Category Archives: Diabetes

The Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) program through the Welch Diabetes Education Center at Good Samaritan has been awarded continued recognition from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The program at Good Samaritan was originally recognized in August of 1994 and offers high-quality education services to the patients it serves.

The ADA Education Recognition effort, begun in the fall of 1986, is a voluntary process which assures that approved education programs have met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide state-of-the-art information about diabetes management for participants.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. One consequence of compliance with the National Standards is the greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to people with diabetes. The participant in an ADA Recognized program will be taught, as needed, self-care skills that will promote better management of his or her diabetes treatment regimen.

The Welch Diabetes Education Center believes that education is the key to empowering the person with diabetes to better manage his or her disease, said Stacy Hinkle, RN, BSN, CDE, Diabetes Program Coordinator. Educating our patients on how they can avoid the complications of diabetes and achieve an optimum health status is our ultimate goal.

All approved education programs cover the following topics as needed: diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medications; monitoring; preventing, detecting, and treating acute complications; preventing, detecting, and treating chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving; psychological adjustment; preconception care, management during pregnancy, and gestational management.

Assuring high-quality education for patient self-care is one of the primary goals of the Education Recognition program. Through the support of the health care team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, the patient can assume a major part of the responsibility for his/her diabetes management. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education.

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Good Samaritan's Welch Diabetes Education Center Recognized by The American Diabetes Association - Washington Times Herald

People with a common cluster of symptoms that puts them at increased risk of heart disease and diabetes are two times as likely to die as people without those risk factors if they get less than six hours of sleep per night.

That was the finding of a new study conducted by researchers at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

So-called metabolic syndrome is marked by elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and excess fat around the waistline. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome also includes a high body mass index (BMI), a measurement of a person's weight relative to his height.

People with a high BMI and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Study participants

In the study, a group of 1,344 adults agreed to spend one night in a sleep clinic. Almost 40 percent of the participants were found to have at least three of the risk factors of metabolic syndrome.

When the participants were followed up an average of 16 years later, 22 percent of them had died.

Compared with those without metabolic syndrome, investigators found those with a cluster of heart disease and diabetes risk factors were 2.1 times more likely to have died of stroke if they slept less than six hours during their night in the lab.

If they had slept more than six hours, those with metabolic syndrome were about 1 times more likely to have suffered a fatal stroke than normal participants.

Finally, those with metabolic syndrome who slept less than six hours were almost two times more likely to have died of any cause compared with those without the heart disease and diabetes risk factors.

The study is the first to examine the impact of sleep duration on the risk of death in patients with metabolic syndrome.

More trials planned

If you have metabolic syndrome, the study's authors note it is important to notify your doctor if you are not getting enough sleep to reduce the risk of death from heart attack or stroke.

The researchers plan future clinical trials to determine whether increasing the length of quality sleep, in addition to lowering blood pressure and glucose, improves the prognosis for people with metabolic syndrome.

The American Heart Association recently issued a scientific statement noting that an increasing number of Americans suffer from sleep difficulties, either involuntarily or because they'd rather stay up late, and this trend may be associated with increased cardiovascular risks and outcomes.

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Study: Too Little Sleep Doubles Mortality in Those With Heart, Diabetes Risks - Voice of America

Young people from across the country are gathering over Memorial Day weekend to learn, laugh, and create connections focused on their shared health condition type 1 diabetes (T1D). The conference will be led by organizational founder and inspirational T1D leader, Nicole Johnson, and also features T1D musician and American Idol semi-finalist Adam Lasher, and T1D American Ninja Warrior Kyle Cochran. The conference of over 125 young people is being hosted by Dr. Nicole Johnson, a former Miss America with diabetes residing in Florida.

