NEWSLETTER
MY
Spring 2011 Volume 35
How Sweet Is Sweet Enough? What Should Your A1c Be? Dr. Edelman’s Corner
INSIDE Heath Care Reform and YOU Page 3
V-Go On the Go! Page 4
Spirit of Generosity
T
he A1c is the most important test in diabetes management. It tells all of us folks living with diabetes and our caregivers how our blood sugars have been on average over two to three months. In recent years, a controversy has developed amongst diabetes professional organizations regarding the ideal A1c value.
Page 5
Mindful Meditation Page 6
Diabetes Hotspots Page 8
Portrait of An Educator Page 9
Sweet Membership Page 12
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says the ideal goal should be less than 7% (average blood sugar of ~150 mg/dl), while the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) state it should be less than 6.5% (average blood sugar of ~120mg.dl). There have been many
heated debates over these limits with no real consensus to date. Adding to the differences of opinion came the results of three large clinical trials, all demonstrating that there are no obvious benefits of tightly controlling blood sugar levels in terms of reducing heart disease (medically speaking, macrovascular complications) in people Sweet (continued on page 2)