Category: D-Stories

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What Scares You Most About Diabetes?

We’re talking about what scares you most about diabetes on this Divabetic podcast with musical inspiration from the band Old Dominion.

Do diabetes and its diabetes health-related complications scare you?

How does this fear affect your life and daily self-care, and more importantly, what do you do about it?

Small amounts of fear might energize you and get you to pay attention, but the threat has to seem manageable. If there’s nothing you can do, and the future looks too awful, you will tend to give up and try to enjoy the time you have left.

Of course, some fear of diabetes is justified. The complications of diabetes are terrifying. So are the effects it can have on your family and your finances. Fears are stressful, and stress isn’t good for diabetes.

Fear increases insulin resistance and blood pressure and interferes with the body’s natural healing systems. It makes it harder to enjoy life.

So what do we do about it?

By taking better care of ourselves, we can reduce stress and even feel better about our diabetes lives.

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Best-Selling Author Dr. Lori Shemek PhD, Diabetes What To Know founder Ansley Dalbo, podiatrist Dr. Michele Summers Colon DPM, gynecologist Dr. Andrea Chisholm MD,OB-GYN, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Jackie Mernit Muhlstock, and Mama Rose Marie.

Throughout the podcast, we feature music from Old Dominion’s Happy Endings album. Most tracks are upbeat, stay close to their debut album’s sound, and deliver a dozen radio-friendly songs. The album debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, selling 31,000 copies and 41,000 equivalent album units when streaming and track sales are included.

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Chaka Khan: Woman Like Me (Living With Diabetes)

The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in 2011.

Experts say over time, diabetes damages the small blood vessels in your body, causing the walls of the blood vessels to stiffen. This increases pressure, which leads to high blood pressure.

Chaka Khan decided to give up on meat and dairy after her diagnosis.

“I went on a radical change in lifestyle,” she says. “I was on liquids for a year, and that gave me a good jump-start.”

Her new meal plan helped her drop 60 pounds and stop using her oral medications to manage her diabetes.

Last year marked Chaka Khan’s fiftieth year in the music industry. “I ran away from home and quit school. I knew what I wanted to do,” she told Jennifer Hudson on Jennifer Hudson’s talk show.

A lot of people know about Chaka Khan’s life of excess. Many speculate that her strange behavior on Versuz with Stephanie Mills was caused by substance abuse.  However, the star vehemently denies the allegations even though the superstar almost died mixing sleeping pills and cocaine once and suffered from alcohol addiction, which she eventually recovered.

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure. Repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure.

Her latest song, Woman Like Me, hints at an earlier classic, I’m Every Woman, which she made famous but with a sharper edge. It’s her first single on Sono Recording Group  SRG-ILS Group. It was produced by Gregg Pagani, who also co-wrote it with Francesca Richard and Jeffrey Anderson.

“My song, Woman Like Me, addresses the women of today. And a lot of the tribulations women are going through,” she told Jennifer Hudson. “Much of it is based on insecurities and looking outside yourself for gold when you are the gold.”

Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman was her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan’s first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. “I’m Every Woman” was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, is inspiring Divabetic’s podcast. Mr. Divabetic interviews Chaka Khan’s former bandmember and producer, Ivan Hampden Jr.,  Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Pam Butler MS, CDE, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDCES, CDN, Holly Clegg, the author of six cookbooks including Kitchen 101, Mama Rose Marie and real-life diva, Ginger Vieira, who is the author of Your Diabetes Science Experiment and record-setting competitive powerlifter living with type 1 diabetes.

 

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Divabetic Mysteries: Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, Part 4

Divabetic Mysteries podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu is packed with loads of diabetes information, and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

Brief Synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!

Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?

Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Dave Jones, Catherine Schuller, and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to Wendy Radford.

Divabetic Mystery Podcast’s goals are: Encourage people with diabetes to problem-solve issues related to their self-care, like their favorite TV detectives (i.e., write things down, search for clues and share information with your healthcare collaborators and ask questions). Manage diabetes as a team rather than go it alone. Make learning about diabetes fun and interesting.

Don’t miss the first podcast of the year featuring guest Rachel Zinman, a yoga instructor and author living with LADA. Rachel shares a Guided Meditation about Compassion. It’s our 6th consecutive year of partnering with Rachel at the start of the New Year to encourage our loyal listeners to reset with a fresh, clear mindset about managing their diabetes.

Visit: https://divabetic.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/divabeticorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divabeticorg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_divabetic

Podcasts: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1

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Divabetic Mysteries: Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, Part 3

Divabetic’s Mystery podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, is packed with loads of diabetes information and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

Brief Synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation! Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes? Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to our colleague Wendy Radford.

