Battling Diabetes

Check out this diabetes news item that was released from the American Diabetes Association by John E. Anderson, MD, Chair, ADA Advocacy Committee.

Legislative Updates:Major victory in fight against discrimination

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The September Diabetes Forecast discusses 10 Ways to Get Healthy Right Now; a really informative article by Tracey Neithercott that also discusses the sleep and diabetes connection.

Big Idea #2 Get More Sleep

…in a 2006 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who reported shortened periods of sleep or poor sleep quality had higher A1C’s than those who had long, restful slumber.

U.S News & World Report article, January 3, 2008. Lack of Deep Sleep Raises Diabetes Risk

According to the researchers, three nights of interrupted sleep effectively gave people in their 20s the glucose and insulin metabolisms of people three times their age.

Sleep–Here’s The Big Picture

The sleep cycle consists of four stages, going from light to deep sleep and finally REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The sleep cycle takes about 90 minutes. Per SleepDex, “infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. Adults spend nearly half of sleep time in stage 2, about 20% in REM and the other 30% is divided between the other three stages . ”

So what do you think? Are you sleep deprived?

Find out.

Test your reaction time at Sheep Dash.

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November is American Diabetes Month.
Are you ready to raise awareness in your community?

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Our thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Ike, Gustav and Hannah, many of whom are diabetics.

PRNewsWire, Sept. 11, 2008.

Feeding America Issues Urgent National Plea for Funds to Feed Hurricane Gustav Victims in Baton Rouge and Throughout Louisiana

The public is urged to visit feedingamerica.org to make a financial donation to the disaster relief fund.

 In the days before the storm hit, an estimated 2 million people evacuated coastal towns. Some of the most pressing needs are not directly related to storm damage, but rather the effect of the mass evacuation. Thousands of at-risk families were forced to spend their limited resources on transportation, lodging, dining out and other expenses. Many have returned to homes without electricity, meaning that all food left in refrigerators and freezers had spoiled. Many are without the funds to replenish their food supplies — or even the ability to access groceries.

 Donations made to Feeding America are used to secure and distribute easily prepared food such at canned and shelf-stable goods such as soups, peanut butter, and tuna, which required no refrigeration or preparation; meals: ready-to-eat (MREs); and hand-held snacks like granola bars. The organization also secures frequently requested items such as bottled water, baby formula, disposable diapers and cleaning supplies, which are more difficult to acquire following a disaster.

 

From the American Red Cross:

Prepare for Disasters Before they Strike: Build A Disaster Supplies Kit

 There are six basics you should stock for your home in the case of an emergency:

water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items for medical conditions.Or purchase your emergency kit at the Red Cross Store.

How You Can Help Hurricane Relief

When people are victims of a hurricane, the American Red Cross is ready to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance. You can help people affected by the Hurricanes of 2008, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Go online to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS to donate today! You can also use your cell phone to donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by text messaging the keyword “GIVE” to “2HELP” (24357). Donations will appear on monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance. All applicable text rates apply.If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, you should call 1-800-REDCROSS. To learn more about hurricane preparedness, visit RedCross.org.

More Diabetes News:

 The Financial Express, September 12, 2008. Novo Nordisk Launches New Diabetic Device. The new generation Flex Pen needs 30 percent less force, making it more comfortable for patients and encouraging more compliance.

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Here’s an update on the best of the late summer and early fall releases on the topic of diabetes.

And if you are a book addict like myself some of these sites for sharing your passion and perhaps your books, might interest you.

Shelfari-Shelfari is a social networking site for readers, reviewers, librarians (authors, bloggers, publishers) and anyone who enjoys a good book.

The site enables you to build virtual bookshelves of books you are reading, want to read or have read and discuss them. These bookshelves can also be put on your own blog or webpage. Launched in 2006, Shelfari was bought by Amazon in August 2008.

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