Diabetes Cure – Is a mechanical Pancreas the answer?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a person with Type 1 Diabetes would not have to deal with constant insulin injections, keep a diary on their glucose levels and have a complete diabetic kit with them at all times or have a drop in blood sugar levels at inconvenient places and times or worse – when they are alone?  There is very promising research on the Mechanical Pancreas Project which could make this a reality.

The project, the Artificial Pancreas started in 2006 and could be ready to be marketed in just a few short years.

This amazing device would be able to automatically monitor blood sugar levels and would be equipped with an insulin pump and a computerized algorithm that would administer insulin when blood sugar drops below a normal level.

Gone would be the days that a person with Type 1 Diabetes would have to continuously stick themselves with needles to monitor their blood sugar levels and deal with episodes of hypoglycemia and disorientation when their sugar level drops too low.

Up to this point, research has been positive and the ultimate goal is to be able to create a closed, continuous system that would indicate low blood sugar and the pump within the device would calculate and automatically dispense the necessary insulin in the body.  This calculation is not precise (as of this date) and is based on a persons’ glucose level; their level of activity and whether their body is fighting some sort of infection (like a cold or flu).  This calculation must be precise and is the current focal point of this exciting new research.

This device is targeted mostly for when Type 1 diabetic patients are sleeping, as more often than not, blood sugar drops severely during the overnight hours.  They can easily pass out if they are not aware that their sugar level has dropped dangerously low.

Please understand that no machine has been created that is perfect and when the Artificial Pancreas becomes a reality for people who suffer from Type 1 Diabetes; they will not be able to ignore the fact that they must remain educated on how to totally care for their diabetes (including knowing their blood sugar numbers and what to do in an emergency).  Even to just confirm that the machine is working properly.

In short, the artificial pancreas will perform the function that the body’s original pancreas of a Type 1 diabetic person, was supposed performs properly.

It seems inconceivable that patients with Diabetes can totally eliminate the need for several insulin shots a day!  But a “super” insulin shot is the new breakthrough technology of today.

This exciting news was developed in New Delhi at the (NII) National Immunology Institute.  The Supramolecular Insulin Assembly II (also known as “SIA-II”) has the ability to control glucose levels (in the intense research that has been conducted on lab animals) for three months with a single injection.  Just for a comparison, the longest acting insulin injection available on the current market is effective for only to eighteen hours.

Protein folding is the unique process that is the basis of this extra-long lasting insulin injection. Human and bovine insulin is manipulated or “misfolded” to a form a new “supramolecule” which provides protection to the body as the drug is released very slowly over a long period of time.  The drug is administered in a non-active form and becomes active only after being administered (this is known to increase the absorption, distribution and metabolization faster than drugs that are pre-active before entering the body).

Still in clinical trials and research that has only been performed on lab rats; this amazing new drug has been patented, commercialized and licensed to a Connecticut, United States based, pharmaceutical company called Life Science.  Extended Delivery Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Life Science) will be conducting the continuing, ongoing clinical trials of this new medication for diabetic patients.

In the lab studies conducted on rats, the researchers were thrilled to observe that compared to several regular insulin shots a day, one shot of this new medication every three months sustained the blood sugar levels in the animals.  Human testing is scheduled to begin shortly and positive results are expected.

India, where over 50 million people that have diabetics live, pays an average of one-fourth of their total income to cover the cost of their diabetic medications they are currently using.

Although it is not a cure for the diabetes disease, the goal of Supramolecular Insulin Assembly II is to reduce the mental and financial burden of those who have to deal with diabetes by using super insulin.

Having to deal with Diabetes can be challenging; but having to deal with diabetes discrimination is unacceptable.  There are policies and laws in place that are unfair to those afflicted with diabetes and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) works hard to get these polices changed.  They follow these steps to end discrimination in schools and the workplace: educate, negotiate, litigate, and legislate.

Discrimination, in general, is usually based on ignorance (or lack of education).  Diabetes is not a visible disability and in turn many people do not know about the treatment required.

Children can be cruel and for children that have a disability or medical issue, discrimination can run rampant and also getting the proper care from the school system can be difficult at times.   As a parent, know the laws that are available to protect your child. It is important that a child wear a shoe tag, necklace or bracelet indicating they have diabetes.  Provide a care plan for teachers and caregivers of your child, so they have a clear understanding of what diabetes is, what to expect and how to react.

In addition, before the school year starts, meet with the school administrator and/or principal to find out their policies regarding diabetic students and schedule a meeting with each of your child’s teachers.  During these meetings, explain that your child has diabetes and provide them with written information about the disease (the ADA will provide you with informative pamphlets).  Explain that your child must have something to eat at specific times and provide the teachers and/or nurse with extra high sugar snacks in case of emergency.

