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Endocrinology (including Diabetes)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| I am Loosing Weight while using Metformin | 2/10/2012 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: I am a diabetic patient since 1 year and my age is 29, in this 1 year tenure i almost lost 3 to 4 Kg ... A: Metformin combined with a low carbohydrate diet and exercise program has been shown to help some ... | ||
| glucola alternative | 2/6/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: i was wondering if there is an alternative to the glucola drink " the sugary drink " they use when ... A: Rawn, Glucola is pretty horrible to drink, isn't it? The reason that they use is to test for ... | ||
| Lipohypertrophy | 2/6/2012 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: I have HUGE bumps from 29 years of shots. I want them gone but I can't begin to afford to pay for ... A: Repeatedly injecting into the same site or near the same site can cause lumps which are called ... | ||
| medicines on diabetes | 2/4/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I'm a diabetic and I have high blood pressure and I am taking a regular dosage of 1mg of ... A: Amy, I'm most familiar with the diabetes medications, and glimepiride (Amaryl) is one in a class ... | ||
| eating slowly to avoid sugar spikes | 2/3/2012 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: i am new to diabetes type 1, diagnosed two months ago. i am female, 37 years old on 1-2-2 novorapid ... A: It is recommended that people injecting insulin learn the insulin-to-carbohydrate ( I-C ) ratios, ... | ||
| hemoglobin a1c | 2/1/2012 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: Recently I had a blood test done by a life insurance company whic I applied for insurance coverage.I ... A: An AIc of 5.7 to 6.4%, or a fasting blood glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dl means pre-diabetes and ... | ||
| hemoglobin a1c | 2/1/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Recently I had a blood test done by a life insurance company whic I applied for insurance coverage.I ... A: Bindu, Those values are in the "prediabetic" range, which goes from 100-125 mg/dl for blood ... | ||
| exercise during honeymoon | 1/29/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about two months ago and since starting insulin i have had so ... A: Emily, What you're doing for now is okay--just keep watching those postprandial values. In the ... | ||
| Low carb diet and fasting blood sugar | 1/28/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Sheri I am 53, 6'2" and weigh 170. I am very active overall and exercise and weight lift daily. I ... A: Steve, There probably is some truth to that statement, although I haven't seen a study on it ... | ||
| Specialty diets | 1/27/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Sheri, what do you know about the alkaline diet and the benefits it offers for diabetics? A: Sara, I have heard of the alkaline diet, but there is absolutely no scientific evidence (from ... | ||
| Low carb diet and fasting blood sugar | 1/27/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Sheri I am 53, 6'2" and weigh 170. I am very active overall and exercise and weight lift daily. I ... A: Steve, A low-carb diet should not raise your fasting glucose levels. If you are concerned about ... | ||
| Physical activity and exercise | 1/27/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I have to admit I do not know what I am doing, I am a 48 female who has been diagnosed with type 1 ... A: Deb, When you exercise, your body needs to have lower levels of circulating insulin because ... | ||
| High HBA1c | 1/23/2012 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: First of all I would like to thank you for taking time to answer my question. I am a diabetic ... A: First I would have a repeat AIC test to prove the accuracy and rule out a lab error. Your bi-monthly ... | ||
| High HBA1c | 1/23/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: First of all I would like to thank you for taking time to answer my question. I am a diabetic ... A: Kanan, Am I assuming correctly that you do not have access to (or use) a home-monitoring blood ... | ||
| High HBA1c | 1/23/2012 | Barb |
| Q: First of all I would like to thank you for taking time to answer my question. I am a diabetic ... A: First, let me remind you that I am NOT a doctor. My profile specifies this. I question how ... | ||
| sugar high in morning | 1/13/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: with insulin and pills my sugar tends to be over 200 in the mornings and then goes down nicely. What ... A: Lynn, It is very common in people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes for morning blood ... | ||
| Low Insulin | 1/13/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I went for my physical and was told I have low insulin (<2) yet a normal glucose (81) and normal ... A: Angela, What a low insulin with normal glucose and A1c values means is that your insulin works ... | ||
| Fasting blood sugar level | 1/8/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I am a 67 year old male with absolutely normal comprehensive blood test reports. I do these tests ... A: Ranabir, I would have the test repeated first since it technically takes two readings to confirm a ... | ||
| spikes | 1/1/2012 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: im type 2 diabetic and volunteered to go on insulin because i hated oral meds take lantos 10 units ... A: Howard, I'm an exercise physiologist, not a medical doctor, so I really can't advise you about ... | ||
