Gladys Knight supports type 2 diabetes research and prevention in memory of mother
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset
My soul is inspired whenever I discover a celebrity advocate for diabetics. The famous R&B performer, Gladys Knight, has been singing the praises of type 2 diabetes prevention for years.
Her mother, Elizabeth Knight, passed away 10 years ago from type 2 complications. In her honor and all those living with type 2 diabetes, Gladys Knight and family established the Elizabeth Knight Fund through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to support peer-reviewed diabetes research and awareness programs in communities nationwide. Ms. Knight also collaborated with the ADA on a cookbook of diabetic recipes, At Home With Gladys Knight, initially released in 2001.
The Knight family believes education is critical to living a long and healthy life with type 2. Their mother's legacy lives on in the hearts of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetics alike, thanks to the good works of the Elizabeth Knight Fund.
[RESEARCH] Smoking in the home after the smoke-free legislation in Scotland: qualitative study
Objective To explore the accounts of smokers and non-smokers (who live with smokers) of smoking in their homes and cars after the Scottish smoke-free legislation; to examine the reported impact of the legislation on smoking in the home; and to consider the implications for future initiatives aimed at reducing children's exposure to secondhand smoke in the home.
Design and setting A qualitative cross sectional study involving semistructured interviews conducted across Scotland shortly after the implementation of the legislation on 26 March 2006.
Participants A purposively selected sample of 50 adults (aged 18-75) drawn from all socioeconomic groups, included smokers living with smokers, smokers living with non-smokers, and non-smokers living with smokers.
Results Passive smoking was a well recognised term. Respondents had varied understandings of the risks of secondhand smoke, with a few rejecting evidence of such risks. Children, however, were perceived as vulnerable. Most reported that they restricted smoking in their homes, with a range of restrictions across social classes and home smoking profiles. Spatial, relational, health, and aesthetic factors influenced the development of restrictions. Children and grandchildren were important considerations in the development and modification of restrictions. Other strategies were also used to militate against secondhand smoke, such as opening windows. The meaning of the home as somewhere private and social identity were important underlying factors. Respondents reported greater restrictions on smoking in their cars. There were diverse views on the smoke-free legislation. Few thought it had influenced their smoking in the home, and none thought it had affected how they restricted smoking in their homes.
Conclusions These data suggest two normative discourses around smoking in the home. The first relates to acceptable social identity as a hospitable person who is not anti-smoker. The second relates to moral identity as a caring parent or grandparent. Awareness of the risks of secondhand smoke, despite ambivalence about health messages and the fluidity of smoking restrictions, provides clear opportunities for public health initiatives to support people attain smoke-free homes.
At-home test kit screens for diabetes risk
Filed under: Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Research
No vials of blood. No visit to a doctor's office. Check out your risk for diabetes and heart disease from the comfort of your own home. Sorry phlebotomists!
Home Access Health Corporation already markets at-home testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and Instant Cholesterol. They now offer at-home kits that can screen for diabetes and heart disease. Home Access devised a laboratory algorithm (patent pending) that can accurately test a tiny sample of dried blood. A solution within the collection device separates red blood cells from blood serum, allowing the lab techs to apply the algorithm to provide results which correlate to traditional testing performed by commercial labs. Cool.
Just order the kit, provide a few drops of blood and pop the sample in snail mail. For the Cardiometabolic Risk Panel, results are provided on a full lipid panel and hemoglobin A1c. The Diabetes Risk Test offers results on hemoglobin A1c. Home Access also has a toll-free call center with counselors available to educate people about their test results. Considering the lack of one-on-one time spent with doctors these days, this is an important piece of the process.
These products sound like the real deal. Home Access has partnered with the American Diabetes Association to co-brand the test kits to reach a wider audience at risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The kits will be sold in stores in 2008 and available for direct internet purchase later this year. Right now, the products are offered through employer-sponsored programs, health fairs or with a physician's order by calling 800-448-8378 or visiting Home Access Health Corporation's website. Photo by Psycho Crow at Flickr.
