March 14, 2013

New Diabetes Numbers – Sound the Alert LOUDER

While we were experiencing a much ado about nothing “snow storm” in Washington, DC on March 6, 2013, hundreds of diabetes advocates were storming Capitol Hill for a cause we should be doing much about.

To kick off their advocacy day the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) released findings from a report they commissioned, Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2012, at a press conference. Joining ADA leaders at the press event were Ann Albright, PhD, RD, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, Judith Fradkin, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health’s division which encompasses diabetes (NIDDK) and several key members of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Jean Shaheen (D-NH) (who has a granddaughter with type 1 diabetes I learned at AADE's advocacy day in 2012).

The stats presented by ADA are downright scary! It is, without a doubt, time to sound the alert about our prediabetes and type 2 diabetes epidemics louder and louder.

Check out a few key stats.* Read through these slowly and repeatedly, it takes a few readings to absorb their impact!

 
January 11, 2013

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #6 Ginger Vieira

Dialoging about Diabetes As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short, is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.

Goal one with Dialoging about Diabetes interviews with diabetes activists is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD get connected and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

 
November 16, 2012

Out Raising Awareness During American Diabetes Month

The diabetes stats are downright staggering! Nearly 19 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. and another 6 million are estimated to have diabetes but don’t yet know it. Add to this number, another 79 million people with prediabetes yet barely 10 percent of these throngs of people know they have it. 

Unfortunately people continue to think of type 2 diabetes as a ho-hum disease and tend not treat it early and aggressively. Yet we know early and aggressive care of type 2 is exactly what keeps people healthier longer. And we know early awareness and action with prediabetes can prevent/delay the progression to type 2 diabetes.

So, to honor American Diabetes Month, I’ve grabbed every opportunity which has come my way to raise awareness, educate and promote action. Check out links to these guest blogs, videos, and interviews:

 
October 24, 2012

Let’s Look Ahead From Look AHEAD

Have you heard that the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) randomized controlled trial conducted through National Institutes of Health (NIH) was ended two years ahead of schedule? This news crossed my eyes first on 10/20/2012 via twitter. Got to love twitter!

The press information from the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), announced on 10/19/2012 that the trial had been stopped about a month earlier – in September. Why? Because in this long and lengthy trial, in which people had been enrolled for up to 11 years, the people in the intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) group did not experience a decrease in cardiovascular events (CV) (heart attacks, strokes, etc.) compared with the people in the control group. 

The Key Look AHEAD Question…and Answer
Can an intensive lifestyle intervention program (ILI) which achieves and maintains weight loss help prevent/delay the heart and circulatory problems which are the most common complications of type 2? 

 
October 1, 2012

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #5 Leighann Calentine (aka The D-Mom)

As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, (the DOC) is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support, feel supported. People are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes (or in the case of this interviewee the shoes of a parent of a child with diabetes). I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive. In these Dialoging about Diabetes blogs I interview diabetes activists and social networkers with the goal of gathering ways DHCPs can change our practices to better support the diabetes care efforts of PWD and make living real life…just a bit easier.

 
March 27, 2012

Diabetes Alert Day: For Whom, For What?

Yes, it’s Diabetes Alert Day, but who are all these red flags aimed at and to do what?

Who?
Around the world the who to alert on Diabetes Alert Day is hundreds of millions of people. The International Diabetes Federation offers tons of global facts and stats. Suffice to say there’s a type 2 diabetes tsunami already well on it’s way!

In the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s  (CDC) National Diabetes Fact Sheet tells us exactly who Diabetes Alert Day is targeted to:

7 million of the 26 million people with diabetes WHO do not yet know they have diabetes. If any of these 7 million people were tested today, they could be diagnosed with diabetes. For most of these people, it’s type 2 diabetes. (26 million people with diabetes represents over 8% of our population.)

70+ million people WHO could be diagnosed with prediabetes today. (Yes, you read this number correctly. Of the estimated 79 million Americans with prediabetes (that’s 35% of American adults), only 8% (and that’s being generous) know they have prediabetes and research shows not even half of these individuals (or their healthcare providers) are taking preventive efforts to slow it’s progression (Learn more in my blog Prediabetes, But Nearly No One Knows It.)

 
February 15, 2012

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care - #4 Gina Capone

As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, known as the DOC, for short and diabetes social networks is helping people with diabetes (PWD) find support and feel supported. People are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.

In my Dialoging about Diabetes blogs I interview diabetes activists and social networkers with the goal of gathering ways DHCPs can change better support PWDs diabetes care efforts and make living your real life…just a bit easier.

 
January 28, 2012

Dear Ms. Deen (& Millions New to Type 2) – A Dose of Support, Tablespoons of Wisdom

Dear Ms. Deen:

Now that the dust has settled and the world knows you’ve had type 2 diabetes for a few years I want to offer you (and millions like you new to type 2 diabetes) a Paula Deen head shotdose of support and words of wisdom as a diabetes educator and dietitian who, shall we say, has a few years under her belt. 

First, let me encourage you to close your ears to all the advice (and criticism) you’ve received, free of charge, since coming out about your type 2. These “advisors” clearly don’t know much about YOUR diabetes, YOUR medical situation or, to be downright honest, much about type 2 diabetes and today’s treatments.

Second, let me offer you a virtual hug and pat on the back. Thank you for letting the world know about your type 2 diabetes. Too many people deny they have type 2 and remain in denial during the precious years in which taking action to slow down the disease progression is SO critical (more about that below). 

 
November 23, 2011

Gestational Diabetes: It’s Time to Wave the Warning Flag

obese pregnant woman

  • Are you or a loved one at risk of having diabetes during pregnancy?
  • Have you or a loved one had gestational diabetes?
  • Are you overweight, thinking of becoming pregnant and have a family history of type 2 diabetes?

Gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy) is on a steep uptick. CDC estimates that a rapid climb is about to occur from about 7% of pregnancies to about 18% - or one in seven pregnancies (1).

Why is GDM, as it’s often referred, on such a rapid rise?

 
July 28, 2011

Recaps of American Diabetes Association Meeting, 2012

In late June I attended the 2011 American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions (meeting). As usual, a fascinating learning experience. Over the years this meeting has become one that attracts scientists and health care providers from all over the world. Many stimulating and thought provoking meetings go on as well as an opportunity to explore new products and resources in a chock-full exhibit hall.

 

Rather than recreating additional recaps of this meeting, I'm pointing you to two detailed debriefs I've wrote for PRESENTdiabetes.com, the online continuing education community for healthcare professionals for which I'm the nutrition section editor:

 

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