Diabetes and Kickboxing
PublishedKick your workouts up a notch! Learn about what to expect and how to get started kickboxing with diabetes…
Robert S. Dinsmoor
Zumba for Diabetes
PublishedThe Zumba motto is, “Forget the workout and join the party!” Learn how you can get started with this exercise in disguise…
Metabolic Surgery
PublishedMetabolic surgery is an umbrella term for a number of surgical procedures that improve blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes who are obese…
Nitric Oxide: Definition and Overview
UpdatedA clear, colorless gas that performs a number of important functions in the body. People with diabetes have a reduced ability to produce nitric oxide…
Diabetic Dermopathy
PublishedDiabetic dermopathy (sometimes called “shin spots”) typically appears as dull red or brown scaly patches on the shins that don’t sting or itch…
Diagnostic Tests for Type 2 Diabetes
PublishedType 2 diabetes is a condition in which the beta cells of the pancreas make little or no insulin. Many tests may be used to diagnose Type 2 diabetes…
Diagnostic Tests for Type 1 Diabetes
PublishedType 1 diabetes is a condition in which the beta cells of the pancreas make little or no insulin. Many tests may be used to diagnose Type 1 diabetes…
Six Little-Known Diabetes Symptoms
UpdatedMost people are aware of the classic signs and symptoms of diabetes, but by some estimates, more than 7 million people in the United States are undiagnosed. Learn about six little-known diabetes symptoms…
Selecting Blood Sugar Goals
PublishedTight blood sugar control might not be for everyone. Here’s what the research shows about selecting target levels…
Glycogenolysis
PublishedThe breakdown of glycogen, the stored form of energy found in muscle and liver tissue, into glucose, which the body can readily use…
Cardiac Stent
UpdatedA small mesh tube used to treat narrow or weak coronary arteries. People with diabetes are especially prone to atherosclerosis, a condition in which plaque, a waxy substance, builds up inside the arteries…
Sleep and Diabetes: What’s the Connection?
UpdatedHere are the findings of the latest research and the newest approaches to treating insomnia and getting a good night’s sleep…
Sleep Apnea and Diabetes
UpdatedSleep apnea is characterized by one or more pauses in breathing or instances of shallow breathing while asleep…
Interventional Radiologist
UpdatedA doctor who specializes in using medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases throughout the body…
ACCORD Study
UpdatedA large clinical study designed to determine whether various interventions could reduce heart risk in people with Type 2 diabetes…
Erectile Dysfunction
UpdatedErectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection, commonly known as impotence…
Palliative Care
UpdatedThe treatment of discomfort, symptoms, and psychological stress associated with serious illness. Some people confuse palliative care with end-of-life care…
Pharmacogenetics
UpdatedThe study of genetic variations that can affect how an individual responds to specific drugs, in terms of both effectiveness and adverse events…
Making Exercise Fun
UpdatedNot everyone enjoys the same physical activity. Determine what makes exercise fun for you and get moving…
Choosing a Hearing Aid
UpdatedI 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. ..
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet
UpdatedA diet that has been scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure. This eating plan is the product of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, which showed that the plan results in significantly lower blood pressure than the traditional American diet…
Protecting Your Kidneys
UpdatedThere are now a number of measures you can take that have been scientifically proven to protect your kidneys and lower the risk of developing diabetes-related kidney disease…
The Promise of Type 1 Research
UpdatedA medical writer outlines the clinical trials he believes are most likely to lead to new treatments.
Generic Drugs
UpdatedPeople with diabetes often take multiple drugs, including blood-glucose-lowering pills or insulin, blood-pressure-lowering pills, and cholesterol-lowering pills. The cost of all these medicines can really add up. One way to save money on medicines is to…
Healthy Aging With Diabetes
UpdatedToday, thanks to better tools for managing diabetes and preventing and treating its complications, people with diabetes have the opportunity to live longer than ever before…
Hyperglycemic Crises
UpdatedOne type results in about 100,000 hospitalizations a year with a mortality rate of under 5%. The other is thought to cause fewer hospitalizations, yet the mortality rate is about 15%. Severe hyperglycemic conditions involve very serious imbalances in blood chemistry…
Diabetes Sick-Day Management
UpdatedTo avoid having a garden-variety flu turn into something much worse, here are some guidelines to follow when you’re sick with diabetes…
Type 1.5 Diabetes: Definition and Overview
UpdatedType 1.5 diabetes is a form of diabetes sometimes called “double diabetes,” in which an adult has aspects of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes…
Deep Vein Thrombosis
UpdatedA blood clot that forms deep within the body. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) most commonly occurs in the lower leg, but may also develop in other parts of the body…
Beta-Cell Regeneration
UpdatedA natural process that creates new beta cells, which make and secrete insulin in the pancreas. Diabetes researchers are interested in exploiting its underlying mechanisms to prevent, treat, or cure type 1 diabetes…
Lancet: Definition and Overview
UpdatedA pointed piece of surgical steel encased in plastic, used to puncture the skin on one’s finger (or other body part) to get a blood sample. Other types of lancets are used for making small incisions, as in the draining of boils and abscesses. Lancets for…
Postprandial Hyperglycemia: Definition and Overview
UpdatedAn exaggerated rise in blood sugar following a meal…
Gestational Diabetes
UpdatedA type of diabetes first diagnosed during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnancies, resulting in roughly 135,000 cases in the United States each year…
Hemochromatosis: Definition and Overview
UpdatedA common inherited disorder in which the body absorbs and stores abnormally high amounts of iron, causing damage to certain organs. Hemochromatosis tends to coexist with diabetes, for reasons that aren’t completely clear.
Hereditary…
Fasting Plasma Glucose Test: Definition and Overview
UpdatedA test that screens for diabetes by measuring the level of glucose in a person’s blood plasma after a period of fasting (not eating). The fasting plasma glucose test is given to nonpregnant adults who are at high risk for diabetes. According to the…
Edema: Definition and Overview
UpdatedAbnormal accumulation of fluid in various body tissues, causing swelling. The swelling may affect any of a number of body sites, such as the legs, ankles, and feet; the hands; the back or abdomen; and even the eyelids…
Pressure Sore: Definition and Overview
UpdatedA sore, or ulcer, caused by prolonged pressure against the skin and underlying tissue. The pressure cuts the blood flow to the affected area; the resulting ulcer can be extremely painful, and if left untreated may lead to such serious consequences as…
Diabetic Bladder
UpdatedDiabetic bladder refers to bladder problems caused by diabetic autonomic neuropathy…
Basal Rate: Definition and Overview
UpdatedThe basal rate is the rate at which an insulin pump infuses small, “background” doses of short-acting insulin….
Beta Cells
UpdatedThe cells located within the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas that secrete insulin…
Metformin: Definition, Uses, Side Effects
UpdatedMetformin is a member of a class of drugs called biguanides that helps lower blood glucose levels by improving the way the body handles insulin…
