New Devices Improve Lives, But No Cure for Diabetes Yet There’s Good News About Islet Transplantation

Type 1 diabetics can live easier now with the technology (That’s the good news) but the scientists have not found the cure yet (that’s the bad news) We will not let that get us down for there are things we can do keep healthy. People are living healthier and longer just like the doctor I met who has been a Type 1 diabetic for 30 years now.
There’s also Liz Walton-McMahan who has been injecting herself five times a day with insulin for twenty years and now has an insulin pump given to her by a big-hearted acquaintance. Her blood sugar control has been better as a result that makes her more hopeful she will not develop any of the awful complications.
The insulin pump she received is expensive because it is computerized and is as small as a pager. She could not afford this herself because it is about $7,000. She connects the pump to a thin catheter which delivers insulin doses just under her skin. Mind you, she still has to put in the data on her carbohydrates intake but the pump calculates how much insulin to release to process the blood sugar every time she eats.
Before the insulin pump, she had to calculate this all by her lonesome self which was not easy because her job sometimes makes her work 12 to 14 hour days. This was something created by each meal, something she used to have to figure this out. Before the pump, she would be exhausted but now she feels better.
Remember 13 years ago when University of Alberta developed a method to transplant the islet by injecting cells from a cadaverous pancreas into the recipients’ liver? At first there was a 10% chance the patients would be insulin free for five years. That rate of success has now gone up to 50%. They are now moving forward with three new trials for this islet transplantation. So far they have enough donors and a short waiting list for patients.
Insomnia can play havoc to the body. Sleeplessness affects the body in more ways than one. Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night has a wide-reaching effects on the body. Here’s what happens to the body when insomnia strikes.

Muscles During sleep, the body produces growth hormones. This is a necessary function for building and maintaining muscle tissues that are healthy. Over time, sleeplessness robs the muscles of strength. This is what happens to the muscles with even the short term insomnia.

Brain To revitalize the connection between brain cells, sleep is necessary. So did the study find out. The longer one is awake, the more erratic the connections become. The researchers found that the most easily result of the disruption were those having to do with memory, attention and functioning.

Blood Sugar Sleeplessness gets in the way of the ability of the body to metabolize glucose. In fact one who regularly sleeps less than six hours every night is 4.5 times likely to develop pre diabetes than those who sleep the regular number of hours required.

Immune System There is proof that being deprived of sleep can lead to irregularities in the nervous system, thus making people get infections and inflammations. Insomnia reduces the activity of the white blood cells which can lead to higher risk of getting sick.

Mood Insomnia does not only make one irritable but it also can make one five times more likely to develop depression and 20 times more chance of developing panic disorder. It certainly takes a toll on the mood and the ability to function during the day.
There you have the effects of insomnia on the body. What now? What do we do to fight this challenge? What do we do to put a stop to those sleepless nights? Simple changes to the every day habits and lifestyle can help. Here they are:

1. Check your bedroom and dim the lights. The digital clock, the blue glow from the TV and computer may contribute to sleeplessness. Make sure the bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Check the mattress too as it is where the dust mites live that can trigger allergies which can keep one awake. Then chill out as a cool body slows down all the metabolic processes.

2. Put a cap on the night cap. Some people use alcohol to sleep but after the early tranquilizing effect wears off, it leads to a more restless sleep. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages eight hours before bedtime. Quit smoking or do not smoke at night as nicotine is a stimulant.

3. Put on some socks as the feet get colder the most. Wearing socks will keep the blood vessels in the feet dilated and will cool you thus setting off sleep.

4. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day even when you are tired or on the weekends. A regular sleep pattern is what the body wants. Believe me, I have been there and it took me a long time to learn this.

5. Don’t take naps during the day as it will be more difficult to sleep at night which is one way to do neuropathy management.

6. Avoid stressful and stimulating activities before bedtime.
How about you? Have you found something special that helps you get a good night sleep. Let us know so we can share your recommendations to the rest of the people who need them. There is nothing better than sharing with people the experiences that may help others avoid insomnia.

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

Diabetic Supply Company Penalized

The firm AmMed Direct has to pay $18 million for wrongly billing Medicare for diabetes supplies as well as other products. The US government will get $17.6 million while Tennessee will get $439,003 as part of the civil settlement. The U. S. Attorney’s Office revealed this last Friday. The whistle blower will get $2.8 million payment.

AmMed Direct, based in Nashville, apparently ran a marketing scheme from 2008 to early 2010. It advertised free cookbooks with no mention of diabetic supplies. This made Medicare customers call the company. Once AmMed found out that the caller for the free cookbook is covered by Medicare, they tried to sell the caller supplies. To make it worse, Medicare was improperly billed for the supplies.

