Subject: diabetes FAQ: sources (part 4 of 5)
Supersedes: <diabetes/faq/part4_827207059@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 1 Apr 1996 18:12:44 GMT
References: <diabetes/faq/part1_828382217@rtfm.mit.edu>
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.
X-Last-Updated: 1995/12/19

Posting-Frequency: biweekly
Last-modified: 18 Dec 1995

Changes: add autoimmune mailing list (18 Dec)
         revise all WWW pointer info (18 Dec)
         add pointer to Ian's list of European orgs (18 Dec)
         minor updates to subscription info (18 Dec)
         add pointer to Assoc Svcs for the Blind (18 Dec)

Subject: READ THIS FIRST
========================

Copyright 1993-1995 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?
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 One Touch II?
  How can I download data from my Glucometer (tm)?
  Other recordkeeping software
  I've heard of a non-invasive bG meter -- the Dream Beam?
  What's HbA1c and what's it mean?
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
  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 -- not even 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)?
  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?
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 50 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, some of the
large commercial services (including Delphi, Netcom, America Online,
world.std.com, the WELL), 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.

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
=========================================================

Three public electronic mailing lists have diabetes-related content. The
major one 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.

    -- 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@netcom.com,
as sometimes the software at netcom prevents him from replying directly.

DIABETES is a low volume mailing list intended as "a technical discussion for
researchers". However, it is clear that most of the few participants are not
researchers, and the content is poorly focussed. It carries one or two
messages/day.

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 reading?" 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.

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@lehigh.edu        subscribe diabetic Firstname Lastname

  TYPE_ONE   listserv@netcom.com        subscribe type_one

  DIABETES   listserv@irlearn.bitnet    subscribe diabetes Firstname Lastname
             listserv@irlearn.ucd.ie

  TRNSPLNT   listserv@wuvmd.bitnet      subscribe trnsplnt Firstname Lastname
             listserv@wuvmd.wustl.edu

  DIABETES-NEWS  listserv@netcom.com    subscribe diabetes-news

  AUTOIMMUNE maiser@ksg1.harvard.edu    Subscribe autoimmune_research

These addresses are subject to change, so if you are looking at an old
version of this FAQ and get no response from the listserv, find an up to date
copy of the FAQ.

Subject: Online resources: commercial services
==============================================

Most of the information here comes from David Cohler <ar051@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@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 a VERY small support board, accessed by "go DFAN". Many of its
readers rely on m.h.d. for advanced information.

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, has donated FTP space for
diabetes-related materials due to the urging and coordination of Ian Preece
<ianp@dktower.demon.co.uk>. This cooperative endeavor was launched with an
empty directory in June 1994, and depends on the efforts of all of us to
populate that directory with useful materials. Appropriate materials include
software (freeware, shareware, demos), tables of data and information, news
and research articles (with permission please), periodic postings from the
newsgroups and mailing lists, and any other information files.

Short guide: anonymous ftp to ftp.demon.co.uk, directory /pub/diabetes.

Using the World Wide Web:

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

A few pointers for those not familiar with ftp follow. However, if you do
not know how to invoke ftp at all, please ask locally.

  FTP to:      ftp.demon.co.uk
  Log in as:   anonymous
  Password:    <your email address>         (please give your true address)
  Commands:    cd /pub/diabetes             gets to the diabetes directory
               dir                          lists contents
               binary                       prepare to xfer binary files
               ascii                        prepare to xfer text files
               get <filename>               xfer file to your system
  To submit:   cd /incoming                 do before put
               ascii                        prepare to xfer text files ONLY
               binary                       prepare to xfer binary files
               put <filename>               xfer file to Demon ftp dir

After making a submission by FTP, send email to Ian Preece
<ianp@dktower.demon.co.uk> telling him about the file you have submitted. If
you are unable to send files by FTP, send email to Ian at the same address,
asking him how to submit files by email.

Subject: Online resources: World Wide Web
=========================================

The two best starting points for diabetes information on the web are Jeff
Hitchcock's Children with Diabetes, and the Yahoo diabetes page. Don't judge
Children with Diabetes by the title; 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.castleweb.com/diabetes/index.html

Yahoo has information 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

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

   http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/diabetes/top.html
or
   http://www.smartpages.com/faqs/diabetes/top.html

Both of these have been badly out of date through much of late 1995. The OSU
server is running but not being supported and may disappear without warning.
SmartPages is supposed to be the new site but is not updating FAQs. Until
this situation is resolved, you are better off retrieving the complete FAQ
files from the reliably up-to-date copies at

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

Donald Lehn <dalehn@facstaff.wisc.edu> was probably the first to put a server
with diabetes information on the web, at:

   http://www.biostat.wisc.edu/diaknow/index.htm

Unfortunately, Lehn's Diabetes Knowledgebase has been offline since August
1995, and I don't know when or whether it will be back online.

