Inclusion of materials in this publication is for information only; it does not imply endorsement of any product by the Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.
Diabetes and the Tube
(As reported in Diabetes In Control, April 2004): TV watching is (as common sense would suggest) associated with both an increased risk of obesity and increased instances of type 2 diabetes. A six-year study has provided data suggesting each 2- hour increase in "sitting and watching" is associated with a 223- percent increase in obesity, and a 14-percent increase in overt type 2 diabetes.
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, ext. 200; website: www.americandiabeticsupply.com
Diabetic Products
Health Care Products makes many over-the-counter medications and supplements for diabetics, including Diabetic Tussin cough syrup and DiabetiDerm skin cream (with L-Arginine) for the feet. Find these products in the diabetic section of Eckerd, Osco, Sav-on, Target, GNC, and other retailers. For information, contact: Health Care Products, 369 Bayview Avenue, Amityville NY 11701; telephone: 1-866-263-9003; website: http://www.diabeticproducts.com
Now Available
Deltec (now Smith's Medical) announces the Cozmonitor, a compact blood glucose monitor that attaches to and communicates with their Cozmo insulin pump. Co-designed by Freestyle, the monitor uses easily available Freestyle test strips, and displays test results on the pump's screen. Once you test, the pump will display suggested doses for you, cutting the need for computation.
It's free. If you already have a Cozmo pump, you can have the Cozmonitor at no charge. All Deltec Cozmo insulin pumps will accept the Cozmonitor (older pumps may need a free software upgrade), and the monitor is available now, either ready for your pump, or with a new Deltec Cozmo pump. New pumps (with monitor) cost $5595, and come with a four-year guarantee. Contact: Smith's Medical, 1265 Grey Fox Road, St. Paul, MN 55112; telephone: 1-800-826-9703; website: www.delteccozmo.com
Hear Your Computer
Computer programs and operating systems are constantly improving. If you are blind, and use a screen reader, a program that speaks the screen content to you, so you can work without sight, is it keeping pace? GW Micro, maker of the Window Eyes series of screen reading software, announces Window-Eyes 4.5 SP3, its latest update of its program designed to take full advantage of the newest generation of Windows' capabilities. For information or free demo disk, contact: GW Micro, in Fort Wayne, Indiana; telephone: (260) 489-3671; fax: (260) 489-2608; e-mail: support@gwmicro.com; website: www.gwmicro.com.
Diabetes Supplies
Do you get tired of having to "shop around" for your various diabetes items? "Go to this place for these; to that place for those ..." Do something about it. Check out diabetesstore.com, the leading online source for discount diabetes products. Contact them by telephone: 1-800-891-9399; or website: www.diabetesstore.com
Easy Diabetic Cookbook
If you want to prepare healthy diabetic meals, but find most cookbooks just too complicated, you need Linda Coffee and Emily Cale's new and improved Diabetic 4 Ingredient Cookbook. There are almost twice as many recipes as before; 350, in all food categories, with complete nutritional and exchange information, each one using four ingredients. The book costs $19.95 (+$3.50 shipping), from: Coffee and Cale, PO Box 2121, Kerrville, TX 78029; telephone: 1-800-757-0838; www.fouringredientcookbook.com
New E-mail Diabetes List
Our Diabetes Action Network now offers its own 'listserv,' Diabetes-talk@nfbnet.org. Although its primary focus is on blindness and diabetes, any and all discussions concerning diabetes are welcome. We welcome topics like: diet, devices, healthcare, diabetes control, and how to improve the Voice of the Diabetic. Remember, please do not give any direct medical advice, unless you are a medical professional. Membership is free, and open to all.
There are two ways to sign up. You can go to the following website: www.nfbnet.org/mailman.listinfo/diabetes-talk or you can sign up by e-mail, by sending a message to: diabetes-talk-request@nfbnet.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.
It's Here
With its long, flat response, Lantus insulin very quickly carved a place for itself in diabetes care. With one shot every 24 hours, it was ideal for veteran type 2 diabetics beginning insulin therapy -- but something was missing: There were no "pen" cartridges -- only vials. That just changed.