Here are the details of the conference: WHO: College Students & Young Adults Affected by Type 1 Diabetes WHAT: Students/Young Adults With Diabetes National Conference WHEN: Saturday, May 27 & Sunday, May 28 WHERE: Sea World Renaissance Hotel, 6677 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando FL

Students/Young Adults With Diabetes aims to create a community for young adults with diabetes ages 18-30 on both college campuses and in local communities across the country. This non-profit organization equips young adults with the tools and information they need to succeed, and provides professional and social opportunities to create peer networks.

Not only will conference attendees enjoy fun activities including the SWD Amazing Race, they will discuss topics involving alcohol and diabetes, health insurance and finances, diabetes advocacy, eating disorders and depression, and advances in research including the artificial pancreas and other new technology tools.

The genesis of this organization began with the type 1 diagnosis of a college student at the University of South Florida in 1993. That college student, Nicole Johnson, was told to drop out of school, give up on her career dreams and live a predictable life. Ignoring this advice, Johnson pursued her dreams and became one of the countrys greatest role models as Miss America 1999. Johnson has devoted her life to improving health outcomes for those living with diabetes while earning three advanced degrees including a doctorate in public health.

For more information about Students/Young Adults With Diabetes: http://www.studentswithdiabetes.com

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Students, Young Adults With Diabetes National Conference This Weekend in Orlando - West Orlando News

Gestational diabetes can also raise babies' risks of excessive birth weight, preterm birth, and type 2 diabetes later in life.

For this reason, it's been suggested that cold temperatures might protect against these conditions.

To study this potential connection in pregnant women, researchers looked at medical records of nearly 400,000 women living in the same urban area in Canada, in a region with wide temperature fluctuations throughout the year. Over a 12-year period, those women gave birth to more than 555,000 children.

When the researchers looked at average temperatures in the 30 days before these women gave birth, they found that the prevalence of gestational diabetes was 4.6% among those exposed to very cold temperatures (14 degrees Fahrenheit or lower), compared to 7.7% among those exposed to very hot temperatures (75 degrees Fahrenheit or higher).

That translates to a 6% to 9% relative increase in the risk of gestational diabetes for every increase of about 18 degrees Fahrenheit (or every 10 degrees Celsius), the researchers calculated.

The relationship held true even when the researchers compared two consecutive pregnancies in the same woman, which allowed them to cancel out factors such as income, ethnicity, and lifestyle habits that could also affect risk.

This may seem counterintuitive, says lead author Gillian Booth, MD, a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, since people might think that pregnant women would spend more time outdoors and be more active during warmer months. But the findings fit a pattern of recent research on the potential protective effects of colder temperatures, she says.

And although the researchers only looked at a single geographic region in Canada, they say the results could likely apply to other parts of North American and the world.

"Based on the study's findings we would expect pregnancies in warmer climates to be at higher risk of gestational diabetes, although we weren't able to look at that directly," Dr. Booth told Health. "I think that's a great topic for future research."

The study also suggests that gestational diabetes -- and adult-onset diabetes, which shares the same risk factors -- could become increasingly prevalent worldwide as global temperatures continue to increase.

Because the study was not a randomized trial, it was unable to show a cause-and-effect relationship. The study also did not include information about body mass index, weight gain, physical activity, or diet of the women involved. But it does "offer fairly compelling evidence that air temperature may be a modifiable risk factor for gestational diabetes," says Dr. Booth.

Strategies like using air conditioning and avoiding excess layers in the summer might influence a pregnant woman's risk of gestational diabetes, says Dr. Booth.

These may be especially important for women who have strong non-modifiable risk factors for gestational diabetes, she adds, including non-European ethnicity, family history of type 2 diabetes, or a prior pregnancy with gestational diabetes.

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Temperature appears to have a smaller effect on gestational diabetes than these other risk factors, but "it is one factor that might be sufficient to push someone's risk over the edge," says Dr. Booth.

And while the number of women impacted globally by temperature fluctuations may be substantial, she says, the increased risk for individual women is likely small.

