David Spero, BSN, RN

Science is showing that a very old treatment may be the best single thing you can do for your health. The treatment is altruism, or helping others…

The holidays are depressing times for some people. Diabetes doesn’t help…

I’ve been living with chronic illness for 30 years. I’ve learned a lot from the experience, and I bet you have learned from diabetes…

Sometimes, medical problems aren’t as bad as how other people react to us. Have you had experiences like these?

Lately the things I used to enjoy, even loved, have come to seem boring or not worth the effort. Watching the animals and birds, listening to people, playing games, writing about diabetes — even sex seems like too much work. Am I depressed?

My phone client Roscoe was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago. He’s doing well, with an A1C of 5.9. “But I’m still scared,” he told me. “And I’m still sad. Do these feelings ever go away?”

A few months ago, I asked “What’s your diabetes strong point?” Now I’m asking, what about living with diabetes is hardest for you? What do you do about the hard things, and what could you use some help with?

I’m a worrying kind of guy. If the light is green, I worry about how long I have until it turns red. But does worrying help when you have a condition like diabetes? I’m starting to think it doesn’t…

Stress is a major contributor to diabetes, but most people don’t understand what stress really is. Here’s how stress works, and some things you can do about it…

Most people want to be happy, but diabetes can make it hard. There are the things you don’t want to do, like monitoring blood glucose levels, taking medicines, seeing doctors. Then there are the things you shouldn’t do, like eat whatever you want. Do these challenges interfere with happiness?

Have you noticed how people need drama in their lives? If they don’t have anything to worry about, they create something. People with diabetes don’t have to create. Diabetes brings plenty of drama. But is drama good or bad? If it’s bad, how can we get rid of it?

Stress can kill, and fear is behind most of our stress. Unfortunately, we have an awful lot to be afraid of these days. At Christmastime, I wonder if prayer can help us deal with our fears, and maybe even with the causes of those fears…

They say good stress can cause as many problems as bad stress. I don’t know, but I’m learning, because a couple of weeks filled with “good” stress are kind of knocking me out…

“I can’t do this anymore,” a 17-year-old woman named Lia posted here. “I can’t control [my glucose]… I know I am responsible for myself, but…I find it extremely hard to do everything…when it is needed. Please help me!”

Last Monday, I went to my first meditation class. For years, I have heard that meditation reduces stress, increases energy, and improves focus. It might also open the doors to spiritual growth. I’m finally giving it a try…

We know what lightens depression. Exercise, sunshine, social contact, laughter, and avoiding sugars are some ways supported by studies. But how can you start do things like that when you’re feeling down, hopeless, depressed?

Research has shown that optimistic people live about seven years longer, on average, than pessimistic people. Does this mean anything? Is it possible to become optimistic, even with diabetes? Would it help?

Ten years ago, my brother bought a bumper sticker: “Don’t believe everything you think.” I thought that was amusing. How can you not believe what you think?

How important is love for your health? Some people report that love has had a healing effect on their life and health. Has love or lack of it made a difference for you?

This is the time of year for remembering. But some years there has been too much pain and sorrow, so now I focus on remembering only good things. It seems to be working…

I was blessed to be invited to the Alaska Native Diabetes Conference last week. Met so many beautiful people; learned valuable things. Folks come from all over Alaska for three days at The Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage’s finest…

I always heard that feeling sorry for yourself was a bad thing. But now I know that compassion for ourselves is often necessary for healing…

There’s a saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Her your plans.” A chronic illness is like a message from the universe or God saying “Stop planning and start living.” This message has the power to change lives in wonderful ways…

Many of us spent last week surrounded by fear, the media telling us nonstop to be afraid. Since I don’t believe much in the media, I ignored it as best I could. But it reminded me of my feelings about chronic illness — how powerlessness, fear, and anger can make us miserable and interfere with our lives…

When I had almost finished writing my first book, The Art of Getting Well, I was overcome with doubts. Was it any good? Would anyone want to read it? Could I do the promotion and marketing that would be necessary? I didn’t know…

Forget diet and exercise for now. I’ve got a better plan: Be happy! A new review of 160 studies shows that good moods may be one of the most important things for good health. But how do we get good moods?

