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From: Edward Reid <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: misc.health.diabetes,misc.answers,news.answers
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Subject: diabetes FAQ: sources (part 4 of 5)
Organization: Paleolithic Refugia
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Summary: Discusses questions which have been asked frequently in
         misc.health.diabetes. Likely to be of interest to anyone who has
         diabetes or a friend or relative with diabetes or other blood
         glucose disorder.
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Date: 16 May 2004 08:55:14 GMT
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Archive-name: diabetes/faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: biweekly
Last-modified: 30 April 2003

Changes: see part 1 of the FAQ for a list of changes to all parts.

------------------------------

Subject: READ THIS FIRST

Copyright 1993-2003 by Edward Reid. Re-use beyond the fair use provisions
of copyright law and convention requires the author's permission.

Advice given in m.h.d is *never* medical advice. That includes this FAQ.
Never substitute advice from the net for a physician's care. Diabetes is a
critical health topic and you should always consult your physician or
personally understand the ramifications before taking any therapeutic action
based on advice found here or elsewhere on the net.

------------------------------

Subject: Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION (found in all parts)
  READ THIS FIRST
  Table of Contents
GENERAL (found in part 1)
  Where's the FAQ?
  What's this newsgroup like?
  Abuse of the newsgroup
  The newsgroup charter
  Newsgroup posting guidelines
  What is glucose? What does "bG" mean?
  What are mmol/L? How do I convert between mmol/L and mg/dl?
  What is c-peptide? What do c-peptide levels mean?
  What's type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
  Is it OK to discuss diabetes insipidus here? What is it?
  How about discussing hypoglycemia?
  Helping with the diagnosis (DM or hypoglycemia) and waiting
  Exercise and insulin
BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING (found in part 2)
  How accurate is my meter?
  Ouch! The cost of blood glucose measurement strips hurts my wallet!
  What do meters cost?
  Comparing blood glucose meters
  How can I download data from my meter?
  I've heard of a non-invasive bG meter -- the Dream Beam?
  What's HbA1c and what's it mean?
  Why is interpreting HbA1c values tricky?
  Who determined the HbA1c reaction rates and the consequences?
  HbA1c by mail
  Why is my morning bg high? What are dawn phenomenon, rebound,
    and Somogyi effect?
TREATMENT (found in part 3)
  My diabetic father isn't taking care of himself. What can I do?
  Managing adolescence, including the adult forms
  So-and-so eats sugar! Isn't that poison for diabetics?
  Insulin nomenclature
  What is Humalog / LysPro / lispro / ultrafast insulin?
  Travelling with insulin
  Injectors: Syringe and lancet reuse and disposal
  Injectors: Pens
  Injectors: Jets
  Insulin pumps
  Type 1 cures -- beta cell implants
  Type 1 cures -- pancreas transplants
  Type 2 cures -- barely a dream
  What's a glycemic index? How can I get a GI table for foods?
  Should I take a chromium supplement?
  I beat my wife! (and other aspects of hypoglycemia) (not yet written)
  Does falling blood glucose feel like hypoglycemia?
  Alcohol and diabetes
  Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum
  Has anybody heard of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)?
  Gastroparesis
  Extreme insulin resistance
  What is pycnogenol? Where and how is it sold?
  What claims do the sales pitches make for pycnogenol?
  What's the real published scientific knowledge about pycnogenol?
  How reliable is the literature cited by the pycnogenol ads?
  What's the bottom line on pycnogenol?
  Pycnogenol references
SOURCES (found in part 4)
  Online resources: diabetes-related newsgroups
  Online resources: diabetes-related mailing lists
  Online resources: commercial services
  Online resources: FTP
  Online resources: World Wide Web
  Online resources: other
  Where can I mail order XYZ?
  How can I contact the American Diabetes Association (ADA) ?
  How can I contact the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) ?
  How can I contact the British Diabetic Association (BDA) ?
  How can I contact the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) ?
  What about diabetes organizations outside North America?
  How can I contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)?
  Could you recommend some good reading?
  Could you recommend some good magazines?
RESEARCH (found in part 5)
  What is the DCCT? What are the results?
  More details about the DCCT
  DCCT philosophy: what did it really show?
IN CLOSING  (found in all parts)
  Who did this?

