Posts in category: Health & Family

ABBREVIATIONS
Always use the abbreviations for the following:
AADE: American Association of Diabetes Educators
ADA: American Diabetes Association
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture

BYLINES
Order as follows:
Writing
Recipes
Photos
Illustrations
Styling
Beauty

CREDENTIALS
1. Academic degrees (use periods) in descending order:
M.D. Doctor of Medicine
D.O. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
D.P.M. Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
D.M.D. Doctor of Dental Medicine
D.D.S. Doctor of Dental Surgery
Pharm.D. Doctor of Pharmacy
Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy
M.M.Sc. Master of Medical Science
M.S. Master of Science
M.P.H. Master of Public Health
M.S.Ed. Master of Science in Education
M.S.W. Master of Social Work

2. Certifications (no periods) in descending order:
RPh Registered Pharmacist
NP Nurse Practitioner
CNP Certified Nurse Practitioner
RN Registered Nurse
RDN Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
RD Registered Dietitian
LDN Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist
LD Licensed Dietitian
CDN Certified Diabetes Nutritionist
CDCES Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (formerly CDE: Certified Diabetes Educator) (updated 7/31/20)
CSCS Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

3. Fellows (alphabetical):
FACC Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
FACSM Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine
FAHA Fellow of the American Heart Association
FAND Fellow of the American Dietetic Association

4. Title

5. Place of work

6. Location of workplace (if necessary)
EX. Alison Evert, M.S., RD, CDE, coordinator of diabetes education programs at the University of Washington Medical Center Endocrine and Diabetes Care Center in Seattle.
CREDITS/SOURCES
Always refer to individuals (PWDs and professionals) by their last names after first reference.

The first mention in text, captions, and sidebars should identify individuals and professionals with their first and last names.

In general, don’t use last names for minors; last names may be implied, however, if children are part of a family featured in a story. If using a minor’s last name is important to a story (a 14-year-old who is the focus of a story, for example), verify that the minor’s guardians have signed the proper release form(s).

List sources at the end of a story either as a list with bullets or on one line with names divided by semicolons.

DIRECTIONALS
See: Directionals
EXCEPTION: Always use parentheses to set off internal directionals.
MISCELLANEOUS STYLE

carbohydrate, carb, carb., carbs

Blood sugar and blood glucose may be used interchangeably.

“Cook until thick and bubbly.”

diabetes-friendly (preferred over diabetic-friendly)

In digital copy, in a sentence: XX grams of carb (no period)

LADA: Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults

mg/dl (not dL)

PWD: person with diabetes (singular); PWDs (plural)

Use % (percent symbol) in all Department stories; spell percent in feature stories and recipe method.

PAN SIZES
Size of pan: It is important to leave size of pan for skillets, etc. No longer calling for an extra-large or large skillets. DL will call for inches.
Skillet sizes: Small = 6 inches, medium = 8 inches, large = 10 inches, extra-large = 12 inches
See also Common Baking Pan Sizes.

PRODUCTS
Round up prices to the nearest dollar. (List a $25.97 product as $26.)

Refer to products in the following order:
Brand and product name, price; website
EX. Impact by Jillian Michaels Women’s Pulse Hoodie, $23; kmart.com
For sidebar copy:
EX. We love this Bentgo All-in-One Stackable Bento Lunch Box that comes with two large, divided compartments for easy portion control. $15; bentgo.com
TIMINGS
DL will give hands on time and total time.
Minutes and hours will be abbreviated. DL will omit total time if it is a slow cooker recipe.
Total time appears as: Total 30 min.
Hands On 15 min.
Slow Cook 6 hr. 30 min Do not note (low) or (high). Time should be the longest amount of time it takes to slow cook. In the above example, you can cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours. Later in the recipe you turn slow cooker to high and cook additional 30 minutes.

WEBSITES
See: World Wide Web

See also Health: Drugs and Vitamins.

Avoid definitive words such as “prove.” Instead, use terms such as “indicates” or “suggests” and qualifiers such as “may increase.”

Don’t get caught up in junk science (autism/vaccine debate). Don’t give credence to the other side if science doesn’t back it up.

Italicize the names of scholarly journals and publications.
Annals of Internal Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

Avoid writing about medical issues (symptoms, studies, medications) in general way that suggests they affect men and women in the same way. A writer should not take a common claim at face value.
WRONG: The first sign of a heart attack is chest pain.
RIGHT: Chest pain is a common sign that you may be having a heart attack.

See also the Nonsexist Writing section of the BHGStylebook.