| Thyroid Labs - Questions | 12/29/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: For the past couple of years I've been suffering with various symptoms - fatigue, feeling cold all ... A: The RBC count is almost always part of the CBC (complete blood count) test. The test can help ... | ||
| Thyroid Labs - Questions | 12/27/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: For the past couple of years I've been suffering with various symptoms - fatigue, feeling cold all ... A: Your normal TSH and FT4 results are just part of the overall function of the thyroid. Request a full ... | ||
| blood sugar | 12/25/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: i have type 2 diabetes,i take 16 units of lantos split/dose.9units at breakfest ,9 units at ... A: Roger, If your A1c is 6.2%--while that is very good--then your blood sugars are going higher at ... | ||
| Continuous glucose monitoring | 12/24/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I had a 3 day test, a continuous monitoring which took my blood sugar every 5 minutes. The data from ... A: Debbie, That is hard to say. The CGM have some variations in their readings, and they can be ... | ||
| underactive throyd | 12/23/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: im 78 years old with diabetes which is well controlled.i have underactive throid for which im taking ... A: I appreciate your follow-up information, and happy you are now confident that your physician is ... | ||
| underactive throyd | 12/21/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: im 78 years old with diabetes which is well controlled.i have underactive throid for which im taking ... A: The traditional approach for treating hypothyroidism is to use replacement synthetic hormones like ... | ||
| slow evening metabolism? | 12/16/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: I am a 56 year old male.Three yras ago my doctor said I was in danger of becoming diabetic. So I ... A: Some people naturally have slower metabolisms, and others have higher basal metabolic rates (BMR). A ... | ||
| slow evening metabolism? | 12/16/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Sheri I am having trouble losing any weight, even though I am consuming no more than 1500 calories, ... A: Barry, Your weight can fluctuate daily by 2-5 pounds without any lasting weight loss due to ... | ||
| diabetes | 12/10/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: i have type 2 diabetes,take insulin on my request,not the supid doctor who gave me sulphurwhichi ... A: The A1c test will not reflect occasional, acute blood glucose increases or decreases. In the normal ... | ||
| Diabetes and Multi Vitamin | 11/29/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: My mother in law is 55 and type 2 diabetic. Is it ok if she take one tablet of Centrum Silver Women ... A: Faisal, What your mother is taking will not hurt her. Are you asking if she should be taking ... | ||
| insulin | 11/29/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: i had a question about better overall control between lantos and novolog.im 77 with type 2 ... A: Consistently high glucose levels will cause the HbA1c levels to rise. This process happens over ... | ||
| insulin | 11/28/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: i had a question about better overall control between lantos and novolog.im 77 with type 2 ... A: People without diabetes continuously release a small amount of insulin into the body. When the blood ... | ||
| type 2 diabetes | 11/26/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: i have surfed your website, congratulations you're doing a very good job, i wanted to discuss my ... A: Sana, The RBS levels really depend on when he checks. For example, he should try to keep it ... | ||
| Headaches | 11/25/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: I currently take 2500 Metformin and slow acting insulin and fast acting insulin. Since I began this ... A: All medicines have side effects, but many people experience only minor temporary side effects ... | ||
| insulin | 11/23/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: a 50 years old male having type 2 diabetes, have started taking insulin 4 months back for ... A: Sana, Yes, it is possible for individuals with type 2 diabetes to stop taking it. Usually, they ... | ||
| My S.creatinine increased almost 27% in four months, and is now 1.2 mg/dl | 11/17/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: Sir, i am 48 years old diabetic woman. I was taking glycomate GP-2, two times before taking lunch ... A: Normal levels of creatinine in the blood are approximately 0.6 to 1.2 milligrams (mg) per deciliter ... | ||
| Diabetes and Hypertension | 11/16/2011 | Catherine Burns. RN. BS. |
| Q: I am Type II for 4 years; I take only Metformin 1000 mg - no insulin. My last A1c was 6.1. For a ... A: There are several classes of hypertension meds, although four of these classes are used most often ... | ||
| Sugar drop while working out? | 11/15/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I am not a diabetic, but there is something that has been bothering me for a while now. In March of ... A: Nasser, Given the symptoms you had during that episode and the fact that juice fixed it, you may ... | ||
| Further advise required. Plz. Help | 11/14/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: Respected doctor, please i am confused and need your help. First of all basic information i like to ... A: Ami, An improved diet and regular physical activity are critical to your care. They can also ... | ||
