buzzbishop
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You can't watch a news cast each night without the health reporter making some mention of diabetes each night. But I wonder how many of us actually know what diabetes is? Do we really understand why for a diabetic simply not being able to find your car in a parking lot can be more frightening than it should?
Diabetes is an imbalance in glucose in the blood. The pancreas stops producing insulin which manages sugar levels in our blood.
Insulin was discovered by Sir Fredrick Banting (a Canadian) whose birthday was Novemeber 14 (hence the choice for World Diabetes Day).
Typically type 1 diabetes means you're born with it, while type 2 diabetes is something brought on later in life by other health factors (usually diet).
For diabetics, managing blood sugar, diet and exercise with numeric calculations in their head would make them a first round draft for any math team. Thankfully, there are technological advances to make managing the disease (because that's all we can really do without a cure) easier.
The most important part of any doctor's visit for diabetics, is their log. A chart they keep monitoring blood sugar levels between visits.
For teens, this can be a tedious and time consuming chore. The Contour USB, however, manages all the data in a simple USB key. The patient simply puts their strips in one end and the device helps them manage their diabetes while storing data for the next doctor's visit.
The Bayer Contour USB key has extra storage space so the patient can use it as a traditional external disk to transport media files or homework or whatever they would do with any other USB key.
Of course apps for smart phones help diabetics make calculations and manage while they're on the go. There are also many web communities that offer support and discussion. And just as with every cause, you can add a Twibbon to your twitter avatar to mark this weekend, add a banner to your blog or join a Facebook group to offer support.
The best way to prevent Type 2 diabetes from entering your life is to eat right and be active. To that end, I've joined Team Diabetes and have run 3 marathons around the world raising nearly $20 000 for the cause. Two races for 2011 have been added, in Istanbul in October and the Cayman Islands in December. I'd love it if you would support the efforts of those on Team Diabetes in your local community, or would consider joining yourself.
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