By Leslie Wade
Producer CNN Medical News

I had the pleasure of meeting pop star Nick Jonas when he and his band were touring in Atlanta, Georgia, in late August. I know he's had media training and been in front of cameras for years, but I was impressed with his composure as he told me about his journey with a disease that affects one in 300 teens.

Nick Jonas talks about living with diabetes.

Four years ago Nick, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers band, spent three days in the hospital. He'd lost 15 pounds in the previous three weeks and he and his family knew something was terribly wrong. Nick had developed type 1 diabetes - his body was no longer producing insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar into energy for our bodies.

Nick made a promise to himself that day. "My commitment to myself, when I was on my way to the hospital, was that I would not let this slow me down. And I didn't," said Nick.

Nick and his family jumped into action, learning all about diabetes and how to treat the disease. "I was devastated. I didn't know anything about diabetes, had no knowledge,” said Nick's mother, Denise Jonas. “I knew he was very ill just by looking at him."

"We had to take steps to have everyone in our family and my brother, who toured with the boys on a regular basis, trained on how to care for Nick. How to monitor him, how to administer his insulin shots, how to test his blood, how to give him a glucose shot if for some reason he passed out and went into a diabetic coma. It's a lot of work," said Denise.

After leaving the hospital, Nick was determined to write a song about his experience. But the piece didn't come together for another 2½ years. "I was having one of those days where it [the blood sugar] was out of range, things were not where I wanted them to be with my diabetes. I sat down at the piano and wrote the song and it came out in 15 minutes," explained Nick.

His song "A Little Bit Longer" seems to touch a chord in teens with diabetes, some of whom feel stigmatized and ashamed to have the disease. "He's had a great voice in helping encourage children and teenagers with type 1… to let other people know they have it,” said Denise Jonas. “I didn't realize how much of the population was ashamed."

Nick's doctor, pediatric endocrinologist Francine Kaufman of Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, California, also knows about the concerns of teens. "The real driving force for a teen is to be just like every other teen, so having anything different - and particularly a chronic illness - sets you apart and many, many of these teenagers feel it, " explained Dr. Kaufman.

Nick is trying to raise awareness and money for diabetes through the band's Change for the Children Foundation. (He's also a paid spokesperson for Bayer, which makes a device to monitor blood glucose levels.)

Nick checks his blood sugar 10 to 12 times a day and his doctor says he takes his disease seriously. "Nick does what somebody with diabetes needs to do: wears an insulin pump, worries about how much insulin he's taking, monitors his blood sugar, stays healthy and gets exercise," says Dr. Kaufman.

But if the demands of his schedule mean a skipped meal before show time his brothers sometimes have to improvise. "I just give them a look and tell them to cover for me while I go off stage and take care of some stuff," says Nick. Which usually means grabbing a little apple juice, orange juice or a bit of food to normalize his blood sugar before heading back out on stage. "All of the crew on the tour are aware that I'm diabetic and they all know how to react in case of an emergency or a situation where I may need assistance," says Nick.

And fortunately those times are rare - a testament to his promise to himself four years ago: Nick, now 17, has not let diabetes keep him from sharing his craft and living his dream. "I'm just thankful to be able to be out here doing what I love with diabetes... and if there is something that I can do personally to inspire and encourage somebody that means the world to me, " says Nick.

Question: Do you or anyone you know struggle with telling others about diabetes? Tell us your story.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Leslie Wade
Producer CNN Medical News

This may sound corny, but I really enjoy spending time with my Mom. In August she turned 80 and could probably beat me in an arm wrestling match - no kidding, and I'm not exactly a weakling.

Jean Wade knows the secrets of healthy aging.

Mom is healthy and strong because she has truly taken care of herself physically, mentally and emotionally. You know all of the nagging you get each time you see your doctor for your annual check up? All the talk about not being a couch potato and eating yummy things like raw broccoli? Well, Mom actually listened and followed instructions.

Having Mom around means the world to me. Being around for your family or loved ones may be a gift worth considering. Here are some of Mom's health secrets, so perhaps we can all make it to 80 and beyond.

Back in the 60s Mom hosted a half hour TV show. One morning she interviewed an exercise instructor who was so impressive, Mom decided it was time to get back in shape. She's been exercising virtually every week since then. Unless she's sick, she gets some sort of weekly exercise: she walks, bikes, takes aerobics classes, swims laps in the pool and hits the ski slopes in the winter. From mid May to late September she rises with the sun and swims in the ocean off the Carolina coast: 400 strokes out from the beach and 400 strokes back, for a total of about 45 minutes. Exercising consistently for more than 45 years has a lot to do with her good posture, strong hand shake and brisk stride, but it's also a key component to her longevity.

We all know the benefits of exercise but let me remind you of a few. Consistent aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and keeps our blood vessels flexible and healthy. Exercise also helps keep cholesterol numbers, as well as blood pressure readings, in the healthy range - all good things when trying to keep heart disease at bay. Exercise is good for brain health, perhaps making us sharper mentally and reducing the risk for dementia and stroke. Exercise helps enhance our moods and may have a positive effect on our sex lives.

