World's Most Respected Online Community in Diabetes Launches YouTube Channel to Provide Simple Answers to Complex Questions on Living with Diabetes in India

MUMBAI, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

The Channel With Hundreds of Educational Videos on Diabetes Planned Each Year, Promises to Help Millions in India Live Healthy, Happy Even With Diabetes

Living with Diabetes in India, the world's most respected online community for people with diabetes, with over half a million members, has launched a YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/LWDICommunity). The channel will eventually host hundreds of new videos each year, designed to provide simple answers to complex questions on living with diabetes.

The videos have been developed in an easy-to-understand question answer format by people with diabetes, for people with diabetes, with the help of diabetes experts - so you can receive information and advice on managing the disease that is reliable as well as simple and practical. The Living with Diabetes in India community believes that to manage diabetes, one needs to take several decisions throughout the day to better control blood glucose levels - this could include decisions on which foods to eat, when to eat them, which activities to take up and many more such decisions. However, one cannot have a doctor easily accessible 24x7 - hence the need to learn more about diabetes so you can self-manage it and partner with your doctor in managing your own diabetes. All the educational material developed by the Living with Diabetes community will help you do just that. This includes the information on their Facebook community (www.facebook.com/LivingWithDiabetesInIndia), or in the largest selling book on diabetes in the country now available in several regional languages - The Illustrated Guide to Living with Diabetes in India (available on Flipkart @ http://bit.ly/LWDIonFlipkart), or on this newly launched YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/LWDICommunity).

Despite all the advances in diabetes treatment, education remains one key missing link in diabetes management in the country. The American Diabetes Association states that, "Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is the cornerstone of care for all individuals with diabetes," and the American Association of Diabetes Educators states that, "Diabetes education is the key to controlling diabetes." In fact, the Healthy People 2010 objective regarding diabetes education is that, "60% of people with diabetes should receive formal diabetes education" but in India, we are far from that objective. The Living with Diabetes in India community in partnership with Medulla Communications, one of the premier healthcare communications agencies in the country, has tried to deliver this education with information that is simple, practical, yet based on the most reliable and accurate medical information from around the world. The YouTube channel will now use this bank of robust medical information and deliver it in an engaging manner.

All information provided in the videos has been handpicked from The Illustrated Guide to Living with Diabetes in India which has been launched by the International Diabetes Federation President, Sir Michael Hirst and reviewed by 16 leading Diabetes experts across the country including Dr. V Mohan, Padma Shri awardee 2012, Dr. Subhash Manchanda, Padma Shri Awardee 2004, Dr. Debasis Basu, President of Diabetes Awareness and You, and Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, the Organizing Secretary of the last World Congress of Diabetes India.

At the launch of the book, Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev emphasized the need for diabetes education. Quoting the recent research conducted by his research team in Kerala, Dr. Jothydev said, "It is shocking to note that 71% of patients with diabetes succumb to complications even on regular treatment. It is clear to us that the only solution to prevent this lifestyle disorder is to impart quality education."

Dr. Debasis Basu, President, Diabetes Awareness and You and the Medical Coordinator of the Living with Diabetes in India community launching the new YouTube channel said, "This path-breaking diabetes channel is dedicated to all the people with diabetes in India who would still love to enjoy a very satisfying life. It will help you believe that this can be achieved if good and right care is taken and that - even with diabetes - you are the master of your own fate." 

Praful Akali, Founder-Director of Medulla Communications announced, "We are proud to partner with a world-renowned diabetes community like Living with Diabetes in India. It is very simple to provide complex communication but may sometimes be very complex to provide simple communication. With this series of videos, we have been able to provide simple answers to some complex questions on diabetes. And we could only do this by working with the experts on diabetes on one hand, and with people who've lived successfully through the condition on the other hand."

The community promises to continue to launch new communication platforms in their quest to ensure that over 60% of the 65 million people with diabetes in India learn to self-manage their diabetes.

About Living with Diabetes in India: 

The 'Living with Diabetes in India' community on Facebook was founded in 2010 with an objective to build a common platform for all the patients living with diabetes and their family members. With over half a million members, the community-comprising diabetics, caregivers for diabetics and healthcare professionals supporting diabetics-is the world's largest, most trusted online community for people with diabetes. For more, please visit: www.facebook.com/LivingWithDiabetesInIndia 

About Medulla Communications:

Medulla Communications is a deeply specialised healthcare communications agency, focused on providing integrated strategic, marketing and creative communication for our healthcare clients across all media and target audiences. Our clients include the leading consumer health and wellness companies and brands, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical device clients, healthcare providers and medical diagnostics. The strategy and planning team is at the heart of our work with deep client and agency experience, combined with management expertise from institutes like the Indian Institute of Management. This is complemented at one end by a team of doctors, certified medical writers, medico-marketing experts and KOL connects to integrate strategic and medical thinking that translates into content development capabilities. On the other end, a passionate creative team ensures that every piece of communication is part of a big idea that integrates the customer insight with the medical insight. For more, please visit: www.medulla.in

Media Contact: Deepa Kumaresan, [email protected], 022-67589450, +91-9833238095, Medulla Communications