All -

I heard thru the grapevine that Oprah’s show on Thurs 2/4, according to http://oprah.about.com/od/oprahshowrecaps/tp/thisweekonoprah.htm, is:  "America's Silent Killer: Oprah and Dr. Oz Want to Save Your Life" Oprah and Dr. Oz devote an entire hour to information and ways to stop diabetes.  Supposedly the story line is showing what happens with uncontrolled diabetes as a way to get folks to do something about it. Hmmm - do scare tactics work?

This is a great opportunity for diabetes educators/health care professionals to use social networks/communication vehicles to get the message out about the importance of: early and aggressive management of both pre-diabetes and diabetes (type 1 and 2), benefits of education/self-management training, living a healthy lifestyle....all to prevent/delay the complications of diabetes.

Please help me get the dialog going on presentdiabetes.com and use your social networks and communities to make sure positive messages about self-care, education/educators can help stop and control the obesity, prediabetes and diabetes epidemics.

Thanks,

Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE

Nutrition Section Editor, www.presentdiabetes.com

When I came into work this morning, I had two emails on this same topic! One from my state diabetes educators group, and another from our department manager. Now everyone is scrambling to figure out how those of us who work during the day will be able to watch Oprah's TV segment on diabetes. If anyone is able to view it, please post your comments!

Lynn -

I'm sure with our wonderful modern technology you'll be able to sit back and view today's (2/4) Oprah show at your leisure. I will try to find and put up a link within this eTalk in the next few days. I'm taping it!

Hopefully the show will reinforce the importance of what we do!

Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE

Nutrition Section Editor, www.presentdiabetes.com

We'll probably be able to download the show after it airs and watch it tomorrow or whenever you can. 

I went to her web-site and there is a ton of diabetes information on it...topics such as diabetes and exercise, sweeteners, caffeine, the pancreas, etc.  I also saw that she is announcing and helping to promote free BG testing at Walgreens.  It seems that the primary day for the testing is tomorrow 11a-7p.  It did say that this promotion would last through Feb.18th at participating Walgreens.  I haven't had much time to read through everything on her site but we should definately see what information she is giving.  Many people are Oprah, and Dr Oz, followers and we very likely could get a lot of questions based on what they have to say.

I'm curious - who saw the show, and what is your impression? Thanks Hope for taping it and making it available to everyone.

All -

I've been unable to find a link to a podcast of the complete show. I've been looking and following a lot of the online diabetes community chatter on the topic and still can't find it. I'm begining to think that they don't provide links to the complete shows. This link gets you to clips of several pieces of the show:

http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Americas-Silent-Killer

As I noted there's a lot of chatter on online diabetes communities about the show. A lot of it is by the usual type 1 diabetes bloggers who felt type 1 wasn't well represented - perhaps an understatement - as the only person with type 1 featured on the show was a 44 yo woman seen on dialysis with Dr. Oz unwrapping the bandage on her second amputation. REALLY HORRIBLE when we have so many amazing examples of everyday people with type 1 living well as well as athletes competing in the upcoming Olympics!!

A couple of blog links:

http://diabetesaliciousness.blogspot.com/2010/02/dear-oprah-dr-oz-diabetes-show-major.html

http://sixuntilme.com/blog2/2010/02/oprah_does_diabetes.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riva-greenberg/an-open-letter-to-oprah-w_b_457400.html

And I posted my 2 cents on the show on my website:

http://www.hopewarshaw.com/blog/oprah-does-diabetes-dagnosis-fair-poor

Thanks,

Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE

Nutrition Section Editor, www.presentdiabetes.com

I think it is very sad to have such a high profile show present diabetes in such a light as "The Silent Killer". It is just such media presentation of diabetes that causes denial and terror to result following an individual's diagnosis of diabetes. The Silent Killer tag just reinforces what the person with diabetes and those who love them  fear.  As diabetes educators, we have all had to try to calm those fears by presenting a more positive view of diabetes when glycemic control is achieved.  There is no need for diabetes to be a killer at all.  I tell my patients that they need to protect themselves psychologically when they hear or see horror stories about diabetes by substituting in their minds the words "uncontrolled diabetes" because it is the persistent high blood glucose not the diabetes diagnosis that causes the body to be destroyed. We should all write to Oprah and ask her to have a show highlighting the wonderful work CDE's are doing...and have some patients appear on the show also who were empowered and whose lives were changed bythe CDE introducing them to an individualized plan for diabetes self-management.