Are There GMOs in My Insulin?

In the food production world, one of the biggest debates raging is the development of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). On both sides of the debate there is a lot of passion. But on one side, there is a lot of misinformation and fear mongering. 

The fact is, we have been consuming genetically modified foods for decades. A lot of it was natural mutations until recently.  Now, science has developed a way to speed up some of the “mutations” faster. Or breed out unwanted traits, like apples that don’t brown as quickly or potatoes that don’t grow eyes as quickly, or bruise as easily.  

http://kfolta.blogspot.ca/2014/06/when-liars-cross-line-gmo-insulin.html?m=1

For diabetics, genetic engineering has been a big part of our lives. 

Insulin used to be produced using  pancreases from slaughtered animals. In the 70s, recombinant insulin was generated, and today is generated in yeast and e. Coli 

(Kevin Folta)

Organizations like GMO Free Canada and GMO Free USA are passing along false information stating that the GMOs in insulin (of which there are none - GMO is not an ingredient. It’s a technique) can cause Type 2 diabetics on insulin to become Tupe 1 diabetics, resulting in - are you ready for this? DOUBLE DIABETES!!!  

How can people fall for this?  

Do yourself a favour when researching medical techniques and treatment. Talk to your doctor or endocrinologist. Check the sources - if any. And if there are no sources, think about that.  Information with no sources is not likely to be reliable. Reliable information can be backed up by other studies. And if one actual scientist gets it wrong, they revise and retract.

A Post, An Apology and A Review

Life sometimes gets in the way of things we enjoy doing.  I wish I could say that life was the reason this blog sort of.... stopped.  I can't really explain what happened and why I stopped.  But I'm back and I apologize for disappearing.  It's been a year - and that's WAY too  long.

I also have to apologize to the companies that sent me Glucose Monitors to review.  I used them all, but I haven't posted the reviews.  So today, I am going to start by reviewing a couple of monitors I was sent by Oracle Diabetes Products.

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The Review.

So, Oracle  sent me two of their glucose monitors, a box of lancets, some cute note pads (that I keep by the side of my bed), Control Solution and test strips. 



The first monitor I tried was the EZ Health Talking Glucose Monitor.  It is absolutely the cutest monitor I have ever used.  It spoke every time I inserted a strip, and told me the ambient temperature where I was testing my sugar. 

Unlike the usual black or grey, this one is a bright orange.  I didn't get to the point where I would have measurable ketones in my blood, so I never did hear the ketone warning.  The volume control is easy to manage so that you don't shock the people around you with the sudden sound of the monitor talking.

I frequent enough pharmacies that I tend to peek over the counter to see what strips are available, and I have to admit, I didn't see the EZ Health readily available.  But according to their website, there are several pharmacies (some of which I don't frequent) that carry this brand, such as PharmaSave.  Keep your eyes out for them, if you choose this monitor.

I think, based on the website and the unit itself, that this particular monitor might be geared towards children.  Certainly, the colour and the talking features would make this particular monitor attractive to children. 

But I have to admit - I enjoyed using it as well. 


The second monitor Oracle sent my was the Onyx.  It is similar to the Contour USB in the shape and size, but is much smaller and lighter.  It takes the same strips as the EZ Health talking monitor and is just as easy to set up and use. 

I used this one for a shorter amount of time as I had limited strips, but it was certainly easy to read and easy to use and set up. 

I particularly liked that both monitors would give a happy or sad face depending on the readings.  It's sort of a fun change from the usual.

Both monitors are easy to set up and easy to use, taking some of the stress away from a newly diagnosed person. 

The talking monitor, which also tells you the ambient temperature is definitely useful for a newly diagnosed person as it can give them an idea of how temperature might affect their blood sugars.

All in all, I highly recommend these monitors for newly diagnosed people. 

Happy New Year!

I realize it's still officially 2016, but I am SO ready for this year to be over.

2016 has just been a complete dumpster fire.  Between the US election, the war in Syria, the bombings of innocent civilians in Aleppo by their own government (not that that hasn't stopped people from vilifying Israel, as usual), and the many, many celebrity deaths since the beginning of the year, I'm ready to look forward to 2017 with a lot more positivity than 2016 is leaving us with.

