Keeping Diabetes Management Affordable

Marci’s Review of Low Sugar Baking Mixes | Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

adw2010 — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:29:12 +0000

Ever feel like having a chocolate fudge brownie, a few chocolate chip cookies or some other type of sugar-laden treat but felt too guilty to indulge? Well, in this week’s American Diabetes Wholesale Newsletter you’ll find that you don’t have to feel guilty about your sweet tooth! This week’s guest author, Dietician Marci Sloane, gives us some great alternatives for satisfying your sugar cravings.

“…(The) days of forgoing the sweets are a thing of the past! The increased number of lower sugar and sugar-free foods can help you reduce the “sugar-cravings” and their lower calories help you meet your calorie budget.”

The highlight, of course, of this article are the quick & easy low-sugar recipes designed for both diabetics and those looking for tasty sugar alternatives!

Go here to read entire article: Marci’s Review of Low Sugar Baking Mixes - Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

Nurse Robbie’s Hypoglycemia Tips | Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

adw2010 — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:32:23 +0000

The American Diabetes Wholesale Newsletter for this week features a detailed discussion of hypoglycemia, a condition that many people encounter in their efforts to manage their diabetic condition. Our featured expert, Robbie Kleinman (“Nurse Robbie”) leads us through an interesting overview of this condition: What it is, how and why it occurs, symnptoms, and ways to treat hypoglycemia.

Highlights:

“Hypoglycemia is also known as low blood sugar… Blood sugar that is too low can lead to coma or death and is considered a medical emergency.”

“Possible reasons for hypoglycemia include skipping or delaying meals, eating too few carbohydrates, too much exercise or too strenuous exercise, and drinking alcohol without eating food at the same time.”

“You should treat low blood sugar AS SOON AS you suspect you have it. The best way to raise your blood sugar above 70 mg/dl is to use glucose tablets.”

This is a great article for both folks managing their diabetes as well as their friends and family members; it sheds so much more light on a serious condition that we all would do well to be more aware of.

Go here to read entire article: Nurse Robbie’s Hypoglycemia Tips – Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

Recommendations for Dry Mouth Relief | Dr. Stacy Stein, DMD

adw2010 — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:41:15 +0000

This week’s American Diabetes Wholesale Newsletter features a timely article for both diabetics and other persons managing a dry mouth condition. Dr. Stacy Stein goes into great detail to impress upon the reader the importance of guarding against dry mouth and hyposalivation (decreased saliva production) as well as maintaining proper oral hygeine overall. This is especially important to persons with diabetes; many medications that diabetics take can also cause dry mouth.

“It is very common for people with diabetes to suffer from dry mouth and hyposalivation (decreased saliva production). This could be due to the body excreting water through increased urination, or from an underlying metabolic or hormonal problem.”

“Symptoms of dry mouth include soreness in the mouth, impaired ability to taste food and difficult or painful eating.”

Dr. Stein ends the discussion with some great recommendations for minimizing the effects of a dry mouth condition. These include sipping water often, avoiding drinks with caffeine or alcohol (which dry out your mouth), and avoiding tobacco. The use of various recommended oral moisturizing relief products can also lead to greater relief of this condition. Above all, as with most manageable conditions, prevention is the key to good oral health!

Go here to read entire article: Recommendations for Dry Mouth Relief | Dr. Stacy Stein, DMD

Dr. Gary’s Pet Diabetes Monitoring, Part 1 | Dr. Gary Edelson, DVM

adw2010 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:50:10 +0000

Dr. Gary starts out this week’s American Diabetes Wholesale Newsletter with a very interesting question from a pet owner with a cat that was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The question had to do with how a cat lover could help with the management of her cat’s diabetes by monitoring the animal’s glucose levels at home. What follows is a very concise and detailed discussion on the topic of monitoring diabetes in pets, including warning signs that a pet owner can watch for, a simple process for taking note and keeping track of your pet’s physical condition, and some basic instructions on the proper way to check and manage your pet’s glucose levels should they be found to be in need of diabetes monitoring. Part 1 of this discussion concludes with some suggestions for pet glucose monitoring devices.

“Monitoring diabetes is critical to determining your pet’s proper insulin dose. To a large extent, monitoring can be done at home and it is possible to save a great deal of money by doing so.”

This is an interesting and enlightening article indeed for all pet owners; we can’t wait for Part 2!

Go here to read entire article: Dr. Gary’s Pet Diabetes Monitoring, Part 1 | Dr. Gary Edelson, DVM

Fat, Sugar and Salt Facts | Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

adw2010 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:13:15 +0000

With fat, sugar, and salt being the news these days as the focus of many folks looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, this week’s American Diabetes Wholesale Newsletter is most timely. In it, Marci Sloane, our resident diabetes educator, enlightens us with some eye-opening facts regarding consumption of these nutrients as well as some great tips for us to keep in mind when managing our daily intake.

