Category Archives: Diabetes

LOOMIS Becton Dickinson wants to help cure or find a better way to treat diabetes, so the medical equipment manufacturer supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

To do so, BD is sponsoring a 2K Color Fun Run July 1 in Loomis. It will begin at Loomis High School and will end at the communitys water park.

Usually, we sponsor an event inside the plant, but we decided to do something different this year, said Holdrege BD employee and event leader Sheri Freeland.

Donations will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Lincoln and Greater Nebraska Chapter to create a world without type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which a persons pancreas stops producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone people need to get energy from food.

The disease can suddenly strike both children and adults. Type 1 diabetes is unrelated to diet or lifestyle. People with type 1 diabetes must regularly monitor their blood-sugar levels, inject or continually infuse insulin through a pump, and carefully regulate insulin doses with eating and activity 24 hours a day.

The juvenile diabetes foundation funds research to deliver new treatments and therapies that make day-to-day life with diabetes easier, safer and healthier until it can prevent and one day cure the disease.

After hearing a speech from 13-year-old Riley Kinnan, who was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 7, Freeland knew leading this event was something she wanted to do.

(Her speech) was interesting and motivating. Since Ive worked (at BD) for 36 years, I felt like I should do something, and I knew this was a great way to help out, said Freeland.

Riley, an eighth-grader to be from Lincoln, is an ambassador for the juvenile diabetes foundation. She is very passionate about helping younger children, especially those who are also dealing with the challenges of a diabetes diagnosis.

In the past, BD has sponsored diabetes foundation events such as chili cookoffs, salsa-making contests, hamburger feeds and silent auctions. It has sponsored the juvenile diabetes foundation for six or seven years.

There are 30 people signed up for the Color Run, and Freeland said she has already sold 80 T-shirts for the occasion. All proceeds are going to the juvenile diabetes foundation, and BD is matching the money raised.

Freeland said she is grateful for the number of people who have signed up so far to participate.

We werent sure if we would have enough people or money to put this event together, but we ended up having many volunteers and people in the community willing to help out.

With continued publicity for the event, Freeland hopes to help those suffering with diabetes.

Its a scary disease, and it can affect so young. There are kids that are 2 or even younger that have it, and its terrifying to think about how many shots to have daily and watching what you eat constantly. Its not like you can take a pill and make it go away. For kids, it just sucks, Freeland said.

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BD fun run to benefit juvenile diabetes research | Local | kearneyhub ... - Kearney Hub

June 23, 2017 Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a wearable diagnostic biosensor that can detect three interconnected, diabetes-related compounds -- cortisol, glucose and interleukin-6 -- in perspired sweat for up to a week without loss of signal integrity. The team envisions that their wearable devices will contain a small transceiver to send data to an application installed on a cellphone. Credit: University of Texas at Dallas

Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration.

"Type 2 diabetes affects so many people. If you have to manage and regulate this chronic problem, these markers are the levers that will help you do that," said Dr. Shalini Prasad, professor of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. "We believe we've created the first diagnostic wearable that can monitor these compounds for up to a week, which goes beyond the type of single use monitors that are on the market today."

In a study published recently in Scientific Reports, Prasad and lead author Dr. Rujute Munje, a recent bioengineering PhD graduate, describe their wearable diagnostic biosensor that can detect three interconnected compounds - cortisol, glucose and interleukin-6 - in perspired sweat for up to a week without loss of signal integrity.

"If a person has chronic stress, their cortisol levels increase, and their resulting insulin resistance will gradually drive their glucose levels out of the normal range," said Prasad, Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science. "At that point, one could become pre-diabetic, which can progress to type 2 diabetes, and so on. If that happens, your body is under a state of inflammation, and this inflammatory marker, interleukin-6, will indicate that your organs are starting to be affected."

Last October, Prasad and her research team confirmed they could measure glucose and cortisol in sweat. Several significant advances since then have allowed them to create a more practical, versatile tool.

"We wanted to make a product more useful than something disposable after a single use," Prasad said. "It also has to require only your ambient sweat, not a huge amount. And it's not enough to detect just one thing. Measuring multiple molecules in a combinatorial manner and tracking them over time allows us to tell a story about your health."

One factor that facilitated their device's progress was the use of room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), a gel that serves to stabilize the microenvironment at the skin-cell surface so that a week's worth of hourly readings can be taken without the performance degrading over time.

"This greatly influences the cost model for the deviceyou're buying four monitors per month instead of 30; you're looking at a year's supply of only about 50," Prasad said. "The RTIL also allows the detector to interface well with different skin typesthe texture and quality of pediatric skin versus geriatric skin have created difficulties in prior models. The RTIL's ionic characteristics make it somewhat like applying moisturizer to skin."

