Here is an excerpt from Diabetes.co.uk

A new partnership between type 1 diabetes research organisation the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and InnoCentive, Inc, a leader in open innovation and crowdsourcing, has announced a USD100,000 challenge for the development of insulin drug treatment.

The challenge is focused on producing new ideas for glucose-responsive insulin drugs, to help treat insulin-dependent diabetes patients and improve the quality of their life. The partnership hope to produce a breakthrough in the search for an innovative and transformative insulin drug that would improve the management of glucose levels and lower or get rid of having to test blood glucose levels, as well as reducing the risk of diabetic complications.

Read more about this partnership

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Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Immunobiology Laboratory announce findings from a phase I clinical trial that shows the generic drug BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guerin) transiently reversed type 1 diabetes in humans. Ph ase 2 trials are now underway,

as at 27th June 2011.

Researchers say BCG vaccine was able to reverse type 1 diabetes by boosting tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which eliminates abnormal white blood cells responsible for type1 diabetes. The effect was seen in mice and in humans.

Physical activity is critical in the management of Diabetes.

The general recommendation is to exercise 3-5 times per week. If you are not physically active, here are some recommendations:

• Take the stairs not the lift or escalator.
• Stand whilst talking on the phone.
• Rather than emailing or phoning a friend or colleague, walk to their home or office.
• Take a walk at lunchtime.
• Park your car at the far end of the car park, or get off the bus one stop earlier.
• Find a walking partner and walk for at least 30 minutes a day.

Start slowly, build up gradually, make it enjoyable so that you will continue and make exercise part of your daily life.

**Before beginning an exercise programme, discuss with your GP or Practice Nurse the limitations or precautions you should take.

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Research seems to prove it – laughter is good for you.

Dr Al Sears is here again, with jokes and reports on various experiences of what laughter can do for you health wise. And Diabetes can benefit from this remedy as well as other health problems. Read his report, if only to learn some good jokes!

Do you want to hear the funniest joke in the world?

If you do searches for the “funniest joke in the world,” this is the most common winner for U.S. audiences…

A couple of hunters are out in the woods when one of them grabs his chest, falls to the ground, and then lies there motionless.

The other hunter calls 911. “My friend won’t get up, and I think he’s dead! What should I do?”

The operator, in a calm, soothing voice, says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, you have to make sure he’s dead.”

There’s a silence… then the operator hears two shots.

The hunter’s voice comes back on the line. “Okay, what do I do next?”

Now… I know jokes that I think are a lot funnier, but they’re a little too risqué to put in your letter. But here’s the point… Did you laugh? If you did, you may have just increased your lifespan.

I read about a Norwegian study that says adults who see humor in life are 35% more likely to live longer than those who don’t see humor in life.1 Not a single pharmaceutical can make the same claim.

In another study with cancer patients, those who kept a happy and positive outlook were much more likely to survive.2

One insight I draw from this is that you and I are naturally made to appreciate humor as a stress reliever. But in the modern world, we encounter different types of stressors. And this can affect our quality and even length of life.

In some important ways, our ancient ancestors lived much healthier lifestyles than we do today. This is partly due to the lack of modern and unnatural stress in their lives.

Now, I’m not saying that they were stress-free by any means. They had the stress of fighting for their dinner, finding shelter, and protecting themselves from predators. Now as brutal as those types of stressors are, we were built to handle them and get over them.

But it’s completely different now. Modern-day people are constantly moving. It’s always hurry, hurry! This makes it easy to forget the pleasurable things in life. Things like social intimacy, family, friends, and most of all fun – which are, when you stop and think about it, the really important things for happiness.

Think about this. You know that stress can make a condition worse. So is it such a leap to believe that laughter can make a condition better?

I found a fascinating case where it did. The American Physiological Society published the story of Norman Cousins. He was diagnosed with an “incurable” autoimmune disease. Yet Norman believed that laughter could help improve his situation. So he watched funny shows on a regular basis to test his theory. “Funny” enough, his “incurable” disease went into complete remission.3

After reading the study on Cousins, I dug deeper to see what else I could learn on this theory. One of the most interesting studies I came upon was on diabetics. Twenty high-risk diabetics were broken into two groups – control and laughter. After 12 months, research showed multiple “significant improvements” in the health of the laughter group over the control group.4

So, let’s take a minute and slow down… see the humor in everyday life… watch a funny movie… visit a comedy club. You’ll probably have a great time. And… you may live longer, too.

Okay, here’s one more for you:

Sherlock Holmes and Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they go to sleep. Later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.

“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes.”

“And what do you deduce from that?”

Watson ponders for a minute.

“Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. What does it tell you, Holmes?”

Holmes immediately replies. “Watson, you’re missing the point.”

“Someone has stolen our tent!”

To Your Good Health,

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Some important information straight from Al Sears, MD:-

Here’s another example of conventional medicine getting it all wrong…

The ACCORD study took 10,000 diabetic patients and monitored their risks of heart attack, stroke, and death.

Patients who had lowered their blood sugar levels the most were at higher risk for death. In fact, the study was stopped short. As blood sugar levels dropped, more patients were having heart attacks or dying.1

This goes against what most doctors – including the American Diabetes Association – tell us is the best way to treat diabetes.

That’s because they’re focused on the symptoms and not the cause.

