Bayer's new Contour USB blood glucose meter

Hi, I’m Elizabeth Woolley and I have “diabeet’us.”

I’m also a geek – an unorganized one too.  When I buy gadgets, I make sure they plug directly into my computer’s CPU.  No plugs and wires for me.  I have a mysterious vortex in my house that sucks in all wires, accessories and  small things not connected to larger stationary objects.

When shopping for MP3 players, video cameras and cameras, they must be plug and play.  Otherwise, I’ll wait until they make one.  Unfortunately there are a couple gadgets I need to have that aren’t plug and play – like my phone.  My blood glucose monitor used to fall into that category, but I’m very excited to announce that is not the case anymore.  Now if my Blackberry were plug and play and communicated with my monitor…  maybe someday.

Bayer’s new Contour USB meter comes with all the bells and whistles to make a geeky diabetic happy.

First of all, it requires no coding necessary for test strips (a pain in the rear), 5-second test time and small sample size.  It even uses strips available for other Contour meters.

It also comes with a coolness factor for young people who are embarrassed to test or admit they have diabetes.  Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is a diabetes ambassador for Bayer.  He has said, “I already use Bayer’s Contour meter to monitor my blood glucose and my doctor always talks about how important it is track my results. I am excited to try out the new Contour USB meter, because I can plug it in to a computer from wherever I am to get the information I need to manage my diabetes.”

He’s right about the importance of tracking results.  I have a website called DiabeticMommy.com for women with diabetes or prediabetes who have or are thinking of starting a family.  It is recommended during pregnancy and pre-conception, women with diabetes achieve and maintain extremely tight control of their blood glucose levels.  Sometimes they are expected to have lower levels than non-diabetics which means there is a very high risk of going too low.  Going too low could mean a trip to the ER or even worse.  So monitoring becomes your best friend.  Convenience in tracking results can make a huge difference to these women, especially to those with families.

The Contour comes with Glucofacts DELUXE diabetes management software.  Bayer states use of their diabetes management software has been shown to significantly lower A1c test results.  The A1c test is a lab test that gives you an idea of what your average blood glucose level has been for the past three months or so.  If you have diabetes you know how important your A1c level is and how hard it can be to hit your goals.  You often have no idea what your result may be until you get the test results.  However, if you are able to easily track  results and see the trends, you can get a better idea of how you are doing.  In addition, the meter makes it easier to share your results with your doctors not only in the office but also through email or online if they offer that.

When you monitor your levels, you get to know your body better, how it reacts to certain foods and what kind of blood sugar trends you have through the day, week, month – or in special situations like hormone changes, travel and holidays.  I’ve discovered a lot about myself by tracking.  For instance my body tends to have lower levels in the afternoon/early evening.  This is when I can give myself a little extra leeway diet-wise.  On the other hand, I know any carbs in the morning will throw off my numbers for the rest of the day.  Seeing it on a graph and educating yourself, about yourself, helps you to make better choices.

The Contour USB meter is currently only available online through Walgreens.com.  It is pretty pricey at $74.99 – so I didn’t run out and get one myself yet.  When I eventually get around to getting this nifty gadget, I’ll let you all know how I like it.

See their website for the latest information and for the other bells and whistles:  http://www.bayercontourusb.us/

Metformin (glucophage)

According to a study to be published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, Metformin, also known as glucophage, was shown to shrink breast cancer tumors and  prevent recurrence when used in combination with chemotherapy.  It was more effective than chemotherapy alone.  See their press release here.

There are two popular theories as to why Metformin may do this.  One is that it limits sugar in the body and the other is that it affects the immune system.  I am not a doctor or scientist, but I personally tend to lean toward the first theory.

I have had type 2 diabetes for over 15 years and have taken Metformin on and off.  Having a personal interest in the drug, this is not the first time I’ve noted a report that has mentioned Metformin might have an effect on cancer cells as well as other diseases that can be complicated by sugar.

Metformin works in three ways:  1) It reduces the amount of carbohydrate absorbed by the body,  2) it reduces the amount of glucose released by the liver and 3) it makes the muscles more receptive to insulin so glucose can be burned up as fuel.

Two words I used, carbohydrate and glucose, are often used interchangeably for the word sugar.

So why would this have an effect on cancer cells?

In 1924, Dr. Otto Warburg, a Nobel Prize winning biologist wrote, “Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.”

George Prendergast, Ph.D., who is president, CEO, and a professor at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research has been quoted as saying,  “Cancer cells are gluttons for glucose.” He also said, “It is likely that Metformin is taking advantage of this gluttony of the cancer cell in order to attack it.”

There has been a lot of debate about using phrases like “cancer loves sugar” since all cells use sugar or glucose for energy, and all foods convert into glucose eventually.  Regardless of the specifics, sugar seems to play a role.