Staying cool during hot weather is probably a smart idea, says Dr. Booth, but women can also protect themselves from gestational diabetes by following strategies that have been proven to lower their risk -- like achieving a healthier body weight before they conceive, and avoiding excess weight gain during pregnancy by consuming a healthy diet and being physically active.

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Summer pregnancy may raise gestational diabetes risk - CNN

Eric Wildstein Gazette staff TheGazetteEric

Hes only 5 years old, but hes preparing to advocate for juvenile diabetes research before Congress.

Miles Bone spent Wednesday morning engaged in a wild, water war with his pre-kindergarten classmates at Gaston Day School to celebrate the end of the year. After toweling off, he readied to eat a chicken nuggets lunch from Chick-fil-A with everyone.

But first, he had to prick his finger with a needle to test his blood glucose level, a ritual he must repeat several times each day as a Type 1 diabetic. He entered his glucose number into an insulin pumpwhich he wears basically 24/7that injects him with the correct amount of insulin through a tube attached to his arm to keep his blood glucose stable after eating.

We talked about last night how he wants to show people what its like to have Type 1 diabetes because a lot of people dont know, said Sara Bone, Miless mother. A lot of people dont understand what Type 1 diabetes is and how much it affects his life and how hard he has to work to take care of himself.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which a persons pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone people need to get energy from food. Children and adults can be diagnosed suddenly at any age. It cannot be prevented and there is no cure.

Miles, who lives in Dallas with his parents and older brother, will advocate for Type 1 diabetes research on Capitol Hill in late July. He applied and was selected to be part of a delegation of about 160 children from each U.S. state and several countries representing the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 2017 Childrens Congress, a bi-annual event.

The delegates will be lobbying their representatives of Congress to remind them of the vital need to continue supporting Type 1 diabetes research that could reduce the burden of the disease and ultimately find a cure.

CC 2015 Highlights from JDRF on Vimeo.

These childrenages 4 to 17will participate in a number of activities on the Hill, including a Congressional Committee hearing to share personal testimonies that highlight the daily struggles of living with Type 1 diabetes and the need for continued funding for research projects such as the Special Diabetes Program, which provides $150 million annually for Type 1 diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health.

I want Miles to one day be able to eat some pizza and not feel bad three hours later for doing it, said Sara Bone. I think that were almost there and I want him to actually know a day where he doesnt have to worry about it.

Miles was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes just three days after his first birthday. His parents noticed he was feeling ill and scheduled a visit with his pediatrician. Miles was hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially-deadly result of extremely high blood glucose and remained there for three days before his release. It was a scary time for his parents and brother, who had no family history of Type 1 diabetes and were new to caring for the condition.

It was the scariest thing that first day we brought him home, said Sara Bone. You just think how am I ever going to do this.

They would learn to balance the high and low blood glucose fluctuations that result from diabetes and how to maintain them with a proper diet. That includes keeping a close eye on what Miles eats, delivering insulin at the proper times and boosting low blood glucose with juice boxes, glucose tablets or another form of carbohydrate.

At school, Miless teachers help him to keep track of his health, though hes already handling a lot of the heavy lifting on his own. Sara Bone says its a constant balancing act and it causes Miles to miss out on or delay certain activities so that he can care for his diabetes. But she feels its already made him a stronger person.

Its made him more compassionate, she said. Its made his brother a compassionate kid. He really cares about Miles and wants to see him OK and cares about his future.

And Miles will work toward that brighter future by joining a long list of other advocates with Type 1 diabetes, such as celebrities including the NHL Hall of Fame hockey player Bobby Clarke, musicians Bret Michaels and Nick Jonas, and the late actress Mary Tyler Moore.

NASCAR Xfinity series driver Ryan Reed, 23, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2011. He later began his nonprofit organization, Ryan's Mission, which advocates and raises money for Type 1 diabetes research.

Reed will host the Lilly Diabetes #DriveYourHealth Track Walk from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lilly Diabetes will make a donation to the American Diabetes Association Charlotte Chapter for each participant who reaches the finish line.

