Google embarks on smart contact lenses for diabetics-Dara Kerr

What if people with diabetes didn't have to prick their fingers several times a day to conduct blood sugar tests -- but instead could simply wear contacts?

A prototype of Google's smart contact lens that could measure glucose levels in people with diabetes.

Google

Google has been working on smart contact lenses embedded with sensors "so small they look like bits of glitter" and an antenna "thinner than a human hair."

But these lenses aren't being developed to give people super-human sight or cast the Internet over their field of view -- rather, they could potentially help diabetics monitor their glucose levels.

Google announced Thursday that it's been working on this secret project at its Google[x] research lab. Not only has it developed prototypes of these smart contact lenses, but it's also done multiple clinical research studies, met with the US Food and Drug Administration, and is looking for potential partners to bring the product to market.

"We're now testing a smart contact lens that's built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material," the project co-founders Brian Otis and Babak Parviz wrote in a blog post. "We're testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second."

Diabetes is said to be one of the fastest growing diseases in the world. According to Google, it affects one in 19 people around the globe. In order to keep blood sugar levels in check, diabetics must give themselves finger prick blood tests throughout the day.

These tests can be time consuming and painful. But they're crucial -- if glucose levels get out of control, diabetics risk damage to their eyes, kidneys, and heart.

For years scientists have been investigating other ways to test blood sugar levels. One branch of research has been exploring breathalyzers as a way to detect heightened glucose levels. Researchers have also looked into using tears for glucose tracking, which is where the idea of a contact lens came along.

Using tears is complicated, however, because it's been hard for scientists to collect tears for testing. So, it's still unclear how effective this body fluid works in measuring glucose levels. Additionally, this product is far off from any sort of mainstream use. Not only does Google need to find partners to get the contact lenses to market, but it also needs to go through the arduous FDA clearance process.

Besides blood sugar testing, Google also hopes that the smart contact lenses can warn users if their glucose levels are high or low.

"We're exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds," Otis and Parviz wrote. "We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease."

A Resolution to Make 2014 Your Best Year Yet!

     2014 is here! After the celebration on New Year’s Eve with a glass (or three) of champagne, and that special kiss to ring in the New Year, we turn our focus onto New Year’s Resolutions; the list of resolutions which we’re really (we swear), going to commit to and keep this year.  After some brainstorming we often come up with a list that seems to resemble that our peers'. Maybe to sleep more, become more organized, save money and often to lose weight.

     In Googling “New Year’s Resolutions”, Tips on how to maintain your resolutions, appear first. Why are our resolutions so difficult to maintain? Why do our lists resemble last years' and the year before? Why can't we seem to lose the weight, or become more organized? 50% of Americans make a New Year’s Resolution, and within 30 days, only 8% of them are still committed. Experts say that it has a lot to do with the approach we take when making our resolutions, and that using guilt or fear as motivation seems to be a deterrent.

     So how to we achieve success? On Bankrate.com, they offer a tip. ”Make a resolution to fit with your own values."  My own values? After thinking and internalizing this idea, I have come up with a resolution that might just make 2014 the best year yet:

• "To put myself first.

     Webster Dictionary defines Self-Centered as having or showing concern only for yourself, however it continues to add independent of outside forces or influences. I can only assume most of you are thinking that, living this way is being selfish. Yes, by definition, Self-Centered is considered to be negative, however can we redefine it as being centered on ourselves. Not influenced by media, our significant others or friends/family's' opinion, but truly what is important to us. Influenced simply by our own values. Being authentic to who we are. If we can acknowledge that we OWE it to ourselves, to love, care for, and respect ourselves, then it becomes easier to achieve our own resolutions.

     In today’s world we constantly lose, what I like to call our self-center. We center ourselves on friends, spouses, school, and family. We often lose our values in the midst of this. We put all of our external responsibilities and obligations first and fall into a cycle of fatigue, anxiety, and stress. This activity of putting others first consistently seems to ignite feelings of resentment, guilt and a sense of failure. By making a resolution to put ourselves first, we acknowledge that once we meet our basic needs and desires, we are able to give and accept from a place of true joy and happiness because we eliminate the cycle that leads to resentment and feeling overwhelmed.

     What would a life of putting ourselves first actually look like? It would include remembering each decision we make should point toward our own values. It would include saying “no” more often, and allowing space for our own thoughts. Showing ourselves love and respect on a daily basis would mean letting some people down once in a while, and in turn, it would be giving from a space of true love and happiness.

     Our resolutions of wanting to lose weight, or to eat better, often fail because we fall into feelings of guilt and fear from an outside force or influence. So if we allow ourselves to be self-centered and focus on our own values and what our own desires are, we might see that the world has endless possibilities. Our goal is to, eventually, through putting ourselves first, have our resolutions become a part of who we are!
-Sarah Morrison, RD, CD, Director of Medical Nutrition Therapy for Ramey Nutrition

 

 

Check out our new Team Page!! http://rameynutrition.com/team

Obesity surgery can lower blood sugars better than drugs -- worth the risk?

By Lindsay Tanner, The Associated Press

Obesity surgery worked much better at reducing and even reversing diabetesthan medication and lifestyle changes in one of the most rigorous studies of its kind. But the researchers and others warn that possible serious complications need to be considered.

