My son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes just over 5 years ago. He was only a baby; unable to communicate with me about how he felt or what he was going through. He has recently turned 7, and today, underwent a procedure to remove 4 baby teeth. They had been causing discomfort for a long time, until one night he revealed that he was "tired of having toothache." After extensive x-rays, it was discovered that years of Diabetes-related mouth ulcers, absesses,infections and antibiotics had left four of his teeth decayed at the back, and then the nerves were affected, which was causing the pain. As a result of random, unpredictable and life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks all his life,doctors were worried about removing them under general anaesthetic, (which is general protocol in Australia,) even for an adult tooth extraction. It was therefore decided that it would be much safer if my son could have them removed in the dentist's chair, along with local anaesthetic (14 needles in his gums) and nitrous oxide ( laughing gas.) The dentist was confident, but still concerned that he would panic and not allow her to remove the teeth safely, or that his blood sugar would drop and he would require a glucagon injection. Thankfully-he was fantastic and reacted to the gas very well. He was very relaxed and felt no pain.His blood sugar rose to 18mmol/L through stress and anxiety, however it was better than a hypo, especially in a dental chair. I was able to monitor his blood sugar throughout the procedure with a glucometer. Bless..he doesn't remember a thing. He has four little gaps in his mouth tonight, and as a result of only eating soft foods, has already endured a 1.5mmol/L hypo attack this afternoon. He was lucid enough to drink juice through a straw, but it was still frightening enough to leave me feeling very weary this evening. It concerns me that despite excellent oral hygiene for all of his life, this procedure had to occur to ensure his adult teeth could come through without any problems. The worst possible scenario is that he could have developed an absess,that was not visible, thus developing an infection that could have potentially lead to fatal blood poisoning. At 7 years of age, and officially making it through his first diabetic complication, I can't help but wonder what will be next...it's just my way. However, I am so thankful that he is well tonight and he was able to experience the latest dental technology that made this procedure as comfortable and painless as possible. I have learnt NEVER to take my eye off Diabetes and all its little tricks and masquerades. Hopefully I can protect him from having to undergo anything like this for some time! Join discussion...

Wilhelm Krek explains that, “Cells need energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell’s energy currency, to enable them to maintain their functions. In a healthy person, the b-cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production, recognise when food is ingested. Sugar is burnt in the mitochondria of the b-cells by what is known as oxidative phosphorylation, producing ATP which, in turn, initiates insulin secretion in the b-cells. This stimulates the muscle cells, among others, to absorb sugar, thus regulating and normalising the level of sugar in the blood. Krek says that some diabetics may have an abnormality in this signal pathway. The plan now is to investigate this in a follow-up study. Join discussion...

A common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) decreased the average glucose level during sleep of type 2s who were newly diagnosed with OSA. After seven weeks of the therapy, known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the diabetic patients' average BG level fell 20 mg/dl. Join discussion...

A Spanish university study has found that a traditional Mediterranean diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish may reduce the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes by 83 percent. One interesting outcome of the study was the finding that people at high risk of developing diabetes could substantially lower their risk by following the diet. High-risk factors included old age, a family history of the disease, and a former smoking habit. Join discussion...

No less an authority than the New York Times wrote in May 2006 that Halle Berry has type 1 diabetes, listing her as one of several "stars who have type 1 - Gary Hall, the Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer; Adam Morrison, the Gonzaga University basketball star; [and] Halle Berry." Ms. Berry is also described as having type 1 by other sources. Health24.com, for example, reported that "it was during the taping of the television sitcom called "Living Dolls" in 1989 that Halle went into a diabetic coma. Shortly afterwards she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes." Join discussion...

A new report suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month. The findings are encouraging but the study was not designed to firmly establish cause and effect, said George Taylor, University of Michigan associate professor of dentistry, who also has an appointment in epidemiology in the U-M School of Public Health. Taylor led the research project to investigate whether routine, non-surgical treatment for gum disease is linked to lower medical care costs for people with diabetes. Join discussion...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about more than two dozen weight-loss products that they say contain undeclared products that may be dangerous. Among the undeclared ingredients are prescription anti-seizure medications, controlled substances, and possible cancer-causing agents that FDA officials say could cause health problems such as high blood pressure, seizures, heart attack, or stroke. Join discussion...

Having the so-called metabolic syndrome may raise the risk of chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, researchers from China report. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease -- including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides (another type of blood fat). The syndrome is typically diagnosed when a person has three or more of these conditions. Join discussion...

Young people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are often overweight and many turn to unhealthy weight loss practices, such as using over-the-counter diet aids without a doctor's advice, fasting and taking laxatives, new research shows. Dr. Jean M. Lawrence, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, and colleagues studied 1742 female and 1615 males, of whom 520 had type 2 diabetes and 2837 had type 1 diabetes. The subjects' average age was 15 years. Join discussion...

Almost 75 percent of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes have insufficient levels of vitamin D, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston report. A deficit in vitamin D can lead to bone problems later in life, especially among those with type 1 diabetes. While vitamin D is usually gotten from exposure to sunlight or from the diet, researchers suggest that supplements are needed to boost vitamin D levels. Join discussion...