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: diabetes-related newsgroups

On the Usenet, the misc.health.diabetes newsgroup carries most of the
messages related to diabetes. Volume runs about 200-250 articles/day. Suppose
you obtained this FAQ by some method other than by reading m.h.d and you want
to participate. If you already have access to Usenet news, just subscribe to
misc.health.diabetes; the exact method depends on the software used at your
site, so you should inquire locally for details. If you do not have access to
Usenet news, inquire locally about obtaining such access. The key words are
"I want to participate in the Usenet newsgroup misc.health.diabetes". Usenet
is available at most colleges and universities, many companies, all of the
large commercial services (including Delphi, Netcom, America Online,
Compuserve, Prodigy), many smaller local services, most Freenet systems,
and many locally run BBSs. Some of these have selective news feeds, and you
will have to ask them to get misc.health.diabetes before you can subscribe
via their system.

m.h.d is not gatewayed to any mailing list, and to my knowledge is not
archived anywhere as such. However, DejaNews has all of Usenet from March
1995 to present online and available to the public, and plans to extend the
scope farther into the past. You can create a filter specifying only the
newsgroup you want, and then search for key words. See

   http://www.dejanews.com

Another newsgroup, alt.support.diabetes.kids, has a much smaller volume of
articles, about 2-3 per day. Being in the alt.* hierarchy of newsgroups, its
propagation is somewhat restricted compared to misc.health.diabetes. To
obtain access, follow the same instructions as for m.h.d, above.

Other Usenet newsgroups which might be relevant are

    rec.food and its subgroups
    the sci.med hierarchy
    the alt.support hierarchy, especially alt.support.diet
    bit.listserv.transplant (only available at sites that carry bit.* --
                             see the description below of the TRNSPLNT list)

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: diabetes-related mailing lists

Several public electronic mailing lists have diabetes-related content. The
main alternative to a newsgroup is the DIABETIC list, which carries about
60-80 messages/day. Its charter is to be "a support and information group for
diabetics". The overall flavor and atmosphere are different from the m.h.d
newsgroup, so if you find that you are uncomfortable with one, try the other.
If you subscribe to the DIABETIC list, be prepared for the large volume of
messages. If you have not dealt with this volume of email before, it will be
quite disconcerting to see so many messages appear in your personal mailbox,
and I advise that you consider one of the following methods to avoid being
overwhelmed:

    -- set up a mailbox (aka userid, account, screen name) separate from
       your normal personal mailbox in which to receive the mailing list.
       You will have to ask locally whether this is possible on your system.
       You may also be able to use your mail program to filter mailing list
       messages into a separate mailbox.

    -- convert to the digest as soon as you have subscribed. The digest
       option collects messages into large postings called digests (a misuse
       of the word, as all messages are included in their entirety). This
       digest is sent daily, or when its size passes a limit (currently 2000
       lines). Convert to digest form by sending a message addressed to the
       listserv (see below) with a message body containing

           set diabetic mail digest

TYPE_ONE is a low to moderate volume mailing list for discussion of type 1
diabetes, intended primarily as a support group. It carries about 10
messages/day. There is no digest option. If you get any error messages from
"majordomo", be sure to write directly to the list owner,
jamyers(AT)netcom.com, as sometimes the software at netcom prevents him from
replying directly.

DIABETES-EHLB started as an Electronic HighLights Bulletin to distribute
information presented at the ADA conference in June 1996. It was carried
forward as a moderated mailing list. The moderator plans to try to keep
discussions focussed on specific topics.

TRNSPLNT is a low volume mailing list for discussion of organ transplants. It
carries about 10 messages/day. It is relevant to diabetes because
complications of diabetes often lead to kidney transplants. TRNSPLNT is
gatewayed with the newsgroup bit.listserv.transplant, which is available at
Usenet sites which carry the bit.* hierarchy of newsgroups.

DIABETES-NEWS is a one-way list provided by _Diabetes Interview_ magazine. It
provides a sample, one article per week, from the printed magazine. See the
section on "Could you recommend some good magazines?" for more information
about the printed magazine.

AUTOIMMUNE is a moderated, low volume list carrying technical information
about research on autoimmune disorders, including type 1 diabetes.

HYPO is a moderate volume mailing list for support and information on
hypoglycemia (as a medical condition as opposed to an insulin reaction).