I am, however, happy to report, that not one incident in 2016 can be blamed on diabetes - at least, not personally for me.

There have been some changes to my regime - an addition of an extra dose of insulin at meals, which has, weirdly, been difficult to remember to do, and an addition of a anti-cholesterol drug (Crestor) as a preventive measure.

But for the most part, any issues related to my diabetes has been mostly self-inflicted rather than disease progression.

So, here's hoping that 2017 is a happy and healthy year for all of us.

Happy Birthday, Frederick Banting!! Thank you for giving me my life!

Today is November 14.  It's World Diabetes Day and it's also Sir Frederick Banting's birthday.

Diabetics around the world owe their lives to Sir Frederick (and of course, his co-discoverer, Charles Best) for their groundbreaking discovery of the use of insulin on humans with diabetes.

Here are 5 things you may not have known about Sir Frederick from The Canadian Diabetes Association:

1. He was a decorated war hero
Sir Frederick served in both the First and Second World Wars.  He was with the Canadian Army Medical Service in 1916 and on September 28, 1916, he attended to his battalion on the front for 17 hours, saving many lives. He suffered a interosseous artery in his right arm, but refused to be sent to the rear, earning him the Military Cross for 'distinguished and meritorious services in time of war".
(an interosseous artery is about 1 cm. in length, arises immediately below the tuberosity of the radius from the ulnar artery. Passing backward to the upper border of the interosseous membrane, it divides into two branches, the anterior interosseous and posterior interosseous arteries)

2. He was an acclaimed artist
Sir Frederick painted with the renowned Group of Seven painters - alongside the likes of A.Y. Jackson and Tom Thompson.  He formed a bond with the Group when, in 1923, he won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine and wanted refuge from his newfound professional pressures.  He is still among Canada's most noteworthy amateur artists.

3. His home draws thousands of tourists every year
This home was bought by the Canadian Diabetes Association in 1981 and is known as the Banting House Historic Site.  It has become one of London, Ontario's most important national and international tourist site. 

Frederick Banting started his medical practice in this house in 1920 though now, it is a full-fledged National Historic Site of Canada.  It holds an array of historical artifacts, artwork, and a restored bedroom that captures the moment in time when Banting conceived the idea for insulin.

People from around the world leave notes of thanks for his contribution to the betterment of their lives.  His room is now a veritable shrine to the man who has made diabetes management so much easier than it was in the 20s.

Even the Queen has written a "Dear Dr. Banting" letter that is in the museum.

4. He was a comic book hero
In December, 1941, the Comic Book Corporation of America published its second issue of World Famous Heroes magazine.  This comic book was dedicated to telling true stories behind noteworthy figures in history.  Banting appeared alongside American President Andrew Jackson, baseball star Lou Gherig, and military legend General "Billy" Mitchell.

He was billed as "Canada's Renowned Scientist".  The story in the magazine tells his complete life story including his service in World War 1, his discovery of insulin and his death during World War 2, in 1941.

5. He died serving his country
As mentioned a few times above, Sir Frederick served in both the First and Second World Wars.   By the time the Second World War broke out, he was already famous for his discovery of insulin, but his research wasn't yet finished.

In 1938, he had begun working for the National Research Council to fix a critical gap in Allied scientific knowledge.  He focused on aviation medicine.

His research helped develop the G-Suit, which is an outfit worn by pilots that prevents blood from pooling in the lower regions of their body, preventing them from passing out.

In 1941, he set off for Britain to continue his research as part of the Allied war efforts.  After he took off from Gander, Newfoundland, his plane failed and crashed.  He initially survived the crash, but succumbed to his injuries on February 21, 1941.

His loss was a tragic one in a time when his research was really branching out.  But we diabetics will always be grateful for his contribution to our continuing health.  Thanks to Drs. Banting and Best, us diabetics enjoy much longer, healthier lives.

So, raise a glass (or a vial of insulin) and let's toast Sir Frederick Banting.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Banting. 

November 11, Remembrance Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

On November 11, we remember the soldiers who fought for our country, who were wounded for our country and who died for our country.  We remember the sacrifices they made, mental and physical and the toll the wars our soldiers fought in took on our communities, our families, our country and our world. 

