Diabetes Management - Managing A Childs Diabetes At School

As the school year winds down, parents of children with diabetes may want to take a few minutes to evaluate their child’s relationship with the school. Was the school staff able to handle any problems that arose this year? “There needs to be really good communication between the parent and the school,” says Virginia Zamudio, R.N., M.S.N., C.D.E. and past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

Assessing how things are going and establishing effective diabetes management at school can yield a variety of positive results, including:

* Promoting a healthy, productive learning environment (when your child is experiencing lows, it is very difficult for him or her to learn)

* Reducing school absences and classroom disruptions

* Creating an effective response in a diabetes-related emergency

The younger the child, the more important it is to check in with the school on a week-to-week basis. Age matters: A recently diagnosed kindergartner will need a much different approach than the one you’d take with a high school senior who has been managing diabetes since childhood.

At every age, however, you should talk with your child regularly about how things are going. In a little heart-to-heart, you might help him or her become adept at recognizing signs of trouble and asking for help if and when it’s needed. You also have to give school personnel enough information so that you can trust they will look out for your child’s welfare.

Provide the school with an individual action plan from your child’s doctor that gives instructions on: testing, shots, oral medications for low blood sugar problems, dietary requirements (e.g., need for snacks), and explicit plans for handling low and high blood sugar.

“If the nurse isn’t available, even the bus driver and other school personnel need to be able to recognize if your child is having symptoms of hypoglycemia and offer a form of quick-acting sugar,” Zamudio says. Work to establish an overall diabetes-friendly environment. The American Diabetes Association’s Safe at School campaign recommends that capable students should be allowed to self-manage their diabetes in the classroom and during school activities. To learn more about diabetes management at school, go to diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/discrimination/school/safeschool.jsp

Open communication between you, your child and the school staff is the key. With a diabetes management plan in place at school, you and your child can rest easier knowing the right care will be given when it’s needed.

Writer: Kalia Doner ©Diabetes Focus, Second Quarter 2007

Dieting and Diabetes

Dieting and Diabetes

Very few people realize the profound effect that weight has on diabetes. Even instances of gestational diabetes are much greater in patients that are overweight than in those that are not. Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is more commonly found in overweight people than those that are within their 'ideal' weight ranges. In fact, almost 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the best gift you could possibly give yourself just might be the gift of getting your weight under control. There are even some weight loss supplements like colon cleanse elite , acai berry pure or natural acai you can use.

Among those that suffer from Type 2 diabetes almost 40% have high blood pressure, which is another condition that is believed to be exacerbated by excess weight. Being overweight might also lead to a condition known as insulin resistance in which the body no longer responds to the insulin that is needed to assist the body in using sugar and glucose as fuel on a cellular level.

There are some things you can do to help yourself out if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or labeled at risk for this devastating condition. First of all, take off the pounds. I know this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and rarely fun for the average person. However, if you do not begin to take drastic steps toward procuring the best possible health for yourself you may not be able to enjoy the quality of life you had planned for your golden years. Let your condition be your motivation and make plans to enjoy watching your grandchildren and great grandchildren graduate college.

Fight it standing up. Don't sit down and let Diabetes control you. Stand up and take control of your body back. This is a fight to the finish and if you let it, diabetes will be your end. If you fight it standing up, lose the weight, get out there and exercise, listen to the doctor's orders and follow them. Find the strength within you to battle this disease head on. You'll be amazed at what happens when you decide to stand up and fight for your health.

Get active. Find activities that you enjoy and get out there and do them. Don't make those activities passive activities either. Even if it's just going out to play shuffleboard everyday get out there and play. Enjoy your time in the sun. Pick flowers with the little ones. Take up golf. Do whatever it takes to get up and moving each and every day in order to remember why you want to live forever in the first place.

Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you've been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren't around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so.

PPPPP

554

Diabetes Drink - 3 Sugar Free Drink Solutions

Don't you just hate it when you ask for a sugar free drink in a pub or restaurant and all they've got to offer is diet cola or water?

Or you're offered a pure fruit juice - "Well, that's sugar free - isn't it?" No it isn't - the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit juice is very high and that will play havoc with your blood sugar levels. But here are a few drinks you might like to try...

I got so fed up of the standard cola offer, I decided to experiment with mixing the different sugar free drinks that are available and you might like to try these alternatives to 'just cola'.

1) The first experiment I tried was to mix a diet cola and diet tonic water in the same glass. Then I added ice and lemon. The mixture gives a slightly sharper taste and it makes a very long and refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day.

