Article by DAN VERGANO of USA Today, originally published April 29, 2013.

Triggers growth of pancreatic ‘beta’ cells

A newly discovered mouse hormone may open the door to better treatment for diabetes, researchers suggested Thursday.

The hormone, called betatrophin, triggers the growth of pancreatic “beta” cells lost or ineffective in diabetes. Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas.

Diabetes afflicts more than 25 million people nationwide, according to the American Diabetes Association. It is a condition that causes high blood sugar that can lead to heart disease, kidney failure and blindness.

Stroke risk can be controlled easier than one might think. With the help of a doctor, many diseases that increase risk can be treated, while lifestyle risk factors such an unhealthy eating and smoking can be changed.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke. Blood pressure by definition is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. High blood pressure causes the heart to pump harder to move blood through the body. This can weaken blood vessels and damage major organs such as the brain. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke.

Article posted on Daily Rx News on May 20, 2013

Gestational diabetes and obesity risks higher in women exposed to tobacco in utero

Smoking is a known health hazard for pregnancies. But being exposed to smoke in utero may follow a baby girl into her own pregnancy when she grows up.

A recent study looked at a group of pregnant women who had mothers who smoked while pregnant with them.

The results of this study showed these pregnant women who had mothers who smoked while pregnant had higher odds of developing gestational diabetes and obesity than women whose mother’s did not smoke while they were pregnant.

Article originally posted on Healio by Katon, WJ, published in Annals of Family Medicine,  May 20, 2013.

Previous research has revealed a link between depression and diabetes. In this study, Wayne J. Katon, MD, of the department of psychiatry at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle, and colleagues sought to examine the prospective connection between depression and risk for severe hypoglycemic episodes that led to a medical emergency or hospitalization. They conducted a longitudinal 2-year study of 4,117 patients with diabetes (aged at least 18 years), making adjustments for sociodemographic, measurements of diabetes severity, medical comorbidities unrelated to diabetes, prior hypoglycemic episodes, and health risk behaviors (smoking and physical activity).

The post is part of the series “Life Stories” where we asked our customers to tell us their stories on why they wear a medical ID.

I Love having MyIHR for a Detailed Medical History

The day I realized I needed a medical ID bracelet was a day I was out walking with my friends. We’d chosen to walk down a trail from one city park to the next, a span that stretches about 2 miles each way. The morning of the walk I had eaten cream of rice cereal and nothing else. I wasn’t hungry when we left and didn’t think about eating anything else. I also left my water bottle and purse in the car.

German researchers report in a new study that chronic and sustained stress throws your hormones haywire and revs up type 2 diabetes.

An article by Sridhar Nadamuni on iTech Post reports:

Credit: National Institute of Mental Health

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prolonged stress response syndrome involving symptoms that develop in the wake of extremely stressful life events of an extraordinarily threatening or catastrophic nature. The symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts, intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, or emotional arousal.

Have you or a family member been recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? You may be asking yourself, What is Type 2 Diabetes? The below information is from the American Diabetes Association website. The ADA website www.Diabetes.org is a great place to start your search.

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos,Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.

It is hard to explain to those who don’t know what it is like to be in pain or feel sick on the inside and look perfectly fine on the outside. Wearing a medical ID can help spread awareness of invisible illnesses like Crohn’s Disease, PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, MS, ME, M.D., Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Disease, Epilepsy, Severe Allergies, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and more!

• Nearly 1 in 2 Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition
  Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). “Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care”.

I’m writing this medical ID story in honor of my daughter, Madi Peretin, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on October 16, 2009, at the age of 11.

The most helpless feeling in the world is sitting next your child in the intensive care unit and knowing there is nothing you can do, except pray. When our daughter, Madi, suffered from severe DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, she spent 5 days in ICU at Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital and later was transferred to LaRabida Children’s Diabetes Center. All we could do was learn about this life-changing condition and adapt to our new way of life.

The Drive to Stop Diabetes Campaign will Raise Funds and Awareness for the American Diabetes Association throughout 2013

The NASCAR Nationwide Series rolled into Richmond International Speedway on April 26th for the ToyotaCare 250. The race featured Ryan Reed, a talented driver who also has type 1 diabetes, driving the American Diabetes Association #16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. Reed’s focus was on winning the race, but his heart extends much further.