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test drive

Kelly Close and Dana Lewis are no strangers to insulin pumps. They were talking pumps recently and struck upon the idea to test drive the new Ping insulin pump â€“ officially known as the OneTouch Ping Glucose Management System. Click here to continue..

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from the editor

diaTribe Editor-in-Chief, Kelly Close, describes an excellent offer to our readers from Integrated Diabetes Service, a stellar group that provides personalized diabetes services in person, groups, and online â€“ that last could help plenty of diaTribe readers! She also touches on two recent important study results showing the huge importance of early glucose control and the potential benefits of continuous glucose monitoring.

Quotable quotes

Nobel Prize winners on diabetes, early treatment, and no magic bullets.

Fingersticks

the bright side of glucose variability?

Learning Curve

Gary Scheiner, Certified Diabetes Educator, delivers some fantastic insights in the first of his insulin pumping series. We recommend this piece for anyone who wears a pump, is considering one, or just wants more information about the world of insulin pumping.

SUM Musings

Do you tell people about your diabetes? How do you handle disclosure when it comes to employers, casual acquaintances, friends, and romantic relationships? Disclosure is one of those tricky parts of diabetes management that no one really plans for. Kerri writes about her experiences.

Conference Pearls

diaTribe attended the 2008 meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Rome. We're excited to fill you in on the results from two big studies - one on continuous glucose monitoring (JDRF) and the other on the long-term effects of early glucose control (UKPDS).

NewNowNext

Learn about www.Sweetspot.dm, an online collaborative diabetes management tool, and how you can get an extended free trial as a diaTribe reader. Find out more about the Prodigy Autocode audible meter, as well as two new meters that are particularly good to look at if you are underinsured or uninsured, the TRUE2go and the TRUEresult. And, check out a student-driven food label initiative at the University of Alabama.

diaTribe Dialogue

In an interview with diaTribe, Dr. Jaff discussed peripheral artery disease for diabetes patients and provides important tips on how to avoid this disabling complication.

Logbook

Bill Talbert was diagnosed in 1928, a mere six years after insulin was discovered. Initially forbidden to exercise, he was a self-described invalid, but he defied his doctors and used tennis to win back his own freedom and become a tennis legend.

Trial Watch

Join a study using a computer program to help prevent hypoglycemia. Learn more about a JDRF-sponsored study of Tolerx, an immunosuppressive drug that could help newly-diagnosed type 1s. Enroll in a study comparing a once-weekly drug (similar to Byetta) to once-daily Januvia. Test out the GlucoMon, a wireless device that sends blood glucose meter data to your healthcare team over the Internet.

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about us

diaTribe® is an e-newsletter for people eager to learn more about better managing diabetes for themselves, or perhaps for a loved one.

Whether type 1 or type 2, we bring you the information you need to live a better life.

diaTribe is made for that tribe of people who are smart about diabetes and believe in intensive management - testing more, making the right lifestyle choices and being better informed.

As the name suggests, we are going to have an opinion. We might rant, we might rave, we might lament or celebrate, but we will always inform and enlighten.

Here at diaTribe, we attend all the conferences, read all the reports and articles and cut through the clutter to give you up-to-date news and opinion on drugs, devices and treatments.

We do all the homework, so you don't have to.

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blog

8/23/08

Weight problems driving more kids to drugs

The New York Times recently reported that weight may be driving children to adult medication for a wide range of chronic conditions related to childhood obesity, according to prescription data from three large organizations. The numbers, from pharmacy plans Medco Health Solutions, Express Scripts and the marketing data collection company Verispan, indicate that hundreds of thousands of children are taking medication to treat Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and acid reflux — all problems linked to obesity that were unknown in children two decades ago. The data shows concerns that children taking adult medication are already a reality, regardless of the heightened attention due to the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting more children (under age 8) should be given cholesterol-lowering drugs. Critics suggest that these physicians are avoiding the prescription of exercise and diet that would fix many of these problems.

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