Question:
Nearly one-third of diabetes patients who regularly practiced the
techniques lowered their blood sugar levels by 1 percent or more, a team
at Duke University Medical center reported.
Ok, given that reporters don't know math, and that we are talking about a 1
percentage point decrease in HbA1c levels What is "regular" practice? 30
min a day, 20 min 2x a week? And what was the reduction for the 2/3 rds of
those who "regularly" practiced?
Answer:
Stress reduction techniques such as relaxation
and breathing exercises can work as well as some drugs to control the
effects of diabetes, researchers reported on Thursday.
Nearly one-third of diabetes patients who regularly practiced the
techniques lowered their blood sugar levels by 1 percent or more, a team
at Duke University Medical center reported.
``The stress management techniques, when added to standard care, helped
reduce glucose levels,´´ medical psychologist Richard Surwit of
Duke, who led the study, said in a statement.
``The change is nearly as large as you would expect to see from some
diabetes-control drugs,´´ added Surwit, whose team´s findings were
reported in the January 2002 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
``These techniques are simple, quick to learn, and have been shown to
work for multiple conditions, including coronary syndromes,´´ Surwit
added.
``There are many self-help books and other commercially available
materials about stress management from which patients can learn these
techniques.´´
His team worked with 108 patients with type II or adult-onset diabetes.
All the patients took part in five 30-minute educational sessions about
diabetes.
Half also got stress management training taught by nurses or graduate
students specifically trained for the study.
After a year, 32 percent of the patients taught stress management had a
1 percent or higher reduction in blood glucose levels -- a basic
measurement of their diabetes. Only 12 percent of the patients who did
not get the stress training had such a reduction.