Prasad's team also determined that their biomarker measurements are reliable with a tiny amount of sweatjust 1 to 3 microliters, much less than the 25 to 50 previously believed necessary.

"We actually spent three years producing that evidence," Prasad said. "At those low volumes, the biomolecules expressed are meaningful. We can do these three measurements in a continuous manner with that little sweat."

Prasad envisions that her wearable devices will contain a small transceiver to send data to an application installed on a cellphone.

"With the app we're creating, you'll simply push a button to request information from the device," Prasad said. "If you measure levels every hour on the hour for a full week, that provides 168 hours' worth of data on your health as it changes."

That frequency of measurement could produce an unprecedented picture of how the body responds to dietary decisions, lifestyle activities and treatment.

"People can take more control and improve their own self-care," Prasad said. "A user could learn which unhealthy decisions are more forgiven by their body than others."

Prasad has emphasized "frugal innovation" throughout the development process, making sure the end product is accessible for as many people as possible.

"We've designed this product so that it can be manufactured using standard coating techniques. We made sure we used processes that will allow for mass production without adding cost," Prasad said. "Our cost of manufacturing will be comparable to what it currently takes to make single-use glucose test stripsas little as 10 to 15 cents. It needs to reach people beyond America and Europeand even within first-world nations, we see the link between diabetes and wealth. It can't simply be a small percentage of people who can afford this."

Prasad was motivated to address this specific problem in part by her own story.

"South Asians, like myself, are typically prone to diabetes and to cardiovascular disease," Prasad said. "If I can monitor on a day-to-day basis how my body is responding to intake, and as I age, if I can adjust my lifestyle to keep those readings where they need to be, then I can delay getting a disease, if not prevent it entirely."

For Prasad, the latest work is a fulfilling leap forward in what has already been a five-year process.

"We've been solving this problem since 2012, in three phases," Prasad said. "The initial concept for a system level integration of these sensors was done in collaboration with EnLiSense LLC, a startup focused on enabling lifestyle based sensors and devices. In the market, there's nothing that is a slap-on wearable that uses perspired sweat for diagnostics. And I think we are the closest. If we find the right partner, then within a 12-month window, we hope to license our technology and have our first products in the market."

Explore further: Bioengineers create sweat-based sensor to monitor glucose

More information: Rujuta D. Munje et al, A new paradigm in sweat based wearable diagnostics biosensors using Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs), Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02133-0

Google said Friday it would stop scanning the contents of Gmail users' inboxes for ad targeting, moving to end a practice that has fueled privacy concerns since the free email service was launched.

Like driving a car despite a glowing check-engine light, large buildings often chug along without maintenance being performed on the building controls designed to keep them running smoothly.

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Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration.

Researchers at the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a novel design approach for exoskeletons and prosthetic limbs that incorporates direct feedback from the human body. The findings were ...

In a proof-of-concept study, North Carolina State University engineers have designed a flexible thermoelectric energy harvester that has the potential to rival the effectiveness of existing power wearable electronic devices ...

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Bioengineers create more durable, versatile wearable for diabetes ... - Phys.Org

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)- More than 1 million Americans are living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease where the pancreas stops making insulin.

One out of every 400 children has T1D, and for one Tallahassee family, a pair of twins were both diagnosed before the age of 2.

"It can happen to anyone. We don't have it in our families," said Rebeka Joseph, the mother of Eva and Leah Joseph."This was a strike of lightning that hit us. Twice."

Leah was diagnosed when she was just 10 months old. Her parents thought she had the flu, but her blood sugar level was dangerously high.

"My baby was 10 months old, and she had diabetes," Rebekah said. "My life changed forever in that moment."

Just nine months later, Eva was diagnosed with T1D. Rebekah was able to detect it, thanks to the medical team at Tallahassee Memorial.

"As they grow up, there will be physicians here who can continue to take care of them," said Dr. Larry Deeb, a pediatric endocrinologistat TMH. "There will be the Diabetes Center that can continue to offer support at every stage of life."

"We're there to continue training and making sure that they make the transition -- being able to learn some of the care things themselves, so that they can take care of their bodies as they grow and develop," saidKatherine Owen, a certified diabetes educator at TMH.

TMH provided the girls with devices that monitor and administer insulin throughout the day.

"It's an hourly -- almost minute-to-minute disease," Rebekah said.

As the girls grow up, the family wants to make sure their teachers know how to handle issue with diabetes. TMH trained the staff at Good Samaritan Academy to do just that.

"The girls are able to develop as little people that can play with other kids," Rebekah said. "I want them to realize how normal they are. There's really no difference."

That's what Belinda Rodebaugh hopes for, too. She was diagnosed when she was 5 years old.

"It is part of your life, and it never goes away. However, it will respond to things that you do," Rodebaugh said."So, the more you research what you eat and what you don't is a really good thing."

