Tag: insulin for life

Emma8 Comments

A news story this week reported that scientists have improved the naturally occurring enzyme that can ‘eat’ plastic.

Good news, eh? Few people fail to be moved by the sight of the oceans brimming with waste. We all want to cut down on plastic and our use of it.

When you have diabetes, particularly type one, you use more plastic than most people. It wraps itself around individual pump components, it shields needles and it’s what lancets are made from. I hope the plastic-eating enzyme hurries up in its development so I’ll be able to chuck all that junk into a machine in my house.

The only figures I can find relate to general medical waste in the US. The market is expected to increase from $10.3 billion in 2015 to $13.3 billion in 2020. As rates of diabetes increase, that figure will only get higher.

I can’t find many specific tips to help us reduce the plastic we use for we diabetics, but here are some ideas I came up with…

  • Can you choose reusable pens, instead of disposable ones? This will depend on your insulin and what the manufacturers offer. Perhaps we should ask them to provide permanent devices if they don’t?
  • Recycle what you can—in my case, I throw the clean needle covers and empty test tube tubs into the recycling bins.
  • Nearby animal sanctuaries might be able to use old syringes to feed baby animals or give them meds. (Not sure about this one—check it out with your shelter.)
  • Small local businesses that do mail orders might take the polystyrene packing you get with any ordered supplies.
  • Finally, donate your old insulin and medical gear. If you have sealed, unopened packets of insulin, needles, lancets, infusion sets for pumps, unopened test strips and more, please give them a charity if you can. Insulin for Life works to distribute insulin and supplies to disadvantaged people. It operates in nine countries, including Germany, Australia, the UK and the US and distributes to 74 places.

Do you have imaginative ideas for what to do with diabetes-related medical waste? I’d love to know. Please feel free to comment.

 

 

How to Help People Who Can’t Afford Insulin

EmmaLeave a comment

insulin syringeFrom time to time I expect you feel pretty miserable about having diabetes. Especially about these interminable injections…

Diabetes for everyone is a life sentence. But for some poor people in developing countries, parents cannot afford insulin for both a diabetic child and  food for the rest of the family. Hard choices have to be made.

Insulin for Life

The insulin for life organisation aims to help. They will ship your unwanted but in date insulin or other things such as lancets and test strips to those who would die without it.  They also help coordinate insulin supplies to disaster struck areas.

It is an Australian-based organisation whose president is Ron Raab. Ron has been a type one diabetic since he was 12 just like Dr Richard Bernstein. He became one of Dr Bernstein’s patients and reversed many of his longstanding diabetes complications (read his success story here ).

Insulin for Life is the website for the organisation that has affiliates in the US, Europe and the UK.

The InDependent Diabetes Trust

This is the UK organisation who will send your donated insulin to Insulin For Life.

Please send your no longer needed insulin – unused vials or cartridges and in date in a jiffy bag to:

Jenny Hirst
IDDT
PO Box
Northampton
NN1 4XS

The IDDT is a charity whose staff and membership is formed by diabetics and by those caring for diabetics. They aim to listen and support your needs.

They have an excellent website with articles of interest to insulin users about many different aspects of diabetes at: www.iddtinternational.org

Enquiries can be sent by e mail to:  enquiries@iddtinternational.org

The IDDT was formed from original members of Diabetes UK who were not being supported in their needs and preferences for animal insulins. Unlike Diabetes UK they receive no funding from pharmaceutical or food manufacturers.

Thanks to the political lobbying that IDDT have continued for years the UK still manufactures animal insulins. These are obtained  and purified from pigs and cows that have been slaughtered for their meat.

A small variety of long acting, short acting and mixed duration animal insulins are available in pen cartridge formulations and  vials from Wockhardt Pharmaceuticals. These can be shipped overseas.

Prescriptions for the insulins and pens are available from your UK GP in the usual way. A GP however may want a diabetologist to approve.

Quick Quiz:
1. Unopened and in date insulin vials and cartridges that you no longer need can be put to good use by two of these…
a Pharmacies
b Diabetes UK, the ADA or your equivalent national diabetes organisation.
c Insulin for life.
d The IDDT.

Have you got it?
1. C and D are correct. IDDT in the UK will send it to Insulin for Life who will arrange for worldwide distribution.  Please send  insulin with at least three months to go to expiry.  You can read more about this organisation and how you can help on this site.