To subscribe to the mailing list in the first column, send a message to the
email address in the second column (or to the alternate if given) containing
the command in the third column. Note that Firstname Lastname is your real
name, such as John Doe. The listserv software will use the email address in
your message header for your subscription. If you have trouble sending email
to the listserv, or if you receive no response, then you will need the help
of someone at your site.

  DIABETIC   listserv(AT)lehigh.edu     subscribe diabetic Firstname Lastname

  TYPE_ONE   listserv(AT)netcom.com     subscribe type_one

  DIABETES-EHLB
             listserv(AT)shrsys.hslc.org subscribe diabetes-ehlb Fstnm Lstnm

  TRNSPLNT   listserv(AT)wuvmd.bitnet   subscribe trnsplnt Firstname Lastname
             listserv(AT)wuvmd.wustl.edu

  DIABETES-NEWS
     diabetes-news-request(AT)lists.best.com    subscribe

  AUTOIMMUNE maiser(AT)ksg1.harvard.edu  Subscribe autoimmune_research

  HYPO       hypo-request(AT)iceblue.com.au  subscribe hypo

  NECROBIOSIS  [e-mail] [no command needed]
     web page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/necrobiosis

For up to date information and more diabetes-related mailing lists, see
Rick Mendosa's Online Diabetes Resources FAQ at

  http://www.mendosa.com/faq.htm

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: commercial services

Most of the information here comes from David Cohler <ar051(AT)lafn.org>, who
tried out all the online services and sent me his reviews. Thanks, David! I
don't have any information about commercial services in countries other than
the US.

CompuServe has a very active "Diabetes Forum." In many respects, it is the
single most comprehensive online resource for diabetics, featuring active
participation from several dozen countries, an extensive document library,
and an extensive software library. The moderators ("sysops") are quick to
pounce on misinformation and either correct it or delete it. No flaming
allowed. As of late 1995 the main drawback to CIS is price; even under a new
pricing policy, accessing the Diabetes Forum just 20 minutes a day could
result in charges of US$30 per month.

America Online has a diabetes support area. It is newer and smaller than
Compuserve's, but growing. The health forum has a number of information files
on diabetes which users can read and download. These files generally contain
good advice and some explanation, but not in-depth explanation.

Also on AOL, each Sunday evening at 8:30 Eastern Time (US) a diabetes support
group meets in a "private room" named "Diabetes". For more information, email
Jim Lewis <jblewis(AT)aol.com>.

Prodigy has a relatively small but active and very friendly support group
accessed by "jumping" to "Medical Support BB" and then selecting "diabetes"
as the bookmark configuration. The board is monitored by several CDEs.
Although there is some discussion of scientific research, etc., the
preponderance of posts concerns support for people having trouble with
self-management. This is an excellent place for newly-diagnosed diabetics who
still need a lot of basic information and emotional support. Moderated (no
flaming allowed).

Delphi has an active diabetes support forum, accessed by typing GO REL DIA.
Lisa Crawford <LISA_POOH(AT)delphi.com> is the host and forum manager.

Genie has a miniscule diabetes support area, configured as an RT ("Round
Table," Genie's term for BB). As of May 1995, traffic was at the rate of a
dozen posts per week.

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: FTP

Demon Internet Services, a UK service provider, donated FTP space for
diabetes-related materials due to the urging and coordination of Ian
Preece <ianp(AT)darktower.com>. This cooperative endeavor was launched
with an empty directory in June 1994.

FTP has taken a back seat to the WWW. However, this site is one of the
very few soliciting donations as a cooperative endeavour.

Using the World Wide Web will be the easiest access to ftp for most new
users:

  ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/diabetes/

You can also use a traditional FTP program.

To submit material, upload it to the "incoming" directory. After making
a submission, send email to Ian Preece <ianp(AT)darktower.com> telling him
about the file you have submitted.

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: World Wide Web

I list a few excellent starting points for diabetes information on the
web. The maintainers of these pages are putting a lot of effort into
providing good information and links to other sites, and I'm not going
to try to duplicate their work here.

