The Morning Talk shows announced a new study shows Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic may delay the progression of kidney disease in diabetes patients.
By now, everyone knows that the injectable Ozempic can help manage blood sugars and reduce weight. Its growing popularity in Hollywood as a ‘miracle weight loss drug’ limited supplies and made it difficult for people with Type 2 diabetes to refill their prescriptions.
Keke Palmer, Amy Schumer, Stassi Schroeder, and more celebrities who’ve talked about their use — or hate — of semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
Tracy Morgan, who is living with type 2 diabetes, said,” “I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic. And I ain’t letting it go … It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos” on Today with Hoda and Jenna.
Novo Nordisk is asking health professionals not to prescribe Ozempic to new patients unless there are no suitable alternatives or there is a compelling clinical reason to do so to conserve supply for patients who are already stabilized on this medicine and who do not have suitable alternatives.
Sadly, one-third of people with type 2 diabetes develop chronic kidney disease because of damage to blood vessels and filtering cells in the organ, according to reports. So it makes sense that Ozempic can help reduce one of the health complications related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes: kidney disease progression.
The once-weekly injection already has Food and Drug Administration approval as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes, a major cause of death and hospitalization in people with Type 2 diabetes.
The trial, which began in 2019, enrolled 3,500 people with diabetes and kidney disease and assigned them to either Ozempic or a placebo for up to a planned five years. Researchers followed the enrollees to detect a drop in kidney filtering rates, end-stage kidney disease, or death from either kidney or cardiovascular disease.
The newscasters also mentioned that Ozempic may help with addiction issues.
Join us for Divabetic’s Menopause & Diabetes Panel Discussion & SugarFree Baking Demonstration on Zoom in honor of World Menopause Day on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 7 – 8:30 PM. It’s FREE.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her famous Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe and shares baking tips using popular sugar substitutes in your favorite recipes.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
Markie, whose real name was Marcel Theo Hall, was a rapper, producer, and DJ in his career but will forever be known for his quirky 1989 single “Just a Friend.”
The rapper was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2011, but said in 2014 that he lost 140 pounds since the diagnosis due to healthy lifestyle changes.
“I wanted to live,” Markie told ABC News at the time. “Since I have to be a diabetic, If I didn’t make the changes, it was going to make the diabetes worse. I’m trying to get off [diabetes medications]. The way you gotta do it is lose the weight. I’m off half my meds, I just got to get off the rest.”
“They said I could lose my feet,” he added. “They said I could lose body parts. A lot of things could happen.”
Mr. Divabetic talks with entertainer Keith Anthony Fluitt and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES about DJ Frankie Knuckles’s foot amputation and lower limb amputations related to diabetes on July’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
‘Just A Friend’ was Biz Markie’s only song to chart in the top 100, but it cemented his legacy in hip-hop forever. The song’s video, which featured the rapper don a powder-white wig as he played the piano and belted out the classic chorus: “You, you’ve got what I need/ but you say he’s just a friend/ and you say he’s just a friend/ oh baby, you, you’ve got what I need.” helped to make the tune iconic.
Biz Markie also appeared in several films and TV shows, including “Men in Black II,” as a narrator on the adult puppet show “Crank Yankers,” and on the children’s series “Yo Gabba Gabba!” with his “Biz’s Beat of the Day.”
“The weirdest thing about my fame is that when I’m thinking that it’s almost over, it just sparks back up,” Biz Markie told the Post. “I made ‘Just a Friend’ in ’89. Some people’s records die — it sprouts up. Now it’s 30 years later, and it’s sprouted up again in commercials. They’re not letting me die. The public, the fans, they like me around.”
“I’m going to be Biz Markie until I die,” he said. “Even after I die, I’m going to be Biz Markie.“
Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest also passed away from the same complications back in 2016. The iconic rapper and lyricist passed away at the age of 45 after facing a battle with his diabetes diagnosis.
We’re focusing on ‘KIDNEYS and DIABETES’ on this episode of Diabetes Late Nite with musical inspiration from A Tribe Called Quest.
Phife Dawg, born Malik Taylor, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in May of 1990. Experiencing constant thirst and bathroom visits, his grandmother, a nurse, tested him for diabetes after a performance in Connecticut. Initially, Phife admitted he did not take his diagnosis seriously and maintained the same lifestyle.
“It’s really a sickness,” Taylor said in Beats, Rhymes & Life, Michael Rapaport’s candid 2011 documentary on the group. “Like straight-up drugs. I’m just addicted to sugar.”
