NEW! Question of the Week will now reflect the 2019 CDCES®* Exam Content Outline

According to the National Credentialing Board for Diabetes Educators, (NCBDE) the  CDCES® Exam Content Outline will be updated starting July 1^st, 2019.

To celebrate this update, we will be basing our 2019 Questions of the Week on this content outline. (See a snippet of the NCBDE content outline to the left or click on it to see the complete outline.)

Question of the Week – January 15th, 2019

These targeted questions are designed to help assess your knowledge on the topics critical to diabetes educators.

In addition, if you are preparing to take the exam, we strongly encourage you to go through each of these sub-categories and rate your knowledge on a scale of 1-5.  Based on this self-assessment, spend the majority of your study time on the topic areas you are least comfortable with. This approach will help you become familiar with the exam content and to use your limited study time wisely.

Assessment of the Diabetes Continuum – Learning  

For this first question in this series, we start in the Assessment Section, under learning. Here is the question that addresses learning goals and needs of the learner. Good luck!

ML has a 6-year-old daughter with newly diagnosed type 1.  ML wants to learn what to do in case her daughter gets the flu and is vomiting.  What is the diabetes educator’s best response?

a.       It sounds like you are worried about what to do if your daughter gets sick.

b.       Let’s start with the basics of meal planning first.

c.       Getting the flu can be scary. Have you been tracking ML’s blood sugars?

d.       Here is a handout that reviews sick day management in detail.

Question of the Week – January 15th, 2019

To learn more about exam success, please join us live or watch now Free Preparing for CDCES® Webinar airing on Feb 1, 2019.

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It’s that time of year where people are flooding into gyms to start working on their new years resolutions. However, researchers have found that most people tend to give up on their resolutions by February. How can you bridge the divide between intention and doing?

Here are some tips to help turn 2019 resolutions into long-lasting habits and to get past the February funk:

1. Give it time. It takes a while for something new to become habitual. A study conducted at Wharton School paid a group of individuals to exercise for a period of 28 days. They found that most of these people stuck with these habits after the study was over. Milkman, the head researcher on the study, states, “The key to habit is repetition. If you can get that repetition going while you have high motivation, you are much more likely to have a behavior change that lasts.”
2. Set realistic goals. Make sure that the goals you set are small, incremental, and achievable. Many individuals tend to set unrealistic goals and then give up on the whole thing when they are unable to achieve them.
3. Make physical activity social. Tackling fitness goals with another individual tends to increase productivity as well as longevity. So grab a friend and work on your goals together!
4. Change the mindset. Many people start their fitness journey with only one goal: weight loss. While it is okay to have a goal like this, don’t let it be the driving force. Instead, choose performance based goals. For example, try to improve on your mile time, squat more weight than you did last time, or try to finally be able to do the splits. With these kinds of goals, the aesthetics will still be achieved but your attitude and love towards working out will drastically change.

For more information on this topic, check out the article “How to make exercise a habit that sticks.”

Contributed by: Sofia Sepulveda

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Making a Difference Scholarship | Diabetes Educator Course

A new study finds that teenagers whose families eat dinner together are more likely to make better food choices, regardless of the family’s communication skills. 

The study suggest regardless of the how well the family functions, when you are bringing a family together for a meal you are often considering the adolescent’s nutrition. This leads to setting a healthy example for children and continued nutrition awareness into adulthood.

“Many, many studies have looked at the benefit of family meals, and over and over they have found that this leads to adolescents eating more fruits and vegetables and less fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages,” said Walton, now a research fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Critics of the study suggest the dysfunction of the family would lead to less meals together and it would effect the nutritional value of the food in the house all together. However, researchers found that the more teens ate dinner with their family, the more fruits and vegetables were included in their diet. 

There are many benefits to eating a quality meal with family. Kathryn Walton, who was a doctoral student at the University of Guelph, Canada, presents ways in which parents can make family dinner a priority even with a busy schedule. Including your teens in meal prep as well as making dinner a more casual affair can help increase the frequency. 

This simple idea, can have a big impact on health! 

Learn more: Even when families have issues, eating together can improve teen diets – Reuters

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New 2019 ADA Standards, From Meds to Technology – January Newsletter

by Coach Beverly
Beverly Thomassian, RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM

January Newsletter now available!

For this newsletter, we provide highlights to the 2019 Standards, discuss our Question of the Week, reveal some study tips for the 2019 CDCES Examination, revisit the cost of insulin and share some of our most popular blog posts. Articles include:

• ADA Standards of Care From Meds to Technology, Compliance to Patient-Centered
• ADA Standard 9: Pharmacologic Management
• New ADA Standard 7: Diabetes Technologies
• CDCES Exam 2019 Updates
• Making a Difference Scholarship
• and more!

Click here to read our newsletter!

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Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. We post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

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Check out our latest Blog Bytes >>

A recent review published by the academic British Medical Journal, “BMJ”, has found that high-fructose containing drinks may increase risk of type 2 diabetes more than other foods containing fructose.

Previous studies have confirmed that there is a link between sugary drinks and obesity. As few as two sugary drinks per week may raise the risk of type 2 diabetes considerably.

Now, a comprehensive review of existing research confirms that fructose-containing drinks can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes more than other foods that contain fructose.

The head researcher on the review, Dr. John Sievenpiper, aimed to find if fructose affects glucose levels and health in individuals with diabetes and without diabetes.

