blood glucose management

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Fingerstick-Free FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System Has Been FDA Approved

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The FDA has approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, a glucose monitoring system that does not require a blood sample for calibration. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems require a finger stick for calibration approximately 2-4 times a day. The FDA Press Release describes how this flash glucose monitoring system works:

The FreeStyle Libre Flash system reduces the need for fingerstick testing by using a small sensor wire inserted below the skin’s surface that continuously measures and monitors glucose levels. Users can determine glucose levels by waving a dedicated, mobile reader above the sensor wire to determine if glucose levels are too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia), and how glucose levels are changing.

This new system could be a game changer for people with diabetes, reducing the cost of supplies and the discomfort of performing daily finger sticks, and creating the need for less site changes since the sensor can be used for 10 days. The FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System should be available by the end of the year. We’re here to answer any questions you may have at 866.779.8512 (phone) or 248.577.9903 (text).

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Review: Why Perfectly Healthy People Are Using Diabetes Monitors

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Fresh abundance, image from Thinkstock.

Fresh abundance, image from Thinkstock.

We found this article in Time magazine about how continuous glucose monitors are beginning to be used by people who are not living with diabetes. This may sound surprising, but it also makes some sense.

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a federally approved medical device that tracks blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. The CGM patch has a small needle that probes the inside of a person’s arm or other area of the body, and a sensor that tracks changes to blood sugar in real-time. The data is then sent to the wearer’s smartphone or another device.

Here is a summary of the article:

  • In the “quantified-self” movement, some people say it makes sense to track their blood sugar and learn a lot about nutrition and exercise, especially given all the recent attention to the risks (like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity) associated with over-consumption of sugar and processed carbohydrates.
  • Tabb Firchau, an entrepreneur from Seattle, had been wearing a CGM for about a month at the time of the article to track (and then adjust) what was happening in his body. He said, “I’ve been trying to learn why some days I feel fantastic, and other days I don’t. I had a cinnamon roll recently and my blood glucose doubled in 60 minutes. The monitor helps you understand the costs of the decisions you are making.”
  • To obtain a CGM, people without diabetes must either convince a doctor to prescribe one or purchase them online on sites like eBay. Even if a doctor prescribes one, it’s highly unlikely insurance would cover the system for someone without diabetes. It’s estimated that CGMs cost $5–10 per day, or around $3,000 a year for replacement parts.
  • Some people believe, “There’s a need for some analytics that could process the data appropriately and provide [actionable] information to people versus a datastream every five minutes.”
  • CGM users are making their own great observations. Exercise is known to be helpful for blood sugar regulation and Damiano, a doctor who uses CGM personally, says he notices “profound” drops in his blood sugar while on walks in the woods. “If you have a meal and blood sugar rises, take a walk, it’s like magic,” he says. “It can reinforce people to think about exercise after meals.”
  • The company Sano Intelligence is planning to release a continuous glucose monitor to the general public sometime soon.

Continuous glucose monitoring could be an incredible, motivating tool to help any person make better decisions about what they eat and drink. Check out the article!

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3-Every-30: New Activity Recommendations from the American Diabetes Association

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Leandra practices leg extensions.

Leandra practices leg extensions.

Get ready to keep moving. This November, the American Diabetes Association released evidence-based recommendations for physical activity and exercise. As part of blood glucose management and overall health, physical activity and exercise are recommended as a critical focus for all individuals with diabetes and prediabetes. Exercise is planned, structured physical activity (like jogging, elliptical, swimming, or strength training) and physical activity is any movement that increases energy use. 

The American Diabetes Association suggests that all adults decrease daily sedentary time and recommends breaking up sitting with bouts of light activity. Their statement explains that interruptions of inactivity are highly beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes. This light physical activity should be a complement to more structured exercise sessions to improve blood glucose and insulin sensitivity. Improved heart health and weight loss are also benefits of this activity combination.

3-Every-30

Think “3-Every-30” – three minutes of activity for every half hour spent being relatively still. Here are some examples of light activities to intersperse with sitting:

·       Walking

·       Calf raises

·       Shoulder shrugs

·       Leg raises or extensions

·       Overhead arm stretches

·       Climbing stairs

·       Desk chair swivels

·       Torso twists

·       Standing hip extensions

Other daily activities that reduce sitting time – such as yard work, house cleaning, walking the dog, and running errands – are also great ways to keep moving and improve health.

Choose exercises and activities that work for your individual preferences and needs. The hope is that these behavior-changing strategies will help create a more natural, intentional lifetime of physical activity and improved health for many people.

Learn much more, including details about the ADA’s recommendations:

Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association

Three Minutes Every 30 Minutes – New Exercise Recommendation for Diabetes and Prediabetes

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