2) Then I tried splitting a pure orange fruit juice (you could also try pineapple or tomato juice) with a friend and added sparkling water to my half of the juice. You could also try mixing your juice with diet tonic water.

3) If you want to make a refreshing drink at home, this pineapple slushy will hit your dry spot:

Take 1 can sugar-free ginger ale, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice and ice cubes.

Place in a blender and blend until the ice-cubes are crushed and you get a slushy mixture.

Why not experiment with other unsweetened fruit juices? And, if you want a little bit more of a kick, you could add rum extract to give it more flavor.

If you have any more ideas or recipes for sugar-free drink I would really love to hear about them.

5 Ways to Manage your Diet for Diabetes

Since my diagnosis with diabetes at the age of eleven, my own diet has changed dramatically. I maintain my current healthy weight with a great diet/eating plan. If you do plan on losing more than about a stone in weight then I would visit your doctor for more tips on how to do this without risk.

I've had diabetes for seven years now, but to tell you that how I maintain weight is perfect would be totally wrong of me. However, I can advise you to follow my steps because I know what works and what doesn't. Before I really begin I must also say that I have been brought up by great parents who taught me to eat everything, and so I do! If there is something that you don't like, there are loads of other diabetic recipes and ideas that you will eat and appreciate.

I am a university student and I like to buy fresh and organic produce from where I live. I believe that this is important because it can be the most good for your body and contain more nutrients and vitamins than most supermarket produce. I like to source food from my fortnightly farmers market in town, which sells amazing meat and dairy produce and fresh in season fruit and vegetables. This is another important thing to remember, that eating fruit and vegetables in their season means that they will taste better as well as doing you good. I have a lot of influence from Western European cuisine (mainly France and Italy) as you will tell, but I do not profess to be a chef and everything is easy to make and very convenient.

I have read countless diet books and diabetic recipe/diet books, and I came to a conclusion that I think really works. I fused all the good things from the diets (but not from every diet) and sort of put together my own one. I call this my Juvenile Diabetes Healthy Diet!

The "rules" that I would lay down are as follows:

1. Cut back on snacks and then change the type of snacks you eat. Certainly my biggest downfall although it wasn't really apparent to me. When I first started at University, I had little or no routine which meant that filling my day was difficult and popping into the kitchen for a snack, no matter how healthy it felt, was a regular occurence. This is one of the hardest things to do for some people, but establishing a great routine is essential to great diabetes care. The types of snacks to be eating are unsalted nuts, dried unsweetened fruit, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables (I love fresh red pepper and cucumber), dark chocolate (richer and nicer and you only want 2 squares usually).

2. Cut back on white flour and embrace wholemeal carbs. This is the most essential part of your diet, and the thing that can show the biggest increase in loss of weight. Some diets in fact jsut focus on this point, and are very successful. Wholemeal (especially stoneground wholemeal) is so good for you and has so much more flavour in it that switching is much easier than you think. Most people are really surprised at the ranges you can get in you supermarket, again remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is freshest with least perservatives or added ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice is great with a lovely nutty texture. Wholemeal pasta is great and for your potatoes I would totally recommend the smaller new potatoes.

3. Stop drinking cocktails, start drinking wine. Cocktails are full of sugar, colourants and preservatives. As a student I have had loads of practice at going out and not drinking cocktails, so my drink of choice is Malibu and Diet Coke if I feel I have to drink something and I make it last all night. I can then top up with Diet Coke (which has almost no sugar in it) and it looks as though I am drinking Malibu, who is to know. If you are out at a restaurant, red wine is much better than anything else you can order, (except water of course!) and it has been proven that the anti-oxidants in red wine are great for keeping a healthy heart. The recommended amount is one glass a day with your evening meal.

4. Start cooking more fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. And there are so many different ways in which to cook vegetables, but I find that raw is the best followed closely by steamed. Both of these ways preserve all their natural goodness as well. I will follow this post with another diabetes recipes post.

5. Drink more water. I know you have heard people say this many times before, but the benefits of drinking more water are endless. A few tips on how to get more water into your day are firstly to put bottles of water at all the places you go in the house or work. So keep one in your desk, on your desk, a glass in the kitchen, the bedroom, the sitting room, etc. Try and drink all these glasses up and you will be well on your way to 8 glasses a day. The trick is to add a glass every few days or so, if you try to drink all that water in one go you won't be so inclined to drink 8 glasses again, trust me! Have a go, it's amazing how great you will feel.

For further tips on living with diabetes, visit Juvenile Diabetes blogspot

This article was submitted by Alissa Carter, she is also owner & creator of the Prom dresses website.

