enable patients to afford them.
She also called on parliament to take a look at introducing the ‘sin taxes’ to tax fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages, sweets and cigarettes so that the proceeds would go into the care of non-communicable diseases.
199m Women Diabetics
Dr Charity Sarpong, Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, disclosed that over 199 million women are currently living with diabetes worldwide.
“This is projected to increase to Continue reading