I don't know if you already use Twitter. On the surface it's a strange service where people leave messages (140 characters or less) about what they're doing.
Twitter gives you a simple web interface for posting messages, though you can also send them using text messaging on your phone. And you can Jott messages to Twitter. Plus Twitter allows you to follow the twitter messages (also called tweets) from other people.
And today I found out that the New York Times has Twitter accounts for various parts of the newspaper, including the Health section. So you can use Twitter to keep up with health updates from the New York Times.
Today's New York Times has posted a long article In Diabetes, A Complex of Causes that describes interesting new research into how the body regulates blood sugar.
We already know that the pancreas and liver regulate blood sugar levels. This article also describes how a skeletal hormone, osteocalcin, can signal fat cells and the pancrease. Experiments show that it may be possible to boost ostecalcin and affect blood sugar levels, though this will only benefit those with Type 2 diabetes.
The latter part of the article also describes how the brain may actually work to affect blood glucose levels. They've been able to knock out certain receptors in the brain and cause diabetes in mice. And research seems to point to the hypothalamus.
The brain, therefore, appears to be listening to and weighing and making sense of a chorus of signals from insulin, leptin, free fatty acids and glucose itself. In response, it appears to send signals to liver and muscle cells by way of several nerves, though additional mechanisms are probably involved. The gut also seems to chime in, said Dr. Rizza, adding that for him, this aspect of sugar regulation came as the biggest gee whiz of all.
This article is a very interesting read into new diabetes research. The New York Times has been doing some great reporting on diabetes treatment and research this year. I'm impressed by the amount of attention they're giving to diabetes.
There's a little trickle of comment spam coming in here, so I've re-enabled Captcha for right now. If you're a potential spammer, please be aware that you're wasting your time. I will delete fake comments that are really links for product sites.
I saw a great video demanding a cure on YouTube. You can watch it below.
It would be great to get pictures of adults with Type 1 diabetes and make a video out of that. Maybe I'll do that sometime in the future.
There's an interesting article in the New York Times this morning Looking Past Blood Sugar to Survive With Diabetes. The article talks about other things, besides blood sugar control, that are important for people with diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)
Mr. Smith thought his biggest risk from diabetes was blindness or amputations. He never thought about heart disease and had no idea how important it was to control cholesterol levels and blood pressure. He said his doctor had not advised him to take a cholesterol-lowering or blood pressure drug and he did not think he needed them.
Read the NYT article. If you agree with what it's saying think about getting the Know Your Numbers book. It's very readable and really helps you focus on the most important things (A1C, Blood Pressure, Lipids, Microalbumin, Eyes) for your diabetes. I liked this book a lot.
The Diabetes Technology Blog is focused on using technology to life better with diabetes. I review: blood glucose monitors; continuous glucose monitor; blood sugar meters; diabetes software and living with diabetes.
About Me
Name: Bernard Farrell
Location: Massachusetts, United States
I was born in Ireland and now live in the US.
I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 36 years. I struggle with my blood sugar, the same as most people with diabetes.
I wear a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump and a Dexcom SEVEN CGM to track my blood glucose levels.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