Bone_Hormone A Startling Discovery For Diabetes Treatment

A startling new discovery about a hormone released from the bone is significantly changing scientists’ understanding of diabetes and giving new clues about how to deal with the “Big D.” Considered to be the fifth leading killer of Americans, diabetes is a disease in which the body’s failure to regulate blood sugar (glucose) can lead to serious and even fatal complications.

The regulation of glucose entails the body's monitoring of how much sugar is present in a person’s blood; how much is taken up by cells for fuel; and how much is released from energy stores. These processes are performed by the pancreas, the liver, muscles, and fat. Other specific types of diabetes, which may account for 1% to 2% of all diagnosed cases, result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses. Some of them can be prevented by some diets like the low carb food diet or a 1000 calorie diet etc.

However, new research suggests that the issue is even more complex than what it seems to be. A hormone from the skeleton may influence how the body handles sugar. There is also an increasing evidence that demonstrates that the signals from the immune system, the brain and the gut play very important roles in controlling glucose and lipid metabolism. These findings are mainly relevant to Type 2 diabetes, the more common kind, which comes during adulthood. While it is true that having elevated blood sugar is the defining feature of diabetes, the reasons for abnormal sugar tend to be different from one individual to another. It is in understanding exactly what signals are involved that raises the hope of providing the right care for each person each day, rather than giving everyone the same drug. When researchers from Columbia University Medical Center published the results last summer, scientists were astounded that a hormone released from the bone may help regulate blood glucose. Lead researcher, Dr. Gerard Karsenty, first described the findings at a conference where the assembled scientists appeared to be overwhelmed by the potential implications of the study.

It was the first time that the skeleton was actually seen as an endocrine organ, producing hormones that act outside of bone. In his previous work, he had shown that a hormone produced by fat, called leptin, is an important regulator of bone metabolism. In this work, he tested the idea that if fat regulates bone, bone in essence must regulate fat. His experiment with mice revealed that a previously known substance called osteocalcin, which is produced by bone, acted by sending signals to the fat cells as well as the pancreas. The net effect is to improve how mice secrete and handle insulin, the hormone that helps the body move glucose from the bloodstream into cells of the muscle and liver, where it can be used for energy or stored for future use. Insulin is also important in regulating lipids. Patients with Type 2 diabetes no longer heed the hormone’s directives due to the cells' resistance to insulin.

Their blood glucose levels surge and production of insulin in the pancreas declines as well. The experiment revealed an increase in osteocalcin which addressed the twin problems of insulin resistance and low insulin production. The mice became more sensitive to insulin and it increased their insulin production, thus bringing their blood sugar down. As a bonus, it also made obese mice less fat. Should osteocalcin works in humans as well, it can be considered as a “unique new treatment” for Type 2 diabetes. Most current diabetes drugs either raise insulin production or improve insulin sensitivity, but not both. Drugs that increase production tend to make insulin resistance worse.

A deficiency in osteocalcin could also turn out to be a cause of Type 2 diabetes. The immune system is considered to be another cause of glucose regulation. In 2003, researchers from two laboratories found that fat tissue from obese mice contained an abnormally large number of macrophages, immune cells that contribute to inflammation. Scientists have long suspected that inflammation was somehow related to insulin resistance, which precedes nearly all cases of Type 2 diabetes. In the early 1900s, diabetics were sometimes given high doses of aspirin, which is an anti-inflammatory. Only in the past few years has research into the relationship of obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance become a serious concern. A number of researchers agree that obesity is accompanied by a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation in which some immune cells are activated, which may be a primary cause of insulin resistance.

They also agree that the main type of cell responsible for the inflammation is the macrophage. Should more research prove the initial findings to be true, there would be certainly greater hope of relief and treatment for diabetics everywhere.

Celiac Disease and Diabetes

Living with multiple health problems can complicate things. As a diabetic balancing the levels of carbohydrates, (starches and sugars) with the level of insulin requires thought and discipline. You should always consult your doctor and dietician for specific advice.

People with type 1 diabetes are at greater risk of developing celiac disease. It follows that they will need to manage a diet which controls both conditions. The diets do sit perfectly well together, but it needs careful planning.

In principle the same rules apply to your diet, whatever the problem. As a diabetic you need to eat a well-balanced diet. The one area of difficulty is managing your carbohydrate intake with gluten-free versions. You can find gluten-free carbohydrates in potatoes, rice, wild rice, buckwheat, maize, millet, sago, tapioca, corn flour, soya, polenta, flax, sorghum, linseed, gram flour, cargeenan, urd, channa (chickpea flour), quinoa, arrowroot, codex wheat starch, corn pasta, pure rice noodles, gluten-free pastas are available, as are gluten-free versions of bread.

