Diabetes Self-Management Articles

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

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Diabetes treatment has changed considerably over the years with the development of new medical technologies. From talking meters to continuous glucose monitors, learn about some of the recent innovations and find out how they can help you achieve better control.


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 a Hearing Aid by Robert S. Dinsmoor

I came to loathe the first pair of hearing aids I ever tried over five years ago. The audiologist took great delight in explaining all of the fancy electronics inside them, but I didn’t find them very impressive in the real world. ..

Also inside: Hearing Aid Styles

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…

Also inside: Infusion Set Choices

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…

Also inside: Sample Basal Profiles

Finding Health Information on the Internet by Elizabeth M. LaRue, PhD, MLS, AHIP

Do you realize that when you are looking for health information on the Internet, you are searching through 124 million Web sites? Given the sheer volume of health information online, how do you find the specific information you need? And once you find it, how do you determine whether the source of the information is reliable?


Go Ahead, Pick Your Pump by Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE

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…

Also inside: Insulin Delivery Device Companion

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…


New Tools 2009 by Alwa A. Cooper

All year long, research and development teams work to top themselves, coming up with new ways to empower people to better control their diabetes. More than a few notable products came out of this year’s efforts — including some new drugs and devices, as well as improvements on existing ones. Several devices were aimed at making insulin injections easier and less painful, an array of new meters offered specific features for a variety of special needs, and a new insulin pump manufacturer joined the marketplace while another exited…


New Tools 2010 by Alwa A. Cooper

Despite the economic downturn, diabetes research and development continued in 2010, although fewer new drugs and products came on the market than in recent years…


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?, Blood Glucose Goals for Pregnancy, Healthy Eating During Pregnancy, and Insulin Requirements During Pregnancy

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?, Getting a Blood Drop onto a Strip

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, Rubber Band Tourniquet Trick

Tools of the Trade 2011 by Alwa A. Cooper

Some of the biggest changes in the diabetes market in 2011 had to do with medicines — several long-awaited new drugs gained FDA approval, and important labeling changes were made to some diabetes drugs already on the market. In addition, new devices were introduced to make handling needles easier, improve blood glucose control, and provide more options to help people manage their diabetes…


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.

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