The twins will celebrate their second birthday in September. The family says the support they've received gives them confidence to manage any challenge that comes their way.

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Tallahassee twin toddlers learn to live with Type 1 diabetes - WTXL ABC 27

Dr. Ralph Defronzo talks with Diabetes in Control Publisher Steve Freed during the ADA 77th Scientific Session in San Diego about SGLT-2, GLP-1, and the drugs he recommends despite standard practice.

Dr. Ralph Defronzo, MD is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Diabetes Division at the University of Texas Health Diabetes Center in San Antonia, Texas. Dr. Defronzo is also Deputy Director of the Texas Diabetes Institute.

Transcript of this video segment:

Steve Freed:You were one of the first to use triple therapy. Certainly a more aggressive attitude. Now we have drugs that actually prevent or reduce your risk for death. Now were coming out, were finding out the SGLT-2s may cause amputation of your toes. It may cause other issues. I dont think theres a drug on the planet that doesnt have side effects. But were not going to die from the loss of a toe. What are your thoughts even when it comes to SGLT-2s? I know theyre fairly expensive right now. Competition hopefully will reduce that. What are your thoughts about the SGLT-2 drugs and the GLP-1s?

Dr. Defronzo:Let me just back up before I talk about this amputation issue, because its going to be very controversial. To me, Ive always been a strong believer that you need to understand what causes type 2 diabetes. NIH spends millions and millions of dollars to help us try to define what causes the disease. If you know what causes the disease, you ought to use medications to reverse the problem. Sulfonylureas clearly dont do that. In my opinion, these drugs, other than cost, really should not be being used in our diabetic patients. We have much better armor material. So if I had to list the drugs, and this may be a little bit different from what other people tell you. I would put a tie between GLP-1 receptor agonist and pioglitazone. And very close to those two, I would put SGLT-2 inhibitor. Id put Metformin as a good drug but lower down. Those are my four good drugs. Then way down, Id put DPP-4 inhibitors and I just dont use sulfonylurea drugs. I dont believe that theres any need for these drugs. Youd have to be very hard pressed that people could not afford any other drug before Im going to resort to using sulfonylurea drugs. Weve done a very large study with triple therapy. Its now into its 5th year. We use a combination of pioglitazone, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, and Metformin. Because when we started these studies, SGLT-2 inhibitors were not around. I can tell you now, the results are phenomenal. These people have three years later normal beta-cell function. They have a 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity. They lose weight. Theres minimal hypoglycemia. We just published a very large study inDiabetes Care, its called the Qatar Study, where theyre going to play the World Cup. We took people who had failed completely on Metformin and sulfonylurea. Their A1C was 10.1. They had ten and a half duration of this disease. We added a GLP-1 receptor agonist plus pioglitazone. A year and a half later, they have an A1C of 6. So, the beta cells, Id rather say, theyre not dead, theyre hibernating. People dont recognize that the TZDs have a huge effect on the beta cell. GLP-1 receptor agonists have a huge effect on the beta cell. And then pioglitazone also has a good insulin sensitizing effect. If I had to do this study over again, I actually would replace the Metformin with the SGLT-2 inhibitor. But these are all good drugs and docs need to learn how to mix and match them. Then they also need to remember that even though you start on two or three drugs, or even you start on one drug, you need to follow the patient to see what happens. If you get a gratifying response, great. But if you dont, then you need to move on quickly, either adding one or two additional drugs.

Steve Freed:Now, you had mentioned, if you go back 50 years, we had one oral drug. Today, we have a couple million possible combinations if you include insulin in there. What you see coming down the pike as far as the future because it used to be simple. You go to your doctor, and he gives you a prescription for sulfonylurea. Today, theres so many options and so many new drugs that each of them has side effects. Theyre all a little bit different. Theyre certainly better than what we had. How do you teach a physician, what possible combination he should use? Is it just trial-and-error?

Dr. Defronzo:Well, I think for endocrinologists, its a little bit easier because this is our job. I think the real problem is amongst primary care physicians because they have to learn all of these new diabetes drugs. Then they have G.I. problems. They have to learn all of these new G.I. drugs. Then they have people presenting with arthritis and collagen vascular disease. Then we have this whole new plethora of immuno-suppressive drugs. I feel sorry in a certain way for the primary care physician because hes supposed to be an expert in everything. Well, thats not possible. The good part is we have very good medications. So thats an advantage. Sometimes I see patients coming to me, I wonder why are they on these drugs when theyre not well controlled, when there are better drugs. It sounds easy for us. I see a patient literally in 10 to 15 minutes, I can handle all the problems. I know instantaneously what to do with glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and cardiovascular issues. Thats basically the major part of diabetes cardiovascular hypertension treatment. And since Im board certified in nephrology as well, I know if they get kidney problems what to do. So for me its very easy to take care of diabetic patients. Its not so easy for primary care physicians and then on top of all of that, we have cost. These newer drugs are really quite expensive. Also, if you prescribe a drug thats not on the patients formulary and he goes to pick it up and its $500, believe me you havent prescribed any drug, because hes not going to get it. Even though, the docs may understand what drugs do and what are the good ones, not always can you prescribe them for your patients.

