Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter

January 2005
(Volume IV, Issue 1)

There is a Diabetes Link to Almost Every Condition and Disease
There are Complications you might be aware of like cancer, but did you know that diabetics have a high prevalence of chronic pain? In Latest News Self Management, there's a link between oral and overall health in diabetics. In our Latest News Awareness section we show a link between depression and insulin resistance.

It's almost time for SuperBowl XXXIX and we have some great tasting, easy-to-prepare snacks from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom.

In this month's Islets of Humor™, Theresa Garnero is getting all people with diabetes ready for Valentine's Day.

Our Nutritionist, Barbara Quinn, tells us Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in this month's Nutrition News.

We have great news to report about in Treatments on the Horizon. A blood pressure study was halted due to SUCCESS, a new patch may replace injections and researchers discover a new fat gene.

In this month's Readers' Forum, we received questions about Echinacea use and diabetics and what "alcohol breath" means for a diabetic.

Due to winter weather conditions, Mr. Diabetes® is currently back at home base getting ready for the spring push. We expect him to start as weather dictates - the end of March to the beginning of April.

Good Health,
Lisa M. Rasolt
Program Director
lrasolt@DefeatDiabetes.org
Awareness + Action = Prevention®
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Did You Know?
More than 40 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug and 16.5 percent--one person in every six--take three or more per the U. S. government. Both figures are up about 5 percentage points in recent years. The study found spending on health climbed 9.3 percent in 2002 to $1.6 trillion.
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Latest News - Complications
Diabetics Have a High Prevalence of Chronic Pain Patients with comorbid (existing simultaneously with and usually independently of another medical condition) chronic pain and greater pain severity have poorer overall diabetes self-management and more difficulty with self-care activities.
Diabetes, High Glucose Levels Linked to Cancer Elevated glucose levels appear to raise the risk of several major cancers. The findings suggest that hyperinsulinemia underlies the association.
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Did You Know?
72 percent of people with chronic pain have lived with it for more than three years, while a third have lived with it for more than a decade. Healthday
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Latest News - Self Management
Hot Potato HP, Cold Potato CP  Starch temperature is a factor, so eating a cold potato has less glycemic effect on blood glucose.
Diabetes: A Link Between Oral And Overall Health? Oral health can be directly related to blood glucose control. "Oral health symptoms of diabetics include dry mouth, periodontal (gum) disease, oral infections, cavities and delayed wound healing."
Researchers Identify New Way To Reduce Cholesterol Combining plant sterols with exercise have been shown to affect blood cholesterol levels. "These findings suggest that combination therapy may improve the cholesterol and lipid levels in previously sedentary adults who have high cholesterol."
The 'Polymeal' Cuts Heart Disease by 76% - Recipe for Life A non-pharmaceutical alternative to reducing the risk of heart disease and increases life expectancy. The Polymeal includes wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruits and vegetables, almonds and garlic, eaten on a daily basis (but four times a week for fish).
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Did You Know?
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is sometimes called an insulin reaction or insulin shock. It can occur suddenly in people using insulin if too little food is eaten, if a meal is delayed or in the case of extreme exercise. Symptoms include feeling cold, clammy, nervous, shaky, weak or hungry, and some people become pale, have headaches or act strangely. HealthCentral
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Latest News - Awareness
Few Americans Aware They Have Chronic Kidney Disease Less than 10 percent of adults with moderately decreased kidney function reported being told they had weakened or failing kidneys. Ten to 20 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease but most don't know it.
Lilly Announces Individual Bar Coding on All Insulin Vials The bar coding is part of a larger effort within the health care industry to decrease medication errors. In February 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new regulation that requires all new pharmaceuticals to be bar coded upon launch in the marketplace and all existing medications be bar coded within two years of the ruling.
Depression Increases Insulin Resistance, Diabetes in Middle-Aged Women Results of a new study provide more evidence that depression influences glucose metabolism and risk of diabetes. The incidence of diabetes was highest in African-American women in the 3 years of follow-up and was more than twice that of white women.
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Did You Know?
If you get your calcium in small doses, you'll absorb twice as much.
Recommended: Take four small doses of calcium supplements throughout the day,
rather than one big dose in the morning.
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Diabetic Recipes recipes
It's SuperBowl Time and whether we like football or not, on these cold, wintry days it's great to sit by the TV, relax and nibble. Here are some easy to prepare munchies from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom, that taste so good that you'll never believe they are actually healthy too!
Tortilla Chip Chicken Fingers
Baked Onion Cheese Dip
Crunchy Veggie Bites
3 Cheese Pita Pizzas
Spicy Hummus
Micro Chili
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WE NEED YOUR HELP to continue our highly recognized and well received programs, but we would like to do more. Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.
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Islets of Humor humor
January 2005
By Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE

For more of Theresa's cartoons
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Mr. Diabetes^® Says
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. James Baldwin
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Nutrition News nutrition
January 2005
By Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE

Ways To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
The bad news: Diabetes is one of the most costly and burdensome chronic diseases of our time.
The good news: According to current research, type 2 diabetes may be prevented or delayed when certain lifestyle goals are achieved: to read more
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Did You Know?
Husbands of women who embark on low-fat eating programs start eating better
themselves.  One study found that when married women lowered their daily fat
intake from 40% to 26%, the husbands cut their fat intake to 33%.
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Treatments on the Horizon
Blood Pressure Study Halted Due to Success Hypertensive patients taking a combination of an ACE inhibitor and a calcium channel blocker are much less likely to experience an MI or stroke than are those on a beta-blocker and diuretic.
New Patch May Replace Injections They believe it can store drugs, and, when spread on the skin as a film, allow them to dissipate into a patient's bloodstream like a new type of patch.
UCLA/VA Researchers Discover Fat Gene UCLA/VA scientists have identified a new gene that controls how the body produces and uses fat. Called lipin, the gene may provide a new target for therapies to control obesity, diabetes and other weight-related disorders.
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Did You Know?
Marriage may lengthen your life.  One study found that married men and women
between ages 45 and 54 die at half the rate of those people who live with a
significant other but are not married. UCLA
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Readers' Forum forum
Q - Is it safe for diabetic patients to use echinacea tablets? -Mercy - for our response
Q - Recently the principal at my school said I had an "alcoholic" odor to my breath.  I have heard that people with diabetes often exhale a sweet/sour odor.  I had not been drinking, (although high school students these days surely makes one wonder), and had just recently finished a meal with students of chili and hot dogs with hash brown casserole.  Is it possible that my breath could be caused by the onset of diabetes? - Sabrina - for our response
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Did You Know?
The Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has determined that the standard serving size for wine is 5-ounces, but most companies that offer low carb wines use 3.5 ounces as a serving. The Low Carb Bartender, Adams Media
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This concludes the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter.

If there are specific questions you have, you may reach us at info@DefeatDiabetes.org.

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The Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.

Important Notice: The opinions and statements expressed in the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lertsä Newsletter are directed at a general audience. Its intent is solely for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult a health professional on any matters regarding your health and well-being, or if you are interested in anything mentioned in the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lertsä Newsletter. The information presented here is believed to be accurate, based on the best judgment of the Program Director, but the reader is responsible for consulting with his/her own health professional on any matters raised within.