Diabetes Basics

Why You Probably Don’t Need a Diabetes Specialist

You may have a big problem when you want to make an appointment with a diabetes specialist. You probably won’t even get an appointment, and if you do, be prepared for a long wait. But you may not need to see one of these specialists.

Doctors who specialize in treating diabetes are called endocrinologists, a mouthful of a word that people with diabetes usually shorten to “endos.” In addition to diabetes, these doctors also treat other endocrine conditions, including osteoporosis and thyroid diseases.

Some endos sub-specialize in diabetes and are called diabetologists. But it’s hard enough to find an endo, and searching for a diabetologist will be even more difficult.

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Diabetes Medication

Manage with Magical Magnesium

The benefits of magnesium don’t get enough respect. Until now.

But researchers around over the world published their findings in three different professional journals during November and December 2016.

These three meta-analyses give us more confidence than we could have before that magnesium is important for our diabetes health. If people consumed more magnesium, fewer would have diabetes. Many people who already have diabetes would be better able to manage this condition if they consumed more magnesium. And researchers found additional benefits, including for our hearts.

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Psychosocial

An Unflattering Memento Can Help You Manage Diabetes

Vanity isn’t what draws me to look at photos of myself. The one that I look at the most shows me at my worst. I show it here only to encourage you to share your memento.

This unflattering photo shows how I looked in 2004 when I was at a dinner party of the local group of American Mensa, of which I was a member. But this shot shows that I certainly wasn’t smart. Our most important activity was eating, and I did more than my share.

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Diabetes Diet

Saturated Fat for Diabetes

Did you think that saturated fat isn’t good for your health? Actually it is both healthy and satisfying.

A new study by Norwegian researchers that The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published at the end of November 2016 debunks the urban myth that you need to minimize how much saturated fat you eat. The researchers at the University of Bergen found strikingly similar health effects of diets based either on carbohydrates or on fats.

In their randomized controlled trial, 38 men with abdominal obesity followed diets that were high in either carbohydrates or fat, of which about half was saturated. The men in the study had normal fasting glucose.

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Diabetes Basics, Diabetes Developments, Diabetes Diet

Chill Out to Lose Weight

Last year was the hottest year on record, although the temperatures in most of the U.S. seem to be rather chilly now. But even if you aren’t too fond of the cold, this seasonal weather can actually be good for people with diabetes.

But we have to know how to take advantage of the chill. Doing so can be easy and yet challenging.

All we have to do is turn down the thermostat. Researchers have discovered that when we get mildly cold, which they define as being cool without shivering, our bodies burn more calories. As a result, managing our weight can be easier.

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Diabetes Testing

The Way to Reduce Your A1C Fast

When you increase how often you check your blood glucose, your A1C level will probably go lower. When you bring your level down to normal — which is somewhere below 6.0 — you are managing your diabetes rather than letting it control your health.

A new study of 211 people demonstrated this positive result. These were the people who responded to a still unpublished survey that the diabetes company, Genteel, sent to 1,500 customers who had purchased a Genteel lancing device. On average, these people reported that their A1C level had dropped from 8.37 to 7.31 — a decrease of about 1.1 percent.

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