Educate yourself on what constitutes discrimination in the workplace; an employer is required to make “reasonable” accommodations for people with diabetes and they would include, but not limited to:

1. Breaks to have a snack take medication and/or check blood sugar readings.
2. Resources to keep food and supplies nearby.
3. Inject insulin at work (or a private area is provided).
4. Leave the office for recuperation, treatment, training or anything related to diabetes
5. Providing a large computer screen for people with retinopathy (a vision deterioration directly caused by diabetes).

There are times that only legal action will end discrimination in your school system, workplace, public areas, and correction facilities.  The first step would be to filing a formal charge of discrimination with the proper government branch agency.  For example; file with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) or your local anti-discrimination agency if you work for a private company.  If you work for the government, file your complaint with the Internal Equal Employment Opportunity Office within the agency that the discrimination has occurred.  Do not delay, as the window of opportunity is very small.  If these agencies do not resolve your issue to your satisfaction, a lawsuit can be filed.

If you feel that you are being discriminated against, by police officials, at schools, workplace or correctional facilities, the American Diabetes Association is the first place to seek assistance.  They will provide up to date information, support and legal assistance for diabetes discrimination.

Diabetes Clinical Trials are crucial to the development of new, cutting-edge drugs and therapies.  Clinical trials must be conducted to view any side effects and to gauge the positive effectiveness of any new drug and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not approve any drugs that have not gone through these carefully conducted programs.

Stages of clinical research trials involves four basic phases, each designed to gain valuable information about the specific drug being studied:

Phase One: involves a small number of human volunteers and this stage is to determine the best dose for patients and to take note of any side effects.  This stage possesses the highest risk for participants.

Phase Two: Once the drug is proven to be safe with no major side effects; it moves on to this stage which involves a large number of volunteers to see how well the treatment or drug works.

Phase Three: Randomly, in this phase, the new drug will be compared to treatments that are already on the market.  This stage can use thousands of volunteers; and will pose less of a risk than phase one.

Phase Four: This phase is conducted after the FDA has approved the treatment and it is now on the market for the general public.  This stage of study is designed to find alternative uses for current therapies and also to look for any added side effects that were not observed in the previous phases.

Why would someone take part in a clinical trial?

There are a variety of reasons that people would take part in this type of research; one of which is that some patients are not responding well to standard or current drug therapies and they are looking for new, up to the minute treatments.  While others just want to help the science of useful medicine move along and help researchers and doctors find an alternative method of treatments and possibly moving in the direction of making diabetes a disease of the past.

All participants are closely monitored through testing and exams to insure their safety.

Because these are drugs and treatments that are still in the “testing” stage; it is important to know how you will be protected if you choose to be involved

Clinical research is focused on two things; one being the focus of the study and producing accurate results and the other is maintaining the well-being and health of those participants. There are strict principles and guidelines to follow (both scientifically and ethically).

A protocol is drawn up, usually by the study doctor, which outlines exactly what will be done during the study.  This written protocol is reviewed and must be approved by those sponsoring the study and also by the Institutional Review Board, whose job is the make sure that study participants are not exposed to unreasonable risks.

There are new types of developments for patients with type 1 and type 2 Diabetes; such as gene therapy, islet transplants (a possible cure for Type 1 Diabetes), and inhaled insulin.Current research is also focused on who is at risk, preventing type 2 diabetes and to predict the onset of this disease.  Continuous glucose monitors are currently available; but researchers are envisioning a product the will combine these special glucose monitors with an insulin pump.

But before these new types of treatments can be made available to diabetes patients and to improve their quality of life; they must be rigorously and formally tested through Diabetes Clinical trials.

If you are a person that has just been diagnosed with diabetes, a pregnant woman informed that she has gestational diabetes, someone that has type 1 diabetes and has had it all of their lives or has a loved one or friend that has the disease, you will want to know what diabetes resources that you can turn to for any potential question, problem or complication that might arise.

With the national cost of diabetes exceeding $174 billion in 2007, which includes $116 billion in excess medical expenditures, as well as $58 billion in reduced productivity on the national level, you can imagine that there are quite a few resources available for those suffering from the disease and their loved ones.

Diabetes Resources – Where to Start

The number of government and public agencies or associations dedicated to diabetes is very impressive. There is the American Diabetes Association, The National Diabetes Education Program (which is a Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources and is a partnership of the Centers of Disease Control.

The National Institutes of Health and more than 200 private and public organizations) and the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control) Division of Diabetes just to name a few.

