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.
TEST YOUR KIDNEYS
One of the complications of diabetes (type 1 or type 2) can be nephropathy, kidney damage. We know a lot of people (with diabetes or otherwise) have kidney damage, and we know it can be treated, if caught early enough. The problem has been to get those tests done—to make them more convenient.
FlexSite Diagnostics now offers the Kidney Screen At Home test, a simple and convenient way to carry out the medically-accepted microalbumin test, without the need to schedule a doctor's visit. Each test kit contains: instructions, proper forms, test strip, disposable sample collecting kit, and mailing envelope. You can test at home, mail the sample to FlexSite, and they will read it and send the results to you and your doctor. For information, contact: FlexSite Diagnostics, 3543 SW Corporate Parkway, Palm City, FL 34990; telephone: 1-877-212-8378.
BRAILLING SERVICE
We've been asked to announce: Suppose you need to send a letter, in Braille, to a blind person - but you don't know Braille. What do you do? To the rescue comes Hotbraille.com, a free brailling service. Write your letter, and address it to the person you wish to receive it. Hotbraille will transcribe it into Braille for you, and send it on to your addressee, as "free matter for the blind," free of charge. Hotbraille can also translate your letter, into 19 other languages.
Your letter should be no longer than two Braille passages, about 250 words (about one page of typed, double-spaced, print.) Letters are usually processed the day received, and then sent out as "free matter." Contact: Hotbraille.com, 2601 Mountaingate Way, Oakland, CA 94611, web site: www.hotbraille.com
OBESITY HANDBOOK
Obesity is a major problem in the U.S. today. Sixteen million Americans have
diabetes, and 97 million Americans are overweight or obese—and the problem
is getting worse. But you control obesity, like diabetes, with quality information.
"THE PRACTICAL GUIDE: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight
and Obesity in Adults" is published by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (NHLBI, publication # 00-4084), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH). It has clinical descriptions, food information, synopses of Carb
Counting and the Exchange List, discussions of "dining out," planning
an exercise program, and a discussion of weight-loss pharmacotherapy. Written
for the health professional, the book has much to offer the educated patient
as well, and is well worth the investment.
Available free for download (PDF format), or in print. Cost (print version: $5.50, plus $2.50 shipping and handling) from NHLBI, Educational Programs Information Center, PO Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105; telephone: (301) 592-8573, or on the web at www.nhlbi.gov
HUMOR IN CHURCH
(from the Internet)
A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service: "Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl answered: "Because people are sleeping."
* * * *
A four-year-old prayed: "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."
* * * *
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and he wasn't having an easy time with it. As he preached, moving briskly about on the platform, he repeatedly jerked the mike cord. When he moved to one side, he got caught in the cord, and nearly tripped and fell, before jerking the cord again. After several more circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered: "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
* * * *
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
* * * *
A mother was teaching her three-year-old daughter the Lord's Prayer. They'd
recited it together, and now was time for the big solo. Proudly, the mother
listened as her daughter carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end
of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some E-mail.
Amen."
BOARD MEMBERS
The Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind.
President: Ed Bryant
Columbia, MO
First Vice President: Eric Woods
Denver, CO
Second Vice President: Sandie Addy
Prescott Valley, AZ
Treasurer: Bruce Peters
Akron, OH
Secretary: Dawnelle Cruze
Portsmouth, VA
Board Member: Paul Price
Valley Center, CA
Board Member: Sally York
Castro Valley, CA
Board Member: Lois Williams
Huntsville, AL
ELECTIONS COMING UP
At this year's national convention in Louisville, Kentucky, elections will be held to fill our Diabetes Action Network divisional board positions. These are one-year terms, running from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003. Positions to be filled are: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Board Members. If you are interested in a board position, or know someone who you think would do a good job, then contact our Diabetes Action Network President, Ed Bryant. Yes, hard work and dedication are prerequisites for board positions—but one must lead by good example.
HEALTHY SOUTHERN FOODS
When you're diagnosed with diabetes, those rich Southern foods are traditionally
the first things you've had to give up. As diabetes hits hard among people whose
traditional foods may be so described, this can be a problem—but now you
have some help. Wiley's Healthy Southern Classics is a new line of fat-free,
cholesterol-free seasonings designed to help you achieve a healthy diabetic
diet: low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Wiley's seasonings provide
traditional flavors without the need for bacon drippings, butter, cooking oils,
or meat juices. The Wiley's line includes 17 seasoning blends designed specifically
for home cooking. Use them in place of common home-style seasonings, and take
a giant step toward a healthier lifestyle. For more information, contact: Wiley
Mullins, Wiley's Healthy Southern Classics, 1220 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06430;
telephone: (203) 259-1084; web site: www.unclewileys.com
HEALING AID
We have been asked to announce: Slow healing of wounds and ulcers is a common problem for many diabetics. In its extreme, the body's failure to heal can lead to amputation. Doctors are always looking for more ways to help the body heal.
One approach is to use topical oxygen infusion of a wound site, by means of a hyperbaric chamber. Massive, ponderous "full-body" hyperbaric chambers were tried in the past (the doctor had to come in, too), but now there are small chambers, just big enough for an affected limb (The Topical Hyperbaric Oxygen Extremity Chamber), or even bag-like, made of soft plastic, designed to adhere to an affected area. The manufacturer states The Disposable Sacral Topical Hyperbaric Oxygen System will help heal stage 2, 3, and 4 wounds, and is designed to be disposable.
For information, contact: Advanced Hyperbaric Technologies, Inc., telephone: 1-800-327-4325.