Aventis announces Lantus insulin in a pen. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Aventis' OptiClik insulin pen, and it will be distributed, loaded with Lantus. Aventis reports when its new Apidra quick-acting insulin analog becomes available, it will be offered in an OptiClik pen as well. Talk to your pharmacist.
Low Carb Ice Cream
Ice cream is traditionally about the first thing diabetics have to give up, to stay on their meal plan. Oh, but we miss it -- especially when the new diabetic is a kid. Now "low carb" ice creams are easier on your meal plan, but they're not all created equal, and some still cling to the fiction of "net carbs." Many taste "strange" -- ask any diabetic teenager. Or better, get it right the first time. Check out Carb Escapes, from Turtle Mountain. Flavors are Butter Pecan, Chocolate, Chocolate Almond, Mint Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Strawberry, and "White Mousse." Calories vary, but run as low as 110 per serving. They're soy-based, sugar free, low carb, with only 1 gram sugar alcohols. Carb Escapes also offers a line of low-impact ice cream bars. And they pass the taste test! Contact: Turtle Mountain, Inc., PO Box 21938, Eugene, OR 97402; telephone: 1-866-3887; website: www.carbescapes.com
Relief
Many diabetics suffer from dry feet. It "goes with the territory." They hurt, they itch, they dry out and crack, and you need to do something about it. Sometimes neuropathy, nerve inflammation, in your feet can really drive you 'round the bend. But Steuart Laboratories offers help. Steuart's Foot Cream, with melalenca oil, is excellent for dry diabetic feet. Steuart's CNS Liposomes offers relief from neuropathy; also good for back, muscle, and joint pain. Prices (2 oz. jar): $9.25 plus shipping for the Foot Cream; $19.80 for the CNS Liposomes. Contact: Steuart Laboratories, PO Box 297, Harmony, MN 55939; telephone: 1-800-210-9665; website: www.steuartlabs.com
Full Service Diabetes Supplier
Access Diabetic Supply promises free delivery, no paperwork, and free in-home training in the use of blood glucose testing devices. Your private insurance is welcome, and they accept Medicare, too. They offer free blood glucose monitors to folks who sign up. Check them out on line: www.diabeticsupply.com or call: 1-800-713-7062.
America's Jobline
Blind job-seekers have traditionally been at a disadvantage, as few job vacancies have been widely posted in accessible format. In response, the National Federation of the Blind has developed technology to access and search computer database files with a standard touch-tone telephone -- and now anyone can access a million or more current job listings, free of charge, by telephone. To access America's Jobline, simply dial: 1-800-414-5748. America's Jobline is instantly available, 24 hours a day, providing all job announcements in a high-quality synthesized speech format. The system provides callers the ability to search America's Job Bank (sponsored/administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and state workforce-development agencies), allows job seekers to create and store in the system personal job-search profiles (electronic resumes) for use in quickly locating vacancies for which they are qualified; and it allows users the option to retrieve, if they wish, only the new and relevant job listings posted since the last call, or all previously saved announcements. To try Jobline yourself, call: 1-800-414-5748. NOTE: Not all states currently subscribe to Jobline; the list changes frequently -- contact the NFB (410-659-9314, in Baltimore) if the above 800# does not work in your area.
To learn more about America's Jobline, contact: National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314; website: www.nfb.org
New Hypoglycemia Alarm
Diabetes brings with it the risk of hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. Some of us need some help. What many of us need is an alarm, a device to warn us we're going low, when we cannot tell for ourselves. There is now such a device -- FDA approved.
