The latest guidelines for diabetes screening may not be working so well. In a narrow view of the clinical recommendations made by the United States Preventive Task Force, researchers from Northwestern Medicine found that those guidelines missed 55 percent of high-risk patients who had diabetes or prediabetes. The 2015 screening guidelines from the USPSTF —… Continue reading Recommended Diabetes Screenings Overlook Many Patients
Category: Diabetes
Vacation Tips for Diabetes Patients
Everyone loves going on vacation – and to have the best possible time, diabetes patients need to do some extra preparation before they leave. Here, from the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) are some suggestions for a safe holiday: Before you leave, the ADA says, ask your doctor for two documents: a letter and a prescription.… Continue reading Vacation Tips for Diabetes Patients
Intensive Treatment of Glucose Levels Can Lead to Serious Complications
With a more-is-better mindset common in society, frequent commercials encouraging checks of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels, and ads for new diabetes medications to lower HbA1C in adults with Type 2 diabetes, Mayo Clinic researchers were not too surprised to find overtesting occurring. Beyond overtesting, however, such focus on HbA1C levels can lead to serious harms… Continue reading Intensive Treatment of Glucose Levels Can Lead to Serious Complications
Stress and Diabetes: What’s the Link?
Researchers have found a link between emotional stress and diabetes, with roots in the brain’s ability to control anxiety. That control lies with the brain’s executive functions, processes that handle attention, inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility and are also involved in reasoning, problem-solving and planning. The study by Rice University researchers, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology,… Continue reading Stress and Diabetes: What’s the Link?
Getting Financial Help for Diabetes Care
Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, or have been managing the condition for a while, you know how expensive the health-care cost can be. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes has two fact sheets that can help: Financial Help for Diabetes Care and Financial… Continue reading Getting Financial Help for Diabetes Care
A New Understanding of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Wound Healing
A research team from Wayne State University in Detroit published a paper in the April 2016 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation that provides a paradigm shift in the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and wound healing in the treatment of corneal and skin diabetic ulcers. A release from… Continue reading A New Understanding of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Wound Healing
EveryDay Steps to a Great Walking Program
One of the best ways to manage type 2 diabetes is with a walking program. But it’s often hard to begin. Here, from the Diabetes Hands Foundation and AstraZeneca, is a program, EveryDay Steps, that can help you get started walking and keep going: Set a Goal – Before you begin, talk to your doctor… Continue reading EveryDay Steps to a Great Walking Program
Finding Earlier Signs of Pre-Diabetes
Researchers have discovered how to tell if a patient is pre-diabetic – by measuring the fatty acids in their blood. The finding, by University of Hawai’i Cancer Center scientists, may allow physicians to warn patients years before the onset of diabetes, therefore allowing them to change their lifestyle patterns and potentially avoid the diagnosis of… Continue reading Finding Earlier Signs of Pre-Diabetes
Better Drugs for Diabetes?
New research has found that a crucial signaling pathway, already implicated in the development of cancer, is also linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. Increased knowledge of the MEK/ERK pathwaycould pave the way for more effective treatment of diabetes. The study, by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,… Continue reading Better Drugs for Diabetes?
Telemedicine Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy
A telemedicine program to screen for a leading cause of blindness called diabetic retinopathy found the condition in about one in five people screened, according to a study published online in November 2014 by JAMA Ophthalmology. The program took place at urban clinics and a pharmacy predominantly serving racial/ethnic minority and uninsured patients with diabetes.… Continue reading Telemedicine Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy
A Genetic Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease
Researchers have discovered possible genetic links between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The two conditions have long been known to occur together and to have similar risk factors such as obesity, but this is the first time they’ve been linked at the level of genes, proteins, and fundamental physiology. The investigators, from Brown University,… Continue reading A Genetic Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease
5 Diabetic Skin Conditions and How to Treat Them
November is American Diabetes Month, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 29 million people in the country have the disease. Unfortunately, people suffering from diabetes are more susceptible to developing skin conditions, making it an ideal time to take a look at some of the more common ones that… Continue reading 5 Diabetic Skin Conditions and How to Treat Them
How to Stop Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetes, one of the most serious health issues today, affects more than 9 percent of the U.S. population. Although we’re accustomed to think of it primarily in terms of excess weight, the illness carries other risks as well, including that of diabetic eye disease. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National… Continue reading How to Stop Diabetic Eye Disease
Skin Patch to Heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers
A foot ulcer is a painful inconvenience to most people, but to a person with diabetes it could mean an infection, or worse, an amputation. However, a research team at Stanford University School of Medicine has developed a drug delivered through a skin patch that not only helps foot wounds heal better, but also prevents… Continue reading Skin Patch to Heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers
The Diabetes Complication You Didn’t See Coming
The number of people living with type 2 diabetes is increasing at a rapid rate. And it isn’t just about the diabetes. There are complications that can arise from this disease which are more serious than you may realize. Get informed! One complication you may not have considered is kidney disease. People who suffer from… Continue reading The Diabetes Complication You Didn’t See Coming
Curbing Weight Gain on Insulin
By Mayo Clinic Staff Weight gain is a common side effect for people who take insulin — a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar (glucose) by cells. However, controlling your weight is not only possible, but also an important part of your overall diabetes management plan. The link between insulin and weight gain When… Continue reading Curbing Weight Gain on Insulin
A “Good Fat” to Battle Diabetes
Researchers have found a new class of molecules that may help protect against diabetes. The molecules are produced in both human and mouse fat. The investigators, from the Salk Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, found that giving the new fat, or lipid, to mice with the equivalent of Type 2 diabetes lowered their… Continue reading A “Good Fat” to Battle Diabetes
Aging and Metabolic Syndrome: Why You May Already Have It
By Dr. Kevin J. McLaughlin Have you ever wondered why so many older men and women have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, probably among other health issues? And why are these individuals on so many different medications to control these conditions? The answer most doctors will tell you is that these conditions, if left… Continue reading Aging and Metabolic Syndrome: Why You May Already Have It