Here are 5 rules to ennsure you get the most out of your life:

Become well informed about both conditions. Be clear what you can and cannot eat, what alternatives there are and where you can get them.

Plan ahead-always take a supply of suitable gluten-free carbohydrates and insulin with you. Planing ahead includes involving school, friends and other organizations of your needs.

Take control of your life, you are a person who happens to have celiac disease and diabetes. You are not defined by these conditions.

Confidence grows out of knowing what you can and cannot eat. Instead of tackling the conditions as two sets of restrictions, combine the needs of both. Having both diabetes and celiac disease is unfortunate but it is important to be positive and take control.

Live life to the full. Try new things, push out the boundaries and the sky is the limit!

Achieving Healthy Pregnancy Despite Diabetes

Achieving Healthy Pregnancy Despite Diabetes

Among diabetic pregnant women, the most common problem when it comes to their baby's health is the condition called "macrosomia" or having a baby with large body. This is because the blood of the mother with diabetes is interchanged with that of the baby inside the womb. As a result, the baby will produce insulin to be able to glucose and this will lead to fat deposits, which causes the baby to grown larger compared to the regular ones.

What you can do

For a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, it is ideal to maintain an appropriate weight gain, average consumption of various foods from different food groups, timely and prescribed vitamin and mineral supplementation, and lots of fluid intake. Sweets and fats should also be kept to a minimum level of consumption. The following are just some of the guidelines that pregnant women with diabetes can use to achieve healthy pregnancy despite the chronic disease:

1. Follow the appropriate raw diet food plan religiously. More than ever, pregnant women should pay attention to what they eat and their eating patterns in general. This is very important because this stage—pregnancy itself—requires strict control of blood glucose levels in order to ensure that both the mother and baby are getting the right amount of key nutrients needed. In coming up with the right diet plan, it is best to seek the help of diabetes educator or a licensed dietitian to create the necessary adjustments needed to accommodate the needs not only of the fetus inside the womb but of the mother as well. In your meal plan, take note of calorie, carbohydrates and protein requirements every day because these will help you maintain normal blood glucose levels.

2. Regular Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose or SMBG. Experts say that the only way to tell if the woman is successful in controlling her blood glucose is by monitor their levels by themselves regularly. Since being pregnant is a sensitive condition, soon to be mothers should monitor their blood glucose levels more frequently. Ideally, SMBG should be monitored four to 10 times a day.

3. Knowledge in administering insulin injections and adjusting the doses based on the results of SMBG. Sufficient supply of insulin is very crucial for pregnant women so they must know how to administer insulin injections by themselves in case no one is around when they need it. They should also ask from their physician how to adjust the doses of insulin after they are through with the SBMG. Knowing how to adjust the doses of insulin needed is very important to ensure that the body's supply of insulin is stable.

4. Treating or controlling hypoglycemia. Pregnant women who are diabetics are more prone to hypoglycemia because of the hormonal changes in their body. Although studies show that there are no know effects of hypoglycemia in the baby, it is best to control or treat it as soon as possible so the soon to be mom won't be having troubles during the course of conception.

5. Maintaining regular set of exercise or physical activities. This is also very important for pregnant women with diabetes because through this they can reduce the risk of hypoglycemia as well as being overweight. Since it is hard for pregnant women to do strenuous workouts, it is best to maintain the hobby of having light exercises that will keep the body moving.

Diabetes So Far So Good

There was this guy who jumped off the 37th floor of a tall building. As he fell, people at each floor inside the building heard him say as he passed them, "So far, so good…so far, so good..."

Diabetes is a disease which cannot be "trusted." I know that's an odd way of putting it, but bear with me for a moment here. As a medical professional, I have dealt with countless cases of diabetes and quick diets for weight loss. I have always been amazed people will plan for the future as they build lives, careers, families, dreams…creating and pursuing commitments for the long term… And yet, one issue stands out consistently. People with diabetes tend to hope the disease will just "maintain itself," that it will just stay at status quo for the long term.

Diabetes cannot be trusted to stay anywhere…much less at status quo. Like the guy falling from the 37th floor, people with diabetes tend to keep telling themselves… "So far, so good…so far, so good…so far, so good…" Folks, hope is NOT a strategy. It is a necessity, but it is NOT a strategy in dealing with a disease like diabetes.

Diabetes: The "fall out" is too great to ignore…

As I said earlier, I am amazed how well people can plan for the long term, creating and pursuing future commitments but do NOT plan long-term for diabetes. Of course, the natural question is: "What are the long term issues with diabetes?"

