On Monday, August 9th, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a ten-year study of over ten-thousand individuals that showed that waist circumference, even independent of body mass index (BMI), is directly correlated with higher rates of death. Now, this is hardly new news, but the study, covered as it was by the Washington Post,...

One of the fastest growing epidemics in America, and the world, doesn’t have enough health care providers (HCPS). Not even close. So how are we going to handle the flood of diabetes patients coming at our health care system like a tsunami? Close to 25 million Americans have diabetes, and amazingly, nearly 25 percent don’t...

The diabetic information superhighway has been trafficked lately by news of GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia, and the recent FDA declaration that the once-promising drug may be more dangerous than previously thought, and may substantially increase the risk of heart problems for patients. Concern about new drugs is hardly novel, but amidst...

Education has fallen so low as a health priority that it’s barely noticed when the lack of it causes devastating consequences, including death. What are health insurance companies thinking when they cover the cost of life-saving health equipment and deny the cost of learning how to use it? My friend, Pamela who has type 1 diabetes,...

Where I Left Off In the last installment of my symlin saga, I had found that Symlin, Amlyn Pharmaceutical‘s synthetic amylin, helped slow gastric emptying and reduce post-prandial spikes. I also found that Symlin had to be injected subcutaneously, either with the Symlin Pen or from a second pump, and that allegedly, Symlin and insulin...

Yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory panel assigned to the Avandia case recommended in a mixed vote that the product remain on the market despite concerns the type 2 diabetes drug poses a significant safety threat to patients: 12 voted that Avandia should be withdrawn; 10 voted that its sales should be restricted...

Last month I wrote about the rising impact of health social media. Even suggesting it may be making doctors irrelevant. While health care providers appear slow to realize this-and take advantage of social media–I know one pharmaceutical company that is not. Roche. I just returned from Roche’s second annual social media...

Part 2 of my reflections on the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions and the Roche Social Media Conference. Read Part 1. The Roche Social Media Conference* This may shock some of you– it is, after all, still shocking to me sometimes– but I don’t just exist on the internet; there is a live-in-the-flesh version...

Well, it was a whirlwind weekend indeed, and a fine introduction to the world of diabetes professionals and advocates. Though I have no prior year experience to compare to, I felt that both the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions and Roche Social Media Conference were well-organized and loads of productive fun. So, the short...

As I write this, I am on a plane to Orlando. Orlando, Florida! Yes, I know it will be humid. And, not, I’m not going to Disney World. But I’m incredibly excited anyway, because (1) I’ve never been to Florida, and (2) I’ll be attending the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions as well as (3) the Roche...