Food For Thought
Food For Thought
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
We invite blurbs and tidbit articles
for inclusion in this column. Materials received may be edited and used as space
permits. Products and services included in this column are for information only
and do not imply endorsement by the Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.
INSULIN STORAGE
Recently we asked Lilly Research Laboratories, a
division of Eli Lilly & Co., the largest manufacturer of insulin in the United States,
to tell us the latest about insulin storage. Gregory J. Susko, R.Ph., a Medical
Information Specialist with Lilly's Customer Services, provided the following:
We recommend that prefilled syringes of either
single formulations or mixtures of Humulin be kept refrigerated and used within 21 days.
We have evaluated the storage of Humulin in syringes manufactured by B-D, Monoject, Tomac,
and by Eisele. No significant insulin retention was encountered in our studies.
If using prefilled syringes containing a
suspension (e.g., Humulin N, Humulin L), patients must be educated to insure that they
adequately resuspend the insulin preparation by rolling or gently agitating the syringe
prior to administration. Prefilled syringes should never be stored vertically with the
needle (pointing straight) down since insulin crystals settling out of suspension could
clog the needle.
If patients are using prefilled syringes with
mixtures of Humulin R and Humulin L or Humulin U, the most consistent effect will be
obtained if only syringes that have been filled at least 24 hours previously are used for
injection. For example, in the case of a home health nurse who visits once a week, on the
day of the visit, the patient should use a syringe which had been filled on the prior
visit of the nurse, and not a freshly mixed syringe.
If you have other questions about insulin use, or
about any other aspect of diabetes, ask us! We are the Diabetes Action Network of the
National Federation of the Blind.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
To all of you who responded to our recent
donations drive, an enormous THANK YOU! It costs more than $150,000 per year to publish
VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, the principal communication tool of our Diabetes Action Network.
Through the generosity of the National Federation of the Blind, we offer subscription
without charge; but our advertising income covers only a portion of production costs, so
we depend on YOU, our readers, to help us keep on carrying our message to more diabetics,
family members, health professionals, and individuals with an interest in the condition.
As our circulation has now grown beyond 214,000, our need for your assistance grows more
acute. Twice a year we send out requests for donations. To those of you who
responded—Thank you again!
HEAR YE, HEAR YE, A RAFFLE
The Diabetes Action Network of the National
Federation of the Blind reaches out and provides support and information to thousands of
people. Because it costs to operate this valuable network and to produce the VOICE OF THE
DIABETIC, we must generate funds to help cover these expenses. Our Diabetes Action Network
has elected to hold a raffle, which will be coordinated by our division treasurer, Mary
Hurt.
THE GRAND PRIZE WILL BE $500! The winning ticket
will be drawn, and the winner's name announced, on July 9, 1998, at the banquet held
during the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
Raffle tickets cost $1 each, or a book of six may
be purchased for $5. Tickets may be purchased from state representatives of our Diabetes
Action Network or by contacting the VOICE Editorial Office, 811 Cherry Street, Suite 309,
Columbia, MO 65201; telephone: (573) 875-8911. Anyone interested in selling tickets should
also contact the VOICE Editorial Office. Tickets are available now! Names of persons who
sell 50 tickets or more will be announced in the VOICE.
Please make checks payable to the National
Federation of the Blind. Money and sold raffle ticket stubs must be mailed to the VOICE
office no later than June 10, 1998, or they can be personally delivered to Raffle Chairman
Mary Hurt, at this year's NFB convention in Dallas, Texas. This raffle is open to anyone
age 18 or older, and the holder of the lucky raffle ticket need not be present to win.
Each ticket sold is a donation, helping keep our Diabetes Action Network moving forward.
THE BLIND PARACHUTE JUMPER
from Col. David Hackworth, U.S. Army, (Ret.)
A blind man was describing his favorite
sport— parachuting. When asked how this was accomplished, he said that things were
all done for him: "I am placed in the door and told when to jump! My hand is placed
on my release ring for me, and OUT I GO!"
"But how do you know when you are going to
land?" he was asked.
"I have a very keen sense of smell, and I
can smell the trees and grass when I am 300 feet from the ground," he answered.
"But how do you know when to lift your legs
for the final arrival on the ground?" he was again asked.
He quickly answered, "Oh, the dog's leash
goes slack."
BRAILLE CALENDAR
The American Action Fund for Blind Children and
Adults is offering, free-of-charge, an attractive 1998 calendar in Braille. Contact: The
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD
21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314.
ACE INHIBITORS
If you have diabetes and are facing diabetic
nephropathy, your doctor may recommend you start taking one of the class of blood-pressure
medications called "Ace inhibitors": captopril, lisinopril, enalapril, etc.
