Health Magazines

Yay! I'm happy to see that Diabetes Forecast has an article on gluten free baking this month (see it up in the top right corner?). It's nice to see them give a little attention to a disease/diet that affects 10% of type one diabetics. No doubt that percentage will go up once endocrinologists start requesting their type 1 patients get tested every year for the presence of other auto-immune diseases.

I subscribe to all diabetes-related magazines out there. It's been disappointing to see that most of them, most of the time, do not ever mention other autoimmune diseases, especially the AIs that are directly related to type 1, like celiac disease, Grave's disease, and Hashimoto's disease. On the flip side, I also subscribe to all gluten-free magazines (Living Without, Gluten Free Living, Allergic Living). Most of these magazines focus on celiac disease versus gluten intolerance. And most of the magazines regularly talk about the links to type 1 diabetes (and other auto immune diseases). So I wonder why the diabetes magazines don't?

I like reading mags about 'betes and gluten free/food allergies/celiac disease, because so many of the articles apply to me. I like when they have recipes I can make that fit MY lifestyle. So many fashion and food magazines don't apply to me- I can't make the recipes without severely altering them to fit my dietary needs, and the articles are about things I mostly don't care about or don't apply to me at all.

Another reason I like to read disease-focused magazines is I like reading about the latest news. And I like to see what other people, like me, are experiencing and skills they use to overcome different situations. It's not unlike reading other people's blogs. You read them to make a connection and to learn a new things. Many of the skills I have for treating and living with diabetes and celiac weren't learned at the doctor's office. They were from blogs and magazines. I haven't made the switch yet to an e-reader, and the reason might seem stupid. But it's because after I've read my magazine, I usually pass it on to someone else that can benefit from it. You can't do that with an e-reader. Although I do want to get an e-reader eventually. I'm just not quite ready to let go of the paperback versions yet.