Divabetic Mystery Podcast’s goals are: Encourage people with diabetes to problem-solve issues related to their self-care, like their favorite TV detectives (i.e. write things down, search for clues and share information with your healthcare collaborators and ask questions) Manage diabetes as a team rather than go it alone. Make learning about diabetes fun and interesting. This year, Divabetic is talking about re-framing the way we look at ‘mistakes” as “discoveries” rather than “regrets.”

Don’t miss the first podcast of the year featuring guest Rachel Zinman, a yoga instructor and author living with LADA. Rachel shares a Guided Meditation about Compassion. It’s our 6th consecutive year of partnering with Rachel at the start of the New Year to encourage our loyal listeners to reset with a fresh, clear mindset about managing their diabetes.

Visit: https://divabetic.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/divabeticorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divabeticorg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_divabetic

Podcasts: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1

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Discover the Joys of Jicama with Jill Weisenberger

Discover the Joys of Jicama with our friend, Jill Weisenberger RD, CDCES, in this short cooking video.

Nationally Recognized Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Best-Selling Author Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, FAND, CHWC joined us for Divabetic’s virtual Salad Making Party on Zoom.

Jill shares her favorite healthy salad and salad dressing recipes to perk up meals. The low-carb content of jicama and its health benefits means you can indulge in this vibrant veggie!

Jill Weisenberger’s candid and energetic approach and her sound nutrition and fitness advice have earned her a place as one of 10 Dietitians You Need to Follow on Social Media in US News & World Report.

Jill offers healthy and delicious recipe ideas and strategies based on sound nutrition science.

Jill Weisenberger is the author of Diabetes Weight Loss Week by Week is a bestseller and can help you manage your weight and blood sugar at the same time, The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition offers solutions to your everyday food and nutrition problems – no matter how busy you are, 21 Things You Need to Know about Diabetes, and Your Heart gives you specific actions to take to improve your health right away, and her newest book Prediabetes: A Complete Guide featuring dozens of concrete steps to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic health problems.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, for Divabetic’s next free, Virtual outreach program on Zoom. Visit Eventbrite and Divabetic.Org for details.

 

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Divabetic Mysteries: Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, Part 2

Divabetic Mysteries podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu is packed with loads of diabetes information, and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

Brief Synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!

Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?

Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Dave Jones, Catherine Schuller, and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to Wendy Radford.

Divabetic Mystery Podcast’s goals are: Encourage people with diabetes to problem-solve issues related to their self-care, like their favorite TV detectives (i.e., write things down, search for clues and share information with your healthcare collaborators and ask questions). Manage diabetes as a team rather than go it alone. Make learning about diabetes fun and interesting.

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Divabetic Mysteries: Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, Part 1

Divabetic Mysteries podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu is packed with loads of diabetes information, and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

Brief Synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!

Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?

Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Dave Jones, Catherine Schuller, and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to Wendy Radford.

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5 Guided Meditations for Diabetes

“Meditation teaches the mind and body to relax”, says Rachel Zinman.

Divabetic partners with Yoga For Diabetes Director & Author Rachel Zinman to present five guided meditations to help you live your best diabetes life.

“Meditation just means concentration,” says Rachel Zinman. “After meditation, you’ve left feeling a sense of peace that can help relieve the stress you may experience from managing your diabetes.

She has been practicing yoga since she was 17. It’s been a natural part of her life ever since. Rachel feels the mind training in yoga has helped her cope with the stress, fears, and anxiety associated with managing diabetes.

Sit somewhere comfortable. You can sit in a chair, on the floor, or on your bed to participate in Rachel’s guided meditation.

Each guided meditation begins toward the end of each podcast episode.

Rachel Zinman leads us in a Hamsa guided mediation. The Sanskrit word Hamsa translates as a swan. In yoga, the word breath is also known as Hamsa. A swan symbolizes the ability to discriminate or recognize the difference between one thing and another.

“Judgement and discrimination are extremely useful when making decisions in our diabetes lives,” says Rachel.

Focusing on our breath can help us visualize something that’s real and tangible. One method of using the breath in meditation is to focus on the mantra hamsa. This meditation comes from the short Hamsa Upanishad, which explains the mystical nature of Hamsa, the inner swan located within all.

Rachel Zinman presents the five-element guided meditation that can be done anywhere. Every sense relates to an element. This meditation minimizes fatigue in the mind and body and can reconnect you to the universal flow of nature. As you read through the prompts, allow your mind to relax so you can experience what is suggested. It’s that simple.

