Symptoms

Diabetes, or Diabetes Mellitus to give it its proper medical name, is a disorder of assimilation. When the pancreases become inactive or atrophied and cease to produce insulin, the body is unable to convert the sugar into energy for the muscles. Its chief symptoms are weakness and loss of weight, great thirst and increase in the amount of urine passed. There is sometimes voracious appetite but the patient. Gradually becomes more and more emaciated. Owing to poor vitality of the tissues, various skin eruptions like boils and carbuncles appear. There may be itching in the groins and eczema. A serious complication could be gangrene of the skin of the feet, beginning with the toes. A curious phenomenon is that the younger the patient, the more rapid is the course of the disease.

Allopathy depends mostly on administration of insulin to, dissolve the sugar in the blood and forbidding starchy and sugary foods to the patients modern science has not been able to pinpoint the real cause of the disease: what is available is only generalizations such as, obese persons are more susceptible to the disease, it attacks males more than females, or that it runs in the families etc.

Treatment

As in cases of other diseases, naturopathy recommends a diet and no drugs. The main purpose is to help the body to assimilate the sugar into the system and that can be achieved by a special diet. I would recommend about one kg of curd made from cow's milk and various types of gourds without salt. The greener the vegetables, the most beneficial it would be. Sour fruits like tomatoes, oranges, pineapple, rose apple (jamun), scolanum (makoy) could also be taken with advantage. The patient can also take one or two chappaties made of flour, which has not been passed through sieve. The person suffering from diabetes must take long walks (preferably ten kilometers) daily. Remember that the disease strikes generally those who lead a sedan try life, and are used to a rich diet.

Cereals, sugar and preparations should not be taken for some time. The other method of treating the disease is by fasting for a couple of days and then eating sour fruit only for a week during which green vegetables may also be alternated with the fruits. Curd made from cow's milk must form and inevitable part of the every meal. If the curd is not available, about 50 grammes of germinated gram may be taken with every meal. After about a fortnight of this regimen, the patient can take bread made of whole flour.

Diabetics must take physical exercise as that helps to utilize the blood sugar. Walking, preferably jugging is the best exercise I can recommend. Hipbath recommended by kunhe is extremely beneficial in the case of diabetes, particularly for patients suffering from constipation. For a leathery skin most diabetes develops, the best exercise is vigorous rubbing of the skin with a rough towel for fifteen minutes before a bath with cold water.

Allopaths while recommending a sugar face-free diet to the diabetic prescribes a high protein diet like fish, eggs, meat and lentils leading to an imbalance in his food. Advising patients to take saccharine instead of sugar, the allopaths expose them to the danger of slow poisoning. The harmful effects of saccharine have recently been observed.

The diabetic must also try to remain cheerful and keep his poise. There are some asanas recommended by yoga specialists which ave proved helpful in dealing with the disease.

Dr John AnneFor more information regarding Natural Home Remedies for Diabetes, Herbal Remedy http://www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_diabetes.htm visit Natural Home Remedies and Herbal Treatments

Also know about Diabetes Mellitus Information and Treatment Supply

The next time you hear someone say, “I can’t do it,” tell them the story of American cross-country skier Kris Freeman.

Training for his first Olympics, then 19-year-old Freeman learned he had developed type 1 diabetes, a disease in which the body does not produce insulin. Three doctors told him his career was over and that he would never again race competitively.

“It was a devastating blow, but I decided diabetes was not going to control my life,” Freeman said. “I did research and learned that with a balanced diet, the help of my physician, frequent blood sugar monitoring and insulin therapy, I could remain competitive.”

Freeman is more than just competitive – he’s now the top cross-country skier in the United States. And his dedication to the sport and his health continue to pay off. Since being diagnosed in August 2000, Freeman has won five national titles, made strong finishes in both the Salt Lake City and Torino, Italy Winter Olympic Games and was recently named the cross-country Grand National Champion for 2006.

Morris Keeling, 54, of St. Cloud, Minn., shares something in common with Freeman. Though Keeling isn’t an athlete, he is a champion in his own right. He helps care for his wife, who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 40 years.

“I’ve found over the years the best way to help Patty is to live, eat and sleep the disease along with her,” Keeling said. “It’s almost as if I have diabetes too except I don’t have an insulin pump.”

Dealing with diabetes isn’t the only thing that connects Keeling and Freeman. So does their dedication to LillyforLife, an annual awards program sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company that recognizes the accomplishments of people affected by diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 21 million Americans have this disease for which there currently is no cure.

Freeman has been the program’s ambassador since 2001. Keeling is the 2005 LillyforLife Achievement Award winner for caregivers. The judges selected him for the award after reading an essay his wife wrote about his devotion to her.

“I feel good to have won the title and it’s very humbling,” Keeling said. “I don’t do what I do to get recognized, but because I love my wife very much and want what’s best for her.” Keeling donated the prize he received to the American Diabetes Association. “I hope it makes a difference in the search for a cure,” he says.

“There are plenty more people like Kris and Morris out there, and we would love to recognize and honor them,” said Ron Hoven, insulins brand leader for Eli Lilly and Company. “If you have diabetes or are involved with the diabetes community, I encourage you to apply for a 2006 LillyforLife Achievement Award.”

There are four categories for the 2006 Achievement Awards: Young Champion, for people age 17 and younger; Adult Achiever, for people age 18 and older; Professional Hero, for doctors, nurses, educators and other professionals; and Friendly Face, for spouses, partners, friends or caregivers of people with diabetes.

If you or someone you know should be considered for this award, submit an application and a 500-word essay describing the nominee’s accomplishments, activities within or dedication to the diabetes community. Supporting articles, videotapes and photographs are accepted, but will not be returned.

One winner in each category will receive an etched glass trophy and tickets for two to fly to Lilly’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., for a tour and VIP celebration. Additionally, the Young Champion, Adult Achiever and Friendly Face winners will receive a $1,500 prize.

SIDEBAR

Win Your LillyforLife Award:

To apply for this award, log on to www.LillyforL click on the link that says “Achievement Award,” and follow the directions for downloading an application.

You’ll need to fill out the application form and write a 500-word essay outlining the accomplishments that deserve recognition. You can nominate yourself or someone you know.

One winner in each category will receive an etched glass trophy and tickets for two to fly to Lilly’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., for a tour and VIP celebration. Additionally, the Young Champion, Adult Achiever and Friendly Face winners will receive a $1,500 prize.

For an Achievement Award application or for more information about any of Lilly’s other award programs, visit www.LillyforL or call toll free (888) 545-5115. The deadline for applications is August 1, 2006. - ARA

Diabetes is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease. More and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes and need to learn a proper diet for diabetes to keep their disease under control. Following the right diet is essential to prevent serious complications.

A diet for diabetes focuses on maintaining a proper intake of foods with a special concentration on the amount of carbohydrates consumed. The reason for the focus on carbohydrates is that carbohydrates make your blood glucose levels go up.

In someone with diabetes, controlling blood glucose levels is the main goal. A site with useful information for diabetics is: http://4

Most often a doctor will give a patient a diet for diabetes to follow based upon their particular type of diabetes and glucose level. There is a general diet, that usually is fine as a starting point for diabetic patients.

This diet is also recommended for people who may be at risk for developing diabetes. It can help prevent or slow down the onset ofdisease.

In general, a diet for diabetes mainly involves portion control and eating from all the food groups. It also focuses on limiting sweets and fats.

It also stresses that you should eat meals and snacks around the same time each day. Doing so helps your body to keep your blood glucose levels stable.

A good diet for diabetes consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks daily. The food pyramid guidelines should be followed.

This includes: 3-5 servings of vegetables, 6-11 servings of grains, 2-4 servings of fruit, 2-3 servings of meat and 2-3 servings of dairy. It is important to remember to keep fats and sugars down.

Eating lean meats and low fat dairy will help. The servings from each food group ought to be spread out throughout the day. And, it is best to not eat too many carbohydrates at one time.

The best advice a person can get when planning a diet for diabetes is to pay attention to your body. A diabetic will be able to tell when they are not eating correctly.

Because their body will give them signs, like tiredness or excitability. If a diabetic begins to feel bad, they can adjust their diet.

Most often your body will give you clues to let you know you should eat something or something you ate was not good. Being aware is just as important as the diet itself.

While there is no one diet for diabetes, these general guidelines should be followed. Some people are capable of designing their own diet, while others may need extra help from your doctor.

The entire idea of a diet for diabetes is to prevent spikes or dips in blood glucose levels. By keeping your diet under control you ought to be able to maintain good health.

By following a consistent diet and listening to your body, a diabetic can maintain their health without needing to be overly concerned by their diet. After a while following a diabetic diet becomes second nature and the person will no longer have to think much about what they are eating.

Annie Beal is a healthcare writer who makes it easy for people to learn about treatment options. She is a contributing author at MedicalN For more of her work go to:Health Tips

In the United States alone, this year more than 1 million people age 20 or older will develop type 2 diabetes, putting them at serious risk for heart disease, blindness and nerve damage.

Did you know that the imbalances of blood sugar and insulin that result in diabetes can damage your system years before a diagnosis is made? Your answers to the following questions may determine if you are on the path to diabetes.

1. Are you overweight?

2. Are you apple shaped (your waist is larger than your hips)?

3. Are you a couch potato?

4. Do you crave high-carbohydrate foods?

5. Do you have high blood pressure or borderline high blood pressure?

6. Is there diabetes in your family?

7. Do you wake up tired?

8. Are you tired or sleepy not long after a meal?

9. Do you get irritable when a meal is delayed?

10. Do you experience mid-afternoon slumps?

11. If you are a woman, did you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy?

If you answered "yes" to several of these questions, reading "Atkins Diabetes Revolution" will provide more information on how to identify risks for diabetes early on and how to control your blood sugar if you are already a diabetic.

"The main purpose of this book is to focus people on the basic but dramatic fact that many individuals may prevent type 2 diabetes by simply changing what they put on their plate," said Dr. Mary Vernon, co-author of "Atkins Diabetes Revolution."

This book will show readers how to minimize the risks for type 2 diabetes by:

* Identifying risk factors as early as possible.

* Correcting the metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes.

* Individualizing the controlled-carbohydrate approach.

* Integrating exercise, which is essential to improving the metabolism.

* Minimizing exposure to pharmaceuticals.

The information in the book should be used in conjunction with the guidance and care of a physician. For more information, visit - NU

Any long trip involves careful planning, patience and a positive attitude. For the 18.2 million Americans with diabetes, the journey to diabetes management is a lifelong endeavor.

The directions on the road map to success are easy to remember.

"Proper nutrition, regular exercise and frequent blood glucose monitoring are the cornerstones of successful diabetes management," says Lorena Drago, a certified diabetes educator. "Work with your health care professional to develop a diabetes action plan, and you're on the road to successfully managing diabetes!"

Drago recommends the following tips to help you on your way towards better diabetes management.

* Break the fast. Studies show that even a 5 percent weight loss can positively affect your health and reduce diabetes-related complications. For a person weighing 200 pounds, that's just 10 pounds. Eating three meals a day and establishing regular meal times can help control calorie intake and manage weight. Pay special attention to breakfast. According to the National Weight Control Registry, people who regularly eat breakfast are more likely to achieve and maintain weight loss.

During the morning rush, grab a delicious Glucerna bar or shake. They're convenient and contain slowly digested carbohydrates that help avoid peaks in blood sugar levels. Ask your health care professional how to use Glucerna products in your meal plan.

* Stop stress. Stressful situations can cause blood sugar to rise or fall. Walking, stretching and dancing can all help reduce stress and lower blood sugar levels. Keeping a journal to write down positive thoughts also helps you work through stressful times.

* Be prepared while on-the-move. It's important to carry diabetes medications, a blood glucose meter and supplies with you at all times. Free Style Flash, the smallest blood glucose meter in the world, easily fits into a purse or briefcase. These supplies are essential if illness, flight delays or other unexpected situations arise.

To encourage better management among the millions of Americans with diabetes, the makers of Glucerna and FreeStyle products are hitting the road with the "Taking Diabetes Freedom to the Streets" tour. They are asking people with diabetes and their caretakers to take the Diabetes Freedom pledge and commit to manage diabetes or help others manage the condition 365 days a year.

Visit or call (800) 986-8935 to take the pledge and receive valuable information to help you take control and experience "diabetes freedom" through a healthier lifestyle. -NU

Of the 30 million Hispanics living in the United States, about 2 million have been diagnosed with diabetes and millions more have a high risk of developing the disease.

Type 2 diabetes can lead to health problems such as blindness, amputation, kidney and heart disease. The good news is that diabetes is preventable. Studies show that losing weight if you are overweight, limiting fat and calories and exercising for 30 minutes five days a week can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by more than 50 percent.

As part of a diabetes prevention campaign called "Paso a Paso," or "Step by Step," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program is targeting Hispanics who are at risk of developing the disease. The campaign stresses the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition in preventing diabetes.

Among the campaign materials is a music compact disc, "Movimiento," which includes a collection of original Latin songs that aims to get people moving.

The National Diabetes Education Program is co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a leading source for information on diabetes and prevention.

The "Paso a Paso" campaign materials are available for free by calling (800) 438-5383 or at -NU

Scientists in less-conspicuous parts of the world are making significant inroads into the treatment and prevention of diabetes.

For centuries, people living in isolated villages in the Himalayas and adjoining regions used preparations of a rare fulvic acid containing a humic substance known as shilajit to prevent and combat diabetes symptoms.

Studies conducted at Fulvica BioScience, a leading fulvic acid and humic substance medical research center, show that this concoction may be the missing dietary link that's likely a major cause of the disease.

According to Ancient Remedies Inc., a manufacturer of products with natural ingredients, due to the success of diabetes treatments in the Himalayan region, other medical researchers have taken serious interest in determining if the claims have scientific merit.

Clinical studies by Dr. Salil K. Bhattacharya and other scientists from Banaras Hindu University in India show that fulvic acids diminished the development and progression of diabetes and assisted in the treatment.

Studies in other countries confirm the work of Bhattacharya regarding fulvic acid and shilajit. For instance, in China, pharmaceutical use of fulvic acids has been approved for both internal and external use.

In the U.S., shilajit can be found as an active ingredient in Ciatra, a supplement made by Ancient Remedies. Ciatra helps men maintain a healthy lifestyle, treat impotence and increase sexual desire. It also helps reduce stress and increases energy. The supplement causes no harmful side effects, according to Ancient Remedies.

To learn more about Ciatra, visit or call (877) GO-CIATRA. -NU

Almost everybody loves eating chocolates and drinking soda. Years of evolution has predisposed humans to prefer sweet, sugar-loaded foods because these provide huge bouts of instant energy that prehistoric man needed to survive their hostile environment.

But this evolutionary adaptation has backfired in modern man, and is now taking its toll on our health. Millions of people all over the world now suffer from obesity and diabetes. So it's about time we get the low -own on sweet treats, particularly chocolates and soda, which have driven our sugar cravings out of control.

THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Dark chocolate - Premium-grade dark chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids that help maintain the health of our blood vessels and heart. It has no added milk fat, only a much healthier fat from cocoa butter, which naturally comes from cocoa beans.

Cocoa butter contains stearic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid, which alter cholesterol only minimally.

Milk chocolate - Probably the most popular type of chocolate, milk chocolate has less antioxidant properties and more added fat and sugar. However, its added milk may enrich it with calcium.

White chocolate - White chocolate does not contain chocolate liquor, which is why some do not consider it as chocolate. It is a mixture of cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla flavoring. It does not provide any antioxidant benefits.

SODA STOP

A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 250 calories and is equivalent to pouring 17 teaspoons of sugar straight into your body! lf you don't watch it, this instant dose of empty calories can set you up for mood swings, energy dips and weight gain, among other things.

Tooth decay. Not only does soda contain high- fructose corn syrup (i.e., sugar), additive dyes, and sometimes caffeine, but it also contains acids such as carbonic and phosphoric acid. These acids dissolve the calcium in teeth, making them prone to cavities. Acid can also come from bacteria turning sugar into acid. Diet sodas are no exception because they still contain the same acids as regular sodas, and you will be at equal risk when you drink it together with a carbohydrate-rich snack or meal. The sugar-acid combination is bad for your teeth.

* Fragile bones. Although scientists have yet to prove that the phosphoric acid in soft drinks causes calcium to leach from the bones, a study done on adolescent girls shows that soda drinkers are more prone to bone fractures than non- soda drinkers. A sensible explanation is that soda replaces other calcium-rich beverages such as milk, and this is what contributes to the overall calcium deficiency.

Drinking carbonated beverages can cause gas and stomach irritation, especially in those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. Increased risk of diabetes. As previously mentioned, sodas are loaded with sugar and empty calories, which often lead to weight gain and therefore, a higher risk for diabetes.

In addition, a study from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that the easily absorbable sugar in drinks should be a cause for concern. Sodas and other energy-providing drinks may lead to an over-consumption of energy that would lead to obesity and weight gain.

Another study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology in 2004, showed that high-fructose corn syrup affects the levels of leptin (a hormone responsible for feeling full) in the blood. This suggests that beverages containing large quantities of high-fructose corn syrup often leave you wanting more, eating more-and eventually weighing more and being at risk of diabetes.

POPPIN VS. MUNCHIN

Why drink when you can eat? It's been scientifically proven that eating solid foods makes you feel more satisfied than drinking a beverage with the same amount of calories, especially if they're empty calories. Check out how much more nutritious foods you can enjoy for the same 250 calories in a single 20-ounce bottle of sugar-loaded soda:

* 80 baby carrots

* 4 large Red Delicious apples

*15 cups of air-popped popcorn

GUILT FREE GULPS

You can do a lot for your health just by replacing soft drinks with better alternatives. Kick your soda poppin habit with these healthier thirst-quenchers.

*Plain or flavored water

*Plain or flavored seltzer

*Milk (definitely the healthy option)

*Soy milk

* Tea

* Coffee (without the cream, please)

* Skim latte, skim cappuccino and skim cafe au lait

* Low-fat hot cocoa

Also, do your kids a favor by not introducing them to softdrinks early in life. Encourage them to drink more milk and fruit juices to help them cope with the demands of their growing years.

About the author: Manolito Montala is a CAD Engineer and a webmaster and one of his interests is collecting filipino recipes and vegetarian recipes which can be found in Filipino Vegetarian Recipes.Com. You can also visit his site in

Latin Americans and African-Americans are at a greater risk for developing diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Prevention.

In fact, Latin Americans are nearly twice as likely to get diabetes and five times less likely to visit a doctor for medical problems than Caucasians.

The disease can impact many parts of the body including nerve and vascular damage, which can result in a loss of sensation in the feet. Poor circulation can lead to hard-to-heal foot ulcers. If not treated in time, the American Podiatric Medical Association warns, these complications can result in lower-limb amputations for people with diabetes.

A podiatrist plays an important role in the diabetes management team. Regular visits to an APMA member podiatrist, as part of a comprehensive foot care plan, can help reduce the rate of lower-limb amputations by 45 percent to 85 percent.

Follow these simple at-home tips to make sure your feet are as healthy as possible:

* Check your feet every day. Especially if you have a loss of sensation, visually inspecting your feet daily will help you notice any cuts, sores, blisters or changes in the skin or toenails. You can use a hand mirror to help you check the bottoms of your feet. If you notice a change in your feet, see your podiatrist immediately.

* Clean your feet daily. Washing your feet will help avoid the buildup of bacteria. Be sure to wash in warm water, rather than hot. Completely dry your feet after washing and pay special attention to drying between the toes.

* Keep skin healthy. By lightly applying lotion or moisturizer to your feet, you can help prevent against dry, flaky or cracked skin. Use lotion on the tops and bottoms of your feet, but never between the toes. Excess moisture between the toes can lead to infection.

* Always wear shoes and socks. Soft, lightly padded socks will help you avoid blisters and sores. Socks with no seams are best. Also, examine inside your shoes to be sure there is nothing harmful that will injure your feet.

* Choose shoes that fit well and protect your feet. One of the best ways to avoid injuries to your feet is to wear sturdy and supportive shoes at all times.

For more information, visit - NU

As people with diabetes know, maintaining lower blood glucose levels significantly lowers the risk of long-term complications from the disease such as vision loss, kidney disease and amputations.

However, some people with diabetes still fail to monitor their blood glucose levels frequently enough to make the appropriate adjustments to their insulin intake. One cause for this is what diabetes educators call "diabetes burnout," a problem that results from the overwhelming challenge of maintaining the rigorous and relentless discipline of accurately measuring, recording and averaging blood glucose levels. It is a multi-step process that must be repeated several times a day.

Living with diabetes is not easy, and burnout is understandable. But endocrinologists agree that the discipline of frequent monitoring is critical to long-term health. The key to success is making the process easier. Monitoring must be made to be more convenient or people with diabetes will eventually tire of the process and monitor less than they should.

Recognizing this, manufacturers of diabetes-related products are all working to develop monitoring devices that will simplify the process and encourage frequency of use. The challenge for consumers has been finding an effective, convenient and easy-to-use device among the many on the market.

One monitoring device lauded for its effectiveness is the NewTek Blood Glucose Monitoring System from Hypoguard. It is the first-ever disposable monitoring device, and it is getting significant attention from health professionals, pharmacists and people with diabetes who see NewTek's product features as a convenient and practical way to fight diabetes burnout.

Part of Wal-Mart's exclusive ReliOn diabetes care products, the NewTek Monitoring System comes with 100 test strips already in the meter, so there's no more handling strips or carrying a separate test strip container. The entire device can be thrown away when finished. It's pre-calibrated and there's no need to replace batteries. On top of that, NewTek is extremely accurate, very reliable and affordable. It may not be the cure-all, but the NewTek Blood Glucose Monitoring System, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, may be the most significant recent advancement in the fight against diabetes burnout and in keeping patients healthy.

For more information or to purchase NewTek, visit your local Wal-Mart pharmacy.

A heart attack is a life-threatening event. It is a need to know about the basic things so that it can help you at the sudden causes. The information should be there so that it may enable us to take sudden and correct decisions for curing it when it appears. If we have prior information of it will be a valuable asset to our loved ones and us.

This heart attack occurs when the supply of the blood and oxygen are blocked in to the area of heart muscle, especially the clot in a coronary artery. Due to this blockage of blood and oxygen it leads to the irregular heartbeat which causes severe decrease in the pumping of the heart and may bring about sudden death. This is the initial stage and it should be treated within few hours so that the heart muscles are not affected and are not replaced by the scar tissue. It is a require for us to know the caution signs of this disease and to get the emergency help at the time of need. Some people die because as they do not get the immediate help due to the permanent damage in the heart.

If the primary aid is given soon enough the permanent damage of the heart that is the blocked artery can be restored in time to avoid it. Yet, many of them do not get this medical care within the hours of the symptoms begin and they die. But a prompt treatment can prevent or cure their sudden death.

This is the disease which is caused in both men and women. If the person is already suffering form the coronary heart diseases, or underwent a bypass surgery is at the risk of having this disease. The men who are above 45 and women who are above 55 are exposed to this. If he has a hereditary background that is any of his family member was having this disease.

So it is very essential that these factors should be controlled before they appear. So they should have a control over smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes and we can also visit our health care provider to ask about the reduce of risk of having the heart attack.

This heart attack includes the warning signs and symptoms varies from person the person Some of them symptoms like the chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas if the upper body, shortness of breath, cold sweat, having nausea and vomiting, feeling light headed or dizzy.

As this heart attack is a medical emergency, it should be prevented if we know the warning signs of the attack and can be treated as fast as possible. This should be not delayed as it may cause to the sudden death in the person. The sooner the treatment is given the chances of recovery are more. It is a must and should need that there should be a physical examination periodically after the first treatment as it does not give a way for the second one.

So this heart attack is a chronic disease which once attacks cannot be completely treated but it can be prevented by the regular medications but yet you are in a depression thinking about it and you feel difficult in getting adjusted to this life. So at this time you need the affection of your loved ones which makes you to cure it as early possible.

Take this information as a basic one and not as medical advice. But if you have any more clarifications you can visit our site . This site is the site where you can get information of many diseases. You can also meet our Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Rao.K. for more consult which would help you for further need. You can also hear the videos of the customers who got cured their diseases at our center called Holistic Health Care and Research Center located at New York.

I am interested in doing some thing to the society so I have chosen this way to help the people who have lost all the hope in finding the cure for their disease. You are here having a hope to visit this site and get the solutions for it.

Diabetes remains an epidemic in the U.S., but experts are now more concerned that certain populations may not be getting the right kind of treatment because of their ethnic and cultural beliefs.

Physicians can't use a one-size-fits-all approach to treating patients with diabetes; physicians, families and community leaders must work together to develop culturally specific programs, according to Dr. Kevin McKinney, Minority Health Affairs Committee chairman of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Cultural viewpoints of medicine and disease only compound the issue, said McKinney, who spoke at a recent American Medical Association media briefing on diabetes.

For instance, in some societies, religion influences one's physical and emotional well-being equally. When an illness occurs, a family may seek out the advice of a religious leader before consulting a physician, which would delay treatment and increase the risk of complications.

"Most people in these communities don't even know they're at risk," McKinney said. "They may know about diabetes and its effects, but they're unaware that living a healthy lifestyle can help reduce their risk."

McKinney stresses that education is the key to eliminating the prevalence of diabetes in certain communities and suggests programs that pair education with a cultural activity.

"Programs held at community and religious centers can focus on diabetes risk factors and some of the healthier approaches to traditional foods that may help in reducing those risks," McKinney said.

More than 21 million Americans now have diabetes - a number that experts say may climb as high as 31 million by the year 2050. Every 24 hours, another 4,100 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease.

But despite these dire statistics, Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that the medical community is making great strides to combat this epidemic.

"We know that you do not have to develop type 2 diabetes if you're at high risk, and that if you do have diabetes, you don't have to lose your eyes, your feet or your heart," Vinicor said at the briefing.

The overall outlook for diabetes is beginning to improve, Vinicor said.

"The rates of amputations and end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes are actually beginning to fall," he said. "The preliminary data indicate that fewer people with diabetes are dying. So we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel."

For more information on diabetes, visit - NU

More than 18 million people in the United States have diabetes. And nearly one-third of them are undiagnosed. This can be devastating, as diabetes is the main cause of kidney failure, limb amputation, and new onset blindness in American adults.

People with diabetes are also two to four times more likely than people without diabetes to develop heart disease. In fact, 65 percent of diabetics die from heart attack or stroke.

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Glucose comes from the digestion of starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes, chapatis, yams and plantain, from sugar and other sweet foods, and from the liver which makes glucose. Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way your body deals with the foods you eat. Normally, carbohydrate foods are broken down into the sugar glucose, which travels in the blood (hence the name blood sugar) until it reaches your cells, where it is taken in and used for growth and energy. For this to happen, however, the hormone insulin must be present. Produced by the pancreas, insulin acts as a key that unlocks cells so that they can receive blood glucose.

Insulin works like a key to open the door of the cells so glucose – the fuel you get from food - can come inside and be converted into energy - cause serious complications and premature death. Insulin is vital for life. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body.

The main symptoms of untreated diabetes are increased thirst, going to the look all the time – especially at night, extreme tiredness, weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, and blurred vision.

In diabetes, either the pancreas may produce insufficient insulin, or the body has lost its ability to use it effectively (insulin resistance). Glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body without fulfilling its role as the body's main source of fuel.