One of the best starting points is Jeff Hitchcock's Children with
Diabetes. Don't judge Children with Diabetes by the title alone; it has
extensive links to diabetes information of all sorts and is by far the
most extensive compilation on diabetes that I've seen on the net.

   http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/

Rick Mendosa <mendosa(AT)cruzio.com> maintains a very extensive list of
online resources for diabetes, including many informational and
commercial web sites, and a list of BBSs. It is very likely the most
complete list available, and because it's simply a list, it is much
easier to read than sites with lots of complex internal links. Rick
also keeps one of the most thorough available lists of glycemic index
values for foods.

   http://www.mendosa.com

Another excellent compilation of links to diabetes-related web sites is
the Diabetes Monitor of the Midwest Diabetes Care Center. It's
maintained by William Quick and is exceptionally easy to navigate.

   http://www.diabetesmonitor.com

Yahoo has links on a huge variety of subjects, so if you want more than
just diabetes information you can shorten this URL:

   http://www.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Diabetes

Ian Preece <ianp(AT)darktower.com> is maintaining a web site in
conjunction with the Demon FTP site described above:

   http://www.demon.co.uk/diabetic/

You can reach a WWW-formatted version of this FAQ via the URL

   http://www.faqs.org/faqs/diabetes/

or you can get the plain text by FTP from

   ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/diabetes/

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has put its entire set of
Clinical Practice Recommendations online in full. For the most recent
version go to

   http://diabetes.org/cpr/

or start at the ADA home page and follow the link to "For Health Care
Professionals", then "Clinical Practice Recommendations".

Since these are oriented toward health care professionals, they provide
a wealth of detailed recommendations for actual health care practice.

Donald Lehn <[e-mail]> was probably the first to put a
server with diabetes information on the web. Lehn's Diabetes
Knowledgebase has been offline since August 1995, and is apparently
gone for good.

------------------------------

Subject: Online resources: other

Most online resources previously available via other means are now
available via the web. Since these are thoroughly cataloged by the best
of the diabetes web sites (see previous section on "Online resource:
World Wide Web), I've dropped this coverage from the FAQ.

------------------------------

Subject: Where can I mail order XYZ?

XYZ is most often blood glucose measurement strips, especially for those who
don't live near discount pharmacies. Mail order prices are not always lower
than local prices. Remember that there is an advantage to going to a single
pharmacist for all your drugs, if that pharmacist is knowledgeable about
interactions and tracks all the drugs you use. Adjustments will be slower if
you mail order. Never mail order unless you are certain about what you need.

That said, here's a list of mail order firms specializing in diabetes
supplies (and one for the blind). Aside from those listed below, I've not
heard of any outside the US, perhaps because the health care systems
elsewhere don't encourage the practice. Most of these advertise in _Diabetes
Forecast_ (see section on journals). This list is presented with no
recommendations, pro or con. Each issue of _Diabetes Forecast_ also contains
a column summarizing recommendations for ordering health supplies by mail.
Most will send a catalog or price list on request.

Many of these now have an online presence on the WWW. Jeff Hitchcock's
Children with Diabetes (see "Online resources: World Wide Web") has links to
quite a list on suppliers with information online.

* A R Medical Supplies         1-800-525-8362
*@American Medical Supplies    1-800-434-3536
  Chronimed Pharmacy           1-800-876-6540
                           or [phone]
  Diabetes Supplies            1-800-622-5587
* Diabetic Care Center         1-800-633-7167
 @Diabetic Depot               1-800-537-0404
  Diabetic Emporium            1-800-231-6827 sugar-free foods
  Diabetic Express             1-800-338-4656
  Diabetic Promotions          1-800-433-1477
                           or [phone]
* Edwards Healthcare Svcs      1-800-793-1995
  GEM Diabetes Supplies        1-800-793-1995
  H-S Medical Supplies         1-800-344-7633
  Hospital Center Pharmacy     1-800-824-2401 part of the Joslin Diabetes Ctr
                                              ask for bg meter comparison chart
* Liberty Medical Supply       1-800-762-8026
* National Diabetic Pharmacies 1-800-467-8546
                           or [phone]
* Patient Care Svcs            1-800-882-5238
* Preferred Rx                 1-800-843-7038
  SugarBusters Diabetes Ctrs   1-800-867-8020 http://www.iquest.net/sugarbusters
                                                   /sugarbusters.html
* Suncoast Pharmacy            1-800-799-1991
*@Thriftee Home Diabetes Care  1-800-847-4383

* = specializes in insurance or Medicare billing
@ = advertises "Hablamos Espanol"

in Canada:

  Diabetes Specialty Shop      1-800-465-3336 (Canada)

In Australia:

  Diabetics Australia    149 Pitt St    Redfern NSW 2016

On a slightly different note, Associated Services for the Blind (919 Walnut
Street, Philadelphia PA 19107, [phone], fax [phone]) runs a
nonprofit store specializing in supplies for the blind. See their home page
at

   http://www.libertynet.org/~asbinfo

or email them at asbinfo(AT)libertynet.org.

