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Unfortunately both sides have agendas on this debate. And I have REAL problems with the agendas on both sides.

For example, those who are on the embroynic stem cell side, NEVER mention what they are talking about. Therefore the vast majority of people do not realize that the debate is on embroynic only. Scientists are free do what they want with adult stem cells and blood cord stem cells. They are also free to experiment with the existing lines.

They also paint the other side with a broad brush. Obviously from the couple of posts I’ve written about it, I’m against embronyic stem cell research. I’m also firmly against abortion from a practical point, and I’m also against many fertility treatments — especially the ones that result in litters of premie babies — which by the way embroynic stem cells is a side effect off.

The practical part of being against abortion? What an absolute waste of money to have sex without conception and then pay for an abortion that you will have to regret forever. I’ve managed not to get pregnant on purpose for over 20 years. And I’ve often practiced 3 methods of birth control at once, and usually 2. But that’s off the topic. My objection to the fertility procedures are again practical. God has his plans, even if it doesn’t work out right, it’s because he doesn’t want it to happen. It’s also a great deal of money to spend when there are lots of children needing homes. (Yes, I’m hoping the Amazing Race couple will realize that they should take home some of those African children).

But all that is beside the point, back to the point.

They also paint the whole right to lifers with a broad brush. There are very few right to lifers who bomb clinics — in fact, I think we figured out it was just one, he just confessed and he’s been locked up for a while. That’s goofy too. Oh, there were a few other random fruitcases, but if it wasn’t anti-abortion, they’d find some other reason to blow things up or shoot someone.

On the other hand, I get fed up with the right to lifers when they start comparing embroynic stem cell research to Nazi Germany, there IS an internet rule of debate that states the minute that the agreement degrades to Nazi Germany, the person who brought it up loses. Wish we could pass that one across the board on public debates.

From a practical standpoint, the whole embroynic thing is an absolute waste of money until we’ve explored the adult stem cells. And of course, once you get to know me, you’ll realize that my main objective is always to spend money as wisely as possible, helping the most. That comes from working 13 years on a shoestring budget, with a low priority program.

I really DON’T believe that embroynic stem cell research is the answer to Type 1 Diabetes. It certainly isn’t the answer to Type 2. In fact, I truly believe we have only scratched the surface of both problems, and we aren’t even 10% into the answer no matter which direction you go.

We aren’t going to solve Type 1 until we understand the auto-immune process and we understand what destroyed the whole insulin process in the first place. The new islet implants (I don’t think they are true transplants, since nothing is removed) show promise, but the medical people are going to scratch their heads and wonder why it won’t work until we solve why it happened in the first place. We won’t have a cure into that happens.

I’m personally not that much into the whole Type 1 issues anyway, my problems lie more into a genetic cause (which I’ve done my part to stop, thank you very much), and the process got started way too long ago for any medical solutions to really help. I’m just buying all the time I can.

In other words, this is the last you’ll see about this issue posted on this blog unless it is in the comments.

I don’t know what brought this up, but one of my teacher friends sent one of her students to talk to me about the insulin pump.

Come to find out, the young lady is a senior in high school and wants to go out of town for college.

I told her why I like the pump and then went into how I managed my blood sugar with it. Like all people when I first explain it, she had assumed it checks blood sugar (for those of you reading the blog that doens’t know, NO it doesn’t — that technology isn’t available yet).

Well, come to find out, it sounds like she doesn’t manage her diabetes well enough, and I’m with her parents and told her this. I also told her — and made sure she understood that I was talking to her diabetic to diabetic, not teacher to student, or adult to child) that she needed to start managing her own diabetes.

I’m in an unique position for these kiddos, since I DO manage my diabetes and do use insulin. I can see both sides of the situation, both the parent side and the kid side. So hopefully I got something good across to her.

But there is no way I would encourage her to even go on the pump until she learns to do her own management, much less go to college!

Diabetes Mine: Stem Cell Hero

Oh, goodie, it’s working! (the trackback thing).

So here is what I don’t get? Why do you think that stem cell research is being opposed?