Two types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes develops if the body is unable to produce any insulin. This type of diabetes usually appears before the age of 40. It is treated by insulin injections and diet and regular exercise is recommended. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). In most cases this is linked with being overweight. This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, though in South Asian and African-Caribbean people often appear after the age of 25. However, recently, more children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven.

Type 2 diabetes is treated with lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet, weight loss and increased physical activity. Tablets and/or insulin may also be required to achieve normal blood glucose levels.

The main aim of treatment of both types of diabetes is to achieve blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels as near to normal as possible. This, together with a healthy lifestyle, will help to improve wellbeing and protect against long-term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and major arteries.

Managing Diabetes: Begin with the ABCs

The National Diabetes Education Program suggests that you reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by working with your health care team to monitor three critical factors, which they have named the Diabetic ABCs.

"A" is for the A1C test.

This is a number that shows how well your blood glucose has been controlled over the last 3 months. Bad glucose control can hurt your eyes, kidneys and feet. The goal for most people is an A1C of less than 7. It should be checked at least twice a year.

A 1998 research study showed that increased in blood pressure could be prevented significantly by goji's master molecule polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are very long-chain sugar molecules that provide nourishment for macrophages, the large white blood cells which are an important component of the body's defense system against invading microbes and the malignant cells which form tumors.

Four polysaccharides discovered in Goji berries have not been found in any other fruit. The Goji polysaccharides enhance the body's production of human growth hormone (HGH), which helps build muscle and repair skin cells. The LBP polysaccharide complex unique to Goji berries has been found to be a powerful secretagogue - a substance that stimulates the secretion of human growth hormone (HGH) by the pituitary gland.

One research study in China showed that the LBP polysaccharide facilitated the proliferation of stem cells and increased the number of monocytes in bone marrow. The LBP polysaccharide helps the monocytes convert to matured leukocytes.

"B" is for blood pressure.

The goal for most people is 130/80. High blood pressure can cause heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.

"C" is for cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol (LDL) can oxidize and clog blood vessels, causing heart attack or stroke. Good cholesterol (HDL) helps to lower bad cholesterol. The goal for most people is LDL under 100 and HDL over 40.

Goji contains eta-sitosterol, which has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Its antioxidants keep cholesterol from oxidizing and forming arterial plaques. Goji increases exercise tolerance, stamina, and endurance. It also helps to eliminate fatigue, especially when receiving from illness.

Katrina Coyoca is a staff writer for Goji Juice Review, a leading information resource for news and articles about goji juice. For more information please visit Goji Juice.

My all-time favorite TV commercial was that old Wendy's ad. The setting is The Home of the Big Bun; the customer reminds us of Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies. As Granny opens the lid of an over-sized hamburger bun, she discovers an unsettling surprise... a teensy-weensy, itty-bitty patty of beef. Mad as a hornet with P.M.S., she cackles the now-famous slogan:

"Where's the Beef?"

"Where's the Beef?" soon became a catchphrase in the arena of verbal combat. I still chuckle whenever I think back to an infamous moment during the 1984 presidential primaries. Walter Mondale separated himself from underdog Colorado Senator Gary Hart with a little humor.

Mondale borrowed the phrase "Where's the Beef?" to criticize Hart's lack of depth in policy statements. Everyone knew exactly what he meant. Those three powerful words cut swiftly and poignantly to the proverbial chase! Suddenly, Hart's pompous pontifications were stripped of their aurora of omniscient omnipotence and simultaneously exposed as frivolous fluff. Reminiscent of the scene from The Wizard of Oz, the curtains parted and the spotlight shifted to an emperor who had no clothes.

Okay, so Mondale didn't beat Reagan. But that's another story.

My point is (and I do have one), although our supermarket shelves are stocked with a wide array of fancy foodstuffs in pretty packages, and even though your gleeful kiddies may make you feel like parent-of-the-month as you reward their consumption of Happy Meals with cool cartoon figurines, remember: "All that glitters ain't gold!" Unless consumers become vigilantly alert, the food industry will continue to crank out an endless entourage of pre-packaged, foodless foods.

Does A Foodless Food Syndrome Really Exist?

My guess is, most people aren't fully persuaded that a foodless food syndrome really exists. Or if this so-called syndrome does exist, it can't possibly be all that serious, right? Granted, many people continuously feel sick and tired, but that's natural, right? Though many people are sick and tired, most are simply not sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Furthermore, we fail to connect the dots. Sure, we've heard the reports. But "Sixty percent of Americans are overweight!" is no longer a newsflash. Complacent to reality, we tempt fate and continue to Super-size our fries. Sure, seventeen million Americans suffer from diabetes, but another gulp of soda pop couldn't hurt. And so what if over 40 percent of the US population will die of a heart attack? I'm not giving up my cholesterol-rich diet. Forget about the fact that there is now irrefutable evidence that high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Forget about the fact that there is a direct relationship established between high cholesterol levels and high rates of heart attacks. Surely it's just a coincidence that the high US death toll from heart failure corresponds with the high cholesterol level in The United States.

On the flip side of the coin, is it just a coincident that populations with much lower cholesterol levels also have much lower death tolls? Consider rural China, where the average cholesterol level is almost half that of the American cholesterol level. Less than five percent of their population dies from heart attacks. Hmm. Forty percent verses five percent is a HUMONGOUS difference, don't you think? Oh well, maybe that too is just a coincidence.

And so what if The World Health Organization tells us yet another time that cancer is a leading cause of death? Who cares if an estimated 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005? It's no longer shocking to learn that 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. Besides, what, in bloody blazes, does all this have to do with poor nutrition?

Everything. Numerous experts echo the alarm of the American Cancer Society, "Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer - as well as heart disease and diabetes."

The Problem with Processed Food

So why am I picking on the processed food industry? Here's the problem in a nutshell.

First, we produce way more food than what is necessary for our consumption, which creates a surplus. So this surplus food needs to be highly refined and processed, otherwise it will spoil. During this process, essential vitamins and minerals are annihilated. The result is, foodless foods are being produced in massive quantities. These food products retain most of their calories, but they have little, if any, nutritional value.

These foodless foods do not nutritionally support your body properly to allow for the normal repair and growth of your tissues and cells. In fact, refined foods are so depleted that the government has laws which require artificial vitamins and minerals to be added in order to meet minimum standards. The very reason why foods are labeled "enriched" or "fortified" is because their natural nutrients have been robbed! As a consequence, over sixty percent of the typical American diet consists of refined foods and snacks.

The Importance of A Healthy Diet and Diet Supplementation

So what's the solution?

The first step is to eat a healthy diet consisting largely of raw fruits and vegetables, preferably organic. Avoid refined sugar and processed bread. Instead, substitute natural sweeteners like honey. Also, eat whole-grain bread.

But let's face it – we're not living in the Garden of Eden. Life is a rat race and we're in the fast lane. It can be cumbersome with our fast-paced lifestyles to get all the essential vitamins and minerals we need by relying on our diets alone. That's why it is critically important to supplement your diet with a great high-quality All-Natural Multi-Vitamin made from Whole-Food sources. Unlike cheap synthetics, Whole-Food Vitamins are the greatest in the world when it comes to nutritionally supporting your body. Plus, they are much better utilized and absorbed by your body's individual cells.

There's the Beef!

[DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are my own, although they have been compiled over the years from my research through books and articles. My opinions should not be considered as medical advice to treat or cure any diseases or illnesses. For these matters, consult a qualified professional.]

For more detailed information, please visit our website at:

Tom Gruber writes on a wide variety of health topics and is an independent distributor of nutritional supplements. Visit Tom's site at:

Although a "miracle" diabetes diet does not exist to cure the disease, if you have type 2 diabetes, there are dietary rules you can follow that will ensure you stay as healthy as possible. When it comes right down to it, proper nutrition is the only "diet" you need to follow. Many people are inexperienced with following a healthy diet, but once you get into the swing of things, eating properly will become part of your lifestyle.

To start off, it's best to follow the nutrition guidelines in the Food Pyramid, with special attention to carbohydrate intake. Also, diabetics should maintain a regular meal schedule and exercise portion control.

Starches are allowed in a diabetes diet, as long as you control portions and don't consume too much starchy food. Starches are present in bread, cereal, and starchy vegetables.

Consume five fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. This can easily be accomplished by eating a piece of fruit for a snack several times a day, or by eating vegetables with dinner. Soups, stir-fries, and chili make good hiding places for veggies if you need clever ways to add more good stuff into your meals.

You can still eat sugars and sweets (perhaps surprisingly) with type 2 diabetes, but do so in moderation, which means once or twice a week maximum. One way to eat fewer sweets without neglecting your sweet tooth is to split a dessert in half.

Especially beneficial for diabetics are soluble fibers, so you need to get as many as these into your diet as possible. Luckily, you can find soluble fibers in many foods, including fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Soluble fibers are excellent because they aid in slowing down and reducing the absorption of glucose from the intestines. Legumes (such as cooked kidney beans) have the highest amount of soluble fibers, and also keep blood sugar levels in check. Insoluble fibers, found in bran, whole grains and nuts, are also part of a healthy diet because they work like intestinal scrubbers, by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract.

For many people, contacting a dietician is the best way to put together a good diabetes diet. Everyone is different, so keeping in contact with your physician and nutrition consultant will ensure your diet plan is the optimum one for you. A professional will take into account your lifestyle, medication, weight, other medical issues, and your favorite foods to come up with a plan that will keep you healthy and satisfy your cravings for particular flavors.

A Healthy Weight – and Lifestyle

If you have type 2 diabetes, it's also very important to maintain a healthy weight ( ). With type 2 diabetes, added body fat actually makes it more difficult for your body to produce and use insulin. Trimming down as little as 10 or 20 pounds has the potential to improve your blood sugar significantly.

Smokers are advised to quit as soon as possible, as smoking can aggravate diabetes and make it more difficult to cope with the disease. Because diabetics often experience circulation problems in the legs and feet, smoking is a dangerous habit to continue - it decreases blood flow even more. Smoking also increases LDL cholesterol and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.

If you keep your blood sugar under control, moderate alcohol consumption is allowed, but avoid drinking on an empty stomach, as this can lead to low blood sugar. To learn how much alcohol you can safely include in your diet, consult your doctor.

Fat and Carbs

You can control the amount of carbs you consume by practicing carbohydrate counting. This involves keeping track of the total number of grams of carbs you need to eat at meals or snacks, depending on your medication and exercise. Usually this method involves the use of a carbohydrate counting book, which you can purchase at a supermarket or bookstore.

Those with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk for heart problems, so most physicians make a recommendation to limit fat below 30% of your total daily caloric intake – this tends to be done by eating less fat overall and staying away from saturated fat. You should also pay attention to cholesterol levels by eating smaller amounts of meat, and sticking to lean meats, such as poultry and fish.

It will take some time to adjust to your new diabetes diet and healthy lifestyle, especially if you haven't followed healthy living practices in the past, but the results will be worth the effort. Not only will you be able to better manage your diabetes, but you will also become a much healthier person.

Katerina Mitrou sponsored by who provides information on topics such as the diabetes diet: Please link to this site when using article.

Ice cream or yogurt? Regular or diet soda? These may not be critical decisions at your dinner table - unless you're one of nearly 18 million Americans living with diabetes today.

People with diabetes face daily challenges. To remain healthy, they must monitor their blood sugar levels, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Some people also need to take insulin to stay alive.

In an effort to recognize champions of these challenges, Eli Lilly and Co. established the LillyforLife Achievement Award in 2002. The award celebrates the inspiring achievements of people of all ages who live with diabetes.

Those recognized do not have to be well known or famous for their achievements but can be everyday people who have accomplished or are working toward exceptional personal success.

This year, Lilly has expanded the award program to include not only people with diabetes but also anyone impacted by the condition or involved with the diabetes community.

Categories of submission include: patients age 18 or over; patients age 17 or under; professionals; caretakers or spouses; and journalists.

One person from each category will be selected by a panel of judges to receive this special award. Applicants are eligible to apply for one category. Peer or self-nominations are accepted from the public through Aug. 30, 2004.

Last year, Rick Largent was honored with the first ever LillyforLife Achievement Award. Largent has been living with type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes for 25 years. He has faced extraordinary challenges during his life beyond diabetes. An unfortunate accident left him quadriplegic, and he later lost his 19-year-old daughter to cancer.

Largent neglected to control his blood sugar, putting himself at risk for diabetes-related complications. It was not until he began using an insulin pump that he started taking control of his health again.

Largent began traveling cross-country sharing his story and teaching others that anything is possible when diabetes is managed well. He also visited Capitol Hill in an effort to educate policymakers on the dual dilemma of diabetes and disabilities.

Largent's resilience to conquer diabetes and quadriplegia represents the kind of spirit the LillyforLife Achievement Award stands for. As many who live with diabetes know, if the disease is managed, there's no reason you can't achieve your goals.

For more information and an application, visit or call 1-888-545-5115. - NU

Aida Turturro, the actress who plays Janice Soprano on the HBO series "The Sopranos," is one of the more than 20 million Americans who have diabetes.

Turturro was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (where the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells do not use the insulin properly) in 2000. For more than a year after her initial diagnosis she was in denial and did not take the proper steps-such as diet and exercise-to manage the disease.

Finally, her doctor told her that her blood sugar levels were too high and if she did not learn how to manage the disease, she would suffer serious complications.

"As soon as I started learning more about the potential complications of the disease, I realized I should have taken action sooner," said Turturro. "It is scary what can happen to you if you do not take control of your diabetes."

Turturro was among the more than 50 percent of diabetes patients whose A1C levels are above the target goal of 7 percent as established by the American Diabetes Association. Patients with diabetes should know their A1C level. It is a simple blood test that assesses glucose levels over a two- to three-month period.

In addition to her diet and exercise routines, Turturro worked with her doctor to develop a treatment regimen that was right for her. At first she was taking oral medications but was still unable to get her blood sugar levels under control. About two years ago, Turturro and her doctor added Lantus® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection), the once-daily, true 24-hour basal insulin, to her treatment plan.

With a treatment regimen that includes Lantus and other diabetes medications, Turturro achieves good blood glucose control with an A1C level below seven percent.

"Managing diabetes is not easy. What I have learned is the best way to manage the disease is by becoming educated, motivated and an advocate for yourself," said Turturro. "It is a 24-hour disease and you have to put in a real effort to keep your blood sugar levels under control."

Note to Editors: Important Safety Information for Lantus

Lantus is indicated for once-daily subcutaneous administration, at the same time each day, for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes mellitus or adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who require basal (long-acting) insulin for the control of hyperglycemia. Lantus must not be diluted or mixed with any other insulin or solution. If mixed or diluted, the solution may become cloudy, and the onset of action/time to peak effect may be altered in an unpredictable manner. Lantus is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to insulin glargine or the excipients. Hypoglycemia is the most common adverse effect of insulin, including Lantus. As with all insulins, the timing of hypoglycemia may differ among various insulin formulations. Glucose monitoring is recommended for all patients with diabetes. Any change of insulin type and/or regimen should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.Concomitant oral antidiabetes treatment may need to be adjusted. Other adverse events commonly associated with Lantus include the following: lipodystrophy, skin reactions (such as injection-site reaction, pruritus, rash) and allergic reactions.

For full prescribing information, visit

Aida Turturro, who stars in "The Sopranos," worked with her doctor to develop a treatment plan to get her diabetes in good control.

As any sufferer knows, there are two types of Diabetes, type I and type II. The latter is sometimes called adult onset diabetes, and over 90% of diabetics suffer this type.

It therefore takes no great leap of imagination to realize that the vast majority of diabetics are adults. But children can also suffer from diabetes, and for such kids, there are problems to face that are very different to those of their diabetic seniors.

For example, a child with diabetes will obviously need close monitoring, and a great deal of constant care and attention from parents. This in itself is not a problem, but it may mean that the child may never spend a night away from home, and it is not uncommon in these circumstances for a child to have never met another child of their own age with diabetes. Effectively, this is a very isolating period in a diabetic child's life.

For theses reasons, many countries are now establishing special camps for diabetic children, to address these problems, by bringing a higher degree of normality to the life of diabetic children. Such camps provide 24 hour professional medical supervision and care to all the children, and are an extremely effective way to give young people living with diabetes a chance to be independent and learn about their condition with the support of their peers and trained health professionals.

They provide an enjoyable and safe camping experience in a supervised environment, and often focus, at least to some degree, on increasing the children's ability to manage their own condition. Such camping conditions also create an environment which allows the interaction between young people with diabetes that may otherwise be denied through geographic isolation.

These diabetes education and recreational camps are, of course, designed to be fun as well as educational. Generally, they will offer a wide range of sporting facilities, which allow participants to try out new sports and other recreational activities, particularly team based activities, that they may often be otherwise denied.

On the medical side, nothing is left to chance. Prior to camp, each participant is normally required to supply a detailed medical history and an indication of the management skills of the child. Based on this knowledge, the camp can then offer the child the opportunity to learn further self management skills and how to interact with other young people with diabetes under professional supervision.

Other people benefit too. Often, many of the "helpers" in such camps are volunteers, with little first hand knowledge of diabetes, and these people will learn a great deal from their exposure on a day to day basis to the children.

Even the health care professionals themselves can gain a valuable insight into the management and lifestyle of young people with diabetes that no textbook can provide. These people usually report that they do learn a lot, and even the most experienced educators say they are moved by the realities of living day to day with these children.

And, last but by no means least, the parents enjoy a break from the daily routine of caring for a young person with diabetes, with the real likelihood that their child will gain confidence and increase their self management skills. To read more, Steve Cowan is an Asia based businessman and writer, as well as an international racing driver and full time father. To read more on this subject, visit his site at

The management of diabetes is progressively evolving. The latest medical and technological advances-including ones involving the Internet-have begun providing the 18.2 million Americans affected by this disease with the kind of freedom few dreamed of not all that long ago.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body doesn't produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert glucose into energy. Since over time the high blood sugar levels associated with diabetes-the nation's fifth-leading cause of death by disease-can lead to complications of the eyes, blood vessels, nerves, kidneys and other organs, anything that would ease the typical daily regimen of insulin injections and the like would be most welcome by patients.

According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, that "simplification" is exactly what's happening. The Food & Drug Administration, for example, is in the process of approving both insulin patches and inhalants as alternative delivery methods to insulin injections. Breakthroughs in blood glucose monitoring that would allow continuous testing throughout the day are currently in development.

And then there's the Internet. Unlike in the past, the latest advances, treatment and disease management recommendations are now available on the Web sites of the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and countless others. Beyond that, people with diabetes are being helped in managing their disease through the conve-nient online ordering of necessary diabetic supplies, pharmaceuticals and equipment.

Better Living Now manages all insurance claims and paperwork so patients don't have to. And they will contact physicians for prescription renewal and fill necessary medical orders with up to 90-day supplies. Members also receive special discounts when ordering online and can contact the company's pharmacy with questions about their medication.

A Web site now offers all the medical supplies and medication needed to manage diabetes.

One such Web site run by Better Living Now, a full-service, national provider of all types of health care products and services based in Hauppauge, New York, takes customer service a step further. In addition to the company's toll-free number (877-238-5486) and user-friendly online ordering of blood glucose monitors, test strips, lancets, insulin pumps and accessories, needles, syringes and diabetes medications at the company has started a Chronic Care Compliance Program to help people with diabetes stay healthy. Under this program, specially trained customer service representatives initiate reminder calls to let patients know that it's time to reorder blood glucose testing supplies and prescription medication when their supplies are running low.

Take this test to see if you are at risk for having diabetes. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. If you are a member of one of these ethnic groups, you need to pay special attention to this test. Write in the points next to each statement that is true for you. If a statement is not true, put a zero. Then add your total score.

1. I am a woman who has had a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth.

Yes 1 ______

2. I have a sister or brother with diabetes.

Yes 1 ______

3. I have a parent with diabetes.

Yes 1 ______

4. My weight is equal to or above that listed in the chart.

Yes 5 ______

5. I am under 65 years of age and I get little or no exercise.

Yes 5 ______

6. I am between 45 and 64 years of age.

Yes 5 ______

7. I am 65 years old or older.

Yes 9 ______

TOTAL

Scoring 10 or more points: You are at high risk for having diabetes. Only your health care provider can check to see if you have diabetes. See yours soon and find out for sure.

Scoring 3 to 9 points: You are probably at low risk for having diabetes now. But don't just forget about it. Keep your risk low by losing weight if you are overweight, being active most days and eating low-fat meals that are high in fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods. Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney failure and loss of a limb.

For more information, call (800) DIABETES (342-2383) or visit

With diabetes on the rise, doctors are extremely concerned about associated risks such as heart disease and stroke, which together kill two out of three people with diabetes. Fortunately, a recent study indicates that more people with diabetes are making the link between diabetes and their increased risk for heart disease and stroke.

According to a 2005 awareness survey conducted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC), 45 percent of people with diabetes understand their increased risk for heart disease, which is up from 35 percent in 2001.

Experts believe even more awareness is needed, however. The ADA and ACC continue to work together to share important information, tools and resources to encourage people with diabetes-and health care providers-to learn more about the impact of diabetes on the heart.

Other findings from the 2005 ADA/ACC awareness survey show:

• 69 percent know they may develop high blood pressure (38 percent in 2001).

• 64 percent know they are at risk for cholesterol problems (37 percent in 2001).

Importantly, more people with diabetes are talking to their health care providers about managing diabetes comprehensively:

• 45 percent of people with diabetes now have a goal for blood glucose levels (30 percent in 2003).

• 57 percent have a goal for blood pressure (34 percent in 2003).

• 61 percent have a goal for cholesterol (34 percent in 2003).

These figures are encouraging, but awareness may not be moving fast enough to keep pace with the growing prevalence of diabetes.

Recent statistics indicate diabetes has risen by over 14 percent since last estimates in 2003. The need for increased education and awareness about the link between diabetes and heart disease is now more critical than ever.

Armed with the best information, people with diabetes can properly manage their diabetes, understand their risks for complications such as heart disease and stroke, and take action to live a longer, healthier life.

To learn more about diabetes and heart disease, call (800) DIABETES or visit

Research shows more people with diabetes are talking to their health care providers about taking a comprehensive approach to managing diabetes.

In 1986, Greg LeMond became the first American to win the largest single annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France. LeMond went on to taste victory again in the 1989 Tour de France, and again one month later in the 1989 World Championships. Then, as a final coup before retiring from competitive cycling, LeMond won another historic Tour de France for the third time in 1990.

LeMond's legend has always been measured by his unrivaled levels of courage and tenacity and now, 20 years after the date of his first Tour de France triumph, he has taken on an equally courageous challenge-to find a cure for diabetes.

Greg LeMond joins the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as the Honorary Chairperson for Tour de Cure, the Association's premiere annual cycling event, which raises money for diabetes research, information, advocacy and public awareness efforts. Tour de Cure takes place nationwide and is a ride-not a race-that encourages people to dust off their bicycles and join thousands of other riders who are pedaling for a cure.

"I am proud to be the Honorary Chairperson for ADA's Tour de Cure event," says LeMond. "The Tour de Cure is one powerful way for all of us to become champions in the fight against diabetes."

Nearly 21 million children and adults have diabetes, a 14 percent increase since 2003. Another 41 million people are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

Greg LeMond will be on hand to present the top Tour de Cure fundraisers with the Champion for Diabetes Award. Top fundraisers will also qualify to win one of several official LeMond Bicycles donated by the champion himself.

The Tour de Cure national presenting sponsor is Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Other sponsors include Gold's Gym, Performance Bicycles, LeMond Fitness, Discovery Health Channel, and LeMond Racing Cycles-the official bicycle of the Tour de Cure.

To learn more about how to participate in a Tour de Cure event in your area, call the American Diabetes Association at 1-888-DIABETES (342-2383) or register online at

Greg LeMond joins the American Diabetes Association as the Honorary Chairperson for Tour de Cure, the Association's premiere annual cycling event.

Here's what researchers know about controlling blood glucose (blood sugar) in people with diabetes: It's not easy, but it can be done. It takes hard work. And it can save your life.

An important new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that tight control of blood glucose can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes-the number one killer of people with diabetes-by more than half.

For most people with diabetes, keeping blood glucose under tight control isn't easy. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that fewer than 45 percent of Americans with diabetes are reaching the level of control seen in the NIH study. But it can be done, and the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has materials that can help.

The National Diabetes Education Program's Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign materials teach people with diabetes how to know their ABCs-what their A1C (a test of blood glucose), Blood pressure, and Cholesterol numbers are, what they should be, and how to work with their health care team to reach those goals. The materials also offer ideas for sticking to a healthy eating plan, ways to stay active with regular physical activity, and other tips for feeling better and staying healthy.

NDEP materials are easy to read, and available in English, Spanish, and in 15 Asian and Pacific Islander languages. They have been tailored for groups at high risk for diabetes, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos. And all NDEP materials are based on science, backed by the federal government, and copyright free.

For people with diabetes, controlling blood glucose-along with blood pressure and cholesterol-can save their sight, their limbs and their life.

For more information, visit the National Diabetes Education Program at or call (800) 438-5383 and ask for a free copy of If You Have Diabetes, Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of more than 200 partner organizations.

Controlling blood glucose can save your sight, your limbs, and your life.

Americans fear Alzheimer's disease more than any illness other than cancer-and for older people, concerns about Alzheimer's outrank even cancer. More than a third of all Americans know a family member or friend who has Alzheimer's, and nearly two-thirds of Americans believe they will have to provide care someday for someone with Alzheimer's.

These are just some of the results from a January 2006 MetLife Foundation/Harris Interactive poll of American adults. The survey, found in "MetLife Foundation Alzheimer's Survey: What America Thinks," included questions about how people view Alzheimer's disease, what they know about it and what they are doing to plan for a future that may include the deadly illness.

A progressive brain disorder that science has yet to defeat, Alzheimer's gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to reason, communicate and function. Currently, 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and the Alzheimer's Association estimates that these numbers will grow to as many as 16 million Americans by 2050. Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's. One in 10 individuals over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are affected. The Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging estimate that direct and indirect costs of current care are at least $100 billion annually.

The survey results underscore not only the fears that people have about this illness, but also the disturbing fact that few are prepared to face a future that may include Alzheimer's.

Key findings from the poll, which was commissioned by MetLife Foundation, are summarized in a report available at They include:

• Americans fear Alzheimer's disease. When people are asked to name the disease they are most afraid of getting from a list of illnesses, one out of five picks Alzheimer's, while only 14 percent worry about heart disease and 13 percent are concerned about stroke. Only cancer tops Alzheimer's. In fact, adults aged 55 and older fear getting Alzheimer's even more than cancer.

• Americans know little or nothing about Alzheimer's. While virtually all of those surveyed are aware of the disease (93 percent), almost three-quarters (74 percent) say they know only a little or nothing at all about Alzheimer's.

• One-third of Americans say they have direct experience with Alzheimer's disease. One in three Americans (35 percent) has a family member and/or friend with Alzheimer's.

• Most Americans are concerned that they will be responsible at some point for caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. More than three out of five people worry that they will have to eventually provide or care for someone with the disease.

