Archive for December, 2011

Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommended for Diabetics

December 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes Research and News 

from DrShapero

The U.S. vaccine advisors recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for unvaccinated adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes aged 19 to 59.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) recommends the following:
• The vaccine should be done as soon as possible after adults in this age group are diagnosed with diabetes.
• Unvaccinated adults with diabetes who are older than 59 can receive hepatitis B vaccination at the discretion of their doctor.

People with diabetes were about twice as likely to develop acute hepatitis B compared who without diabetes. Between 700,000 and 1.4 million people in the United States are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to the report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 15 percent of patients with chronic HBV infection develop cirrhosis and liver. Chronic HBV infection damages the liver and can lead to serious illness and death.

The use of hepatitis B vaccine for diabetics is outlined in the Dec. 23 issue of the CDO’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

SmartPill Helps with Diagnosing Diabetes and Gastroparesis

December 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes and Gastroparesis 

Diagnosing easier

New technology is allowing doctors to diagnose gastrointestinal disorders easier than ever before. The SmartPill GI Monitoring System is a capsule monitoring device that is ingested by the patient at the doctor’s office. The patient is then fitted with the wireless data receiver. The receiver can be attached to the patient’s belt for easy mobility. The SmartPill capsule, which is about the size of a large multivitamin, can be easily worked through the gastrointestinal tract. While on its “travels” the SmartPill collects data such as pressure, pH and temperature levels, which are sent to the wireless receiver. This data is then used by the doctor to determine the disorder that the patient is suffering.

The SmartPill procedure is intended to replace costly and invasive procedures to determine the cause of gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients who have experienced unexplained vomiting, stomach spasms or bloating can relax now that they do not have to undergo surgery.

Diabetics in particular are more likely to need this diagnosing system. Due to their different digestive systems, diabetics are more prone to gastrointestinal tract disorders. The SmartPill system will be able to help doctors better evaluate and diagnose their diabetic patients.

The SmartPill GI Monitoring System will be particularly helpful in diagnosing disorders such as gastroparesis, which is delayed stomach emptying. Gastroparesis affects millions of Americans every year, especially those with existing disorders such as diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome.

For diabetics, gastroparesis makes controlling blood sugar levels more difficult, as a delay in digestion causes blood glucose levels to rapidly rise when food enters the small intestine. This causes glucose levels to be erratic and difficult to control.

 Once the patient’s SmartPill results have been examined, doctors can more effectively diagnose the symptoms, and more precisely prescribe what is needed. For gastroparesis, doctors often prescribe Motilium, or its generic equivalent, domperidone. Domperidone, a dopamine antagonist, works on the gastrointestinal tract by both promoting gastric movement and easing gastroparesis symptoms. These effects are created by works by blocking the action of a chemical messenger in the brain which causes the feeling of nausea and vomiting, as well as by increasing the movement or contractions of the stomach and intestines, allowing food to move more easily through the stomach.

Environmental Causes in Diabetes

December 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes - Did You Know?, Diabetes Control 

 

from theatlantic.com

You’ve probably wondered – Are you at risk of developing diabetes? You may worry that your children will get it too. You may also be interested in our popular news, such as Lantus versus Levemir.

 

Like many diseases, diabetes results from both genetic and environmental factors. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Generics and family history is a major risk factor to Type 1diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be caused by lifestyle factors, such as age, lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity, stress, and metabolic syndrome such as high cholesterol level or high blood pressure.

Scientists have discovered that a number of environmental factors have been associated with the development of diabetes. According to the latest Environment-Wide Association Study (EWAS) on Type 2 diabetes, 226 unique environment factors have been defined in the analysis. Some of them can be summarized here:

  • Environmental chemicals like arsenic and BPA
  • Environmental pollution
  • Pesticides, herbicides and PCBs
  • Prescription drugs, especially SSRI antidepressants and chemotherapy
  • Toxins
  • Viruses

The results tell us the association between diabetes and environmental factors. Diabetes is a complex chronic disease with many causes and complications. Better understanding the causes and risk factors of diabetes will be beneficial for your family and friends in prevention and early recognition of diabetes.

Diabetes + Depression = Dementia, Study Suggests, Yes

December 7, 2011 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Diabetes - Did You Know?, Diabetes Control, Living with Diabetes 

As if suffering with two debilitating conditions is not enough for one person to take, recent studies conducted suggests that those living with type 2 diabetes and struggle with depression have a greater risk of developing dementia.  