------------------------------

Subject: How can I contact the American Diabetes Association (ADA) ?

The ADA has local offices in many cities. Check your local phone book first.

To contact the national organization, call 1-800-232-3472 or [phone].
This will reach all departments. Or write

   American Diabetes Association
   1660 Duke Street
   Alexandria, VA 22314
   USA

The ADA offers aid to diabetic patients, books, and journals ranging
from general to research. All can be ordered by phone. They maintain
lists of physicians with special interest and/or training in diabetes.
New patients and their families needing advice are encouraged to call.
They may be able to help in dealing with bureaucratic problems.

The ADA is on the web at http://diabetes.org. The web site has a great
deal of useful information. It includes lists of ADA publications and
ordering information. One section that is particularly useful is the
ADA's Clinical Practice Recommendations, which are all online in full at

   http://diabetes.org/cpr/

or start at the ADA home page and follow the link to "For Health Care
Professionals", then "Clinical Practice Recommendations".

------------------------------

Subject: How can I contact the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) ?

Check your phone book for a local office, or call 1-800-533-2873.

The JDF also has a web site at http://www.jdfcure.com/.

The JDF's motto is "finding a cure for diabetes", though apparently they only
mean for type 1 diabetes. They are rather obnoxious in their rejection of the
value of support and treatment other than a total cure. Despite this position,
the JDF in fact does a great deal of excellent support work.

------------------------------

Subject: How can I contact the British Diabetic Association (BDA) ?

    The British Diabetic Association
    10 Queen Anne Street
    London W1M 0BD
    Telephone [phone]  ([phone])
     CARELINE 0171 636 6112  for information about diabetes

The BDA produces a bi-monthly magazine for members called "Balance".
Membership is UKP 12 a year.

------------------------------

Subject: How can I contact the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) ?

The CDA has local offices in many cities. Check your local phone book first.

To contact the national organization, call [phone], or write

        Canadian Diabetes Association
        15 Toronto St, Suite 800
        Toronto, Ontario  M5C 2E3
        Canada

In Canada, call 1-800-847-SCAN.

The CDA is on the web at http://www.diabetes.ca.

The B.C. - Yukon Division of the CDA maintains an information center on the
Vancouver Freenet. It includes contact information for regional divisions of
the CDA. See the section "Online resources: other".

------------------------------

Subject: What about diabetes organizations outside North America?

I can't list them unless someone sends me the information.

Ian Preece <ianp(AT)darktower.com> has started a list, which now has
contact info for several European organizations, at

   http://www.demon.co.uk/diabetic/orgs.html

------------------------------

Subject: How can I contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)?

UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing) has a variety of information
concerning organ transplants and transplant centers. Contact UNOS at
(800)24-DONOR or [phone], or PO Box 13770, Richmond VA 23225, USA.

UNOS has a WWW page at

  http://www.unos.org

Email contact is Joel Newman <newmanjd(AT)comm5.unos.org>.

------------------------------

Subject: Could you recommend some good reading?

You mean to curl up with on the sofa? Oh, diabetes ... OK.

My favorite book is Mayer Davidson's _Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and
Treatment_, published by Churchill Livingstone. Though written as a
medical text, anyone willing to plow through an occasional dense
passage and keep a dictionary handy will have no trouble with it. (See
below about medical terminology.) Being written mostly by a single
person, it is much better focussed than the "committee" books which are
so common. And it's very cheap for medical books, US$42 in 1994.

Charles Coughran <csc(AT)coast.ucsd.edu> recommends _Management of
Diabetes Mellitus Perspectives of Care Across the Lifespan_, Debra
Haire-Joshu (editor), Mosby Year Book, 1992, ISBN 0-8016-2429-0. He
says it's as good as Davidson, readable, and aimed at a similar audience.

Coughran and Steve Kirchoefer <swkirch(AT)chrisco.nrl.navy.mil> recommend
_Joslin's Diabetes Manual_ by Krall and Beaser, Lea&Febiger 1988.
Though somewhat lacking in consistency due to the multitude of writers,
it's a useful practical book. The Joslin Institute is world renowned
for its support of diabetes research and treatment, and the price of
the book is reasonable.

