Time to Slow Down?

I’m definitely getting old.  How do I know?  Last week, my wife and I dropped our youngest child off for her first year of college.  The week before, my hip started to ache after a typical bike outing.  And this week, I had my first patch of skin cancer removed from the tip of my ear.  As much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to show some signs of wear & tear.

Does that mean I have to slow down?  No way!  I still have the energy and motivation to multi-task at a pretty high level.  But should I slow down?  That’s another question entirely.  Many of us experience mental & physical fatigue from trying to do too much too fast.  Faster is not necessarily better.  Take insulin for example.  The pharmaceutical industry is obsessed with finding ways to make insulin work faster.  There are certainly benefits to having insulin work faster and for shorter time periods (see our team’s report on research presented at the ADA Scientific Sessions, just posted at our Think Like A Pancreas Blog), including lower post-meal glucose spikes, faster correction of highs, and less chance of lows with between-meal exercise.  But there are drawbacks as well:  post-meal lows followed by post-post-meal highs (with slower-digesting foods), and potential side-effects where the insulin is administered.  Bottom line:  speed may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in-between.  There are times to chill, times to pick up the pace.  Times to relax, times to enter the race.  Come to think of it, these sound like lyrics to the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds. (the fact that I know that probably proves that I’m getting up there in years!)  I guess the tricky part is matching the right approach to the right situation.  It is doable with insulin, if you know which type to use and when to give it.  Once you have your dosing down, it’s all about the timing.

I hope you enjoy this month’s edition of Diabetes Bites.  Kristen, Alicia and Kathryn’s columns look very interesting, and be sure to check out the new recipes and results of last month’s survey and trivia contest.

As always, if there is anything we can do to make life with diabetes a little bit better, please give us a call.

– Gary

Gary Scheiner MS, CDE
Owner & Clinical Director

Nancy’s Featured Finds!

This month I’d like to spotlight the Myabetic kids’ diabetes case – how cute!!

And of course – our fearless leader – Gary Scheiner’s award-winning book “Think Like a Pancreas”!

Best,
Nancy