The mission of all of these agencies is to provide valuable information for those already diagnosed with diabetes and those that have just been diagnosed.

To give you an example of what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has on its web and how all inclusive and how varied the topics are from March 14, 2012 page and reads as follows:

• 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet
• Diabetes and Disasters
• Diabetes and the Flu: What you need to know and do
• Chronic Kidney Disease Imitative
• Prevent Diabetes: A Workplace Obesity Prevention Program
• These are just a few of the topics that are covered on the CDC site alone.

Diabetes Resources – Where to Find The Answers

The American Diabetes Association website is a site that is primarily used for those that advocate the betterment of those with diabetes, some of the resources that they provide for those who wish to become more active in the fight against diabetes or those who wish to know how the fight is going and where it goes next:

• Messaging Tools
• Recruiting and Engaging Advocates
• Local Market Planning Tools
• Advocacy Handouts
• Training
• 2012 Community Presentation
• These are also just a few of the examples of the resources that are available for those with diabetes or have a relative that is suffering from the disease.

As you can see the amount of diabetes resources are out there in a huge volume, whether on a daily, weekly or a monthly basis, if you are looking for diabetic resources it is certainly out there.

Thankfully, chromium picolinate diabetes is not a disease, but chromium picolinate has a huge positive effect on diabetes.  First let us break down what chromium picolinate is, and how it affects our bodies.

What is Chromium Picolinate Diabetes?

Chromium picolinate is a combination of chromium (a mineral that assists in enhancing the proper function of insulin in our bodies) and picolinate (a type of amino acid).  This combination of chemicals helps to eliminate acne, lower cholesterol, assists in weight loss and controls the glucose levels in our bodies.

A lack of the mineral chromium in our bodies can be dangerous and lead to depression, obesity, infertility, peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and heart disease.  Also observed is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels) in people that are deficient in chromium.

Foods that are rich in chromium picolinate are a very important part of your daily diet.  These foods include: Whole Grains (not refined, as this strips all the valuable nutrients that your body requires).

Examples of whole grains rich in chromium picolinate include: bran, oats, brown rice, wheat germ, corn and amaranth.

Fruits and vegetables that provide a good source of natural chromium picolinate to our bodies include: grapes, bananas, oranges, green beans and broccoli.

Just 3 ounces of lean beef or turkey breast is a perfect daily amount to consume to get 2 mcg of chromium.

Due to a few negative side effects, do not over consume these foods.  When chromium picolinate is taken in doses 50 to 200 mcg; there have been no reported side effects.

As of yet, the medical community has not arrived at the maximum dosage; but it has been noted that people that consume 1200 mcg or more of chromium picolinate daily have suffered from kidney issues.

Symptoms Chromium Picolinate Diabetes – overdose.

Other symptoms of chromium picolinate overdose could include skin rash, internal bleeding, anemia, damage to the liver and disturbances in normal sleep patterns.

Chromium picolinate helps our body’s become more effective in this manner; picolinate assists the body in the use of chromium to its full potential.  Without chromium, insulin has a very difficult time transporting glucose to the cells, where it is needed the most.

When glucose cannot get to the cells, it builds up in the bloodstream; quickly leading to diabetic symptoms.

So in essence, a proper dose of chromium picolinate (whether by natural foods or supplements) can significantly reduce insulin resistance in patients.

An added benefit to this chemical is that it helps prevents obesity by controlling the levels of blood lipids and it naturally reduces cravings for sweets.  Less refined sugar equals more body weight loss and a healthier overall functioning body system.

As always, ensure that you talk to your own medical adviser to discuss your symptoms and treatments, do not try to treat yourself without discussing with your doctor first.

We hope that we have now made you aware of chromium picolinate diabetes and how it can effect on your diabetes and pre-diabetic symptoms.

Type 1 Diabetes is in the news this week as a promising study in New York, NY by Columbia researchers have stumbled across finding that cells int he patient’s intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, stopping the need for a stem cell transplant.

Up until now stem cell transplants have seen to be the only way to replace cells lost in type 1 diabetes  this new research if successful in the trials will be a way to free the patient from having to inject daily.

Type 1 Diabetes looks promising:

At this stage as with all new research in its infancy stages the research was recently conducted on mice and findings published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.

The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.  Drs. Talchai and Accili says–

“our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our paediatric and adult patients.”  “Nobody would have predicted this result,” Dr. Accili adds.

“Many things culled have happened after we knocked out Foxo1.  In the pancreas, when we knock out Foxo1, nothing happens.  So why does something happen in the gut?  Why don’t we get a cell that produces some other hormone?  We don’t yet know.”

