Stupid Money

There is a term used by general managers in the sports world when they know they are going to have to offer up truckloads of cash to lure and keep quality players:  Stupid Money.  It’s a tongue-in-cheek word used to describe the ridiculous salaries paid to individual players.  I have a slightly different spin on the term stupid money:  money spent needlessly when there are much better things to spend it on.  There are plenty of examples in the real world:  Road construction on roads that don’t need it, just because there is a budget that has to be spent.  Pharmaceutical prices that are high enough to line the pockets of middle-men (pharmacy benefits managers) that add absolutely no value to the medications.  And my latest favorite:  Research that does nothing more than prove the obvious.  Here are a couple of recent research headlines for what I like to call “DUH” research:

“Diabetes Deaths in Young Adults Mainly Caused by Type-1 Diabetes” (Lancet, Feb 2022)

“Smoking Tied to Worse Outcomes with Type-1 Diabetes” (Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, Feb 2022)

“Disease, Death Risk May Decrease with Muscle Exercises” (Orthopedics Today, 3/1/22)

“Studies Link Healthful Eating Patterns to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risks” (Cardiology Today, 3/3/22)

“Nursing Home Study Finds Risk in Overtreating Diabetes” (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 3/23/22)

I mean, SERIOUSLY???  Did anyone really need to invest millions of research dollars and countless hours of mental energy, not to mention valuable space in respected peer-reviewed journals, for research like this?  It reminds me of the first needle-free lancing device developed to save us from having to prick our fingers when performing blood glucose checks.  Developed back in the late 90’s, the “Lasette” used a concentrated beam of light to extract a drop of blood from the finger.  Trouble was, the device was big, expensive, painful, and left the stench of burnt flesh in the air.  Talk about a waste of resources!  Any good diabetes educator could teach someone to prick their finger painlessly simply by using the right techniques.

You want to spend your money wisely?  Invest in YOURSELF.  Get yourself fully educated on all aspects of diabetes self-management.  Research has shown time and time again that nothing provides a better return-on-investment (in terms of improved glucose management) than quality diabetes self-management training.  Better than medications, better than gadgets, and better than medical office visits.  Not that those are “stupid money” investments, but the smartest money goes towards education.

And what could be better than FREE education?  That’s what Diabetes Bites is all about!  I hope you enjoy this issue, complete with original articles from our clinicians and non-stupid news from the world of diabetes.  Feel free to peruse past issues in the newsletter archive on our website.  And of course, contact us any time for one-on-one education and coaching with any and all aspects of your diabetes care.

We promise not to charge you stupid money.

Sincerely,

– Gary

Gary Scheiner MS, CDE
Owner & Clinical Director

Nancy’s Featured Finds!

This month I’d like to spotlight our own Gary Scheiner’s 3rd edition of Think Like A Pancreas! The new edition features everything that made the first two editions “essential reading” for everyone who takes insulin.

And since Spring is here and we are all venturing outside for walks – why not track how many steps you are taking? We have easy-to-read pedometers in our secure online store!

Best,
Nancy