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Dr. Ralph Defronzo Part 3, Diabetes Medications - Diabetes In Control

American Diabetes Association officials are offering a summer diabetes-prevention camp in Santa Clarita from July 1516, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita.

This camp is available for 7- to 15-year-olds who are at risk for diabetes or that have a family history of Type 2 diabetes.

To register, visit the Camp Power Up website at http://www.diabetes.org/camppowerupsantaclarita or call 323-966-2890.

Obesity continues to pose a threat to the health of Americans, as Type 2 diabetics make up 90-95 percent of all diabetics in the world.

Approximately 208,000 Americans under age 20 are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

In order to combat this statistic, create new habits and become knowledgeable about Type 2 diabetes prevention, the diabetes camp will focus on exercise, proper nutrition and fellowship between children in similar health circumstances.

Parents and other family members are encouraged to attend camp on Sunday in order to reinforce the healthy lifestyle their children learned about on Saturday.

In addition to the weekend long camp experience, all children and their families are invited to attend three Reunion Events hosted at the Boys & Girls Club in Newhall.

Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at an increased risk for developing the disease.

However, Type 2 diabetes can be reversed via exercise, nutrition, and a change in lifestyle choices.

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. For the past 75 years, our mission has been to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or the Los Angeles office at 323.966.2890 or visit http://www.diabetes.org Find the Los Angeles office on Facebook (adalosangeles), Twitter (@ada_losangeles) and Instagram (@adalosangeles).

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Diabetes-Prevention Camp To Be Held In Santa Clarita ... - KHTS Radio

The numbers are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 29.1 million people have diabetes.

That's about one out of every 11 people living with the disease.

There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational.

Each has its own set of symptoms. Because many of these symptoms go unnoticed or appear harmless, diabetes often goes undiagnosed.

Early detection and treatment of symptoms can decrease the chance of developing diabetic complications.

With Type 1 diabetes, the body doesn't produce insulin, and the disease usually develops before a person's 40th birthday. Symptoms include frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, and extreme fatigue and irritability. Type 1 makes up approximately 10 percent of all diabetic cases. Insulin injections, regular blood tests and a special diet are needed.

People with Type 2 diabetes don't produce enough insulin for proper body function or the cells in their bodies are insulin resistant.

Symptoms include any of the Type 1 symptoms, as well as frequent infections, blurred vision, cuts/bruises that are slow to heal, tingling/numbness in the hands or feet, and recurring skin, gum or bladder infections.

It can be treated with weight loss, diet, exercise, monitoring of blood glucose levels and insulin injections.

Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman develops high levels of glucose in her blood during pregnancy because the body is unable to produce enough insulin to transport all the glucose into cells.

It can be controlled with exercise and diet, but if left undiagnosed or uncontrolled, it can cause delivery complications.

Anyone experiencing the symptoms of diabetes should talk to their health care provider.

Sources: American Diabetes Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Healthy Habits 2017 is a partnership among Cabell Huntington Hospital, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and St. Mary's Medical Center. We are a community working together to improve our health. Our goal is to inform and encourage area residents on ways to improve their health. Join our conversation and "like" us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healthyhabitshuntington.

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Healthy habits: Signs can help detect diabetes - Huntington Herald Dispatch

It doesnt matter if you have just been diagnosed or if you have lived with the disease your entire life diabetes can be challenging to manage. At Novant Health, we can help you reduce the complications of this disease by providing advanced diagnoses and treatments.

While early detection and medical treatments are important factors in providing care for diabetes, we are firm believers that knowledge is also an effective tool. We offer a variety of programs and classes that can help you effectively self-manage diabetes and reduce its impact on your life. The programs we provide include:

Diabetes self-management program - Learn how to manage your diabetes with our three-part, self-management course, Living with Diabetes. From learning about the basics, such as the skills needed to control blood sugars and how to use a blood glucose monitor, to more in-depth skills such as carbohydrate counting and how to order when eating out, our team will teach you the ins and outs of managing diabetes. Physician referral required. The course consists of three parts:

Gestational diabetes / diabetes and pregnancy program - This program provides in-depth education on managing gestational diabetes and preexisting diabetes and pregnancy. For patients with gestational diabetes, the curriculum includes:

Ongoing follow-up is provided throughout pregnancy, as needed.

