Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Diabetes on January 29th, 2011
Diabetes is considered a serious affection due to its permanent existence, procedures and moreover the complications that involves. Even though many people all over the world suffer from diabetes, the specialists haven t discovered yet the real source of its occurance. It is very important to mention that people who suffer from diabetes should ask for medical help as soon as they notice changes in their body and unusual symptoms.
It must firstly be recognized that most of the herbal treatment for diabetes are not recommended for those requiring insulin treatment. This is because the majority of the herbs being used have proven effective in helping to restore the body’s ability to control the blood sugar level by boosting the effectiveness of the body’s own insulin.
Panax one of the ginseng roots species used in the treatment of type II diabetes. This herbal root is often available in dried form, either whole or sliced for easy shipment from one part of the globe to the other. It is generally inexpensive and can be found in the next Chinese or Asian shop close to you.
Type 2 usually develops in older individuals and there appears to be a correlation between obesity, and there is a great increase in developement of type 2 in younger childeren who are obese and who don’t exercise. This connection gives the first clue to the simplest form of treatment for type 2 diabetes – diet and exercise.
Insulin injections represent the treatment of choice for people who suffer from type 1 diabetes. Alternative treatments are in development. As the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, islet transplantation has also been taken into consideration. This procedure is meant to replace the little cells in which insulin is transported from the pancreas.
Proven safe and effective, medicinal herbs enhance the dietetics planning to reverse diabetes. As a home diabetes treatment, herbs can reverse diabetes without damaging side-effects, relieve physical and emotional stress, and improve general wellness.
Health is an asset which must not be neglected at any cost. With research and proper study, information can be gathered about daily exercising needs and healthy eating practices. Parents must take the responsibility of educating their children about good eating habits so that they can retain their good lifestyle practices even when they become individual adults.
A simple blood test, known as the A1c test, can measure the average blood glucose levels over the previous three months. This test is a very good way to monitor and critique how effective current treatments, diet, medications, etc.
Every team needs a leader, or captain if you will. Choosing your captain is a crucial step in the success of your team. This person will be your leader, your anchor, and possibly the person who introduces you to the remainder of your team roster. Your captain can be a physician, a nurse practitioner, or a physician’s assistant.
Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Other on January 27th, 2011
High blood pressure remedies are sought by many people to stop the onslaught of this silent killer. And since it has no symptoms until discovered by a doctor, many people have it and don’t even know about it. Each year people are diagnosed with various conditions resulting from high blood pressure. This still means that many people in the United States are at risk for heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and other problems and don’t realize it.
Hypertension makes the heart work harder and thus increasing the strain on the heart and arteries. Hypertension can be caused by various things, but if you use natural and healthy high blood pressure remedies, you can keep your pressure managed safely.
How Healthy High Blood Pressure Remedies Can Help You
Ask about any prescription drug and one of the first things you’ll get is the laundry list of accompanying side effects. Of course the drugs can help your hypertension, but at what possible cost?
And these are not all! Wouldn’t you prefer a natural high blood pressure remedy to help normalize your pressure? And with all natural ingredients they can help improve blood flow and improve your cardiovascular system without the associated side effects of prescription drugs.
High Blood Pressure Remedies And Lifestyles Changes
Hypertension is the result of many factors. You can take control of it, however, and stabilize your blood pressure, along with taking natural high blood pressure remedies to help you out. The following are ways you can insure healthy pressure levels.
Reduce your sodium intake. This also includes processed foods such as hotdogs, sausages, and cold cuts, as well as many snack foods like potato chips. Get regular exercise. Aerobic exercise will help keep your cardiovascular system in shape as well as helping your muscle tone.
Cut back on caffeine. As a stimulant it makes your heart race as well as causing other potential problems such as insomnia. Drink plenty of water. Increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Try stress release techniques. These include meditation, practicing slow breathing, taking some time out each day to be relaxed and unhurried, and even trying to be more optimistic in general. Be aware of what you eat. Make it a habit to read food labels.
Try to maintain a healthy weight. Too much body mass puts more strain on the heart and increases your pressure.
Conclusion
These are steps towards a healthy heart and healthy blood readings. With natural high blood pressure remedies to supplement your efforts, you won’t have to watch out for unwanted complications in the future.
Posted by: Alyssa Morris in News on January 26th, 2011
Y launches diabetes prevention program
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, there is a unique opportunity right in Alexandria to take part in a program that’s intended to help delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Alexandria YMCA is one of 22 sites nationwide selected to offer the Diabetes Prevention Program.
“This is an opportunity that generally goes to a larger market,” said Alexandria YMCA Director Jeff Bartholomew. “We’re very fortunate to be part of this program.”
The program is based on research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed that by eating healthier, increasing physical activity and losing a small amount of weight, a person with pre-diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.
“Making a change is not easy, but this program is designed to have continued support in place to help prevent the onset of this chronic disease,” said Kara Elwood, Alexandria YMCA’s health enhancement director.
What is
pre-diabetes?