Reed will also sport the Lilly Diabetes logo on his No. 16 Ford Mustang at the NASCAR Xfinity series events at the speedway this weekend.

Miles and his family have already been doing their part. The family has participated in five Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation One Walks and mentored several families who are new to Type 1 diabetes.

As for what Miles hopes his talks with Congress will yield for type 1 diabetes, he says optimistically a cure.

You can reach Eric Wildstein at 704-869-1828 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteEric.

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Gaston 5-year-old lobbying Congress for Type 1 diabetes cure - Gaston Gazette

Nutrition Corner Mary R. Ehret

The number of people affected by diabetes and pre-diabetes continues to grow. In our area, 11 percent of the population more than one out of 10 people have diabetes. How many are undiagnosed? Nationwide, 9.3 million, or 21 percent of the population has diabetes. According to the America Diabetes Association, another 8.1 million, or 28 percent, could be undiagnosed.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Over time, having too much glucose in blood can cause health problems like heart disease, nerve damage, eye problems and kidney disease. Steps can be taken to prevent diabetes or manage it.

Some key symptoms of diabetes include pain or numbness in the hands and feet, feeling very thirsty, extreme fatigue, blurry vision and slow healing cuts or bruises. See a health care provider if even a mild case of any symptom occurs.

Hearing the diagnosis of diabetes may make one feel like theyve had something taken away a favorite food, going out to eat and eating dessert all may be standing in the way of good health. Seeing a dietitian may help get over some of these obstacles. Attending a Diabetes Self-Management Education Program may increase knowledge of how food, physical activity and medication all work together to maintain a healthy blood-glucose level.

One of the food groups closely monitored and balanced with medication is carbohydrates. Whether it comes from fruit, vegetables or a sweet dessert, carbohydrates require insulin to be absorbed into the body. If a sufficient amount of insulin or low-quality insulin is available, the carbohydrate will stay in the blood stream. That is where the saying sugar, or high sugar, comes from.

Fruits and vegetables are healthy because they contain fiber, vitamins and minerals. However, they are carbohydrates and counted in the meal plan like any other food. Fruits and vegetables also contain water, which gives a filling effect, so low-carbohydrate vegetables are a great addition to any diet. Its also a dietary component people arent getting enough of.

Here are some examples of low-carbohydrate vegetables: cucumbers, peppers, yellow squash, carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and green beans.

Include more of these vegetables every day. They have between two-to-six grams of carbohydrates per half-cup serving, which is much less than the 15-gram carbohydrate exchange suggestion for a serving of starchy vegetables or breads.

For a free copy of Pennsylvania Produce Guide, which lists all the fruits and vegetables food labels, call 570-825-1701.

This recipe uses two low-carbohydrate vegetables: summer squash and tomatoes.

Summer Squash Medley

1 onion, small

1 tablespoon olive oil (or canola oil)

1 1/2 yellow summer squash, small and sliced (can use 1-2 squash)

1 1/2 zucchini, small and sliced (can use 1-2 zucchini)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

pepper (to taste, optional)

1 can diced Italian tomatoes (14.5 ounces)

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (grated)

In large skillet, heat oil. To heated oil, add squash and onion. Cook on medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes.

Season with garlic powder to taste. Add pepper (optional), if desired. Serve warm, top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Nutrition Corner Mary R. Ehret

http://psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Ehret.CMYK_-3.jpgNutrition Corner Mary R. Ehret

Mary Ehret is the Penn State Extension Nutrition Links Supervisor in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Carbon, Sullivan and Bradford counties. Reach her at 570-825-1701 or at [emailprotected]

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Nutrition Corner: Control diabetes with low-carbohydrate vegetable - The Sunday Dispatch

When Stafford High School students flip through the yearbook for the first time, they get to page 220 and gasp with surprise, Its Alpha!

Although Alpha goes to school every day like all the other students featured in the recently released yearbook, he is also a little different: Alpha is a service dog.

