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Diabetes by the Numbers

Join me as we discuss diabetes advocacy, science, and technology on Diabetes by the Numbers.
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Now displaying: 2016
Nov 9, 2016
Diabetes By The Numbers is back, with the first in what I hope will be a series of episodes in which I'll investigate healthcare in countries other than my own.
 
Helping me get started is Mariana Gomez.  Mariana is a super diabetes advocate, through the diabetes community in Mexico City where she lives, as a writer at her personal blog, dulcesitosparami.com, and as Community and Social Media Assistant for the Hispanic Market at Diabetes Hands Foundation.
 
In addition to that, she's a licensed practicing psychologist.  And oh, by the way, she's been living with Type 1 diabetes for over 30 years. 
 
Mariana is uniquely qualified to discuss diabetes at any time, and certainly qualified to discuss the state of healthcare for those living with diabetes in Mexico.
 
As I said, this is the first in what I hope will be a series of interviews on healthcare from a number of countries.  If you're living in a country outside of the USA and you'd like to talk about healthcare where you live, please send me an e-mail at happymedium[dot]net[at]gmail[dot]com and let's talk.

Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic
 
Mariana Gomez is Community and Social Media Assistant for the Hispanic Market at Diabetes Hands Foundation:
diabeteshandsfoundation.org
You will often see Mariana at DHF's Spanish-language community site:
estudiabetes.org
 
Mariana has a wonderful personal blog:
dulcesitosparami.com
Oct 26, 2016
About three weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the MiniMed 670g, Medtronic's hybrid closed loop system, for people with diabetes over the age of 14.
This news has generated a lot of excitement, and also a lot of questions.  I was fortunate enough to connect a little over a week ago with Karrie Hawbaker and Michael Hill of Medtronic Diabetes (which is why then I was saying the approval was two weeks ago), who went on the record about how the 670g works, the new CGM sensor associated with the 670g, and the upgrade pathway for existing Medtronic customers.  Which is still a little murky, but they recognize that every customer is different, and they're willing to talk to you about it. 

There's also a little at the end about how Medtronic is leveraging IBM's Watson supercomputer to crunch data.
Here then, is everything you want to know about the 670g.  Thanks Karrie and Mike!

Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic:
Karrie Hawbaker is Senior Manager of Social Media for Medtronic Diabetes, and Michael Hill is Vice President of Global Marketing in the Intensive Insulin Management business unit at Medtronic:
medtronicdiabetes.com
If you're an existing Medtronic pumper, and you're interested in upgrading to the 670g in the spring, here is all the information on the Priority Access Program:
medtronicdiabetes.com/products/priority-access
 
Oct 13, 2016
Original air date: October 14, 2016

Today begins one of my favorite times of the year.  Every year, Diabetes Hands Foundation sponsors the Big Blue Test.  Now until November 14 (World Diabetes Day), you and your loved ones, plus anyone else you know, are encouraged to get moving.  And log the results.  And help diabetes groups doing amazing work to build community and help others.
Here’s how it works: first, check your blood glucose.  Not living with diabetes?  Skip this step.  Then get out and get moving for 14 to 20 minutes or more.  You can walk, run, swim, bike, play badminton, ride a Big Wheel, whatever.  Then do another BG check (or skip it if you don’t live with diabetes) and log the results at BigBlueTest.org.  Or make it easy on yourself and download the Big Blue Test app on your iPhone or Android device, and do the same.
For the next month, every Big Blue Test logged will result in a $3.00(US) donation, split evenly among three wonderful diabetes non-profits:
 
Diabetes Sisters
 
We Are Diabetes
 
Riverside Community Diabetes Collaborative
 
Three fantastic organizations providing help, education, and support to those living with or at risk of living with diabetes.
 
Today, Mike Lawson, Senior Director of Programs and Marketing for Diabetes Hands Foundation, joins me to talk everything Big Blue Test, including a little about this year’s grantees, the goals for this year, and a new way for exercise groups to get involved in the Big Blue Test initiative.  Have a listen.
Jul 18, 2016

Welcome to year 2 of Diabetes By The Numbers!

Asha Brown is a unique individual.  Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of five.  She later developed diabulimia, a dangerous condition.  Fortunately, she was able to overcome diabulimia, and she has been in recovery for seven years now. 
 
The really cool thing about Asha is that she co-founded We Are Diabetes, which works with families patients, and health professionals across the USA to help and support those living with diabetes and eating disorders.
 
Today, we talk about diabulimia, how We Are Diabetes serves and supports, and the challenges faced by patients post-treatment.  This was a conversation I've wanted to have for a long time, and I came away with a lot of knowledge that I didn't have when we began.
 
Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic
 
Asha Brown is Founder and Executive Director of We Are Diabetes, which provides information, hope, and support to people living with diabetes and eating disorders:
wearediabetes.org

 

Mar 31, 2016

Daniele Hargenrader is one of the hardest working people I know of in the diabetes community.  Both on a personal and a professional level.

She's a nutritionist, a health coach, a certified professional trainer.  She's an international speaker, and an author too.