As a person with diabetes, of course I get cited by the food police often.  Friends and family hoover over my food choices with my ever favorite question, “Should you be eating that?”  I often juice green vegetables and eat mostly raw foods, yet have a piece of birthday cake and all hell breaks loose.  Of course I know that a 2 x 2 inch piece has about 15 g of carbohydrates in it, but do they know that?  Probably not, since they have a piece the size of a brick on their plate.

Sugar is not something just people with diabetes have to cut down on, we all do.  There are things we all can do in our diet to try to reap some of the benefits if limiting sugar is the reason Metformin works.

Because sugar doesn’t really seem to have any real nutritional benefits, it makes sense this would be the substance to cut down on.  Many foods today, even ones not considered sweet, have obscene amounts of sugar in them in order to satisfy today’s taste buds.  Many people don’t even have a clue just how much sugar they are consuming on a regular basis.

The American Heart Association says the average American eats 22 teaspoons of added sugar.  It does not sound like a lot in words, but it’s a lot when you really look at 22 teaspoons of sugar.  That’s 154 teaspoons or over one pound of sugar a week.  Again, that’s just added sugar.  Some experts feel the average American has about 2-3 pounds of sugar per week.

One regular soft drink has 8 teaspoons of sugar.  One cup of dried fruit has 21 teaspoons.  Many bottled spaghetti sauces have about 3 teaspoons per 1/2 cup – and that’s not counting the pasta.

The AHA recommends most women have no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar daily and most men no more than 9 teaspoons (37.5 grams) daily.  Check out the website Sugar Stacks to get a visual idea of how much sugar is in popular foods.

So even if you don’t take Metformin, it is possible you can cut down your risk for certain cancers as well.

Too much soap a bad thing?

Me: (To son with spoon in his armpit) I wonder what vitamins are in armpits.
Son: (Dipping spoon into soup and slurping) I think vitamins A, B, and C.

Mysophobia, germophobia, bacteriophobia – how do you get one?  These are things I will never be accused of having.  In fact, one of these days I might find an angry torch-bearing mob outside my door.  However, I would be perfectly safe as none of them would be brave enough to actually step inside.

Maybe someday my husband will finally figure out how to infect me with one of these disorders.

This week I got diagnosed with a genetic disease that can cause breathing problems.  I informed my husband the doctor said I would be sensitive to pollution, dust, smoke and allergens.  His eyes swept around the dusty room with the thick, plush, dog hair carpet, “Ummm, if that’s the case then why aren’t you dead now?”  I shook my head, “I seriously don’t know.  Maybe it’s protecting me.”

According to a study published in JAMA in 2002, being around stinky farm animals, slobbery dogs or hairy cats the first year of life seems to be associated with less allergies later in life.  So maybe the dog hair on the floor has special powers.

In our Swiffer-and-Lysol world where we keep antibacterial wipes and gels within handy reach, people sensitive to at least one allergen have increased by five since 1980 according to the National Institutes of Health.

Back in 1980 I lived in a small apartment with 2 parents, 4 sisters and 2 parakeets.  The place was usually crammed with most of the kids from the Amphi school district.  They helped themselves to the fridge, reached into multiple jars with unwashed hands, then passed around the corded phone and remote control.  Both parents worked so they came home to disaster and were too tired to clean or yell.  That was common back then.  Today it’s not rare to see homes that are disinfected more thoroughly than an operating room.

The Federal Drug Administration describes a “hygiene hypothesis” that “suggests that the critical post-natal period of immune response is derailed by the extremely clean household environments often found in the developed world. In other words, the young child’s environment can be ‘too clean’ to pose an effective challenge to a maturing immune system.  The problem with extremely clean environments is that they fail to provide the necessary exposure to germs required to ‘educate’ the immune system so it can learn to launch its defense responses to infectious organisms. Instead, its defense responses end up being so inadequate that they actually contribute to the development of asthma.”

This hypothesis has meaning for me.  This hypothesis makes sense.  This hypothesis is my sword and shield in making excuses.

So admittedly I have some bias regarding how some in the media are reacting to a new study coming out in the September 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.  It followed 4000 kids in daycare over eight years to see if exposure to more infectious illnesses provided protection from asthma and allergies.

Principle investigator Johan C de Jongste, M.D., wrote, “We found no evidence for a protective or harmful effect of daycare on the development of asthma symptoms, allergic sensitization, or airway hyper-responsiveness at the age of eight years,”

That is well and good, but now we are seeing headlines like “hygiene hypothesis challenged” regarding this study.  How can they take that jump and associate it with the hygiene hypothesis when the study abstract did not?

On behalf of the hygiene hypothesis, I wish to file a libel claim.

Unless this daycare avoided regular disinfection, could stand some dusting/sweeping, and had a resident butt-licking dog, I don’t know if I can consider this a challenge.

Until then, I remain a faithful believer in the hygiene hypothesis and the benefits of armpit vitamins and dog hair.