Alpha belongs to Andrew AJ Schalk, a 16-year-old junior at Stafford High who has Type 1 diabetes. The service dog alerts him when his blood sugar levels are too high or low by giving Schalk his paw.

He lets me know my blood sugar is fluctuating through smell anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes before I even know anything is wrong, Schalk said.

Grace Fuller, a 17-year-old junior who is on the yearbook staff, featured Alpha in a small profile in last years annual. As she sorted through this years student headshots, a photo of Alpha popped up and she knew it needed to be included.

AJ has always talked about how much he liked having Alpha at school, and he is here all the timewe see him in class and in the hallways, she said. He is a part of this school now.

A Stafford student tweeted about Alphas inclusion in the yearbook, and that post was shared thousands of times and prompted a Buzzfeed story on Wednesday that has been shared widely on social media.

Schalk started bringing his service dog to school with him last year. At first, he would take him only one day a week to get him acclimated to the new environment. Now, Alpha goes everywhere with him, including on the bus and to class.

When Alpha first started coming to school, Schalk observed many students turning their heads and saying, Wait, is that a dog? But, over the past few months, the unfamiliarity has faded, and most of the students recognize him now.

Schalk said everyone has been very accepting of having a service dog around the school. So, he wasnt surprised when he and Fuller went to his teachers and school administrators with the idea to include his four-legged friend in the yearbook and they were all for it.

Everyone has been a hundred percent supportive of him from the very beginning, Schalk said.

Schalk uses a number of tools to manage his diabetes, but Alpha has made the biggest difference in helping him to live a normal, full life.

It has turned my disability into a positive experience, Schalk said.

Alphas presence in the school has not only helped Schalk, but also other students, as well.

Schalk said his furry companion instantly lights up the school environment when they walk through the doors in the morning, and everyone looks happy to see them. Students wave and smile, and teachers say hello when the inseparable pair walk into class.

Alpha brightens the school atmosphere for all of the studentsnot just me, Schalk said. I love knowing that were having that effect on so many people.

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Diabetic student's service dog makes Stafford High's yearbook - Fredericksburg.com

Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Foundation was one of seven local nonprofit organizations awarded a grant by the Climax Area Community Investment Fund on May 3. The fund supports programs and projects that promote health and wellness.

The $41,500 grant will support a unique partnership between Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Chaffee County and St. Vincent Hospital in Lake County to implement the National Diabetes Prevention Program, a nationally recognized diabetes prevention program. Education and improved access to quality health care can help individuals at risk for diabetes. The funds will also be used to increase the availability of fitness, nutrition and other health education in the region.

The National Diabetes Prevention Program is the most effective intervention for lifestyle change that I've seen in my 20-year career, said HRRMC Wellness Supervisor Jon Fritz.The group class is led by a trained coach and encourages increased activity and decreased caloric intake. The answers are simple but the process is challenging and that's why trained coaches follow an evidence-based curriculum which has proven effective.

Chaffee County has had an NDPP program since 2013. Lake County and St. Vincent Hospital have identified diabetes prevention as a focus in their community. HRRMC will offer assistance in starting an NDPP program while expanding classes throughout Chaffee County.

HRRMC Foundation director Kimla Robinson accepted the award along with Fritz on behalf of the hospital. We are so honored to receive the Freeport-McMoRan Climax Area Community Investment Fund Grant and partner with St. Vincent Hospital to implement a diabetes prevention program, she said.

The Climax Area Community Investment Fund was established in 2011 to focus on programs and projects that help create sustainability and reduce dependency on any single industry. Eligible programs and projects include those in the areas of education, community and economic development, environmental stewardship, and health and wellness. A committee comprised of community leaders representing diverse organizations and two Freeport-McMoRan representatives governs the Fund.

For more information on the NDPP program, call the HRRMC Wellness Department at 530-2057.