Breakfast -- don't leave home without it
Filed under: Diet, Research, Nutrition
Think about when you were a teen (assuming that you're not one now). Think about what your day was like as you 
woke-up for school, frantically headed to either catch the bus or bum a ride off of your one friend who had a car. Granted, that car looked like something Fred Sanford should have been driving, but it was still a car. Anyway, as I was saying, remember how tough it sometimes was to make the 8am bell for school. You would rush, rush, rush -- only to then barely make it to homeroom before the teacher marked you absent. Whew...that was close.
And, then around 9:20 or so, something started to happen. You seemed to be working on a two or three second delay, you were inattentive -- but not really on purpose, and your early rising from bed finally began to take its toll. If you were like most teenagers (especially today), you probably felt this way because you skipped breakfast.
Worst of all, in efforts to stop your stomach from making that embarrassing moaning sound (the one that can only mean one of two things: 1) You're hungry, or 2) You have to go the bathroom and you're holding it with all your might. Of course the people around you who hear it always assume that it's number two -- no pun intended), you grabbed a candy bar or potato chips from the vending machine, or maybe even some tater tots from the cafeteria.
That's compounded dietary mistake seems to be the norm more and more for teens, to the point that a study held at the Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical Center concluded that teens are carrying this breakfast-skipping-followed-by-poor-food-choice practice into young adulthood. Based on said study, it was discovered that fast food consumption increased markedly as breakfast consumption dropped -- with both factors coming into play concurrently as teens grew older. The result, as you might have expected, was an overall increase of body mass, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
Although not listed in this particular study, I'd be willing to bet that similar statistics could be found for adults who skip breakfast. Remember, the word breakfast itself is derived from "Break the Fast." In other words, you've fasted for 6, 8, 10, or however many hours you had been asleep, and now it's time to break that fast by eating. But, if you opt not to, your body will remind will get back at you by making you sluggish, your eyes heavy, and your stomach sound like a dying camel.
[RESEARCH] Changes in child exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (CHETS) study after implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland: national cross sectional survey
Objective To detect any change in exposure to secondhand smoke among primary schoolchildren after implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland in March 2006.
Design Comparison of nationally representative, cross sectional, class based surveys carried out in the same schools before and after legislation.
Setting Scotland.
Participants 2559 primary schoolchildren (primary 7; mean age 11.4 years) surveyed in January 2006 (before smoke-free legislation) and 2424 in January 2007 (after legislation).
Outcome measures Salivary cotinine concentrations, reports of parental smoking, and exposure to tobacco smoke in public and private places before and after legislation.
Results The geometric mean salivary cotinine concentration in non-smoking children fell from 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.32 to 0.40) ng/ml to 0.22 (0.19 to 0.25) ng/ml after the introduction of smoke-free legislation in Scotland—a 39% reduction. The extent of the fall in cotinine concentration varied according to the number of parent figures in the home who smoked but was statistically significant only among pupils living in households in which neither parent figure smoked (51% fall, from 0.14 (0.13 to 0.16) ng/ml to 0.07 (0.06 to 0.08) ng/ml) and among pupils living in households in which only the father figure smoked (44% fall, from 0.57 (0.47 to 0.70) ng/ml to 0.32 (0.25 to 0.42) ng/ml). Little change occurred in reported exposure to secondhand smoke in pupils' own homes or in cars, but a small decrease in exposure in other people's homes was reported. Pupils reported lower exposure in cafes and restaurants and in public transport after legislation.
Conclusions The Scottish smoke-free legislation has reduced exposure to secondhand smoke among young people in Scotland, particularly among groups with lower exposure in the home. We found no evidence of increased secondhand smoke exposure in young people associated with displacement of parental smoking into the home. The Scottish smoke-free legislation has thus had a positive short term impact on young people's health, but further efforts are needed to promote both smoke-free homes and smoking cessation.
Mango & Ginger Sorbet
This is a favorite dessert for refreshing the palate after a curry (a healthy, home made one, of course). Not only does it taste great but it supports my healthy eating plans thanks to xylitol which is a sugar substitute with a very low glycemic load (GL).