Most Americans recognize the need to create a plan to address the possibility of Alzheimer's disease, but very few have taken steps to do so. More than eight out of 10 Americans think it is important to plan ahead for the possibility of getting Alzheimer's disease. However, despite the overwhelming agreement that planning is important, almost no one has taken action. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans say they have made no comprehensive plans. The survey shows that Americans know enough about Alzheimer's disease to fear its onset, but have not taken any steps to provide for the possibility of developing the disease.

Americans' fears of Alzheimer's are justified, given its increasing presence among a population that will live longer. As the population ages, it is essential to learn as much as possible about the disease and plan for the future.

More information about MetLife Foundation and the Alzheimer's Survey is available at

Currently, 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease-that includes one in 10 people over the age of 65.

For people with insulin-dependent diabetes, trying to control their blood glucose, or blood sugar, can be a stressful juggling act. Managing the disease often requires several daily insulin injections, taking up to 10 blood samples a day, coordinating the use of multiple medical devices and being mindful of how diet, exercise and medication can affect blood-sugar levels.

Medtronic's Paradigm REAL-Time System incorporates a glucose sensor, a transmitter, a "smart" insulin pump and a glucose meter to provide patients with better control, flexibility and health.

Chris Jarvis, a member of the 2004 Canadian Olympic Rowing Team and a marathon runner, knows firsthand about the challenges associated with diabetes. He has type 1 diabetes, which means his body doesn't produce insulin on its own. Some days, during races, Jarvis used to take up to 15 fingerstick measurements to check his blood sugar. For many years, he used two separate devices to control his diabetes, one to monitor his glucose and another to administer insulin into his body.

Most recently, however, Jarvis has been using a new federally approved device-the only one of its kind in the world-that has given him much more control over his diabetes.

Developed by Minneapolis-based medical technology company Medtronic, Inc., the MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System integrates an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system to deliver insulin to the body day and night while at the same time continuously checking glucose levels, and sounding an alarm (or vibrating) if levels get dangerously high or low. This new device provides Jarvis with the confidence he needs to continue leading a healthy life.

"It gives you a real sense of comfort knowing exactly what's happening inside of your body, rather than trying to guess with only a couple of fingersticks," Jarvis says. "It's just a quick touch of a button and you see where your blood sugar is."

This new therapy option helps patients, like Jarvis, gain tighter control over their disease and understand how their diet, exercise, medication or lifestyle may affect their blood sugar. Armed with this knowledge, patients can take immediate corrective or preventive action to maintain healthy glucose levels.

Dr. Irl Hirsch, medical director, University of Washington Diabetes Care Center, Seattle, says that many patients with insulin-dependent diabetes still give themselves multiple daily injections of insulin and rely solely on blood draws-four to 10 per day-from fingersticks to measure their blood-sugar levels. The new system changes all this because it constantly delivers insulin to the body and continuously-almost 300 times a day-provides users information on what their glucose level is and whether it's heading up or down.

"If you have insulin-dependent diabetes, you need to make sure you're getting the right amount of insulin, and you need to keep a close eye on your glucose levels," Hirsch says. "The insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor is a major breakthrough because it's the only device in the world that helps you do both."

Studies have shown that multiple daily insulin injections aren't as effective as insulin pumps in controlling diabetes. Fingersticks alone miss more than 60 percent of low-glucose events, and that's a real danger for people with diabetes. If blood sugar gets too high or low, patients can lapse into a coma and die within just a few hours. Over time, not maintaining normal blood-sugar levels can lead to blindness, stroke, amputations, heart disease and kidney disease.

"With the MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time System, I control my diabetes; it doesn't control me," Jarvis says.

Patients and physicians can obtain more information by visiting or calling (800) MINIMED (800-646-4633) and dialing option three when prompted.

Medtronic's Paradigm REAL-Time System incorporates a glucose sensor, a transmitter, a "smart" insulin pump and a glucose meter to provide patients with better control, flexibility and health.

In 1999, glucosamine was the top-selling dietary supplement in the United States, with annual sales of US $288 million. It has become an immensely popular dietary supplement around the world.

It has proven itself again and again though its potential for repairing damaged joints and slowing the progression of arthritis.

Since glucosamine works so well for human arthritis, it is natural to ask: "What about dog arthritis?" Is it safe? Is it effective?

The answer: Yes, it appears to be both safe and effective.

The main safety concern comes from animal studies in which large amounts of glucosamine were given to rats and other animals intravenously, for short periods of time. Under these extreme and usual conditions, glucosamine tended to decrease insulin levels and/or induce insulin resistance. When researchers tested humans with large amounts of intravenous glucosamine, the same thing happened. Hence a concern arose that glucosamine could cause diabetes or make diabetes worse.

Normal therapeutic doses of glucosamine given orally have never been shown to have an adverse effect on insulin levels, insulin resistance or blood sugar levels. Even in diabetic rats and type 2 diabetic humans, normal therapeutic doses of glucosamine taken orally have been shown to have no significant effect on insulin, insulin resistance or blood sugar levels.

Cosequin is the brand name of a glucosamine and chondroitin formulation made to treat dog arthritis, cat arthritis and horse arthritis. It is taken orally and appears to have an excellent safety record.

Cosequin has been seen to have an excellent safety profile. In safety studies, Cosequin given at twice label recommended levels for 30 days in healthy dogs had no adverse effects on blood sugar levels. No clinically significant effects were seen on any biochemical parameter in these studies.

Although no change in blood sugar control would be expected for a diabetic dog, as with the addition of anything new to a diabetic's regimen, it is advisable to monitor closely.

Barbara Allan is publisher of the website ArthritisA where expert authors provide info on arthritis treatment and more. Click here for more information on glucosa

If you or a loved one has type 2 diabetes, you're not alone. More than 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes.

For many people with type 2 diabetes, controlling blood sugar is a struggle every day. In fact, a report issued last year by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) showed that two out of three Americans with type 2 diabetes analyzed in a study were not in control of their blood sugar.

It is important to control blood sugar because it lowers the risk of serious health problems later. Diabetes can cause heart disease, stroke, blindness, loss of limbs and kidney disease.

But now, there's new help to better manage type 2 diabetes. Life and fitness coach Bob Harper of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and a panel of diabetes experts created easy-to-understand and motivational steps people can take to get their blood sugar down. They are called 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control. These steps are different because they can fit easily into everyday living.

"Through my years of coaching and training, I've worked with many people with type 2 diabetes and have seen how hard it can be to live with this disease," said Bob Harper. "But I learned that anyone can change their life. It's all about finding the right tools and motivation. I urge people with type 2 diabetes to step it up and use the 6.5 Steps and make them a part of their daily lives."

The 6.5 Steps can help people with type 2 diabetes every day because they focus on the basics of diabetes management: eating healthy, being physically active, monitoring blood sugar and, when appropriate, taking one or more medicines. These all play a part to help lower blood sugar.

Healthy Eating: Healthy eating reduces the risk for complications such as heart disease and stroke. Good choices include many foods, such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat dairy products, beans, and lean meats, poultry and fish. There is no one perfect food, but watching portion sizes is key to a healthy diet.

Physical Activity: Regular physical activity can lower blood sugar levels. It can also help manage weight and reduce the risk of developing heart disease and high blood pressure. There are little things people with type 2 diabetes can do every day to be more active, such as walking with a friend or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Blood Sugar Monitoring: There are two tests for checking blood sugar. One test is the blood sugar monitoring that patients do on their own. It gives people with diabetes a check of their blood sugar level at the time the test is taken. The other one is called the A1C test. The A1C test shows a person's average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months. Experts say that a good A1C goal is 6.5 percent or less for most people with type 2 diabetes.

Medicines: Most people with type 2 diabetes take medicine to help control their blood sugar levels. Many need more than one medicine to help treat the disease in different ways.

For people with type 2 diabetes, it is important that they team up with their doctor or other health care professional and think of them as a partner. They should work with their health care team to make a plan to get their blood sugar under control.

Anyone interested in learning more about better diabetes management can call 1 (877) 6-5-STEPS or visit People with type 2 diabetes can also sign up online to enter a free sweepstakes to win great prizes, including one-on-one telephone coaching with Bob Harper and a yearlong gym membership.

GlaxoSmithKline has provided funding and other support to AACE for the Diabetes & You: Step It Up to Get It Down campaign.

Your pet is caught in a serious type of disease!

And do not be under the impression that this disease is the 'privilege' of human beings alone!

Feline Diabetes is one of the most common feline endocrine diseases. Its direct link is to the high carbohydrate diet of dry food. Many canned foods contain too many carbohydrates, which your cat may eat with great speed and gusto; but your poor choices, will definitely damage the health of your pet. Cats by nature are obligate carnivores and their system, as created by the nature is not suitable for a carbohydrate diet. Just don't put anything and everything before your cat. Understand its requirements, from its biological point of view. Feline Diabetes is not a cat and mouse game.

Cats and insulin shots...sounds odd? But, it's true.

If the diabetic condition in your cat is a longstanding one, then insulin shots are necessary. Once you start giving it the low carbohydrate diet, and once the cats recoup their original health, no further insulin shots are required.

"Feeding a diabetic cat with a high-carbohydrate diet is analogous to pouring gasoline on a fire and wondering why you can't put it out."

There are two types of diabetes - Type I and Type II. Type II is the more common, both in humans and in cats. But the cat has a unique metabolism.

Cats are obligate carnivores and are adapted to consume a diet that is high in protein, moderate in fat, and include a very small amount of carbohydrates (roughly 3 to 5%). Since nature designed them thus, cats do not have many of the important enzymes that are necessary to process these types of foods.

So, it is not sufficient that you love your cat. You have to understand the cat and its food habits! The food you give to your cat can put it in its grave!

Ashish Jain writes about many topics. For more information on diabetes visit and for additional diabetes articles visit the main articles page: To comment on this article visit:

Nutritionists say that those looking for a healthier diet would do well to follow the guidelines of a diabetic diet-balance protein and carbohydrates and choose fats wisely.

Fat is necessary to help your body absorb certain vitamins, keep you warm and give you energy. It also helps keep blood sugar levels more consistent when eaten with carbohydrates. But it's important to choose the right kinds of fat.

Recent studies suggest that replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fats may be a more effective way of lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. These fats protect against heart attacks and strokes by helping to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and control blood glucose.

Canola oil provides a balance of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fats. And it has the lowest amount of saturated fats of any commonly used vegetable oil-half as much as olive oil. It also has a mild flavor that allows other ingredients to shine through.

To start eating better, try this healthy fish dish that is full of flavor yet simple to prepare.

Cumin-Crusted Fish

2-3 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

1 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, etc.)

2 tsp canola oil

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Lemon or lime wedges

1. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, thyme, paprika, salt and lemon pepper.

2. Rub spice mixture on both sides of fillets.

3. In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat canola oil. Add fish fillets and cook until browned on both sides and fish is opaque in center.

4. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with lemon or lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving: calories 130, fat 3.5 g (saturated 0 g), cholesterol 100 mg, protein 22 g, carbohydrate 1 g, fiber >1 g, sodium 410 mg.

To receive a copy of the brochure Canola Cooks For People With Diabetes, visit the CanolaInfo website at

Growing up around surface coal mining and machines with engines, I learned a lot about how engines work and the basics that they need. Now today learning about nutrition I find some similarities. Stay with me here. It will make sense, I hope. The needs of your body are similar to the needs of the engine in your car. These needs are Fuel, Air, and Spark. By the way, you must have realized by now that I am a very simple minded person with a very simple mind. To simplify, this article I will address just one of these needs. Fuel

Compare this: Your car engine needs fuel. So does your body.

The gasoline you put in your car has to be clean with no pollutants. If it is contaminated you will experience symptoms. Lack of power especially when needed like going up a hill, spit sputter and backfiring, your engines way of saying "Help!!" I am not getting the nutrients I need and it may even stop running all together. (Bad, very Bad if this is your body.) To fix the symptoms, all that is needed (if you do this soon enough) is to purge the engine of the impurities and make sure that the new fuel is clean and proper.

Your body is no different, if what you eat is contaminated you will experience the symptoms of being tired, no power, you can also spit, sputter (vomit), and backfire (diarrhea). Again the cure is as easy as giving the body the clean and proper foods it needs. AHH, but now you may ask what are the proper foods.

Remember when you were taught that there were four basic food groups? We were instructed to eat from all four-food groups to get a balanced meal.

1. Dairy

2. Meat

3. Grain

4. Fruits and vegetables. Sounds easy EXCEPT

YOUR DIET CAN AND DOES CAUSE ILLNESS. SAY WHAT? TED

Have you ever suffered from one of the following? Indigestion, heartburn, tiredness, headaches, mood swings, aching joints, constipation, allergies, hypoglycemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, yeast overgrowth, just to name a few.

The problem may not be just the foods you are eating, but what Foods you are Mixing together that is causing a TOXIC CONDITION in the body, especially in the digestive tract.

OH, now you have really done it. This is sounding too confusing.

Learning about Nutrition is an in-depth study, but you can learn the basic do's and don'ts.

Here is one easy example, Fruits: The rule for fruit is to eat it alone or leave it alone.

Don't mix with other food groups.

I was taught very young that if you aren't learning you are dying. Is it worth the effort??

When you first get up in the morning, are you still tired? Look in a full body mirror, look close, do you like what you see? Is your life abundant and Healthy?

Ted Salonica is just another average American that is concerned about the health and well being of his neighbors. Ted's faith compels him to get involved. Ted's website is an example of Action to help others find an Abundant Healthy Life. Life is Good!

Are you overweight or tired all the time? Do you have headaches, other aches and pains, frequent colds and flus, constipation or digestive problems, high blood pressure, PMS, allergies or sensitivities. Do you often drink too much alcohol, drink caffeinated beverages, smoke cigarettes, use over-the-counter or recreational drugs, or eat fast, fried or refined foods?

What is a detox?

Our bodies have a natural in-built detox system (made up of the digestive tract, the urinary system and the liver) that helps to process all the chemicals modern life throws at it. These chemicals are called 'toxins' - they are basically poisons that have harmful effects on your body. It's not just alcohol and tobacco that are loaded with toxins; pesticides and food additives, caffeine and pollution all play their part, too.

Benefits of a detox diet

1. Detox diets are thought to prevent chronic diseases, such as arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.

2. People who try a detox diet often find it can improve toxicity symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, headache, pain, premenstrual syndrome, unhealthy skin, poor concentration, anxiety and irritability, frequent colds, heartburn, constipation, and gas.

3. Detox diets may be recommended as part of a supervised treatment plan for chronic disease such as autoimmune disease, multiple chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive disorders, heart disease, and arthritis.

Detox Hot Tips

1. Clear the detox period in your diary of any pubs, clubs, restaurants and parties. See it as an opportunity to do all those things you never get round to, such as visiting museums and galleries - then you can feel doubly smug at the end when you're not only healthier, but more cultured, too;

2. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration;

3. Take milk thistle to optimise these benefits; it contains silymarin, which protects the liver from damage;

Mind-Body Detox:

Special chiropractic treatments for drug addicts have proven very successful in stabilizing those withdrawing from drugs and other addictive behavior. Mind Body Detox is being recognized by the scientific and medical professionals and their publications worldwide. Chiropractors using activator methods to treat poor health, pain, and even addiction are being sought by addicts wishing to overcome their addiction. The mind body detox process activates movement very gently, no bone popping, which stimulates the brain's pleasure receptors and affects emotions in a positive way.

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

The mind-body connection to addiction may open up new forms of drug-free detox treatments. The breakthrough was discovering that certain drug (opiate) receptors in the brain are only found in humans and different types of animals that have spines or back bones. Specific (limbic) systems that control emotions in the brain are affected by stimulating these drug receptors. Drugs stimulate these receptors but so does physical movement.

What is a detox diet?

A detox diet is thought to strengthen organs involved in detox and promote the excretion of stored toxins through the organs of elimination: the skin, intestines, liver, lungs, kidneys and lymphatic system. A detox diet program may include a special diet, herbs and supplements, hydrotherapy, exercise, breathing techniques and/or sauna.

Think about all the toxins we are constantly pumping into our bodies and it's pretty obvious that the detox system could do with a helping hand. Symptoms that it is functioning badly include: tiredness, dark circles under the eyes, dull skin and bad digestion.

Detox Hot Tips

1. Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake a few days before you start;

2. Buy a detox book or pick out some tasty recipes to cook so you don't get stuck for ideas;

3. Go shopping in advance - with the right foods at hand you shouldn't go hungry;

4. Tell all your friends and family what you are doing in advance. If they know how serious you are they are less likely to try and force feed you a pint/bar of chocolate/Sunday roast when you next see them;

Who shouldn't detox?

If you have any history of cancer, kidney, liver, heart disease or any other disease, are pregnant or under 16, do not contemplate detoxing without talking to your doctor.

Fresh Vegetables

All fresh vegetables except corn, which can be an allergenic food. Great detox foods include broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli sprouts, onions, garlic, artichokes, beets, red and green vegetables.

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

Why do we need to detox?

Our bodies are able to detoxify chemicals without help. However, many experts believe that the enormous number of chemicals we ingest daily through food, water, and the environment can accumulate.

The buildup, called the toxic burden or body burden, can overwhelm the body's capacity to detoxify and may lead to hormonal imbalance, nutritional deficiency, and inefficient metabolism

What are the possible side effects of a detox diet?

Some people may experience headache, acne, weight loss, or fatigue during a detox. These symptoms usually diminish after a few days. For this reason, many people take time off work to begin a detox or start the diet on a Friday night.

Remember that your organs will benefit from any kind of rest, so you can always go for an in-between option where you replace your biggest vices with healthier alternatives.

Detox Side Effects

1. Many people experience headaches at the beginning of a detox as their body is coming to terms with the dramatic reduction of its daily poisons. That is why it's worth cutting down your main vices slowly before you start;

2. Your energy may dip before it rises, so it's worth starting the programme on a weekend to let your body adjust.

Drink caffeinated beverages?

Most Americans do. And with the stress of our society, it's hard not to. Even if you're not ready to quit for good, a spring and fall detox can give your liver a chance to rest from detoxifying all that caffeine every day, and that can have tremendous physical benefits in terms of more energy, better sleep and reduced stress which in turn can also make it possible to cut down significantly on caffeine after your detox.

Fresh Fruit

Enjoy all fresh fruit. Go easy on grapefruit. A compound in grapefruit called naringin can significantly inhibit liver detox enzymes and should be avoided during detox diets.

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

How do I choose a detox method?

If you are trying a detox for the first time, it is best to take a gentle, gradual approach. The detox diet plan is a basic detox diet that many people recommend.

Detox diets can target the different organ systems involved in detoxification: the skin, liver, kidneys, colon, lungs and lymph system. A natural health care practitioner can design a program that suits your needs by targeting specific organ systems. For example, a person with a skin condition may benefit from a program that addresses the liver, intestines, and skin.

Other forms of detox include juice fasts, macrobiotic diet, colon cleanse, and liver flush. If you can't go without meat, at least avoid red meat, and consider steering clear of dairy and wheat for maximum benefits.

If you are a heavy smoker or take drugs regularly, it will be a huge shock to the system to give up at the same time as detoxing. Take one step at a time - giving up your particular vice will be a detox in itself.

Headaches?

Food additives, sugar, alcohol, caffeine withdrawal, constipation, hormonal imbalance and exposure to irritants such as pollution, perfume or after-shaves are all causes of headaches that can often be relieved by detoxification.

Sauna

Saunas enhance circulation and oxygenate the tissues. They open the nasal passages and assist the sinuses to drain. A major eliminative organ, most people's skin is very inactive. Many do not sweat. This may be due to synthetic or tight clothing that does not breathe. Sedentary living and sun damage also inactivate the skin. Hundreds of chemicals affect the skin from lotions, soaps, and creams to deodorants. Others are cleaning solvents, detergent residues and chemicals from bathing water.

There are tons of detox diets out there. Typically they involve 1 or 2 days on a completely liquid diet and another 4 or 5 days adding brown rice, fruit, and steamed vegetables (all organic) to the diet. After a week of eating only these foods, you gradually reintroduce other foods - except for red meat, wheat, sugar, eggs, and all prepackaged or junk foods - into your diet.

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

How do I get started?

It's important to see your primary care provider for a thorough assessment to ensure that your symptoms are not caused by a medical condition that requires treatment. Even serious diseases, such as cancer, can present with seemingly minor symptoms such as fatigue and back pain. Or, they may only be detected by laboratory tests.

There's no golden rule about what diet to follow or for how long, but the general theory is to temporarily (no more than one month) alter your diet in order to strengthen the organs and release stored toxins. This will involve cutting out alcohol and caffeine, two of the biggest culprits, as well as preparing your meals from natural foods free of additives, preservatives, saturated fats and sugar.

Overweight?

If you're overweight, you have more toxins in your body than a thin person because the body stores excess toxins in fat cells. But don't despair– one of the great additional benefits of detoxing is losing weight!

Sauna Benefits

Heating of the tissues also enhances metabolic processes. Greater cellular energy production facilitates healing. Viruses, tumors and toxin-laden cells are weaker than normal cells. They tolerate heat poorly. Raising the body temperature causes infections to heal more quickly. Hyperthermia, or fever therapy, helps combat infections and even cancer. Our bodies develop fever when ill to enhance metabolism and help kill germs.

The people who support detox diets say that because of emotional stress or dehydration, toxins don't leave our bodies properly during the elimination of waste. Instead, they believe toxins hang around in our digestive, lymph, and gastrointestinal systems as well as in our skin and hair. According to proponents of detox diets, these toxins can cause all kinds of problems, like tiredness, headaches, nausea, and acne.

We urge you to find out more about Herbal Detox and how it can benefit you today!

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

Toxins can include perfume, alcohol, cigarette smoke, pesticides, mercury, food additives, oral contraceptives, and cleaning supplies. Toxins are transformed chemically to less harmful compounds that can be excreted via stools or urine.

Is there anyone who should not try a detox diet?

Consult your primary care provider to find out if a detox diet is appropriate for you. A detox diet should not be used by pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with anemia, eating disorders, heart problems, lowered immunity, low blood pressure, ulcers, diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, ulcerative colitis, unless recommended and supervised by your primary care provider.

There are endless detox plans you can follow, so chose carefully. Some will advocate complete fasting or juice-only days, but beware of the health implications and never start such an extreme plan without consulting your doctor or a qualified nutritionist.

Detox Benefits

1. Improves symptoms of heartburn, constipation and gas and treats digestive disorders;

2. Boosts the immune system.

Allergies or sensitivies?

By and large, conventional health care only deals with masking the symptoms of allergies and food sensitivities, rather than attempting to resolve them. The first step that many alternative practitioners recommend is a change of diet that cuts out wheat and dairy foods, two common allergens. To do so is also the first step in "detoxing." Higher levels of detoxing, as well as additional immune support through nutritional supplementation, have been known to help many allergy sufferers. Allergies are, however, almost by definition, a very individualized condition.

What happens after the detox?

Many of the foods that were eliminated during this diet can be allergenic. A natural health practitioner can help to systematically reintroduce food groups (wheat, dairy, gluten, corn) and note reactions to identify the food groups that may be aggravating health conditions such as sinus congestion, fatigue, skin conditions, arthritis and bloating and constipation. Flare-ups can occur, so supervision is recommended.

Detoxification is the process of eliminating harmful compounds (toxins) from the body. Find out about Herbal Detox at http://HerbalD

Statins are first-line therapy for reducing LDL cholesterol levels in persons with diabetes and they are generally well tolerated. They have the advantage of lowering VLDL cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol; thus they can assist in attaining the non-HDL-cholesterol goal when triglyceride levels are ¡Ý200 mg/dL. Bile acid sequestrants also are effective LDL-lowering drugs in persons with diabetes. Their potential utility for LDL lowering either as monotherapy or in combination with statins should not be overlooked. They generally are not contraindicated simply because of their tendency to raise triglycerides. Nonetheless, triglyceride levels should be monitored.

Fibrates favorably modify diabetic dyslipidemia. They are well tolerated, and do not worsen hyperglycemia. For more detailed info please visit

They probably produce some reduction in CHD risk, and could be used in persons who have low LDLcholesterol levels and atherogenic dyslipidemia. In addition, they can be combined with statins to improve the overall lipoprotein pattern. For many years, fibrates were considered first-line therapy for persons with diabetes. However, the results of recent clinical trials now favor use of statins before fibrates in most persons. Still, the combination of statin + fibrate is attractive in persons with diabetes who have atherogenic dyslipidemia but in whom LDL lowering is required to achieve the LDL-cholesterol goal. Clinical trials are currently underway to test the efficacy of statin + fibrate in treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia.

Nicotinic acid also has a favorable effect on diabetic dyslipidemia. Recent clinical trials in persons with diabetes indicated that low doses of nicotinic acid are accompanied by only modest deterioration in glucose control with no changes in HbA1C levels.

Unfortunately, nicotinic acid therapy can increase insulin resistance and clinical experience has shown that in rare instances, diabetic dyslipidemia is worsened with nicotinic acid therapy.

Treatment with hypoglycemic agents also can improve diabetic dyslipidemia. Insulin therapy, sulfonyl ureas, metformin, and glitazones can all lower triglyceride levels. Although they may not be as effective as fibrates in modifying atherogenic dyslipidemia, control of hyperglycemia should be maximized before considering a fibrate in combined lipid-lowering drug therapy.

If hypertriglyceridemia can be adequately controlled by glucose-lowering therapy, a lipid-lowering drug may not be needed.

Grata Young is author of Heart Disease Secret, which shows Diabetes sufferer how to heal themselves naturally and safely. Please visit

Believed to effect 1 in 400 cats, feline diabetes often presents itself with symptoms that are very similar to those found in humans. The good news is that feline diabetes is treatable and does not necessarily mean a shorter life span or lesser quality of life for cats. In many cases, early and effective treatment of feline diabetes may even lead to a complete remission, which means that a cat will not continue to need insulin injections.

Early detection of feline diabetes is critical to a cat's health. If left untreated, this illness can lead to weakness in the legs, malnutrition, dehydration and possibly even death. The symptoms of feline diabetes are gradual and may manifest themselves over a period of several weeks. Typically, feline diabetes if not found in cats that are under 7 years of age. The first signs are likely to be a sudden weight loss or gain. In addition, excessive drinking and urination may be accompanied by an sudden increase in, or loss of, appetite. The next symptom of feline diabetes may be the back legs growing increasingly weak.

Once any of the aforementioned signs begin to surface, it's time to take your pet to the veterinarian for the appropriate tests. If feline diabetes is confirmed, one of the most important treatment methods will be that of a well-balanced diet. Based upon your cat's needs, the veterinarian will recommend a diet and nutrition plan, which can be utilized in addition to regular insulin injections. Oral medications are also often prescribed in place of injections, but pills are often thought to cause liver damage or possibly even a remission reversal in cats. Therefore, most pet owners opt for insulin injections for the most effective treatment of feline diabetes.

While in treatment, it is important that cats be taken to the veterinarian for regular checkups and to monitor their health and dietary habits. If this illness is not treated properly or if their diet is not closely monitored, your pet may end up hospitalized. When dealing with feline diabetes, there is no room for error and pets must be closely supervised to make sure that they are eating right and gradually beginning to regain their strength.

The information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as, or used in place of, medical advice or professional recommendations for the diagnosis or treatment of feline diabetes. If necessary, individuals should take their pet to a licensed veterinarian for further information regarding feline diabetes, including a proper diagnosis and treatment.

