Resource Column

Resource Column

WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO

KNOW

BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO ASK

(Resource Column)

Inclusion of materials in this publication
is for information only and does not imply endorsement by the Diabetes Action
Network of the NFB.

DIABETIC HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Diabetic Healthcare Services will take your order

for Diabetes supplies (including prescription medications), by mail or phone, and file all

your necessary forms for you. The accent is on speed and convenience; their paperwork

takes little time, and they offer same-day shipping. All items come with a 30-day

money-back guarantee! They direct-bill your insurance carrier, or Medicare, and they wait

for your insurance payment. For details, contact: Diabetic Healthcare Services, PO Box

309, Hudson, OH 44236-0309; telephone: 1-800-353-7318.

DIABETES SUPPLIES

American Diabetic Supply, Inc., will ship your

diabetes supplies to your door. They handle all insurance claims and provide free

delivery. Folks with Medicare and/or private insurance (no HMOs) may receive supplies with

no further cost. For information contact: American Diabetic Supply, Inc., 400 S. Atlantic

Ave., Suite 108, Ormond Beach, FL 32176; telephone: 1-800-453-9033.

NEW LANCETS

Can-Am Care, supplier of diabetes care products,

announces a new, thinner-gauge lancet. The Monolet Thin lancet works just like the Monolet

Original, but consumers with sensitive fingers, or who easily produce the small sample of

blood they need, will appreciate its finer-gauge needle, while consumers with thick,

callused fingertips, or who have difficulty getting sufficient blood for a test, will

prefer Monolet Originals.

For information about these, or Can-Am's many

other diabetes care products, contact: Can-Am Care Corporation, Cimetra Industrial Park,

Box 98, Chazy, NY 12921-0098; telephone: 1-800-461-7448.

DIABETIC SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

The Anastasia Marie Diabetic Pure Skin Therapy

Total Skin Care System for Face & Body is a complete line of products specifically

formulated for diabetic dry skin, including: Diapedic Foot Cream, Hand and Body Cream,

Azulene Night Repair, and Day Protection Formula SPF 15. These products should be

available at pharmacies nationwide. For more information or ordering assistance call:

Consumers Choice Systems, Inc., Bellvue, WA 98005; telephone: 1-800-479-5232.

DIABETES SUPPLIES

Heritage Diabetic Supply is a small, personalized

source for your diabetes needs (insulin included), offering reasonable prices and

one-on-one service. If you need something hard to find (like Diascan test strips), they

will get it for you. Heritage handles Medicare and private insurance paperwork (no HMOs),

and offers a free RSG glucose monitor just for signing up! Contact: Heritage Diabetic

Supply, PO Box 1270, Marion, NC 28752; telephone: 1-800-267-6509.

TALKING COMPUTERS

Henter-Joyce, Inc., maker of the "JAWS"
series of computer screen readers, offers screen-to-speech software including
"JAWS For WINDOWS" (JFW 3.0), now capable of reading
WINDOWS 95. The company also produces "JAWS for WINDOWS
NT," and software for the DECtalk speech synthesizer. Find out more at
their website: http://www.hj.com, or contact them for information: Henter-Joyce,
Inc., 11800 31st Court North, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805; telephone: 1-800-336-5658
or (813) 803-8000; fax: (813) 803-8001; email: [email protected]

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

Comprehensive Health Services, Inc., offers a

customer direct diabetic supply program. They stock glucose monitors for the sighted and

visually impaired, test strips, syringes, and other diabetic products. Medicare and

private insurance accepted; free and convenient home delivery; 24-hour toll-free

telephone; training and emergency customer support. Guaranteed full refund on supplies

returned within 30 days of purchase. To qualifying customers, no "out of pocket"

cost for diabetes supplies; no insurance paperwork to fill out.

For information, call: 1-800-795-6167,
or contact: Comprehensive Health Services, 221 N. Front St., Suite 203, Wilmington,
NC 28401.

SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
FROM THE EDITOR: MI FINE SKIN is a line
of skin care products of interest to diabetics. The line includes a cream, a
lotion, and a soap-free cleanser, all appropriate for the dry skin we face as
a consequence of our diabetes. I've used the lotion and the cream, and highly
approve of them both. The cream is especially appropriate for our dry feet,
and has been endorsed by diabetes educators and podiatrists as appropriate for
diabetic foot care (a useful "diabetic foot care" pamphlet is furnished
with the cream). I tried the cream on my feet; it's not greasy, and it works!

The soap-free cleanser comes in two varieties:

"for normal, dry, or sensitive skin" (16-oz. bottle) and "for oily

skin" (8-oz. bottle). The face and body lotion comes in an 8-oz. bottle, and the

cream is packed in a 4-oz. jar.

