Scientists from all over the world will meet up in Seattle October 22-23 to attend the Warren G. Magnuson Congress for a Global Diabetes Alliance. The initiative is intended to help fight the rapid rise of type 2 diabetes worldwide. International Diabetes Federation past president Pierre Lefebvre, who will be a speaker at the conference, says the need for such an alliance to fight the T2 global epidemic "could not be more urgent."

More than one hundred diabetes experts hailing from over twenty countries will attend the congress. There's one main goal: the discussion of how to help under-served populations, such as indigenous peoples. However, the more general problems - prevention, treatment and the possibility of a cure - will also be on the table. It is also hoped that the alliance can help change public perception of type 2 diabetes as a disease associated with affluence, when in fact it is spreading faster in poor, developing countries where people frequently lack access to medical care.

Organizers say this is the first global alliance on diabetes. Speaking of organizers: who's behind this anyway? Well, it's being convened by the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI). Incoming president of the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Paul Robertson, is president and scientific director of the PNRI. Warren G. Magnuson, for whom the conference is named, was a US senator and supporter of the sciences who died from diabetes complications in 1989.

The ADA and PNRI's Dr. Robertson is optimistic the organization can effect change: "The response from top experts from around the world to develop a global, multidisciplinary, collaborative endeavor focused on clinical research on diabetes has been overwhelming."

Great strides have been made in the field of cardiology in recent years. However, according to a new study just out, people with diabetes remain dangerously at risk for heart-related problems like angina and heart attack. The results of the study have been published In the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (August 2007).

It's quite disturbing to read the numbers on this. Example? For every hundred diabetics who experience severe heart attack, just over eight will die within thirty days. For non-diabetics, that number goes down to around five. I could go on, but you get the picture.

The solution? Says the author of the study, Dr. Elliott M. Antman: "We need aggressive strategies to manage the diabetic population. What we need to do is everything to halt the epidemic of diabetes and find through research what therapies are most helpful for diabetic patients. We've got to do better for those patients." Hear, hear.

But what should those "aggressive strategies" be? And how do you implement them? That's the sticking point. The Washington Post caught the American Diabetes Association's Larry Deeb in a moment of remarkable frankness, saying he really doesn't know what can be done to get cardiologists and endocrinologists working together on this. C'mon, Larry. That's not exactly encouraging news for all the people out there with diabetes!

As Bev observed in a post yesterday, California schools will now be required to ensure that diabetic kids get their medical needs met during school hours. Parents are relieved by the settlement, which was reached between the California Department of Education and two school districts (on one side) and four families with diabetic children, working in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

It's a thorny issue. If you require by law that kids be in school during specified hours, you'd better make darn sure you can meet their needs while they're there. As Michelle Ferry, mom of a seven-year-old boy with diabetes, observed "If I had a child in a wheelchair, they wouldn't expect me to come in and take them out of a wheelchair" as necessary throughout the school day. Michelle, you see, was required to drop everything and come running to the school when her son needed a shot because there was no one at the school willing/qualified/permitted to administer it.

While she has a point, you could also argue that helping a (developmentally normal) child in and out of a wheelchair doesn't require special training. Helping a child monitor and adjust his or her blood sugar level most certainly does. Understandably, school administrators were, and remain, concerned about legal liability. Teachers also have a right to be concerned.

A woman wrote in to The Diabetes Blog about an unusual call she received from an American Diabetes Association telemarketer. Her reflection on the phone call was not a traditional feel good response. Has anybody else received a phone call like this one?

The comment came in under the title: Why do people apologize? The woman explains the nature of the call: A telemarketer called us Saturday. The man thanked us for our support to the ADA and asked if they could send us stuff we could pass on to our friends and family and if they gave us any money to pass it back to the ADA. I said that would be fine. He went on and on about how big of a problem diabetes is. He asked if I knew anyone with diabetes. I said I do. We sat in silence for the next 10 seconds and then the man said "I am so sorry" I said don't be, its fine. I don't mind. He started rambling on about something and sounded very uncomfortable. I said thank you and hung up. Why do people apologize? It's not their fault. I'm not dying or in pain or anything like that. I take medicine when I eat, done, end of story. It's so uncomfortable and coming from someone representing the ADA, just unprofessional.