For patients with preexisting diabetes, the curriculum includes:

Ongoing follow-up is provided throughout pregnancy, as needed.

Glucose sensor training - Continuous glucose monitoring sensors work by transmitting glucose readings to a handheld receiver. A small wire-like sensor that measures the glucose levels is inserted under the skin and is held in place by an adhesive. The sensors measure glucose levels continuously, in real time. There are sensors that work with insulin pumps and sensors for people who do not wear insulin pumps. This is a new and exciting way to see your blood sugar levels continuously around the clock.

Sensors can help you see the effects of food, exercise, and your medication and help prevent high and low blood sugars. They can warn you of changes and trends in your blood sugar levels so you and your physician can make decisions about your carbohydrate intake.

Insulin pump training - This training session is an individual appointment to instruct you on insulin administration for insulin pump evaluation and training, which includes the following:

Insulin pump evaluation, training, initiation and follow-up are provided for all brands of insulin pumps.

Nutrition consults - If you are living with diabetes or are at high risk for developing it, it is important to work with a nutritionist to determine the best foods for you to eat. At our Diabetes Resource Center, we offer one-on-one consultations with certified diabetes educators and registered dietitians. A physician referral is required.

Education for parents who have a child living with diabetes If your child is living with diabetes, were here to help. Our Diabetes Resource Centers offer one-on-one appointments with children and their parents to assist in learning to manage the disease. A provider referral is required.

Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet and reducing stress are important when it comes to treating and preventing diabetes; we will give you the tools you need to successfully make these lifestyle changes. We also help identify risk factors for diabetes and conduct diabetes screenings if you are at risk of developing the disease.

Novant Health Diabetes Resource Centers are located in Charlotte, Huntersville and Matthews.

In Charlotte, the Novant Health Diabetes Center is located in the medical tower across from Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center:

1718 East 4th St., Suite 207, Charlotte, NC 28204.

For more information about managing your diabetes, diabetes prevention and diabetes treatment, call 704-384-7390.

Learn more about diabetes and diabetes services offered at Novant Health:

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Diabetes | Presbyterian Medical Center | Novant Health

A raucous relay ball game was underway in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church in downtown Fredericksburg.

Shouts, beach balls and running kids filled the room. Captain America, Spiderman and Wonder Woman were leading the activities.

"Someone's low," one child yelled.

A counselor wearing a shirt bearing the Superman logo and the words "Power of insulin" crossed the room toward a little girl in a pink dress. The counselor checked the screen of a device the girl wore on a flowered belt around her hips.

The device was a continuous glucose monitor, a tool that tracks the child's blood sugar levels all day and night to give an overall picture of how they fluctuate.

It showed that the levels were slightly down but they weren't falling. She could keep playing.

Twenty-two children between the ages of 7 and 12 gathered this week for the 11th annual Kids for a Cure Club summer camp for kids with type 1 diabetes.

KFCC is a local nonprofit organization that was founded by the Mary Washington Healthcare diabetes management staff and parents of children with type 1 diabetes to provide education and support for families living with the disease.

The summer camp, which had a superhero theme this year, aims to help kids become more proficient in managing their diabetes while letting them have fun with peers who share their daily challenges. It is sponsored by MWH and the Aquia and Fredericksburg Lions Clubs.

"The purpose is for children with diabetes to be with others who have the disease," said Lana King, a registered nurse and the camp's founder. "In their school, they might be the only diabetic child. Here, they can feel like it's a normal thing. Here, they're acting differently if they're NOT having their blood checked."

Campers are under the care of four MWH registered nurses and diabetes educators and King, who used to work for MWH and now is clinical business manager for Animas Corporation, an insulin pump company.

All the camp counselors, who are 15 and 16, and the junior counselors, who are 13 and 14, also have type 1 diabetes.

Camp activities included craftsmaking superhero capes, badges and masks, decorating flower pots and picture framesgames and special activities such as cooking classes and trips to the Farmer's Market and the pool.

The kids heard from adult guest speakersa writer and a Secret Service agentwho have diabetes. They also prepared their own diabetes-friendly snacks each day.

Regular blood sugar checks were part of the day's activities.

"I think the hardest part of this disease is that there is no break," King said. "You must get up every day and check your blood sugar 6-8 times a day or give yourself injections. You're having to be responsible."

Hence, the superhero theme. For one of the daily activities, the kids had to answer the question, "Who is your superhero and why?"

One girl answered, "My superhero is me because I have learned how to manage my diabetes."

Other kids said their parents were their superheroes for helping them with their disease.

Matthew Gomez, 13, and his sister Gianna, 11, have attended the camp for multiple years.

"I like everything about it," Matthew said. "It's definitely up there [in my list of favorite summer camps.]"

