How to Lower Blood Sugar Blog

Hi and welcome! How to Lower Blood Sugar Blog and me (the diabetes educator, dietitian, dame with diabetes) will update you with: 

• Diabetes News and Nuggets
• How to Lower Blood Sugar Tidbits
• Additions and changes to this site
• Interesting thoughts or insight from me etc. (there's always etc.)

Knowledge is power and hope is a wonderful gift.  Grant yourself these by bookmarking this page and visiting often. Or add it to your personalized Yahoo, MS or Google page if you have one.

Looking for diabetes blog archives? They're here.

PLEASE KNOW: No matter how tempting the tidbits (and you'll find lots from the home page on how to lower blood sugar ) check with your doctor or diabetes educator first as this site is for information only, as outlined in the disclaimer.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Reading! -  Bev

Check your Levemir for Possible Bad Batches (stolen supplies)

June 2009: The FDA has is warning customers that a stolen shipment of Levemir may be circulating for sale. A total of 129,000 vials are affect. The lot numbers are XZF0036, XZF0037, and XZF0038. If you have Levemir with any of these lot numbers on the box or the vial, the FDA is advising that you do not use it. The issue is that the insulin may not have been properly stored and handled and they have already received an adverse report from a patient. Contactthe Novo Nordisk Customer Care Center at 800-727-6500 for more information.

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a1c blood test

The Hgb A1c Blood Test is more than a 3 month average blood sugar. It tells your risk for getting complicatons. A 1% drop in A1c could reduce your risk by 37% or more! Find out more..

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Deltec Cozmo Insulin Pump Discontinued

Smith's medical has discontinued the sales and manufacturing of their popular Deltec Cozmo insuln pump as of March 25, 2009. If you are currently a user of this pump, read here to see how this affects you.

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Types of Insulin Pump

Types of insulin pump - including those with glucose meters built in - and links to insulin pump distributors/manufacturers are listed on this page.

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Insulin pump users can have unique causes of low blood sugar.

Insulin pumpers have more things to consider when analyzing what has caused their episodes of hypoglycemia. You'll find two useful lists here. One for general causes of lows with diabetes and the other specifically for unique insulin pump causes. Both are worth reviewing as pumpers sometimes get so analytical with their handy dandy machine, they forget to consider other aspects of the pump, and of diabetes.

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Has juggling diabetes and life gotten to be too much?

When juggling diabetes and life responsibilities get too much, and the diabetes suffers, consider thinking like this.

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Diabetes and stress: Dangerous duo for increasing heart disease

Managing diabetes and stress is just as important as blood sugar testing. Stress increases the risk for the biggest and most common diabetes complication. What can be done?

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Certain Lifescan One Touch Strips Discontinued for Glucose Meters

A reminder that after Jan 2009 Lifescan One Touch strips for some of the glucose meters will no longer be available for purchase. Check here to see models and your options.

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Guidelines Blood Sugar Levels: Normal, Pre-diabetes, Diabetes

Newest Guidelines Blood Sugar Levels. See if you have normal, diabetic, pre-diabetic or controlled diabetes blood glucose levels. A diabetes educator reviews the risks for complications.

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Needle phobics with diabetes have a new tool to try.

Review this innovative product for needle phobics or anyone with diabetes with even a slight fear of needles and taking insulin.

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Insulin Pump Tips

Insulin pump tips, expert tricks and other indispensable tidbits to make your life on a pump easier!

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Insulin Pump Bubbles

Easy solutions for getting rid of insulin pump bubbles in cartridges. All of them are worth a try!

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The Retractable Syringe Makes Injections Safer!

An innovative retractable syringe is available in Canada and the U.S. These handy sryinges reduce or eliminate accidental pokes from used syringes. Great for travel!

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Diabetes News & Nuggets

Diabetes News & Nuggets offers light-hearted blurbs on diabetes research and news. Then it summarizes why this information might be useful to you and your diabetes.

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ACCORD Trial: More surprises?

Despite the confusing news from the analysis of the ACCORD diabetes study, there is still some good news arising from this study.

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Glucose Meter Recall s and Concerns

Glucose meter recall, test strip issues etc. are noted here. Stay up to date and accurate. You can't afford to waste time, money, health with errors.

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Fast Take Meter is Now Discontinued

Take note: If you use a Fast Take meter from Lifescan, the strips will be, or are now, discontinued. Check here for your options.