Rachel Zinman helps you to work with your subconscious mind to set an intention for the New Year and visualize a luminous lotus.

 

Sankalpa mediation helps you set an intention. Sankalpa is the Sanskrit word for intention. San means “to become one with,” and Kalpa means “time” and “subconscious mind. You set the intention through sound, repetition, and breathing. Once you choose a word or phrase to move and support you into the New Year, repeat the word to create a mantra to calm your mind.

You can repeat your Sankalpa to yourself at any time to reconnect with your positive intention.

Feel free to listen to all of Rachel Zinman’s guided meditations anytime you feel stress or tension.

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Divabetic’s Giant Lube Review For Vagina Dryness

Vaginal dryness is common in women with diabetes. High blood sugar levels can cause damage to the blood vessels in your vagina. This leads to a lack of lubrication. As a result, you can experience discomfort during physical activity, burning, irritation, itching, and sex can be painful.


Divabetic shares our favorite lubricants for women with diabetes coping with vaginal dryness. Vaginal lubricants cannot treat the underlying cause of vaginal dryness, such as lower estrogen levels, but can relieve the discomfort caused by dryness.

Although you might feel embarrassed to shoot for personal lubricants at your pharmacy, most of the top brands can be bought online. Lubricants help reduce friction, ease penetration and stimulate the senses. They come in a wide variety of formulas, fragrances, and flavors.

Water-based lubricants are the most versatile because they’re easy to wash off and don’t degrade the latex in condoms. Some water-based products contain glycerin (derived from sugar), while others are specifically glycerin-free. Water-based lubricants can also contain other ingredients, such as preservatives and antimicrobials.

‘Good Clean Love’ and “Slippery Stuff” are organic, water-based lubricants that won’t alter pH levels, which can lead to UTIs or vaginal infections. They’re paraben-free, glycerin-free, alcohol-free, and no petrochemicals. This aloe-based lubricant is made with 95% organic ingredients and infused with lemon and vanilla for a light flavor.

Best natural lubricant: Sliquid Organics Natural Gel One of the safest bets for people with diabetes is a high-quality silicone lubricant. No studies have shown people having reactions to pure silicone lubricant.

Best silicone-based lubricant: Pink Silicone Lubricant  Oil-based natural lubricants like coconut oil can break down the latex in condoms, too. They can also alter the pH of the vagina, which can lead to more infections.

Grammy Award-winning Singer Patti Austin, who continues successfully manages her type 2 diabetes after having gastric bypass surgery, sings the theme song for any woman who is getting back in the swing of enjoyable sex.

“I had type 2 diabetes,” says the former 285- pound singer. “I had obesity-driven diabetes,” who now weighs 140 pounds. Patti Austin had gastric bypass surgery to reach her new weight, and the result has been remarkable. We applaud her hard work, determination, and tenacity to maintain her weight loss.

Podcast guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND, Chris Pickering co-founder of ‘The Betes Bros, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Mama Rose Marie.

This podcast features songs from The Best Of Patti Austin album courtesy of SONY Music.

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What’s The First Thought Of The Day Living With Diabetes?

“Usually, my first thought in the morning is, what’s my blood sugar?” says our friend, January podcast guest Rachel Zinman, who has been living with type 1 diabetes for thirteen years. After that, the Yoga For Diabetes author tells herself, “I have to get up, get my meter and check my blood sugar levels.”
Before she adopted diabetes psychologist Mark Heyman CDCES’s “diabetes might be challenging, but I’ve got this” motto, Rachel viewed the numbers on her meter as judgments. Now, she sees her morning blood sugar levels more or less as just numbers. As a result, she doesn’t take them so personally.
“Working with my diabetes educator taught me to manage my diabetes in terms of a balance beam rather than a tightrope,” she admits.
Now, Rachel shifts her mindset when she experiences high and low blood sugar levels. “I don’t think I will fall off a tightrope. I’ve learned I’ve got room to change things and open up my range like I’m on a balance beam. That has really changed how I feel. I feel better. I feel like I have a lot more freedom with food and insulin.”
She confesses she’s blown away that she can enjoy her favorite breakfast food, avocado toast with normal blood sugars!
How about you? What is the first thought of your day?
Rachel joins us on Divabetic’s January podcast to share a guided meditation as part of our new year’s tradition to help center listeners’ minds, bodies, and souls.
Would you like to recharge today? Listen to Rachel’s 2022 meditation. It’s all about invoking sunlight to create a new vision for your diabetes life. 

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