To find out more about feline diabetes, please visit our website at . It contains tons of free feline diabetes articles, resources and tips.

Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It is one of the top health complications that a woman has to face during pregnancy. Indeed a double curse!

If the woman had gestational diabetes during pregnancy then she is most likely to pass it on to the child. So, if a woman has gestational diabetes during pregnancy, there is an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child. Timely knowledge about this condition, goes to control it effectively by diet and exercise. After the baby is born, the mother and the child both recoup their original health.

One problem gives room for a series of problems. The major risk is the birth of a fat baby. The condition is known as macrosomia. The baby by birth will have its own problems, the common one being damage to its shoulders during birth.

Some basic precautions have to be taken to prevent the risk of gestational diabetes. It is taking recourse to natural methods again! Make it a point to lose weight, if you are overweight. Be careful and choosy about your food, and above all, do exercises regularly. This type of diabetes is a temporary condition, a passing phase, that occurs during pregnancy.

There is another risk for the baby. It may develop breathing problems.

The exact causes of the gestational diabetes are not known yet. But there are certain clues and possibilities, why gestational diabetes occurs! It is insulin resistance.

The baby, as it grows, is supported by the placenta. Hormones help the baby develop. But the hormones also do a damaging act. They block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. The mother's body finds it hard to use insulin, so her requirement of insulin goes up by 300 % and gestational diabetes is the result!

Utmost care is needed to combat gestational diabetes, as it concerns the health of the mother as well as that of the baby. Food choices are of paramount importance. This will have beneficial effects on the health of your baby's growth. If you are fit and healthy, the risk of cesarean section birth can also be avoided.

In many cases, it has been found that gestational diabetes leads to type II diabetes later.

Do exercises regularly even during pregnancy, but only after consulting your doctor. This is the formative period for you as well as for the baby. Proper exercises provide strength to your body and act favorably for the growth of the baby within.

Shut the door on the face of the diabetes, even if it pleads that it is only gestation. This evil does not deserve mercy.

Ashish Jain writes about many topics. For more information on diabetes visit and for additional diabetes articles visit the main articles page: To comment on this article visit:

There is a strong connection between carbohydrates, high blood sugars and diabetes. Carbohydrates give your body the energy, or fuel, it needs to function properly.

There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are in foods such as fruit sugar, corn or grape sugar and table sugar. They are single-sugar molecules. Complex carbohydrates are the foods that contain three or more linked sugars. So carbohydrates create blood sugars and that's where the problems start for diabetics. Understanding more about the connection helps to control your diabetes...

A Personal Experience

I am a diabetic type 2 and, at the moment, I control my blood sugars through tablets and diet. Blood glucose control is extremely important for any diabetic - it is the only way of minimising future health complications; heart disease; neuropathy resulting in amputations; kidney disease and early death.

Four years ago my A1C sugar levels were starting to get out of control - they weren't massively high but were creeping up. My Doctor increased my medication - with no real satisfactory results, my blood sugars were all over the place; I could go from a high reading at night and be woken by a hypoglaecemic (low blood sugar) in the early hours.

Then I discovered the Atkins diet and, because I wanted to lose weight, I started to follow the low carbohydrate, high protein menus.

That's when I discovered the real connection between complex carbohydrates, high blood sugars and my diabetes. Suddenly my blood sugars stabilised and it was because I was no longer piling in huge amounts of carbohydrate, which were pushing my blood sugars far too high.

This seemed to fly in the face of conventional advice on the right diets - complex carbohydrate rich - for diabetes. You see, I already understood I had to avoid sweet, sugary food - these contained simple carbohydrates. I hadn't realised that the more complex carbohydrate of bread, potato and cereals affected my blood sugars as well.

But (there's always a 'but' isn't there?) the Atkins diet did not really suit me. I had constant diarrhea which was stressful and debilitating. So I came off that diet after 3-4 months and, of course, my blood sugars began to get out of control again.

But now I knew about the connection, all I needed to do was find the right program for me that followed the low carbohydrate principle.

And just recently, whilst doing research for my diabetes website, I discovered a program that suits me, and which I describe in more detail on my website for diabetics.

My advice to any diabetic and pre-diabetic, do your research! Understand the close connection between the complex carbohydrates you eat, how they affect your blood sugars and how it can make it difficult to control your diabetes. Once you understand that link, look for a diet or system that you can adapt to safely bring your blood sugars back under control.

Remember, too many carbohydrates (complex or simple) give you high blood sugar levels and if you have diabetes it means your body cannot cope with the additional overload.

© 2006 Carol Ann

Carol Ann created to present information on diabetes from a diabetic's viewpoint.

Discover How to Take Control of Your Diabetes with this complimentary 86-page PDF guide, including a 53-page list of carbohydrate values of different foods. Get your copy now.

Young Families and Dental Health: Planning for Beautiful Smiles in Your Future

By Carey O'Rielly, DDS

A bride's first thoughts about her smile are bound to be on beautiful white teeth for her wedding portfolio. When entering into matrimony the focus is on the honeymoon and beginning a new life shortly thereafter. Visits to the dentist for exams or to the hygienist for cleanings may not be high on the 'to do' list. In planning families, however, it is important to take dentistry into account for reasons rarely considered.

For one thing silver (amalgam) fillings that are ten years old or more can begin to cause tiny micro-fractures in the remaining tooth surface. This is due to the abrasion of the metal against the living tissue of the tooth as well as the minute expansions and contractions of the metal caused by heat and cold. These fillings need to be replaced with newer cosmetic restorations, because over time the teeth can be damaged to the extent that they fracture and break.

This may not be much of a concern when the patient is in their twenties, however it is important to plan for. Further planning is in order regarding the timing of metal removal and the start of a family. Chewing and leakage from older fillings may cause metals to be absorbed by the body. These metals can later be transferred to the fetus during pregnancy through the placental tissue (the umbilical cord). While the quantities may be minute, the effects of heavy metals on the un-born has not been totally understood at this time.

According to the latest materials fact sheet released by the State Board of Dental Examiners, "Mercury in its elemental form is on the State of California's Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause reproductive toxicity. Mercury may harm the developing brain of a child or fetus." It goes on to say that "no valid scientific evidence has shown that amalgams cause harm to patients with dental restorations, except in rare cases of allergy". The Board continues with the statement that "A diversity of opinions exist regarding the safety of dental amalgams. Questions have been raised about its safety in pregnant women, children and diabetics".

It is a fact that mercury, the chief ingredient in silver amalgam fillings, is both a neurotoxin and an immune suppressant. Currently there is a proposal in the California State legislature to restrict the use of amalgam fillings in pregnant women and in children under six. Following are some comments made by the bill's proponent, Congresswoman Diane Watson of Los Angeles in November, 2001. "The Mercury in fillings is volatile…The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry of the United States Public Health Service reports that those poisonous vapors go first to the brain and kidneys. For the developing brain- and by that I mean a child's brain- a major health risk exists."

"It is in fact children who are at greatest risk from these fillings. The government of Canada recommended back in 1996 that dentist not place fillings in the mouths of children or pregnant women. (the 1999 report on Mercury … says Mercury passes through the placenta into the developing child's brain.) In 1997, a major manufacturer of dental amalgam, Dentsply, said that amalgam is CONTRAINDICATED… for children and pregnant women….Another manufacturer, Vivadent, added a contra-indication for nursing mothers. (That 1999 government report says the Mercury goes through the mother's breast milk into the baby.)" Watson also said that "…occupational risk is significant. Dental employees are constantly exposed to the vapors. Women in dental offices have lower fecundity (pregnancy) rates, more miscarriages and more problem births."

Given the beauty, naturalness and durability of currently available non-metal dental materials, it is important for young couples to consider their future dental needs and plan accordingly. Once a decision has been reached to proceed with metal removal, it is important to find a dentist who can remove the amalgam fillings safely, minimizing any further exposure during the process. Additional detoxification after metal removal and before pregnancy may also be a consideration, since mercury can be stored in organ tissue and fat cells.

Other dental facts relevant to pregnancy concern the gums and gum disease. Women who smoke have already heard many reasons why smoking can impact health. What is lesser known is that smokers are three times more likely to develop periodontal or gum disease and actually lose teeth. Gum disease is a process that begins when the teeth draw away from the gums due to bacterial infection.

Pregnant women with periodontal disease are seven times more likely to give birth to infants that are pre-term and low weight. They also have a higher likelihood of bone resorption around teeth, which is the process by which bone tissue breaks down and is absorbed by the body. The damage done to the bone support of your teeth can be greatly accelerated during pregnancy due to hormonal changes.

Nutrition plays an important role in the health of your teeth so enjoy yourself but don't forget that sugar causes cavities and that alcohol is essentially sugar. Brush your teeth well and floss daily and try to minimize stress: that contributes to an acidic environment in your mouth conducive to the bacteria causing gum disease. Make sure that whatever tooth whitening procedures you choose don't aggravate your gums or cause sensitivity in your teeth. Take care of your health because the time to enhance your life with its value is while you're young.

And smile a beautiful smile: your future looks bright!

Carey O'Rielly, DDS has over 20 years of experience in the dental field. His practice in Encinitas, the Integrative Center for Holistic Dentistry, is located in San Diego's beautiful North County. The office's affiliation with a local medical clinic make comprehensive treatment solutions possible for Southern California residents. Patients travel regularly from as far away as Los Angeles.

Watch a video in which Dr. O'Rielly discusses holistic/cosmetic dentistry, TMJ pain relief and other topics at

For Dr. O'Rielly new ebook, Your Ultimate Asset: The ABC's of Truly Good Health, visit

For the story behind the practice and how it came to be 'holistic' visit, subscribe to our holistic health journal at and

look for news of the practice's upcoming blog.

Diabetes information is essential in patients who have either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. When diagnosed with diabetes, the health implications can be devastating but understanding what the disease is and what changes you can implement to assist in leading a healthy life is important in controlling any ill effects. Making a few lifestyle changes and ensuring you have regular doctor checkups to monitor your progress is important in maintaining a healthy life. With a few simple changes you can enhance the quality as well as the length of life.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes that is diagnosed in people today. Many older people, past the age of thirty, are diagnosed with this condition. It is much rarer to see this in children and teens, though it does occur. The condition is based on the body not producing enough insulin or rejecting the insulin that is produced. Type 2 diabetes and health is a somewhat complicated course to navigate but a healthy diabetes diet and continual monitoring from your physician, you can decrease your risks of additional complications. Learning to live with this disease is tantamount in upholding your overall health and well being. Complications from type 2 diabetes include increasing your chances of heart disease and kidney disease, complications involving your eye sight, foot and skin problems and increased risk of stroke. These risks can be reduced, though.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is generally diagnosed in children and young adults and is not as prevalent in older people. The term also used to be known as juvenile diabetes. This is where insulin is not produced in the body. Metabolism in diabetes mellitus plays a large part. However, there are lifestyle changes that can occur, including diet, that will help better control the effects and lessen the risk of more serious complications. Complications and additional health risks are similar to those of type 2 diabetes and include heart, nerve, muscular, skin and eye problems.

Exercise is one of the important lifestyle changes that should occur if you are diagnosed with diabetes. Exercise should be a regular activity in everyone's life and there is no denying the benefits that can be gained from it. With diabetes, though, it is especially important to remain active. First, exercise will promote weight loss and will also kick start the metabolism. Both will allow your body to be more sensitive to the insulin that is produced in the body. Ensuring you start an exercise program if you do not yet have one is very important. Check with your doctor before embarking on anything, though, to ensure your activities match your fitness level. Walking, swimming and using a trampoline are good, low impact exercises that can help.

You will need to become educated about the different food groups and which foods have various characteristics. Your physician or a nutrition specialist will be able to assist you with this and give you lists of which types of foods are in each category. Eating foods that digest slower will help you reduce the after meal spike that sometimes occurs. Carbohydrates are a key element in the diabetes diet and will help control the after-meal spikes that occur in diabetics. Adjusting the amount of fatty foods you consume is also an important aspect of maintaining a healthy diabetes diet. It not only will help reduce calories, thus allowing you to lose weight but will also help you process the insulin produced in your body.

It often helps diabetics to eat more often as opposed to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating smaller portions of food more frequently can often give a more even feeling and keep insulin levels steadier throughout the day. If you are prescribed medications, either oral medications or insulin shots, it is important to take them per the physician's directions. Do not skip or delay medications. Also, if you are supposed to test, always test daily, as your physician recommends or anytime you are feeling a bit low.

Getting all the diabetes information available on what it is and how to control it with a diabetes diet and exercise is important in ensuring you lead a happy, healthy life. People with diabetes can lead very good, long lasting lives with some simply changes in lifestyle and diet. After changes become habit, there will be no sense of deprivation. You will feel better, lose weight and be more active. Your risks of more severe complications will decrease significantly and your chances of living longer will increase.

More information on a diabetes diet can be found on our site www.H Take control of your life and your diabetes.

The body is a wondrous machine and is designed to take massive abuse before it fails.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always give clear signs of abuse until it's too late. So many people believe heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and obesity are just part of the natural aging process. However, it's our lack of exercise and terrible diet, which accelerates our aging and causes us to fall ill before our time.

Despite progress we always have those among us who believe the "old fashioned" ways or products are better. It has to be said that in some instances they are correct. Sadly, with each passing generation, some of this old fashioned wisdom disappears.

Progress is so contemporary and so closely a part of our daily lives that we sometimes fail to recognize that we, ourselves, may fail to keep up with what is happening. Things that we would have considered very modern because we witnessed their creation only a few years ago may already be "old fashioned" to high school students.

In the medical world, treatment that might have been popular for a disease in 1986 may be completely outmoded in 2006. Even medical discoveries of the 1990's may be old fashioned today.

However, over the years, and for generation after generation, a great number of home remedies for many illnesses have managed to stay alive. They have been passed down from elders to youngsters in each country throughout the world. Many of them are strikingly similar although they may have originated on separate continents among completely alien peoples.

This area of medicine is commonly called "folk medicine." Few people will have failed to have come into contact with this term at one time or another. Usually folk medicines are the "old fashioned remedies, the cure that "Grandma used"; the wisdom of the oldster who remembers when "My old friend Betty would have died if they hadn't used that old remedy! Yes

sir, even the doctor had to admit it worked."

Periodically there seems to be a revival in folk medicine. We appear to be now experiencing such a time as more people are becoming concerned, not only about the high cost of medicine, but also the increasing discoveries of side effects. Nature has given us many natural remedies, with little or no side effects.

Basically most folk medicine is closely associated with herbs, food, oils, minerals and components found in any household. Techniques and methodology of folk medicine are especially adaptable to home use.

It is not difficult to understand how many of these medicines and treatments originated and why they were popular. Among pioneers and peoples where doctors were few and far between, or nonexistent, medical aids were the products of experience and necessity. People used what they had at hand. Sometimes what they "had at hand" are still used by our most modern medical experts.

Many people accept herbal medications as safe because they are 'natural', but this is not necessarily so. Many plants are poisonous, or may have serious side effects or give allergic reactions when taken by susceptible individuals. One such case is bee pollen. Just as you can be allergic to bee stings without knowing it (if you've never been stung) so an allergy to bee pollen may also be present. While many herbal concoctions can be useful,

We suggest finding a Homeopathic Doctor that balances the need for medication with a change in lifestyle and diet as a part of your overall game plan to get back on the road to better health.

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More than 170 million people throughout the world suffer from diabetes and the number continues to climb. Could it be that many of these people could benefit from an easily accessible product such as cinnamon?

This spice, which most of us have in our kitchen, has been shown to have the power to cut blood sugar levels nearly as much as statin drugs!

The magic ingredient in cinnamon is believed to be a substance called MHCP. The MHCP is thought to be the reason cinnamon reignites the ability of fat cells in diabetics to respond to insulin and dramatically increase glucose removal.

In addition, two new studies reveal new evidence for the beneficial effects of cinnamon as an anti-inflammatory agent and support earlier research of its power as an anti-oxidant agent and an agent able to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, and improve the functioning of insulin.

However, before you run out and buy a case of cinnamon, keep the following in mind. Eating mouthfuls of cinnamon straight from the bottle may not be the best solution. Table cinnamon is not water soluble, which means it can build up in the body with unknown consequences.

Also, some of the beneficial qualities of cinnamon, such as lowering total cholesterol, only occurred by taking the capsule form. It is believed that a person's saliva may have some harmful effects on cinnamon.

Do not despair; there are still plenty of benefits if you don't have time to get cinnamon capsules. It is my guess that most of us will just use the cinnamon we have sitting in the cupboard.

Just a half a teaspoon a day is all you need to get the blood sugar reducing benefits. You can also get the effect by simply soaking a cinnamon stick in your next cup of tea.

While many type II diabetics are finding a great improvement in their health with cinnamon supplementation, the good news does not end with help for diabetes. Many non-diabetics are discovering the energy boosting properties of this wonderful spice and use cinnamon as a daily energy tonic.

There is also speculation by researchers that cinnamon can help people with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is a disease were unusual amounts of insulin are produced by the pancreas in response to a cancer tumor. This causes insulin resistance in the cells and prevents the cell from getting glucose. In theory, researchers think cinnamon might help overcome this resistance.

Insulin resistance may also be involved in diseases such as Alzheimer's according to some scientists. Studies are ongoing to test this theory.

The powers of cinnamon cannot be denied and its help for some diabetics and pre-diabetics has been nothing short of miraculous.

Of course, this does not mean to rush out and gorge on cinnamon rolls and cinnamon flavored pie. There is too much sugar in that diet. The best options are taking capsules or sprinkling a half teaspoon of cinnamon on what you normally would eat.

Don't forget to inform your doctor before taking cinnamon as it might have interactions with other medications.

Through his avid research, Mr. Brooks has come to the realization that being healthy is a choice and encompasses not only proper diet but also a fitness regimen that includes the mind, body and soul. Mike Brooks is the publisher and editor-in-chief for the health information site

More than 1 million Americans over 40 are blind from eye diseases and 2.3 million are visually impaired. Every 5 seconds, a person goes blind. As of 2004, 20 million Americans have cataracts; 13 million people with type 2 diabetes have signs of retinopathy at the time they are diagnosed. Glaucoma affects two million Americans; it is the second leading cause of blindness after diabetes. Macular degeneration affects 13 million Americans. All eye diseases are caused by free-radical damage and inflammation in and around the eye and its vessels.

Americans have been trained since childhood, through doctors and television advertisements, that medications are the only way to help cure diseases of all kinds. Around the world this is not true, diet and herbs are used to cure and prevent diseases and illnesses with great success in areas that produce the necessary herbs.

Americans think it is normal for their vision to get worse with age, this not a true fact around the world. Here in America we have on blinders to our own eye health. In China many have very keen vision; they use an herbal compound with honey fired weed and seven other herbs. In India they use Ayurvedic herbs, including one that they believe to have the highest free-radical fighting vitamins. In South East Asia they eat an amazing fruit called the Mangosteen; it has the highest number of anti-oxidants ever found in one food source. In Japan the people in the fishing villages use an important dietary compound that contains an exotic vegetable blend with the best eye enhancing foods; we in America do not get enough of these. In England you can find the wild bilberry, known to help our eyes, but in France you can find bilberry that is seven times more concentrated.

Did you know that an aspirin a day can damage your eyes? It's true; it affects the blood vessels that feed your eyes. Evidence shows a link between taking aspirin and unhealthy eyes. There is a natural way to help protect your heart and blood flow and that is Bromelain. Bromelain is a protein enzyme found in pineapple stems and fruit; it helps maintain healthy blood pressure and heart efficiency without the side effects that aspirin has, unless you are allergic to pineapple. If you are allergic to pineapple, you can use Pomegranate juice. Make sure it is 100 percent natural with no sugars added. Pomegranate has been proven to increase blood flow and reduce plaque build up on artery walls.

Natural Healers have been advocates of the bilberry for years, but the hit and miss of this natural eye health remedy has always been a problem, this is why: Bilberry has two compounds in it, first is glycosides which are sugar molecules and the other is a powerful anti-oxidant called anthocyanins. Your body needs to absorb the anti-oxidants but first it has to remove the sugar molecule and we do not produce the enzymes needed to do that naturally. There is a European company that is able to remove the sugar molecule without damaging the necessary anti-oxidants. Mind you I do not believe in processing any natural remedy but this company has made a breakthrough that makes this natural eye healing berry easier for our body to use, so I'm all for it. The company does not add any un-natural ingredients to the bilberry, allowing these needed anti-oxidants to be absorbed into the small intestine without missing a beat.

In China they use a blend of herbs for eye health; people in their eighties have very sharp vision. The herbs are: Honey-fired Astragalus, Asiatic dogwood, Chinese yam, Mountain peony, Polyporous mushroom, Rehmannia, Alisma and Schisandra. Each of these herbs has health benefits but together in a blend they actually support healthy eyes, supporting the nerves by reducing free-radical stress, the arteries by increasing the blood flow to the retinal arteries and promoting a healthy balance of electrolytes in the lenses.

In India, they use an Ayurvedic herbal complex called Triphala which contains three herbs that when combined support eye health. They are; Indian gooseberry (amla), which contains the one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C to be found in any plant, Beleric Myrobalan (bibhitaki), which cleanses and detoxifies the body, Indian Gallnut (haritaki) which has anti-oxidants that work with the eyes.

The South East Asians eat a fruit called Mangosteen, and they use the rind of the fruit as a tea, or they make a paste out of it for skin conditions. This amazing fruit has the highest number of anti-oxidants ever found in one food source, over 25,000. Mangosteen is believed to aid in the recovery of almost all diseases and illnesses dependent on the amount taken for each disease and illness. Mangosteen has been studied for the last 20 years because of its amazing medicinal properties. It can be found in the U.S. as a juice. The mangosteen juice has the whole fruit ground down; another benefit of this fruit is a molecule called Xanthones, only 200 have ever been identified in nature and this fruit contains 40 of those. Xanthones are super charged anti-oxidants that perform biological actions in the body. Xanthones are believed to support all the eye functions and destroy free-radicals in the process. Xanthones are also able to help in the repair of damaged DNA in the eyes due to their biological functions. One other benefit of mangosteen juice is that it has an inhibitor against inflammation; it controls inflammation and keeps it in check. Inflammation is present in all the eye diseases.

In other countries, such as mentioned above, their use of natural remedies goes back 5,000 years. America was establish a little over 200 years ago; when it comes to natural health we are amateurs, children, and we could learn from the rest of the world how to take better care of ourselves if we pay attention. Other countries, like those mentioned above, people do not suffer with the ailments that we do, they also do not rely on pharmaceuticals to cure their diseases and illnesses like we do here in America. I have never met anyone that was on a powerful pharmaceutical who was promised that they would recover completely and be able to stop taking the drugs. What I have seen is the need to take additional drugs for the side effects caused by the original drug, and the problems seem to get worse for them as time goes on. This is not seen around the world; people in other countries who use natural remedies have less disease and illness and less problems when they do get sick. The natural remedies actually help them to recover from diseases and illnesses, and they do not suffer with side effects. They have learned over the years that you need to feed your body what it requires in order to remain healthy.

Your body is an organism that requires proper nutrition and large amounts of anti-oxidants in order to perform at its best. We as Americans are just starting to understand this, and we as individuals must research and find the best solutions for our optimum health.

Did you know that the same blood vessels that supply your eyes also supply your heart, brain and bones? It's true; every area becomes vulnerable when nutrients are missing, so what ever affects your vision affects all of you. There are three major vision problems; glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts. Unfortunately, medications and sometime surgery are necessary but you can stop the damage early on before these are the only options you have left. Your best defense against degenerative eye diseases is a diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables, like carrots, spinach and tomatoes. To maximize your intake of these beneficial fruits and vegetables try juicing. You can not possibly eat all that is needed throughout the day if you are a busy individual. The deep colors in the vegetables show that they contain a mixture of powerful free-radical scavengers called carotenoids and bioflavonoids. Try to eat 5 servings a day along with nuts, seeds and green tea. Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, a pair of carotenoids that maintain healthy vision. These two carotenoids together act as natural sunglasses protecting your eyes from harmful rays and promoting macular density in the eyes.

There are things to avoid like high-fat diets, smoking, diuretics, alcohol, drugs that lower your cholesterol and cortico-steroids. All of these contribute to degenerative diseases of the eyes as well as other diseases. An aspirin a day can cause the number one problem associated with macular degeneration, and that is small retinal hemorrhages that lead to blindness. Instead of aspirin try vitamin E for both eye and heart health. Stay away from fat blockers; they bind to all fats even the essential fats you need for healthy eyes. These include lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, D, E and K as well as lycopene, all of which your eyes need. Toss those fat blockers ASAP. Eliminate artificial sweeteners, they are suspected to cause toxicities in eye circulation. In order to rebalance your essential fatty acids you need to take flax seed oil or ground flax seeds.

Tomatoes contain Lycopene, this is a potent anti-oxidant that is concentrated in your eyes, but your body's levels decrease with age. Lycopene is a carotenoid as well, and your body needs to have a mixture of carotenoids in order for them to work better as anti-oxidants. The most profound effects are obtained when you have lycopene and lutein together. Another very necessary need for healthy eyes is Glutathione, it has been called the bodies' premier anti-oxidant, supporting overall health, it also safe guards your lens by detoxifying free-radicals, in addition it maintains the transparency of your lens and helps to recycle anti-oxidants. It is hard to find this supplement, it is expensive and you need a liquid absorbable form, but you need this added to your healthy eye regimen.

After reading this you may feel over whelmed and a little out of control, I'm going to break it down for you. Everything in this list has properties that will help to improve your vision; you can locate these products in health food stores, except for mangosteen juice, if they do not carry what you need ask them to find it for you. Mangosteen juice is a very rich source of anti-oxidants and supplies the whole body with necessary biological actions, it also reduces stress on the vessels of the eyes, take 2 to 3 ounces three times a day; Triphala, you can find in a power or capsules, take one teaspoon mixed with water before bed, it does have a mild laxative effect, adjust your amount if necessary. Add these to your diet for optimum eye health and overall heart, brain and bone health; tomatoes, green tea, green apples, red or white wine, blue-green algae, spirulina algae, garlic, onions, eggs, carrots, nuts, fresh cold water fish and flax seed. Spirulina along with other blue-green algae's are considered super foods. They contain all eight essential amino acids, very high levels of B12 and contain more vitamin E than wheat germ. They are also an excellent source of essential fatty acids. Add at least 20-30 grams or 750 mg of spirulina algae per day, research has proven you can clear up cataracts by adding super foods to your diet. Two other super foods are royal jelly and bee pollen. For cases of glaucoma, take 500 mg of vitamin C four times a day equaling 2,000 mg for the entire day. Add 20 mg of rutin three times a day, 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid each day, 40 mg of ginkgo biloba three times a day.

Now be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new dietary change. Some medications such as coumadin and other blood thinning medications can cause problems, because some of these foods thin the blood naturally. Check in regularly with your doctor as you may find you no longer need the medications. Have your blood pressure checked every week as mangosteen juice has been shown to naturally control and drop blood pressure within a few weeks of taking it. Learn about the mangosteen fruit juice and its amazing medicinal properties.

Those of us who have been gifted with sight can't possibly understand what it must be like to go blind, after years of seeing the world around us, but we are all at risk of losing this precious gift if we do nothing to prevent the causes of eye disease. Do not put your health or sight into someone else's hands, you must do your own research and find the best solutions.