With diabetes and weight lose at home, a person is two to four times more likely to develop cardio-vascular disease. Being a cardio-vascular surgeon, I saw this particular problem constantly in my field. And I saw it consistently in young and middle aged people with diabetes.

With diabetes, people are TWENTY-FIVE times more likely to develop retinopathy (deterioration of the retinas). Because of diabetes, 24,000 people lose sight every year!

With diabetes, 60-70% of those afflicted suffer nerve damage which can lead to non-traumatic lower limb amputations. This is due to the fact that open sores that do not heal, accompany diabetes. As they become ulcerated, the diabetic faces complications which can lead to amputation of limbs.

People with diabetes are AT RISK for kidney failure.

Diabetes is responsible for the increased risk for strokes…two to six times more likely because of their condition.

Diabetes: the good news or the bad news…

Well, which do you want…the good news or the bad news first?

As a doctor, having dealt with diabetes in many patients, it's always best to know the BAD news up front. Why? Complacency is harmful to your health. The danger with diabetes is people get complacent. Nothing seems to happen until, suddenly, it seems to sneak up on you with its complications…

The bad news can be REALLY bad if you are someone who has any of the following conditions which terribly complicate diabetes. Complicating factors are: 1 smoking, 2 high cholesterol, 3 high blood pressure, 4 obesity, 5 physical inactivity

With these factors, predicting the progress of diabetes is very problematic. Simply put, they MUST be brought under control, if possible. Diabetes thus becomes very unpredictable.

By keeping your blood glucose under control, you can reduce the risk of complications of diabetes up to 76%. That's good news.

More good news: By healthy eating, responsible dietary weight loss, regular physical activity, monitoring blood sugar… you can reduce risk in diabetes.

Bad news: Status quo again. You're still "stuck" with diabetes.

Diabetes: Being hit by "friendly fire."

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are auto-immune conditions. In type1 diabetes, the immune cells are mis-instructed to attack islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the islet cells. There is MIScommunication by the immune system of the body. In other words, immune attack cells can get faulty messages and destroy healthy tissue. Isn't it just awful that your diabetes can be caused by "friendly fire?" (Military terminology here. The good guys are hitting their own good guys with artillery fire.)

MIS-communication …. hum. Sounds like what's needed is a healthier communication system at the cellular level so the body isn't attacking its own healthy cells.

Now, for some really good news…

Glyconutrition is the nutritional provision which provides the body with healthy CELLULAR COMMUNICATION. In other words, for diabetes, this means less "friendly fire."

A study published in the 1997 issue of the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute for Medical Research showed people with type 1 diabetes who were given glyconutrients "…reported a dramatic improvement in their health, including a decrease in vision problems, better wound hearing, less infections, and lower blood pressure." (Miracle Sugars, by Rita Elkins, M.H., Woodland Publishing, p. 26 -Excellent quick reference incidentally!)

Remember, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are auto-immune conditions. Read carefully, this next statement by medical researcher, Dr. Neecie Moore:

"Glycobiology has achieved critical breakthroughs in the medical field, primarily by addressing what could be the greatest plague in health care today -- auto-immune diseases. Multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, Crohn's disease and colitis are just a few of these diseases."

Research on glyconutrition is growing wonderfully. For example, the Ophthalmology Department of Harvard University in 1995 reported that one of the glyconutrients (mannose) can be an energy source for diabetes (instead of the damaging glucose), providing energy without risk of eyesight damage. (Miracle Sugars, p.27).

Also, mannose can stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin "…thus lowering the amount of insulin needed to control this disease." Like in a weigt loss diet (Miracle Sugars, p. 27. I told you this was a good book! In case you're wondering, I receive no remuneration from it whatsoever. Remember, I'm a physician. Doctors "make money the old fashioned way"…they charge you.)

Oh yes. Glyconutrients are NON-prescription. Anyone can get them and they are non-toxic (they're food!) Safe, NON-prescription, effective…That's the stuff real medical discoveries are made of. Diabetes may very well become a scourge of the past.

Think of it. No more friendly fire.

No more diabetes "status quo."

…So far, so good…

Diabetes Control Diet

Welcome to my Diabetes Control Diet Blog,

diabetes is a very important health issue nowadays and it is like a pandemie in some countries especially in the united states. But the most rich countries have this problem. Diabetes is dangerous but you can control it with the right diet and of course some fitness exercises you can do.

Here on my blog I want to provide you with some articles and videos about this topic and what you can do to lower your risk. Well, of course you have to contact a doc if you have big problems with diabetes control diet.

And now have a look around on my diabetes control diet blog ;)

Donna