Coughran further recommends _Joslin's Diabetes Mellitus_ (13th edition)
edited by Kahn and Weir, 1994. It's another book that suffers a lack of
consistency due to the multitude of writers, but it contains a wealth
of information. Lots of biochemistry and also sections on practical
day-to-day management. Oriented toward health care professionals. 1068
pages, $125.

Terence Griffin <griffin(AT)cam.nist.gov> recommends _Therapy for
Diabetes Mellitus and Related Disorders_. It's a professional level book
compiled and published by the ADA, now in its second edition. See below
for ADA ordering information.

Steve Marschman <sc_marschman(AT)pnl.gov> recommends John Davidson's
_Clinical Diabetes Mellitus, A Problem-Oriented Approach_ (2nd
edition), published by Thieme Medical Publications, New York. Written
from a care-giver's perspective, it is an excellent technical resource
book with medical descriptions of diabetes mellitus, diagnosis,
treatment, complications, and concomitant problems. Price about US$150,
but often available used for much less. (As far as I know, the two
Davidsons, Mayer and John, are not related.)

The American Diabetes Association publishes a number of books with
basic diabetes information of various sorts -- self care, diet,
recipes, etc. Deb Martinson <llama(AT)drizzle.com> especially recommends
_The ADA Complete Guide to Diabetes_, about $6 in paperback and
published in 1996.  See the ADA's web site at

  http://www.diabetes.org

or use the phone numbers or address in the following section.

Any university library will have a large number of books on diabetes,
and they will be grouped together on the shelves. Go and browse. The
books mentioned above can be found in most university libraries.

The rest of what I have to talk about is periodicals. See the next
topic.

------------------------------

Subject: Could you recommend some good magazines?

_Diabetes Interview_ is a popular monthly tabloid with a variety of
news stories, interviews, and lots and lots of advertising. It's run by
a journalist, Scott King, and it shows. Authority, to this publication,
always lies in people they talk to. They don't appear to read
scientific or medical literature as the basis or support for stories.
They do publish research summaries, but these are at the newswire level
with no apparent critical reading. No critical commentary accompanies
interviews.

Publisher Scott King has pursued some valuable projects, such as
organizing letter-writing to Ann Landers after she tried to shove
dining-out diabetics into the closet -- Landers published King's own
excellent letter. He has certainly advanced the cause of open
discussion of diabetes in general. But _Diabetes Interview_ has been
sidetracked needlessly at times, such as by allocating seriously
inordinate abounts of space and attention to minor issues such as the
animal/human insulin debate. They also regularly run a paid
advertisement for an herbal product which claims to "restore pancreatic
function" -- probably an illegal claim in the US.

_Diabetes Interview_ offers a sample (one article per week) as an
electronic mailing list and many articles on their web site. See the
section on "Online resources: diabetes-related mailing lists" for
information on the mailing list.

_Diabetes Interview_ subscription information: one year, US$20 in the
US, US$31 in CA and MX, $46 in other countries. Cancel after the first
issue if you don't like it

   Diabetes Interview
   3715 Balboa Street
   San Francisco, CA 94121
   http://www.diabetesworld.com
   phone: [phone]
              US 800-234-1218

_Diabetes Self-Management_ is a bimonthly magazine containing generally
detailed articles oriented to helping patients with techniques and
skills -- diet, exercise, treatment, outlook, etc. They go into areas
not often covered, such as a recent series by Ann Williams on
low-vision tools and coping skills. The writers tend to have in-depth
knowledge of their fields and the information is well balanced. The
magazine emphasizes practical skills over basic knowledge, and spreads
itself a bit thin by trying to address itself to all diabetics. Those
who dislike Diabetes Forecast will find similar coverage in Diabetes
Self-Management but with more depth and aimed at a better educated
audience.

The _Diabetes Self-Management_ web site has full text of numerous
articles from back issues, about two articles from each issue.

_Diabetes Self-Management_ costs US$14/yr, or US$36/yr outside the US
and CA. To order, mail payment, call, or look on their website. They'll
send a free trial issue if you wish.

   Diabetes Self-Management
   P. O. Box 52890
   Boulder, CO 80322
   http://www.diabetes-self-mgmt.com/
   US phone: [phone]

Everything else I have to recommend comes from the ADA (see section on
ADA).

