Tools & Technology :: Diabetes Self-Management

These articles cover a wide range of subjects, from the most basic aspects of diabetes care to the nitty-gritty specifics.

Links to help you learn more about diabetes.

Ask a diabetes expert
Other diabetes resources
Browse article topics

Text Size:

Advances In Medical Technology by Jan Chait

Treatment of diabetes, like most areas of medicine, has changed considerably over the years as a result of technological advances. From the discovery, purification, and mass production of insulin to the development of less painful ways to deliver it, the…

Also inside: Personal Electronic Health Records, Telehealth Meets Diabetes

Choosing and Using an Insulin Pump Infusion Set by Donna Rice, M.B.A., B.S.N., R.N., C.D.E., and Kay Sweeney, Ph.D., R.D., C.D.E.

When a person uses an insulin pump to control his diabetes, one of the decisions he has to make is what model of infusion set to use. Pumps are often an excellent choice for people who use insulin and seek tight control of their diabetes but need some…

Continuous Glucose Monitoring by Linda Mackowiak, M.S., R.N., C.D.E.

Even with regular blood glucose monitoring, one of the big unknowns in diabetes self-management is what happens to glucose levels between blood glucose checks. In recent years, however, the development of continuous glucose monitors that check glucose…

Also inside: Devices on the Market

Diabetes Blogs by Allison Blass

Blog. It sounds like something you would say when you are feeling under the weather (“I’m feeling so blog today…”), but it is actually short for Web log, a regularly updated online journal. Blogs were originally used by people who…

Also inside: Getting Started With Blogs

Exercising With an Insulin Pump by Sheri Colberg, Ph.D.

Whether you consider yourself an athlete or an occasional recreational sports participant, you benefit from any activity that you do, because all exercise can improve your body’s ability to use insulin. If you do not inject or infuse insulin to treat…

Go Ahead, Pick Your Pump by Gary Scheiner, M.S., C.D.E.

My plan is to go through life with two things at my side: My wife (‘til death do us part…) and my insulin pump, at least until there’s a cure for diabetes.

Choosing my wife was easy—she was the only woman who was willing…

Also inside: Online Pump Reviews, Pump Manufacturers

Insulin Delivery Devices by Stacy Griffin, Pharm.D., and Laura Hieronymus, M.S.Ed., A.P.R.N., B.C.-A.D.M., C.D.E.

Insulin is a necessary part of the treatment plan for all people with Type 1 diabetes and many with Type 2. Insulin helps get glucose from the bloodstream into the muscle and fat cells to be used for fuel. It cannot be taken as a pill or a swallowed…

New Tools 2008 by Diane Fennell

The management of diabetes requires a certain amount of paraphernalia: A meter, lancing device, lancets, and test strips, for a start, and some people use many more devices and supplies than just these. Each year, product manufacturers work on developing…

Pregnant and Pumping by Laura Hieronymus, M.S.Ed., A.P.R.N., B.C.-A.D.M., C.D.E., and Patti Geil, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.D.E.

A healthy pregnancy with diabetes is a challenge, but consider this: Less than 100 years ago, before the discovery of insulin, many young women with Type 1 diabetes didn’t even live to reach childbearing age. And less than 30 years ago, physicians…

Also inside: Is Pump Therapy Right for You?

Talking Meters by Ann S. Williams, Ph.D., R.N., C.D.E.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose is one of the areas of diabetes self-management that is deeply affected by severe visual impairment. When people with diabetes learn they have permanent visual impairment, one of the first questions they often ask a…

Also inside: Insurance Coverage for Talking Meters, Resources, Strips: Which End is Which?

To Pump, or Not to Pump? by Deborah Butler, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.

Your 10-year-old daughter just returned from diabetes camp. She said that everyone was using an insulin pump, and she wants one too. You are worried about having a tiny computer deliver insulin into her body. Should you ask your daughter’s…

Also inside: Before You Get a Pump, For Further Reading

Tools and Techniques for Visual Impairment by Connie Kleinbeck, R.N., B.S.N., C.D.E.

Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness for American adults between the ages of 20 and 74. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that 12,000 to 24,000 people in the United States lose their vision to diabetic retinopathy each year. But…

Also inside: Product Manufacturers and Distributors, Resources

Statements and opinions expressed on this Web site are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the publishers or advertisers. The information provided on this Web site should not be construed as medical instruction. Consult appropriate health-care professionals before taking action based on this information.

I don't get a lot of fiber in my diet. Are chemical laxatives a good alternative for staying regular? Get tip

1. Insulin
2. Blood Glucose Monitoring
3. High Blood Glucose
4. Nutrition & Meal Planning
5. Diabetic Complications