Finding out that you or a loved one has diabetes is pretty bad news, to be sure. Maybe you've been ignoring it or struggling with it for many years, and feeling pretty crummy. And all the negative headlines about diabetes and heart disease, gum disease, kidney damage, blindness, etc., etc. certainly don't help. But here's the good news: for whatever it's worth, now is the best time ever to have diabetes. Our "toolbox" of treatments is fuller than ever, and there are more programs, more classes, conferences, company resources, and a bigger support community available to you now than any time ever in history for any disease.

The Medication Parade
First off, we are ever so lucky to have diabetes in the Age of the Biotech Boom. Today there are five types of oral medications (http://www.diabetes.org/rg2005/type2.jsp) that can help increase insulin sensitivity and suppress the body's release of glucose in a variety of ways. For those who need insulin, we've now got short, intermediate, and fast-acting varieties to help "customize" treatment to each person's needs. And since the middle of 2006, we can even add medication "helpers" Byetta and Symlin to further stabilize glucose levels by reducing post-meal highs. Not to mention the huge variety of pumps, pens, syringes and designer injection devices flooding the market. You can be pretty darn sure that whatever your specific diabetes needs are, there is a product available now to help.

Community Programs
So you need to learn a little about how to achieve better control? Did you know that informational classes and seminars are offered around the country by community groups and diabetes supply companies for minimal or no entrance fees? These cover the basics of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, effects and glucose trends, plus carbohydrate counting and other tactics for keeping your diabetes in good control. Two examples are the non-profit group TCOYD (http://www.tcoyd.org/05/homepage.shtml) (Taking Control of Your Diabetes), and Medtronic MiniMed's free Patient Information Event series (https://www.minimed.com/events/intro.do). Today, finding classes and support groups in your area is as simple as a quick online search or calling your local hospital. It's all there for you!

Personalized Help
What's more, clinics and medical groups across the country now offer top-notch diabetes education and meal-planning programs that are personalized for each individual patient. These one-on-one sessions with an educator or nutritionist help you work out a treatment plan that fits YOUR lifestyle.

Especially important is the new focus on overall well-being. A decade or so ago, patients were handed drug prescriptions and a strict generic meal plan and sent home. Anyone who didn't follow doctor's orders to the letter was labeled "non-compliant." Nobody asked how the person with diabetes felt, let alone how their mood or motivation level might affect their ability to care for themselves.

We've come a long way, baby! Life is only getting better for people with diabetes, on many fronts. Even if you're feeling down and suspect that you may be suffering from clinical depression, there's an abundance of resources at your fingertips. One example is the new Behavioral Diabetes Institute (www.behavioraldiabetes.org) in San Diego, offering group and individual seminars on feelings and motivation. A few other examples are Divabetic (www.divabetic.com), offering diabetes coaching classes in New York — with a special focus on avoiding denial; the Naomi Berrie Center in New York (http://nbdiabetes.org/patient_care/patient_family.html), a forward-thinking family-based diabetes care program; and the Diabetes and Depression Laboratory at the University of Ohio (http://www.psych.ohiou.edu/labs/degroot.html), running academic study and treatment programs.

The point is that well-being is everything: you need to be in touch with your own state of affairs in order to help yourself. But you don't have to do it alone. We have more options than ever to help us get a handle on our diabetes, including the world's first organizations devoted to confronting the unmet psychological needs of people with diabetes. People with diabetes a decade or so ago could only dream of such help!

Amy Tenderich hosts the popular web log www.diabetesmine.com and is co-author of the new book, "Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes," the first-ever hands-on guide to achieving a long and healthy life with diabetes. Find out how to get your free copy today.