Here's what the ADA says about its own publications:

    _Diabetes_ -- the world's most-cited journal of basic diabetes
    research brings you the latest findings from the world's top
    scientists.

    _Diabetes Care_ -- the premier journal of clinical diabetes research
    and treatment. _Diabetes Care_ keeps you current with original
    research reports, commentaries, and reviews.

    _Diabetes Reviews_ (in memoriam) -- the comprehensive but concise
    review articles in ADA's newest journal are a convenient way for
    the busy clinician to keep up-to-date on what's truly new in
    research. Sadly, Diabetes Reviews ceased publication at the end
    of 1999, a victim of the fact that medical libraries face a
    crisis of rising subscription costs but flat budgets. The seven
    volumes which were published are still an invaluable resource.

    _Diabetes Spectrum_ -- translates research into practice for nurses,
    dietitians, and other health-care professionals involved in patient
    education and counseling.

    _Clinical Diabetes_ -- For the primary-care physician as well as
    other health-care professionals, this newsletter offers articles
    and abstracts highlighting recent advances in diabetes treatment.

    _Diabetes Forecast_ -- ADA's magazine for patients and their
    families features advice on diet, exercise, and other lifestyle
    changes, plus the latest developments in new technology and
    research. It is a valuable tool for patient education.

Now for my own opinions.

_Diabetes Forecast_ is the mass market magazine, intended to be readable
by all literate diabetics. For US$24/year you can hardly go wrong. The
biggest problem with DF is that in the attempt to reach almost
everyone, it aims at a very low reading level -- perhaps eighth grade,
I'm not sure. This makes it tonally annoying and dilutes the
information content. Still, it contains useful information and is
excellent at promoting self-care and a positive self-image for persons
with diabetes.

_Diabetes Forecast_ is also one of the best places to look for
advertisements for diabetes-related products.

The remaining journals are of interest if you want to follow what is new
and under investigation in medical practice and research. The journals
vary in difficulty of reading. Though some knowledge of statistics and
chemistry helps, a general acquaintance with scientific method is
perhaps more important, and a smattering of familiarity with medical
terminology helps most. Luckily, medical terminology is basically
simple -- it mostly consists of putting together roots and affixes to
make specific terms. Learn a few dozen roots and you can make out most
of it. Try to have a dictionary at hand at first.

_Diabetes Care_ publishes papers on clinical research. I find many of
the papers to be interesting and applicable to my own management. With
the demise of _Diabetes Reviews_, DC plans to publish more review
articles as well.

_Diabetes_ is the ADA's journal primarily for basic research. Some of
the articles are interesting, but they run much more toward
biochemistry and mechanisms of metabolism. As important as basic
research is, few of the reports say little of value directly to
patients.

_Diabetes Spectrum_ is oriented toward health care practitioners.
It consists of reprints of important articles (sometimes several on
a topic) and summaries of related articles, plus original
commentaries from other authors. As such, it provides a broad
overview of topics for readers who don't have time to track down
lots of separate original articles. If you only have time to read
one technical publication, _Diabetes Spectrum_ is perhaps the best
choice -- the only competitor for this place is _Clinical Diabetes_.

_Clinical Diabetes_ contains focussed articles written specifically
for health care practitioners. It's very readable and to to the
point, another good choice for those wanting higher level reading
but not research articles.

The ADA has price structures for regular members and professional
members. A basic regular membership with _Diabetes Forecast_ is
US$24/year (in the US, $41.93 in Canada, $39 in Mexico, $49 elsewhere,
all in US funds). The other ADA journals will set you back about
US$90-120/year apiece. A professional membership allows you to pick and
choose journals at the listed rates; if you plan to get either
_Diabetes_ or _Diabetes Care_ you should enter a professional
membership to get the best prices. Credentials are not required for a
professional membership.

The ADA takes checks, money orders, Visa, Mastercard and American
Excess. Unfortunately, orders of books from outside the USA incur an
additional $15 shipping charge.

You can get more ADA info online, including an online catalog for all
books and magazines, at

  http://www.diabetes.org

Phone numbers

   1-800-232-3472
   [phone]
   [phone] fax

or write

   American Diabetes Association
   Subscription Services
   1660 Duke Street
   Alexandria, VA 22314
   USA

------------------------------

Subject: Who did this?

--
Edward Reid <[e-mail]>
Tallahassee FL