It's a fair question: why would a telemarketer apologize? Perhaps the telemarketer should have thanked you for your time and gone on with his calls. He must've been writing a book! That's it - he's writing a book on the people who are continuing to contribute to the ADA mission to prevent and cure diabetes. Savvy telemarketers with interpersonal skills are hard to come by. We know one thing: the ADA isn't wasting any money on training their telemarketers. Nobody said telemarketing was an easy job but I guess the preventing and curing diabetes is the mission: impossible.

Ever wonder what would happen to a non-diabetic's blood sugar if they loaded up on a pile of concentrated sugar, preservatives and weird science fats? Doctors and the ADA call it prediabetes. This clip takes it to the extreme by sandwiching the center of 16 double stuff Oreos! Sometimes you have to be insanely blunt to make your point.

This is a brilliant example of the diabetes epidemic in action. In today's world -- many people are eating for convenience without realizing the consequences. More convenient equates to less nutritious - more preservatives, more sugar and even more fattening (the wrong fats, too!) The combination increases the amount of time our digestive enzymes need to work on these lab-derived ingredients. This sustains an elevated blood sugar following the time of consumption. Add the ADA definition of pre-diabetes (a blood sugar between 140 to 199 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal) and there you have it -- a potential player on Team Diabetes!

Think what would happen if this guy was in his doctor's office 2 hours after this stunt. I'd like to thank his employer for keeping him busy (whatever he's paid to do) well after the lunch hour - and protecting him from becoming another statistic. Big ups to HR for hiring this guy!! If he's not in marketing already -- you might consider a transfer and give this guy a raise. He's my Oreo hero.

Hmm, another "walking for diabetes" fundraiser in the news. But, what's this? Here's a guy walking with a giant inflatable rubber globe. Novel, huh? Check out the picture at right.

Erik Bendl, aka "World Guy," is walking 416 miles from his home in Louisville, Kentucky, all the way to Pittsburgh. The plan is to raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Just as important, Bendl hopes to raise awareness about the condition. Every step of the way, Bendl is rolling his eight-foot-tall globe too. Bendl got the globe from a summer camp, whose staff had no use for it.

Bendl is the son of the late Kentucky state Rep. Gerta Bendl, who suffered from diabetes. Bendl was inspired to do something not only because of his mom's experience, but also by watching lots of other friends deal with the condition. He's encountering lots of good support along the way in the form of conversation, kind words, and meals. "I'm almost brought to tears by people's kindness," he told the Cincinnati Post.

Bendl and the rubber globe are accompanied by Bendl's faithful dog, Nice, who is probably thinking "this is the longest walk pops has ever taken me on!"

Click here to visit Erik Bendl's MySpace blog. He also has a website where supporters are invited to send in a donation for the ADA. Want to talk to the man himself? Go ahead and give him a buzz at (502) 408-5772.

The Master Cleanser Detox raises my curiosity to insatiable levels. Many stars have sworn by it - from Beyonce Knowles to Robin Quivers. The misconception behind the safety of this practice for weight loss is reviewed by a registered dietician on The Diet Channel. The Master Cleanser is by no stretch of the imagination a healthy way to lose weight. In fact, the Master Cleanser, otherwise known as the Lemonade Diet, is a complete body detoxifying cleanse that has been around for over 60 years.

The Master Cleanser is a combination of simple ingredients in different combinations throughout the day: organic sea salt, water, lemons, syrup, cayenne pepper and a laxative tea. The day begins with a quart of salt water, followed by interval consumption of several cups of homemade lemonade throughout the day. The lemonade contains fresh squeezed lemons and water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. The lemon juice is said to dissolve built-up waste in the colon (the master cleansing agent); the cayenne pepper is for ridding the body of mucus; and the maple syrup is for energy. The end of the day includes a detoxifier herbal tea laxative. The herbal laxative is to aid the elimination process and the salt water acts as a colonic flush. The author of the original plan recommends following the diet for a minimum of 10 days, but also says that the diet can be followed for up to 20 days.

On Friday I went to Borders to get my hands on a copy of the Mater Cleanser. Big mistake after I realized it was the debut of the latest Harry Potter book. I should've called! In any event - I forfeited fighting Gryffindors and Hogwarts to find the book. I returned home to scour the internet for personal reviews of the Master Cleanser. The most important thing I discovered was that people who use the Master Cleanser to lose weight are misinformed. The Master Cleanser is intended for ultimate toxin elimination - not weight elimination. For entertaining enlightenment - I strongly suggest reading the Amazon.com customer reviews!!

