By Corie Richter

Recently discovered stem cells give hope to people living with diabetes. The possibility exists for stem cells, discovered in the pancreases of laboratory mice, to grow into new insulin producing pancreas cells. The new cells may someday restore the insulin producing beta cells so critically missing in type I diabetes.

By Eric Devine

The following is an example of a conversation I’ve had far too many times:

“You’re not supposed to drink alcohol. You’ve got diabetes!”

I sip my wine. “Well, no, I’m not actually supposed to.”

As people improve diet and exercise more to control their diabetes they usually also lower cholesterol significantly. In previous newsletters the stories Understanding Cholesterol, and Managing Cholesterol Naturally provided insight to help you manage cholesterol.

But when diet and exercise are not enough, your doctor can prescribe medications to help you battle high cholesterol.

New Advice for Doctors About Low-fat, Low-carb Diets For Short-term Weight Loss

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently issued its annual clinical practice recommendations to help health care providers treat people with diabetes using the most current evidence available. These guidelines address medication, insulin use, nutrition, exercise, and other aspects of managing diabetes.

This year the recommendations recognize the increasing evidence that low-carbohydrate or low-fat weight loss plans are equally effective for reducing weight in the short term (up to one year). Until now, the ADA did not recommend low-carbohydrate diets because of lack of scientific evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.

Living healthy to manage your diabetes probably benefits your brain also. Properly managing blood sugar and other aspects of your health may reduce the odds of having a stroke, developing dementia, or developing other conditions that affect the brain.

When cholesterol readings come back less than desirable, there are a few natural ways to lower cholesterol levels. Several foods have been shown to have a healthy impact on cholesterol. Physical activity can also aid in cholesterol management. Finally, lifestyle adjustments, like quitting smoking and monitoring alcohol intake, can also impact cholesterol and overall heart health. These tactics can also help healthy diabetics stay healthy.

It is not reasonable to expect your doctor to do it all with a disease like diabetes. It is also not reasonable to expect you, the patient, to shoulder the rest of the burden.

Diabetes is a complicated illness that requires a lot from patients. Much of the burden can be shared with a diabetes educator.