You need a product that will assist with your overall health needs visit:

This amazing juice called Mangosteen is backed up by years of scientific studies done by individual Universities and Scientists click here for more information.

If you are living with diabetes, one of the best ways to fight this disease is with a diabetic diet plan. This diabetic meal plan is based of the recommended foods found on the diabetic food pyramid. By following the suggested meal plan, you will be receiving the proper amounts of recommended nutrients which will ultimately help you fight the disease.

Today, there is a wide range of diabetic diet plans. Many doctors and researchers have researched and created countless plans for diabetics. They try to aim for foods that will be tasteful, yet provide the proper amount of nutrients. We all know a diet is not any fun when the food does not taste great!

Recent studies have shown an increase in diabetes over the past 10-20 years. With the large increase, it has created a huge demand for diabetic diet plans to help diabetics battle the disesase. Since diabetes affects all types of people and diverse lifestlyes, many types of diabetic diet plans have been created to suit these varying types of individuals.

Despite the varying lifestlyes of many diabetic individuals, all have one common goal. That goal is to battle this disease with the help of a diabetic diet plan. With the proper amounts of nutrients, individuals can make progress against diabetes.

As an author at eZ-find, Chris Miller contributes to the growing content found within the site and shares his knowledge about diabetic diets and diabetic diet plans..

I did not become familiar with gestational diabetes until recently when my sister-in-law and my best friend were both diagnosed with it within a week. Many women I know, myself included, have made it through pregnancies without having any serious problems like gestational diabetes.

Basically, gestational diabetes is a disease that can come on during pregnancy but that usually disappears once the baby has been born. In some women, pregnancy results in their blood sugar levels getting out of balance. A pregnant woman might realize that she is having blood sugar problems on her own or it might take a doctor to determine that her levels are not normal. Regardless of how it is discovered, gestational diabetes is a serious issue that needs to be handled with caution and care throughout a woman's pregnancy and after.

When my sister-in-law and my closest friend were struggling with feeling abnormally up and down during their pregnancies, their doctor took blood tests and determined that their blood sugar levels were being affected by their pregnancies and their food choices. They were both diagnosed simply by having this blood work done. At first they were hesitant and scared because gestational diabetes sounded huge and they didn't know how relatively simple the treatment process could be.

Gestational diabetes, because it is primarily an imbalance of blood sugar, can often be regulated by changes in diet and levels of exercise. The amount of changes that are necessary are dependant upon how poor of habits the women have to begin with. My sister-in-law and my friend had to make different levels of changes to their diets, but neither had to make such significant changes that their lifestyle was radically altered. Mostly their changes consisted of going on a low-sugar and low-carb eating plan. Gestational diabetes brings a risk of the baby getting to large during its gestational period and needing to be delivered early or by c-section. The more the pregnant mother cuts down on sugar intake, the less likely it is that the baby will get too large to be delivered vaginally.

If you are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant in the near future, take some time and learn about ways to prevent gestational diabetes. It is the best for you and your baby. Prevention is always a better option than having to find a solution to high blood sugar levels. Be wise with your food and exercise choices from the start and you should be able to avoid dealing with gestational diabetes in your pregnancies. Talk with your doctor and take every possible precaution.

Belina Storrey has learned a lot from seeing other women deal with gestational diabetes. She hopes to prevent other women from dealing with it during pregnancy by informing them of the truth. See for more.

Pre-diabetes means you probably have higher than normal blood-sugar levels but, fortunately, not high enough to be classed as being diabetic.

However it does mean that you are susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease if you do nothing about it.

Unfortunately, more often than not, there are no physical symptoms to warn you if you are in a pre-diabetes stage. So it's worth getting yourself checked out and, if you fall into any of these categories, ask your physician if you are likely to be at risk of pre-diabetes:

* You are overweight and you are aged 45 or older

* Your weight is OK and you're aged 45+. Ask your doctor during a routine check-up if testing is appropriate for you

* You are an adult under age 45 and you are overweight

* You have high blood pressure; low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides

* Your family has a history of diabetes

* There's a history of gestational diabetes in your family

* You have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

* You belong to an ethnic or minority group that has a high risk for diabetes, such as African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino.

The good news is, if after testing you discover that you do have pre-diabetes; your blood-sugar levels are rather higher than they should be but not in the diabetes range, you can take positive action to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

* Reduce the amount on your plate - eating just a little less helps reduce your risk factor.

* Avoid snacks; if you must snack go for a healthy rather than sugar-laden option.

* Drink a glass of water 10 minutes before eating to take the edge of your appetite so you don't overindulge in food.

* Choose whole-grain foods or sugar-free foods.

* Take a little more exercise; such as walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift or an escalator.

* Don't shop for food when you are feeling hungry. You'll be more tempted to buy the foods that increase your blood-sugars; add on weight and generally create a higer risk of moving from your pre-diabetes state into being a fully diagnosed type 2 diabetic.

Taking these and other simple actions can reduce your risk of turning pre-diabetes into type 2 diabetes.

[© 2006 Carol Ann Bentley]

Carol Ann created to present information on diabetes from a diabetic's viewpoint

Discover How to Take Control of Your Diabetes with this complimentary 86-page PDF guide, including a 53-page list of carbohydrate values of different foods. Get your copy now.

Toddlers with diabetes are suffering from Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes or diabetes juvenile. The number of children under the age of five being diagnosed with diabetes juvenile has almost doubled in the past five years. Caring for toddlers is a challenge under the best of circumstances, and toddlers with diabetes need even more special care and attention.

Symptoms

First, if you are wondering whether your toddler has diabetes in the first place, here are some signs to look for:

•often complains of feeling thirsty

•hungry more often

•suddenly loses weight

•urinates more than usual, diapers more wet than usual

•occasional fruity smelling breath

If you notice any of these symptoms in your child, discuss with your doctor the possibility you have a toddler with diabetes.

Special challenges

You or your caregiver will have to closely monitor your child's blood sugar throughout the day to be sure it stays within a safe range. Ideally this means 6-12 mmol just before meals.

Toddlers with diabetes also require daily insulin shots, which can be traumatic for you as well as your child! When administering both finger pricks for the blood sugar tests and the insulin shots, you should be as quick and calm as possible about the procedure. If your child is playing, go where he or she is rather than having them come to you. That helps establish the procedure as just a normal part of their day.

Of course, your child will resist these procedures, and it can be hard for parents and caregivers to remember they are doing this for the child's health. It must be done, however, and you may have to learn to restrain the child gently. It also helps to give them a big hug and a kiss after it's finished to make sure they understand you still love them even though this hurt a bit.

Another problem is that toddlers with diabetes can't tell you when they are feeling the effects of low blood sugar, which is another reason for careful monitoring.

Toddlers in general can be picky eaters, and toddlers with diabetes are no different. The challenge here is in making sure that all your alternatives fit within a healthy and appropriate diabetic diet. Have as wide a selection of those foods available as possible so that when they do refuse certain foods, you can tempt them with an appropriate alternative.

Toddlers with diabetes should otherwise develop the same way, and at the same rate, as other children of their age. So as long as you take the necessary precautions to treat the diabetes, and your child seems normal in all other ways, there's no reason why he or she shouldn't be a perfectly healthy and happy child.

Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit his website at for informative articles and resources, and sign up to receive Bob's free weekly diabetic-friendly dessert recipe!

What if you are diagnosed with diabetes? Are you going to stay indoors and just inject yourself with insulin everyday? Maybe you need to understand the facts about diabetes and accept it wholeheartedly so that it can't be a heavy burden in your part.

There are no other alternative for you to eradicate the presence of diabetes in your body once you have been diagnosed with it. You must learn how to deal with the disease because it can certainly kill you once you do not have a proper diabetes diet included in your everyday food intake.

Eating the right kind of food and living a healthy lifestyle is the best arsenal that you have to fight diabetes. If you are still groping in the dark on how you can have the right diabetes diet, take a look in the proceeding sections:

• Have a regular check of your everyday meal and their nutrients. Remember that your main goal is to avoid all the sugar that you are not allowed to eat. Include in your everyday meal the right amount of healthy foods so that you are right on track of staying healthy in spite of the disease.

• Be careful and always check your sugar intake. If you have alternates for sugar-rich foods, then go for it. There are different kinds of sugar replacements in the market, especially if you are planning to bake some cakes and cookies. You can utilize these sugar-free products for your baking purposes. It also tastes delicious and you will enjoy whatever you baked for yourself and at the same time maintaining a good blood sugar level.

• The amount of food intake is also important because it can have positive or negative impact in your diet and health. You can seek some suggestions from a physician of how much food you should eat everyday.

As long as you follow the right diet for you, them you will stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Article written by Hector Milla, editor of , they have recently published a free online guide :: High Blood Sugar Symptoms :: , you may learn about diabetes and high blood sugar at , thanks for publish this article in your website or ezine keeping a live and clickable link.

Some health care providers prefer the insulin pump because its slow release of insulin mimics how a normally working pancreas would release insulin. Studies vary on whether the pump provides better blood glucose control than multiple daily injections. Another advantage of the insulin pump is that it frees you from having to measure insulin into a syringe.

An insulin pump is a medical device continuously delivering insulin under the skin through a catheter. It's usually connects somewhere in the waist area. There's a new generation of insulin pumps, called a patch pump. Currently patch pumps are only available from OmniPod. Patch pumps adhere directly to the skin with no catheter tubing showing. It then infuses insulin directly under the skin.

Either pump delivers insulin at an hourly rate. For instance, the rate might be 1.1 units an hour. However, the pump delivers different rates at different times of day depending on the patient's insulin infusion (or basal) rates that are programmed into the pump.

The amount of insulin delivered depends on two things. First by the amount of carbohydrate a patient eats using an insulin to carbohydrate ratio, and then by the correction factor, or the ratio of the number of milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) a patient's blood sugar will be lowered by one insulin unit.

If a patient eats 60 grams carbohydrate at meals and has an insulin-carbohydrate ratio of one insulin unit to 15 grams carbohydrate, the patient's insulin injection at that meal would 4 units.

However, if a patient has a correction factor of one unit to 50 points of blood sugar, the pump should give an additional injection of 2.5 units to lower his blood sugar from 245 mg/dl to a needed level of 120 mg/dl.

To use an insulin pump a patient must be able to manage it. This involves knowledge at several levels. First, patients must understand how to insert the catheter when using the pump, or how to attach the newer patch pump to their abdomen. They must also be able to push the right buttons on the pump to deliver proper insulin doses and adjust the basal rates.

Then the patient needs to be skilled in carbohydrate counting so they are able to deliver correct insulin doses at mealtimes. And they should be willing to check their blood glucose levels at least four to six times a day. This assures that they detect a pump failure and prevent hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA, in type 1 patients).

Patient attention is important because no long-acting insulin is used in type 1 patients who use pumps and they need to correct high- or low-blood sugars before they are clinically observable and symptomatic.

Insulin pump therapy is almost never needed to maintain life because insulin can be easily injected under the skin. Most insurers will cover insulin pump therapy in situations where insulin pump therapy will significantly improve the level of diabetes care and control over and above multidose insulin (MDI) therapy. This includes cases where:

The glucose control in multidose insulin therapy is not optimal with glycated hemoglobin (Hba1c>) than the ADA (American Diabetes Association) recommended goal of 7%. An endocrinologist, who will be able to help the patient learn how to use and the pump and adjust basal and correction doses, prescribes the pump.

The patient has type 1 diabetes. However, in many situations patients with type 2 diabetes will benefit from the pump as well. Presence of hypoglycemia despite adjustments in insulin doses and utilizing carbohydrate counting to help decide pre-meal insulin doses in patients who are using MDI therapy.

Presence of hyperglycemia-especially as revealed by high morning readings (Dawn phenomenon) where increasing basal rates of insulin in the early morning hours would help to better control blood sugar levels.

Insurers require medical charts from the prescribing doctor as well as blood sugar logs from the patient to prove that there is real medical necessity.

Become a insulin pumps expert.

What if you are diagnosed with diabetes? Are you going to stay indoors and just inject yourself with insulin everyday? Maybe you need to understand the facts about diabetes and accept it wholeheartedly so that it can't be a heavy burden in your part.

Let us start from defining what diabetes really is and the probable causes that brings this disease. Diabetes is a disorder which is the misuse of the digested food for growth and energy by our body. The food that we take in is broken down into glucose, the simplest form of sugar in our blood.

Glucose is the main source of energy of our body. And diabetes actually causes the glucose to back up in our bloodstream, and as more of it is present in our bloodstream, our blood sugar can rise too high.

There are two types of diabetes: the type 1 and type 2. The first is also called juvenile-onset diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes where the body stops any further production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to use the glucose to produce energy. Persons diagnosed with this type are required to take insulin injections daily in order to survive. Children or young adults are likely to develop this type of diabetes.

The second type is also called the adult-onset diabetes of non insulin-dependent diabetes where the body does not produce insulin or unable to use insulin properly. It also consumes injected insulin for survival.

Diabetes is a life-long condition. So understanding the facts about this disease is important, so that the person affected can sustain his life throughout, despite the presence of diabetes. This allows you to live a full and enjoyable life.

Article written by Hector Milla, editor of , they have recently published a free online guide :: High Blood Sugar Symptoms :: , you may learn about diabetes and high blood sugar at , thanks for publish this article in your website or ezine keeping a live and clickable link.

Your body is a living biological organism just like any plant or other animal, all your organs, fluids and cells work as a team, if one part of the team is not at its best, your body becomes diseased and illness sets in.

Think of your body as a football team, you don't have to know anything about football; all you need to know is that you have a home team and an opposing team. The football field is your life, from the moment of the first play, your birth, to the final goal, the end of your life. The opposing team, all the outside evading sources are attempting to cut your life short by stealing the ball and going in the opposite direction. I call this premature death due to disease or illness.

The opposing team is made up of some really big players, free-radicals and chronic inflammation, these players never get tired and they will never give up. From the moment you are born, free-radicals enter into your very young body with your very first breath and start their attack on your cells. Free-radicals are molecules or atoms that are missing an electron, they attack any cell they come in contact with and try to steal an electron from them. Free-radicals continue their attack until they succeed, in the process they damage the healthy cells they are attacking. Free-radicals are a part of life. They are in air and water pollution, they are in the processed foods we consume, free-radicals are also caused by traumas and injuries. Another source of free-radical damage comes from the medications we take in order to recover from illnesses; this particular free-radical damage from medications is called "side-effects". There are times in our lives when we need to take medications to combat a serious illness, but we must keep in mind that we have to boost our immune system during the time we are on these needed medications. This will minimize the side effect damage and aid in our long term recovery. Every time you breathe, fresh free-radicals are entering your body and start playing for the opposing team. The next opposing team member is chronic inflammation; scientists are calling this player a silent killer.

Our bodies are amazing organisms; if it senses an injury or illness it sends in a home team member, called inflammation, to aid in the defense of our body and help restore the area that is damaged. This is where the game gets a little complicated; free-radicals cheat, they don't just damage a cell when they steal an electron, they actually mutate the cell or deform it, the damaged cell then becomes another free-radical; when the home teams healthy inflammation tries to go in and protect the now unhealthy cell that the body senses as damaged, the unhealthy cell turns on the inflammation and attacks it stealing an electron. Now the once healthy inflammation cells become mutated or deformed themselves and become chronic inflammation attacking healthy tissues inside our bodies. Boy oh boy, this starts a whole chain of continuing events. But remember this; the football game has two teams playing on the field.

You have to breathe everyday in order to live; now you know that every time you take a breath free-radicals are entering into your body and doing damage. You can however win the game if you take in large amounts of anti-oxidants to refresh your team players. Anti-oxidants are your really big players; they are molecules or atoms that have an extra electron that they will give to a free-radical. When this happens the free-radical no longer plays on the opposing team, instead it begins to play for you. This is what I call building your team forces, your team force is your immune system. Your team works together but your immune system is your coach, if your immune system is strong it can send in the needed players at the right time to fight any invaders that your body may encounter. But you have to feed your immune system; it requires necessary minerals and vitamins as well as large doses of anti-oxidants everyday. If you starve your immune system of the required nutrients, then the players on the field do not get the reinforcements they need to win. Most people start taking multi-vitamins when they get older, but parents should start their children on multi-vitamins as soon as possible and teach their children about nutrition starting at a very young age. People as young as 20 years of age are being diagnosed with diabetes in this country due to their poor eating habits. This is a very scary trend that is taking place. Many 30 year olds have heart disease also due to their poor eating habits, "hardening of their arteries". Scary!

What did you eat today? You are breathing in polluted air as you are reading this article, what type of defense did you provide your immune system with today? I hope you took your vitamins and minerals; did you eat any fresh fruits, or fresh vegetables? What about your children?

Most plants contain about 1,000 to 1,500 anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals also contain large numbers of anti-oxidants. Vitamin C and E contain the largest amount of anti-oxidants. You can take as much vitamin C as you want without harming your body, but vitamin E has a recommended dosage per day, take much more and you can cause yourself problems, do not exceed any recommended dosage for your weight. Fish also have high numbers of anti-oxidants, try putting that into your diet a few times a week. Now think about this, you can destroy the anti-oxidants in your food through your cooking habits. Do not microwave your vegetables or fish, either steam or broil; do not cover in fats and fry. Foods are delicate and you can destroy any health benefits through any improper preparation. Foods are also biological organisms just like you. Now if you are like me and have a tendency to burn things, then do what I did and invest in a juicer and juice your vegetables and fruits, juice your way to healthier living. The amazing thing about juicing, there are so many combinations you can get your kids to drink their vegetables by adding sweet fruits to the mix. Wow!

Now let's look at the numbers, because of our ignorance, we as a population of people, have caused serious pollution problems on this amazing planet we live on. So we end up taking in roughly one billion free-radicals per day, in the form of pollutants. Let's see how many anti-oxidants we can take in; if we have one whole grape fruit and two eggs and one piece of toast for breakfast, and let us not forget our multi-vitamin, we will take in about 3,600 anti-oxidants. For a snack we have a banana and a glass of milk that's about, let's be generous, 1,800 anti-oxidants. Lunch we have fish with steamed spinach and one cup of whole grain rice, that's about 4,000 anti-oxidants. Dinner comes and we do very well and have a nice cut of steak and some steamed broccoli with red onions and mushrooms, we now add a yam to that meal and we take in 9,500 anti-oxidants. For the day we did not do very well at all, only 18,900 anti-oxidants. We are losing the football game and we thought we were winning. What can we do? You can drink a lot more fruits and vegetables, by juicing them instead of trying to eat them, and you will not lose the anti-oxidants in these life saving foods.

There is also a newly discovered fruit from South East Asia called the Mangosteen Fruit. The mangosteen fruit has be used in South East Asia for centuries for all types of aliments. To date there is a significant range of known traditional uses such as; anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, pain control, treatment of infections, fever control, gastro intestinal problems, skin rashes and burns, headaches, anti-parasitic, musculo-skeletal and joint problems, control of blood sugar and diabetes, infections – viral, bacterial and fungal, as well as mouth ulcers, prevention of atherosclerosis, dementia, anxiety and depression, cancer and anti-aging concerns, and there are many, many more. The list of health benefits continues to grow as more clinical studies and scientific research is done on this fruit.

For the last 20 years independent universities and scientists have been doing studies on the mangosteen fruit, they wanted to understand why the people of South East Asia did not suffer with the same diseases that we experience in this country. The serious diseases that are killers here in America are barley seen in South East Asia. As the scientists were beginning to study this particular fruit they found out it has the ability to help with disease control. A chemical compound called xanthones was discovered inside the skin of this fruit in record numbers, another amazing thing was the record number of anti-oxidants found in this fruit. The mangosteen fruit contains the highest number of anti-oxidants ever found in one food source, an unbelievable 25,000 per fruit. Wow!

In nature xanthones are very restricted in their occurrence, what I mean is look at the Aloe Vera plant, it contains only one xanthone, yet it is used for medicinal purposes in a variety of ways. When the news came out about how good the Aloe Vera was for burns and skin problems, people began to grow Aloe Vera in their yards and break pieces off when ever they had a skin problem. Over 200 hundred xanthones have been identified in nature to date and 41 of those are in the mangosteen fruit alone, that's almost a full 25% of all the xanthones that are known.

What can xanthones do for you? Xanthones are a new class of chemical compounds with biologically active plant phenols. Xanthones are a unique, biologically active group of molecules with a six-carbon ring; this structure makes the xanthone very stable and also allows it to be extremely versatile. Each xanthone has a unique chemical formula that permits the xanthone to perform a specific biological function when consumed. Xanthones are so stable that they can defeat more than one free-radical at a time and render it harmless while still performing a biological function. Xanthones show several beneficial properties such as, anti-inflammatory, anti-tuberculosis, anti-tumor, anti-platelet stickiness and anti-convulsive. Scientific studies are making it evident that xanthones are responsible for a wide range of medicinal benefits experienced by people using this juice. The mangosteen fruit is a food, not a drug, and therefore dose not have the inherent dangers associated with medications. The thousands of people now drinking mangosteen fruit juice for medicinal reasons are reporting positive beneficial effects on their conditions. The mangosteen fruit has three components, the skin or pericarp, the fleshy fruit and the seeds, all of the components have the powerful xanthones and anti-oxidants, but the majority are in the skin or pericarp. One thing you should know is xanthones must be consumed in their natural form. The mangosteen fruit juice is the whole fruit ground up in order to make a juice out of it; nothing is wasted, so you receive the full benefit from this amazing fruit.

By changing your diet to a healthier menu and adding mangosteen fruit juice, you will enhance your team players by supporting your immune system so they can defend your body against the outside invaders.

You will have a wonderful quality of life!

You need a product that will assist with your overall health needs visit:

This amazing juice called Mangosteen is backed up by years of scientific studies done by individual Universities and Scientists click here for more information.

Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease. Since 1987 the death rate has increased 45 percent. In 2002; diabetes claimed an astonishing 224,092 lives in the United States alone. It is believed that the number was actually higher since most deaths of the elderly had multiple chronic conditions associated with their death including diabetes.

Many people do not know they have diabetes until they develop other life threatening conditions such as, heart disease, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney damage, nervous system damage, dental disease, sexual dysfunction, and a number of other complications. When you have diabetes the above complications are side illnesses, diabetes is the root of all of your medical problems. You must get diabetes under control for you to recover from the side illnesses period! Being checked by your physician on a regular basis is absolutely necessary for your overall quality of life. If you do not know that you have diabetes, there is no other way of knowing that you have this deadly disease without a check up.

There are several different types of diabetes such as, type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 is the body's inability to produce insulin, people with type 1 are insulin dependent for the remainder of their lives, and they must also keep close track of their diets. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes; diabetes is a chronic disease and has no cure. While an estimated 14 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is also estimated that close to 6.2 million are unaware that they have this deadly disease. In 2005, 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed in people age 20 and above. If this dangerous trend continues it is believed that 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime. It is also estimated that 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes today.

Pre-diabetes is a dangerous condition in itself, this is when the glucose level in the blood is not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, yet damage is being done to your internal organs. The body can not handle any unsafe level of sugar or glucose in the blood for any extended period of time.

Diabetes is the body's inability to use the sugar called glucose. Glucose is created when the body breaks down food for energy. The hormone insulin opens up the cells in the body to allow glucose to enter into the cell and be used as fuel. In diabetes the cell never opens up and the glucose flows through the blood stream causing high blood sugar levels. With diabetes the body either does not make enough insulin or is resistant to its own natural insulin. High blood sugar can lead to very serious complications.

Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in people with diabetes. Diabetes is the major cause of leg and foot amputations in Americans today. Infections are much harder to control in people with diabetes, they are at greater risk of complications and death due to infection. The high risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes is too much body fat and high sugar intake! Diabetes is on the rise; Americans are eating poorly and are lacking physical activity and this is starting to really show in the children of America.

Free-radicals are very active in a person with diabetes. They attack a number of cells at once because diabetes causes an abnormal immune function due to high glucose levels in the blood and organs. Free-radicals are the reason you see so many different complications or side illnesses in this disease. Free-radicals are molecules or atoms that are missing an electron, free-radicals attack healthy cells trying to steal an electron from them. Chronic inflammation is also a major player with this disease and in the side illnesses.

Chronic inflammation is being called the silent killer by doctors and scientists.

All of the above diseases need medications to help regulate the disease, but what you need to know is medications cause free-radical damage, and this damage is called side effects. All medications can cause side effects. So eating properly to help your condition is absolutely essential for your life.

Think of free-radicals as a school of piranha, they feed on everything in sight, they are not picky eaters. Free-radicals cause healthy cells to become mutated or deformed and they attack any cell they come in contact with. Now if they do manage to steal an electron, that once healthy cell, in turn, becomes a free-radical doing what was done to it. This is a vicious cycle, basically there is a war going on inside your body. You can not see or feel this war but it is there, and one day it will show its ugly head in the form of a serious disease or illness. You must be on the defensive and feed your body what it needs in order to combat these little piranhas.

Inflammation is a bully, after the free-radicals have done their damage, inflammation is sent by the body to help heal the damage, but it is unable to heal mutations and deformities so the deformed or mutated cells begin to feed on the healthy inflammation cells. Now the inflammation cells are deformed or mutated and become chronic inflammation cells, the chronic inflammation cells begin attacking your healthy tissues and cells.

You have the power to take your health into your own hands and put a stop to the damage now. As we know anti-oxidants help the body fight against free-radicals, anti-oxidants are molecules or atoms that have an extra electron. It gives this extra electron away and in turn the free-radicals stop attacking healthy cells. Science has proven that ALL diseases and illnesses are caused by free-radical damage and the vast majority has chronic inflammation as their side kick. There are risk factors for all diseases but free-radicals and chronic inflammation is the source and cause of major complications. Free-radicals can not be avoided; they are in air and water pollution, in the junk foods we eat, and caused by traumas and injuries. Free-radicals are a part of life; they even affect the aging process itself.

Anti-oxidants are essential for health, plants contain about 1,000 to 1,500 anti-oxidants, a diet of fruits and vegetables is essential, supplements are key, vitamins and minerals contain high numbers of anti-oxidants. You need to do some research and try to find fresh supplements; they tend to lose their potency the longer they sit on the self.

Anyone with diabetes or even pre-diabetes must re-think their diets, moving towards fresh and properly cooked foods, stay away from fast foods and anything with high sugar content. Taking in a large number of anti-oxidants everyday is essential in helping your body recover and maintain better overall health. Type 2 diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise, as long as you begin now. Pre-diabetes can be reversed.

There are also super charged, super powerful anti-oxidants in nature called Xanthones. Xanthones have the power to defeat a larger number of free-radicals at one time, due to strong carbon bonds that make the molecule stable. Each Xanthone performs a specific biological function inside the body unlike regular anti-oxidants. Universities and scientists have been studying xanthones for over 20 years. Scientists have found that xanthones are able to relieve a variety of problems and also help in the improvement of serious conditions. This is the reason that more and more universities and scientists are becoming involved in the research on these amazing xanthones. Two hundred xanthones have been identified in nature, and 41 are in the mangosteen fruit alone, you can compare that to the Aloe Vera plant that contains only one xanthone. The mangosteen fruit also contains 25,000 anti-oxidants. How can that help your health?

The mangosteen fruit has the highest number of anti-oxidants and xanthones ever found in one source. One thing about xanthones you need to know is that they must be consumed in their natural form.

