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Ilene Raymond Rush

Health and Science Freelance Writer
Philadelphia, PA
Website

About Ilene Raymond Rush

Ilene Raymond Rush is an award-winning health and science freelance writer. Based on her own experiences with type 2 diabetes, she brings a personal take and a reporter’s eye to examine the best and newest methods of treating and controlling the disease.

Raymond Rush's diabetes journey began with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes 30 years ago while pregnant with her first son. For 7 years, she was able to avoid a diagnosis of type 2 with daily 6-mile runs, but with a second pregnancy the gestational diabetes returned. In 1987, Raymond Rush was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and started a regimen of medication, diet, and exercise.

Over this time, as a freelance writer for newspapers, magazines, and the web, she's had access to doctors, scientists, and the latest research on diabetes -- a perk that has proved both inspirational and frustrating: It's one thing to know what to do, but it's another thing to do it. She doesn’t always succeed, but she’s given up on achieving perfection.

Raymond Rush is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her work appears regularly in the Health & Science section of The Philadelphia Inquirer and on dLife. Her essays, articles, and fiction have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including AARP, Diabetic Living, Weight Watchers Magazine, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, and Parents. In addition, her short fiction has been awarded an O. Henry Prize.

She lives outside of Philadelphia with her professor husband and their plump schnauzer, Noodle.

Articles Written by Ilene Raymond Rush

Watch Your Language: Helping a Loved One Manage Diabetes May Be a Matter of Words

To help loved ones living with diabetes, experts say words matter. Avoid further stigmatizing them by choosing the right language. Using non-judgmental words can actually motivate healthy changes. Here's how.

The Frozen Shoulder: What's Diabetes Got to Do With It?

Adhesive capsulitis—commonly known as frozen shoulder—can make routine activities like getting dressed and changing your insulin pump, nearly impossible. It is the the most prevalent upper body musculoskeletal injury in people with diabetes. Learn more.
Learn more about frozen shoulder, a painful condition that restricts arm motion and can make using an insulin pump challenging. People with type 2 diabetes are also at increased risk of developing the problem.

Is Low-Carb Eating Really Better for Blood Sugar?

A review of popular low-carbohydrate diets finds that while restricting carbs can reduce blood sugar in the short run, evidence in support of long-term benefits is lacking.
A review of popular low-carbohydrate diets finds that while very low-carb eating can reduce blood sugar int eh short run, little evidence exists to show long term benefits.

Could a Text Message Help You Manage Your Diabetes Better?

Learn more about research linking better diabetes management to simple text reminders.
Studies indicate that just three simple text messages per week could help you improve self-management behaviors and blood glucose control.

Diabetes and Restless Leg Syndrome

This sleep-stealing condition affects up to 15% of Americans.
Restless leg syndrome is a sleep disorder that is more common in people with diabetes. Find out more.

What You Need to Know About Hepatitis and Diabetes

People with diabetes experience higher rates of hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, than the general population. Learn more about the link and what you can do to keep yourself safe.
Several different viral strains cause hepatitis which leads to liver inflammation. Learn why people with diabetes are at increased risk of living with this chronic problem.

Prediabetes Missed in Large Numbers of People, New Research Finds

Not everyone with prediabetes is overweight. In fact, new research has found that many have a healthy weight and aren't being diagnosed at precisely the time when prevention could make a real difference.
Learn results of research calling into question current prediabetes screening guidelines. Many people with the condition are being overlooked.

Diabetes and Stroke

Having diabetes ups your chances of having a stroke. Here's what you need to know, plus some steps you can take, to lower your risk.
People with diabetes are at increased risk of stroke. Learn more about the different types of stroke and what you can do to protect your health.

How Diabetes Affects Your Sleep

People with diabetes have poorer sleep than the general population, and poor sleep has been proposed as a risk factor for developing the disease.
Find out how poor sleep habits can cause problems with your sleep.

Thyroid Disease 101

Having diabetes puts you at a higher risk to develop thyroid disease.
Having diabetes puts you at a higher risk to develop thyroid disease. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can create problems with glucose control and insulin resistance, while an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can boost your cholesterol. Find out more.

Hypothyroidism and Diabetes

Learn about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of this autoimmune disorder.
People with diabetes have a high risk for hypothyroidism, a disorder that occurs when the thyroid gland produces lower amounts of hormones than the body needs. Learn more.

Hyperthyroidism and Diabetes

Hyperthyroidism can make blood glucose control difficult, so proper diagnosis and treatment are important.
People with type 1 diabetes are at a high risk for hyperthyroidism, a condition caused by the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Find out more.

Recent blog posts from Ilene Raymond Rush

How to Cope with Stress and Crazy Blood Sugars

Last week I took off some time from worrying about my type 2 diabetes to have a breast biopsy.

The Exercise Habit

My Search for Dr. Right

Sometimes Diabetes is the Least of Your Troubles...

New Year's Resolution: 6 Ways to Get More Peace of Mind

This year, I’ve decided to get a jump on my New Year’s resolutions for 2017.

How to Stop a Bad Day from Becoming a Lousy Month

Ilene Raymond Rush has type 2 diabetes and a few thoughts on managing the urge to splurge on unhealthy foods when life gets stressful.

Diabetes: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

When I think about the totality of my experience with diabetes, I think of the Grateful Dead’s lyric, “Sometimes it occurs to me/What a long strange trip it’s been.”
More from Ilene Raymond Rush's blog "Diabetes Ups and Downs"

Financial Disclosures for Ilene Raymond Rush

OnTrack Diabetes, a Vertical Health, LLC website, is committed to ensuring that the medical information it presents is accurate, balanced, objective, and trustworthy.

To help achieve this goal, OnTrack Diabetes requires all authors, editors, and reviewers to disclose any financial relationships or affiliations they have with companies whose products or services may be mentioned in the content they author, edit, or review.

The intent of this policy is to identify any perceived, potential, or real conflicts of interest so that readers can make their own judgments about the value of information being presented.

Author's Statement

I, the undersigned, declare that neither I nor members of my immediate family have a financial interests or affiliation with commercial companies whose products and / or services may be mentioned in the materials I have authored, edited or reviewed for presentation on Vertical Health, LLC’s websites.
There are no disclosures for this author
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