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

Distinguish between brand and generic.
WRONG: The doctor put Smith on Crestor.
RIGHT: The doctor put Smith on rosuvastatin.

Note: In Diabetic Living, refer to drugs by the generic name and include the brand name in parentheses. This helps to clarify information for our readers.
The doctor put Smith on rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Be careful to clarify whether a drug has been approved by the FDA, is awaiting approval, or is still being considered. Homeopathic drugs are NOT FDA-approved.

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

Medical doctors should have M.D. listed after their names, but not Dr. before their names.
WRONG: Dr. Richard L. Shapiro of New York University says.
RIGHT: Richard L. Shapiro, M.D., of New York University says.

On first reference, give the specialty and location after the name.
Richard L. Shapiro, M.D., a surgeon at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York.

See also Abbreviations: Degrees and certifications.

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

Abbreviations, acronyms, and commonly confused terms

Courtesy titles for medical professionals

Diabetic Living style points

Drugs and vitamins

Gender issues

Scientific studies

Websites for reference

eatright.org (American Dietetic Association)
fda.org (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
heart.org (American Heart Association)
mayoclinic.org (Mayo Clinic’s overview of diseases and conditions)
nih.gov (National Institutes of Health)
nsgc.org (National Society of Genetic Counselors)
webmd.com
usda.gov (U.S. Department of Agriculture, including FDA and FSIS)

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents

AACE: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

ADA: Can be American Dietetic Association, American Diabetes Association, and American Dental Association. Spell out on first reference to ensure it is clear to the reader which organization you’re referring to.

Alternative medicine: Any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula of the United States and Britain.

AMI: Acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a sudden and serious heart attack. (See MI.)

BMI: Body mass index. This equation gives a numerical rating of health based on height and weight. As the number increases, so does the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Body-fat percentage: A measurement, either through the skin-fold method or bioelectrical impedance analysis, to determine a person’s body fat percentage.

BRCA1/BRCA2: Both are genes in which mutation can contribute to breast or ovarian cancer.

Chronic: Can mean long-lasting, continuous, or recurrent. (Recurrent diseases are understood to relapse with periods of remission in between episodes or courses.)

COOL: Country-of-origin labeling. This U.S. law, signed in 2002, requires grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouse stores to notify customers where certain foods originate.

CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This lifesaving technique is used when someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. It involves chest compressions combined with mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing.

CT scan: Computerized tomography (CT) scan. A series of X-ray views are taken from many angles. They are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the bones and soft tissues in the body.

DASH diet: Dietary approaches to stop hypertension. This eating plan is for people with high blood pressure or prehypertension. It is rich in whole grans, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat or fat-free dairy.

DRI: Dietary reference intake. These are called NRI, nutrient reference values, in other countries.

DV: Daily value on nutrition panels, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. (See also RDA and RDI; there are large and small differences among these three recommendations and it is extremely important to label them correctly.)

ECG: Another name for an EKG. (See EKG.)

Echo: Short for echocardiogram. The ultrasound test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart.

EKG: Electrocardiogram. This procedure measures the electrical activity of the heart through small electrode patches attached to the skin of the chest, arms, and legs.

FAST: An acronym used to help people determine if someone is having a stroke.
F (Face)—Does one side of the face droop?
A (Arms)—Ask the person to raise both arms and see if one drifts downward.
S (Slurred speech)—Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and see if the words are slurred.
T (Time)—If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911, or get to the hospital fast.

HDL: High-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol. High levels seem to protect against heart attack by carrying cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. In copy, refer to this as HDL (good) cholesterol.

IU: International units. It is a measure for vitamins.

JDRF: Formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; now just JDRF.

LDL: Low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol. Too much in the blood can slowly build up in the inner walls of arteries that feed the heart and brain, forming a thick, hard deposit called plaque that can narrow and harden arteries. In copy, refer to this as LDL (bad) cholesterol.

MI: Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. (See AMI.)

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging. The technique uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues within the body.

NIDDK: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

RDA: Recommended daily allowance. (See also DV and RDI; there are large and small differences among these three recommendations and it is extremely important to label them correctly.)

RDI: Recommended dietary intake. (See also DV and RDA; there are large and small differences among these three recommendations and it is extremely important to label them correctly.)

TIA: Transient ischemic attack. It often is called a mini stroke. Blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or reduced, often by a blood clot. After a short time, blood flows again and the symptoms go away. A TIA is considered a warning that you are likely to have a stroke in the future.

UL: Tolerable upper-intake level. This is a measurement of the highest average daily nutrient intake level that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects.

Back to BHG Stylebook Table of Contents