The US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease of the
National Institutes of Health has a web server at

   http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

with a lot of information that I haven't had a chance to review.

Subject: Online resources: other
================================

The B.C. - Yukon Division of the Canadian Diabetes Association maintains an
information center on the Vancouver Freenet, accessible via telnet. They have
several useful information files, information about the CDA and the division,
and a listing of publications offered by the division office in Vancouver for
loan and sale. (I don't know whether they will ship outside of Canada.)

To get there,

   telnet freenet.vancouver.bc.ca

or from the WWW,

   telnet://freenet.vancouver.bc.ca

(other freenets may have a menu item for the Vancouver Freenet)

   Log in as 'guest'.
   Select SUBJECTS
   Select HEALTH
   Select Canadian Diabetes Association

Selections are by number, but the numbers change form time to time.

The US National Library of Medicine has its catalog and a list of resources
online. telnet to locator.nlm.nih.gov and log in as 'locator'. You can search
the holdings catalog and a list of health-related resource providers. You can
email the search results to yourself. Note that the catalog search only shows
books and journals; it is not an article-level search.

Pennsylvania State University maintains a collection called PENpages of
full-text documents. The emphasis is strongly on food and nutrition (the
service is part of the College of Agricultural Sciences), but has a lot of
information related to diabetes. A keyword search on diabetes returns 87
documents as of 30 Dec 1994. Coverage is spotty, but what's there can be
quite valuable. The depth ranges from mass readership advice to recipes to
position statements to technical research papers. It's the only online site
I've found with a lot of professional level information.

  telnet psupen.psu.edu
  Username: login in as a two-letter US state abbreviation
  Keyword search: diabetes

Local phone numbers to dial in directly are available for most of
Pennsylvania.

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 +1 612 546 1146
  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 +1 216 943 6185
* Edwards Healthcare Svcs      1-800-793-1995
  GEM Edwards                  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 +1 703 389 0201
* 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, +1 215 627 0600, fax +1 215 922 0692) runs a
nonprofit store specializing in supplies for the blind. See their home page
at

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

or email them at asbinfo@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 +1 703 549 1500.
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.

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

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

(It has been pointed out to me that the JDF provides many services and
support. I need more information to include here.)

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

    The British Diabetic Association
    10 Queen Anne Street
    London W1M 0BD
    Telephone 0171-323-1531  (+44 171 323 1531)

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 +1 416 363 3373, or write

        Canadian Diabetes Association
        Suite 1001
        15 Toronto St,
        Toronto, Ontario  M5C 2E3
        Canada

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@dktower.demon.co.uk> 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 +1 804 330 8602, or PO Box 13770, Richmond VA 23225, USA.

UNOS has a WWW page at http://www.infi.net/~shreorg/unos.html.

Email contact is Joel Newman <newmanjd@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@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@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 reknowned 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@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@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.)

A full list of a variety of books and periodicals would be a useful online
resource. Ask and you shall volunteer. In the meantime, 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.

_Diabetes Interview_ is a monthly newsletter emphasizing interviews with
famous researchers and patients, with some other tips and news and humor and
a minimum of advertising. It's a small business endeavor. Lyle Hodgson
<lyle@world.std.com> and others recommend it strongly. Note that the
interviews published are sometimes with people who have strong biases to
present, and no critical commentary accompanies the interviews. One year,
US$14; two years, US$24 (probably more outside the USA).  Their address: 3715
Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94121. Use Visa or MC and call
1-800-473-4636 or +1 415 387 4002. _Diabetes Interview_ also offers a sample
(one article per week) as an electronic mailing list. See the section on
"Online resources: diabetes-related mailing lists" for information.

_Diabetes Self-Management_ is a bimonthly costing US$12/yr. Write 150 West
22nd St, New York NY 10011, or in the US call 800-234-0923. According to
Richard Simpson <rsimps1@gl.umbc.edu>, who recommends it, the magazine

    has a reading and 'interest' level close to the average population --
    more like 'people' magazine than 'Scientific American.' It contains diet
    advice, basic terminology,  health warnings. Naturally, it is loaded with
    insulin, etc. ads. It seems very middle-of-the-road -- no miracle cures
    or herb remedies!

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_ -- 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.
    
    _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 by far the best place 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.

_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 the ADA journal most 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 probably the best choice.

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.

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. Phone numbers

   1-800-232-3472
   +1 703 549 1500
   +1 703 549 6995 fax

or write

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

Subject: Who did this?
======================
-- 
Edward Reid          ed@titipu.resun.com
PO Box 378           reide@freenet.tlh.fl.us
Greensboro FL 32330

On the World Wide Web:

  mailto:ed@titipu.resun.com