Money from the returned diabetic supplies was not refunded to Medicare although just before it learned of the federal and state inquiry, AmMed informed Medicare that it failed to refund the funds for returned merchandise. It then started to pay refunds to Medicare and TennCare.

Bryan McNeese, the whistle-blower, will get $2.8 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. Offering free cookbooks when they were really selling diabetic supplies is a marketing ploy that will not be tolerated. Not only are they targeting the vulnerable but also I hate it when some play around with the health care system.

No wonder some cannot be covered by Medicare when the money that should go to the rightful people who need and deserve it are spent for fraudulent purposes. I hope many more will be found out as I heard that for every one closed by the government, another one takes it place and opens for business.

How To Easily Manage Diabetes

The statistics are alarming. It seems like everyone has diabetes or knows someone suffering from diabetes. In Florida alone, one of every ten has diabetes. That means 1.5 million people in Florida have diabetes making the state the tenth in the country as to the number of people struggling with this condition.

With these many people afflicted, a lot are having a hard time on managing diabetes. The trouble is that managing this condition is fundamental to keeping healthy and avoiding the many complications that could arise from it. Of course it is not easy but it can be done. Here are some tips:

1. Get a diabetes meal plan from the health care team and follow it. Eating healthy is important and this means plenty of fruits and vegetables with lots of fibre, less salt and fat and lean meat or fish which should be no more than three ounces.

2. Monitor the blood sugar by testing it at least once a day and keep a record of this. Sometimes you have to test more if you want to check how the food you eat affects your blood sugar level. Obtain from the doctor what your target level is so you can keep maintaining that level.

3. Get routine care at least twice a year and bring your record of the blood sugar level monitoring results to show the doctor. Together you will be able to decide what changes in the management of diabetes to make sure you are on the right track. Get the feet and eyes examined too.

4. Exercise about 60 minutes a day at least five times a week. Ask the doctor what kind of exercise you should do or tell him if the form of exercise you have in mind is safe for you to do. Walking around the block is a good thing to do.

5. Manage whatever stress you have with the use of the mental health resources. This is important because stress can make the blood glucose level higher. Exercise will certainly help de-stress. I do tai-chi and that seems to help. Having pets have done wonder for other people.



There you have the five things you absolutely have to do to make managing the diabetes easier. Those tips do make it easier to manage diabetes, don’t they? Remember to get in touch with your health care team regularly and ask for help. You don’t have to do everything all at once. Just make changes to the lifestyle to make you healthy and keep the blood sugar within the target level.

Say ‘Not Me' to Diabetes

Say no to diabetes! What is your motivation to say no to diabetes? Do you want to live better and feel better? Do you want to live to stay with your loved one for a long, long time? Then you have enough motivation to say no to diabetes. Tell diabetes to go away for you will do all you can to prevent it. And if you already have it, then you are motivated enough to reverse it.

Since obesity is linked to diabetes and that almost one of every three of us is considered obese, it follows then that our first line of defence is to maintain our ideal weight. What two things can help us do this? You’re right! It’s eat healthy and move more. But all these may sound simple but actually it is not easy to follow. Why?

Here is why. There are three sides to losing weight. One side is to eat less and the calories from this comes into our body. The second side is to exercise that will burn the calories that we put in from all the eating we did. The third side is what gives us trouble. It is behavioural modification. It takes a lot of will power and determination to stay away from the buffet table. I know that from experience.

Knowing all these should not deter us though from trying hard. Remember our motivation? We want to feel better. We want to look better. We want to see our children grow up. Let us keep repeating the things that motivate us. Remember, there is no hard and fast rule. We want to eat less but not starve ourselves.

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Stopping Diabetes in its Tracks: The Definitive Take-Charge Guide

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If we put up a notice on our bulletin board or on the fridge that having diabetes increases the risk to develop heart disease, kidney failure, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, amputation and blindness, wouldn’t that encourage us to eat less and move more? Of course it would. Oh I know we would have setbacks sometimes. Well, in that case, we will just get up and start all over again. It is still better than not trying.

So, if we do not have diabetes yet or just at risk or already have type 2 diabetes, we will adamantly say no to diabetes. Oh no not me, and then follow that up with taking action to prevent or delay its coming or reverse it if it has already taken hold of us. Anyway just losing 5 to 10% of body weight will not only lower the diabetes risk sometimes by half or prevent or reverse it but also it will protect us from a lot of health problems.

So what is the key to watch for? Watch the weight, blood sugar level, cholesterol and blood pressure. And what is the best way to do it? Combine physical activity with healthy eating of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low fat or non fat dairy products and lean protein. But make sure you have a support system in place to cheer you on through ups and downs. I will be one member of your support team and I will say a prayer for you to succeed. Yay!! We say no to diabetes, no not me, so there!