Cyndrome

Archive for June, 2011

Some insulin-dependent diabetics and their doctors are turning to insulin pump therapy as a means to improve diabetes control. But as with all people with diabetes self-care is another tool an insulin pump is as effective as its use. The concept of a pump to deliver insulin slowly under the skin through a small self-inserted a plastic catheter. The progressive delivery of insulin designed to mimic the normal release of insulin in people without diabetes.

When food is eaten, this is the work of diabetes to determine the dose and schedule of the pump to deliver it. Although simple in theory, the insulin pump can be difficult in practice. Insulin pumps are expensive, costing thousands of dollars. In addition, annual operating costs of a pump may be $ 1,500 or more. Patients must have a prescription from your doctor, and approval of health insurance. In the era of rising medical costs, some insurance companies have begun to reduce the coverage of insulin pumps.

Insulin pumps are aggressively promoted to diabetics. Pump companies extol the virtues of their products, which are considerable. And doctors also are targets. But insulin pump therapy is not a part of medical school training and even some endocrine specialists get little to no formal education in their use. Knowing this, pump companies offer initial training to any diabetic starting an insulin pump.

One common practice I’ve seen is for a doctor to prescribe an insulin pump to a diabetic in very poor control with the expectation that the pump itself will turn things around. This is a gamble. Often the reasons for poor control are due to a lack of quality ongoing diabetes education, or even poor motivation by the diabetic to take charge of his or her condition.

Proper use of an insulin pump requires a good working knowledge of how insulin, food and exercise interact, plus good troubleshooting and problem solving skills. Learning how to use an insulin pump is like learning to drive a car. A short encounter with a pump trainer usually fails to provide the preparation needed to master a device, which I’ve likened to a Swiss army knife with dozens of attachments.

I adopted a phrase I heard which summarizes a disturbing practice that remains prevalent in the diabetes industry: “pump and dump.” This is when the person with diabetes receives minimal education and little ongoing training for a device that, in theory, could improve both quality and quantity of life.

The best defense against “pump and dump” is to know it exists. I’ve seen far too many diabetics get started on an insulin pump without the proper support and ongoing training, then struggle. Pumping insulin is best considered a lifelong learning experience.

Diabetics represent a kind of market. Diabetes companies want to make profits. Altruism is attractive to customers and physicians, but both need to be informed consumers. Insulin pumps are remarkable tools, but not a panacea.

Thanks to an online provider of diabetes supplies, patients no longer have to worry about controlling the supply of evidence. All users have to do is contact the phone offering advanced diabetes or fill out the online form and will contact the doctor for a list and quantity of supplies. Assurance procedures are complex supported by the provider of services and supplies are sent to the e-mail as soon as possible. And when it’s time for a new order, the agency will give you a courtesy call to remind you and make sure you have enough supplies.

“If you have health insurance (Medicare or private insurance), do not have to worry about pay for items. Most insurance companies offer the service at low cost or no, because they may be subject to the donor. Medicare, for example to help diabetics when supplies such as glucose meters, test strips, lancets and lancing devices. In addition, most service providers offer free shipping. Through the program to offer all this in addition to personalized service through the customer service number “said the spokesman for the supply advanced diabetes. The company, which is a division of North Coast Medical Supply is the first pharmacy to obtain accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

With online supply of products, managing of diabetes has become stress free as patients no longer have to worry about being reminded for supplies. “While we have a list of the top most manufacturers’, we also send innovative products that customers may have never tried. We also help with educational material like videos, recipes and other FAQ’s that help you combat the disease effectively,” adds the spokesperson.

The site is also to help other diabetic supplies such as coolers insulin bottles waste Needle, insulin pump cases, etc. As people tend to lose or forfeit the glucose meter, or when you need more tapes to learn how to test the service also promises no extras and new meters and strips will be shown at no additional cost. Patients may also subscribe to the service of customized solutions.