Diabetes Sentry Products, from Bellingham, Washington, offers the Sleep Sentry, a wrist watch-sized device that sounds an audible warning whenever the wearer's blood sugar drops too low. Not a blood glucose monitor, this noninvasive device meters changes in body temperature and sweat consistent with hypoglycemia, and sounds a warning in time for you to take action. Completely noninvasive and continuous, the Sleep Sentry costs $399, shipping included, and may be ordered from: Diabetes Sentry Products Inc., 1200 Dupont St., Suite #1D, Bellingham, WA 98225; telephone: 1-866-270-5675; website: www.sleepsentry.com
New Free Magazine
We have been asked to announce: Nestle's has a new free diabetes magazine. Called Everydayeating, it features food hints, discount coupons, articles, and ads for reduced-calorie and low-carb Nestle' products. To subscribe, telephone: 1-800-634-5508, or go to their website: www.everydayeating.com
Medical Equipment and Supplies
Specialty Shoes and Diabetic Supplies, Inc., from Beaumont, Texas, is a one-stop supplier for your diabetes needs. They stock blood glucose meters, strips, lancets, vacuum erection devices (for diabetic impotence) other diabetes care items, and, of course, specialty pedorthic footwear. They accept Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and private insurance. Contact them at: SSDS, 229 Dowlen Road, Suite 15A, Beaumont, TX 77706; telephone: 1-877-817-7737; e-mail: ssdsinc@aol.com
Adaptive Computing Equipment
Freedom Scientific is a powerhouse adaptive equipment-maker for the blind and visually impaired computer user. A union of Arkenstone, Blazie Engineering, and Henter-Joyce, Freedom Scientific offers screen magnifiers (including MAGic 9 software, which both magnifies up to 16x and speaks the words on the screen), talking attachments (voice synthesizers) for your computer, Braille printers and much more. Whether you need adaptive software or hardware, check them out: Freedom Scientific; telephone: 1-800-444-4443; website: www.freedomscientific.com
Healthy Cookbooks
JoAnna Lund writes healthy cookbooks. They are simple, "common folks" recipes, and all contain both complete nutrient counts and diabetic exchanges. There are three titles: Fast, Cheap, and Easy; Grandma Jo's Soup Kettle; and Fresh From the Hearth. Price is $10 each, or $25 for all three. There is no shipping charge. Contact: Healthy Exchanges, PO Box 80, DeWitt, IA 52742; telephone: 1-800-766-8961; website: www.healthyexchanges.com
NEWSLINE for the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind's NEWSLINE is an electronic publication of major daily newspapers, specifically tailored for blind and visually-impaired readers. Newsline electronically "reads" all of each day's edition, which is immediately made available via modem to the local distribution centers. Users listen to the articles they choose, read to them in a synthesized voice. The reader is free to jump between articles, sections, and publications, and to pick the speed of reading to suit their needs. There is no subscription fee, and Newsline is not the Internet, so no computer is necessary to use it, just a touch-tone telephone. Service is available to any person at least legally blind. There is no charge.
For further information, contact NEWSLINE Network, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: 1-888-882-1629.
Diabetes Literature from NFB National Center
The National Federation of the Blind maintains an extensive literature collection, with free materials on many subjects available in a variety of formats. The articles listed below make up one part of the collection, the "diabetes" category. They are available, in large print or on audiocassette, in a single volume titled: Diabetes Action Network Articles, or singly, in large print. They are: "Arthritis and Diabetes: A Common Association," "Blind Diabetics Can Draw Insulin Without Difficulty," "Can I Eat Sugar?," "Carbohydrate Counting and the Exchange List," "Cardiovascular Health: Bypass May Be Better for Diabetics," "Check Your Hemoglobin A1c I.Q.," "Diabetic Eye Disease," "Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy," "Diabetics, Don't Give Up on Braille," "Diabetes, Neuropathy, and the Feet," "The Emotional Side," "Finger-Sticking Techniques," "How I Went Blind...And Then What," "Hypoglycemia -- Low Blood Sugar," "Insulin Measurement Devices," "Insulin Types: A Review," "Keeping Your Feet," "Kidney Failure: Prevention, Dialysis, and Transplantation," "Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction," "Many Blind Diabetics Successfully Use Insulin Pumps," "Oral Diabetes Medications Update," "Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems," and "What Is Diabetes Mellitus?" These are free of charge.
The Materials Center also has a supply, in Braille and on four-track audiocassette, of the new ADA Exchange List for Meal Planning, 2003. In Braille, price is $10; on tape, $2.
To order, or to request a complete NFB literature catalog, contact: NFB Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314. You may also order by e-mail: materials@nfb.org The Materials Center is open 8:30 pm to 5 pm, EST, weekdays.