Useful Information
What is Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes results from the body not producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, individuals can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.
Type 2 diabetes results from your body not producing enough insulin or your body not using the insulin properly. Type 2 diabetes develops in adults and, more recently, has been found in children. You may have diabetes and not know it, as often there are no symptoms.
Scientists have identified several other diabetes subtypes beyond types 1 and 2. The most common of these is called latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). It accounts for 10% of people with diabetes, making it probably more widespread than Type 1. LADA can be classified as a more slowly progressing variation of Type 1 diabetes, yet it is often misdiagnosed as Type 2. As of now, there is still a lot of uncertainty over how exactly to define LADA, how it develops, and how important it is for patients to know if they have it.
You may be at risk for Type 2 diabetes if you:
- Had diabetes during pregnancy, or your baby weighed more than 9 pounds.
- Have a brother, sister, mother, or father with diabetes.
- Are overweight.
- Have high blood pressure.
- Have high cholesterol.
- Get little to no physical activity.
- Are over the age of 65.
- Are African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
How to Dispose of Medical Waste at Home
Over 3 billion needles are thrown into the trash each year by individuals treating chronic diseases such as diabetes at home. Even if first placed into a secured container, these containers break open when the trash truck compacts them. Workers are stuck with the needles and must go through months of testing for HIV and hepatitis because they don’t know where the needles came from or what diseases they may carry.
SB 1305 is a bill authored by Senator Figueroa, which revised a section of the State of California Medical Waste Management Act to make it a violation of state law for home-generated sharps waste to be placed in solid waste collection containers, including recycling and green waste containers. SB 1305 also requires sharps waste to be transported in approved sharps containers and managed by a specified facility (i.e., household hazardous waste facility, medical waste generator facility, or a facility managed as part of a mail-back program). SB 1305 was approved by Governor Schwarzenegger on July 12, 2006, and took effect on September 1, 2008. Read More.
For Parents
Diabetes Care in California Public Schools
Public school students with diabetes who cannot self-administer insulin are entitled under federal law to have it administered to them during the school day by medical personnel. On August 12, 2013, the state of California passed a law that allows non-medical school staff to administer insulin when approved by the student’s parents and treating physician. These individuals will be trained to help children with the insulin they need to survive and thrive at school. Children will no longer be placed in situations that endanger their health, safety, and access to educational opportunities. They will be able to receive insulin any time they need it, even if a nurse isn’t there.