Phife’s initial resistance to treatment made it necessary for him to go on dialysis followed by a kidney transplant in 2008. This past March he died at age 45.
“When you learn you have diabetes, the first word you have to learn is acceptance,” he said during an interview with dLife TV hoping to encourage others to learn from his mistakes.
June’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include MaryAnn Nicolay DTR, Dr. Braxton Cosby, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Funny Man Mike, Arnon Krongrad, MD, Catherine Lawrence, and Mama Rose Marie.
We will be featuring selected songs from their first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, released in 1990, courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
Our phrase is one of the primary functions of your kidneys.
Kidneys have many jobs besides filtering blood. They also make urine to keep bones healthy and make a hormone that controls the production of red blood cells. The kidneys also help regulate blood pressure, the level of salts in the blood, and the acid-base balance (the pH) of the blood.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% percent of new cases according to the National Kidney Foundation. Current research suggests that control of high blood pressure is a key factor in slowing this disease.
How Diabetes Is Linked To Kidney Failure
Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Over time, poorly managed blood sugars can cause damage to blood vessel clusters in your kidneys that filter waste from your blood. This can lead to kidney damage and cause high blood pressure. If they are damaged, waste and fluids build up in your blood instead of leaving your body.
When your kidneys fail, dialysis keeps your body in balance by: removing waste, salt and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body. keeping a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate. helping to control blood pressure.
Check your blood pressure regularly and keep it below 140/90 mm/Hg, but check with your health care provider for your appropriate target. Talk to your doctor about medicines and other ways to lower your blood pressure.
Stay in your target cholesterol range.
Eat foods lower in sodium.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Stay physically active.
Take your medications as directed.
If you have diabetes:
Meet blood sugar targets as often as you can.
Have an A1c test at least twice a year, but ideally up to four times a year. An A1c test measures the average level of blood sugar over the past three months.
We’re talking about the link between hypertension and kidney function on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with musical inspiration from Angela Bofill.
Podcast guests include Angela Bofill, Catherine Schuller, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Neva White DNP, CRNP- BC, CDE, and Rose Hall from Tessie’s Teas.
Throughout the podcast we will feature music from Angela Bofill’s albums Angie and Angel of the Night courtesy of SONY Music.
Wilford Brimley, the mustachioed actor who appeared on the big screen, television shows and commercials (Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical) has died. He was 85.
Sources with direct knowledge of Wilford’s health say he was in an ICU wing of a hospital on dialysis, and very sick for days.
High blood glucose levels can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys over time. When the blood vessels are damaged, your kidneys cannot clean your blood properly. About 30 percent of the people with Type I diabetes and about 10 to 40 percent of the people with Type 2 diabetes will eventually develop end-stage kidney failure, requiring treatment to maintain life according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Wilfred Brimley’s movie credits include “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Thing.” He also starred in several television shows including NBC’s “Our House”.
Most people with diabetes will likely recognize his raspy baritone from LIberty Medical commercials urging people to check their blood sugar often.
Wilford Brimley was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1979, and was very open about his condition. The American Diabetes Association honored him for his lifetime of advocacy in 2008.
He became so closely identified with Liberty Mutual that actor John Goodman did a parody of his diabetes commercial on “Saturday Night Live”.
Enjoy Divabetic’s 10th Year Podcast Anniversary Special with music from the world’s most famous “Divabetic”– Ms. Patti LaBelle. She’s encouraging you to have a ‘NEW ATTITUDE’ about living with diabetes! Guests include: Patricia Addie-Gentle, RN, CDE, Dr. Andrea Chisholm OB-GYN, Luther McRae, Mama Rose Marie, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Seveda Williams and Terri Seidman.
Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?
Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Cooking Party with special guest Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’on Zoom on Thursday, August 13, 2020, 7 – 7:40 PM, EST on Zoom.
Having diabetes doesn’t mean you need to deny yourself all the foods you love, but you do want to make healthier food choices. One good choice is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which are heavy in nutrition but light in calories.
During this virtual Cooking Party on Zoom,Chef Robert Lewiswill prepare a recipe that won’t compromise your diabetes wellness.
Chef Robert Lewis, The Happy Diabetic, is a nationally recognized author and motivational speaker who is passionate about helping people learn to live a healthier lifestyle. Chef Lewis graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in 1976. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1998. Thus began his motivation to create great tasting dishes that are easy to prepare. He travels the country speaking on the benefits of healthy eating not only for people affected by diabetes, but also for anyone who would like to eat and live a healthy lifestyle.