High blood sugar is just a symptom of diabetes. The true cause is spiked insulin levels. This is a result of insulin resistance.

The best way to treat diabetes is to improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin.

The best way to do that is through your diet. Here are four simple tips you can follow:

1. Eliminate heavily processed foods. This means any kind of junk food, including fried and sugary foods. They help fuel diabetes and keep it alive. Practically all of these foods are high-glycemic. Meaning they spike your blood sugar and, as a result, your insulin levels. Also, if it’s packaged and comes in a box or bag, chances are it’s not good for you. This kind of food has multiple ingredients, including hydrogenated oils (trans fats) to give it a long shelf life.

2. Eat more protein. Your focus should be on eating foods that have one, maybe two ingredients. That means getting the bulk of your calories from protein. Good sources are grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, organ meats, and wild-caught fish.

3. Eat healthy fats. Make sure to get healthy fats in your diet too. Great sources are wild-caught salmon, olive oil, almonds, avocados, and egg yolks.

4. Get plenty of fruits and veggies. The majority – if not all your carbs – should come from fruits and vegetables. Eat fruits with the skin intact, as it provides a good source of fiber. Stay clear of starches, grains, and any other kind of carb that’s been heavily processed.

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Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? Ah, you have to sacrifice sugar, means no more desserts, well not to worry any more, we are going to give you a perfect solution.  Diabetic Desserts will give you what you want even having been diagnosed as diabetic.

Diabetes information can be found on many web sites, books from your local library, speaking with your personal physician and requesting information pamphlets and consulting your pharmacist for more information and on latest medical studies.

Yes it is difficult to overlook all those chocolate mousse, parfaits, luscious cakes , or the hot chocolate, but you can still find a way to indulge you sweet tooth even being a diabetic, isn’t it a great idea? I am sure you are very happy to know you have found a way, and this is a perfect solution. You can try diabetes friendly desserts and this way you will be able to protect yourself from effects of glucose and intolerance.

No-sugar hot chocolate with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
A low-calorie parfait made of sugar-free pudding alternately layered with sugar-free whipped topping
Sugar-free gelatin made with fresh fruit or canned fruit packed in extra light syrup.

These are some options you can try with confidence, and there are many more additional ones.

Having diabetes doesn’t have to mean giving up desserts; it just means finding an alternative solution for your diet. You do not have to deny your desire for desserts such as cakes, brownies, pies or any other sweet tooth craving.  Many recipes can be adjusted accordingly to a diabetic diet that is both delicious and healthy.

Diabetes information is important to be aware of as this disease can lead to coronary heart disease, complications in eyesight, kidney disease and neuropathy.  It is important to be aware of these symptoms:  blurred vision, tiredness, and frequent urinations, infections that occur frequently and are slow to heal, continued feeling of thirst, numbness and tingling in extremities.

So one can acquire the correct information of diabetes and implement it into their daily life and live without feeling they are denying themselves the little enjoyments.

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Why is it that in India virtually nobody suffers from Type 2 diabetes

?

A best place to buy propecia online question still to be answered – can anyone make a contribution here?

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To those who know they are diabetic

It is important to manage diabetes properly and consistently.

Without proper management the following complications can occur:

• Increased risk of developing coronary heart disease
• Diabetic foot problems, or neuropathy – this is the most common reason for hospital admission
• Diabetic retinopathy leading to possible blindness
• Kidney disease – a major cause of kidney failure

Clinical studies have shown that tight blood glucose control can significantly reduce the risk of developing potentially life-threatening complications.

For those who are concerned

Ask your doctor for a  blood glucose test TODAY if you have any of the following symptons:

• Blurred vision
• Frequent urination
• Extreme tiredness
• Frequent infection
• Greatly increased thirst
• Substantial weight gain/loss
• Gential itching
• Numbness or tingling in hands or feet

This advice is given by Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, www.drwf.org.uk

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There are various risk factors to be aware of when considering the possible onset of diabetes, or pre-diabetes.

The three main factors are being overweight, being over the age of 40 and having a history of diabetes in the family.

Recent studies have added another factor to this list. This is the lack of sufficient sleep.

The studies found that the lack of sleep during the working week could increase the likelihood of developing an abnormality linked to Type 2 diabetes by up to five times.

The recommended time for sleeping each night is seven hours, but many people are sleeping less than 6 hours. The study found that those sleeping less than 6 hours a night were 4.56 times more likely to develop the abnormality, known as ‘impaired fasting glucose’, compared to those sleeping 6 to 8 hours.

It is accepted that sleep duration is less significant than the three main factors; but, along with being overweight, is one factor which we have some control over.

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There are genuine prospects for a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Tests using mice have indicated the possibility that a BCG vaccine, which is normally used to prevent Tuberculosis, might provide the answer.

The drug works by destroying abnormal blood cells in the pancreas which obstruct the production of insulin.

In the mouse study, mice suffering from diabetes and with about two weeks to live were completely cured.

Human clinical trials are about to start in Massachusetts General hospital in Boston, America. There could be useful feedback within just a few months.

Trials are also to take place at Kings College, London and Bristol University.

BCG is a drug for which there is extensive knowledge since it has been tried and tested for over 80 years.

This means that any future treatment could be quite cheap.

There are suggestions that a cure may be available within 4 years, although care will be needed because of the risk of an immune reaction. 

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