As stated the research is in the early stages with more questions than answers still not found but insulin-producing cells in the gut would be hazardous if they did not release insulin in response to blood glucose levels. But the researchers say that the new intestinal cells have glucose-sensing receptors and do exactly that.

Certainly the researchers know that they are working in the right direction especially since the insulin made by the gut cells also was released into the bloodstream, worked as well as normal insulin, and was made in sufficient quantity to nearly normalize blood glucose levels in otherwise diabetic mice, this was the break through that they wanted.

“All these findings make us think that coaxing a patient’s gut to make insulin-producing cells would be a better way to treat diabetes than therapies based on embryonic or iPS stem cells,” Dr. Accili says. The location of the cells in the gut may also prevent the diabetes from destroying the new insulin-producing cells, since the gastrointestinal tract is partly protected from attack by the immune system.

Type 1 Diabetes Research – Next Steps

The key to turning the finding into a viable therapy, Dr. Accili says, will be to find a drug that has the same effect on the gastrointestinal progenitor cells in people as knocking out the Foxo1 gene does in mice. That should be possible, he says, since the researchers found that they could also create insulin-producing cells from progenitor cells by inhibiting Foxo1 with a chemical.

“It’s important to realize that a new treatment for type I diabetes needs to be just as safe as, and more effective than, insulin,” Dr. Accili says. “We can’t test treatments that are risky just to remove the burden of daily injections. Insulin is not simple or perfect, but it works and it is safe.”

Even though this is music to anyone that has type 1 diabetes and it is a positive step in the right direction it will still take many years before that you can pack away your daily insulin injections forever.

When it comes to managing diabetes, the first thing that you are going to have to learn is that this is going to involve changes in your everyday life. Your main objective is that you keep your glucose or blood sugar level under control.

This might seem hard and right away you might think that you are going to have to drastically change your way of life, but once you understand and educate yourself, you will see that you will not only feel better, you will also live a healthier and longer life.

Besides closing monitoring your blood sugar levels; your basic diabetes management would also include, exercising on a daily basis, eating healthy. To further manage your diabetes, maintaining a diabetic journal and depending on the type of diabetes that you might have, taking of oral medications or insulin injections as directed.

Managing Diabetes can be broken down into steps:

• Diligent monitoring of blood sugar levels
• Proper dosing and management of insulin
• Developing a healthy nutritional plan, taking into account how certain foods will have different effects on your blood sugar levels, and using this as the basis for nutritional solid daily meal plans
• Implementing an exercise regimen that, over a short period of time, will help your blood sugar level stay within a healthy range and also will help to keep your weight at your recommended level
• This may or may not seem important at first, but emotional support can play an important role in your diabetic care. You will come to realize that you are not the only one, ‘counting carbs’ (carbohydrates), testing blood sugar levels and handling the emotional and physical highs and lows associated with diabetes.Knowing that there are people available you can talk to will have a tremendous impact on how you deal with diabetes, as is the support of your family and your friends in assisting you in dealing with diabetes in the long-term.

Managing Diabetes – Type 2 & Gestational

When it comes to the proper management of type 2 diabetes, one of the first things that you must understand is that this is a chronic disease, in other words you have it for life and as of now there is no cure, but there are simple ways you can manage it as there are with type 1 diabetes.

When you are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, medication may not be required and just following a healthy nutritional plan and implementing an exercise regimen that is designed just for you.

As with type 1 diabetes, family, friends and support groups will play an important role in how you manage your type 2 diabetes. As stated, with diabetes you will have both emotional and physical highs, so this support can be very important.

Gestational diabetes occurs in less than 10% of pregnant mothers. This diabetes is a result of hormonal changes that occur in a woman’s body during pregnancy and the rapid weight gain.

You factor these in together and it shows that the body becomes slow to respond to insulin. In most instances gestational diabetes will occur later on in the pregnancy, because the mother’s insulin levels are unable to control blood glucose levels.

Since there is no treatment that is effective for gestational diabetes, the main objective is to control the blood glucose levels to prevent any complications. As with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a healthy nutritional plan and an exercise regimen geared towards a pregnant woman should be followed as a management plan.

However, the healthy nutritional plan for a pregnant woman will be different in that this diet must include enough energy for both mother and child. The mother’s weight gain must be slow and controlled, along with constant fetal monitoring.

Managing diabetes can be accomplished, if you follow the proper steps of blood sugar monitoring, a healthy nutritional diet, an exercise regimen and utilize support from family, friends and outside groups.

