Voices of the People

• Rick Mendosa - After earning a B.A. with honors from the University of California, Riverside, and M.A. from Claremont Graduate University, Rick Mendosa went to work for the U.S. government. During a 15-year career as a = Foreign Service officer with the U.S. foreign aid program he served 11 years in Washington and four years in Africa. Subsequently, he became a journalist, initially specializing in writing about small business. After he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in February 1994, he segued into writing about that condition. He started his "On-line Diabetes Resources" Web site in February 1995 (15 pages starting at www.mendosa.com/faq.htm) when there were only two other Web sites dealing with diabetes. It now lists and links more than 800 sites with substantive information about diabetes. His Diabetes Directory Web page (at www.mendosa.com/diabetes.htm) describes and links the hundreds of articles, columns, and Web pages that he has written about diabetes.
  • Obesity, Lifestyle and Your Patients With Diabetes

    A recently-released Medscape Diabetes & Endocrinology Clinical Management Module entitled “Lifestyle and Behavior Modification in the Management of Obesity,” by Pamela M. Peeke, MD, MPH and Leslie G. Womble, PhD, has important implications for the treatment of patients with diabetes.  New information supports the significant benefits of incorporating physical activity, behavior and use of medication into the treatment of obesity.

  • How To Talk To Your Doctor About Diabetes

    It used to be that going to the doctor always felt like walking into elementary school—someone else had all the answers and you didn’t even know what the questions were supposed to be.  But thanks to the increase in sources and types of health information, now we can all walk into the doctor’s office prepared with questions and ideas about our own health issues.  Today most doctors treat their patients as knowledgeable adults who have educated themselves about illnesses and treatment options—in fact, responsibility is shifting to the patient to be an active participant in the process

  • Diabetes Treatment Is Getting More Convenient, Less Painful and Less Expensive

    We all know that talking to your doctor regularly about prescription medications for your type 2 diabetes is important if you require medication in addition to diet and exercise.  New medications are introduced that may be right for your treatment plan.  Other prescriptions are reformulated as combination drugs or extended-release drugs.  Examples include GLUCOVANCE^®, which is two medications (glyburide and metformin HCl) in one pill, and GLUCOPHAGE XR^® (metformin HCl extended-release tablets), which can be taken once a day by most patients.