A Technological Revolution for Diabetics

Diabetes is the number 7 cause of death in the United States taking around 71,000 people every year, according to an article by Deroy Murdock entitled, "Good news in war against diabetes."

In this 'war against diabetes' there have been a lot of technological advances over the years. 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com

There was the insulin pump. We all know what they look like to day, pagers.

In 1963 the first insulin pump was used. 

It had to be plugged into the wall at all times an was worn like a backpack. 

What a hassle! 

I can hardly stand being chained to the wall while my phone is charging let alone while I was hooked up to my pump.

http://api.ning.com/

More recently, Tandem released the first ever touch screen insulin pump. Which I happen to use. This wonderful piece of technology looks a lot like an iPod or iPhone.

It has a color touch screen and is much more user friendly to this younger more technology savoy generation. 


Now, in 2014 there are even more amazing things happening in this war. More new technology... even artificial pancreases. 

On diabetesmine.com an article examining the newest and coolest new technology was posted. "Diabetes Tech-Speculations for 2014 (Already Off to a Newsworthy Start!)" gives a basic overview and links to 14 technological revolutions that will be happening this year! I wont be going over all of them but here are the best ones!

The first thing it talks about is the new FDA draft guidelines for glucose meter standards. These standards are going to require all meter to be 5%-10% more accurate. Also, this draft is open for comments until April, 7th! (Or leave them here. Whichever floats your boat.)

http://mydario.com/

Ok, this next one is a glucose meter that is the size of a cigarette lighter. 

It's called the Dario meter. 

This little meter pops apart and plugs into the headphone jack on your smart phone. It has lancets and test strips in side and you use an app on your phone as the actual meter. 

Another neat part is that it can tell when your getting low and make emergency phone calls for you. 

Watch this video from the Dario website to learn even more...

Now on to what might be the most exciting part. The Artificial Pancreas. Several companies are putting artificial pancreases into controlled tests. Before we begin here is the link to the FDA page about the Artificial Pancreas Device System (APDS). 

First lets talk about the one that this article features.

This system is an artificial pancreas using inhaled insulin.

HOW COOL!!

The video basically explains everything you need to know. 

The inhaled insulin can be used alone. Read all about it on their website. 


I love the idea of the APDS. I am not the best at remembering to take insulin or test my blood sugar all the time. I have a DexCom, and it does most of the testing for me. 

Clinical Endocrinology News published an article at the end of December that goes in to amazing detail about just what exactly the APSD does and what the effects are in practical numbers that we can all relate to. 

In a quote from the article they talk about time spent in target range with and with out the APSD

The closed-loop system also led to significantly more time in blood glucose targets (64% vs. 47%) and fewer nights with hypoglycemia (10% vs. 17%) over 21 days,

Wow. 

The last APSD I am going to talk about is... well... a lot different. 

This one is a bio-artificial pancreas. I don't know how to explain it any better than they did. 

The bio-artificial pancreas contains tens of thousands of living pancreas islets harvested from pigs or live human donors. These cells would be encased in a polymer capsule, fashioned into a pancake-like patch the size of a half-dollar coin, and implanted beneath the skin. Encapsulife says this device protects the islets from a diabetic’s auto-immune system. It welcomes the patient’s digestive glucose, stimulating the islets to produce insulin and then secretes it automatically into the diabetic’s system — as would a working pancreas.

I am not sure how i feel about this. I would love a whole new pancreas, but... would it work?

As of October 2013 the bio-artificial pancreas has been successful in primate trials. Keep up with the latest news about it at encapsulife.org. 

The last cool new product you HAVE to know about is ShugaTrak. 

2014 looks like it will be a good year for diabetics. All this technology popping up and helping us fight the daily battle of life with any type of diabetes. 

Everyday we poke ourselves and inject synthetic substances into our bodies. Someday soon that could all be over. Diabetes may someday no longer be a life sentence. 

Diabetes Art Day

Back in the swing of things and found this site just about an hour ago.

It is a day that is dedicated to...
Ok, no I'm going to just let you read it.

Diabetes Art Day is a web-based initiative for the Diabetes Online Community to “tell a story” about life with diabetes though creative visual expression. It’s a way for us to tell our stories so we can connect and share with each other and with our loved ones. It’s a way to generate diabetes awareness outside of the DOC by sharing artwork on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and community websites. Diabetes Art Day is for people young and old with any type of diabetes and their families, so children, spouses, parents, siblings, or anyone who is affected by diabetes can participate. For this one day, you’re encouraged to break out of your linguistic comfort zone, bust out some art materials, and make a piece of artwork – painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, an installation piece, a mixed media something or other, or whatever you can imagine. Whether you have lots of experience making art or none at all, Diabetes Art Day is for you to show the world what it’s like to live with diabetes in that “a picture is worth 1000 words” kind of way.

So There it is. Can you believe it?

Sounds like fun.

What will i do......

What will you do?

Welcome Back.

AHHH!! its been so long!! i apologize for being gone. It has been a crazy month. But... NEW THINGS!!!

Check these out and tell me what you think!

Apparently Google has created contacts that can check your blood sugar...
Here is a quote from Google about their new project.

"We're now testing a smart contact lens that's built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We're testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We're also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we're exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds. It's still early days for this technology, but we've completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease."

Also, Okra as a cure?
Check out this blog to read about this 'miracle cure'

Have a great day and enjoy this cute cartoon.

Sharps.

My new sharps bin.... Gotta love duct tape.

To all the people who say, "At least you don't have cancer."

To all the people who say, "At least you don't have cancer."

A Friends Mother:

So what do you want to do when you leave school.

Me:

I want to be a teacher or a diabetes educator.

A Friends Mother:

Why a diabetes educator?

Me:

I have diabetes.

A Friends Mother:

Wow that must be hard.

Me:

Yeah it is...

A Friends Mother:

You know I had a friend whose son got a brain tumour. He recovered, was in remission and the cancer is completely gone. 6 months later her daughter got diabetes and you what my friend said to me? She said it was worse for her daughter living with diabetes then it was for her son getting cancer.

*And that what people don't understand, that diabetes is a life sentence. We don't have the option of remission or definitive answer. There is no cure. We don't have peace of mind. Our battle is never ending.

http://myrealityofdiabetes.tumblr.com/post/69258039557/to-all-the-people-who-say-at-least-you-dont-have

My moment....

So... i was high so i took some insulin.. then i was moving around and i went low and now... oreos and im all sweaty......

#Diabeticprobs

.....a cure?

So... this seams crazy.... but... what do you think?

Regenerative Cellular Therapy is using proteins and peptides specifically for the pancreas to normalize the immune system. The proteins and peptides we use cause the islet of Langerhans and beta cells to return to their normal function. As the islet of Langerhans and beta cells begin to function normally they start the production of insulin and or higher quality insulin. When this process is completed the organ begins functioning normally, and the patient recovers their health.

I don't know. Here's the link to the page and the video.. its really sketchy....

Let me know what you think!