As we know, fructose is a monosaccharide that is found in many foods such as fruit, honey, and root vegetables.

However, processed fructose, often derived from corn and added to foods under the name high- fructose corn syrup, has found its way into many processed foods. These processed foods such as drinks, cereals, and baked goods add extra calories without adding fiber or other nutritional benefits.
Dr. John Sievenpiper’s research reviewed the outcomes of 155 studies and examined the effects that fructose from various food sources had on blood sugar levels. A1c, glucose and insulin levels were assessed.

The studies were separated into four separate groups based on their design:

• Substitution studies compared the energy derived from sugars with that from other carbohydrates.
• Subtraction studies removed sugar-derived energy from the participants’ diet and compared it with a regular diet.
• Addition studies added glucose-derived energy to the diet and compared it with a non-sugar-enhanced diet.
• Ad libitum studies replaced the energy from sugars with other nutrients that the participants were free to consume at will.

The review concluded that “nutrient-poor” foods that add excess calories (sugary drinks and sweetened juices) have harmful metabolic effects.

Some of the studies conducted did find that fructose had a harmful effect on fasting insulin levels.

However, most of the data revealed that fruit and fruit juice, which are high in fructose and fiber, may even benefit blood sugar and insulin levels of those with diabetes, when these foods do not add excess calories, the review suggests.

The take home message is:

Until more information is available, public health professionals should be aware that harmful effects of fructose sugars on blood glucose seem to be mediated by energy and food source.”

For more information on fructose and its effect on blood sugar and insulin levels, by MedicalNewsToday

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Ready to take your Diabetes knowledge to the next level? 2019 Upcoming Live Seminars and Webinars

You’re invited to join our Diabetes Education Community and Online University for 2019. We’ve designed our live seminars and online webinars for working healthcare professionals interested in expanding their diabetes knowledge and pursuing certification. Whether you join us online or in person, we believe in your success! Get Inspired – Read Student Success Stories

Upcoming Live Seminars in 2019. Earn CEs, gain diabetes insights, have fun! *Diabetes in the 21st Century – KP Oakland, CA 7.5 CEs | February 11th, 2019 Diabetes Educator Course – Sacramento, CA 32 CEs | April 10th – 12th, 2019 Women Leaders in Diabetes Conference – SF, CA 7.5 CEs | May 10th, 2019 Diabetes and Language Keynote – IHS Annual Diabetes Day – Sacramento, CA | May 23rd, 2019 New Diabetes Medication Algorithm Update – Pharmacy Symposium Henry Mayo | June 1st, 2019 Diabetes in the 21st Century – John Muir Hospital, Concord, CA 7.5 CEs | July 11th, 2019 Diabetes Educator Course – San Diego, CA 32 CEs | September 4th – 6th, 2019 Diabetes in the 21st Century, AADE Hawaii Chapter – Honolulu, HI 7.5 CEs | October 3rd, 2019 *Diabetes in the 21st Century – KP Oakland, CA | October 21st, 2019 Coach Beverly’s calendar for 2019 is filling up fast! To secure a date for Beverly to provide a Keynote Presentationor Diabetes in the 21st Century Seminar at your organization, or to request additional information, email us here! *by invitation only

Upcoming Live Webinars: Standards of Care 2019 – 1.5 CEs – January 24th, 2019 FREE Preparing for the CDCES® Exam Webinar – January 4th, 2019 FREE Preparing for the BC-ADM Webinar – January 30th, 2019 ADA Test Taking Tip Webinar – January 31st, 2019 Reserve my spot

Level 1 Diabetes Fundamentals Live Webinar Schedule – 9.0 CEs : Getting to the Nitty Gritty 1.5 CEs – January 10th, 2019 Nutrition and Exercise 1.5 CEs – January 11th, 2019 Insulin Therapy & Pattern Management 1.5 CEs – January 17th, 2019 Meds Overview for Type 2 – 1.5 CEs – January 18th, 2019 Standards of Care 2019 – 1.5 CEs – January 24th, 2019 Hypoglycemia, Sick Days, Foot Care 1.5 CEs – January 25th, 2019  Level 1 | Diabetes Fundamentals Live Webinar Schedule Brochure 2019 Reserve my spot Please note, when you purchase our online courses, you have instant access to the On-Demand courses via the Online University, PLUS we automatically enroll you in all live webinars updates. Level 3 CDCES Boot Camp Live Webinar Schedule – 12.0 CEs: Boot Camp 1 | Diabetes; Not Just Hyperglycemia – Feb 6th, 2019     Boot Camp 2 | ADA Standards of Care – Feb 7th, 2019 Boot Camp 3 | Insulin Therapy – From Basal/Bolus to Pattern Management – Feb 13th, 2019 Boot Camp 4 | Insulin Intensive – Monitoring, Sick Days, Lower Extremities – Feb 14th, 2019 Boot Camp 5 | Meds for Type 2 – Feb 20th, 2019 Boot Camp 6 | Medical Nutrition Therapy and Exercise – Feb 21st, 2019 Boot Camp 7 | Screening, Prevention and Treatment of Microvascular Complications – Feb 27th, 2019 Boot Camp 8 | Coping and Behavior Change – Feb 28th, 2019          Boot Camp 9 | “The Big Finish” Test Taking– March 6th, 2019 Level 3 | CDCES Exam Boot Camp Live Webinar Schedule Brochure 2019 Reserve my spot

Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*