Pre-diabetes often precedes the onset of type 2 diabetes; diabetes is the leading cause of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and nerve disease.
People with pre-diabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. In fact, about one in three American adults are pre-diabetic and many of them may not know they are at risk. In Minnesota, more than one million people are pre-diabetic.
People with pre-diabetes are likely to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they take steps to prevent or delay diabetes – and that’s what the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program is designed to do.
Elwood has seen the success of the program first-hand when she led a similar program at the Willmar YMCA. “I have seen an individual diagnosed with pre-diabetes get rid of his medications, feel better and have more energy, and last spring, he completed his first half-marathon. It was pretty amazing,” she said. “This program has been successful for people, especially in a community setting.”
Program details
Participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program will take part in a 16-week session that focuses on changing their lifestyle. In a classroom setting at the local YMCA, the once a week, one-hour sessions will provide participants with information about healthy eating, physical activity and other behavior changes.
Some of the class topics include: Lifestyle Balance, Active Way of Life, Calorie Detective, Talking Back to Negative Thoughts and more.
In addition, after the 16-week program ends, monthly check-ins and support sessions will be offered through the year.
Through the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, the goal is for participants to reduce body weight by 7 percent and increase physical activity up to 150 minutes per week.
“The hardest step is always the first step and that first class is always the hardest to fill because people aren’t sure what to expect,” Elwood said.
“This program is something that’s very much needed,” said Alexandria Clinic’s Diabetes Education Program Coordinator Cathy Dreher. “We have such a large population of people in the pre-diabetes stage and many are at high risk because they have a family history of diabetes and obesity. Unfortunately, as years go by, we’re going to see more and more people with diabetes.”
How to participate
To qualify for the program, individuals must be overweight and at high risk for developing diabetes or have been diagnosed by a physician as someone with pre-diabetes. People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes do not qualify.
The three largest medical facilities in the area – Alexandria Clinic, Broadway Medical Center and Douglas County Hospital – are supporting the program by referring pre-diabetic patients to the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. A doctor’s referral is preferred, but the YMCA staff will help individuals with a self-referral test and checklist.
The first session of the Diabetes Prevention Program begins Thursday, January 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Alexandria YMCA. The cost to participate is $170 for YMCA members and $195 for non-members. YMCA financial assistance is available for those who qualify.
Diabetes Prevention: Take More Steps
Adding more steps to your day can help you ward off diabetes, as well as obesity, suggest researchers in Australia. Published in BMJ, the research is the first to estimate the impact of long-term changes in daily step count on insulin sensitivity. Nearly 600 middle-aged adults using pedometers took part in the five-year study. Researchers found that a higher daily step count during the study period was associated with a smaller body mass index and waist to hip ratio, as well as better insulin sensitivity. The study authors write that the findings “provide further support to promote higher physical activity levels among middle aged adults.”
Leading Scientific Experts to Convene in Washington, D.C. as Cases of Type 1 Diabetes Rise
On Saturday, January 29th, hundreds of parents and clinicians from up and down the East Cost will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from some of the country’s most prominent researchers about the latest developments in the prevention, management and cure of type 1 diabetes. The Type 1 Research Summit is sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Capitol Chapter and will be held 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Maryland. Registration is required.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes and no cure. People with type 1 diabetes have to test their blood sugar and give themselves insulin injections multiple times or use a pump – each day, every day of their lives. Even with this intensive care regimen, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.
Diabetes of all types continues to grow at an alarming rate – in the last 30 years, the number of people with diabetes has skyrocketed to about 24 million people in the United States alone, including as many as three million Americans affected by type 1 diabetes. The cost of diabetes is staggering – one out of every five health care dollars is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes, and one out of every three Medicare dollars is attributed to diabetes. The national price tag for diabetes is at an astounding $174 billion per year and that cost is estimated to almost triple in the next 25 years.
Even with treatments available today, tight blood sugar control remains a challenge and daily struggle for those living with type 1 diabetes. The majority of people living with the disease are not achieving recommended target levels.
“The JDRF Research Summit offers access to information from leading experts in diabetes prevention, treatment and awareness. Each brings a unique perspective, from physicians to scientists and congressional staffers, to medical journalists,” said Diana DeGette (D-CO), Co-Chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus.
One of the highlights of the Summit will be the latest news on the development of an artificial pancreas. JDRF launched the Artificial Pancreas Project in 2005 to speed the development of automated diabetes management systems. A self-regulating system, the artificial pancreas would be able to sense sugar levels continuously and automatically release the right amount of insulin at the right times – eliminating the need for multiple blood tests, insulin injections and therefore lifting the daily burden associated with managing diabetes.
“An artificial pancreas, essentially a device that would both measure blood sugar and dispense appropriate amounts of insulin to keep levels in optimal range, would take much of the guesswork out of daily management of the disease,” said Dr. Aaron Kowalski, Assistant Vice President of Treatment Therapies at JDRF who will be speaking at the Summit. “In the long-run, controlled blood sugar levels will help to lessen or avert the devastating complications from type 1 diabetes.”
