Weight Lifting Lowers Diabetes Risk

Everyone knows that exercise and healthy habits are the key to living a long and healthy life but now researchers are beginning to dig deeper into exactly what types of exercise are the most beneficial. This week a new study has confirmed that weight lifting can drastically reduce diabetes risk in women, regardless of other exercise habits. Basically according to the researchers, women who do at least one hour of weight training a week are significantly less likely to develop diabetes later in life.

This is great news for everyone because it has once again shown how much medicine and research have managed to advance towards prevention of various illnesses. Diabetes is a very real problem and now we know that just a little bit of exercise in the right areas can and does dramatically reduce the risk. At this point doctors are working closely with patients to try and determine what might be the most effective weight lifting but that won’t be known until future studies are released. For now doctors are very happy with the results and researchers are hopeful that they’ll be able to continue pinpointing highly effective exercise routines that can help everyone stay healthier.

This week the FDA officially approved a much anticipated diabetes drug that has been going through screening for quite some time. The drug was designed specifically as a type 2 diabetes treatment and according to the FDA it is now acceptable to sell to the public, which is absolutely great news for millions of diabetes sufferers. What makes Farxiga different from other medication is the way it works, rather than simply treating the issue, this new medication directly deals with the blood sugar generation system.

As a whole this is great news for anyone that suffers from type 2 diabetes. The drug has been proven to be successful, incredibly effective, and it is now going to be available to everyone. Doctors are very excited that Farxiga is now an approved medication and they’re likely to begin recommending it to a large number of patients in the very near future. Overall all type 2 diabetes patients are eligible to use the new drug and they might find that it is more effective and more affordable than current options, making it a big step forward. This is just another step forward in medicine that will likely be a big deal to millions of people around the world in the coming years.

This week the first official study of a new and innovative diabetes treatment was released and things are looking incredibly promising. The new diabetes treatment is being called a reverse vaccine because of the way it works and while it sounds crazy, doctors say it is wildly successful. Unlike a normal vaccine that strengthens a person’s immune system, this reverse vaccine actually attacks the immune system to try and prevent diabetes from taking over.

The treatment is specifically for Type 1 diabetes which is caused by misdirected attacks by the body’s immune system. Shutting down that specific part of a person’s immune system allows the pancreas to continue functioning as normal and essentially eliminating diabetes. This drug has been in development for years and this week marks the end of it’s first trial on humans, the result was a huge success. Doctors and experts agree that this is likely to be the biggest breakthrough in history in terms of type 1 diabetes. This is absolutely great news for millions of people around the world that suffer from it because this could finally be the key to essentially eliminating the disease from patients that are already suffering.

Jessie Frank is a mom who was having a really bad travel day, the kind where everything that could go wrong, did. That is until it didn’t anymore. In early June, she was on her way home to Atlanta. The busy mom was going to pick up her 12 year old daughter who had been attending diabetes camp. Unfortunately, fate stepped in and handed her a laundry list of mishaps, weather delays and a mechanical failure that ultimately landed her in Washington, D.C. instead of Atlanta.

Later, when her ordeal was over, Frank wrote an open letter to Delta CEO Richard Anderson which she posted to her own Facebook wall. In it she described the very “calm, kind, diligent [and] funny” efforts of the various Delta Air Lines staff she met along the way – all of whom tried to help her. But by 9:30 p.m. on that nightmarish travel day, Frank was certain she had missed the last flight to Atlanta and a chance to share a special experience at the camp with her daughter. Her daughter was at the camp because she has Type 1 Diabetes.

Jessie was the eighth name on a list of passengers waiting to fly standby on that final flight to Atlanta that night. The plane’s flight crew had managed to find seats for the first seven and things looked bleak. Surprisingly, she heard the gate agent call her name and she was hurried down the boarding bridge.

According to Jessie’s open letter, a familiar looking, ununiformed man was waiting at the doorway. He took her carry-on bag, shifted things in the overhead compartment and stowed the bag and then showed her to a seat.

It wasn’t until the plane was about to land that the flight attendant informed Frank and the other passengers that a special passenger had shared the flight with them, Delta CEO Richard Anderson. The harried mom later learned that Anderson was the one who had greeted her at the door and helped her to a seat. Anderson had given up his cabin seat and taken the cockpit jump seat so she could board the plane.

