Sugar Matters

Sugar Matters
General tips for Diabetes in Pregnancy
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September 12, 2008
Okay, now we get to group all of you together for this week: those who had diabetes before the pregnancy and those who have been diagnosed during the ...
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Preparing for pregnancy when you have diabetes
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September 5, 2008
For those of you have been diagnosed with diabetes even before you become pregnant, your opportunity to provide a wonderful environment for your baby ...
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Testing for Diabetes in Pregnancy
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August 29, 2008
First things first: congrats to all mothers-to-be! This is a very exciting time for you and your families. We all know that mothers play an important ...
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Diabetes in pregnancy
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August 22, 2008
I had a request from one of my very favorite readers to speak a bit about diabetes in pregnancy (thanks for the request!), so we will start a short se...
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Quick pop quiz
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August 15, 2008
Oooh, I LOVE to drop a surprise test on people!!! This one is super-quick, and will mainly serve to remind everyone about the importance of certain te...
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Your feet don’t lie
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August 8, 2008
Ready to take those shoes off? Many of you already know that diabetes has effects on the feet and you can often tell a lot about the course of someone...
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More blood tests?
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July 31, 2008
There are days when you probably feel like you had a vampire attacking you when you had blood drawn at the lab—you see vial after vial being filled ...
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Is 500 mg of Metformin a high dose?
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July 25, 2008
Ah, a question from one of my favorite readers: Question: I have been taking Metformin 500mg a day... Is this a high dose? It seems like it is high. A...
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The Pee test
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July 18, 2008
The first time your diabetes doctor says, “I will need a urine sample,” you may accidentally give him/her a shocked look. What on earth could your...
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Testing, testing
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July 11, 2008
A great big thank you to those of you who have written in with questions. I have received some by e-mail and others through the Searchlight office, so...
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Can high blood pressure lead to diabetes?
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July 4, 2008
Question - Does having high blood pressure over a few years’ time lead to diabetes? Answer: Dear Reader, Sometimes it really looks like high blood p...
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Which should I take – Metformin of Glucotrol?
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June 27, 2008
Question: Please advise me or tell me which is the best for me to take. I’m 72 years old and have type two diabetes. I have been on Metformin for tw...
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Is there anything I can do to prevent diabetes?
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June 20, 2008
Dear Dr Ramsetty, I have a family history of diabetes. I am 42 years old and right now, my blood sugars are normal. Is there anything I can do to prev...
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There’s an insulin for everybody
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June 13, 2008
Okay folks, we are continuing our slow walk through the world of insulin. This week we have a brief intro to the types of insulin, important informati...
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The case for insulin
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May 30, 2008
I hope everyone is doing well and ready to move on! This week we will discuss some scenarios where your doctor will opt for insulin as your medication...
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A note of encouragement and warning
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May 23, 2008
How did everyone do last week on that quiz? Congrats to all who did well! For those of you who had no idea what the answers were, the back issues of t...
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It’s test Time!
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May 16, 2008
I remember when I was in high school, every few days we would get the itch, that feeling that one of our teachers would walk in and say, “Get your t...
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You ask: Insulin???
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May 2, 2008
This week is for anyone who sat in a doctor’s chair sometime (or coming in the future) and had him/her say to you, “Mr/Mrs So-and-So, I think we s...
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New kids on the block: continued
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April 25, 2008
One medication that has gotten alot of press is called Byetta(Exenatide) and many of you may have heard of it already. Byetta, unlike Januvia, is an i...
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Diabetes medications: new kids on the block
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April 18, 2008
For all of you looking for the next sexy agent in diabetes, or if you are just a nerd like me, it’s always exciting when newer agents hit the market...
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Diabetes medication: Meet the Glitazones
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April 11, 2008
Fellow Vincies, I hope you are all well and hanging on with me on this road. I am sure some of these weeks of going over the medications may be a bit ...
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Diabetes Medications – The Sulfonylurea group
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April 4, 2008
Okay, I have already started out this week’s column with a strange word. I promise that is the most painful part of our talk this week (smile). We w...
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Common diabetes medications: Metformin
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March 28, 2008
This week we start a short series discussing some of the common medications used to treat diabetes. These mini-overviews are not meant to be a thoroug...
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Life with Diabetes- Medications side effects
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March 20, 2008
Last week I was on my soapbox about taking medications. I hope I did not offend anyone, but this is something I care very deeply about. I have a healt...
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Life with Diabetes-Taking your medications
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March 13, 2008
In regard to medications, the advice is simple-TAKE THEM. Some of you are rolling your eyes at me right now, saying, “of course take them!” This i...
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Checking your sugars
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March 7, 2008
A little research information that you should know is that we actually have data to show that patients who regularly check their blood sugars do bette...
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Life with Diabetes-Checking your blood sugars
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February 29, 2008
Ah, and now we come to one of the challenges in diabetes care-the checking of blood sugars. This is probably the number one thing patients tell me the...
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Life with Diabetes- First lesson
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February 22, 2008
The title of this week’s article is quite grand, and I feel very humbled to even try writing about it. Why? Because I do not have Diabetes. I had pr...
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Diet portions
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February 15, 2008
Some for me, Some for I, Some for Myself Last week we completed our climb to the top of the diabetes food pyramid. As you recall, serving sizes were u...
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Diabetes food pyramid continued:
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February 8, 2008
This week we will complete our Diabetes food pyramid. Chances are that last week, after looking at your grains, you noticed that our diet in St.Vincen...
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New food pyramid
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February 1, 2008
Ah, finally, we come to an overall picture. Now we can start getting to some meal planning tips, mainly targeted at those with diabetes and pre-diabet...
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Include lots of fruit in your diet
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January 25, 2008
You can only imagine how my mouth is watering right now, as I think about all the fruits in my sweet Vincyland. Fond memories of buying a 50-cent bag ...
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Welcome, sweet carbohydrates!
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January 18, 2008
A few years ago, the Atkins diet took the world by storm-"no carbohydrates for me!" everyone said, and bread went out the window. The tide has changed...
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Welcome good fats
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January 11, 2008
Yes indeed, there are good fats! And we need them for many reasons. Cholesterol itself does a lot of good work in the body, helping to make cell membr...
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Diet Part 4-Fat, fats and more fats
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January 4, 2008
I trust that you had a very blessed Christmas and are now full of energy to meet the New Year. I can’t believe it myself-2008 is here! Recall a few ...
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Changing what you eat: fats and oils
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December 21, 2007
As we get a bit further down this road, I am well aware that I risk losing your loyalty at this time. Most people do not like to be told how they shou...
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Your diet: the good, bad and ugly
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December 14, 2007
After last week's article, I am sure everyone has now sworn off black cake and eggnog for this Christmas season, right? All I hear is a mosquito here ...
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Early diabetes management changes
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December 7, 2007
Exercise and diet changes for Managing Early Diabetes-Stage 1: setting goals This is going to be a tough topic as we head into the holiday season, esp...
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Pre-diabetes and its importance
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November 23, 2007
As you recall from last week’s review on diabetes testing, Pre-diabetes is that range of blood sugars where you are not completely normal but not ye...
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Screening for diabetes
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November 9, 2007
Now we are well on our way to having a good understanding of this disease. This week we will start at the very beginning-when should your doctor test ...