People with diabetes are ruled by their medications and checking their blood everyday, they must see their doctor on a regular basis in order to keep their blood sugars under control by adjusting their medication. If their sugar goes too far up or too far down, massive damage to the internal organs and tissues is done and even the brain is affected, and can cause comma. This is a deadly disease, but with the right food intake it does not have to be, take care of your self.

You need a product that will assist with your overall health needs visit:

This amazing juice called Mangosteen is backed up by years of scientific studies done by individual Universities and Scientists click here for more information.

One of the great things about the Internet is that it's created a global community for discussions of topics such as diabetes. You'll find there are a number of forums that will allow you to talk to others facing your situation.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes, one of your first steps will likely be to find a glucose meter. There are some things to keep in mind as you make your decision because this piece of equipment is likely to be part of your life for the foreseeable future.

A glucose meter (or glucometer) is a medical device for determining the approximate amount of glucose in a drop of blood obtained by pricking the skin with a lancet. Glucose meters are portable and designed for use by ordinary people, especially those with diabetes.

There are now dozens of models of glucose meters. Typical features common to most. The average size is now approximately the size of the palm of the hand, though some are smaller or a bit larger. They are battery-powered. A consumable element containing chemicals which react with glucose in the drop of blood is used for each measurement. For most models this element is a plastic test strip with a small spot impregnated with glucose oxidase and other components. Each strip can only be used once and is then discarded.

Cost is a major issue for most people, but there's good news if you have any kind of medical insurance. A glucose meter is typically considered to be a vital part of medical treatment and insurance companies often pay for a portion or the entire cost of the meter. At the same time, there is sometimes a limit on the amount the insurance company will pay, and that may severely limit your options.

While cost is naturally important, remember that you're going to be living this life from now on. Finding a cheaper glucose meter that requires a more serious stick for blood may seem like the best option when you're writing the check for the meter, but the tedium of the daily stick may negate that cost in the long run.

There are some companies out there that help with the cost of a glucose meter if you meet specific income guidelines. This may be a good answer if your quandary about which meter to buy is purely based on financial restraints. Remember that Medicare often pays on this important testing equipment as well. Your doctor, druggist or representative of a local medical supply company may also be good sources of information about how to find the best deals and how to get help paying for a glucose meter.

Finding a very inexpensive glucose meter may be the best answer to this situation. If the meter is accurate, it'll get you through the initial period of adjusting your life to the regular testing of your blood sugar. Then take time to do some research into what's hot and what's not in glucose meters. You'll find that some make absolutely ridiculous claims and you may have to ask some questions to find those companies that produce the glucose meter that will work best for you and your lifestyle.

Get the inside information for buying a buying a glucose meter

Did you know that approximately 70 million Americans may have arthritis in one form or another, and that you may be one of them? Think there's nothing you can do about it? Well, here's some great news! You can act right now to lessen the incidence of arthritis or to reduce the pain and discomfort that typically accompanies the disease. Here are ten simple steps that can improve your health, emotional outlook, and pain level, and generally make it easier to cope with arthritis.

1. Pay attention to symptoms and see your doctor. If you have pain, stiffness or swelling in or around a joint for more than two weeks, it's time to see your doctor. Only a doctor can tell if it's arthritis. Write down observations and symptoms as they occur. Put them in your purse or wallet before your next doctor's visit. That way, you'll have them with you when you see the doctor.

2. Get an accurate diagnosis. "You have arthritis" is not a diagnosis. Ask for a specific diagnosis of the type of arthritis you have. There are more than 100 types, and each one requires different treatments. Getting the right treatment requires getting the right diagnosis.

3. Start early. The earlier, the better. Early diagnosis and treatment can often mean less joint damage and less pain.

4. Avoid Excess Stress on Joints. Exercise to reduce pain and fatigue and to increase range of motion. It relieves stress and can help enable you to maintain your daily activities. Use simple stretching techniques to keep joints and muscles flexible. Exercising in the water can build strength and increase range of motion while the water's buoyancy reduces wear and tear on sore joints. Use assistive devices to make tasks easier.

5. Watch your weight. Try to maintain the recommended weight for your age and body type. Every extra pound means added stress to your knees and hips. Excess weight can mean more pain, contribute to and aggravate osteoarthritis, and increase your risk of gout. Follow a healthy diet regimen. Research has shown the importance of antioxidants in reducing the risk of osteoarthritis and its progression.

6. Take your medication just as your doctor prescribes. If you're tempted to stop because you feel it's not working or you believe it's causing side effects, call your doctor first. It can take weeks, or even months, for the full benefits of a medication to become apparent, and some side effects ease over time. Stopping a medication abruptly may not only cause you to miss out on its benefits, it can be downright dangerous. Be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you're taking, both prescription and over the counter.

7. Protect yourself when you go out into the sun. Some forms of arthritis, as well as certain medications, can leave you more vulnerable to the sun's harmful rays. At a minimum, use sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat for protection.

8. Talk to Someone About Arthritis. Each week, commit to learning something new about arthritis and sharing it with others. Understanding your disease is an important step in managing it. Talk with family, friends, and co-workers. A support group is important and the more they understand about how arthritis affects your life, the more they'll be able to help you get through the hard times.

9. Relax. Pain can cause both physical and emotional stress. Pain and stress have similar effects on the body, e.g. increased heart rate and blood pressure; fast, shallow breathing; and muscle cramps. Relaxation can help you reverse these effects, give you a sense of well being, and make it easier to manage your pain.

10. Consider taking a nutritional supplement. If your current medication isn't working as well as you'd like, or if it's causing unacceptable side effects, ask your doctor about other treatment options. There are several all-natural functional health beverages available that have desirable anti-inflammatory properties. Check them out online.

Of course, there are many other ways to lessen the pain and discomfort of arthritis, but these ten are an excellent place to start. Most importantly, while arthritis may limit some of the things you can do, it doesn't have to control your life. Build your life around wellness, and think of pain as a signal to take positive action to help you manage your condition. Think positively, eat well, and exercise regularly.

Lastly, resolve to enjoy our beautiful world. As the old saying goes, "Live like there's no tomorrow; love like you've never been hurt; dance like no-one is watching."

Bruce Bailey, Ph.D.

Dr. Bailey lived with the pain of arthritis for over 30 years. Now he is living pain free! Visit to listen to a FREE audio report about the fruit juice blend that changed his life!

According to the latest medical theory, chronic inflammation is the root cause of almost every disease suffered by human beings.

That's right. Many doctors believe persistent, low-level inflammation paves the way for chronic disease, including those we usually experience late in life, e.g. arthritis, heart and kidney disease, and cancer.

As a part of our immune response system, inflammation occurs when the body is fighting germs that enter the body through a variety of ways, e.g. injury or inhalation. When you experience redness, swelling, heat, infection, and pain from a variety of ailments, it's a sign of inflammation. Normally, the inflammation goes away when the body has conquered the infection or injury, but if the body fails to shut off the inflammation process, a more serious condition can occur.

It is generally recognized that heart attacks occur when the blood vessels become clogged with "plaque" (what we usually refer to as the bad LDL cholesterol) that is deposited on the vessel walls. This bad cholesterol also gets embedded inside arteries and our immune system "attacks" it. Persistent inflammation in the arteries can eventually cause plaque to burst. Now many doctors use a simple blood test for inflammation called CRP (short for C-reactive Protein) to help assess a person's cardiac risk. CRP is an index of inflammation in the arteries and the CRP increases as inflammation increases. For example, test have shown that middle aged men with high CRP levels in their blood were three times more likely to suffer a heart attack in the next 6 years than men with normal levels. Medical experts say that a CRP of 3.0 mg/L or higher triples your heart attack risk. People with CRP less than 0.5 mg/L rarely have heart attacks.

The good news is that we can do something to reduce the risks of persistent inflammation, including losing weight, exercising regularly, and eating the right foods. According to the Center for Human Nutrition at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, some foods can cause inflammation while others can decrease it. Diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables, and foods that offer lots of Omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and walnuts) are best. Further, a diet of such foods has been shown to be instrumental in weight reduction, and lowering CRP and insulin resistance.

You can also take prescription or over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra), which reduce inflammation but can have dangerous side effects. While these drugs are effective COX-2 inhibitors, the life-threatening side effects from prolonged uninterrupted use (such as gastro-intestinal hemorrhage and kidney and liver failure) make them both dangerous and controversial. One has only to read the literature produced by the companies manufacturing these drugs to know how dangerous they are. In fact, in the United States in the year 2000, more people died from the complications of NSAIDs than died from AIDS! Further, Vioxx was recently withdrawn from the marketplace because it caused heart attacks.

Inflammation is "one of the bad guys." You need to get it under control, but don't jump from the "frying pan into the fire" by treating your condition with a "badder guy." Eat right, exercise regularly, have your blood work done once a year, and listen to your doctor's advice. May I also suggest you find a natural food supplement to treat your inflammation, rather than just reaching for the pill bottle?

Bruce Bailey, Ph.D.

Dr. Bailey lived with the pain of arthritis for over 30 years. Now he is living pain free! Visit to listen to a FREE audio report about the fruit juice blend that changed his life!

Diabetes has become a major problem for the industrialised world. In 1985 around 30 million people world-wide had diabetes. 10 years later almost 135 million people had diabetes. The latest WHO estimate for the year 2000 is that 177 million people world-wide have diabetes with a change that this number will increase to at least 300 million by the year 2025. Diabetes-related death have been underestimated for a long time. No it is believed that ~4 million death a year can be correlated to diabetes. The costs for the health care system are enormous and it is estimated that 2-15% of the total annual health care budget are spent

It is therefore, crucial for every diabetic patient to self-monitor the glucose level in the blood. Sometimes this procedure is called 'SMBG' or 'self-monitoring of blood glucose'. Nowadays it is relatively easy to test for glucose. Hygenie is very important and before you do the reading you should wash your hand thoroughly first. It is recommended that hand are disinfected with alcohol. Then, take a sterile lancet and prick your finger tip. Place a small drop of blood on a test strip which is then placed in a glucose meter. You have to follow the instruction of the glucose meter carefully, as the procedure might change if you use different brands. The reading of the actual glucose content can be performed in different ways. Many new models and meter types are available. Where some meters read the amount of electricity that 'travels' through the blood sample others may measure the reflection of light as this depends on the glucose level present in the blood. Within minutes the patient knows exactly what the glucose level is and can then decide to take further action if necessary.

Modern glucose meters can record glucose concentration in the blood over a broad range – from as low as 0 mg/dL to 600 mg/dL. It is important that you check with you manufacture instruction as different models may have different readings. Furthermore, pay attention what 'type' of glucose you are monitoring, as meters can measure 'whole blood glucose' level or just plasma glucose

Thomas H. is webmaster of submit-article-biz directory and has a strong interest in health-related topics. You may qualify for a free glucose meter. Check this at our site:

The fact is there are 5 diseases that are fatal to humans, the first one is Heart Attack, the second is Cancer, then Stroke, Lung Disease and last but moving up fast in the list is Diabetes.

The fatal five share two common elements, Free-radicals and inflammation.

Free-radicals are molecules or atoms that are missing an electron, the free-radicals attack any healthy cells they come in contact with and steal an electron causing damage to the cell membrane. Inflammation is a process that is intended to help our body heal but in the case of disease, free-radicals cause deformities or mutations in the cells, the inflammation can not repair the damage so it actually begins to feed the now deformed or mutated cells. Let us take a closer look at all five of these fatal diseases.

Clots in the arteries cause 80% of all Heart Attacks and 83% of all Strokes. The most common cause is a condition called Atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries". This is were a build up of plaque which has a hard surface inside your artery has cracked and the platelets that are designed to clot in order to protect us from bleeding to death, end up clotting over the crack and cause a complete blockage of blood flow. In the case of heart attack the blockage is near the heart and in the case of stroke the blockage cuts off the supply of blood to the brain. When it comes to heart disease, the free-radicals attack cholesterol cells in the blood supply deforming them which in turn makes them sticky; now you have bad LDL which collects and sticks to the artery walls. Inflammation dose not play a major roll in heart attacks and stoke but scientists are calling chronic inflammation a silent killer in a vast majority of diseases and illnesses.

An estimated 570,280 people died, due to cancer in the year 2005. It seems that the overall death rate is on the decline for some types of cancers, but there are others on the rise, such as esophageal, liver and thyroid cancers. ALL cancers are caused by free-radicals damaging our DNA. DNA holds the blue print for each cell that it creates. This blue print is who you are; when the free-radicals attack the DNA the blue print becomes mutated and when the new cell is produced with this new blue print you have a cancer cell. You do not have cancer until the inflammation process begins; inflammation is the bodies' defense against illness or injury. Inflammation tries to destroy the cells that it dose not recognize as being you, the inflammation loses this fight yet our bodies keep sending more, causing chronic inflammation. At this point the cancer cells start to feed on the inflammation cells and cancer growth begins.

More than 35 million Americans have chronic lung diseases. Every year over 349,000 people die from lung disease – a death rate of 121.4 per 100,000. The lungs are far more complex than other organs in the body. The lungs have various minor rolls to play and three major ones; they are defenders of intruders, they remove waste and toxins from the blood, and their main purpose is to supply oxygen to the blood. There are more than three dozen different types of cells inside the lungs and they all have very specific tasks to accomplish. Our lungs are constantly battling with the outside world with each breath we take. If the lung function is impaired in anyway – you may have a potentially fatal lung disease. Lung diseases such as asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), pneumonia, sarcoidosis, and many more can be fatal. In the case of lung diseases, free-radicals are coming in from the outside world in all forms of pollution; this creates inflammation which causes the obstruction of air flow.

Millions of Americans have type 2 diabetes; millions more have it and are not yet aware of it. Diabetes is the inability to use the sugar called glucose. Glucose is created when the body breaks down food for energy. The hormone insulin opens up the bodies' cells to allow glucose to enter into the cell and be used as fuel. In diabetes the cell never opens up and the glucose flows through the blood stream causing high blood sugar levels. With diabetes the body either dose not make enough insulin or is resistant to its own natural insulin. High blood sugar can lead to very serious complications such as heart disease, kidney and eye disease and other problems like nerve damage and death. Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in people with diabetes. Diabetes is the major cause of leg and foot amputations in Americans today. Infections are much harder to control in people with diabetes, they are at greater risk of complications and death due to infection. The number one risk for type two diabetes is too much body fat! Diabetes is on the rise; Americans are eating poorly and are lacking physical activity. Free-radicals are very active in a person with diabetes, attacking a number of cells because diabetes causes an abnormal immune function. Free-radicals are the reason you see so many different complications or side illnesses in this disease. Chronic inflammation is also a major player with this disease and in the side illnesses. All of the above diseases need medications to help regulate the disease but you need to know this, medications cause free-radical damage, and this damage is called side effects. All medications can cause side effects.

Lets take a closer look at free-radicals and inflammation and how they act.

If you have a room with ten 2 year old children; they only have one toy in the room; can you imagine the mayhem; nine children trying to steal the toy from one child. Do you think that one child has a chance? This is what free-radicals do to a cell. Now you have the parents come into the room and try to comfort the children who are without toys. The children are crying and throwing fits and are impossible to calm down, you'll do anything, usually offer them cookies or some other sweet treat. This is only a momentary fix; you would have to keep feeding them to keep them calm. This is inflammation. But if you have ten more children enter the room all with an extra toy to share with the others; it becomes peaceful and everyone is happy. This is what anti-oxidants do.

You have the power to take your health into your own hands and put a stop to the damage now. Anti-oxidants help the body fight against free-radicals, anti-oxidants are a molecule or atom that has an extra electron. It gives this extra electron away and in turn the free-radical stops attacking healthy cells. Science has proven that ALL diseases and illnesses are caused by free-radical damage. There are risk factors for all diseases but free-radicals are the source and cause of major complications. Free-radicals can not be avoided; they are in air and water pollution, in the junk foods we eat, and caused by traumas and injuries. Free-radicals are a part of life; they even affect the aging process itself.

Anti-oxidants are essential for health, plants contain about 1,000 to 1,500 anti-oxidants, a diet of fruits and vegetables is essential, supplements are key, vitamins and minerals contain high numbers of anti-oxidants. You need to do some research and try to find fresh supplements; they tend to lose their potency the longer they sit on the self. There are also super charged, super powerful anti-oxidants in nature called Xanthones. Xanthones have the power to defeat a larger number of free-radicals at one time, due to strong carbon bonds that make the molecule stable. Each Xanthone performs a specific biological function inside the body unlike regular anti-oxidants.

Universities and scientists have been studying Xanthones for years, 200 have been identified in nature to date. The Aloe Vera plant contains one Xanthone. The Mangosteen Fruit contains 41 Xanthones. The Mangosteen fruit also contains 25,000 anti-oxidants. How can that help your health? The Mangosteen fruit has the highest number of anti-oxidants and Xanthones ever found in one source it also has been studied and papers published on (pubmed) you can type in Mangosteen and read the study findings.

It is sad that most people save for retirement their entire adult life without realizing that possible future medical expenses can destroy any plans that they may have. By understanding your health requirements and the part that nutrition plays in that, you can greatly improve your quality of life into your retirement years.

You need a product that will assist with your overall health needs visit:

This amazing juice called Mangosteen is backed up by years of scientific studies done by individual Universities and Scientists click here for more information.

The humble soybean boasts some extraordinary benefits. This nutritional powerhouse has stayed under wraps for too long. Apart from being the only vegetable protein with all amino acids essential for our health and well being, the humble soybean has many other virtues...including an excellent foundation for fast, safe weight loss program.

According to Dr David Heber in "The LA Shape Diet", women who are on a weight loss program need about 100 grams of protein per day to fight against hunger and to build their best personal lean muscle shape whilst still losing weight. Without the appropriate level of protein in a low calorie diet, people and women in particular, risk losing 1 pound of muscle for every 4 pounds of weight lost! This potential muscle loss can be very dangerous as it can cause a weakening of the heart and other vital organs.

Dr Heber recommends soy-protein shakes or soy-protein fruit smoothies as a safe and healthy way to achieve fast and permanent weight loss. Apart from some absolutely wonderful health advantages, soy is a safe protein source - without the unwanted cholesterol and saturated fats that accompany animal protein sources. Soy will support and does not sabotage a low calorie weight loss program.

Read on to discover some other wonderful health benefits of this incredible this food source.

1. Soy contains health enhancing isoflavones. Isoflavones are compounds found only in plants which have strong antioxidant properties. These compounds repair, and help prevent damage to cells caused by pollution, sunlight, and normal body processes. Free radicals can easily cause harm to the immune system, whose cells divide often. They may also be responsible for some of the changes of aging.

2. Reduce risk of heart disease. Soy's protein and isoflavones lower LDL cholesterol and decrease blood clotting, which reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. In one study, people who drank a "milk shake" containing 25g of soy protein for nine weeks experienced, on average, a 5% reduction in LDL cholesterol. And people with the highest LDL levels experienced a 11% drop. (For each 10% to 15% drop in the LDL level, the risk of a heart attack decreases 20% to 25%).

3. Protection against cancer. Soy's soluble fiber protects the body from many digestive related cancers, such as colon and rectal cancer. While its isoflavones may protect the body from many hormone related cancers, like breast, endometrial (uterine) and prostate cancer. Isoflavones act against cancer cells in a way similar to many common cancer-treating drugs.

4. Counter the effects of endometriosis. The isoflavones in soy products may help to offset the action of the body's natural estrogen, which is often responsible for instigating the monthly pain, heavy bleeding and other symptoms of endometriosis.

5. Guard against osteoporosis. Soy's protein enhances the body's ability to retain and better absorb calcium in the bones, while its isoflavones slow bone loss and inhibit bone breakdown, which helps prevent osteoporosis. There is evidence to suggest that isoflavones may also assist in creating new bone.

6. Control symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. Soy's isoflavones help the body regulate estrogen when this hormone is declining or fluctuating, which helps alleviate many menopausal and PMS symptoms. Research has shown that soy isoflavones can reduce menopausal hot flushes in women.

7. Help control diabetic conditions and kidney disease. Soy's protein and soluble fiber help regulate glucose levels and kidney filtration, which helps control diabetic conditions and kidney disease.

What an incredible little bean! With such profound health benefits how can you overlook this wonderful food source? If you haven't yet noticed, gone are the days when the only way soy products came were in strange tasting meat substitutes. You can now access a wide range of soy products and use soy in a variety of ways to suit any taste palate.

(c) 2004 Kim Beardsmore

Kim Beardsmore M.B.A., B.Sc. (Biochemistry) writes for the online weight loss, health & fitness magazine Weight Loss Health. For free resources, tips and healthy recipes to help you lose weight and gain energy, visit

Your fiber intake is a critical factor in weight loss and general well-being. Health professionals advise that adults should eat at least 25-35 grams of fiber each day. The current average in western countries such as Australia and the United States is well below the recommended levels. For many people, increasing your fiber intake would very likely lead to improved health outcomes.

Check the following chart to see how much fiber you're getting.

Food Source - Dietary Fiber Content (grams)

Mixed grain/brown bread (1 slice) - 1.5g

White bread (1 slice) - 0.8g

Rolled oats (1 cup cooked) - 3.3g

Bran cereal (1/2 cup) - 7.5g

Rice (1/2 cup cooked) - 0.8g

Rice, brown (1/2 cup cooked) - 1.8g

Spaghetti, brown (1/2 cup cooked) - 4.2g

Banana - 3.4g

Apple, pear or orange - 2.0g

Prunes, dates or dried apricots (50g) - 6.5g

Sultanas or raisins (50g) - 3.5g

Peas, green (100g) - 5.3g

Corn kernels (100g) - 4.7g

Potato, peeled, cooked (100g) - 1.0g

Broccoli (100g) - 4.1g

Carrot (100g) - 2.8g

Baked beans (1 small can) - 9.5g

Here are some common questions about fiber in our diet.

What is fiber?

Fiber is the indigestible carbohydrate residue found in foods. There are two types: soluble or insoluble. Soluble is soft and mushy - for instance beans and porridge; insoluble is hard and course, such as wheat bran.

What good does fiber do?

Fiber works by speeding up the time it takes food to pass through the large intestine, reducing the absorption of toxic and carcinogenic compounds. It also modifies the metabolism of foods, binds waste products for elimination and counters the effects of toxic bacteria in the colon. Dietary fiber is helpful for those who want to lose weight, since fiber absorbs water so you feel full and satisfied throughout the day. Adding fiber to your diet can help improve your eating habits, which can lead to weight loss and more energy!

What is the recommended daily amount?

25-35 grams. At present, the amount of fiber consumed in a typical diet in developed countries is well below the recommended levels.

Which foods are high in fiber?

Natural foods are usually high in fiber i.e. whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables.

What happens to fiber in the body?

It passes through the stomach into the digestive tract, and on to the large bowel intact where it absorbs water and other waste materials, then it is passed as stools.

How can fiber assist Type II diabetics?

A study published in the May 11, 2000 issue of The New England Journal of medicine reports that diabetic patients who included 50 grams of fiber in their daily diet lowered their glucose levels by 10%. Fifty grams is a lot of fiber: about twice as much as the American Diabetes Association recommends, and nearly 3 times as much fiber as most Americans consume in a day. To read more about these amazing health benefits of fiber go to

How can I increase fiber in my diet?

The Clinical Nutrition center at the John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center provide some excellent suggestion to increase fiber intake.

How can I increase my fiber intake...in my area there is not a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables?

Nutritional supplements are the perfect answer to dietary problems where the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables is compromised.

Kim Beardsmore M.B.A., B.Sc. (Biochemistry) writes for the online weight loss, health & fitness magazine Weight Loss Health. For free resources, tips and healthy recipes to help you lose weight and gain energy, visit

If you want a cure for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer, or diabetes, don't count on the academia, the National Institute of Health (NIH), or the biotech/pharmaceutical industry. With all the money they have spent on researching these diseases, they have very little to show for it.

In 1971, during the State of the Union address, President Nixon declared the war on cancer proposing "an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer." Since 1971, Americans spent, through taxes, donations, and private R&D, about $200 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars. This money produced 1.56 million papers on cancer. Yet, today we are no closer to a cure than we were in 1971. Why?

Consider what Dr. Almog said in his paper: Drug Industry in "depression" (Almog, D. Drug industry in "depression". Med Sci Monit. 2005 Jan;11(1):SR1-4, I would urge you to read his paper, it's an eye opener on relationship between academic research and commercial drug discovery): "When the basic science/biology of disease is not available, no new drugs come to market." With the billion of dollars spent by the NIH on basic science, and the millions of papers published on the topic, the question is, "Why isn't the basic science/biology of disease available? Individual discoveries in the biology of human disease are cornerstone in new treatments. However, in drug discovery, these basic science/biology discoveries are seemingly unrelated dots. To connect the dots you need a theory. The Blind Men and the Elephant is a famous story about six blind men encountering an elephant for the first time. Each man, seizing on the single feature of the animal, which he appeared to have touched first, and being incapable of seeing it whole, loudly maintained his limited opinion on the nature of the beast. The elephant was considered a wall, a spear, a snake, a tree, a fan or a rope, depending on whether the blind men had first grasped the creature's side, tusk, trunk, knee, ear or tail. The story epitomizes the problem of the reductionist approach in biology. A recent book Microcompetition with Foreign DNA and the Origin of Chronic Disease, by Hanan Polansky [11], presents an alternative. The book identifies the disruption that causes atherosclerosis, cancer, obesity, osteoarthritis, type II diabetes, alopecia, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, asthma, lupus, thyroiditis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, graft versus host disease, and other chronic diseases, and describes the sequence of events that leads from the disruption to the molecular, cellular, and clinical effects."

What are the implications of the NIH failure? A decline in the number of new drugs introduced by pharmaceutical companies. Consider what professor Taylor says in his paper: Fewer new drugs from the pharmaceutical industry (Taylor D. Fewer new drugs from the pharmaceutical industry. BMJ. 2003 Feb 22;326(7386):408-9): "In 2002 spending on medicines exceeded $400bn (£248bn; 377bn) worldwide. Optimists in the pharmaceutical industry believe that the global market for their products will go on expanding by around 10% a year, with the United States continuing to lead towards higher per capita outlays. Expenditure on research by the pharmaceutical industry is also increasing worldwide. It is now over $45bn a year---twice the sum recorded at the start of the 1990s---and projected to rise to $55bn by 2005-6. Concerns are growing, however, about the productivity of research being funded by the major pharmaceutical companies. ... Empirical evidence indicates a crisis in productivity in pharmaceutical research. The number of medicines introduced worldwide that contain new active ingredients dropped from an average of over 60 a year in the late 1980s to 52 in 1991 and only 31 in 2001. The overall number of new active substances undergoing regulatory review is still falling."

On the one hand, the expenditure on research is increasing. On the other, the number of new drugs is decreasing. The professionals call this situation the productivity crisis in drug discovery.

The NIH failed to produce the so much needed biology of chronic disease because it is caught in the reductionist mentality. Dr. Hanan Polansky offers an alternative. If we want a cure for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer, or diabetes, we need to seriously consider his alternative.

John S. Boyd, Ph.D.

