Number 159: Diabetes Without Drugs

Number 159
October 1, 2011

Columbine

A Male Pronghorn

Clearly Winded after Defeating a Challenger in
Colorado's North Park, Sept. 22, 2011

My New Diabetes Articles for HealthCentral:
Last month HealthCentral published eight more of my diabetes articles about all aspects of the condition:

Treating Neuropathy

I learned about a new treatment for neuropathy at the annual convention of the American Diabetes Association in June. At least 60 percent of us who have diabetes also have neuropathy. So this new treatment could help lots of us.

Diabetes Without Drugs

All drugs have side effects. Maybe it's time to stop using diabetes drugs.

Medicine 2.0

The Medicine 2.0 conference in which I participated at Stanford University this month gives me hope for the future of medicine. Our doctors may yet learn how to use technology to treat the patient rather than the data that they have on us.

Seeking Happiness

People with diabetes have a special need to seek happiness. But the straightforward way doesn't work.

CGMS Reduces A1C

Simply wearing a CGMS improves our blood glucose level as much as taking most diabetes medications. It changes our behavior when we know what the food we eat and what the exercise we get does to our level.

Peer-to-Peer Healthcare
“What I am thinking about the most is peer-to-peer healthcare,” Susannah Fox of the Pew Research Center told the Medicine 2.0 conference. “So many people are learned from each other and not just from institutions. Peer-to-peer healthcare is the ancient instinct we have to seek and share information about health.”

Direct Access to Lab Results

A new Federal regulation promises to give most of us direct access to our lab results. But we will have to make a request if we want that.

The New EndoGoddess App
A new application for iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads can help us manage our diabetes better.

Fitness and Photograph for Fun:

Last month I published 11 more of my articles on staying fit by getting the activity we need. Photography is what does it for me:

My Owl

As I approached a clump of cottonwoods at the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge a fleeting thought passed through my mind that this would be a fine roost for owls. The trail took me close to those trees, and when I looked up, the first owl that I had ever spotted for myself in the wild was looking back at me.

An American Bittern

The sun had already gone down at the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge when I spotted a secretive bird that I had never seen before in Colorado. But my Canon 7D camera captured nice shots of the American Bittern anyway.

Alamosa NWR

A wonderful walk along the Rio Grande River that borders the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge in southern Colorado offered views of the landscape, flowers, and wildlife.

Out of the Woods

We came out of the woods at 10,700 feet. We were below timberline, but there the woods opened up on an awesome meadow. I have a special affinity for Chapin Meadow beyond the openness of the view. The name commemorates my sixth cousin, who was one of the early explorers of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Walden Ponds

We went to Walden Ponds to see a Green Heron. We found it and lots more, including a beaver.

North Park Landscape

A highlight of my trip to the North Park area of Colorado was to be able to hike down to the headwaters of the mighty Colorado River. It starts small at a placid pond.

Birds of the North Park Area

Birds big and small make the North Park area of north-central Colorado home or visit there on migration. My biggest thrill was to watch a Peregrine Falcon in the wild for the first time in my life.

Mammals of the North Park Area

I went to North Park to see and photograph moose. I succeeded, but also found even less commonly seen mammals, including a baby porcupine.

Pronghorn Dominance

This photo essay is a story. It shows and tells how one pronghorn defeated another and the prize he won.

"Not Much Here Today"

Just as my friend Sharon said those words, I spotted a coyote. Ten minutes later she spotted a Great Horned Owl. Then we saw a beaver and a beautiful sunset.

Sprague and Bierstadt Lakes

The biggest thrill of my most recent hike in Rocky Mountain National Park was to see a Clark's Nutcracker. William Clark, one of the leaders of "The Corps of Discovery," in 1805 discovered this black-winged bird.

Free Stress and Mood Management Program for People with Type 2 Diabetes

While most people experience some level of stress in their daily lives, people who are living with diabetes are more likely to have stress than people without diabetes. In addition, people with diabetes who are stressed often have higher glucose levels and trouble sticking to their diabetes management plans. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that taking steps to manage your stress can lead to you feeling better mentally and physically. Relieving stress and improving mood has been shown to help people take control of their diabetes and reduce their A1c.

As part of the Diabetes Stress Relief study, researchers the University of South Florida (USF) are offering adults with type 2 diabetes a FREE online program that will teach ways to manage stress and improve mood. The program is conducted entirely online through an interactive website that uses graphics, animations, audio, and video to explain techniques that will help you set goals, solve problems, manage time, change the way you think, and relax. The Stress and Mood Management Program teaches you a variety of skills so that you can decide which work best for you. Because it is an Internet-based program, it is convenient and flexible so it easily fits into your hectic life and busy schedule. You can sign on and participate whenever is best for you, from wherever you are. There are eight weekly sections that each take less than 30 minutes! to complete. It provides you with real information that you can use in your life to relieve stress and manage your mood. T! his is the same beneficial information that is offered through expensive workshops and seminars, and it is being provided for FREE to participants of the Diabetes Stress Relief Study.

If you are interested in learning more about the study or would like to sign up, you can visit the study’s website at www.diabetesstressrelief.com or you can email diabetesstressrelief@gmail.com or call 1.800.576.3901 to reach the researchers directly. The study is voluntary and has been approved by the USF Institutional Review Board (Pro00002563); some eligibility criteria apply.

Dr. Bernstein's Webcast

If you have any interest in controlling your diabetes by low-carb eating, one of the best resources is Dr. Richard K. Bernstein's monthly webcast. It's an hour of excellent diabetes education.

Dr. Bernstein's next live tele-seminar is Wednesday, October 26, 2011, at 7 p.m. CST, 8 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. MST, and 5 p.m. PST. He designed it to answer your most important questions concerning diabetes and to offer his thoughts on the latest developments in this area.

The seminar is free. You can click here to register: http://www.diabetes911.net/askdrb/index.php. It's also available as a live webcast both on the Internet and by phone.

Searching for My Articles

Whenever you want to find anything that I have written about diabetes -- whether on my website or on the Health Central Network -- the easiest way is to use the search tool on my site. You can search for all of the articles on my site or for the "Diabetes Developments" blog or the "Fitness and Photography for Fun" blog or what I have written at Health Central.

Just go to mendosa.com/search and check which one of the four sites you want to search and enter what you want to find in the search block.

Announcements

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Each month I describe and link my new Health Central articles here. But you can also use a blog reader to keep up with my articles more quickly. I use Bloglines, as I describe in my article, “Reading Health Blogs.”

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Archives: I now send out Diabetes Update once a month.

Previous issues are online at Older Issues.

David Mendosa
A Writer on the Web: www.mendosa.com
E-mail: mendosa@mendosa.com
Office: 993 E. Moorhead Circle Suite 2F, Boulder, CO 80305