LOW-VISION AID
We have been asked to announce: Many people are "visually-impaired," in that they have difficulty with distance, or close up, or in bright light, or perhaps in low light. They can "see," but they may need some help.
At home, or in the workplace, many people use CCTVs, big video magnifiers that display onto a computer-type screen, but these systems are hardly portable. Now there is a portable alternative.
The VisAble Video Telescope, from Betacom, looks like a little
video camera. Its zoom lens magnifies up to 20x, or down to .5x, for wide-angle
viewing. You can use it as a telescope, or as a macro-magnifier to read fine
print or inspect small objects. Its adjustable contrast allows you to see more
clearly in very bright or dim light, and it can "Hold" an image for
further inspection.
Contact: Betacom, 450 Matheson Blvd East., Suite 67, Missisauga, Ontario, Canada
L4Z 1R5; telephone: 1-800-353-1107, or Betacom U.S.A., 1000 John R. Road, Suite
108, Troy, MI 48083-4317; telephone: 1-888-350-3155; website: www.betacom.com
INHALED INSULIN UPDATE
New York based Emisphere Technologies is working on oral delivery mechanisms for a number of drugs previously limited to subcutaneous injection. One of these drugs is insulin.
Because insulin is a complex protein, it would be digested and destroyed if the diabetic merely swallowed it. Inhalation works, but the problem has been to avoid the all-at-once "rush" effect, the quick spike and rapid fall-off of drug activity. Companies working on the problem have tried to "buffer" the "spike" effect, to moderate the body's response so the effect of the medication could be kept safe.
Working with Hadassah Hospital in Israel, and with various labs in the Netherlands and U.K., Emisphere has a number of phase 1 studies of its inhaled insulin under way at this time, and its spokesmen describe their preliminary findings as "promising."
Stay tuned.
HEALTHY PASTA?
We have been asked to announce: Francesco Rinaldi Original Traditional No Salt Added Pasta Sauce is cholesterol-free, has no saturated fat, and is low in fat and sodium. It contains no additives or preservatives, and carries the American Heart Association's "Heart-Check" mark, signifying a healthy food. It's tasty! Francesco Rinaldi products are already available in the Northeast U.S., and on the East Central and West Coast.
VOICE FORMATS
VOICE OF THE DIABETIC is offered in two formats: standard print, and 15/16 ips audiocassette, "talking book" speed. Anyone who is currently receiving the VOICE in print and having difficulty reading it, may receive it on cassette at no charge. VOICE tapes require the special tape player available free to the legally blind from Regional Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which can be obtained by telephoning the National Library Service at: 1-800-424-8567. Note: Attempting to play VOICE tapes (or any other tapes in NLS format) on a conventional music-speed tape player will yield incomprehensible "chipmunk sounds."
All a subscriber needs to do, to switch from standard print to tape, or to receive
both formats, free of charge, is contact us at the VOICE OF THE DIABETIC Editorial
Office.
VETERAN'S NEWS
If you are a Vietnam veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange, you may have developed certain medical conditions as a consequence. One of them may be diabetes, and, until recently, veterans who believe their type 2 diabetes was as a result of their service have not received a sympathetic hearing from the Veterans' Administration. That is changing. The VA now estimates that perhaps nine percent of the 2.3 million Americans who served in Vietnam have type 2 diabetes, and the Federal Government is now prepared to pay benefits. The new rules have been published in the Federal Register, so if you were refused benefits in the past, it might be a good time to apply again. More information is available at VA regional medical centers, offices, or on the agency's website: www.va.gov
The American Legion is prepared to help veterans with the VA claims process and other claims matters. To locate an American Legion service officer in your state, call the American Legion at: 1-800-433-3318, or see their website: www.legion.org
NEW URINALYSIS TEST
The National Kidney Foundation has just announced new kidney test guidelines, with an eye toward getting many more individuals tested early, so action can be promptly taken if kidney disease is detected.
There are several tests for the presence of kidney disease. Bayer Diagnostics has just announced a new one. Multistix Pro Reagent Strips perform a simple "dip and read" urinalysis test that measures protein, creatinine, and the protein-creatinine ratio. After dipping in a urine sample, the results can be read by the doctor's Clinitek 50 Analyzer in just 60 seconds, allowing the physician to immediately discuss results with the patient.
Other kidney tests take more time and preparation, so the quick, in-office results from the Multistix Pro represent a real advance in convenience.
To learn more, contact: Bayer Diagnostics, 511 Benedict Avenue, Tarrytown, NY 10591-5097, telephone: (914) 631-8000. Bayer recommends interested readers visit the National Kidney Foundation website: www.kidney.org
ARTICLES NEEDED
If you have diabetes, are a family member or friend of a diabetic, or a health
professional with an interest in diabetes, we invite you to submit an article
for publication in the VOICE OF THE DIABETIC.
Our philosophy regarding diabetes is positive. Do you have an inspiring, enlightening story? We, the Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind, seek to show people they are not alone, and do have options, regardless of diabetic complications. If you have experienced ramifications, others, who may be facing the same side-effects, could benefit from what you have to say.
Perhaps you have not experienced complications—your unique insight, coping strategies, and lifestyle can still inspire others. Are you a relative, a friend, or a health professional? More than 303,515 Voice readers could benefit from your story.
For information and article submission guidelines, contact:
Voice of the Diabetic, 1412 I-70 Drive, Suite C, Columbia, MO 65203; telephone:
(573) 875-8911.