| Bodybuilding for a prediabetic | 11/14/2011 | Barb |
| Q: I am a pre-diabetic (male 32), detected around a year ago. I was 92kg then (mostly fat), I worked ... A: Losing weight -- actually, losing FAT and gaining LEAN BODY MASS -- will help your diabetes. Muscle ... | ||
| Changing batteries | 11/14/2011 | Sheri Colberg, PhD |
| Q: I am a pre-diabetic (male 32), detected around a year ago. I was 92kg then (mostly fat), I worked ... A: Kanan, You are on the right track. Building more muscle and losing fat is exactly the way you'll ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Sheri Colberg, PhD
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am an exercise physiologist with a PhD who specializes in diabetes--as such I CANNOT answer general questions about other endocrine problems as I am neither an expert in all areas of endocrinology nor am I a medical doctor. My expertise lies in answering questions about diabetes (of any type) and physical activity, so please limit your questions to those areas. I can help you if you want to begin exercise or if you're already a diabetic athlete, and I am prepared to respond to questions about physical activity to which even your diabetologist may not know the answer. I can give suggestions about changes in your diabetic medications that differing types and intensities of exercise may necessitate, but I will have to refer you to your regular health care team to get final approval to make such changes. I can also answer questions about physical fitness, exercise metabolism, prediabetes reversal, and prevention of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications.
Experience
I have both personal and professional experience in the areas of diabetes and exercise/physical activity. On a personal level, I have had type 1 diabetes since 1968, and I have been an avid exerciser since I was a child. Professionally, I have been conducting clinical studies on diabetes and exercise since 1992, largely with funding from the American Diabetes Association. I am also the author of 8 books related to diabetes, exercise, and more: The Diabetic Athlete (2001), Diabetes-Free Kids (2005), The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan (2006), 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes (2007), The Science of Staying Young (2007), Matt Hoover's Guide to Life, Love, and Losing Weight (2008), Diabetic Athlete's Handbook (2009), and Diabetes? No Problema! (2009).
Organizations
I am a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a professional member of the American Diabetes Association (and professional volunteer for the ADA), and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association.
Publications
I have published research and review articles in the following journals and magazines: Diabetes Care, Diabetes, Journal of Diabetes & Its Complications, Diabetes Self-Management, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Journal of Applied Physiology, The Physician and Sportsmedicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, International Journal of Obesity, FASEB Journal, The Diabetes Educator, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Clinical Diabetes Reviews, Insulin, ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, Biomechanics, On the Cutting Edge, Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, Microvascular Research, Drug Benefit Trends, ACSM Certified News, Diabetes Health, SportEX Health, Diabetes Focus, Diabetes In Control, dLife-For Your Diabetes Life, Pediatrics for Parents, and My TCOYD (Taking Control of Your Diabetes) Newsletter. I have also been interviewed in myriad other magazines, such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Diabetes Forecast, Countdown Magazine, Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness, Health, Tidewater Parent, Barron's News, Diabetes New Day, and Newsweek International.
Education/Credentials
I have an undergraduate degree (1985) from Stanford University, a Master's degree in exercise physiology (1987) from the University of California, Davis, and a Ph.D. (1992) from the University of California, Berkeley, in the same field. I also spent two years in an NIH-funded postdoctoral research position in endocrinology (studying obesity, diabetes, metabolism, and exercise) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (1993-1994).
Awards and Honors
• Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) - 1996
• Old Dominion University Darden College of Education Young Investigator Grant Award – 2003
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Old Dominion University Chapter – 2004-Present
• Great Women of the 21st Century by the American Biographical Institute – 2005 Edition
• Old Dominion University Darden College of Education Largest Research Grant Award – 2006
• Old Dominion University Darden College of Education Publications Award (for greatest number) – 2006
• Saint Louis University, The Max K. Horwitt Memorial Lecture Distinguished Lectureship Award – 2008
• Old Dominion University Darden College of Education Publications Award – 2009
• Old Dominion University Darden College of Research Grants Award – 2009
Past/Present Clients
I have consulted for numerous groups, including Can-Am Care, Numera|Social, California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training(about candidates with diabetes), Animas Corporation (an insulin pump company), Therasense, Inc. (makers of the Freestyle blood glucose meters), Council of Healthcare Advisors, and the City of Chesapeake (Virginia) Health Department.
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