Although these are nominally blood pressure medications, and you may not have shown any
high blood pressure, they have been proven to reduce the strain diabetes imposes on
damaged kidneys. ACE inhibitors, especially captopril (trade name Capoten) work well for
most individuals with diabetic kidney disease.
Some folks will be allergic to the ACE
inhibitors, and others will experience the dry cough that plagues about 20% of users.
They'll need to switch to something else. Some doctors recommend losartan (trade name
Cozaar) a similar medication of perhaps equal value, for such cases.
Another class of anti-hypertensives, the calcium
channel blockers, is less desirable for diabetic use. Only one of their number, diltiazem,
has been shown to decrease protein in the urine of diabetics experiencing nephropathy.
They have also been associated with a slight increase in the odds of heart attack.
There are also the beta blockers, and these are
good heart medications; but they tend to increase both blood glucose and
lipids—hardly appropriate for diabetics! Beta blockers can also mask the symptoms of
hypoglycemia.
Talk to your doctor about the Ace inhibitors.
TAX HELP
For assistance with completing your 1997 tax
forms, you can telephone the Internal Revenue Service, toll-free: 1-800-829-1040.
INTERNET MEDICAL INFORMATION
MEDLINE, the world's most extensive collection of
published medical information, long available to medical professionals, is now open to the
public, free of charge, over the world wide web.
Also, many of the articles carried as abstracts
in MEDLINE can now be accessed in full, via the new service called PubMed. The sponsor,
the National Library of Medicine (NLM), now also offers HEALTHFINDER, a web page with
links to more than 1250 web sites, Federal, state, local, non-profit, university, and
consumer health resources.
To access MEDLINE: http://www.nlm.nih.gov
To access HEALTHFINDER:
BOARD MEMBERS
The Diabetes Action Network of the National
Federation of the Blind.
President: Ed Bryant
Columbia, MO
First Vice President: Janet Lee
Cedar, MN
Second Vice President: Sandie Addy
Prescott Valley, AZ
Treasurer: Mary Hurt
Louisville, KY
Secretary: Sally York
Castro Valley, CA
Board Member-At-Large: Tom Ley
Baltimore, MD
Board Member-At-Large: Eric Woods
Denver, CO
MACULAR DEGENERATION
Macular degeneration is the progressive loss of
visual acuity in the macula, the critical center portion of the retina. It is the most
common cause of vision loss among older Americans, and is most common among Whites.
Smoking, poor diet, and incautious use of vitamin supplements appear to contribute, but
the primary risk factor is ageing. This is significant, because some of those folks facing
macular degeneration will also have diabetes, and may be experiencing diabetic
retinopathy. Clinicians need to be aware of the likelihood of multiple causation; many
people may have three or four conditions simultaneously. Talk to your ophthalmologist
(vision specialist) about macular degeneration, as education is the best preventative!
BLOOD TEST HELP
A VOICE reader made us aware of a new
product offered by LifeScan, Inc., maker of the One Touch and Sure Step blood
glucose monitors. Called the "Disposable Fine Tip Transfer Pipet,"
it enables diabetics who have difficulty getting the "hanging drop of blood"
on the test strip to collect it in the pipet and deposit it on the strip. Although
the procedure requires sight, it should help many make better use of their One
Touch monitors. For more information about the pipets, or about LifeScan's other
diabetes products, see your pharmacist, or contact: LifeScan,
Inc., Milpitas, CA 95035; telephone: 1-800-227-8862.
NFB SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The National Federation of the Blind will award
$88,000 in scholarships this year. Individual scholarship amounts range from $3,000 to
$10,000, and the competition is open to any legally-blind individual who will be a
full-time, post-secondary student in Fall 1998.
All 26 scholarships are merit-based, and most are
unrestricted. Entries will be judged on the criteria of academic excellence, financial
need, and service to the community. The committee making the award decisions will be
composed of blind citizens with distinguished academic and community backgrounds from
across the country.
The scholarship winners will be presented their
awards in July, at the 1998 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, in Dallas,
Texas. The NFB will also pay all expenses of scholarship winners to attend the convention.
The National Federation of the Blind is an
organization dedicated to creating opportunity for all blind persons. With more than
50,000 members, it is the largest organization of blind citizens in existence, and it
awards more scholarships to the blind than does any other group or organization.
Recipients of Federation scholarships do not have to be members of the NFB.
Applications for the 1998 NFB Scholarship program
must be received by March 31, 1998. Scholarship winners will be notified by June 1. We
receive approximately 500 scholarship applications each year, so don't delay! Anyone
interested may request as many application forms as needed from:
1. Mrs. Peggy Elliott, Chairman, National
Federation of the Blind Scholarship Committee, 805 5th Avenue, Grinnell, IA 50112-1653;
telephone: (515) 236-3366.
2. National Federation of the Blind Scholarship
Committee, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314.
3. All NFB Affiliate presidents.
4. Financial Aid Offices of educational
institutions.
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