The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease, and Rochester, NY

We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that specializes in researching the biology of chronic disease. By "the biology of chronic disease" we mean the original disruption that causes the disease, and the sequence of events that lead from the original disruption to the development of clinical symptoms. We specialize in researching this biology. We hope that once the biology is clear, pharmaceutical and biotech companies will be able to formulate drugs that reverse the effects of the disruption, and therefore cure the disease, or even block the original disruption, and therefore prevent the disease from developing in healthy individuals.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, the problem being that the body does not produce enough insulin, or other cells ignore the insulin you produce. Sugar is essential for the body to survive because it gives us energy. Insulin's job is to take sugar that your body needs to function and deliver it to your bodies cells. If your body's cells do not get the sugar they need to survive, sugar builds up and causes high blood glucose levels, which hurts your eyes, nerves, kidneys and/or heart. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in older people, and is more commonly found in overweight and obese individuals. However, type 2 diabetes does occur in some thin people, especially at an older age.

The causes of type 2 diabetes vary greatly. The causes can include insulin abnormalities, increased glucose production, increased fat breakdown, defective hormones, lifestyles issues (such as obesity and inactivity), and it can be hereditary in some cases.

While some people experience no symptoms at all, some of the symptoms for type 2 diabetes include increased thirst, increased urination, increased appetite, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent or slow healing infections, and in males erectile dysfunction.

Type 2 diabetes is a very preventable disease, and you can lower your chances of getting this disease if you keep an active lifestyle, eating a healthy diet which is low in fat and processed foods, while high in raw vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Keeping your weight at a healthy level also significantly lowers your risk.

Experts now say that everyone over 45 should be tested for diabetes. Younger individuals should be tested if they have any of the following risk factors: being overweight, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, having a genetic history of diabetes, delivering a baby that weighs over 9 pounds, or having a close relative with diabetes. If you feel that you might be at risk for type 2 diabetes, visit your health care practitioner as soon as you possibly can. While being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can be very frightening, and some people would like to avoid thinking about it, the sooner you are diagnosed, the better your chances of survival are. Diabetes kills people everyday, but if you are receiving proper care and taking care of yourself, you can live a long and healthy life.

Author Barney Garcia is a proud contributing author and enjoys writing about many different topics. Please visit my web sites @ disease cured and cure diseases

Every year approximately 9.5 per cent of the American population suffers from depression. Depression is a grave illness that affects day to day life and destroys families. It is a disorder that controls the mind and its functions causing loss of appetite, sleeplessness, mood swings, and a deep sense of despair.

The symptoms of depression are varied and the severity changes with time. And, according to experts depression can be an inherited disorder, or caused by life threatening illnesses, or stress. Other causes are certain diseases, medicines, drugs, alcohol, or mental illnesses. Women are seen to experience depression more than men and this is attributed to hormonal swings, menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, pre-menopause, and post-menopause.

Common symptoms are:

1. An unshakeable sadness, anxiety, or emptiness.

2. Overwhelming hopelessness accompanied by pessimistic feelings.

3. Extreme guilt, feelings of helplessness, and no sense of self worth.

4. Loss of energy, a slowing down of metabolism, and activity levels. Being plagued by constant fatigue.

5. A sense of helplessness along with an increasing inability to focus and indecisiveness.

6. Loss of sound sleep and development of extreme insomnia.

7. Inexplicable weight loss or weight gain. Triggered by loss of appetite or eating binges.

8. Brooding and suicidal inclinations.

9. Irritability, short temper, as well as restlessness.

10. Physical afflictions like headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain for no particular reason.

If you experience any of the above along with a marked change in behavior do consult your doctor. He will give you a thorough examination to rule out physical causes for depression as well as any underlying medical problems. Then if required he will recommend that you consult a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Take matters in hand and try and erase negativity from your mind. Cut out from you life terms like exhaustion, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Change your life by setting yourself a few goals. Try and relax, meditate, and enjoy music. Start new activities that absorb your time as well as interests. Go out and meet people and participate in group activities. Avoid the company of negative people. Make up your mind to enjoy a movie, ballgame, family outing, picnic, or trek. Be positive, self confident, and have faith in yourself. Faith is itself a great healer. Decide to change your world for the better. However do follow the doctor's advice. Treatment can include: anti-depressant medicines, psychotherapy, as well as lifestyle changes. In extreme cases electroconvulsive therapy or light therapy are prescribed.

If your depression escalates or you are suicidal seek help from your family physician or health care provider. Do call a local health department, a community mental health center, or hospital or clinic. Someone will extend a helping hand and talk you through the crisis.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888articles.com/depression-articles-88_8.html , the premier website to find help on Depression Articles including topics on meditation, obesity, beauty, diabetes, fitness equipment, exercise, yoga, weight loss, aerobics cardio and more. He also freelances for the premier Medical Press Release site

Can high-fiber diets really do all they claim to do? Studies have looked at the relationship between high-fiber diets and many diseases, including colon cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Proven benefits of a high-fiber diet include prevention and treatment of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis. In addition, certain types of fiber help decrease blood cholesterol levels.

Dietary fiber comes from the portion of plants that is not digested by enzymes in the intestinal tract. Part of it, however, may be metabolized by bacteria in the lower gut. Different types of plants have varying amounts and kinds of fiber, including pectin, gum, mucilage, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

Pectin and gum are water-soluble fibers found inside plant cells. They slow the passage of food through the intestines but do nothing to increase fecal bulk. Beans, oat bran, fruit and vegetables contain soluble fiber.

In contrast, fibers in cell walls are water insoluble. These include cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Such fibers increase fecal bulk and speed up the passage of food through the digestive tract.

Wheat bran and whole grains contain the most insoluble fiber, but vegetables and beans also are good sources.Sometimes there is confusion as to the difference between crude fiber and dietary fiber. Both are determined by a laboratory analysis, but crude fiber is only one-seventh to one-half of total dietary fiber.

Insoluble fiber binds water, making stools softer and bulkier. Therefore, fiber, especially that found in whole grain products, is helpful in the treatment and prevention of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

Diverticula are pouches of the intestinal wall that can become inflamed and painful.It is now known that a high-fiber diet gives better results once the inflammation has subsided.

Some types of fiber, however, appear to have a greater effect than others. The fiber found in rolled oats is more effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels than the fiber found in wheat. Pectin has a similar effect in that it, too, can lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

High-fiber diets may be useful for people who wish to lose weight. Fiber itself has no calories, yet provides a "full" feeling because of its water-absorbing ability. For example, an apple is more filling than a half cup of apple juice that contains about the same calories.

Foods high in fiber often require more chewing, so a person is unable to eat a large number of calories in a short amount of time. Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Meat, milk and eggs do not contain fiber.

The form of food may or may not affect its fiber content. Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. Other types of processing, though, may reduce fiber content. Drying and crushing, for example, destroy the water-holding qualities of fiber.

The removal of seeds, peels or hulls also reduces fiber content. Whole tomatoes have more fiber than peeled tomatoes, which have more than tomato juice. Likewise, whole wheat bread contains more fiber than white bread.

Fiber supplements are sold in a variety of forms from bran tablets to purified cellulose. Many laxatives sold as stool softeners actually are fiber supplements. Fiber's role in the diet is still being investigated.

It appears that the various types of fiber have different roles in the body. For these reasons, avoid fiber supplements. Instead, eat a variety of fiber-rich foods.

This is the best way to receive the maximum benefits from each type of fiber present in foods, and obtain necessary nutrients.

Can high fiber diets really do all they claim to do?

You have had a stroke. Hopefully, you went to the hospital when you developed your symptoms of weakness, numbness, altered speech or visual impairment. Your hospital care enabled you to limit the damaging effects of the loss of circulation to a portion of your brain. You've made it through the acute phase of stroke management. Now what?

You will want to obtain the best achievable outcome from the impairments you already have. If you have "motor" impairments (weakness or clumsiness) you can rest assured that randomized, controlled trials -- the gold-standard method for determining a treatment's effectiveness -- have shown that physical therapy can improve your level of functioning. If you have speech impairment, then speech therapy might be beneficial, though this has never been proved by means of randomized, controlled trials.

While it is important to focus on rehabilitation following a stroke, there are also other issues to attend to. As a survivor of a stroke you are at increased risk for another.

Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University in New York studied 655 people who suffered first ischemic strokes. (Ischemic strokes are due to plugged blood vessels and not bleeds, and comprise 85-90% of all strokes.) Publishing their results in a March 2006 issue of the journal "Neurology," the investigators found that in the first five years following the stroke there was an 18% likelihood of another. Over the same time period the research subjects also experienced a 5% likelihood of a heart attack.

Can you improve your odds? Absolutely! The process of using information from the first stroke to help prevent another is called "secondary stroke prevention." The idea is that if there is something that can and should be done to reduce one's risk, now is the time to do it. There is no point in waiting for yet another attack to occur before getting started.

A blue-ribbon panel from the American Stroke Association and American Heart Association reviewed the state of knowledge concerning secondary stroke prevention for patients with ischemic strokes and published their results in a March 2006 issue of the journal "Circulation." They found that use of blood-pressure-lowering medications has a powerful effect in reducing the risk of a second stroke -- ranging from 24-43% in better studies -- and this benefit might even extend to patients who have normal blood pressure to start with.

If you have diabetes, then it is especially important to control high blood pressure. Using a medication from the groups of drugs known as "angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors" (ACEIs) and "angiotensin receptor blockers" (ARBs) will not only help control blood pressure, but will additionally help protect the kidneys. If you have diabetes, then it is also important to consider use of cholesterol-lowering medication, especially from the class of drugs known as "statins." Statins can additionally benefit people without diabetes and even those without elevated cholesterol levels. Of course, in diabetes it is also important to keep the blood-sugar levels as close to normal as is humanly possible.

Quitting smoking is also pivotal in preventing another stroke, and it is never too late in the game to benefit from this difficult but important change. Consumption of more than two standard drinks of alcohol per day also increases the risk of stroke and should be avoided. If you are obese, then it is in your best interests to lose weight through a combination of calorie reduction and sensible exercise.

If your hospital studies showed that a carotid artery is 70-99% narrowed (severe stenosis) and your recent stroke was downstream from this blood vessel, then you are much less likely to have another stroke if you have a surgical clean-out (endarterectomy) by an experienced surgeon whose complication rate is less than 6%. If you have severe narrowing, but because of some medical or surgical problem the surgery is considered too risky, then insertion of a stent into the narrowed artery can serve as a substitute for endarterectomy.

The carotid arteries are pulsating blood vessels in the front of the neck that carry blood to much of the brain. If the carotid artery on the same side of the stroke is 50-69% narrowed (moderate stenosis), then an endarterectomy can be considered, but the benefit of surgery in these circumstances is much less clear-cut. If the narrowing is less than 50% (mild stenosis), then you are better off leaving the artery alone.

The above recommendations are based on studies in people with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which is the most common cause of strokes and, for that matter, heart attacks. But not every stroke is caused by atherosclerosis. That's why medical testing is important in stroke patients -- so that treatment can be tailored to individual circumstances.

What about blood-thinners? If you have atrial fibrillation (a specific pattern of irregular heartbeats) then you are at particular risk to have a stroke due to a blood clot being thrown into the circulation from the heart. In this case warfarin (Coumadin) is the blood-thinner of choice. If for some reason the warfarin cannot be tolerated or is considered too risky, then aspirin is a second-best choice.

If your stroke was due to atherosclerosis, then studies support the use of an "anti-platelet" drug. Platelets are the building blocks from which blood clots are made, and anti-platelet drugs interfere with the ability of the platelets to clump together to form a clot. Antiplatelet drugs of first choice include aspirin by itself, aspirin in combination with extended-release dipyridamole (Aggrenox), and clopidogrel (Plavix).

It's important to realize that patients who address every risk factor for a second stroke are likely to have the best outcome and the lowest chances of another attack. Handling some risk factors and not others is better than doing nothing at all, but in fighting off a second stroke, you want to use every weapon in your arsenal.

(C) 2006 by Gary Cordingley

Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his websites at: and

It's a fact, America is becoming obese at an alarming rate and the rest of the world is following close behind. We are eating more (and more of the wrong stuff) and exercising less or getting no exercise at all. Our health is in steep decline and doctor and hospital visits are at all time highs. Just a brisk 30-minute walk a day can begin to turn that around.

You name it, we have it, and it's getting worse. Heart and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, out of control blood sugar levels, diabetes, obesity, and more. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends getting at least 20-30 minutes of moderate activity each day and many of us are falling far short of even that.

Studies show the average person takes about 3000 to 5000 steps a day, and some even much less. Let's face it, we just do not get the exercise our ancestors did a hundred or so years ago and we tend to eat more refined foods. For some of us, most of steps we take are from the easy chair in front of the TV to the fridge so we can fill up on snacks. For others, like me, we sit at a computer all day as part of our jobs.

Many fitness experts recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day to maintain our weight and overall good health. 10,000 steps are approximately 5 miles, give or take depending on the length of your stride. You will need to purchase and wear a pedometer to count how many steps you take each day. Follow the directions that usually come with the pedometer. Do this for a week or two and you will get a good average step count. Your goal is to reach 10,000 or more steps each day. There is nothing magical about 10,000, but it will put you in the right ballpark.

As a general rule, a person will burn about 100 calories walking a mile, depending on age, size, and fitness level. The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn.

Become creative on ways to increase your steps. At work, go for walks at lunchtime. Go for walks with your spouse or children. Walk the dog. Walk to the store instead of driving, or park at the far end of the parking lot. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. For me, I take brisk 2-mile walks around the neighborhood twice a day everyday (aerobic walking). Just do whatever works best for you, but do it! You will need good walking shoes and socks to prevent injury when walking for exercise (like aerobic walking).

Go to your favorite search engine and type in "10,000 steps" to learn more about this life saving, life changing program. The information is abundant.

Ron Gregory is a technical writer and writes operational and technical service manuals for medical devices and scientific instruments used in hospitals worldwide.

Please visit Ron's website "Walking for Fitness" at http://home.earthlink.net/~joelch2/ and learn how aerobic walking changed his life forever.

The classic early warning signs of diabetes were all present when I brought my canine companion of twelve years into the Veterinarian's clinic. Muffy was lethargic, unsteady on her feet, drinking large amounts of water, and experiencing incontinence for the first time in her life. I knew something was seriously wrong.

After blood work and a physical examination, the veterinarian said that Muffy had developed type-two canine diabetes. After a brief discussion, we decided to try and regulate her blood sugar level with diet modification and insulin twice daily.

At first, it was rough going. Weekly checkups revealed Muffy's sugar levels continued to bounce from one extreme to the other. Determined not give up, I monitored her urine samples at home for sugar content and adjusted insulin injections as necessary. Gradually, we began to see improvement.

After just a few months Muffy was once again her frisky self. You would never know by watching her race about that she had a serious health problem. A special diet, proper amounts of insulin and regular exercise have worked together with Muffy's routine veterinary care to turn the tide. As a result, I can look forward to many more happy years with my little dog.

Wyoming veterinarian Mary Flitner, who recently moved her practice to New Mexico, received her D.V.M. degree at Colorado State University and an award for excellence in large animal surgery in 1997. Flitner states that diabetes in dogs and cats is more common than most people realize. According to Flitner, a pet's chance of developing diabetes will increase with age.

"This is especially true in overweight, less active dogs."

Besides weight and age, diet is another significant factor. Dogs given table scraps without discrimination are particularly at risk. The importance of diet cannot be over emphasized, warns Flitner.

"A high fiber diet, low in fat and sugar, is vital. And an annual checkup by a qualified professional is also an important part of proper pet care, as early detection of health complications increase successful management of the problem and helps prolong the quality of life for that pet."

Flitner notes many pet owners mistakenly feel caring for a diabetic pet would be too difficult for them, an assumption that complicates the decision making process at a critical time.

"A diagnosis of diabetes in a family pet is hard enough to handle without misconceptions compounding the problem," said Flitner thoughtfully.

For instance, a pet owner might opt to euthanize a pet diagnosed with diabetes because they feel incapable of managing the problem. However, with proper instruction and guidance, that same pet owner could gain the confidence necessary to properly follow the care plan developed by the veterinarian, and enjoy many more quality years together with their pet.

"People need to know by regulating their pet's diabetes, that pet can still live to their full potential," said Flitner, acknowledging most care givers consider their pet an important part the family and struggle to make right health care decisions for them.

Flitner notes grocery store quality pet foods are not good choices for diabetic pets because of added fillers and sugars used to improve the taste.

"Some grocery store brands of cat food actually have trace elements of antifreeze in them, because cats are attracted to it. These type foods often have a high content of sodium, which is also unhealthy for the pet.

"A healthy well-balanced diet is important for any pet, but especially for those diagnosed with diabetes."

Early warning signs that might indicate diabetes in your pet include: an unusually high consumption of water, increase in appetite, incontinence, lethargy, extreme changes in eyes (i.e. cataracts), lack of coordination, and vomiting. Care givers who note such changes in their dog should promptly call a qualified professional, because examination by a veterinarian is important and necessary for proper diagnosis.

Flitner also acknowledges the temptation to remove the water bowl from the pet's reach if incontinence is a problem.

"But, this is not the correct thing to do," instructs Flitner.

In the case of diabetic canines, drinking large amounts of water is the dog's attempt to flush glucose out of the kidneys which has spilled over from the blood. If the glucose doesn't get flushed out, serious damage to the kidneys and other organs can develop.

The best preventative measures against serious health problems in the family pet remain simple and practical: regular veterinary check ups, and a healthy diet. Exercise is also very important. Among other benefits, exercise helps increase the body's effective use of insulin.

For more canine health information, information on a special dog food formulated specifically for diabetic dogs, or other dog products, visit the Savvy Dog Lover web site .

© Lori S. Anton

Savvy Pet Editor

Published writer and dog lover, Lori Anton, has been writing for nearly 30 years. She is founder and editor for Writers Write Now, a web site that offers original professionally written content, and SEO content for web sites; visit Writers Write Now. Lori lives in rural Wyoming with her husband, Jeff, and their diabetic canine companion, Muffy.

Lori is also Savvy Pet Editor. Savvy Dog Lover web site offers valuable information on pet health, care, and training, as well as top pet products. Visit Savvy Dog Lover. Savvy Dog Lover – where the best bones are buried!

Here is yet another case of a home remedy waiting to be discovered. In 2005 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a drug for the treatment of Type II Diabetes. The drug is called Byetta (exenatide). There's nothing amazing about that part. New drugs are created often.

The almost unbelievable part is where the drug originated. It wasn't produced in a lab. Instead, the active ingredient of Byetta comes from the venomous saliva of the Gila Monster lizard.

The Gila Monster, once thought to be one of only two venomous lizards, lives in the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. The Gila Monster is a thick-bodied, heavy and slow-moving lizard. It grows to a maximum length of 2 feet (0.6 m) and preys on small rodents, fledgling birds, and eggs. It tends to eat animals on the ground that cannot move fast (or at all). The quick, strong bite of the Gila Monster delivers venomous saliva that is normally not fatal to humans.

Instead, there is a component of the lizard's venom that is extremely helpful to certain humans. A component in the Gila Monster's venom has proven remarkably effective in the control of Type II Diabetes in humans. The Gila Monster is a protected species in the U.S. Fortunately, the exenatide drug can now be synthesized in the lab instead of from live animals.

Diabetes is a chronic medical disorder generally characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, especially after eating. The diabetic patient must consistently monitor blood sugar levels to keep them within a safe range.

When high blood sugar occurs, insulin is used to bring it down to a safer level. If low blood sugar occurs, the patient generally consumes carbohydrates to raise the glucose level to a safe level. Type II Diabetes is a chronic disorder characterized by resistance to insulin, a deficiency in insulin, and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar or excess glucose).

Exenatide helps with glucose (blood sugar) management in several ways:

1. It signals the pancreas to create additional insulin when glucose levels are too high;

2. It regulates the liver so that it doesn't produce unneeded glucose; and

3. It helps slow the rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream.

Studies showed that another significant effect of exenatide use was weight loss. Overweight diabetes patients can have more difficulty controlling blood sugar levels. The effectiveness of exenatide for diabetic blood glucose control stems from its ability to activate several glucose control pathways simultaneously.

Byetta (exenatide) is a wonderful drug, although its discovery sounds like some kind of horror story. One can only imagine gruesome (but fictitious) clinical trials where unsuspecting diabetics are asked to stick their arms into dark boxes containing Gila Monsters. This discovery sounds like one of those "good news/bad news" jokes. For example, the doctor says, "The bad news is that the lizard probably won't release its bite on your leg for another week. The good news is that your diabetes has improved!"

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It is another case of a home remedy waiting to be discovered. A new study suggests that a traditional Indian diabetes herb treatment lowers blood sugar and insulin levels as well as today's prescription drugs.

39 healthy adults received extracts of the herb Salacia oblonga with promising results. Insulin and blood glucose levels were lowered by a maximum of 29 and 23 percent, respectively. These reductions occurred when test subjects received the largest dose of the herb extract (1,000 mg).

"These kinds of reductions are similar to what we might see with prescription oral medications for people with diabetes," said Steve Hertzler, a study co-author and an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State University.

Salacia oblonga is an herb native to regions of India and Sri Lanka. Researchers found that it can bind to intestinal enzymes that convert carbohydrates into glucose. If the herb binds to these enzymes before the enzymes can turn carbs into glucose, then less glucose sugar enters the bloodstream. Therefore less insulin is required.

"Lowering blood glucose levels lowers the risk of disease-related complications in people with diabetes," Hertzler said. "Also, poor compliance with diabetes medications often hinders the effectiveness of these drugs. It may be easier to get someone to take an herb with food or in a beverage, as opposed to a pill."

Although this study was performed on healthy adults, the researchers also want to study the effects of the Salacia oblonga herb in diabetic patients.

Hertzler also commented that, "A lot of studies show that lowering blood sugar levels reduces the risk for all kinds of diabetes-related complications, such as kidney disease and nerve and eye damage. We want to see if this herb has this kind of effect."

The herb caused an intestinal gas side effect. Researchers measured hydrogen and methane levels in the breath of study participants for a two-day period following each test. Additionally, participants rated the frequency and intensity of any nausea, cramps, or gas they experienced.

The studies will continue, but the herb is difficult to find in the U.S. Some online suppliers do exist.

This study was conducted by Ohio State University (OSU), and supported by the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories in Columbus. It was reported in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and on the OSU website at where the study researchers can be contacted and the full news release can be found.

A seemingly-obscure herb appears to have the same medicinal properties as some of today's most-researched diabetes medicines. Just imagine what other home remedy treasures are waiting to be uncovered.

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There is nothing more important than the right diabetes diet. Diabetes is a serious disease that you need to learn as much as you can about if your or someone that you care about has been diagnosed with it. Eating right and staying healthy is the only way to battle diabetes and knowing what you can and cannot eat is essential. If you have the proper diet you may be able to have some control over your diabetes.

Having diabetes is a balancing act and it is one that you can manage if you take the time to learn how. As long as you are eating the right amount of healthy foods and you are avoiding all of the sugar that you are not allowed to eat you will be well on your way to staying healthy in spite of diabetes.

Keeping an eye on your sugar intake is key to good diabetes diet management. This will mean learning all of the best sugar replacements and sugar free foods. This used to be a lot harder than it is now. These days there are all kinds of great sugar replacements, many are even perfect for baking, and the sugar free products are becoming ever so popular. Even people without diabetes are choosing them over the sugar filled alternatives. Sugar free products taste delicious, which makes the easy to eat and enjoy while still maintaining a good blood sugar level.

You will also need to watch how much food that you eat. Eating too much or too little can have a negative impact on your diet and health. Talk to your doctor about how much food you should be eating each and every day and what times are optimal. Your diabetes diet will have to be set just right if you want to stay in perfect control and health. As long as you eat right every day you will stay feeling good and healthy for years to come.

Dana Goldberg is the owner of Lose Weight

Free Tips. Learn how to lose weight and body fat.

If you have diabetes, it may be better to be short than tall.

Why? Well, it has to do with those pseky foot and leg ulcers that can cause anthing from minor inconvenience to amputation. When ulcers become series, it's becaue they have become infected, perhaps even leading to gangrene—which is the major reason for amputation.

In the general population, a simple cut or other open wound isn't usually a problem, because it causes some degree of pain that alerts the person to its presence and allows him or her to seek treatment.

Diabetics, however, are prone to nerve damage, which can mean they have ulcers on feet or legs and aren't even aware of them until they have become serious problems.

That's where the height difference comes in. According to a study by the National Taiwan University Hospital, reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, taller diabetics are more likjely to need amputation than those who are shorter.

The reason? The nerves that lead to the legs and feet are the longest in the body, making them especially vulnerable to diabetic nerve damage. Naturally,the taller you are the longer those nerves are, and the more susceptible they are to deterioration and loss of function.

The shorter nerves of shorter diabetics are not as open to damage, so those people are better able to feel the pain when a cut or other wound happens, giving them a chance to deal with it before it causes serious damage.

So if you are a tall diabetic, is this cause for panic or despair? Not at all. It just reinforces the advice we diabetics have always been given: look after your feet and legs carefully, check regularly for wounds, ulcers or anything unusual—and get them treated right away.

And yes, that goes for diabetics both short and tall!

Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit his website at for informative articles and resources, and sign up to receive Bob's free weekly diabetic-friendly dessert recipe!

Low-carb diets can be advantageous in increased body weight , heart disease and treatment of diabetes according to new clinical studies .

Low carb diets still revolutionize the clinical practice of nutrition. Many scientists are now indicating low carb solutions for many disease states, according to Richard D. Feinman, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

He also says "And practically speaking, some of the clinical results, particularly in diabetes, are quite remarkable."

"I have seen many patients who were heading for disaster and who have turned their disease and their lives around simply by avoiding foods they cannot tolerate: carbohydrates."

This simple, effective approach could reverse the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes," says Mary Vernon, MD, FAAFP, CMD and President of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, Known for her controlled carbohydrate challange with her patients for some time now.

"Thanks to the low-carb approach we've seen many patients reduce or completely eliminate drug therapy. Of course, it is up to a patient if they want to continue their medication, but they should at least be given a choice of a non-pharmacological approach."

Low carb diets seem to have always had a metabolic foundation and although the news attention has concentrated mainly on the business side of the topic, science continues to dramatically move forward with it.

Some of the important findings about low-carb diets are:

+ A restrained carbohydrate way of life is an efficient way to control Type 2 diabetes blood sugar. Patients are consistently able to lower or do away with disease.

+A third of overweight Americans who are trying to lose weight, are doing so by eating less carbs.

+ More recent evidence to bear the weight of the benefits of a restrained carbohydrate way of life for heart risk factors such as low HDL and small LDL lipoprotein standard.

+ A restrained carbohydrate way of life may be the best treatment for metabolic syndrome, a forerunner condition to diabetes and heart disease.

+Over 60 percent of Americans are overweight; 38 percent are actually doing something about it.

This article is provided courtesy of Low Carb Dieting Secrets Use the article but leave author box intact.

Today is the day you start "the diet." You are "good" all day, but nightfall brings temptation. Once again you lose control… and tell yourself you'll start again tomorrow.

You are not alone - a typical attempt at dieting can mean you go all day eating little or nothing, and by the end of the day you are so hungry you will eat everything in sight.

So here's a tip if you are hungry: EAT SOMETHING! You probably already know quite a bit about dieting. But do you know how to nourish yourself?

There are two things that can be your most effective tools in controlling your weight for the rest of your life – the Hunger Scale and the Journal.

