New 2005 Medicare Benefits

Beginning January 1, 2005, Medicare recipients will be eligible for new benefits, including Medicare­provided medical screenings for diabetes, that will help them lead healthier lives. Preventive benefits, provide greater access to more prevention-focused health care than ever before. For seniors among the more than 41 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the new benefit will mean earlier diagnosis and treatments to prevent or delay Diabetes related complications.

New Medication for Neuropathy 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a medication called Lyrica for pain caused by nerve damage from diabetes or shingles, but it is still under review for treating partial seizures in adults.

Pfizer said that Lyrica is the first FDA-approved treatment for this pain, often described as burning, tingling, sharp, stabbing or pins and needles in the feet, legs, hands or arms.

The company estimates that about 3 million diabetes sufferers in America will develop painful nerve damage over the course of the disease while roughly 150,000 Americans develop nerve damage because of shingles each year.

“Lyrica is an important new therapy for millions of people suffering from the two most common neuropathic pain conditions as it provides rapid and sustained pain relief,” said Dr. Joseph Feczko, president of Worldwide Development at Pfizer, in a statement.

Lyrica will be available for doctors to prescribe in the near future, Pfizer said.

Liposuction’s Only Skin-Deep 

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that liposuction won’t make you healthier inside. Researchers following 15 obese women, including seven with diabetes, found that the surgical removal of body fat in each produced little change in several measures of heart disease and metabolic risk, including blood pressure, cholesterol level and insulin sensitivity. Levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of heart­endangering inflammation in the blood vessels, were also unchanged.

The current Food Guide Pyramid, 

used to teach people how to eat healthy, has been used since 1992. Its being revised to hopefully help overweight individuals to eat better and exercise more. Stay tuned for updates in the future.

Fortamet is a new extended release tablet form of Metformin (Glucophage) which can be used as once a day treatment. Ask your doctor about it.

Helping The Student With Diabetes To Succeed is a free manual for school personnel and parents. Call the National Diabetes Education program at 1-800-438-5383 or order it on their website at www.ndep.nih.gov.

The EZ Dose 7 Day Syringe organizer uses 7 see through compartments to give a visual indicator of whether an insulin shot has been taken. Available at Great Lakes Home Medical, 18^th and Peach Street in Erie.

Parents can check out this neat website with all sorts of creative pump supplies for children. www.pumpwearinc.com/.

Get a headstart on a Valentine’s day gift. Order “The Secrets of Living and Loving With Diabetes: Three Experts Answer Questions You Have Always Wanted To Ask”. Available at www.amazon.com or your local bookstore.