Education Can Make a Difference

Kate Cornell really hit one out of the park in her “importance of education” blog.

Her statement, “education in relation to type 2 diabetes has been my passion, for lack of a better word. It is something which I feel is sorely lacking and desperately needed,” says a lot.

Why doctors don't do any diabetes education is a mystery to me. I can understand why most doctors avoid referring patients to certified diabetes educators (CDEs). With the numbers of people with type 2 diabetes, and the small numbers of CDEs, in this area and many other rural areas there are many reasons diabetes education is lacking. Medicare does not reimburse doctors for education and does a poor job of reimbursing CDEs.

Can these be solved? More than likely not, but time will tell. With Medicare's bidding process taking front page, maybe Congress will also take a look at the way Medicare is paying doctors and others.

While Paula Deen was a flop in her attempt to promote a diabetes product, was not knowledgeable about type 2 diabetes when she made her announcement, and could not carry on a coherent discussion without making mistakes.

The latest two celebrities have more experience with type 2 diabetes, but I can't say they aren't above making money; they at least made their decisions after doing some research.

Dr. Phil is promoting Bydureon® (exenatide extended-release) the once a week injectable. He doesn't claim to use the product, but does promote the following rules:

At the core of the ON IT Movement is Dr. Phil’s “6 Rules to Get ON IT.” At OnItMovement.com, Dr. Phil McGraw explains these six rules in a series of motivational videos:

1. Move forward. Tackle your type 2 diabetes head on – no more guilt, no more being overwhelmed.
2. Get educated. Understand more about type 2 diabetes so you’ll be armed with the know-how to fight back more effectively.
3. Build a team. Pull together a team – your doctor, your spouse, your kids, a trainer at a gym or your buddies at work – and lead it.
4. Replace bad habits. Think about which aspects of your lifestyle need to change, and one by one, replace the bad habits with good habits.
5. Make a plan. Have goals and create a plan to get you to those goals.
6. Stick to it. Join the ON IT Movement to learn more about tools that can help you stick to your plan – whether it’s finding healthy recipes, getting ideas for exercising or learning how to change your everyday habits.

James Earl Jones says he is using Invokana® (canagliflozin) and that it is helping him with his blood glucose levels. He has done interviews and this is one to read.

At least both celebrities agree that one-size-does-not-fit-all and that each person needs to find their own path and what works for them.