Glucose

Question: : What can you tell me about the pain reliever salsalate? My doctor says that it will not only help ease my arthritis pain, but might help control my blood sugar. Diet has not controlled my borderline diabetes. Answer: : Salsalate has been used for more than a century to relieve arthritis pain. The name indicates its chemical connection with salicylic acid, which is similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Like aspirin, salsalate is effective against inflammation and pain, but it does not irritate the digestive tract as aspirin does.

In the hunt for better treatments for the growing and related epidemics of diabetes and obesity, researchers may have uncovered an unlikely drug: sugar. Tagatose is a natural, low-calorie sugar that has been used to sweeten such things as orange juice and candy in Europe. And, for a short time, it was used in Diet Pepsi Slurpees at 7-Eleven in the United States. But now tagatose is in a yearlong clinical trial to show that it's not just a palate pleaser but a manager for the most common form of diabetes, Type 2. If the trial goes well, it could be a big step in tagatose becoming a medicine, and eventually, an uber-sweet diet aid, according to an article in February's Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

I consider myself a good cook, but I'm having a problem that I can't solve. I have a fudge recipe, and for the third time in a row the fudge came out grainy. What am I doing wrong? The fact that you keep making it is a good sign that you are one determined individual. First, let's start with the recipe. I can only guess that at some point in your lifetime the recipe worked and you came out with great fudge. If that is not the case, I have a fabulous idea: Throw the recipe away. Start a roaring winter fire with it and make a clean start with a brand new recipe.

As Monarch Academy music teacher Kenzie Turk talked about the trials of living with Type 1 diabetes, her service dog, Bear, lay nearby, drifting in and out of a deep sleep. Dozing in class isn't usually acceptable at the public charter school in Glen Burnie, but the 8-month-old black Labrador retriever had endured a busy night, waking Turk more than two dozen times to alert her that complications from the chronic disease had flared again, prompting her to take action before something went tragically wrong.

Dr. Richard R. Rubin, a Johns Hopkins psychologist who counseled children and adults on how to cope with the emotional effects of diabetes, died of complications from prostate cancer March 25 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Monkton resident was 69. Born in Lima, Peru, he was the son of Goldie Rubin and Morton Rubin, a scientist who worked in meteorology in South America, Antarctica and South Africa. He lived with his parents in Pretoria, South Africa, and was a 1961 graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda.

About a month ago, my son-in-law started taking one regular Bayer aspirin each morning and one Bayer PM before going to sleep. Two weeks into this regimen, he started bleeding from the mouth while he was sleeping. He stopped taking the aspirin, and the bleeding stopped as well. Is this a possible side effect? Aspirin can thin the blood by interfering with the sticky part of blood called platelets. Some people are especially susceptible to this effect, so even a standard dose might trigger bleeding.

Since I have no history of diabetes, could you explain why my obstetrician measured my blood sugar after his nurse had me put some sugar in my mouth?During the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy, the vast majority of obstetricians now order a test of the blood sugar (glucose) level one hour after oral administration of 50 grams of glucose. The test is carried out to detect the presence of gestational diabetes, which is defined as an abnormality of sugar metabolism that begins or is recognized during pregnancy.

Q: My diabetes was discovered 15 years ago, and my blood sugars have been well-controlled on two doses of insulin a day. Are there any other steps I can take to avoid the complications of diabetes?A: Diabetes can cause excessive urination, increased thirst and weight loss as the result of high blood sugar (glucose) levels. These symptoms are usually easy to eliminate with a reduction in blood glucose with diet, pills or insulin.The greater concern for people with diabetes are the late complications of the disorder.

Old ideas about diabetes are being replaced by new insights.We used to think that diabetes that begins in adulthood was the result of low insulin production. We now know that some people produce enough insulin, but their bodies can't use it because they are overweight: Obesity can inactivate insulin receptors, so that the available insulin can't be used. For these folks, losing weight is the key to controlling diabetes.We also used to think eliminating sugar was the cornerstone of the diabetic diet.

The state health department has beefed up its Medicaid benefits for diabetics -- offering a larger array of services in hopes of preventing the serious complications that make patients ill and cost taxpayers millions.The Diabetes Care Program, in its first week of operation, offers the new services to patients who agree to obtain all their medical services through a primary care doctor certified by the state as an expert in the care of diabetes.In diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, the hormone that makes it possible for cells to absorb and use glucose for their energy needs.