In 1918, Sir Frederick Banting (1891-1941), one of the co-discoverers of Insulin, fought for Canada in Cambrai during World War 1.

He died defending our country in the Second World War, in February, 1941.  Today, with the Canadian Diabetes Association, I pay homage to our hero, the man who helped make this disease easier to manage.

Diabetes Awareness Month

It's embarrassing that it's been another few months since my last post. 

What's even more embarrassing is that I have completed all my testing of meters but haven't written my reviews yet. 

But what got me back into this is this:

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. 

So:

An estimated one million Canadians live with undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes - underlining the importance of raising awareness of risk factors. 

The Canadian Diabetes Association has unveiled a new campaign "Don't Be Risky".  You can fill out a CANRISK test to see if you are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.  Novo Nordisk Canada has pledged to donate $1 to the CDA for each test completed.

Some of the risks for Type 2 Diabetes include:

* having a parent or sibling with diabetes
* being a member of a high risk group, such as Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian or of African descent.
* Having health complications associated with diabetes (this can include heart disease, kidney disease or eye disease)
* Having given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds or having had gestational diabetes during pregnancy
* Having high blood pressure
* having high cholesterol or other fats in the blood
* being overweight and carrying most of your weight around your stomach.
(www.diabetes.ca)

More than 9 million Canadians are currently living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Diabetes affects more than just the patient.  For children living with Type 1 Diabetes, their parents are on guard all the time to ensure blood sugars are checked and within range.

Adults living with Type 2 diabetes can sometimes find that the 'hassle' of maintaining healthy blood sugars is too hard and can cause further damage in the future.

November is Diabetes Awareness month.  But don't let November be the only time you pay attention.

Traveling with Diabetes

Wow!  Has it really been nearly two months since my last post?!  I apologize to my readers!  My only excuse - it's summer. And summer means travelling. 

This summer my family and I took off on a trip across Eastern Canada in a 30 year old RV that my husband and his brother bought for next to nothing. It was soon apparent exactly WHY this RV was being sold so cheaply. But that's a topic for another post on another blog. 

So, 2 weeks, 4 people, 1 RV and 1 diabetic. How to make it all work?

First thing we did was make sure that the refrigerator was working while the RV was running - and while we were parked but without electrical hook ups, to ensure my insulin could stay cool in the fridge.  Once we established that, my next task was to see if I could find my Frio wallet.  This near little piece of equipment is filled with gel beads that you activate by putting it in cold water for about 15 minutes. It stays cool for up to 3 days and doesn't get moldy. Very handy when you're exploring Quebec City on foot wth nothing but a back pack. Frio has several sizes. Check out their site to find what works best for you. My wallet holds 2 pens, but I only carry one. 

The other important thing to ensure is proper equipment. When packing for a trip as a diabetic it is important to be vigilant as to what you're going to need. This is what I carried in my bag that came with me everywhere:

• A glucose monitor, lancing device and strips
•  Hand sanitizer (you can't always get to a bathroom to wash your hands)
• My Frio wallet with an Apidra pen
• Pen needles
• Glucose tabs. At least a pack of 8. The Dex 4 tube is what I usually carry, but I use no name tabs that I buy at the drugstore in larger bottles 
• Candy or other sweets in case the glucose tabs run out
• Granola bars 
• Beef jerky or nuts
• A card with emergency info on it identifying me as a diabetic. 

I'm sure people have variations on this list. When I'm at home, this is a much shorter list. But when you're travelling, you have to be ready for eventualities. Even when I play slo pitch, I have snacks and sweets in my kit. 

In addition to the above, what I kept in a bag in the RV was an extra monitor and test strips, a large bottle of Dex 4 tabs to refill the small tube, extra lancets and juice boxes. Lows can come at any time. So can highs. And when you're travelling, it's not always easy to eat as carefully as you might usually at home. 

For example, we were in New Brunswick where lobster is so fresh and delicious. But we stayed with friends who made lobster rolls for dinner. I couldn't say no because that would be rude. So I ate a lobster roll. And Oh Em Gee!! It was heaven. 

Travelling with diabetes doesn't have to be hard, as long as you are careful and prepared. 

What do you carry with you when you travel? Let me know in the comments. 

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