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dLife Medical Advisory Board Issues Fall Alert for People with Diabetes; Offers Practical Tips for Enjoying Autumn Activities & Holidays

Monday, October 03, 2005

WESTPORT, Conn. (Business Wire) -- The dLife Medical Advisory Board, a team of leading diabetes experts from the top research and clinical institutions in the United States, has issued these important seasonal diabetes tips.

1) Adjust for time changes. Without proper planning, when the clock falls back, your control may too. Check with your health professional how to properly adjust changes during the time we adjust our clocks back 1 hour. Daylight savings time is also a good time to update your contacts for emergency. Check your cell phones and make sure you have added "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) adjacent to the names of people who should be contacted in case you have a diabetes emergency. If you run or walk outdoors in the early evening and don't like exercising after dark, look for alternative ways to work out indoors. Try joining a health club or community recreation center. Buy an exercise video, or go to the mall and walk. Don't stop moving!

2) Tailor your tailgating activities. Fall means football, and for many fans it also means a big spread of Buffalo wings, hot dogs, pizza, and other not-so-healthy finger foods -- not to mention the beer. Expand your culinary horizons and try some new delicious, diabetes-friendly snacks to enjoy with the game, plus healthy variations on old favorites. Go to dlife.com for ideas.

3) Don't let Halloween scare you. Parents of children with type 1 diabetes often dread Halloween because of all the tempting treats. But there are plenty of ways to make the holiday fun without focusing on candy confiscation. Offer small toys, special activities, and other "spooktacular" options to your child. Try bartering candy for special non-edible treats and toys. Some candy can also be saved and stored to treat lows. Some people even leave the candy outside for the "Great Pumpkin" at night and when their child awakens the next day, a much wanted toy has been exchanged for all of that candy.

4) Get in the holiday spirit. The holidays are still a few months away, but getting a head start on your shopping and entertainment preparation can help your control later. Stress often raises blood sugar levels; so make your holidays less hectic by making a schedule and sticking to it.

dLife.com, the leading independent online source of diabetes information, has additional tips and recipes for making fall fun and healthy for people living with diabetes. dLife diabetes alerts are sent periodically to inform the over 18 million Americans living with diabetes about important and timely issues impacting diabetes health and lifestyle.

About dLife

dLife is the first and only multimedia platform for information, inspiration, and connection to help people with diabetes manage their challenging condition and live long and healthy lives. dLifeTV, the first weekly lifestyle talk show about diabetes, is produced by dLife and airs Sunday evenings on CNBC at 7:00PM Eastern, 6:00PM Central, and 4:00PM Pacific. dLifeRadio is heard around the country on over 400 radio stations, and dLife.com is the largest independent website devoted to the diabetes lifestyle at www.dLife.com.

The dLife Medical Advisory Board consists of some of the top diabetes specialists in the world: Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA; Dr. James Gavin, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Dr. Richard Bernstein, Diabetes Center, Mamaroneck, NY; Dr. Irl Hirsch, University of Seattle, WA; Dr. Lois Jovanovic, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, Santa Barbara, CA; Dr. Jay Skyler, Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami, FL; Dr. Aaron Vinik, Sterlitz Diabetes Research Institute, Norfolk, VA; Dr. Francine Kaufman, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, CA; Dr. Sheri Colberg-Ochs, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; Dr. Richard Rubin, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; R. Keith Campbell, RPh, CDE, FASHP, Washington State University College of Pharmacy, Seattle, WA; Dr. Judy Wylie-Rosett, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, NY; and Joy Pape, RN, BSN, CDE, WOSN, CFNC, Columbia, MO.

dLife
Tom Karlya, 203-221-3453
karlya@dlife.com