I want to let everyone know about a wonderful resource. The diaTribe Foundation puts out a newsletter with the tagline, Making Sense of Diabetes. Their mission is to help individuals better understand their diabetes and to make our readers happier and healthier. In my humble opinion, this newsletter does just that. It offers understandable explanations of important everyday topics for managing diabetes, as well as the latest and greatest in diabetes gadgets and gizmos (aka technology). They break down everything from managing diabetes in the hospital, to suggestions for healthy meals.
The current issue of the newsletter has a list of tips for the holidays that I found very relevant and valuable. I get tired of seeing “tips for the holidays” posts around this time of year. They seem to say the same thing over and over, and it gets old. diaTribe’s list is more innovative, thoughtful, and a good variety of topics. I agree with the point about “moderation” not being easy for everyone. The thing about managing diabetes is that no two people are the same, and we each have to find and do what works best for us as an individual. diaTribe’s newsletter makes it just a little easier to figure all that out and feel good about the process.
I do have two concerns in an effort to be completely transparent:
- Today’s issue had a pop-up window with a testimony from a parent of a person who “lowered his A1C from 11-something to 4.9%.” That made me cringe a little. While it is possible (especially with current technology) to run blood glucose levels consistently in a lower range, having an A1C of 4.9% often means one of the following: you don’t have diabetes; you are having – or are at risk for – a lot of low blood glucose events (PSA: hypoglycemia can be dangerous in the short and long term, especially if it’s happening repeatedly); you have diabetes and you are still making some insulin. I wouldn’t want people to think they will magically lower their A1C to the non-diabetes range by reading this newsletter.
- Some of the articles are too long for me. I admit that age, work, life, and societal norms have driven me to a very short attention span. I own it. However, if it’s a long article on a topic I’m interested in, I’ll just break up my reading of it (and that makes me happier and healthier).
Check it out! I believe you have to become a member of diaTribe in order to receive the newsletter. It’s all free!