There are two different types of diabetes in dogs; diabetes mellitus, which means the dog’s endocrine glands are malfunctioning (also known as insulin deficient) and diabetes inspidus which means there is not enough vasopressin (vasopressin is an important hormone that controls the kidney’s ability to absorb water properly).

Dog diabetes is more common than you might think, on average; one in every 500 dogs will suffer with symptoms of diabetes.  For the most part, canine diabetes is hereditary; but older and/or obese dogs are also prone to contract this disease.  There are specific breeds of dogs that will be more susceptible to developing diabetes.  They would include the Dachshunds, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels and Beagles.

Diabetic symptoms in dogs are very similar to how they manifest in humans: increased thirst, excessive urination and unexplained weight loss or gain.  The strange thing about diabetes in dogs is that in some cases, no symptoms will be exhibited at all.  This is why it is very important to take your dog for regular blood work and full exams with your veterinarian, so that any potential disease can be diagnosed    and treated during the early stages of development.

A change in diet is the first step toward treating diabetes in dogs.  Under a veterinarians’ supervision, a low carbohydrate and high protein diet will most likely be recommended.  A diet high in fiber rich foods is also recommended, because fiber helps the digestive system and also absorbs carbohydrates more efficiently.  Since most commercial dog foods are usually high in fat and carbohydrates, you will have better control on your dog’s meals if you prepare them yourself.

A prescription drug that is the only one currently approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration of the United States) is Vetsulin to treat either mellitus diabetes or type II diabetes in canines.

In addition to a closely monitored change in diet and any prescriptions that your vet might prescribe; adding some natural herbs and therapies may go a long way in relieving some your pup’s diabetic symptoms.

Some natural remedies include:

BEJAK: an herb proven to be effective in addressing issues of abnormal urination (a common symptom of diabetes).

APPLE CIDAR VINEGAR: just a drop or two added to your dog’s water bowl will give prescription medications an extra boost.

KARELA: this herb has the ability to improve how food is absorbed in the stomach.

GURMAR or GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE: stimulates the pancreas to assist in the production of insulin.

GRAPEFRUIT: is very helpful in maintaining a healthy weight.  If your dog is gaining weight, due to diabetic symptoms, add a bit of grapefruit juice to their daily water bowl.

With attention to your dog’s needs and proper care, diabetes in dogs can be controlled.

Abbott Diabetes Care has its main facility in Alameda, California, USA.  This company being a global, broad-based health care company is totally devoted to the development, manufacturing and marketing of medical and pharmaceutical products.

These include diagnostics and devices for faster and easier results in monitoring blood glucose levels.  Abbott Diabetes Care develops designs and manufactures some of the top leading systems for monitoring blood sugar levels with the coordinating test strips that are used in hospitals and your home.  Some brand names include: Freestyle Freedom Lite, Freestyle Navigator and Precision Xtra systems.

Abbott Diabetes Care – one stop shop for Diabetics

In addition to creating, marketing and selling these lifesaving products; Abbott Diabetes Care puts a lot of time and energy into diabetes education and teaches people to live healthy, active lives through everyday choices.

As a leader in health care development, they take their responsibility very seriously and rejoice in the unique opportunity to ensure that all people (whether underprivileged, poor or natural disaster victims) are cared for.

They are determined and dedicated to touch the lives of those in need through social programs and creative means.  Currently, there are over 130 countries that benefit from the products marketed by the Abbott diabetes care company.

Abbott Diabetes Care prides itself on providing a working environment that allows employees to succeed with ease.  As a company, they have received numerous awards and distinctions (locally, nationally and internationally) for having and maintaining happy employees and providing excellent working conditions which include wellness programs, top notch health care, and long-term benefits for retirement.

Abbott Diabetes Care -company’s states it’s objectives as the following:

•  We believe that the diversity in our technology, people and products inspires the development of new ideas to the ever changing health care needs of the public.
• We demand exceptional performance from all Abbott employees because our work and commitment directly affects the daily lives of you and me.
• We are based on honesty, integrity and fairness (personally and corporately) and are committed to provide the highest standard of quality to those we serve.
• We stay focused and remain successfully because we stay on track of our goal which is providing top quality care and a deep desire to make a significant and positive difference for those we serve.
• We exist for people to more easily pursuit healthy and productive lives that deal with diabetes.

The Company Credo is as follows, “Promise for Life”, which tells everyone what we value, what our beliefs are and what we strive for in our day to day workings.

The “PROMISE” of all Abbott employees is their guide into making decisions that best serve the community and to continue to live up to the high standards and expectations we have set for ourselves and it also challenges and inspires us to always reach higher.

Abbott Diabetes Care can be reached by either calling or writing to them on their website.