Gianna, who was diagnosed at age 6 and has a twin sister who doesn't have diabetes, wears an insulin pump which delivers insulin to her body continuously. Matthew, who was diagnosed at age 9, gives himself insulin injections and pricks his finger to check his blood sugar four or five times a day.

He said it used to hurt, but his fingers are so tough now that it doesn't bother him.

Trinity Riley, 10, said she was diagnosed at age 3 after she went into a diabetic coma. She doesn't remember, but her sister has shown her pictures and video of herself in the hospital.

"I looked dead, not like myself," Riley said.

She said she's the only kid in her school with diabetes and usually tries to hide what she's doing when she pricks her finger to test her blood. But at camp, she doesn't have to do that.

"It's nice not being scared," she said. "When I'm here, I'm wide open, because everyone's the same."

Jayden Britt, 12, was just diagnosed with the disease in December. She said she's loved the summer camp because it helps her "not feel so different."

For two months leading up to her diagnosis, she felt "a little weird." Her mom noticed that she had lost a lot of weight and wasn't fitting into any of her clothes and took her to be checked out. Doctors ran a urine test and found ketonesacids that remain when the body burns its own fat instead of glucose for energy. It's a common complication of diabetes.

When the doctor started to tell Britt what the diagnosis was, she saw her mom begin to tear up.

"She knew what was coming," Britt said. "My dad has type 1 and my mom was blaming herself because she hadn't noticed the symptoms."

Katlyn Agosta, a nurse and MWH diabetes educator who is in her second year with the camp, said the camp helps kids as well as parents find support in handling the disease.

Mom Karen Embrey was wearing a shirt that said, "Some people never get to meet their hero. I gave birth to mine." Her daughter, Hannah, 15, has type 1 and is a counselor at the camp.

She said the hardest part about the disease from a mother's perspective is trusting anyone other than herself to manage it.

"Letting her be away from me is hard," she said.

Embrey said Hannah has been taking care of her own diabetes for a few years and generally does a good job.

"But this camp, being responsible for other kidsit's making her more mindful," she said.

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Superheroes on a T1D mission! Kids with Type 1 Diabetes conquer the disease's challenges - Fredericksburg.com

In 2003, Jose Sanchez was a recent graduate just starting out in the world, hustling to get his graphic design business off the ground. Then, one day, his life changed.

I went to take a nap and then I didnt wake up for two days, he said. When I woke up, I looked like the Matrix. I had all these tubes coming out of me.

Sanchez discovered he had Type 1 diabetes only after he had fallen into diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition. His story is a reminder of what many diabetics went through in the years before the Affordable Care Act, and what many could face again if its rolled back.

Because he had very little income at the time, Sanchez was able to qualify for New York States Medicaid program. Between changing his diet and lifestyle and getting insulin and other health care through Medicaid, he managed to stay relatively healthy after the incident.

Eventually, he found stable employment and had a son. But then another disaster hit. In 2007, he learned that his jobworking nights at Abercrombie & Fitch, prepping the store for the morning crowdspaid just a little too much for him to continue to qualify for Medicaid.

Thats when I found out the true cost of being a diabetic, he said.

Without insurance, insulinrefillsalone cost him $225 every three weeks. Diapers, food and milk for his son came first, so he rationed the medication and ended up in the emergency room over and over again, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills he had no way to pay on his salary.

I would end up being in the hospital for a weeklong visit as they brought my levels back down, he said. This just became routine. Once or twice I had to have the ambulance come and get me at my house.

For a lot of people like Sanchez, the expansion of Medicaid in many states under the Affordable Care Act changed everything. The accessibility increased the chances that diabetics would be diagnosed early on before they have life-threatening emergencies. It also made it more likely that diabetics who were seeking treatment could successfully manage their disease, preventing hospital visits.

One 2009 study found that 46 percent of uninsured people with diabetes hadnt received a diagnosis, compared with 23.2 percent of insured diabetics.Medicaid expansion appears to have made a significant dent in the number of people who cant get treatment because they have never been diagnosed.

Looking at the 26 states, plus the District of Columbia, that expanded Medicaid in 2014, researchers found that new diabetes diagnoses rose 23 percent. In the other 24 states, they rose by less than half a percent.

LaShawn McIver, senior vice president of government affairs and advocacy with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), said thats really important because being aware of the condition can allow for earlier interventions to prevent complications.

That is a huge win for people with diabetes in those states, in comparison with people in states that did not expand, she said.

For people who know they have diabetes, of course, getting coverage, whether through Medicaid or other insurance, is critical to affording the treatment they need to keep their disease under control. Looking at known diabetics between 1999 and 2008, one study found people without insurance generally got less health care and had worse blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Beyond helping to pay for medication and doctors visits, state Medicaid agencies are now experimenting with new ways to help people with diabetes learn to stay as healthy as possible. For example, in 15 states Medicaid now pays for diabetes self-management classes under some circumstances. This kind of education has proved successful in helping patients keep their blood sugar down so they stay healthier.

