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Clinical Director

Monitoring and Treating Ketones with T1D

Ketones can be like kryptonite for people with type 1 diabetes, and the symptoms of ketone build up are often what lead to the diagnosis of T1D. People are increasingly being diagnosed in what’s known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which can be life-threatening. Understanding what ketones are, how to measure ketone levels, and what to do when you have ketones is critical to managing T1D. What are Ketones? Ketones are a biproduct of the body burning fat for energy, and for people without diabetes, this is not a problem because their body will level out the ketones. Ketones commonly occur […]

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Confronting Depression with Diabetes

Mental Health Awareness Month is here again and, with it, a reminder of how important maintaining mental wellness is for all of us. Our mental health affects our physical health, our relationships, and our quality of life.1 It also has a huge impact on diabetes management – and people with diabetes who have depression or diabetes distress are at an increased risk for having elevated HbA1c levels.2-3 What is the Relationship Between Diabetes and Depression? Studies have shown that for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the risk for experiencing depression is three times that of people without diabetes.4 For […]

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Insulin Resistance and Type 1 Diabetes

Although the advent of insulin has saved countless lives throughout the past 100 years, it’s not exactly a cure for diabetes. Diabetes still requires a lot of energy, knowledge, and perseverance to manage. Insulin must be taken at the optimal time before a meal, in the right location on the body, and the insulin itself must be stored properly to function. When you add other layers of difficulty such as insulin resistance, it makes diabetes management even more challenging. I often find myself saying to others with diabetes that I only want high blood sugars for good reasons – such […]

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Managing Stress with Type 1 Diabetes

Life is full of stress, whether it’s the excitement of an upcoming event or the stress over a deadline at work or school. Understanding the effects of stress on the body for people with diabetes can make navigating the added issues that stress causes a little easier. We’ll explain some key insights about stress as it relates to diabetes, and some tips on how to cope with life’s many stressors. Stress and the Human Body When your mind or body feels stress, a hormonal response gets triggered and it signals to the liver that the body needs energy.1 It does […]

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Diabetes and your Kidneys: What you should know

As many of us are already painfully aware, diabetes affects everything in the body. But there are some areas that it affects more often than others, and for that reason we monitor a variety of things to make sure everything is working up to par. For people with diabetes, some of the biggest risks for complications include cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, retinopathy, and neuropathy.1 If you have diabetes or love someone with diabetes, none of this is news to you. And this article is not meant to increase your stress! We want to provide you with the knowledge that you […]

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The Benefits of Diabetes Summer Camps

Now that the world is beginning to re-open and take us back to pre-pandemic times, we’re all trying to figure out how to take advantage of our renewed sense of freedom. If you have children, you’re probably starting to look at the calendar and figure out what summer camp options are available near you. CWD has you covered with a comprehensive list of diabetes camps all over the United States listed by state. Peer Support Matters1 Most of you reading this can probably remember the first time you met someone else that has diabetes or has a child with diabetes. […]

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Diabetes Can Be Complicated

Despite the significant advancements in type 1 diabetes care over the last ten years, along with having multiple different hybrid closed-loop systems available, most Americans are not achieving glycemic goals.1 Although it’s wonderful to celebrate the trend of decreasing occurrences of complications experienced by people with type 1 diabetes, it’s also important to understand the risks that are still present. Drs. Subramanian and Hirsch from the University of Washington published a recent article discussing the implications of the 30-year follow-up results from the landmark DCCT and EDIC trials, which provides really important insight for people with type 1 diabetes.2 The […]

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Glucagon Options for People with Diabetes

When you have type 1 diabetes, your body stops making its own insulin. Additionally, the normal communication between the pancreas and the liver is disrupted. In someone without diabetes, the pancreas and the liver balance blood sugars through insulin and glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that tells the liver to send glucose stores into the bloodstream, and it is made synthetically for people at risk for low blood glucose, such as people with diabetes. People with diabetes on insulin should have glucagon available in case of a hypoglycemic emergency. The original process of giving or receiving glucagon required mixing a […]

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Dousing the Flames of Diabetes Burnout

Many people around the world are feeling the effects of burnout from having lived through a pandemic for the last couple of years. They’re tired of wearing masks and social distancing, and I completely understand it. But when you experience burnout from your diabetes, you are unable to simply stop thinking about it; you have to continue to care for yourself. So, what are you supposed to do when you experience diabetes burnout? Can you prevent burnout, or is it bound to happen to everyone at some point? What resources are available to you? How do you find out if […]

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Looking for Glucose Patterns

One of the advantages of diabetes technologies, particularly Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), is having access to blood glucose data. Much like the many fitness data collection devices, CGMs identify patterns for the wearer to aid in behavior modification. For example, if you see a pattern of high glucose levels after breakfast every day, you are then alerted to the need to make a change in either insulin doses or the food consumed. But how do you know what changes to make? Do you have to ask your endocrinologist to look at your data to make insulin adjustments? How will you […]

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