Archive for June, 2007
Lead singer of “poison” describes life with diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, ChildhoodWow. I love the Internet. All you wanted to know – and then some! – about rocker Bret Michaels and his experiences with Type 1 diabetes can be found at DiabetesHealth. No, wait! Don’t leave. I swear, this is really quite interesting reading.Michaels (44) is the longtime vocalist with the campy hair metal band “Poison,” most famous for the weepy 1988 power ballad “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” Don’t laugh. The guy has sold 25 million albums. Anyway, about the diabetes: Michaels was diagnosed with the condition at age six. The early diagnosis, Michaels says, was a blessing in disguise in that he grew up accepting it as part and parcel of everyday life. He remembers going to insulin shock at least four times as a child, and recalls one incident when his father, afraid Michaels was having a seizure, tried to force his mouth open and Michaels bit down so hard he nearly separated dad from finger. Aww. Good times!Like lots of diabetic kids, Michaels attended diabetes camp and says he remains a big supporter, even contributing fundraising dollars to underwrite camp scholarships.His observations on diet are worth reading. Favorite food/dietary weakess? Peanut butter: “Man, I could eat a jar of it, and that’s why I have to just keep it away from me.” And he stresses his secret comes down to portion control. “Cut ‘em back,” Michaels says. “The more carbs you pound in, the more your blood sugar’s just going to rise. Your blood sugar goes high, you start to gain a lot of weight, and next thing you know, it’s a lose, lose, lose situation that just spirals down.”Michaels is now on a three shots-a-day regimen and checks his blood sugar levels four to six times daily, and makes it eight times a day when he’s on tour. He goes backstage twice during shows to check his blood sugar. He also admits he’s “a little old school,” in that he sticks with standard injections and meters. Pumps? Apparently, Michaels is not “cosmetically ready for the pump just yet.” Guess it’s hard to conceal a pump under spandex…Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments (Source: The Diabetes Blog)
Original post by The Diabetes Blog
No commentsHighlights In Journal Of The National Cancer Institute
Finasteride Has Little Impact on Sexual Function in Men The drug finasteride had a minimal effect on the sexual function of men who took it to prevent prostate cancer.Some studies have found a link between finasteride and sexual dysfunction in men. But these studies were smaller, short-term, and did not consider variation among individuals when evaluating the impact of finasteride on sexual function.Carol Moinpour, Ph.D. [click link for full article]
Original post by Diabetes Mine
No commentsDrugs Used To Fight Cancer-Related Bone Problems Boost Odds Of Jaw- Or Face-Bone Disease
Treatment with intravenous bisphosphonates – drugs used to reduce harm done to bones by cancer or cancer therapy – increases the risk of jaw or facial bone disease or infection, a large-scale comparative study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) has found. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
No commentsNew Research Suggests Emotions Can Affect Recovery From Hip Surgery
A patient’s emotional state plays a significant role in his or her recovery from hip surgery, suggests Saint Louis University research published this month.Orthopaedic surgeons typically use two tests to determine if a patient has recovered from hip surgery: one is a clinical measure of hip function given by the doctor, and the second is a questionnaire patients answer that considers a wide variety of factors in determining the overall success of the surgical procedure. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
No commentsBut mother wasn’t obese in her alzheimer’s days or before
Whenever you read articles concerning health conditions that might accelerate Alzheimer’s, do you see if you can discover any connection to your family member?
I often do that…try to seek answers for Mother and Auntie’s affliction with this disease, even though they passed away several years ago. When I learn that a specific food, medicine, health condition may increase or decrease the tendency for Alzheimer’s, I’ll think about these ladies.
The most recent theory presented in the blogosphere is the connection between obesity and Alzheimer’s. (See the excellent round-up of articles Liz presented in her post, A Link Between Obesity and Alzheimer’s Disease.)
However, Mother wasn’t obese in her Alzheimer’s. She was never obese. She wasn’t skinny, but she wasn’t fat. She was a tall woman and able to work on the farm where we lived. She was in good health most of her life. So, in her case, the obesity theory doesn’t seem to apply.
Auntie was much shorter than Mother but never heavy. She wasn’t skinny either, but she did develop diabetes. Research today seems to imply that obese people might have a greater tendency to diabetes. So was there any connection between Auntie developing diabetes and Alzheimer’s ? Were there other factors involved in both sisters being afflicted with this memory loss disease?
I’m still no closer to determining why Auntie and Mother developed Alzheimer’s and their brothers didn’t. But that doesn’t mean I won’t stop looking….and hoping researchers will find a cause and a cure.
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Original post by Alzheimer’s Notes
No commentsCancer Research Specialist And HSPH Professor Awarded Medal Of Honor From WHO Cancer Agency
Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer Prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), was one of three recipients of a medal of honor from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization. The award was presented at the IARC Headquarters in Lyon, France.Trichopoulos has conducted seminal work linking passive or “second-hand” smoking to lung cancer. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
No commentsCommunity Oncology Explores Pitched Debate Over Anemia-Fighting Drugs
The June issue of Elsevier’s Community Oncology takes an in-depth look at the charge that ESAs, generally considered vital to cancer patients’ quality of life, are overprescribed for profit. Scientists, oncologists, and critics of oncologists are in a heated debate now over the use of ESAs, or erythropoiesis-stimulating agents – drugs that fight anemia by boosting levels of oxygen-carrying red blood cells and the protein hemoglobin. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
No commentsThe Fight Against Depression Could Be Assisted By Adding Folic Acid To Bread
A unique study by researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School has confirmed a link between depression and low levels of folate, a vitamin which comes from vegetables.In research published in the July edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the York team led by Dr Simon Gilbody, concluded that there was a link between depression and low folate levels, following a review of 11 previous studies involving 15,315 participants. [click link for full article]
Original post by Allergy News From Medical News Today
No commentsEvidence That Can Help You Quit Smoking, From The Cochrane Library
Acupuncture? Nicotine patches? Telephone therapy? Antidepressants? Cognitive behavioural therapy?Which work? Which have no effect? Which are dangerous? Confused?Over 40 Cochrane reviews analyse the evidence.For example, one systematic review (CD000146) shows how nicotine patches can double the odds of successful quitting. [click link for full article]
Original post by Diabetes Mine
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