Today, Daniele talks about the things that motivated her to lose weight, get fit, and rock her diabetes.  She talks about why nutrition is focus number 1.  She talks about her book, Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator: How to Use Your Powers of Choice, Self-Love, and Community to Completely Change Your Relationship With Diabetes for the Better.  And she talks about her latest project.

Seriously, I don't know how she does it all, but she does it well.

Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic

Daniele Hargenrader writes blog posts, hosts video chats, teaches online courses, and more through her website:
diabetesdominator.com

Daniele mentions using MyFitnessPal to log her food choices:
myfitnesspal.com

Want to pick up Daniele's fantastic book?  You can find it on Amazon right here:
Daniele's Book-- Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator

Mar 16, 2016

After a brief hiatus, the Diabetes By The Numbers podcast is back.

Today's podcast features Dr. Medha Munshi, Director of Joslin Diabetes Center's Geriatric Diabetes Program.  She's co-authored a recent (and first ever) American Diabetes Association position statement designed to help homes and other skilled nursing facilities care better and more appropriately for senior patients with diabetes.

Dr. Munshi shares key points on the position statement, and great insights on caring for older people with diabetes.

Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic

Dr. Medha Munshi is Director of the Joslin Geriatric Diabetes Program and an an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.  She's also a staff geriatrician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Joslin's Geriatric Diabetes Program.

To read the American Diabetes Association position statement co-authored by Dr. Munshi, CLICK HERE

Feb 2, 2016

You read that right... it's Diabetes Podcast Week!

Brainchild of Stacey Simms at the Diabetes Connections podcast, this is a week where a dozen diabetes podcasters will be uploading new episodes and helping to raise money for the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign.  Listen to the beginning and the end of this episode of Diabetes By The Numbers for more information on the Spare a Rose, Save a Child initiative and what an amazing difference it makes for children living in developing countries throughout the world.  
Insulin should not be a luxury.

This episode of Diabetes By The Numbers features the Superwoman known to her friends and compatriots as Merle Gleeson.  In our opening round question, she describes herself as vivacious, committed, and reliable.  She's that and a lot more.

Merle has been living with Type 1 Diabetes for over 50 years.  Around nineteen years ago, her and a few friends started something called the Type 1 Diabetes Lounge, which holds regular meetings, fundraisers, educational sessions, parties, and more in the Chicago area.  It's quite an operation, and if you're looking to kick start a local diabetes meetup or amp up the meetup you already have, you can do a lot worse than listening to Merle.

One other thing, though we don't talk about it during the podcast: Merle Gleeson was one of our first Champion Athletes With Diabetes medal winners.  She does it all, and I chronicled some of that back in March of 2014.  It's worth a read.

Here then is my conversation with Merle Gleeson, and a special message about Spare a Rose, Save a Child.

Help save the life of a child living with diabetes in a developing country by donating to the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign today:
http://www.p4dc.com/spare-a-rose/give/


Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic

Merle Gleeson is founder and CEO of the Type 1 Diabetes Lounge in the Chicago area:
type1diabeteslounge.com/

More about Diabetes Podcast Week can be found at Stacey Simms' blog:
staceysimms.com

Spare a Rose, Save a Child is an initiative of the non-profit Partners for Diabetes Change.  To find out more about Spare a Rose, Save a Child:
www.p4dc.com

Jan 7, 2016

Welcome to Episode Ten of Diabetes By the Numbers.

Today we have our first returning guest.  It's Molly McElwee Malloy, Head of Patient Engagement at TypeZero Technologies in Charlottesville, Virginia.  TypeZero is in the news this week for two big undertakings.

First, there's a 12.7 million dollar artificial pancreas study funded by the National Institutes of Health.  It will begin very soon.  In this study, they'll be testing TypeZero's inControl platform, using a spiffy new device.

This study will include as many as 240 participants!  The studies will take place in nine locations... six in the USA, and three in Europe.  To find out more about participating in this important research, scroll to the bottom of this post.

The second big piece of news is this: <strong>Type Zero is entering into a partnership with CellNovo</strong>, which makes an integrated diabetes management system in Europe.  They've gotten a lot of good press here in the USA, and we talk about that and what this partnership means for TypeZero.  Have a listen.

Reference Material - Click for more information on this topic

Find out more about the inControl diabetes management platform by going to the Type Zero Technologies website:
TypeZero.com 

Clinical trial participants are necessary and appreciated!  Though the study will take place in several locations, the overall management of the trial will be handled through the Jaeb Center for Health Research.  To contact the Jaeb Center to volunteer to participate, Send an e-mail to:
Info@jaeb.org

To find out more about artificial pancreas testing through the University of Virginia's Center for Diabetes Technology, send an e-mail to:
artificialpancreas@virginia.edu

CellNovo makes a diabetes management system that includes a patch pump, an activity monitor, a hand held cell-enabled handset, and a continuous glucose monitor.  Data can be shared via the cloud.  To learn more about CellNovo, go to:
CellNovo.com

Follow Molly McElwee Malloy on Twitter:
@MollyMacT1D

 

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