During the podcast, we raised the question “How will dialysis affect my relationships?”
Here is Dr. Maddux’s reply: Chronic kidney disease like many other chronic conditions can cause day to day stress, but the goal of kidney care is to help people live as normal a life as possible. Sharing your care plans and needs with family and friends may help them support you in living with kidney disease and dialysis. Living well on dialysis includes following a healthy diet and being active which are actions that are good for everyone!People with kidney disease, their caregivers and family should not feel alone in managing life with dialysis. Dialysis care includes support from a multi-disciplinary team including social workers, dietitians, nephrology nurses, patient care technicians and nephrologists. This care team can help with feelings of depression, being overwhelmed, and anxiety and they can help solve other common problems like transportation for medical care and how to access healthy food. Dialysis care does impact daily life, but it should not change your relationships.
Divabetic Glossary of Terms: What is a Nephrologist?
A nephrologist is a medical doctor who specializes in kidney care and treating diseases of the kidneys. A nephrologist can help people in kidney failure by prescribing medications, offering special diet advice and coordinating dialysis care when the time comes. The term nephrologist comes from the Greek word “nephros”, which means kidney or renal and “ologist” refers to someone who studies. Nephrologists are also called kidney doctors.
People with diabetes may have long-term complications that involve kidney disease and eventual failure. A nephrologist is an important member to add to your healthcare team, if you have symptoms of kidney disease.
Dr. Dugan Maddux
Nephrologist Dugan Maddux champions Fresenius Medical Care’s clinical innovation endeavors across the continent and is co-founder of the Gamewood companies, including Acumen Physician Solutions. Blogger, writer, and essayist, she developed the Nephrology Oral History project chronicling early dialysis pioneers.
We’re talking about secret, hush hush topics in diabetes wellness such as intimacy issues, fears and food issues on Diabetes Late Nitewith musical inspiration from H.E.R. courtesy of SONY Music.
H.E.R. chooses to keep her identity a secret but that’s proving harder to do after winning Best New Artist and Best R&B Song Grammy Awards this past year. Mr. Divabetic’s guests include Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, Cheryl Farley “Food as Medicine” Nutritionist, Dr. Dugan Maddux and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot’.
Knowing the signs can help a doctor quickly intervene and find a treatment. However, many people suffer from early stages of CKD without experiencing any symptoms, which is why regular screenings are vital. Source:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people of certain ethnicities – Black, Hispanic, or Native American – experience higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, which are risk factors for CKD. Source: Fresenius Kidney Care
Kidney disease is diagnosed through a simple urine and blood test. Kidney function is calculated by determining an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which is calculated using age, weight, body size, ethnicity and which other factor?
A. heart rate
B. gender
C. blood pressure
d. none of the above
Correct Answer: B
Gender factors into the eGFR. Doctors will also perform other tests before determining a kidney disease diagnosis. Each stage of kidney disease corresponds with an eGFR range, which you can use to make informed decisions about your kidneys’ health and care. Using serum blood test results, you can calculate your own eGFR with this calculator. Source Credit: https://zerocater.com/blog/2018/02/09/keep-your-heart-healthy-at-the-office/
Correct Answer: A
ESRD is a chronic disease that cannot be cured. While progression of CKD can be slowed, when patients reach stage 5, or ESRD, they will need kidney transplant or dialysis to survive. Dialysis can be performed either in a center or at home. Among the benefits of home dialysis are freedom from the fixed schedule at a dialysis center, fewer transportation challenges and increased engagement in one’s own care. Source Credit: https://zerocater.com/blog/2018/02/09/keep-your-heart-healthy-at-the-office/
Correct Answer: D
The changes above, in addition to managing your weight by eating a kidney-friendly diet (e.g. lower protein and/or lower salt) and increasing your exercise, may reduce the disease’s progression. Check in with your doctor before undertaking any major changes. Source Credit: https://zerocater.com/blog/2018/02/09/keep-your-heart-healthy-at-the-office/
Diabetes is both the leading cause of CKD, and is responsible for 36% of CKD cases, and also the number-one cause of kidney failure in the United States. And, according to the most recent annual report from the United States Renal Data System, only 15% of individuals with diabetes and hypertension were aware of their kidney disease – a figure that reinforces the silent nature of the disease before it becomes extremely dangerous.