In Frank’s thank-you letter on her Facebook wall, she thanked Anderson for doing all he had done for an average, middle-aged mom. She credited his leadership and his actions as well as those of his employees with allowing her to get home in time to share that special day with her daughter.

The letter was popular and touching, it has been shared more than 1,750 times. While Delta Air Lines did confirm the event took place, they made no further public comment about it.

Weight Loss Surgery Cuts Diabetes Risk

This week a major medical study released shows just how effective a variety of weight loss surgeries are in regards to cutting down the risk for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is always a major risk for overweight individuals and simple weight loss surgery has now been shown to dramatically cut the disk.

The report shows that over a 15 year period patients that underwent weight loss surgery were 80% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes down the road. This is an absolutely amazing result and doctors say that it is absolutely connected. Weight in general is a direct contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes and having a surgery to remove or reduce extra fat is effective in limiting risk.

Doctors have not yet begun recommending weight loss surgery to patients that are at high risk for type 2 diabetes, but after a follow up study is available many analysts feel that it will likely become quite common. Weight loss surgery is much less complicated or expensive than dealing with type 2 diabetes for life and it is also significantly less risky in the long run. Overall it is great to see that there may be a good alternative method to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, obviously staying in shape and healthy is the first and foremost suggestion but this is a very good backup.

The fear of many sufferers of type 2 diabetes came true this weekend for Erin Bolefar. While out with her daughters, Kali Collins, 10, and 8 year-old twins Kaden and Kamryn, Bolefar had an episode that caused her to begin driving erratically.

Kali later told police her mom was not listening to her or her sisters. Bolefar had gone to Target and stopped at McDonald’s for ice cream and food when she began driving on the wrong side of the road and then going backwards. The car got a flat tire and Kali called her dad, Kevin Collins, for help. He told her to call 911 while he did the same.

Collins was frantic when he got the call at work from his daughter who said her mom was behind the wheel but not listening or stopping. Collins described knowing what it felt like to have your heart drop because his whole world was traveling in the out-of-control car. He called 911 but without the specific location of the vehicle, he couldn’t tell them very much.

Meanwhile, Kali dialed 911. Despite the hysteria she was feeling, she answered the dispatcher’s questioned when asked to describe were they were. Kali told them the car was near Bridgestone and Commerce City, CO police officer Brian Trujillo was dispatched to the scene.

According to spokesman Detective Christian Rasmussen of the Commerce City Police Department, Bolefar was not responding to Bolefar’s orders to stop the car. At one point, while the car was moving very slowly, Kali jumped out and yelled to the officer to let him know her mother was sick and then got back in the vehicle. Rasmussen was forced to open the driver’s door, reach over and forcibly stop the car since the driver was non-responsive.

Rasmussen said Kali was the hero in this situation because she did the right thing by calling 911 and telling them how to locate the vehicle. He also commended Officer Trujillo for following his training, acting quickly and bringing the situation under control.

The reasons for Bolefar’s episode are unclear. Kali told the 911 dispatcher that her mother had forgotten her medication that day. Other family members said she had forgotten to eat that day. Whatever the cause, she received medical treatment and was resting at home o Sunday.

As for Kali, she received a “Positive Ticket” from police. The year-old program rewards positive behavior of children. It can be redeemed for Ta variety of rewards at the Commerce City Recreation.

Pudding is an unlikely name for a cat, especially one as big as this one. The 21-pound feline charmed his way into the heart of Amy Jung with his orange furriness and laid-back style. The 36 year old Wisconsin resident was visiting the Door County Humane Society on February 8, with her son Ethan. The shelter has a no-kill policy and allows the cats to roam freely throughout the building. Jung and her son were just there to visit and pet the cats with no plans to adopt an animal.

Unexpectedly both Jung and Pudding felt an immediate connection. Even Carrie Counihan, the Executive Director of the shelter saw the connection. The cat just gravitated toward Jung. As a result Jung made one of those spur of the moment decisions everyone makes but in this case, the choice resulted in her life being saved.

Pudding stepped comfortably into his new home and displayed no signs of the skittishness so typical of cats in a new environment. Always calm, the friendly feline felt right at home.

Jung, who has been diabetic since the age of 4, went to bed at about 9:30 that evening. She began experiencing a diabetic seizure about 90 minutes later and Pudding came to the rescue. The hefty kitty sat on her chest and began to swat at her face and bite her nose. The commotion aroused Jung enough that she was able to call out for help.