The yearlong study indicates that the most common weight-loss surgery, gastric bypass, can effectively treatdiabetes in patients with mild to moderate obesity — about 50 to 70 pounds overweight, the researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Other studies have shown the operation can reverse diabetes in severely obese patients, although sometimes the disease comes back.

About a third of the 60 adults who got bypass surgery in the new study developed serious problems within a year of the operation, though some cases were not clearly linked with the surgery. That rate is similar to what's been seen in previous studies.

But for the most serious complications — infections, intestinal blockages and bleeding — the rate was 6 percent, slightly higher than in earlier research.

The most dangerous complication occurred in one patient when stomach contents leaked from the surgery site, leading to an overwhelming infection, leg amputation and brain injury. Lead author Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin, an obesity surgeon at the University of Minnesota, called that case "a fluke."

A journal editorial says such devastating complications are rare, but that "the frequency and severity of complications ... is problematic" in the study and that the best way to treat patients with both obesity and diabetes "remains unknown."

A research review in the journal said more long-term evidence on risks and benefits is needed to determine if obesity surgery is an appropriate way to treat diabetes in patients who aren't severely obese — at least 100 pounds overweight.

More than 20 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes; most are overweight or obese. Diabetics face increased risks for heart disease and strokes, and poorly controlled diabetes can damage the kidneys, eyes and blood vessels.

About 160,000 people nationwide undergo various types of obesity surgery each year. Bypass surgery, the type studied, involves stapling the stomach to create a small pouch and attaching it to a lower part of the intestines.

The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery says obesity surgery is safe and that the death rate is less than 1 percent, lower than for gallbladder and hip replacement surgery.

The study involved 120 patients at five hospitals in New York, Minnesota and Taiwan. All patients got medicines fordiabetes, obesity, cholesterol and/or high blood pressure. They all were advised to cut calories and increase physical activity.

Sixty patients also had surgery, and the two groups were compared after one year.

The surgery group lost on average nearly 60 pounds and 75 percent lowered blood sugar levels to normal or near normal levels. The non-surgery group lost an average 17 pounds and just 30 percent reached the blood-sugar goal. The surgery group also needed less medication after the operation.

The researchers say the diabeteschanges were likely due to the weight loss but that hormonal changes affecting blood sugar may have contributed.

The surgery group showed a trend toward having less high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol — both major risk factors for heart disease, although those between-group differences could have been due to chance.

Ikramuddin, the lead author, said the study results don't mean that all mildly obese diabetics should have obesity surgery, but that "in the correct patient, surgery might be an important thing to consider."

Randy Jackson's Journey with Diabetes

Join our Beyond Type 2 Program and "Own Your Blood Sugars!"

http://diabetesawarenesssite.com/randy-jacksons-journey-with-diabetes/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=dbsaware&utm_campaign=randy-jacksons-journey-with-diabetes&utm_term=20131104

Schools institute stricter policies on food allergies

Schools institute stricter policies on food allergies

November 1, 2013, AT 7:29 am

By Today Show

Schools across the country have accepted stricter policies on handling food allergies, from training in allergy injector pens to providing non-food incentives. The CDC has posted the full advisory on their website.

Tom Hanks reveals he has type 2 diabetes on 'Late Show'

Tom Hanks reveals he has type 2 diabetes on 'Late Show'

October 8, 2013, AT 6:03 am

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor

Tom Hanks on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

When Tom Hanks sat down with David Letterman on Monday's "Late Show," he surprised everyone by making a startling health announcement. He's been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. 

"I went to the doctor, and he said, 'You know those high blood sugar numbers you've been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you've graduated! You've got type 2 diabetes, young man,'" Hanks told Letterman (click through to the video of last night's show, and start at approximately the 15-minute mark).

"It's controllable," Hanks added quickly. "Something's going to kill us all, Dave."

Letterman said he too suffers from high blood sugar but controls it with diet.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common ofdiabetes, which occurs when the body does not properly metabolize insulin,according to the American DiabetesAssociation.

There was some good news, said Hanks, who was actually on the show to promote his new film "Captain Phillips." The doctor told him if he could maintain his high school weight he could get rid of the diabetes. Hanks said he told the doctor, "Well, I'm going to have type 2diabetes. Because there is no way I can weigh as much as I did in high school.'"

What was his high school weight?

"I weighed 96 pounds," said Hanks. "Most of that was that big white Afro that I wore back in the '70s."'

October 8, 2013, AT 6:03 am

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor

Tom Hanks on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

When Tom Hanks sat down with David Letterman on Monday's "Late Show," he surprised everyone by making a startling health announcement. He's been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. 

"I went to the doctor, and he said, 'You know those high blood sugar numbers you've been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you've graduated! You've got type 2 diabetes, young man,'" Hanks told Letterman (click through to the video of last night's show, and start at approximately the 15-minute mark).

"It's controllable," Hanks added quickly. "Something's going to kill us all, Dave."

Letterman said he too suffers from high blood sugar but controls it with diet.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common ofdiabetes, which occurs when the body does not properly metabolize insulin,according to the American DiabetesAssociation.

There was some good news, said Hanks, who was actually on the show to promote his new film "Captain Phillips." The doctor told him if he could maintain his high school weight he could get rid of the diabetes. Hanks said he told the doctor, "Well, I'm going to have type 2diabetes. Because there is no way I can weigh as much as I did in high school.'"

What was his high school weight?

"I weighed 96 pounds," said Hanks. "Most of that was that big white Afro that I wore back in the '70s."