Now, the ADA is pushing Medicaid agencies to expand this kind of approach by offering similar classes to people who are at risk of developing diabetes. Its a lifestyle intervention which gives people the skill they need to sort of take care of the behavioral changes, McIver said.

She said the program starts with classes taught by an instructor trained in a curriculum created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After that, participants meet regularly in peer groups.

Its kind of like a support group that provides these skills for lifestyle changes, she added.

Medicare will start covering this in 2018, and McIver said it only makes sense for Medicaid to do the same.

While it continues to try to make Medicaid coverage better, the ADA is now fighting to preserve coverage. Republican proposals moving through Congress now would phase out the ACAs expansion of Medicaid and also reduce funding for the core program. Under the plan passed by the House of Representatives, 14 million fewer people would receive Medicaid coverage by 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office.The Senate version would cut Medicaid even more deeply over the long term.

At the same time, changes that reduced protections for people with preexisting conditions would quash diabetics access to private insurance on the individual market.

Diabetes is a disease that requires ongoing care, McIver said. What we worry about with any kind of repeal or replacement is that people wont have access to affordable care.

If they dont have that access, many people like Sanchez will almost certainly end up in the hospital suffering from complications that medication or other interventions could have headed off. That adds up to big costs that somehow need to be covered. A study last year found that when patients with diabetes who arrived at an emergency department were referred to a diabetes center for additional support, they were much less likely to be hospitalized over the next year. The cost of institutional care also fell by $5,461 per patient.

For Sanchez, the repeated hospitalizations only ended after he missed so much work that he lost his job and ended up eligible for Medicaid again. After that, he cycled in and out of coverage. Finally, in 2014, just as other patients were getting insured under the Medicaid expansion, he got a job with the City of New York that provided good coverage.

Sanchezs life today demonstrates both the importance of strong insurance policies and the challenges that remain. He now has his disease under control, thanks to insurance that covers his medication and care. Hes able to care for his growing family(his son now has a little sister) and himself.But, because the kinds of insurance he could get on the individual market arent as good as what he has, he feels tied to his job. That means he cant go back to pursuing a career in design full-time as he always wanted.

I would love for legislation to work toward making entrepreneurs just as safe as municipal employees, he said. You shouldnt have to choose between having a job with adequate health insurance and living your dream, living your purpose.

For now, Sanchez is just working to preserve the health care expansion thats happened over the past few years, telling his story on behalf of people who are where he was 15 years agounaware that health care coverage is going to end up mattering a lot to them.

Everybodys going to have a health concern at some point or another, he said.

Originally posted here:
This Is What Happens When People With Diabetes Lose Medicaid - HuffPost

Podiatrist Vinaya A.S. has bumped across southern India in a bus-turned mobile clinic for 17 years, going village to village checking feet for the ulcer-causing effects of diabetes. These days, her key to staving off limb amputations comes down to one thing: food.

Millets, to be precise. The ancient grains were a staple in India for thousands of years, but largely spurned since a so-called Green Revolution last century led to cheaper, more abundant supplies of refined rice and wheat flour that can bolster blood-sugar. Now a surge in type-2 diabetes is pushing doctors and government officials to recommend a return towholegrains, like ragi or finger millet, that healthfully sustained previous generations.

Vinaya A.S. with patients at a mobile clinic on the outskirts of Bengaluru

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Food is your medicine you need to eat right, Vinaya, 48, told a group of villagers inDoddaballapur, on the outskirts of Bangalore, last month. Bring the fiber-rich ragi back to your plates, along with fruits and vegetables.

Healthy food choices are becoming critical in India, where diabetes is ripping through the population with deadly consequences. The number of adults living with the disease has risen more than five fold since 1980, though more than half of sufferers arent aware they have it. Left uncontrolled, high blood-sugar levels can damage organs and tissues, including the nerves and blood vessels in the feet, making them susceptible to injuries that fail to heal and eventually turn gangrenous. When that happens, amputations can be life-saving.

Onset of diabetes occurs about a decade earlier in Indians than in North Americans and Europeans. About a third of Indians with the obesity-linked disease are thin, suggesting that too many calories isnt the only diet-related problem, saidK. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Modern Indian meals lack fiber, which protects against diabetes, and are high in white rice and other refined carbohydrates, like wheat flour, used to make poori, or deep-fried bread, and samosas, a deep-fried, vegetable-containing pastry. Such energy-dense foods cause spikes in blood-sugar that weaken the bodys response to insulin and, when eaten regularly, can eventually lead to type-2 diabetes.