Pudding, sensing she still needed help, went to Ethan’s room> When he jumped on the bed, Ethan was startled. Hearing his mom calling for help, Ethan was able to react quickly and get help for his mother.

Jung credits the cat with saving her life, saying if she hadn’t been awakened when she was, she wouldn’t have survived the seizure. Jung’s doctor told her that if much more time had passed without help, Jung could have gone into a diabetic coma and not recovered. Counihan is amazed by the cat’s instinctive actions.

Jung’s doctor suggested having Pudding registered as a therapy animal and Jung has taken his advice.

..“Her doctor said she could have gone into a coma and not come out of it if much more time had gone by,” Counihan said. “The fact that Pudding did what he did without knowing her that well is just amazing to me.” Since the scary Feb. 8 incident, Jung has followed her doctor’s advice to have Pudding registered as a therapy animal.

Pudding has had several owners and been a resident of the shelter more than once. He was first surrendered as a kitten, known as Starbuck, because his first owner’s son was allergic to cats. A woman adopted him and gave him the moniker of Pudding. When she passed away in January, 8-1/2 year old Pudding and his 3 year old housemate Wimsy were turned over to the shelter. It was almost a month later when Jung adopted Pudding. She has since adopted Wimsy as well so the two didn’t have to be separated.

Stem Cells Treat Diabetes

Endometrial Cells or reproductive cells may one day provide a treatment for Women who have Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes is the condition that occurs when the pancreas does not produce or produce enough of the hormone insulin. In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s natural immune system recognizes beta cells as invaders. The immune system then attacks the beta cells until the beta cells are completely destroyed. The resulting insufficiency of insulin causes many endocrine disorders. The hormone insulin performs a series of necessary functions in the body and the lack can affect the growth in adolescents and cognitive ability found in the patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The primary function of insulin is having a key role in the metabolic process. Insulin is the catalyst allowing glucose to be used as fuel by the cells.

Researchers at Yale University have taken stems cells from the lining of the uterus and converted them into beta cells. These cells are the type of cells that produce insulin. Insulin producing cells or beta cells are found in the
pancreas and are highly specialized in nature. Stem cells are the body’s master cells. Master cells are the base cell type that makes up the cellular structure o f our entire body. Stem cells, given the correct stimulation and enviornment can become any type of cell in the body. Endometrial stem cells have been taken and converted into the beta cells of the pancreas. The newly created cells have been transplanted into mice that have been engineered to have Type 1 diabetes.

Currently, the transplanted cells do not cure the disease. While the endometrial cells can be grown into beta cells, the chemical process that makes sufficient insulin is missing. Blood sugar levels in mice treated with the newly created beta cells remained elevated which indicated that insufficient insulin was being produced. The challenge for scientists today is to figure out how to get the newly-created beta cells to produce more insulin.
Women suffering from Type 1 diabetes would benefit from this variation of stem cell treatment when the technique has been perfected.

Another noteworthy development of using endometrial cells as replacements for beta cells is the potential to not need immunosuppressive drugs. Immunosuppressive drugs are used to prevent the body from rejecting artificial organs or tissue that is not the body’s own. Long term usage of these drugs can have side effects of weight gain, increased susceptibility to disease and others so the potential to circumvent the need for these drugs by using stem cells is promising.

Ford Implementing In-Car Health System

This week Ford Motor Company announced some upcoming projects that they are working on which will essentially give Ford vehicles the ability actively monitor and track the driver’s health. At this time the program is only in the initial development stages but the idea of real time health monitoring in a car is a very promising idea according to many medical experts.

To begin with Ford is planning to implement two basic features; a diabetes monitoring system as well as an asthma monitoring system. Using Ford’s already popular Sync system the health system Ford is designing will be able to continuously keep track of your health and in turn give you updates and suggestions; the reports could also be printed in order to give them to a doctor for further analysis.

At this time Ford hasn’t really released any details on how the health monitoring program will work; though they say it will most likely be using already available health monitors that are simply added to the vehicle.

Overall analysts think this could be a step in the right direction when it comes to active health monitoring though it depends entirely on how the systems are implemented. The hope is that Ford will create an efficient air quality monitoring system which will also report pollen and other allergens to the driver. At this time it is unknown when the health systems may be available in Ford vehicles though Ford is expected to keep the public updated as the program moves forward.