Other speakers include Dan Hurley, author of Diabetes Rising; Henry Rodriguez, M.D.(University of South Florida Diabetes Center), who will speak about the challenges and opportunities of raising a child with type 1; Mark Atkinson, PhD, from the Network of Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD) and Director of the Diabetes Center of Excellence at the University of Florida; Ed Damiano, PhD, of Boston University, where one of the artificial pancreas trials is taking place; Jerry Palmer, M.D. (University of Washington) who will talk about the DiaPrevent GAD study which is looking at whether the Diamyd vaccine can preserve insulin function; and Bill Parsons, Legislative Director to Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Pain Management on January 22nd, 2011
Session with a resident healthcare professional or MD may not be high-priced, but some pharmaceutical medicines can be quite really exorbitant. Looking for another ways to relieve pain in the comfort of your own home can be reasonable and inexpensive, especially if you are on a budget.
Here are some of practical home pain relief options and the kind of ailments that you can use them for:
Carpal tunnel syndrome: Over use of objects; working on the computer, and other repetitious motions over long periods of time can bring about carpal tunnel syndrome. Doctors will suggest surgery for tough cases. In any case, CTS symptoms can also be alleviated by using ice. Putting an ice pack over the inflamed and swollen area for 15 minutes for 2 to three times a day can take care of the blister and the redness.
Back pain: Alternating heat and ice every 10 to fifteen minutes can greatly take care of your back pain. Rolling a temperate bottle of water around the affected area can also solve the problem. Bed-buddies that can be heated over and over again in the microwave or be put in the refrigerator are also cheap and can alternate with your old warm bottles. Carrot juice can also help with joint discomfort and strengthening the ligaments.
Arthritis: Using paraffin wax for treatment is one of the best home pain relief treatment for arthritis. Using it two or 3 times per a week will bring about the much-needed benefits. You can also use it on your feet and elbows. Do not eat beans, some nuts and legumes to prevent arthritic discomfort.
Fibromyalgia: Regular exercise is one of the suggested home remedies to relieve fibromyalgia discomfort. Yoga and stretching helps to ease tight muscles and prevent muscle spasms. Eating garlic or garlic powder also helps with fibromyalgia pain and controls blood pressure. Bathing in warmish water with Epsom salt removes toxins and gives comfort for stiffness and burnout you felt before.
Other herbal pain killers that can be available at home are Chamomile and lavender tea. These mixed with honey and lemon fruits can help alleviate sore throat and cool the nerves. Coffee as well as cocoa are also good antioxidants and can defend our cells from diseases.
Reasons why some home pain relievers are much better than most drugs that you can buy from online pharmacy outlets:
Some of the home pain relievers are mostly home-made and are cost effective than pharmaceutical drugs or any other online medicine pain medicine you could buy. Making lifestyle changes also bring about longer-lasting solution than unsteady and temporary pain reliefs. While Rx pain killers and drugs perform faster than home pain relief, it can induce strong, and sometimes life threatening adverse effects. Being able to make your own at home pain reliever kit is very helpful mostly during emergency.
Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Anxiety on January 21st, 2011
Anxiety self help options include a variety of treatment options which can be explored by sufferers and their families.
It is important, firstly, to understand that anxiety is a natural emotion that we all experience in response to situations of danger or high levels of stress. Those with anxiety disorders however, experience these emotions much more often and with greater intensity – constantly living with a state of panic and anxiousness about even the most mundane of everyday things.
Self treatment is about finding different ways to control the fears and anxieties that underlie the different types of anxiety disorder, whether general anxiety disorder, OCD, agoraphobia, various phobias or post traumatic stress disorder.
Treating Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a natural emotion that has a place in certain situations. When you are in danger for example, feeling panicky and anxious is a natural response and part of our survival mechanism called ‘fight or flight’. If you are suffering an anxiety disorder, even something as seemingly normal as choosing a brand of cereal can create high levels of agitation, anxiety and panic.
Such disorders often have an element of control to them, and the sufferer sometimes tries to find other ways to control their environment and actions to compensate for the constant barrage of anxious thoughts that they experience.
Anxiety Self Help And Treatment Options
Anxiety is an emotion that we can control with the right support, strategies and guidance. To help your anxiety to diminish, you may consider taking some of the following steps:
Increasing physical activity – Physical activity can have a positive impact on both physical and mental well being. If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, this exercise can help to stimulate the body to release natural hormones which can help lift your mood and reduce stress.
Taking time out and reduce stress – High levels of stress can be directly attributed to generalized anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Taking time away from work, family pressures, study or any other situation that increases your stress levels can help to decrease your overall levels of anxiety. Even a short period of time that you reserve for yourself can make a world of difference.
Making time for relaxation and meditation – Meditation and relaxation offers you an opportunity to ‘quiet’ your thoughts and reduce stress. Meditative exercises can also be highly effective for sufferers as they include a focus on deep, controlled breathing – an activity which can reduce stress and help to alleviate the symptoms of panic attacks which are brought on by anxiety.