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HRRMC receives grant for diabetes prevention outreach - Chaffee County Times

An experimental foot-temperature monitoring system might one day be able to detect when diabetic patients are developing foot ulcers, a common complication that can lead to infections and amputations, a small study suggests.

Diabetic foot ulcers typically develop on the bottom of the big toe or the ball of the foot, often when people wear ill-fitting shoes. Patients with diabetes frequently have nerve damage that limits their ability to feel pain, and as a result they dont notice developing ulcers.

For the study, researchers tested a so-called smart mat designed to use variations in temperature at different points on the foot as a predictor of recurring foot ulcers in 129 patients who had this problem before. Skin temperature typically increases as ulcers develop.

When the study team tested for variations of 2.22 degrees Celsius (about 4 degrees Fahrenheit), they found the smart mat correctly identified 97 percent of foot ulcers observed by clinicians. But it also had a false positive rate of 57 percent, meaning clinicians didnt find ulcers identified by the mat.

With a larger temperature variation of 3.20 degrees Celsius (about 5.75 degrees Fahrenheit), the false positive rate dropped to 32 percent, but the proportion of correctly identified foot ulcers also declined to 70 percent, researchers report in Diabetes Care.

If we look at this technology as a risk stratification tool with high feasibility to be used at home on daily basis, it could be hugely beneficial to target those who are truly at risk, said senior study author Dr. Bijan Najafi, a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

I dont think the point is having a system with no false-alarm, Najafi said by email.

The device in the study was developed by Podimetrics Inc. in Somerville, Massachusetts, and its approved for sale in the U.S. for the periodic evaluation of temperature variations in the soles of the feet for signs of inflammation. Podimetrics sponsored the study of the mat for predicting diabetic foot ulcers.

In the current experiment, patients used the mat in much the same way they might use a common bathroom scale. Every day, they stepped on it and waited 20 seconds while it measured temperatures at different points on the soles of the feet, then the device wirelessly transmitted the temperature data to servers managed by Podimetrics. The data were saved and analyzed for variations in foot temperature that might signal developing ulcers.

In total, the trial ran 34 weeks, and 37 participants developed 53 foot ulcers during the study period.

For both of the temperature variation settings tested in the study, the mat correctly identified developing ulcers an average of 37 days before they were detected by a doctor.

That lead time might help patients schedule clinic visits and get treatment for ulcers sooner, when theyre easier to treat and less likely to lead to serious complications, Najafi said.

The study wasnt designed to determine whether the mat actually reduced the development of ulcers or curbed costs to treat these ulcers, the authors note. Researchers only followed patients for 60 days, and its possible the rate of false positives or accurately identified ulcers might look different over a longer period of time.

In addition, the study only included patients with a history of diabetic foot ulcers, and the results might be different for people with diabetes who have never had this problem before, the authors point out.

While the high rate of false positives in the study suggests that the device still needs more testing and refinement, the technology holds a lot of potential to aid patients who currently have a high risk of infection and amputation because their developing ulcers go undetected, said Dr. David Armstrong, director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

Whats really attractive about this technology is that it is probably going to get smarter, Armstrong, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. This technology is probably going to personalize a heat signature for every patient and identify a hot spot for each patient.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2rAPZz6 Diabetes Care, April 29, 2017.

WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he does not yet know how Republicans will amass the votes needed to pass legislation now being crafted to dismantle Obamacare, but expressed some optimism on another top priority, overhauling the tax code.

LONDON GW Pharmaceuticals is set to file its cannabis-derived drug with U.S. regulators imminently, following publication of detailed data on its success in fighting severe childhood epilepsy.

Eating a small amount of chocolate every week or so may decrease the risk of a common and serious type of irregular heart rhythm, according to a new study of people in Denmark.