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Blood Sugar Monitors - What You Need to Know

The best blood sugar monitors - The answer might surprise you. A diabetes educcator leads you through the features available on meters.

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ADVANCE Diabetes Study

ADVANCE diabetes study shows no risk of increased death with intensive blood sugar control.

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Insulin Pump Infusion Sets

Insulin pump infusion sets can make or break your pumping exerience. Here's what to look for.

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ACCORD Diabetes Study Shocker

The ACCORD Diabetes has found increased deaths in the better blood sugar group. Why?

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Are You an Insulin Pump Candidate?

Don't buy a pump until you read this. You may NOT be an insulin pump candidate.

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Insulin Pump Information

Insulin Pump Information: Diabetic insulin pumps offer quality of life and diabetes control not obtained with syringes. Inform yourself before you say "no" to pump therapy.

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Insulin Pump Cost

Looking for insulin pump cost? Find the prices of pumps and supplies here.

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Safety Concern Counterfeit One Touch Blood Glucose Test Strips

Counterfeit One Touch Blood Glucose Test Strips have been found extremely inaccurate. They may result in harm to you. Please read the FDA recall notice.

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Diabetic Diet Plan? No Way!

Diabetic Diet Plan – Don't be fooled. There is no such thing. There are numerous strategies to mix, match and try. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and try them.

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Seaweed for Weight Loss?

Considering Brown Seaweed for Weight Loss? Learn more about the real research behind brown seaweed and losing weight before you fill your plate with it.

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Soluble Fiber - 25 Ways to Get More

Easy, fast, simple and yes, ACCEPTABLE ways to get more soluble fiber. From 8 to 80 years old, these 25 tips appeal to all!

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Insulin Pump and Injections Together?!

I'm lazy. You can learn lazy tips from me. Yes, yes, it's true. You see, often my insulin pump alarms to inform me that it's getting low on insulin. And what do I do? Well of course, I ignore it. Shame on me. After all, I am a diabetes educator. So what do I do? I let the basal insulin continue to run with what is left in the pump and I give my bolus (meal) insulin with a syringe or insulin pen (whichever I have handy). It prolongs the time until my pump fully empties. It also allows me to use some fresh meat, errr... fresh injection sites.

All insulin pumpers know that you can't wear insulin pump infusion sets in the exact same places as you'd give an injection. By using an insulin pen for bolusing at meals and snacks I am able to better rotate my sites. And my, does the insulin absorb well in those unused areas.

Using syringes for meals is also a great strategy for when you are eating big meals often - like holidays. You won't run your reservoir dry so soon.

The only problem I've had in doing this on occasion is forgetting when I last gave a bolus. Usually this is no problem when I give a bolus on the pump as I can check the pump. It will tell me when I last gave. That doesn't work with a syringe. So... I've refined this method. Now when I am using a syringe to bolus for the day, I give a fraction of a unit on the pump (to preserve the amount left) and the rest in a syringe.IN this manner, I know that that when I check back and see that fraction of a unit that is when I gave my last bolus. So there you have it. One more way to be flexible with the insulin pump. Please do check this out with your health care team before trying. I have to say that. They make me. It's for your safety. Chow and have a great day. Bev

How to Lower Blood Sugar: Expert Diabetes Tips to Control Glucose Levels

A diabetic expert with diabetes offers solutions for how to lower blood sugar levels. Includes a 4-step method to tailor diabetes treatment to your life - real life!

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Airline Travel Security, Diabetes and Insulin Pumps

STOP and Read these 17 Precautions for Travel with Diabetes and Insulin pumps. Don't have your vacation ruined - prepare for airport security.

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The Best Insulin Pump - What is it?

The Best Insulin Pump will have the options you want or need - maybe it's cordless or comes with a handheld PDM device. Review all the options for yourself.

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Make Your Favorite Cakes into Diabetes Recipe

Got a favorite cake - make a few substitutions to turn it into a healthy diabetes recipe. Easy and yes, yummy! Try it.

