Voice of the Diabetic, Winter 2000

VOICE OF THE DIABETIC

The Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation

of the Blind

A Support and Information Network

Volume 15, Number 1, Winter Edition 2000

VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, published quarterly, is

the national news magazine of the Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation

of the Blind. It is read by those interested in all aspects of blindness and

diabetes. We show diabetics that they have options regardless of the ramifications

Irving Mushlin Story

THE IRVING MUSHLIN STORY:
68 YEARS WITH DIABETES

Too many people still believe that diabetes

inevitably means a shortened, traumatized life. That is not true. Today's diabetes

treatment modalities do a superb job of reducing the odds of complications, but there are

also a lot of folks out there who've had diabetes 40, 50, even 60+ years, and are doing

fine. They must have been doing something right all along! Let's meet one of them.

Irving Mushlin is 81 years old. He has had type

Glucowatch System Almost Here

THE GLUCOWATCH SYSTEM
IS ALMOST HERE

Self-monitoring of blood glucose has been an

integral part of diabetes self-management for decades now, but almost as soon as lancets

and test strips became standard equipment, folks have dreamed of ways to monitor without

puncturing yourself and bleeding. Today's equipment, while reliable and accurate, is not

much fun.

Many companies and inventors have tried to make a

needle-free glucose monitor. Some found the technical problems and the expenses of

The Five "Rights"

THE FIVE "RIGHTS"

Diabetes and Exercise

DIABETES AND EXERCISE

The image of the muscular athlete, bathed in

sweat, receiving the gold medal, is deceptive. Exercise, the pursuit of physical fitness,

is not just for Olympians and professionals. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates of Kos

taught that a well-balanced lifestyle, with proper diet and appropriate exercise, was good

therapy.

But we seem to have lost something since that

time. In our worship of convenience and pursuit of the latest technology, we forget that

Ask The Doctor

ASK THE DOCTOR

by Wesley W. Wilson, MD

NOTE: If you have any questions for "Ask the

Doctor," please send them to the VOICE editorial office. The only questions Dr.

Wilson will be able to answer are the ones used in this column.

"Brittle" Diabetes

"BRITTLE" DIABETES

by Peter J. Nebergall,
PhD

Diabetic Neuropathy Research Study

DIABETIC NEUROPATHY RESEARCH
STUDY

The science of medicine advances by test. New

treatments and new theories are proposed, but only by test can we determine which ones

work, which ones fail, which ones are safe, and which ones need adjusting to make them

safe. Everywhere you turn, there are new studies underway. You might even get the chance

to participate!

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the nerve

disorder that can follow long-established diabetes, carries with it risk of tingling,

GRAY PANCAKES AND THE GENTLEMAN

GRAY PANCAKES AND THE
GENTLEMAN'S HAT

by Marc Maurer

This article appeared in the BRAILLE
MONITOR, March 1999, published by the National Federation of the Blind. Dr.
Maurer is the President of the National Federation of the Blind.
From the MONITOR Editor: The following
story is taken from "Gray Pancakes and Gold Horses," the fourteenth
in the NFB's Kernel Book series of paperbacks. It begins with Dr. Jernigan's
introduction:

Insulin Measurement Devices

INSULIN MEASUREMENT DEVICES

Most diabetics, blind or sighted, want and need

to achieve control, independent self-management, of their diabetes. But if a diabetic

cannot rely on vision to accurately measure insulin, then, to maintain independence, he or

she MUST have effective alternative techniques specifically designed for individuals with

partial or complete vision loss. Many manufacturers have risen to the occasion, and with