Health Expert Beth McNamara shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/266176/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/266176/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/266176/index http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/142027/disney-diabetes Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:30:00 -0400 Beth McNamara There is no doubt that Type 1 Diabetes is no fun; particularly if you are a little kid who is strapped with its relentless demands. Add to this the feeling of isolation that accompanies having diabetes and a child can feel very much alone and put upon.   Two large corporate entities, Lilly Diabetes and Disney, are hoping to lessen this feeling of alienation and have teamed up to create a product line of resources that are tailored to living... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/142027/disney-diabetes http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/138257/diabetes-needed Tue, 17 May 2011 12:54:00 -0400 Beth McNamara Yesterday, I received an email message from a diabetes-related Yahoo Group that I belong to with a plea to send diabetes supplies to storm-ravaged, and recovering, Alabama.   With the Mississippi River flooding being top of mind of late, the twisters that barreled through the South in late April seem a memory. Sitting in my unscathed Northern Virginia suburb and conducting internet searches to further research the storms' activities, the... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/138257/diabetes-needed http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/135868/influencing Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:24:00 -0400 Beth McNamara Your child is in the midst of a temper tantrum, which a kid will do no matter what his age, and before you discipline him, you stop yourself with these questions: "Maybe it's his blood sugar. Maybe he's low again. Maybe his BG readings are high. Then again, maybe he's just plain acting out."   These questions plague most parents with children who have diabetes: How can you really know if a tantrum is just bad behavior or if it's... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/135868/influencing http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/134397/consequence Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:20:00 -0400 Beth McNamara There's little doubt that living with diabetes brings surprises almost every day, particularly its physical side effects and impacts, ranging from the calloused fingers of daily BG testing to the longer term-side effects like eye and kidney damage. Yet nothing prepared our family for the unusual and difficult-to-diagnose side effect that diabetes has rained down upon my son during the last five months.   In mid-September, as my son was... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/134397/consequence http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120665/athletics-type Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:39:00 -0400 Beth McNamara For the most part, kids with Type 1 and their families are aware of how sports and exercise can help reduce blood glucose levels, often over an extended period of time. Yet with this great benefit of exercise and managing diabetes must come a few nasty downsides, like plummeting blood sugars while playing a game or exercising. Even more frustrating are episodes of hypoglycemia that occur hours after exercising, which become downright scary if... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120665/athletics-type http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120664/athletics-type Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:33:10 -0400 Beth McNamara For the most part, kids with Type 1 and their families are aware of how sports and exercise can help reduce blood glucose levels, often over an extended period of time. Yet with this great benefit of exercise and managing diabetes must come a few nasty downsides, like plummeting blood sugars while playing a game or exercising. Even more frustrating are episodes of hypoglycemia that occur hours after exercising, which become downright scary if... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120664/athletics-type http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120158/teammates-side Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:28:00 -0400 Beth McNamara In my September 7 post, I took a look at the complexity of managing Type 1 diabetes and exercise and sports, which boiled down primarily to physiology and nutrition. Yet through my discussions with various experts, I found that there are several additional dimensions to diabetes management and sports beyond the physiology component - first and foremost managing the people surrounding the sport and the player. Coaches and TrainersTo start with,... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/120158/teammates-side http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/119656/1-preparedness Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:10:00 -0400 Beth McNamara Beth McNamara tapped her husband, Dan McNamara, PMP, a consultant who works with clients at the Department of Homeland Security, to write about preparing for an emergency, natural of manmade, when managing Type 1 ...    In the wake of 9/11 nine years ago, the Federal Government declared September as National Preparedness Month. This is a good reminder that Type 1 Diabetics and their caregivers should set aside time prior to any... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/119656/1-preparedness http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/119108/sports-exercise Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:15:00 -0400 Beth McNamara Sports, like exercise, play a large role in most kids' lives. A child with Type 1 is no different. Yet it seems as if including the physical component with diabetes management adds a wild card that often trumps all other management efforts and brings with it a whole host of questions and unknowns. To find out why this is, I needed to dig and talk to some of the experts in the field of managing sports, exercise performance and diabetes. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/119108/sports-exercise http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/117764/involved-level Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:43:00 -0400 Beth McNamara It's hard to believe that a year has passed since the JDRF Children's Congress took place, but since time seems to fly when you're raising kids, I suppose it should be no shock. When I received a reminder from the JDRF that the application process has started for the 2011 Congress, I realized that the next Children's Congress is only one short year away, and that I need to get moving on one of my goals for 2010: asking my 14 year-old Type 1 son... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/266176/117764/involved-level