Brenda just found out she has albumin in her urine. “I feel so guilty,” she told me. “If I’d taken better care, this might not have happened.” Juan has the opposite problem…

“It’s strange,” said Margaret, diagnosed with Type 1.5 (LADA) ten years ago. “Managing diabetes as a single Mom with two teenage daughters was tough. But now that they have gone to college, I’m doing worse. Lately, I hardly plan meals or check my glucose at all…”

My e-mail auto-signature reads “Love your body. Love your life.” I think loving your body is a key for health. But in practice, bodies can be hard to love, especially when they’re sick, or disabled, or don’t fit media images of “beautiful…”

I’m not happy to have multiple sclerosis, and I’m pretty sure you would prefer not to have diabetes. No one wants a chronic illness — they take up too much space. But illness has taught me valuable lessons that have opened my life…

Do people ever treat you as if diabetes makes you a second-class citizen, or makes you damaged goods? Do people blame you for diabetes? Such prejudice is sometimes called “healthism,” referring to the belief that healthier people are superior to people who are less well…

When Child Protective Services (CPS) placed 6-year-old Antonio with his grandfather Miguel (“Mike”), I couldn’t believe it. I don’t want to say my neighbor Mike was antisocial, but the only time anyone saw him was on his four-times-a-day walks to the corner store for beer…

Lately, I’ve been struggling with “what am I doing here” thoughts. I’ve been kind of down, and someone noticed and reminded me of this story. It helped me, and I thought it might help you too…

I’ve spent much of the last two weeks cleaning out my mother-in-law’s apartment. She had to move into a board and care home. It’s been kind of sad seeing all the things she used to be in all the pictures and papers she kept…

A few weeks ago I wrote about having reasons to live. But this week a friend asked me, “Don’t you think most people already believe life is worth living? The problem is that we don’t think that we ourselves are worth any effort.”

If you don’t have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, it won’t matter how healthy you are, will it? If you don’t have pleasures, positive goals, love, or meaning in your life, why bother with self-management? We all need reasons to live, but sometimes we don’t have them or we forget what they are…

This time of year, sunshine is hard to find in the Northern Hemisphere. Days are shorter, and the sun shines at a lower angle. Lack of sun is thought to be a cause of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is rough on people with diabetes, because it increases carbohydrate cravings and fosters weight gain. But how does lack of sun make us SAD?

I was going to write about drugs or food or medical care or one of those hot topics. Then I figured, “it’s Christmas. Write about more important things.” So let’s talk about finding the joy in life. That’s pretty important, and sometimes it’s not so easy…

I think we can all agree — times are tough all over. And when you add living with a chronic progressive condition to the mix, things may start to seem hopeless…

Last week we had a game party at our apartment. My son the park ranger was in town. He likes poker, so we had friends over and played cards and Taboo until 11:30. As a writer and a disabled person, I spend a lot of time alone, so it was great to have people over and to have fun…

Two weeks ago, I went to a social event with people I hardly knew. For personal and business reasons, I wanted to make a good impression. But near the end of the evening, I tripped and fell. With my multiple sclerosis (MS), this happens fairly often, but I “knew,” “Everyone will think I’m a loser because I fell. I’ve blown the whole evening…”

Hard times can lead to hard feelings. An article on the financial news site Bloomberg.com says, "A tidal wave of anxiety is washing over America, from Wall Street’s concrete canyons to the lettuce fields of California, propelled by the mortgage industry collapse, costly gasoline, tight credit and rising unemployment."

I’m trying to stay positive about this. Do you, like me, work as hard as you can to take care of yourself? You try to get the best information and act on it. Try to exercise; eat right. Relax, stretch, think positive thoughts. Get help from professionals and other people, learn to communicate better with friends and family. Etc.

On Friday, I had lunch with Mark, an old friend who has AIDS. In the 1990’s, for nearly a year, he lived face-to-face with death. His white blood cell (T4) count was near zero. He couldn’t get out of bed for days at a time.

I find that crying is wonderful medicine, as good as laughing, which is a pretty high standard. I notice that if a week or two goes by without any crying, I start to feel more down, withdrawn, depressed. Crying lightens the weight around my shoulders and my heart. Do you feel that way too?