Control Diabetes, Improve Health (NAPSA)—Diabetes is a public health epidemic in this country, with almost 16 million people living with the disease. Americans are vaguely aware that a couch-potato lifestyle and obesity contribute to diabetes, but people still hesitate to seek medical information. Only increased knowledge of the disease will help people realize the importance of controlling it. Now DiabetesWATCH.com, a new educational Web site for individuals with diabetes and their care- givers, can equip them with ways to better understand the disease and more successfully manageit. DiabetesWATCH.com provides instant access to multiple disease managementtools. Its personal support system allows users to privately share tips and personal stories in chat rooms and discussion groups. Plus, people can use the site to efficiently schedule doctor visits, track medication, count carbohydrates, browse news from leading medical jour- nals, and receive lifestyle advice from an online clinical diabetes educator. “The more self-management education we can give to people with this chronic disease, which has been branded an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control, the better the public will be able to prevent its devastating complications and improve the quality of their lives,” said Ginger Kanzer-Lewis, RNC, EdM, CDE, and president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). Marsha Maakeis a 59-year-old retired airline professional with diabetes who uses Diabetes WATCH.com to help manage her disease. “Diabetes is myfirst priority, and I make use of Diabetes WATCH.com regularly,” she said. “The discussion groups help me express myself, and I like the weekly chats when members can discusstopics that are important to people with diabetes. The nutrition calculator helps me keep my diet on track and gives ideas on healthy food choices. I also use the self care journal to monitor my blood sugar andkeepit within range.” “My diabetesis myfirst priority, and | use DiabetesWATCH.com to help manage mydisease.’ — Marsha Maake DiabetesWATCH.com user @ Other DiabetesWATCH.com features include Ask-an-Expert, in which medical professionals respond to users’ concerns; recommended reading lists; personal stories that highlight the victories and challenges of managing a chronic disease; myths and facts that dispel misinformation; plus immediate messaging among users. Individuals interested in using DiabetesWATCH.com can visit the Web site as a guest or become a member. Membership is free of charge andobligations. DiabetesWATCH.com is spon- sored by Aventis Pharmaceuticals and powered by SoftWatch Relationship Server. DiabetesWATCH is a diabetes information and management application published over the Internet and is intended only to assist patients to monitor their personal health information and to provide broad consumer understanding and knowledge of diabetes health topics. The information should not be used in place of visit, call, consultation or advice of your physician or other health care provider. This service does not recom- mend the self-management of health problems. Information obtained by using this service is not exhaustive and does not cover all ailments, physical conditions or their treatment. Should you have any health care-related questions, please call or see your physician or other health care provider promptly. You should never disregard med- ical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here. USERS ARE URGED AND ADVISED TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING ANY TREATMENT.