TuDiabetes.com is a site for people touched by diabetes. The creator of the site, Manny Hernandez, got the ball rolling on a topic of interest we all take to heart - diabetes book recommendations.

When you ask diabetics to brainstorm on a terribly intrinsic topic you get some pretty good responses. One suggested read was The Diabetes Improvement Program. This book helped a diabetic overcome depression, when the talented team of healthcare professionals could not. Other honorable mentions include: Psyching Out Diabetes, Dr. Bernstein's' Diabetes Solution, Diabesity, and Diabetes for Dummies.

Somebody actually asked something very interesting - where is the book on the evolution of diabetes treatment? Often a topic of discussion, and yet so rarely documented is the sequential events of diabetes treatment, starting with the discovery of insulin. A lull ensued from about 1930 till the boom of genetically modified human insulin, in the early 80s. Any investigative journalist willing to take a stab at it? I guarantee the book will make my must read. And Eli Lilly might actually pay you not to write it.

P.S. One reader pointed out - a chapter of Brent Hoadley's book, Too Profitable to Cure presented a chronology of the evolution of diabetes treatment.

Former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), was executed for taking bribes in return for approving the use of certain medicines. No, you didn't miss anything. The SFDA to which the news story refers is in China. At ease, boys- you're all safe (for now).

Mike Adams of NewsTarget explains in his cartoon that the FDA is a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the American people. The agency is so deeply entangled in protecting drug company profits and corporate interests that it has utterly abandoned its mission of protecting the people. In fact, bribery is routine in the United States drug approval process. A policy exists that allows FDA decision panel experts -- the people who decide which drugs to approve or reject -- to accept up to $50,000 in bribes from drug companies and still serve on such decision panels.

What's really interesting about the press coverage of China's execution is that virtually no one has bothered to call for arresting and prosecuting corrupt FDA officials in the United States. We inherently trust everything we are told by our doctors and our elected officials - we chose them in the first place. It is not until we are awakened to someone else's problem, and realize that it is ours. The U.S. FDA is trustworthy, right? Our people would never stoop to accepting bribes - especially not the president elect for the American Diabetes Association, right?

"1 day, 1 cause, 1 goal," is the slogan assigned to the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) new fundraiser: "Step Out to Fight Diabetes." The big annual event is basically a retooled version of what the ADA used to call "America's Walk for Diabetes." The plan is to hold walks in two hundred American cities on various days over the course of a couple of weeks this coming fall.

So what's involved, you ask? It's a ten-mile walking course designed to be easy enough for about any fitness level. The twist: it requires some stair climbing. Philadelphia participants will climb ten staircases in landmark buildings, such as Philly's City Hall and the majestic front steps of the Philly Museum of Art (immortalized in the movie Rocky). Trotting up and downstairs, you're supposed to contemplate and be inspired by the "peaks and valleys" encountered by diabetics the world over.

The ADA has launched a very professional campaign to publicize "Step Out" with press releases and a snazzy website. You can register to participate on the website, and they'll send you a cute registration pack. You can also check out health stats, facts about the staircases involved in the event, and read true life diabetes stories on the site. By joining in, the ADA says you will be helping "find a cure" and also help raise awareness in your own community. To the former: maybe. To the latter: sure - awareness-raising is always a good thing.

Funding in support of the "Step Out" campaign comes courtesy of big-name, big-business donors like Kmart (Pharmacy), RiteAid, Wal-mart/Sam's Club, and Equal.

Change appears to be coming for diabetes care. The HbA1c test may not be the safest approach for diabetics to follow in preventing complications. Instead, experts are saying the average blood glucose level per individual will add clarity to diabetic patients looking to manage their disease.

A study supporting the change showed a close correlation between average glucose and HbA1c levels. So the myth, busted is: maintaining an average blood sugar is a safer approach for diabetes management -- NOT CHASING A UNIFORM HbA1c value. The fluctuation in blood sugar is what causes complications in the small vessels of the eyes, kidneys and peripheral nerve endings. For example - sustaining a blood sugar of 200 mg/dL is a lot safer than waking at 240 and ushering a boatload of sugar into your cells to drop your sugar to 80 mg/dL. It is the transfer of glucose into the cell that causes the injury to cell membranes and resulting complications.

Think of it like the movement of the ocean. High tide to low tide happens gradually, over the course of many hours throughout the day. When a storm hits - the waves become turbulent, crashing against the shore causing erosion. Is the human body any different? I'm not a doctor -- but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week.