A team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine have identified a gene therapy that can stimulate the increase of new insulin-producing cells of the pancreas and reverse the symptoms of type 1-diabetes, according to a current presentation at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. In experiments with mice, the study showed the team it is feasible to stimulate gene activity neurogenin3, which requires recently formed pancreatic cells to distinguish into insulin-producing beta cells.

This solves a major challenge in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Individuals with the condition usually is not enough beta cells, so they are constantly at a dangerously low level of insulin. However, the creation of more beta cells not only improves the condition. Because the type 1 diabetes is not a sufficient beta cells, usually because their own body immune system attacks and destroys these cells. To combat this problem, researchers have turned to gene therapy.

Their mouse model showed that adding a gene called CD274 inhibits the activity of the immune system’s T cells, which are the units that often attack the beta cells of the pancreas. By combining therapies that involve the CD274 and neurogenin3 genes, the researchers showed that it is possible to regrow beta cells and prevent their destruction by the immune system in mice. The animal trials showed an 80 percent success rate.

“With just one injection of this gene therapy, the mice remain diabetes-free long term and have a return of normal insulin levels in the body,” said Vijay Yechoor, MD, the researcher of the study.

The next step in the development of treatment will be applied to humans, which is sometimes easier said than done. Prove the efficacy of treatment in mice is generally a good first step in creating a new drug, but that does not necessarily mean that the treatment method will be applicable to humans. But if further testing is successful, Yechoor says that gene therapy has the potential to be a “curative” treatment for diabetes type 1 -.

A new study has suggested that adhere to a vegetarian diet can help patients with kidney disease to avoid accumulation of toxic levels of phosphorus in their bodies. Patients with kidney disease should limit their intake of phosphorus, such as high levels of minerals can lead to heart disease and death.

Although treatment guidelines recommend a diet low in phosphorus in chronic renal failure (CKD), phosphorus is not listed on food labels. Sharon Moe (Indiana University School of Medicine and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center) and colleagues examine the effects of vegetarian and meat-based diets taxes on phosphorus levels in nine patients with chronic renal failure. Patients were followed for a vegetarian or a meat diet for a week, after which the opposite of a diet from two to four weeks later. Blood tests and urine tests were carried out at the end of each week, and diet. Although the corresponding protein and phosphorus concentrations in the diets of the two patients had phosphorus in the blood, and a decrease in phosphorus excretion in the urine when they were on a vegetarian diet than meat from your diet. The authors concluded that their study demonstrates that the source of protein in the diet has a significant effect on phosphorus in patients with chronic renal failure.

Meanwhile, a new study shows that consumption of a low-fat vegetarian diet may be better in the management of type 2 diabetes than traditional diets.

Researchers found 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 22 weeks reduced their need to take medications to manage their disease compared with 26 percent of those who followed the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). In addition, participants who followed the vegan diet experienced greater reductions in cholesterol levels and weight loss than those on the other diet.

A vegan diet is plant-based and consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes and avoids animal products, such as meat and dairy. People who are on a vegan diet are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, and so B12 vitamins were given to the participants on that diet.

“The diet appears remarkably effective, and all the side effects are good ones — especially weight loss and lower cholesterol,” says researcher Neal D. Barnard, MD, adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University, in a news release. “I hope this study will rekindle interest in using diet changes first, rather than prescription drugs.” Barnard is also president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health organization that opposes animal research and advocates a vegan diet. In the study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers compared the effects of following a low-fat vegan diet and the ADA diet on reducing the need for drugs to manage diabetes, kidney function, cholesterol levels, and weight loss in 99 adults with type 2 diabetes. Meals were not provided, but participants met a dietitian to come up with a diet plan and then met regularly each week for nutrition and cooking instruction.

LDL “bad” cholesterol fell by an average of 21 percent in the vegan group, compared with 11 percent in the ADA diet group that does not change the use of medications for cholesterol. The measures of glycemic control also improved more significantly among those who followed the low-fat vegetarian diet than in those who followed the ADA diet and have not changed their diabetes drug.