One Thing to Improve — From Educator Nora Saul

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Joslin Communications

Wednesday’s Prompt: Yesterday we gave ourselves and our loved ones a big pat on the back for one thing we are great at.  Today let’s look at the flip-side.  We probably all have one thing we could try to do better.  Why not make today the day we start working on it.  No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on!

This editorial is by Nora Saul, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., Manager of Nutritional Services at Joslin

Educators are always looking for new and improved ways to help their patients bring their diabetes into better control. But there are things that patients can also do to help us provide them with the best care possible. So here is my list of patient improvement projects.

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One Great Thing — From “Diabetic Diva”

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Joslin Communications

Tuesday’s Prompt: Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”.  But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit.  Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly!  Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes.  Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!

This author is dedicated to turning her life around, with exercise, diet, medication, and a doctor who listens.

For everyone who is suffering with diabetic foot pain, I’ve walked in your shoes. I also have severe pain in my feet which started within a couple weeks of being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Apparently, I have had diabetes for a very long time.

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One Great Thing — From Educator Nora Saul

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Joslin Communications

This editorial is by Nora Saul, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., Manager of Nutritional Services at Joslin

As an educator who has met with hundreds of patients over the years, I have a unique opportunity to have witnessed greatness in the making.  So I thought that for today’s topic, I would write about the great patient types I have known and the great things they do to keep on trucking.

Patients who are always positive.  I want to celebrate them.  The ones who come into my office and despite the fact that they are doing countless things to keep their diabetes in control are still eager for the next challenge.  They already are in good control, take their glucose readings four or more times a day, exercise and eat healthy and still ask, “what can I do to make my numbers even better?’  They take Symlin® even though it means taking an extra three injections a day.  They wear continuous glucose monitors and keep meticulous food and exercise records so they can identify hidden reasons for blood glucose fluctuations and they are willing to do more.  I marvel at their persistence and dedication.

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Your A1C, and What You (And Your Doctor!) Should Know

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Joslin Communications
American Diabetes Association

A chart showing A1C and the typical corresponding average blood sugar levels | From the ADA Website

The A1C is a powerful tool for both patients and physicians. It can be used to diagnose both diabetes and pre-diabetes and as a measure of a person’s glycemic control over a 2 month period.

Yet it isn’t infallible. There are a variety of conditions that can cause the results to be either higher or lower than a person’s true average glucose percent.

The A1C represents a component of the hemoglobin molecule that has glucose attached. Hemoglobin is the portion of the red blood cell responsible for carrying nutrients and oxygen through the body. Hemoglobin A has an affinity for glucose and binds to it making the HbA1. The more glucose available the more hemoglobin becomes glycosylated. A1C is a sub-portion of HbA1 that is commonly measured in most labs today.

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2012 Diabetes Blog Week Starts Soon!

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Joslin Communications

From BitterSweetDiabetes.com

2012 Diabetes Blog Week is beginning on Monday. Started three years ago by Karen Graffeo of Bitter~Sweet, each day covers a different aspect of living with diabetes. It’s a great way to share your stories and connect with other people with diabetes.

If you want to participate, but don’t have a blog of your own, send your posts to us and we’ll put them here, on the Joslin Blog!

Email editor@joslin.harvard.edu with your submissions with “2012 Diabetes Blog Week” and the topic of the day in the subject line. If you have a picture or illustration you’d like us to use, send that along too!

We’re looking forward to connecting with you!

Please try to keep posts to under 800 words. Keep in mind–we may not be able to post them all, and they may be lightly edited.

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New Guidelines for Cholesterol Levels in People With Diabetes

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Joslin Communications
Photo Credit: MarkusHagenlocher

Oatmeal is a good food for lowering LDL cholesterol

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has come out with a new set of cholesterol guidelines for patients with diabetes.   Some of these new target levels are numbers that practicing endocrinologists have been using for years, but others add an extra layer of precision to help clinicians determine the best treatments for patients with diabetes and elevated lipids.

The panel, which included Joslin’s Om Ganda, M.D., published their recommendations in the March/April 2012 issue of Endocrinology Practice.  They set a target level of below 70mg/dl for LDL cholesterol for patients with diabetes with one additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CAD) whether or not they actually have established CAD.  Previously, the goal of 70mg/dl was used only for those who were already diagnosed with heart disease.

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Joslin’s 51st 75-Year Medalist: “It’s a Winning Battle”

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Joslin Communications

"You did something right because you’re still here," said Barbara Wagler

Barbara Wagler was 12 years old on Feb. 10, 1936 when her mother took her to get a Valentine’s Sundae at a local ice cream shop. That sundae sent Barbara to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Seventy-six years later, Barbara stood on stage at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston to receive her 75-Year Medal, only the 51st to ever be awarded by Joslin.

Barbara has been successful in her self-care with a positive, but realistic, attitude. “Each day, you have to get up and say ‘you have to be better than you were yesterday,’” she said. “You have to fight. And I get mad sometimes because I think my fight is gone. But it isn’t, because I’m going to fight ‘til I die.”

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Mindful Eating to Help Your Diabetes

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Joslin Communications

“I know what I should do, I just can’t get myself to do it!” It’s a refrain dieticians hear too often from patients having trouble changing their diets. And seven out of ten times they are right–they do know what to do. The basics of a healthful diet can be found in any good nutrition book or reliable website. But it’s the act of eating that people have lost touch with, and getting that back will aid with major changes in eating styles.

This is where the idea of mindful eating comes in. Mindfulness means paying attention or being aware of what is happening to you both physically and emotionally at each particular moment without judging your feelings. It’s that whole idea of being “in the moment” without past or future concerns intruding.

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May is “Exercise is Medicine” Month!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Joslin Communications

You’ve heard that when you have diabetes, keeping active is a huge part of your treatment. But do you know why?

Exercise increases glucose uptake and helps your body use the glucose better for between 24 and 48 hours after the workout session. But there’s more to it than that.

Moving your body and working up a sweat helps you lose weight, keeps your blood vessels healthy, helps with your cholesterol (lowering your bad and raising your good), strengthens your muscles—and with stronger muscles comes a faster metabolism, which leads to even more weight loss…the positive effects on your body are nearly endless.

And exercise is good for more than just your physical health—it’s all around good for YOU! Exercise has been shown to combat depression, reduce stress, and help you feel better about yourself, even with minimal bodily changes. Just the act of doing something good for your body makes you feel great—and the endorphin rush from a good workout doesn’t hurt.

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Eye Can See Clearly Now: Injection Treatment for Eye Disease in Diabetes

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Joslin Communications

Laser therapy has been the cornerstone of treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema for over thirty years. Panretinal photocoagulation, developed at Joslin’s Beetham Eye Institute, has been a major breakthrough in preserving the vision of people with even advanced eye disease.

But research over the past few years also led by Joslin scientists has shown that a different type of therapy, one that uses a series of injections into the eye called anti-VEGF therapy, may not only preserve vision in those with macular edema but also actually improve their eye sight.

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