The American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 67th Scientific Sessions conference will draw to a close tomorrow. Among the latest presentations was a report on quality of life for people suffering from diabetic retinopathy. A recent Eli Lilly-funded study involving 684 patients concluded that diabetics with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy who lose at least ten letters in visual acuity - the measurement used by eye specialists - suffer a notable decline in quality of life. Significance? Vision loss used to be defined as beginning at a loss of at least fifteen letters, but this study says even mild to moderate visual impairment impacts physical functioning. More details of the findings are reported on the website DocGuide.

An example of the insidiousness of diabetes-related health complications, diabetic retinopathy causes damage to blood vessels in the eye's retina. The disease harms vision, and can even lead to blindness. Basically what happens is this: as the disease progresses, blood vessels form on the retina that are particularly susceptible to breaking and bleeding into the eye. This is known as proliferative retinopathy. It obscures the vision and can also lead to the formation of scar tissue that can eventually lead to retinal detachment.

Health Tip: Sadly, you can't cure retinopathy once you have it. However, you can slow its progress by keeping blood sugar and blood pressure levels under control. Diabetics who have not been diagnosed should also know one important fact: diagnosis usually comes after damage has already occurred. It's therefore imperative that you get screened for the disease by an ophthalmologist or optometrist annually. View the ADA's full recommendations by clicking here.

I remember taking the glucose tolerance test during my pregnancies. With a strong family history of type 1 diabetes, I anxiously awaited my test results. Luckily, everything was fine.

Unfortunately, more pregnant women might receive a diagnosis of gestational diabetes in the future, as blood glucose criteria guidelines may widen. Last Friday, researchers at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting in Chicago reported even moderately elevated glucose during pregnancy is associated with problems such as cesarean section and heavier babies. The study examined effects of less severe levels of blood sugar during pregnancy, not high enough to warrant a gestational diabetes diagnosis, but higher than ideal levels.

Boyd Metzger, principal investigator, explained the study tried to find where clinically significant effects occur on the spectrum of normal to abnormal glucose during pregnancy. Glucose levels were measured in 25,000 pregnant women from nine countries. Findings revealed women with the highest levels were six times more likely to birth an overweight baby and ten times more likely to have a baby with elevated blood insulin, compared to women in the lowest levels of glucose. Here's the kicker -- women ranging just below the current criteria for gestational diabetes still had a higher risk for problems. They were two to four times more likely to have newborns with high birth weight or elevated insulin levels.

Researchers acknowledge discussion is needed before criteria guidelines are revised, and the study begs more research over how pregnant women with mildly elevated sugar should be treated. Until then, pregnant women should be aware having an elevated sugar level not typically considered gestational diabetes is not a safe place for mom or baby. A more comprehensive article was published in yesterday's Chicago Tribune.

Whenever I fly since 9/11, I'm never sure what I can bring through airport security. Am I allowed a bottle of water? What about my kids' sippy cups? Can my mini-shampoo weigh four ounces or is it three ounces? I don't fly often enough to be familiar with the screening rules, which can change instantaneously. Remember the liquid bomb incident when suddenly everyone had to dump their toiletries and expensive perfumes in airport trash cans?

The American Diabetes Association works closely with the federal government's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to provide guidelines and protocol to ensure travelers with diabetes can board with all necessary insulin and supplies, even during times of high security alert.

Check out the TSA's most recent recommendations for airline passengers with diabetes. It addresses gear, as well as advice for pump wearers. The ADA is continually providing feedback to the TSA, so please report any problems experienced with airport security by calling the ADA at 1-800-DIABETES.

As a parent, sending your child with diabetes to overnight camp may seem a pipedream. You endlessly are assisting, reminding and checking up on them to help keep their disease under control. How could your child ever head autonomously away to camp? One answer is the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) diabetes camps for kids.

The ADA is the largest provider of diabetes camps for kids in the world. Safety is their number one priority, as kids with diabetes are guided by well-trained staff, usually adult counselors with diabetes working within a climate that understands the daily regimens. Kids are surrounded by kids just like them, diabetes is the norm. Diabetes education within an experiential framework is an integral part of camp philosophy. Kids come back learning how to better manage their disease at a pace relevant to their ability and age.

Summer Solstice is a week away! Check out the ADA website on diabetes camp -- there's a camp locator tool and mucho information and advice.