FREE SAMPLES OF THE CREAM AND LOTION ARE

AVAILABLE.

For information, or to obtain a free
sample, contact: MI SKIN, INC., 3645 Warrensville Center Road, Suite 321, Shaker
Heights, OH 44122; telephone: 1-800-754-6066.

DIABETES SUPPLIES

Diabetic Supply of Southwest Florida (formerly

Medi-Mail, Inc.), of Naples, Florida, is a new, small diabetes supply company offering a

high level of customer service. They bill Medicare and secondary insurance carriers,

accept assignment, and carry sometimes-hard-to-find items like Diascan test strips. They

carry diabetes literature and information, and all their employees have received

instruction from diabetes educators. For information contact: Diabetic Supply of SW

Florida, Inc., 1594 Northgate Drive, Naples, FL 33942; telephone: 1-800-883-9146 or (941)

435-1101.

DIABETIC DIET HELP

Doctors and dietitians tell us in microscopic

detail just what we should and should not eat. The problem is following their

instructions, on a daily basis. Keeping track of what you should eat, what you've already

had, and what's not in your meal plan is easier now, with the Diabetic Tracking System.

The Diabetic Tracking System is a set of

color-coded cards, labeled in large print (Braille headers available) divided into the

different food groups (starch, vegetables, fruit, protein, milk/yogurt, fats). Each card

represents one serving. Once you and your doctor or nutritionist have determined how many

and which of the cards you should use, start each day with all your cards in the NOT USED

stack, and when you eat, move the cards that represent the foods eaten to the USED stack.

To order a set of Diabetic Tracking System
cards, in large print, or in large print with Braille headers, send check or
money order for $17.95 (plus $2.95 shipping) to: Diabetic Tracking System, PO
Box 506, Cypress, TX 77410-0506.

LIFESCAN PROFILE TALK BOX

Science Products, maker of many adaptive
products for the blind, announces a new speech synthesizer for the LifeScan
Profile blood glucose monitor. Joining their lineup, which already includes
"talk boxes" for the old LifeScan One Touch II, and the Mini Digi-Voice
for the Profile, is a new version of the Digi-Voice Deluxe. Priced at $275,
similar to the old Deluxe module for the One Touch II, the new Deluxe, like
the Mini Digi-Voice, is electronically incompatible with the older monitor.
Be sure to specify which LifeScan meter you use! Science Products is offering
a $25 discount on the Deluxe module, for NFB members—for information on
membership (at NO COST!), contact the VOICE office. To order a Digi-Voice module,
or a catalog of their other adaptive products, contact: Science
Products, Box 888, Southeastern, PA 19399; telephone: 1-800-888-7400.

DIABETIC COOKBOOK

"Healthy and Hearty Diabetic Cooking,"

a cookbook produced by the Canadian Diabetes Association, has been updated by the editors

of "Diabetes Self-Management" magazine. The book's more than 200 recipes are

designed to be lowfat, low salt, low sugar, low calories, and high on flavor.

Acknowledging today's realities, the recipes are designed to be quick and easy to prepare.

Many are microwaveable. The book has a substitution chart, and every recipe comes with

complete nutritional analysis.

The book is priced at $23.97, plus shipping and

handling, and the order includes a freebie: the three part recipe set "Secrets of

Great Diabetic Cooking." The book is available from: "Healthy and Hearty

Diabetic Cooking," PO Box 11477, Des Moines, IA 50380-1477.

NEW DIABETES RESOURCES

The Diabetes Action Network of the National
Federation of the Blind will soon have, "Diabetes Resources: Equipment,
Services and Information," a comprehensive list of resources for diabetics.
The new list should be available by the end of January 1998.

"Diabetes Resources" will be a

compilation of companies and individuals offering products and/or information to help

diabetics, especially those who are blind or are losing vision, to self-manage their

diabetes. The list will be arranged under subject categories including: Diabetes

Literature, Personal Identification, General and Miscellaneous, Automatic Insulin

Injection Systems, Skin Moisturizers, Sugar-Free Foods, Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems,

Magnification Devices, Insulin Pumps, and Large Distributors of Diabetes Equipment and/or

Supplies.

Blind diabetics can and do accurately draw up

insulin, monitor blood glucose, and perform the other tasks of independent

self-management. By using alternative techniques and products, they can continue being

independent, and control their diabetes as efficiently as do their sighted peers.

Limitations are usually self-imposed— often all that is needed to overcome negative

thinking is simply to know where to go for information.

The new "Diabetes Resources: Equipment,

Services, and Information," costs $5 per copy and is available in Braille, large

print, and audiocassette (recorded at 15/16 IPS for the blind). Please order from:

National Federation of the Blind, Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD

21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314. Note: the Materials Center is open weekdays 12:30pm to

5:00pm Eastern time.