Letter From The Editor

As we close out another year in diabetes care there is a lot to look back at. GLP-1 analogs are continuing to grow in both use and choices, and the different options available to prescribers have meant more and more patients are getting a chance to try these medications. Even …

Last month I shared an event that occurred in the pharmacy concerning a 22-year-old man with type 1 diabetes who came to see me after his hospitalization for severe DKA. This past weekend he came into the pharmacy to refill his insulin and strips and I took a minute to …

It has been about five years since Dr. Steven Nissen started his public attack on the TZDs. His outspoken observations drove many prescribers away from using pioglitazone or rosiglitazone, and the FDA even agreed with his opinions, which drove the rest of us to stop using the medication all together. …

It appears that the weather this winter may turn out to be worse than last year’s. Even here in sunny St. Petersburg, Fla., I had to pull out the winter gear for cycling. During these cold times patients often complain about their feet hurting more than usual. This could be …

When Walmart first introduced their $4 generic drug program we thought that it would be an oddity for a month or two and then go away. Then everyone jumped on the bandwagon and soon these programs were so commonplace that our patients felt anything over $4 was too much. Studies …

Every time we talk to a patient newly diagnosed with diabetes we talk about the kidneys, the feet, and the eyes, and what can happen if we let our glucose levels run rampant. We focus on this because the concept of microvascular complications has been beaten into our heads since …

When the first gastric bypass was done, the incision was about 6-9 inches long. Then came lap band surgery for weight loss. We have gone from 4 incisions to one small incision over the past five years. We are always looking for less-invasive ways to help our patients lose weight …

A little over five years ago, a small company came to market with a low-dose rapid-acting dopamine receptor agonist with a claim that it could reset metabolism endpoints in the neuroendocrine system. Soon as prescribers heard the word “dopamine,” red flags went up and prescribing has gone nowhere. This week …

A couple of questions came up last week during a review of SGLT-2 inhibitors by my interns.  The first question had to do with what was happening with SGLT-1 receptors in the research, as one of the students had remembered that there are 8 or more DPP receptors and wondered …

For the past two months our well-written fitness guru Dr. Sheri Colberg has been discussing the reasons why activity improves your brain health. This week in part 3 of the series she reveals some final details and also lets us know that the NIH is announcing a big initiative to …