After our success with our first charity, the Huntington Society of Canada, and raising $2574.96, we've picked our second charity, the Canadian Diabetes Association.
How does this work?
Simply sign up for Infobarrel and share some of your knowledge. Whether you want to teach people how to do something, or just educate them on a topic. The revenue generated from your articles that you choose to go to charity will go to this cause.
What Does the Canadian Diabetes Association Do?
Founded in 1953, the Association is active in more than 150 Canadian communities. It offers programs and services to include advocacy and diabetes research, summer camps for children living with type 1 diabetes, public education, outreach to high risk groups, Healthy Living Seriesand symposia. Since 1975 and the establishment of the Charles H. Best Research Fund— named for insulin co-discoverer and Association co-founder Charles Best— the Association has awarded more than $100 million in grants to scientists who have dedicated their research to the fight against diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).
The three main types of diabetes mellitus (DM) are:
- Type 1 DM results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or "juvenile" diabetes)
- Type 2 DM results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or "adult-onset" diabetes)
- Gestational diabetes is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.
All forms of diabetes have been treatable since insulin became available in 1921, and type 2 diabetes may be controlled with medications. Both types 1 and 2 are chronic conditions that usually cannot be cured. Pancreas transplants have been tried with limited success in type 1 DM; gastric bypass surgery has been successful in many with morbid obesity and type 2 DM. Gestational diabetes usually resolves after delivery. Diabetes without proper treatments can cause many complications. Acute complications include hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, and diabetic retinopathy (retinal damage). Adequate treatment of diabetes is thus important, as well as blood pressure control and lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation and maintaining a healthy body weight.
InfoBarrel's Fund Raising Goal
Like our first fund raising round, we're going to make the goal for this round $2,500. We'll keep this page updated with our running total. You'll also be able to check on our progress in the front page on InfoBarrel.
Thanks to everyone who has, is and will be contributing!
Jun 15, 2012: $614.94