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Make any Cake into a Diabetes Recipe

Let me toot my own hown here. I love to experiment with diabetes recipes. Actually, junky recipes that become healthier recipes because I substitute some ingredients. Like today. My daughter was agreeable to trying chocolate zucchini cake - finally. I used 2/3 of the flour as barley flour, used half the fat as yogurt (yup - no fat) and half the sugar as Splenda. My, oh my. My taste buds and I are impressed with the result. So... I challenge you to try the same with one of your cake recipes. Hey, don't yell at me if it flops and hey, don't eat the whole thing in one sitting if it aces. But really, aren't you and your health worth a bit of experimenting? And fun in the kitchen. Enough said. Get your mind out of the gutter. And if you're mind didn't even travel that direction. . . why not? Live a little! --- Cheers and Good Eating, Good Health and Good Times! --Bev

Beer, Hockey and Blood Sugars

I'm naive about hockey. Never mind playoffs.  However, I've observed that  beer, hockey and playoffs are inseparable this time of year. So. . . just for those men who are naive about food I've got this little tidbit for you today. Two cans of beer a day has enough calories to equal 31 lbs of fat in a year.  Yes, yes, silly me. Who limits themselves to 2 beer during a game? Well, if you're feeling a bit heavy after the playoffs, it's not just because your team lost. Step on the scale. Your blood sugars might also have taken a huge hike with that weight gain and inactivity - that'll leave you lethargic.  So. . . . Start ordering light beer. That only leads to 20 lb weight gain a year - did I really just write "only". Well, today's tidbit is to keep your eye on the beer consumption, not just on the puck. And go Oilers !!

Diabetes Tidbit: I Dare You to Eat Bran Buds

Say it isn't so. Say you're not avoiding Bran Buds because they look like gerbil food. Say you're avoiding them because you didn't know they can help with diabetes control and they're slow carbohydrates.

Say you just didn't know that only a mere 2 tbsp a day could help lower bad cholesterol.

Well. Now that you do know, you have no excuse. Go for it. Don't be a chicken. 2 tbsp can fit in yogurt, in your normal cereal, in oatmeal, in hamburger patties or meatloaf. Be creative. Be gutsy. Eat your Bran Buds daily.

Today's Diabetes Tidbit :Harvey's Rocks

Harvey's makes the best vegie burger around - Really!! My daughter thought it was beef. COME ON! Take a chance on health and try one! Invest 3 bucks in yourself! You're worth a hell of a lot more than that - aren't you?

Better Gums, Better Blood Sugars? Gum Disease in Diabetes

So you hate the dentist? If you have diabetes, you may want to re-think your visits to him. Research shows that treating gum disease can affect blood sugar control.

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2 hr Post Prandial Blood Sugars

A diabetes educator reviews the importance of 2 hr post prandial glucose tests and how to lower them. Also reviewed are medications to lower 2 hr post prandial levels and to prevent diabetes.

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Diabetes Control and A1c tests are Improving!

Good News for Diabetes! All the hard work and blood sugar testing is paying off as A1c levels are dropping! This means people with diabetes face a brighter future with less complications.

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Insulin Pump with Continous Glucose Monitor

Read this before you purchase the MiniMed ParadigmREAL-Time System Insulin pump (it reads your blood sugars every 5 minutes) to learn some facts not typically released.

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10 Benefits of a Low Glycemic Diet

10 ways a low glycemic diet can benefit your health - check them out as well as the section on using low GI foods to lower blood sugars.

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Glycemic Index Diet: What Affects It?

A low glycemic index diet might not be what you think. Don't be fooled. Learn what affects the glycemic index of a food or meal.

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Low Glycemic Diet Tips and Tricks

Dozens of meal tips for a low glycemic diet. Easy suggestions or substitutions to lower the glycemic index of a meal to help weight, blood sugars etc.

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Natural Medicine and Diabetes Talk

DES- Calgary and District Chapter And SAFEWAY Pharmacy Presents: "Natural Medicine and Diabetes". See here for more details on this talk aimed at health care professionals.

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Sugar Alcohols - Are You Being Fooled?

Are sugar alcohols a help or a hoax? Review the pros and cons and explore label reading when carb counting. Prepare to be surprised.

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Free Glycemic Index Chart

This Free Glycemic Index chart lists slow carbohydrate foods that that can easily fit into the diet. These slow carbs can help glucose levels, weight and the risk for heart disease.

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Recall of Selected Accu-Chek Test Strips

Potential problems exist with some of Roche's blood sugar meter test strips. Certain vials of Accu-Chek test strips may read inaccurate. Please check here to see if you are affected. March 2006.

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Insulin Pump Supplies What You Need to Know

Insulin pump supplies: What you'll need and what factors to keep in mind when shopping for pump supplies. Cost is not always the biggest issue.

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