Not too long ago, a friend of mine told me that she might have diabetes. She was clearly surprised and taken aback at the potential diagnosis and was sucking in air. So was I, quite frankly, when she told me what was going on.

Coincidentally, less than a week later, my physician told me that my fasting blood sugar level from my latest round of blood work was too high. I started sucking in air all over again. In addition, my thyroid levels were off again.

It was windy. Wizard of Oz windy. I saw a witch go by on her bicycle. Even though she was a witch, there must have been some good in her because she was riding in the Tour de Cure, helping to raise money for diabetes research. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and let her pass me.

It was hot. Africa hot. Every time I inhaled, my nose hairs ignited, like a hundred tiny matches.

On my 40-mile cycling tour through Rochester's southern farmlands I passed:

Studies are showing that increasing Vitamin D, either supplements in diet or through sun exposure, may help lower the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.

Would you give your baby or infant a Vitamin D dietary supplement, or increase their sun exposure (with sunscreen, of course!), in order to decrease their risk of developing diabetes?

Between 1996 and 2005, there were 13 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries reported among young people using insulin pumps to treat type 1 diabetes, says a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study. The pumps offer an alternative to multiple daily injections of insulin by syringe.

Diabetes seems to interfere with many aspects of life such as eating, showering, relationships, driving… the list could go on and on. I have received many questions about how to handle diabetes while at the same time being a “normal” person. Although I haven’t had much experience in some of these areas, I know that if there’s a will, there’s a way:

1) Tell people you are a diabetic

Many people think that being diagnosed with diabetes is, socially, the end of the world. In some ways, yeah, it is! The hardest adjustment for me was connection. I did not know many people with diabetes, and could not ask someone going through similar circumstances what it was like. I had tools that helped make diabetes an easier part of my life, but nothing to replace the importance of someone saying “I understand.”

For the past twelve years of my life, I have been privileged to have a great family, a stable support network of friends, and many opportunities to succeed at anything I want to pursue. However, there has always been one thing that I can’t change in my life, no matter how many great things have happened: the fact that I have type 1, or juvenile diabetes.

Secrets of Self-Healing author: Maoshing Ni asin: 1583332960 binding: Hardcover list price: $24.95 USD amazon price: $16.47 USD

East meets West in this extraordinary guide to natural healing by a prominent doctor of Chinese medicine and the author of Secrets of Longevity.

Dr. Mao's philosophy is simple: We all have a built-in healing ability, so why not try to activate it with natural means before we resort to drugs and invasive procedures? For the common cold, why not exploit the power of garlic, ginger, and the herb astragalus instead of taking cold medicine that simply replaces symptoms with side effects?