The study was headed by Dr. Wayne Katon, who is a professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health in Seattle and more specifically states that patients with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop dementia three to five years after being diagnosed with depression, compared to a non depressed patient with diabetes.

Katon and his colleagues published their research, titled Aging Study and the Diabetes Study of Northern California in the Dec. 5 online edition of Archives of General Psychiatry which monitored more than 19, 000 California residents with Diabetes between the ages 30 and 75 and found that depression and diabetes are among the most prevalent health issues facing American seniors.

What’s more interesting though, is each of the two conditions seem to independently raise the risk for developing the other. If you are Diabetic this raises up the likelihood of becoming depressed, and with the same motion, being depressed boosts the risk of developing diabetes. The study recognized that nearly 1 in 5 of the patients was also deemed to be experiencing clinical depression.

The study also monitored for the onset of dementia over a three to five year period, and Katon’s team found that just over two percent of those who had both diabetes and depression went on to develop one or more forms of dementia. By contrast just one percent of patients who had just diabetes alone ended up developing dementia.

It is important to note however, that there a lot of things that can boost the odds for depression in diabetic patients such as poor diet, bad lifestyle choices, smoking etc, and if one can manage these things it may also lessen the risk of developing depression and perhaps even dementia. Katon notes, “So the important thing to focus on here is that there are very effective treatments for depression, and so if you are a diabetic who does have depression it’s very important to get it attended to. Just as important as getting you diabetes itself treated.”

TCM Approaches Diabetes Treatment

December 5, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes - Did You Know?, Diabetes and Weight Management, Diabetes Research and News 

Chinese herbs

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient medical system that has been used in diagnosing and curing illness. It has been developed in China based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years. Now, TCM has been systematized in practice and has developed from the east to the western countries. It can effectively treat a variety of chronic illness, the body, mind, and spirit as a single entity.

Diabetes is a chronic disease with the high blood sugar in the body. The exact causes of diabetes are still not known. However, fatigue, lack of exercise, stress may play a role to develop diabetes. Diabetes cannot be cured, but appropriate treatment will help the blood sugar levels as normal as possible to prevent other health problems.

In the terminology of TCM, diabetes is also referred to “Wasting and Thirsting Disease”. It is believed to be caused by a collapse of the Yin of the Kidney, the Spleen, or the Lungs. Many researches have shown that TCM can be helpful for treating diabetes mellitus with scientific evidence. For the best practices, it is important to identify which organ is involved by Chinese medical diagnosis.

The Chinese practitioner may choose to use one or combined techniques for the diabetic care. It may depend on the history, causes, symptom, and types of diabetes. The TCM treatment will focus on regulating the Qi and blood and balancing the organ systems in order to improve the function of pancreas and blood sugar levels.

TCM has too much to offer to diabetic patients. A variety of TCM therapies for diabetes and diabetes symptoms include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Dietary therapy
  • Herbal medicine
  • Massage
  • Qigong or Taiji Chuan exercise

For information on conventional treatment for diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association, or National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) . This is not an endorsement of this organization, just a resource guide.

Party Girls Rejoice

December 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Uncategorized 

from @valverdeamandaa

Party Girls Rejoice – Research Shows Moderate Drinking linked to Lower Diabetes Risk in Women

Researchers have followed more than 80, 000 women for over 26 years and found that women who ate a diet high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, potatoes, and pasta, had a 30 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes compared to women with a similar diet who didn’t partake in moderate drinking.

Refined carbohydrates are commonly known to increase ones chances of developing diabetes; but new research has proven that with women who choose this type of diet but who also tends to drink moderately (about 2 drinks per week) actually have a lower chance of developing diabetes. “If you eat a high carb diet without drinking a moderate amount of alcohol, your risk of developing diabetes is increased by 30 per cent”, stated Dr. Frank Hu who studies nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Diabetes can lead to more serious health condition such as heart disease, stroke, nerve damage or even amputations. The new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition doesn’t prove that alcohol protects against diabetes, but rather that drinking alcohol might affect the body’s release of insulin and other substances after a meal, blunting the blood-sugar spikes that promote diabetes.

Although there are some factors that the study did not take into consideration such as what type of alcohol was consumed and when it was consumed; before or after a meal, etc. Though we are not encouraging people who don’t drink to start as a means of diabetes prevention, but it is always good to enjoy a cold bevy a little less guilt free.

So ladies, this weekend, don’t hold back on those couple of drinks; indulge in that glass of wine after a hard days work; After all you are just looking out for your health.