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Foot mat may help predict who will get a common diabetes complication - Reuters

Type 2 diabetes can wreak havoc on your health. While lifestyle changes can help keep diabetes under control, many patients require oral medications or insulin injections as forms of treatment, too. Watch the video for how diabetes affects your body. Time

Pharmaceuticals maker Roche introduced a new blood glucose monitoring system called Accu-Chek Guide, paired with a savings card that allows patients to get the device for free as well as discounted test strips.(Photo: Roche)

Pharmaceuticals maker Roche overhauled its blood glucose monitoring system and introduced a new discounting offer that it says could save uninsured diabetics by thousands of dollars per year.

The move could help alleviate political pressure as the drug industry faces mounting scrutiny over prices. It also comes amid increasing competition among blood glucose monitoring makers as diabetes rates rise.

The new system pairs a free blood glucose meter with a smartphone app and discounted test strips. With some diabetics paying as much as $2 a strip for other offerings, the new Roche system paired with a free savings card could cut costs to as little as 40 cents per strip in the first 50-count box, then 20 cents per strip in subsequent boxes.

The nation's 29-million diabetics pay widely varying prices for testing products, in part because many of them are covered by insurance. Roches' move is likely to provide the biggest help to the uninsured.The average American diabetic paid $1,922 in out-of-pocket expenses for care in 2013, compared to $738 for someone without the condition,according to the Health Care Cost Institute.

For "the average patient, managing diabetes and acquiring all of the testing and therapy supplies can be very difficult to navigate, really complex and very often very expensive," said Brad Moore, head of Rochediabetes care in North America.

The new system offers a spill-resistant vial, a larger blood application area on upgraded strips and a light on the strip port for improved visibility when testing. The device wirelessly transmits data through Bluetooth technology to a free smartphone app that logs data.

Moore said Roche technicians worked on the new Accu-Chek Guide Systemfor at least three years, including a "very significant investment in capital."

Test strips read by devices to monitor blood glucose data are typically a significant source of profit for the pharmaceutical industry, which is under fire for its contribution to increasing health care costs. President Trump has threatened to battle drug companies over costs, while many Washington lawmakers have decried health care's effect on the average American's budget.

Although industryprices can be more than $2per strip, manufacturing costs don't typically top 15 cents, DiabeticInvestor.com analyst David Kliff told Diabetes Forecast magazine in 2012.

Roche had 8.5% market share in the blood glucose monitoring industry, trailing only Johnson & Johnson at 22.5%, according to an October 2016 report by market-research firm IBISWorld analystJonathan DeCarlo.

But competition is increasing, as big-box retail chains Target and Walmart and other retailers have introduced low-cost, private-label options. Consequently, the blood glucose monitoring industry's profit as a percentage of revenue was projected to fall from 10.1% in 2015 to 9.5% in 2016, IBISWorld'sDeCarlo estimated.

Moore declined to discuss the profitability of Roche's new test strips, which contain a new chemical makeup.

"We knew that access was a problem. We heard that from our patients," Moore said. "So the timing was perfect in that weve developed a new technology platform that the Accu-Chek Guide System is based on."

Meanwhile, drug companies are under pressure to shield patients from increasing costs, though they often blame insurers and other health care intermediaries for saddling patients with additional expenses.

With a free savings card available online, through pharmacies and at health care centers, the new Roche monitoring meter is free, the first box of 50 test strips is $19.99 and all additional boxesare $10.That's cheaper than major competitors atAmazon, Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart with the exception of the ReliOn Prime option at Walmart, according to data collected by USA TODAY.

Most options are more than $40 for a box, with some significantly more expensive. Accu-Chek's previous box of Aviva Plus strips ranged from $44.99 at Amazon to $109.99 at Walgreens.

The average patient tests once a day but some must test eight to 10 times a day. At those rates, savings from typical diabetes tests could range from hundreds to several thousands of dollars per year.

A recent study commissioned by Roche of 500 U.S. adults living with diabetes found that 58% "cut corners" to save money in their daily testing regiment, including by skipping tests.

Contributing: Diana Kruzman

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

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Roche: Diabetes patients could save thousands with new blood ... - USA TODAY