subject: Help Diabetics With Diabetes Products [print this page] The battle against diabetes continues amidst persistent research. Yet today there is no known cure for diabetes, but conveniently fight with the help of diabetes products.
Managing diabetes properly involves proper and accurate blood testing and convenient insulin injections. Dozens of companies make products that make life easier for people with diabetes.
Diabetes meter | Glucose meter | Glucose monitor
Blood glucose monitors help diabetics to keep track of their blood glucose levels wherever and whenever they want.
We've all been told how important blood glucose monitoring is. You check before taking insulin, before sports, before bed, maybe even in the middle of the night.
Today all major meter company has products that will work well for everyone. Blood volume is 1 micro-liter or under for all recommended meters. Test times are 5 to 7 seconds. Extensive memories with averaging are common.
All glucose meters available today, need not to pay almost nothing for it. Manufacturers are always discounting their meters and they make their real money on the test strips sales.
Continuous fingertip testing can be painful, thus manufacturers are now designed meters that are approved for testing on alternate sites, such as the forearm or palm. Glucose meters that are FDA approved for alternative site testing are marked by a green check mark image.
Continuous glucose monitors
A new generation of blood glucose monitoring system, known as continuous glucose monitors, promises to change the way patients and their care providers manage diabetes.
A small sterile disposable glucose sensing device is inserted into the subcutaneous tissues, similar as inserting the needle on the end of the catheter used with insulin pumps. This sensor measures the change in glucose and sends the information to a beeper sized monitor, which stores the results for three or four days of data.
The continuous glucose monitor information can be downloaded in the computer using special software and the information is used by the diabetes doctor for further treatment plan.
Continuous glucose monitor system (CGMS) provides glucose levels on a minute by minute basis, and thus there is a dramatic improvement on the way diabetes is treated.
Insulin Pen | Diabetes Pen
Insulin pen is like having an old-fashioned cartridge pen in your pocket, instead of a writing point, a needle, and for ink cartridge, an insulin cartridge. You just turn a dial to measure out your dose.
An insulin pen is a convenient insulin injecting system for the treatment of diabetes. An insulin pen contains an insulin cartridge and a dial to measure the insulin dose, and a disposable needle to deliver the dose.
There are two types of insulin pen systems, they are durable and pre-filled.
A durable pen uses a replaceable insulin cartridge. Once the insulin cartridge becomes empty, this is disposed of and a new cartridge is inserted in the pen.
A pre-filled pen is entirely disposable, that is once the insulin cartridge or reservoir is empty, the entire insulin pen is disposed.
Insulin pens are used by 90% - 95% of all insulin dependent diabetes patients with excellent results.
Insulin Pumps | Diabetes Pumps
The insulin pump mimics pancreas and can help people achieve better control. Insulin pumps are computerized devices, about the size of a pager or call-beeper.
The insulin pump is an insulin injecting device for administering insulin continuously for the treatment of diabetes, also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy that mimic pancreas.
Insulin pump includes:
a pump with controls, processing module, and batteries
a disposable insulin reservoir inside the pump
a disposable infusion set, includes a cannula for subcutaneous insertion under the skin and a tube system to connect the insulin reservoir and the cannula.
The insulin pump delivers in two ways of dosage:
bolus dosage is pumped to balance high blood glucose due to food or to correct a any other high blood glucose level.
basal dosage is pumped continuously at a desirable basal rate to deliver insulin needed between meals and at bed time.
Jet injector | Needle less insulin injection system
Jet injectors are used to deliver dose of insulin, but they do it without using a needle to make a tiny hole. Jet of insulin is forced through the skin with pressure.
A jet injector is an insulin injecting system without a syringe that uses a high pressure narrow jet of the injection liquid instead of a needle to penetrate the epidermis, the purpose of the jet injector is to reduce pain associated with needle injection.
Jet injector"s are used by diabetics (for those who have fear on needles) to inject insulin as an alternative to needle syringes, though they are not still commonly used.
Auto injector | Automatically insert needle and inject insulin
Auto injector has been specially designed for those who have difficulty injecting themselves, it automatically insert the needle and inject the contents.
The Auto injector keeps the needle secretly prior to injection and at the same time it has a passive safety mechanism to prevent accidental firing (injection). Injection depth can be adjustable or fixed and a function for needle shield removal may be incorporated. Just by pressing a button, the syringe needle is automatically inserted and the drug is delivered. Once the injection is completed some auto injectors have visual indication to confirm that the full dose has been delivered.
Many people have trouble (anxious) pushing the syringe through their skin, auto injectors are designed for these people in mind. Automatic injectors shoot the needle into the muscles at the touch of a button and some will even release the insulin automatically.
Ketone test strip | Test for ketosis or ketones in urine
Presence of ketones in the urine is an indication of the body start metabolizes fat. Both diabetics and persons on low-carbohydrate diets may test their urine for ketones on a daily basis.
Urine ketone testing strips or ketone sticks with a small absorptive pad coated with a chemical reagent that changes color (usually within 15-20 seconds) in the presence of ketones in the urine. The ketone strips changes color to varying shades of pink to purple. The ketone strips container has a color scale on the label, which illustrates blocks of color to help identify the color shade relating to the quantity of ketones in the urine.
Follow author"s link for detail information on different diabetes product that helps diabetics, such as glucometer, continuous glucose monitor system, insulin pen, insulin pump, jet injector, auto injector and urine ketone testing strips.