Stem cell research is going on ALL the time. Especially in the US. Didn’t you see the story about where a dog got a stem cell transplant? Story here.

Here’s the deal. The current administration has placed limitations on EMBRYONIC stem cells. Those come from an early embryo and those on the right to life side of things feel that destroying potential life is wrong.

There are lots of other types of stem cells. In fact, we all have them, and adult stem cells is where the dog got his transplant. We’re doing plenty of research in this area.

There are also cord blood stem cells, and there is also research being done in that area. In fact, many new mothers are having their children’s cord blood stem cells saved, “just in case”.

Unfortunately the other side lumps all stem cells together. The other fact they that ignore is that embroynic stem cells do not seem to give as promising results as adult stem cells.

I personally think we should concentrate on the adult stem cells until we’ve exhausted those possibilities, and leave embroynic stem cells alone.

So they are showing diabetic alert dogs. “Heaven Scent” is the company.

I’m an experienced dog trainer, and taught police officers for about 10 years how to detect drugs with dogs. I also have a dog that alerts when I am starting to have difficulty breathing (we thought it was asthma, but it is gastric reflux disease).

Here’s my opinion on training diabetic alert dogs … I won’t do it. I have considered it, but here’s the problem. First, Marcie (the dog who alerts on breathing problems), doesn’t notice a high. However, I don’t go into DKA — or haven’t so far. Second, I won’t risk going low, I don’t like that feeling. And to properly train a detection dog, you have to do several repetitions every day.

If we could isolate what happens with someone when they go low and high, then we could train dogs to detect it, as long it was it replicable and reliable. However, we haven’t and we can’t. Again, to properly train a dog, it has to be repeated daily several times.

Personally I think Scott King should include this company with his “duds”.

If she is using her diabetic children to train the dogs (forcing them to go low and high), CPS should take over the children. (D*** she does!) ARGH! She’s even put the kid on low on purpose to demonstrate it! How many brain cells just died? I’m sorry folks, but this is just criminal.

I can’t believe DLIFE put it on!

Diabetes Mine: Continuous Monitoring: The Next Big Thing

Hopefully the trackback will work, but here’s the deal ….

They can’t get it to work reliabily.

Minimed has had a continous monitor that doctors give to their patients to wear for 3 days and then they download the data.

For over a year, Minimed has been promising a patient worn, all the time device. So far, it hasn’t been made available. It’s called the Guardian.

Here’s my guesses from the research I’ve been reading:

a) The FDA won’t release another continuous monitor until they are sure they work (can we say, Glucowatch).

b) There is probably an issue with waterproofness. Minimed has already gone up in flames over a waterproof issue, and lets face it, if this thing won’t let someone shower or bath, it’s worthless.

c) We already know that the FDA won’t release the first generation with a real time reading. None of the devices that are going through the approval process with a real time reading, only alarms.

On the Glucowatch thing. It works, if you don’t mind your arm being burned and you understand how it works. It can’t be used when you exert yourself, as it takes any prespiration as a low reading. Also, any reading you has at least a 20 minute lag.

Insulin Pumps and Airport Security – The Diabetes Weblog – www.thediabetesblog.com _

The Diabetes blog asks about experiences with insulin pumps and security.

I’ve flown 2 (two round trips) since I got my pump. Once from Love Field in Dallas to Little Rock, Arkansaw and once from DFW to London Gatwick, then from Heathrow to Nice. And took the return trip.

On both out going trips I would not like security xray my insulin. That stuff is a little delicate, difficult to get rapid acting without a prescription, and don’t want to deal with it in a foreign country, so I’m not taking risks.

I requested a pat down both times.

Love Field was the worse, they put me behind a curtain and made me take off my dress. Harwick was the best, the staff was sensitive to the fact that diabetes are picky about how insulin was handled. They also thought the pump was way too cool. (UK doesn’t do insulin pumps often).

Coming back, I didn’t disclose and didn’t worry about the insulin. Nothing set anything off and everything worked fine when I got home.

If I flew more often and the trips were domestic, I probably would not disclose.