#116: Sean Kramer | That’s the Million Dollar Question

People living with diabetes are tired of waiting for a cure, but it’s not time to throw in the towel. Sean Kramer knows about this all too well. Sean is the fourth generation in his family to be living with diabetes. Today, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation in Florida, the only national organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes with expert sources and human interest stories. In this episode, we learn more about Sean and confront the notion of hope-fatigue; it’s not time to give up!

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Life As A #WalkingScienceProject In Hope Of Helping Others

clinical-trial

As a person with Type 1 diabetes, I’ve been frustrated in years past with the lack of advancement for the treatment of this disease. It wasn’t until about five years ago that I decided to stop complaining and take action. I asked myself the question – why aren’t things changing and what can I do to help? I did a bit of research and with the help of my regular physician, I was added to a list of diabetes related trials. I had no idea what I was in for, but knew it was something I had to do. (more…)



Your Guide To Sorting Through The “Latest Research”

Can We Trust a Study's Findings?

<link=”0040FF”> Odds are, right before you opened this article, you saw the findings of a recent research study blasted across your Facebook. Or Yahoo. Or the evening news. Or the radio. The scientific method has pushed our society forward on many accounts–producing the likes of penicillin and middle school science fairs–but it has also made choosing a healthy lifestyle incredibly complicated. Now the average joe can tell you how many grams of carbohydrates and protein are in a bagel. My grandpa could care less about all those numbers, but he knows that getting outside, walking a few miles a day, and eating apples makes him feel good.

After reading a recent article published widely across many diabetes platforms, I decided that we all needed a refresher course on how to approach research findings.

Feel free to use these tips next time you see a bit of research come your way:

1) Know your own bias.

We all come from somewhere. We all believe in things. The hardest part is dropping that when we try to learn about something else. I eat a vegan diet. I will probably have a different take on the results of the bacon and eggs diet than the person eating a bacon egg mcmuffin while reading the article. (more…)



Tuesday Topic: Just Another Diabetes Stem Cell Announcement? No.

Diabetes Stem Cell Research

I received the Type 1 diagnosis 15 years ago. Since, announcements about an artificial pancreas, pancreas transplants, and various stem cell developments, have disappointed. I understand that these have all been important developments. I get that we’re getting somewhere. Yes, the future is bright. How about today? Still filled with diabetes. It’s been easier to casually follow the research without getting invested, attempting to appreciate what’s happening in research. (more…)