Traditional staples, like millets, have been replaced by polished rice and refined wheat flour even in rural areas, said Reddy, a cardiologist who is a past president of the World Heart Federation. Traditional Indian diets, not in vogue now, had a protective effect against diabetes.

There were 69.2 million adults living with diabetes in India in 2015, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Complications such as stroke, kidney failure and blood-poisoning from festering sores kill more than 1 million annually and the country will have 123.5 million diabetics by 2040 unless trends in overweight and obesity are curbed, the Brussels-based group predicts.

Health awareness is motivating Indias urban upper crust to seek out so-called superfoods, such as steel-cut oats and quinoa, a type of edible seed from South America, but millets an umbrella term for many small seeded grains have been slower to catch on, said Krishna Byregowda, the agriculture minister of Karnataka state.

Why are we forgetting our own superfoods while buying and adopting imported oats and quinoa? he asked a crowd at a three-day Organics and Millets National Trade Fair in the state capital, Bangalore, last month.

Customers at Vaathsalya Millet Cafe in Bengaluru.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Byregowda is spearheading a campaign involving chefs, nutritionists, doctors and food businesses to bolster demand for a grain he grew up eating as ragi mudde finger-millet flour cooked and shaped into soft mounds and served with leafy greens in a spiced gravy.

His farmer-ancestors grew it not just for its nutritional benefits: the crop needs a third of the rainfall of rice. Yet, millet and sorghum production have declined by a combined 51 percent in India and rice and wheat output has almost quadrupled since the 1960s, when a Green Revolution introduced modern seeds, chemicals and irrigation to boost harvests and stave off hunger.

Drought-induced crop failures in recent years in southern India have convinced the 44-year-old American University graduate of the need to return to growing millet.

In these times of climate change, it made sense to encourage farmers to switch to climate-smart crops rather than cultivate the water-intensive rice, Byregowda said in an interview. The post-Green Revolution planning left millet farmers, like my family, in the lurch.

The government of the neighboring southern state of Tamil Nadu has allocated 8 billion rupees ($124 million) to subsidize the cultivation of millets and pulses, and restaurants in the capital, Chennai, are catering for a growing appetite for millets. P. Sathiya Moorthi sells biscuits, biscotti and sweets from the grain to customers working at the local Hyundai Motor India Ltd. factory and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.s offices.

In Hyderabad in Telangana state, Narayana Peesapaty and his wife Pradnya Keskar have found another culinary use for the grain: edible spoons costing a few cents apiece.

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While millets have gained some international popularity thanks to pop starMadonna and chef Joanne Weir, they are only just gaining traction among health-conscious consumers in the U.S., according to Amrita Hazra. The India-born researcher is part of the Millet Project, a two-year-old University of California, Berkeley program thats working with Californian farmers, chefs and retailers to rediscover the traditions of cultivating and consuming millets.

Ancient grains are making a comeback in peoples diet, and very slowly into the fields, Hazra said.

A farmer cuts millet on the outskirt of Bengaluru.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

A reviewin 2014 of sorghum and millets used as livestock fodder and birdseed in some countries found they contain health-enhancing properties, though more human clinical trials are needed to assess their direct dietary benefits. They contain more fiber, more micro-nutrients and probably have a smaller blood-sugar impact than refined carbohydrates, said Jennie Brand-Miller, professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney.

As long as the millets are prepared and consumed in traditional ways, I think this is a good suggestion, said Brand-Miller, who is internationally recognized for her research on the bodys absorption of carbohydrates. To maximize the health benefits of millets, consumers need to resist the urge to grind and refine them.

For podiatrist Vinaya, they are much healthier alternative to the fast-foods, sweetened soda drinks and rice more of her patients are consuming. Of the 60 people who turned up for last months free clinicin which her team checks blood flow to the foot, nerve sensitivity and blood-glucose, 27 were found to have diabetes, she said.

Unchecked, that can lead to foot sores that ulcerate. Her hospital in Bangalore does 30 to 35 foot amputations a month because of diabetes. In at least three of these cases, an entire lower limb needs to be amputated to prevent gangrene causing lethal blood poisoning, or sepsis.

Checking for diabetes at a mobile clinic.

Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

To London-trained Vinaya, who runs the diabetic foot clinic at Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, the link between diet and lifestyle changes and the rising incidence of diabetes has strengthened based on data her team has gathered from 2.4 million people in 350,000 households across 1,700 villages the largest such diabetes study in the world.

Even physically active, slender farmers in their 30s and 40s are being afflicted with the disease in India. She tells them how to replace the rice in their favorite dosa pancakes and idli savory cakes with millets. On her repeat rounds to the rural camps, villagers gather round to titter, Doctor-madam has come to conduct cooking classes.

See original here:
Birdseed Turned Superfood May Help Curb India's Diabetes Scourge - Bloomberg