Type 2 Diabetes Archives - BCDiabetes

  Yesterday, (2017-02-23) a study of diabetic mice was published in the journal “Cell” showing that a special “fasting mimicking diet” (FMD) for 4 days every month caused regeneration of pancreatic insulin-secreting beta cells.  As such, in mice at least, this diet has the potential to reverse both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. No […]

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) or “sensors” have been around for more than a decade.  With the arrival in Canada last week of the Dexcom G5 everything has changed: the G5 is more accurate than its predecessor the G4 allowing for ever more reliable low and high sugar alarms, it sends results straight to your smartphone […]

Sensors (or continuous glucose monitors) are devices that measure the sugar/glucose in body water (known medically as “interstitial fluid”). A small teflon needle is inserted into the skin and is usually changed every 7-14 days. The needle is connected to a sensor which either automatically sends/pushes the Interstitial fluid glucose level via bluetooth to a […]

First: purchase two accessories from Amazon.ca GrifGrips (package of 20 for CAD$20) Skin Tac (either wipes or the liquid, 50 wipes for CAD$14.84) Technique Place the sensor like you usually would, but put in on the back of the arm (as you would for a Freestyle Libre) – much better numbers. Then soak the white […]

The search for a pill formulation of insulin has been long-standing.  Yesterday Novo Nordisk, the world’s biggest insulin manufacturer abandoned its efforts to make an oral form of insulin.  The obstacle was not technological it was price pressure. The pharmaceutical industry has figured out how to protect insulin from digestive juices in the stomach – […]

Yesterday the US Food and Drug Administration approved two new medications – both are shots & each is a combination of two different classes of medication in one shot: a basal long-acting insulin and a GLP-1 receptor agonist. The Novo Nordisk product combines Tresiba, an insulin not yet available in Canada and Victoza while the Sanofi product […]

BCDiabetes Medical Director, Dr. Tom Elliott, has launched a petition to lobby BC Pharmacare to cover SGLT2 inhibitors. As many as 50,000 British Columbians would likely benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors, but many do not have funds or coverage. This class of drug has been shown to reduce mortality for those at high risk of heart […]

A life saving class of diabetes oral medication, SGLT2 inhibitors, costing less than $3/day, is not covered in British Columbia, but is covered in the rest of Canada.  I asked Dr. Elliott, Medical Director of BCDiabetes.ca for his comments.  Dr. Elliott has already blogged twice on this class of medication (see https://www.bcdiabetes.ca/third-sglt2-inhibitor-in-canada/ & https://www.bcdiabetes.ca/empa-reg-outcome-renal/ Dr. […]

Last week the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet published a report summarized here describing dramatic reductions in low blood sugar without any loss of blood sugar control using the Freestyle Libre.   “The Freestyle Libre is the first of a new class of glucose monitoring devices that use “flash” technology.  These devices measure sugar/glucose in the […]

New study questions Type 2 diabetes treatment “No evidence glucose-lowering drugs help ward off long-term complications, researchers say.” This is a massive statement so we sought our medical director, Dr. Tom Elliott, for insight.   The CBC recently reported on a publication by Dr. Victor Montori, of the Mayo Clinic in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes arguing a […]