You are your own experiment in life. If you don't know what you are doing now, you cannot know which habits you want to change, or which you want to keep. To change, you must become a Conscious Observer of your own behavior. So send the Inner Critic over to the Outlets so she'll stay out of your way.

The Hunger Scale is the only "scale" you will need for a while. On the Hunger Scale, 1 is so famished that you will eat anything in sight. You may experience headaches, loss of concentration, irritability or feeling shaky.

You can not make rational decisions about food. This doesn't mean you are weak or an addict – you are simply too hungry. You brain is in survival mode and craves nourishment. Your biological urge will be to overeat – fast.

Level 10 is stuffed to the point of being sick. If you fall to a 1 on the Hunger Scale, your natural instincts will suspect famine, and propel you to eat until you hit 10.

At 5, your hunger level is neutral; you probably could eat, but there is no physical feeling of hunger. At 6, you feel a slight pressure in your stomach. If you imagine wearing a fitted waistband, at 7 it would start to feel tight; at 8 you have to unbutton it. At 9 and 10 you are ready for sweatpants.

Your goal is to start eating at around 2 or 3. There is a slight sense of hunger, but you can still think clearly and eat slowly. It will then be easier to stop eating when you are no longer hungry, which is 5 to 6.

This will require planning so you can eat more frequently than you may be used to. Be prepared! Stock up so you can snack on fresh foods, such as protein, vegetables or salad, fruit, or whole grains. These foods burn more slowly and will provide energy for a longer period of time.

A food journal is important - as a tool to learn about yourself, not criticize yourself. Do you know your emotional eating traps? Do you pay attention to the needs of your body and feelings, or do you starve or stuff out of habit?

Record what you eat immediately. Don't worry about specific measuring right now; just be honest with yourself. If you try to remember at end of the day, you will miss many details about your habits.

These are the journal guidelines:

• Are you hungry? If so, what level is your hunger? If it is not physical hunger, are you cranky, lightheaded, etc.?

• What are you hungry for? Eat it. Stop when you are no longer hungry.

• How much was that? Be sure to list side dishes and condiments; they sneak in extra calories.

• What were you feeling emotionally?

• What level is your hunger when you stop?

Be kind to yourself. It can take years before your improved eating habits are no longer thrown off by an emotional upset. However, your response will change over time. Emotions that can throw you into a 5,000-calorie binge today may be comforted by a 300-calorie "treat" in the future – or a behavior that does not even involve food.

As you change your diet to frequent small, balanced meals, you will learn to recognize your natural healthy appetite, enjoy natural, whole foods instead of craving sweets – and easily shed excess weight. Don't panic if you are hungry; this is a sign that your metabolism is balanced and your brain is requesting fuel for energy. Eat!

This article is copyright © Dr. Laurie Andreoni 2006 and may only be re-produced with author contact resource and without alteration or addition.

Dr. Laurie Andreoni is the author of Weigh Beyond Beauty – Lighten Your Body, Enlighten Your Soul. For workshop schedule and home study programs, visit www.WeighBeyondB email drlaurie@ or call (916) 801-8759.

Traveling with diabetes requires preparation both before and during your trip. Here are 11 tips to help you make sure your diabetes doesn't interfere with the pleasures of travel.

1. Visit your doctor at least a month before you leave to make sure your diabetes is under control. If you need to do any stabilizing, a month will give you enough time. The same month should let your body settle down after any necessary immunization shots, so get those at the same time.

2. Get a letter from your doctor certifying that you are diabetic, and listing the various medications and supplies you must carry with you. Without this, you might have difficulties passing through Security at airports and international border crossings.

3. Also get a prescription for your insulin or other diabetes medication. Even though you should have enough syringes, strips and medication to last for the duration of your trip, it's always good to have a prescription in case you lose them, they become spoiled because of extreme weather conditions, or your trip lasts longer than you original planned.

4. Wear an ID bracelet announcing your have diabetes, and also carry a small card saying so in the local language of the places you will be visiting.

5. Learn to express specific diabetic requirements in the local languages. Since you probably won't know how to pronounce the words, the easiest way is to carry them on a printed card and simply point to what you want to say.

6. Pack at least twice as much medication and supplies as you think you'll need. Put half in your suitcase, and half in a special bag that never leaves your possession. The container for these supplies should be sturdy, preferably hard sided, for protection.

7. Carry a sealed pack containing hard candies or glucose tablets in case irregular eating makes your blood sugar drop too low. Your pack should also contain emergency snacks, such as crackers, cheese, fruit, juice --- in case you must wait too long between meals, which can happen when we are traveling.

8. Insulin can lose its strength in extreme temperatures, so carry your supply, as well as pills and other medication, in a thermally insulated bag.

9. Carry bandages and first-aid cream, comfortable walking shoes and protective beach shoes. Your feet neet extra special care while you're traveling.

10. While on your trip, check your blood sugar more often than usual. Many factors, such as fluctuating temperatures and changing time zones, can cause wild swings in your blood sugar levels. If you check often, you'll be better able to take corrective action as needed.

11. Finally, contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers at 417 Center Street, Lewiston, NY 14092. They can provide you with a list of English speaking doctors in the countries you'll be visiting.

As long as you take sensible precautions to care for your diabetes, there's no reason why it needs to stand in the way of a happy travel experience. Bon voyage!

Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit for informative articles and resources. Sign up for Bob's free weekly diabetic-friendly dessert recipe! and get your list of diabetic emergency phrases in 8 foreign languages

Having diabetes can change to life of person entirely. From the way one chooses the foods that he will eat to the way he lives his daily life, everything will change. For someone who doesn't know much about diabetes there are a lot of webs sites, magazines, and books that can help you understand better of the nature of diabetes.

The greatest problem for diabetics is not being able to access medication when emergency situations occur. That is why, it is important to always have an emergency kit at hand. To keep the medicines from expiring, use them from time to time and replace them with new refills. The emergency kit can include cold medications, antacids, cough syrup, test strips and insulin with syringes if you use one and blood glucose monitoring supplies. If you will purchase over the counter medicines, make sure to read the label before using it. If there is a warning that diabetic people should consult their doctor before using the product, then do so. If you have these emergency kits at home, try to also have it at work or at school.

It is also essential to include in the emergency kit your medical history, prescription medications and emergency contacts. To keep them from getting wet, keep them in a water proof bags. If you are using insulin keep extra syringes, glucagons emergency kit and urine ketone strips. A glucagon emergency kit consists of a syringe filled with liquid which must be mixed with a powder. This kit is only used in case of a Severe Hypoglycemic Emergency. Try also to keep the insulin in a cool place as much as possible to keep it from being damaged.

For people who got caught in the Katrina and Rita hurricane disaster, being prepared made the difference between life and death. And for people with diabetes, being prepared is important to their own personal safety and health. Hence, the best thing a diabetic person can do to prevent any problem with diabetes is to live a healthy lifestyle. It is important to eat healthy foods and have a regular exercise to keep blood pressures at normal and reduce the risk of heart disease and other serious conditions. And most importantly, have emergency kits close at hand at all times.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome is by far the most common and widely known of the "pinched nerve" conditions. This article addresses: What is it? Who is at risk for this condition? How is it diagnosed? What kinds of treatments work best?

Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to symptoms caused by entrapment of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. "Carpal" itself means "wrist," so a carpal tunnel is nothing more than a wrist tunnel. This particular tunnel can be a crowded place, as it contains not just the median nerve, but nine tendons as well. The "syndrome" consists of some combination of pain, numbness and weakness.

Pain, numbness, or both, are the usual earliest symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Pain can affect the fingers, hand, wrist and forearm, but not usually the upper arm or shoulder. Numbness affects the palm side of the thumb and fingers, but usually spares the little finger because it's connected to a different nerve.

When weakness is present, it usually indicates that the condition is already severe, and when muscles atrophy (wither) it means the condition is even worse. The affected muscles are those downstream from where the nerve is pinched, and can include those controlling any of three motions of the thumb. In addition, bending of the first knuckles of the index and middle fingers can be affected, as can straightening of the second knuckles of the same fingers. When muscle atrophy is present, it is most evident in the muscular ball at the base of the thumb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs more frequently in women than in men. People who work with their hands a lot - for example to sew, operate hand-tools or perform assembly-line work - are at increased risk for developing this condition. Various medical conditions can also increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, including injuries, arthritis, diabetes, low levels of thyroid hormone and pregnancy. In the case of pregnancy, carpal tunnel syndrome often appears in the third trimester and resolves after the woman delivers.

Optimum diagnosis of this condition combines the time-honored methods of a doctor's history-taking and physical examination with tests of nerve function called nerve conduction studies. Nerve conduction studies are exquisitely sensitive in detecting impairment of the median nerve at the wrist, particularly when the median nerve is compared with a nearby healthy nerve in the same patient.

In nerve conduction studies, the nerve on one side of the carpal tunnel is activated by a small shock to the skin. An oscilloscope measures how long it takes for the resulting nerve-impulse to arrive on the other side of the carpal tunnel. When the median nerve is pinched, the nerve-impulse is delayed or blocked. Nerve conduction studies are so sensitive that sometimes they show problems that aren't even causing symptoms. That's why nerve conduction studies don't stand alone in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome. The examining physician needs to decide if the results make sense for the particular patient in question.

Nerve conduction studies not only show whether or not the median nerve is impaired at the wrist, but also provide precise data concerning how bad the impairment is. In addition, these studies survey the function of other nerves in the arm and hand. Occasionally, a nerve in an adjacent tunnel (the ulnar nerve in Guyon's canal) can also be pinched. In other cases, nerve conduction studies show that the problem is not one of single nerve-pinches, but rather a more diffuse pattern of nerve-impairment called polyneuropathy. Of course, sometimes the studies are completely normal and suggest that the symptoms are due to something else.

To treat carpal tunnel syndrome, starting with "conservative" treatment makes sense in most cases, especially when the symptoms are still in the mild-to-moderate range. Conservative treatment usually includes a wrist-splint that holds the wrist in a neutral position. In a study published in 2005 researchers at the University of Michigan investigated the effectiveness of wrist-splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome in workers at a Midwestern auto plant. In a randomized, controlled trial - the gold standard method for judging treatments - about half the workers received customized wrist-splints that they wore at night for six weeks. The remaining workers received education about safe workplace procedures, but no splints. After treatment the workers with splints had less pain than those without, and the difference in outcome was still evident after one year.

Conservative treatment might additionally include use of anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin or naproxen, or even steroid drugs. A more intrusive, though still non-surgical, treatment consists of injecting steroid medication into the carpal tunnel itself. This might benefit selected patients, but in a 2005 randomized, controlled study of patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms, researchers at Mersin University in Turkey showed that patients receiving splints did better than those who received steroid injections.

Surgeons can relieve pressure on a pinched median nerve by cutting a constricting, overlying band of tissue. A 2002 study at Vrije University in Amsterdam compared surgical treatment to six weeks of wrist-splinting. After 18 months 90% of the operated patients had a successful outcome compared with 75% in the splinted group.

In some cases it can be reasonable to try conservative treatments without first confirming the diagnosis with nerve conduction studies. However, in the author's opinion, this risk-free form of testing should be performed prior to any carpal tunnel surgery. (Full disclosure: The author performs nerve conduction studies!)

(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley

Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his websites at: and

So if diet pills work and I am overweight, why shouldn't I use them to get myself back to where I want to be? The truth is that we live in an obese society. With that being the case, then it stands to reason that the business of losing weight is big. We are all busy, so we want the easy way out, the quick fix, and to lose those extra pounds without having to disrupt our busy lives. Diet pills seem to be an easy answer, so why not give them a try? Well there are actually two big reasons: harmful side effects and addiction (physical and emotional).

The biggest reason that the dangers on diet pills exist is that they are not really regulated. The law does not require a diet pill to be tested by the FDA before release to the public. The FDA will pull a diet pill product from the shelves if it shows to be dangerous, but by then you may already be taking that particular drug. So what are the side effects that can result from this lack of regulation?

Diet pills generally do one or two of a few things: they may suppress appetite, increase metabolism, block fat absorption, or even make use of laxatives to flush the body of waste and fluid. The chemicals in the diet pills that helps them accomplish these things have been known to cause varying side effects. Some of the best known of these are anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations or attacks, stroke, fever, dry mouth, blurred vision, hair loss, disturbance in sex drive and menstruation, urinary tract problems, digestive problems, and even congestive heart failure. There are numerous others as well, so the risks can be high when it comes to side effects with diet pills.

The other danger with diet pills is addiction. The chemicals and drugs used in the pills can very often cause physical addiction. On the other hand, if they pills do work, even to a small degree, emotional addiction can follow. You may think that you cannot keep your weight or even live without the pills and can find yourself in the midst of complete dependency.

When there are side effect problems in conjunction with dependency, there are overdose risks as well. In the rush to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, you might be tempted to take more diet pills than is recommended. The result can be convulsions, hallucinations, breathing difficult, or even a heart attack. It is important that if you feel or have any of these symptoms that you get medical attention promptly.

The risk of using diet pills is varied and high. Without regulation and with the high availability, those seeking an easy fix to a large problem may end up jumping from pill to pill, ending up addicted, or suffering terrible side effects. What many don't realize is that the only proven way of keeping weight off for a sustained amount of time is through a balanced diet and exercise.

If you would like to read more of my online articles, please feel free to visit my health blog!

It can take a while for us humans to suspect that we may have diabetes and go in for tests. It's much harder for us to spot the symptoms of diabetes in dogs. The disease tends to sneak up and the symptoms will often go unnoticed until the disease has become quite advanced. Here are some things you should always watch for in your dog and take them to a vet to be tested if you suspect that your dog may have developed canine diabetes.

Canine Diabetes Symptoms To Watch For

Drinking a Lot of Water

Although it's natural for your dog to be thirstier in the summer or after a bit of rambunctious exercise, excessive drinking throughout the day and that continues for several days can be a sign of diabetes. If you notice that you're having to fill the water bowl more often, you may want to have your dog tested for canine diabetes. Other diseases may also cause an increase in thirst as well, so having a veterinarian check your pet is a good idea.

Urinating a Lot

It stands to reason, if your dog is drinking more, then they're going to be wanting outside a lot more too. So, although you may not notice the increased water intake right away (as it can be very gradual), you'll certainly be made aware of the increased need to urniate (think revolving door).

Your Dog May Develop "Sweet Breath"

Most of us dog owners will complain of a dog's "bad breath", so you'll most likely notice if the breath takes on a "sweet" smell. This is a sign that your dog's blood sugar levels have risen to high and need to be brought under control.

Shaking

No, we're not talking about how a dog shakes after they get wet. This is a subtle shaking/shivering that accompanies hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and is very serious. If this symptom appears, take your dog to the veterinarian immediately as it is very serious and your might require an injection of insulin.

Weakness and Tiredness

Your dog may also appear weak and very tired most days. If your normally active dog suddenly develops these symptoms over the course of a few days, have them tested for diabetes.

Loss of Weight

Normally, being overweight can bring on canine diabetes, but sometimes a dog will begin to steadily lose weight instead. Regardless of whether this is from the onset of diabetes or not, you need to get your dog to a veterinarian right away for tests to rule out any other type of serious disease.

(c) 2005. Rose Smith is the owner of Caring For Canines and invites you to explore the benefits of holistic dog medicines and remedies. To read more about dog-related health problems and advice, please visit:

The symptoms of adult diabetes are symptoms that should be recognized. Recognizing a symptom or sign for diabetes is important because diabetes is a condition that can be life-threatening. Diabetes is a disease where high levels of sugar in the blood exist, creating a symptom or sign for diabetes. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin in the body, by the inability to use insulin or both of these. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels. About 17 million persons in the USA suffer from symptoms of adult diabetes.

Diabetes consist of three main types:

* Type 1 Diabetes - is usually diagnosed in childhood. The body makes very little or no insulin, and daily injections of insulin are required to keep the person alive.

* Type 2 Diabetes - accounts for about 90% of all cases of diabetes and usually occurs in adults. The pancreas do not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, frequently because the body does not use the insulin produced very well. Symptoms of adult diabetes and Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the increasing number of elderly Americans, with the failure to exercise and increasing obesity rates.

* Gestational Diabetes - is high blood glucose that develops during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes.

Here are the most common Type 2 symptoms of adult diabetes:

1. Blurred Vision

2. Fatigue

3. Impotence In Men

4. Increased Appetite

5. Increased Thirst

6. Infections That Heal Slowly

7. More Frequent Urination

How does one know if symptoms of adult diabetes that are being experienced are actually indicating diabetes? The best way is to do a blood test called the fasting blood glucose level test. Diabetes is diagnosed if this test shows blood glucose is higher than 126 mg/dL on two different tests. If levels are between 100 and 126 mg/dL, this condition will be referred to as impaired fasting glucose or prediabetes and should be considered a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

What does one attempt to do for stabilizing blood sugar levels and diabetes? While there is no cure for diabetes, the immediate objectives are to stabilize blood sugar and eliminate any symptom or sign for diabetes and high blood sugar. Long-term, the goals of treatment are to prolong ones life, to relieve symptoms of adult diabetes and prevent long-term complications that may result such as heart disease and kidney failure.

A person with symptoms of adult diabetes should work closely with their physician to keep blood sugar levels within acceptable ranges. In addition, the more you understand a symptom or sign for diabetes and how to treat it, the more proactive you can become in making lifestyle changes that will improve your health. Besides oral medications, the good news is that Type 2 diabetes may respond to treatment with exercise, diet improvements and weight management.

Health is a big asset which requires proper care and nurturing. A fit and trim body gives inner and outer confidence whereas an obese physique makes you dull and pessimistic. Obesity breeds other diseases and makes our existence uncomfortable and unpleasant. It also results in emotional suffering which is one of the most painful parts of obesity.

Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It's a health hazard. Someone who is grossly overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as compared to an average-weight person. This is because obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions such as diabetes and strokes.

A weight increase of 11-18 pounds doubles the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in comparison to individuals who have not gained weight. According to studies, over 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese. This may account for the newly invented word, diabesity, which signifies the close association between obesity and diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, one of most prominent ailment found in obese people reduces body's ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of early death, heart disease, stroke, and blindness. Overweight people are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to normal weight people. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

The chances of its occurrence can be reduced by losing weight and exercising more. If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help control your blood sugar levels. Increasing your physical activity may also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication intake. Losing a small amount of weight can also reduce your chances of developing heart disease or a stroke and make your body ailment free.

Studies show that you can improve your health by losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds. Weight reduction can decrease your chance of developing several fatal ailments like heart disease, blood pressure, and levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides. So take your first step towards weight loss and make your life a healthy and energetic one.

Do you remember what it felt like when you banged your elbow on a hard surface and it sent shocks through your forearm and into your little finger? Not too pleasant, to be sure. But on the plus side, the unpleasantness was merely temporary and, for the time being, you remembered not to do that again.

The part of the nervous system responsible for this annoying symptom is the ulnar nerve, a peripheral nerve-bundle whose individual nerve-fibers originate in the spinal cord where it passes through the neck. The nerve-fibers run most of the length of the arm, including through the "ulnar groove" which you may know as the "funny bone" or "crazy bone."

Some people experience a more persisting impairment of the ulnar nerve called ulnar neuropathy. With "-pathy" as the medical suffix meaning illness or impairment, an "ulnar neuropathy" means an illness or impairment of the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve is vulnerable to injury or pinch in the ulnar groove for more than one reason. First, instead of being surrounded by soft, cushioning muscles and tendons, it is sandwiched between a layer of skin on its exterior surface and nothing but hard bone on its interior surface. Second, when the elbow bends, the ulnar nerve stretches because it has to take the long way around the elbow.

Like a telephone cable containing numerous wires, the ulnar nerve-bundle contains many individual nerve-fibers, some of which tell the muscles what to do and others of which carry messages back to the spinal cord and brain about sensations experienced by the skin and other tissues. So when the ulnar nerve is injured, both motor and sensory symptoms are possible. Most of the muscles of the hand receive their marching orders via the ulnar nerve, so when the ulnar nerve is out of whack, there can be weakness in hand muscles. The muscles that spread the fingers and those that straighten the middle joints of the ring and little fingers are often affected. Damage to the ulnar nerve also causes changes in sensation. The ring and little fingers can become numb, and so can the heel of the hand.

The ulnar nerve can come to harm in more than one way. For some people the problem might result from leaning on their elbows too much. This can compress the ulnar nerve within the ulnar groove. Granted, many people lean on their elbows without damaging their ulnar nerves, but like most things in medicine, an ulnar neuropathy is usually caused by a combination of factors, and it is likely that some people are more vulnerable than others based on their particular anatomies. Of course, rearranging one's anatomy, as for example from a preceding elbow fracture, may also put one at risk for an ulnar neuropathy.

Another way to injure the ulnar nerve is by over-stretching it. In the author's clinical practice a thin, young lady with loose elbow-joints who worked as an emergency medical technician injured her ulnar nerves repeatedly while lifting heavy patients. For her, it was a problem that wouldn't go away, and she eventually changed professions.

Although, as discussed, the ulnar nerve at the elbow is especially vulnerable to injuries, it can also come to harm by getting compressed or pinched by nearby abnormal tissues. The usual culprits are tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, cysts and scars.

Sometimes, an ulnar neuropathy is the leading symptom of a "polyneuropathy," meaning that all the peripheral nerves in the body are somewhat impaired, but the ulnar nerve is the first one to cause symptoms noticeable to the affected individual. Polyneuropathy is not the result of injury, but can be seen in a variety of illnesses, including diabetes, alcoholism and also on an inherited basis.

Diagnosing an ulnar neuropathy starts with the story of the symptoms and a physician's examination. The physician might subsequently order nerve conduction testing which looks at the nerve and muscle electricity, and can determine the degree of impairment. Moreover, nerve conduction studies can also evaluate other nerves to see if the ulnar nerve is the only one impaired, or merely one of many.

What if a simple injury to the ulnar nerve at the elbow is diagnosed? What can be expected? Fortunately, the peripheral nerves have some capacity to heal themselves. So if the degree of nerve impairment is not too severe, conservative treatment is called for. Unfortunately, there are no conservative treatments that have been studied by good, randomized, controlled trials, a form of evaluation in which the outcome of a treated group of patients is compared to that of an untreated group. Randomized, controlled trials are the gold standard for deciding whether or not a treatment is effective, so in this case all we have to go on is "clinical judgment" and observation.

A typical conservative treatment consists of putting a sport-pad (not a medical brace) on the elbow with the foam covering the ulnar groove. This accomplishes two things. First, if the elbow gets leaned on, then the nerve is still protected. Second, a well-fitting pad also prevents excessive elbow-bending (including during sleep) that overstretches the nerve and re-injures it. In addition, eating nutritious, well-rounded meals, together with vitamins, gives the ulnar nerve the building-blocks it needs in order to make the best possible recovery.

If the nerve injury is severe, or fails to respond to conservative treatment, then surgery might be beneficial. When the nerve is tied up in scar tissue or compressed by nearby abnormal tissues, a simple release operation might suffice in which the nerve is freed up. Otherwise, in a procedure called "anterior transposition" the nerve is transferred out of the ulnar groove so it is out of harm's way from leaning on the elbow, and also gets to take to the short way around when the elbow is flexed.

Neurosurgical researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands conducted a randomized, controlled trial of patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in which half the patients received simple release surgery and the other half received anterior transposition. In this study there was no difference in outcomes between the two surgeries. About two-thirds of the patients in each group obtained an outcome that was considered either excellent or good. However, there were more complications in the patients receiving the anterior transposition procedure, so the results of this study favored the simple release approach.

(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley

Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his website at:

Living with multiple health problems can complicate things. As a diabetic balancing the levels of carbohydrates, (starches and sugars) with the level of insulin requires thought and discipline. You should always consult your doctor and dietician for specific advice.

People with type 1 diabetes are at greater risk of developing celiac disease. It follows that they will need to manage a diet which controls both conditions. The diets do sit perfectly well together, but it needs careful planning.

In principle the same rules apply to your diet, whatever the problem. As a diabetic you need to eat a well-balanced diet. The one area of difficulty is managing your carbohydrate intake with gluten-free versions. You can find gluten-free carbohydrates in potatoes, rice, wild rice, buckwheat, maize, millet, sago, tapioca, corn flour, soya, polenta, flax, sorghum, linseed, gram flour, cargeenan, urd, channa (chickpea flour), quinoa, arrowroot, codex wheat starch, corn pasta, pure rice noodles, gluten-free pastas are available, as are gluten-free versions of bread.

Here are 5 rules to ennsure you get the most out of your life:

Become well informed about both conditions. Be clear what you can and cannot eat, what alternatives there are and where you can get them.

Plan ahead-always take a supply of suitable gluten-free carbohydrates and insulin with you. Planing ahead includes involving school, friends and other organizations of your needs.

Take control of your life, you are a person who happens to have celiac disease and diabetes. You are not defined by these conditions.

Confidence grows out of knowing what you can and cannot eat. Instead of tackling the conditions as two sets of restrictions, combine the needs of both. Having both diabetes and celiac disease is unfortunate but it is important to be positive and take control.

Live life to the full. Try new things, push out the boundaries and the sky is the limit!

Gina Gardiner author of "Live Well Eat Well With Celiac Disease" writes from first hand experience of being a celiac. For more information go to contact Gina at info@ or sign up to our free monthly ezine at

Empowering you to achieve your potential personally and professionally to get the success or promotion you deserve.

Gina Gardiner is an Executive Life Coach who can support you to develop leadership skills, prepare for promotion and support your ongoing development.

To find out more or to arrange a free consultation phone 01708 703959 mobile 07833183327 or email: gina.gardiner@

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So, after a miserable 10 hours of blood tests it's confirmed you have hyperglycemia. Well now isn't the time to sit back and get depressed. Look at the positive side, now you know why you've been tired and worn out for all of this time. Diagnosed in 1982 with hyperglycemia it was harder to maintain a steady blood sugar rate. These days with the advanced technology available for instantly checking blood sugar, the disease is easier to manage.

You can now pick up blood sugar monitors that give you instant notification of your blood sugar level. Back in that day it was impossible to monitor this vital information. Now you can cruise down to the nearest Wal-Mart and pick one up off of the shelves.

Sometimes the easiest way to monitor your blood sugar is to stop and reflect on how you are feeling at that particular moment and then check your blood. If you get to a point where you know where your levels are before checking you can recognize the patterns of behavior and adjust your life accordingly. Sure, it's important to keep your monitor on you but after awhile you'll automatically recognize the way that you're feel and be prepared to take the appropriate action prior to getting that familiar sick feeling.

You need to get to a point in your life that you can recognize how you feel and adjust your diet accordingly, then you'll have the disease whipped. The problem is it takes some "on the job" training to recognize the symptoms and how your body reacts to the amount of sugar in your blood. The only way to get to this point is to train yourself as to the warning signs of a dangerous low blood sugar level. This is not to replace the family doctor's advice, just be observant of your own body.

We're not accustomed to this type of behavior so it may take awhile, but don't give up! Before long you'll be managing yourself without the pain in your finger from testing your blood..

Alxis Allen is a person that know how to deal with the ups and downs of low sugar conditions. With diabetes tips and secrets at she writes and teaches low sugar diets and lifestyles. In addition to that has some great diabetes health news on a regular basis.