“Many processed and prepared foods can be hiding very high amounts of one or all of these. Your body needs these nutrients for energy, but moderation and healthy choices allow you to take the best care of your body.”

“Fat is fattening. There are 9 calories for each gram of fat (carbohydrates and protein have only 4 calories per gram).”

“Sugar doesn’t have many calories: just 4 calories per gram. The problem is that it is lacking nutritional value and whatever isn’t used as energy gets stored as fat.”

“1 tsp of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Total amount recommended for the day is 1,500 mg of sodium.”

There’s truly some timely information here; paying heed to it could have a tremendous long-term impact on your health.

Go here to read entire article: Fat, Sugar and Salt Facts | Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

What Nurse Robbie Wants You to Know About Pre-Diabetes | Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

adw2010 — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:59:36 +0000

This week’s Newsletter is an eye-opening look at the issue of pre-diabetes in the United States by Roberta Kleinman, RN. “Nurse Robbie” presents us with some sobering statistics on the state of this growing health concern. Pre-diabetes is is a condition where the blood sugar levels are above normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

“Did you know nearly 30% of all adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes? More than 90% of these 57 million adults aren’t even aware they have pre-diabetes.”

“50% of Americans diagnosed with pre-diabetes do not make changes, such as lowering body mass and exercising, to help avoid full-blown diabetes at a later date.”

Loaded with statistics that may alarm as well as suggestions for lifestyle changes that we all could benefit from, this is a very informative article that will definitely make you think twice about pre-diabetes and all of its warning signs.

Read the entire article here:

What Nurse Robbie Wants You to Know About Pre-Diabetes by Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

Diabetes Special: How To Treat Injuries | Dr. Brian Halpern, MD

adw2010 — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:45:32 +0000

Our Newsletter for this week brings us some helpful advice from Dr. Brian Halpern, MD for folks managing a diabetic lifestyle on treating injuries. Dr. Halpern not only outlines in detail the many challenges that persons with diabetes may face when trying to recover from various physical injuries, he also goes on to offer recommendations on how they might best manage their recuperation.

“Generally, the skin and soft tissues can take longer to heal in people with diabetes. This is important with sports injuries, abrasions to the skin, tendon, and ligament injuries. Cuts and bruises may become infected more easily so extra care is important…”

“Even the application of ice for too long, potentially leading to possible frostbite injury because the diabetes patient cannot feel the skin as well, has potential damaging effects. Once again, it becomes wise to be diligent in your understanding of how diabetes can affect your body.”

Go here to read entire article: Diabetes Special: How To Treat Injuries | Dr. Brian Halpern, MD

Are Your Pet’s Treats Treating Your Pet Well? | Dr. Gary Edelson, DVM

adw2010 — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:58:25 +0000

What a great question to pose to pet lovers everywhere! This week’s newsletter answers this and many other questions about finding the best treats for our canine and feline friends. Dr. Edelson points out that although there are literally hundreds of pet treats on the market today (with more to come, no doubt!) there’s simply no real way to know for sure whether a treat is good for your pet or not until after they’ve tried it. He then goes on to offer some essential features to look for when choosing just the right treats for your pet, and even gives some great recommendations for those who have pets with diabetes. The article then closes with a Pet Health Tip of The Month. Great information here that your furry friends are sure to appreciate!

Go here to read entire article: Are Your Pet’s Treats Treating Your Pet Well? | Dr. Gary Edelson, DVM

Nurse Robbie’s 12 Summer Travel Tips | Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

adw2010 — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:33:07 +0000

In this week’s newsletter, our resident “travel expert,” Nurse Robbie, dispenses some great advice on traveling while managing your diabetes. Whether it’s “Getting Organized,” “Stocking Up on Supplies & Medication,” or “Eating in Moderation & Staying Active,” the tips that she imparts not only apply to diabetic travelers, but to any folks managing an ongoing medical condition that want to hit the road. Nurse Robbie reminds us that although it’s great that we’ve decided to travel and not let any medical issues hamper our wanderlust, it’s still a good idea to prepare for any eventuality. With her advice, you can be confident that your diabetes need not be a burden to you or your loved ones while on vacation.

Go here to read entire article: Nurse Robbie’s 12 Summer Travel Tips | Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE

Bread 2.0 – Better Choices for Every Body | Marlene Koch

adw2010 — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:11:36 +0000

This week’s newsletter features Marlene Koch giving us a primer (with video!) on making healthy choices when it comes to our daily bread. Often referred to as the “staff of life,” bread has been a staple and a main part of the average diet for centuries.

In modern times there has been a movement toward reducing (or eliminating entirely) this staple from the daily diet, many times in an effort to reduce carbohydrate intake. However, Marlene shows us the way to healthy management of bread in our diets by pointing out that not only is bread a valuable source of energy, but that there are many more options for the the portion- and calorie-conscious persons these days. We’re sure you will enjoy Marlene’s video and primer on some of today’s best bread bets.

Go here to read entire article: Bread 2.0 – Better Choices for Every Body | Marlene Koch