January 11, 2006

Honolulu to Host 8th Annual Premier Diabetes Education, Motivation Conference
Nationally-renowned Taking Control of Your Diabetes Conference returns to Hawaii.

WHAT: CONFERENCE ON LATEST TREATMENTS FOR DIABETES AND ITS COMPLICATIONS

WHO: For people with diabetes and their loved ones

WHEN: Sat., February 10, 2007, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Hawaii Convention Center

Honolulu, HI - The premier patient education conference on living with diabetes and the latest treatments for diabetes and its complications returns to Hawaii on February 10. A staggering 1 in 3 Americans born in 2000 will be diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime. According to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), over 6 percent of the population in Hawaii has already been diagnosed.   Also according to the DOH, 25 percent of ethnic Hawaiians aged 75 and over have diabetes.* Education for people living with the disease has been recognized as crucial to the health of the nation, and the State of Hawaii. Currently about 23 million people in the United States have some form of diabetes. Hawaii, a state with more than 100,000 residents with diabetes, is hosting the 8 th annual Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), not-for-profit educational and motivational event to aid those with this chronic, costly and frequently debilitating disease.

The conference, which will be held Saturday, February 10 at the Hawaii Convention Center, brings national and local medical experts in diabetes care to people with all types of diabetes and their loved ones for a day of highly informative and motivational programs. Leading specialists discuss new medicines and technologies for treating diabetes, the complications of the disease, psychological barriers to controlling diabetes. Health professionals from across the nation, and from the University of Hawaii, John Burns School of Medicine, The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu General, Hawaii Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, as well as a host of others from the Hawaii Association of Diabetes Educators, and Hawaii American Diabetes Association, have partnered with Taking Control of Your Diabetes, to hold this premier conference and health fair.

Steven V. Edelman, MD, founder and director of Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 15. Edelman, an internationally recognized leader in diabetes treatment, research and education, says, "It is my conviction, that health care in this country will improve when the people living with diabetes themselves are informed and empowered to take an active role in their own condition."

The not-for-profit TCOYD presents conferences and health fairs focused on providing individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and their family members practical advice and developments in treatment of the disease. TCOYD participants hear lectures, attend workshops and speak one-on-one with diabetes specialists, including physicians, pharmacists, exercise specialists, pediatricians, psychologists, dieticians, educators and podiatrists.

"With strong genetic and lifestyle influences, diabetes affects more and more locals. This conference and health fair is a great way to learn as much as you possibly can in one day and in one location from a variety of diabetes experts. TCOYD educates, motivates and empowers individuals and families living with diabetes to take control of their diabetes," said Honolulu-based endocrinologist and Conference Co-Director Laurie Tom, MD.

The conference session topics include: nutrition; hypoglycemia; raising children with diabetes; insulin therapies; weight and gastric bypass; and treatments for the effects of diabetes on the heart, nervous system, emotional health, feet and musculoskeletal system.

A health fair with 35 informational exhibits from national and local diabetes-related companies and organizations will be open throughout the day. Lunch is included and will feature speaker Eddie Sherman, journalist and author who has provided insight into Honolulu's entertainment scene through the decades as a columnist for Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and MidWeek .

Seventy-eight (78) TCOYD conferences have been held throughout the United States during the past 11 years. 1500 attendees and 30 pharmaceutical and health care exhibitors are expected to attend the 2007 Honolulu TCOYD Conference and Health Fair

Pre-registration is recommended. Early registration fees are $35 for one person, or $30 per person when two or more people register together. Registration fees include lunch, healthy snacks and all conference activities. Onsite registration begins at 7:30 and costs $40. The conference is from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Financial aid is available for those who need assistance. There will also be a half-day conference on Sunday, Feb. 11 on Kona, at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. The registration fee of $15 before Feb. 1, ($20 onsite) includes a buffet lunch. More information is available by calling 800-998-2693 or visiting www.tcoyd.org.

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