I encourage you to make your own desserts. That way you know exactly what is in the food. They are a much healthier choice than bought products which can be laden with sugar and preservatives..
Ingredients:
- 6oz xylitol
- 16 fl. oz water
- 1 rounded teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
Method:
To make the syrup, place the xylitol, ginger and water in a pan. Slowly bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.Remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.
Place the mango and lemon juice in a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Add the cold syrup and blend well.
Turn the mixture into a ice cream maker machine and freeze-churn until ready to serve. (if you don’t have an ice cream machine you can put mixture into a container and place in the freezer,stirring it a couple of times before it freezes completely).
Serves 6
Isobel Whytock 1Stop-Weightloss.com
Diabetes hits hard in New York City
Filed under: Type 2, Research, Daily News, Support
It's a pretty well-known fact that type 2 diabetes is hitting New York City hard. And the powers-that-be in the City are doing something about it: New York City was the first place in the nation to initiate a diabetes-tracking registry intended to guide healthcare spending to maximum effect.So, just how bad is the situation? The city's health department just completed a major study on that very topic and made the results public this week. Some numbers: diabetes causes 20,000 hospitalizations, 3,000 amputations, 1,400 cases of kidney failure, and 4,700 diabetes-related deaths annually. The financial cost of treatment is a staggering $6.5 billion annually.
The report clearly shows that people in lower socioeconomic groups, clustered in a handful of poorer neighborhoods, are suffering disproportionately to the well-heeled and well-educated residents of the chic Upper East Side.
As is the case everywhere in the US - not to mention, globally - a great many people with type 2 diabetes or who are at risk for the disease do not know it, and city officials are aiming to exponentially increase awareness in coming years. The entire report is accessible online in PDF-form at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website.
[RESEARCH] Cost effectiveness of home based population screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in the UK: economic evaluation of chlamydia screening studies (ClaSS) project
Objective To investigate the cost effectiveness of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis compared with a policy of no organised screening in the United Kingdom.
Design Economic evaluation using a transmission dynamic mathematical model.
Setting Central and southwest England.
Participants Hypothetical population of 50 000 men and women, in which all those aged 16-24 years were invited to be screened each year.
Main outcome measures Cost effectiveness based on major outcomes averted, defined as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, or neonatal complications.
Results The incremental cost per major outcome averted for a programme of screening women only (assuming eight years of screening) was £22 300 (33 000; $45 000) compared with no organised screening. For a programme screening both men and women, the incremental cost effectiveness ratio was approximately £28 900. Pelvic inflammatory disease leading to hospital admission was the most frequently averted major outcome. The model was highly sensitive to the incidence of major outcomes and to uptake of screening. When both were increased the cost effectiveness ratio fell to £6200 per major outcome averted for screening women only.
Conclusions Proactive register based screening for chlamydia is not cost effective if the uptake of screening and incidence of complications are based on contemporary empirical studies, which show lower rates than commonly assumed. These data are relevant to discussions about the cost effectiveness of the opportunistic model of chlamydia screening being introduced in England.
The perfect excuse for a vacation
Filed under: Prevention, Stress
If you're the type who needs an excuse to go on vacation and do some traveling then here it is: do it for your health. People who take regular vacations are less likely to have heart attacks, to suffer depression, and report having less stress in their lives in general. Vacationers are supposedly even happier at work and in their marriages! By traveling somewhere relaxing and fun about twice a year, and not letting yourself stress about work and other issues, you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by 50% compared to people who rarely get away.
So what are you waiting for? Start packing!
Tour de France cyclists have the biggest hearts
Filed under: Research, Exercise
We often describe others as having a "big heart," but depending on who they are they might have an over-sized heart in a very literal sense. Particularly if they've ever competed in the Tour de France, as research shows that Tour de France athletes have hearts that are 20-40% larger than average. Scientists have noted that almost any athlete that trains extensively will adapt by growing a larger heart, but the strenuous bicycling competition involving 3 weeks of bicycling up and down mountains obviously takes it to the extreme!