Good nutrition is about as important to Mom as exercise. She started cooking at age 13, when her mom went off to work in the factories during World War II, and has never stopped. She reads books about nutrition, has notebooks and cookbooks filled with healthy recipes and subscribes to health newsletters. Even during vacation and holidays, Mom eats a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. She eats meat, but not every day, and the cuts are always lean. You rarely find fatty hamburger or fried chicken on her table and I don't think she's ever bought chips or soda except when having a party.

How can eating right help all of us stay healthy? Low fat meals filled with fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help lower our risk for heart disease, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and keep our waistlines trim. I know it's tempting to eat fast food and high-fat meals, especially when on the run, but eating right may help keep your heart pumping longer, your blood vessels coursing more smoothly and your cholesterol down.

There is no doubt that having a good marriage can reduce stress. Having my dad around for the last 50+ years has not only been entertaining for Mom - he's a very funny fellow - but his kindness and love are like a balm to her, plus he forgives easily. Studies show that reducing our stress level is good for our bodies and minds. When we're stressed out we release chemicals that doctors believe play a role in forming plaques that clog blood vessels in our brains (making us more prone to losing mental capacity as we age) and around our hearts (leading to coronary artery disease). Stress has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and depression. So good marriage or not, reducing stress should be a priority.

No one can predict the future of course, but it wouldn't surprise me if the family gathered to celebrate mom's 100th birthday in 20 years. She's going strong and showing few signs of slowing down. Her bones are as strong as someone in their 20s, her cholesterol and blood pressure numbers are low and her resting heart rate matches that of many a seasoned athlete. She has lived life wisely by eating well, exercising often and keeping an eye on her stress levels. I for one plan to take a page from her playbook: I may not be able to beat my kids in an arm wrestling match when I'm 80 but I sure hope I'm around to give it a try.

What helps motivate you to exercise and stay healthy. How do you stay on course?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Leslie Wade
CNN Medical Producer

I don't think I ever walked much as a kid. I mostly ran. I was a tomboy with an older brother and running and playing outdoors was my MO. So why am I finding it so hard to exercise now that I'm over 50? Maybe it's because an ankle injury has limited me to walking. We all know that exercise is the key to living a longer healthier life. Why don't these words propel us out of bed each morning reaching for the running shoes? It helps me to know WHY something is so before I do it, and exercise is no exception. Let me take you through a rudimentary physiology lesson. I promise I won't get too nerdy.

Sticky and yucky, no thanks – You probably know, there are 2 types of blood cholesterol, the good, called the HDLs, and the bad, the LDLs. If the bad-guy LDLs hang around in your bloodstream too long they help form gunk in your arteries called plaques. If a piece of plaque breaks off, this can lead to a heart attack or stroke. This is where exercise can help. When you work up a sweat your body goes into garbage-removal mode and actually carries some of the bad cholesterol out before it has a chance to wreak havoc.

Better snugglin' with your honey – OK, so most of us would like to keep having sex as the years go by. And one of the best ways to ensure that your love life stays in synch is to get your blood moving through exercise. Experts say regular cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, running, or other aerobic fitness of your choosing – three to five days a week for about 30 minutes - should do the trick. As we become fit, the heart muscle becomes more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body, and our blood vessels, which have a tendency to get stiff and brittle from lack of exercise, become more flexible. Exercise also helps keep those pesky LDLs from forming plaques, aiding blood flow. And better circulation means less chance of impotence or erectile dysfunction. But men aren't the only ones whose sex drive can suffer from lousy blood flow. Ladies, if the blood isn't getting to where it needs to go, well, you get the picture.

Better thinkin' noggin – Working up a sweat is one of the best ways to stay mentally sharp as we age. Brain cells called neurons need a lot of support to ensure that we continue to think clearly and remember things. And when you increase your heart rate through physical activity, more blood gets to the brain, bringing with it valuable brain food called glucose and oxygen. Studies in animals have also found that exercise stimulates the release of proteins (called nerve growth factors) that act like fertilizer keeping neurons healthy. Scientists are beginning to think this may be the case in humans as well. And another bit of good news, aerobic exercise two or three times a week cuts your chances of getting dementia later in life in half.

The other night when I was walking on the raised track at the local YMCA, I was ready to say the heck with it and head home. I was tired from a long week at work, not sleeping well because of my husband's cold and just plain bushed from worrying about the economy. But I kept going. I looked down at the basketball court under the track and watched as about a dozen 5-year-olds struggled to heave basketballs up toward the net. They shoved, grunted, stumbled and giggled, which got me laughing and thinking. Though those little guys were moving differently, they were running and chasing rebounds. I was simply putting one tired foot in front of the other. Yet we shared something very important. We were doing something good for our minds and bodies and, with luck, making our lives a little better.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.