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There has been some encouraging news about non-invasive blood glucose monitoring that seems to have escaped the attention of main stream media. Here's a link to a blog regarding this potentially low cost device posted on the USML Daily website. If the FDA does not create a road block to approval, it could be on the market within five years. Since the device does not require the use of test strips, it could save Medicare billions of dollars over the next decade or two. It could also help prolong the lives of uncountable thousands (or millions) of diabetics who would then be able to test much more frequently and achieve the genuinely tight BG control so essential to the prevention of complications.View Thread

Causes of Blisters on the Bottom of the Foot
You didn't state whether your wife is a diabetic but if she is, some diabetics do suffer from bullosis diabeticorum. However, it is not a common skin disorder but you can read about it by clicking here .View Thread

Book Title: Blood Sugar 101: What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes (June 2012 Edition)
ISBN-10: 0964711613
ISBN-13: 978-0964711617
Also available in eBook formats for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook (savings of $5 off the paperback price; I purchased copies of both for convenience and to lend to others).View Thread

I haven't tried Nectresse personally but I have checked out it's ingredients. Nectresse"122 sweetener is a combination of Monk Fruit extract blended with other "natural" sweeteners that include erythritol, sugar and molasses. It is NOT a "no calorie" sweetener but is a low-cal (< 5 calories) one containing about 1 to 2 grams of carbs per serving. This can impact blood glucose levels and raise them approximately five to ten points in many diabetics. It's not significant but can still impose an additive effect for many. If the diabetic has beta cells capable of still producing plenty of insulin, s/he will be able to offset this modest rise without too much difficulty. However, for diabetics who are insulin-dependent, they will have to factor the extra grams of carbs into consideration when calculating their insulin dosage in order to prevent undesired increases in their BG levels. I personally avoid any sweetening agent that includes dextrose (e.g., Truvia) or sugar/molasses (e.g. Nectresse) in their ingredients as I don't like to ingest anything that will raise my BG levels unless it is an intentional consumption of an "off plan" meal or entre.
To obtain a diverse and wide range of different user opinions, I often access Amazon's Customer Reviews for/on a particular product to see what others have to say. There were a total of 89 customer reviews for the Nectresse sweetener with a composite average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Not exactly stellar but not too terribly bad for a new product. The most helpful favorable review on Amazon summed it up as follows:
PROS:
Very nearly like sugar
Works great in cold beverages
Okay for hot beverages (see cons below)
No 'cooling effect'
Worked reasonably in a baking application
No synthesized, chemical ingredients
CONS:
Contains trace amounts of sugar and molasses
"Natural" but not necessarily non-GMO
Not exactly zero calories (greater than two servings likely greater than 5 calories)
Very slightly bitter aftertaste in hot beverages
Slight honey-like overtones added to the sweetness
The 'natural' moniker is relative: it contains some refined sugar and is not necessarily from non-GMO sources
There are plenty of unfavorable reviews as well so have fun browsing.View Thread

"The researchers told the news source that it is unclear why there is this association between the two conditions, but said that their findings show that there is a strong need to monitor individuals with type 2 diabetes for future mental health issues, as the metabolic condition appears to precede mood disorders.
This recommendation echoes advice from the American Diabetes Association, which says that individuals with type 2 diabetes should consider seeking mental health help if they begin to feel three or more common symptoms of depression, which may include loss of pleasure, loss of appetite, sadness, trouble concentrating and suicidal thoughts."
Diabeticlifestyle.com was more direct and headlined an article that stated:
"Researchers uncover link between mood disorders and type 2 diabetes"
Please note that mood swings and disorders often co-occur with diabetes but most experts are hesitant to actually state that diabetes could actually be a causative factor. In those diabetics that I have associations with, I have noticed it infrequently and generally only in those who are poorly controlled (at least by my standards which means maintaining FBG's below 100 and A1c below 5.6).View Thread
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