For 30 years, Americans have focused on reducing fat to lower their risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Telemedicine Allows Army, Indian Health Service to Expand Range of Diabetes Care
To reach the growing number of individuals in their care who have diabetes, both the Army and the Indian Health Service have aggressively adopted telemedicine
Diabetes Overtreatment Continues for Older VA Patients
Some Clinicians Worry More About Malpractice Than HypoglycemiaBy Brenda L. MooneyANN ARBOR, MI — Despite a VA campaign to raise awareness of hypoglycemia and recommendations from the national Choosing Wisely campaign to less aggressively treat older patients with...
‘Yuck Factor’ Notwithstanding, Maggots Highly Effective for Diabetic Foot Wounds at VA
The VA is proving that “everything old is new again” with an unusual medical device — medicinal maggots.
A Personalized Approach Works Best in Prevention of Diabetes Development
For years, researchers have promoted the wonders of medical treatment customized to a patient’s specific genetic profile, but the reality in the exam room continues to be more “one size fits all.”
New Veteran Study Further Complicates Testosterone Replacement Issue
VA Researchers Find Normalizing ‘T’ Levels Lowers Heart RisksBy Brenda L. MooneyKANSAS CITY, MO — The question over how testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) affects cardiovascular health became even more contentious with a new U.S. veterans study finding that some...
Moderate A1c Reduction Lowers Heart Risks for Veterans With Diabetes
VA Researchers Warn About Too ‘Tight’ Blood-Sugar ControlBy Brenda L. MooneyANN ARBOR, MI — The VA’s balanced approach to glycemic control — keeping blood sugar levels low but not too low — appears to be the best course for patients seeking to avoid cardiovascular...
VA Educates Patients about Who Really Needs Testosterone Therapy
COLUMBIA, MO – Often spurred by advertising touting the benefits of testosterone supplementation for “low T,” veterans treated by the VA increasingly are requesting the replacement therapy.
Native Americans, Alaskans More Likely to Have Higher HbA1c Levels
OAKLAND, CA - American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic Caucasians, and the prevalence of diabetes in the AI/AN populations has increased by more than 68% since 1994. A study group led by researchers...
‘Precision Medicine’ Approach Helps Predict Who Will Develop Diabetes
ANN ARBOR, MI - A new “precision medicine” approach to diabetes prevention uses existing information such as blood sugar levels and waist-to-hip ratios, rather than a genetic test, to determine who has the highest risk of developing the disease. The model, published...
Black Women Working the Night Shift More Likely to Develop Diabetes
BEDFORD, MA - African-American women who work night shifts are significantly more likely to develop diabetes, and their risk increases the longer they work that schedule. That’s according to a new study published in Diabetolgia, which notes that the increased risk is...
Veteran Study Shows Significant Survival Benefit From Bariatric Surgery
DURHAM, NC – While evidence is growing that bariatric surgery can improve survival among the severely obese, past research hasn’t been as useful for some of the patients who would benefit most from weight loss.
VA Tackles Obesity Paradox:
Why Do Overweight Patients Live Longer with Heart Failure?
Now the leading cause of hospital admissions in the VA Health Care System, heart failure is associated with high mortality rates and poor quality of life.
New VA Initiative Battles Excesses of ‘Tight Glucose Control’ Trend
Effort Seeks to Reduce Hypoglycemia in Older Veterans
WASHINGTON – At the beginning of the 21st century, tight glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes was all the rage.
Test Strip Overuse Common with Dual Benefits
PITTSBURGH - Veterans who double dip benefits, receiving glucose test strips through both the VA and Medicare, use more strips and are more likely to potentially overuse the measurement devices, according to a new study. “These results illustrate the profound...
Insomnia Doubles Risk of Chronic Diseases in Servicemembers
BETHESDA, MD - Chronic insomnia doubles the risk of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetes in servicemembers compared to military personnel who have not been diagnosed with that sleep problem. That’s according to a report in Medical Surveillance Monthly Report...
Mindfulness Training Helps Vets with Diabetes
PITTSBURGH - Veterans who participated in mindfulness training lowered their diabetes-related distress and glucose levels while improving their self-management of the disease, according to a new study. The training included focused breathing and awareness training,...
With More Women in Military, the ‘Great Imitator’ Often Challenges Health Providers
Lupus Diagnoses Have Risen Significantly
BETHESDA, MD – As the fictional team of physicians attempted to identify mysterious conditions season after season, TV’s Dr. Gregory House often assured them, “It’s not lupus — It’s never lupus.” But in recent years, many DoD physicians have found that it is lupus — it’s increasingly lupus.