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What You Need To Know About Type II Diabetes
What is Type II Diabetes?
Type II Diabetes is a metabolic disorder. Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce enough insulin to process the simple sugar glucose or when the cells in the body become insulin resistant or no longer respond appropriately to insulin. Glucose is the basic fuel the mitochondria, within the body’s cells, convert into energy. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, aids in allowing glucose into the cells. When the cells become resistant to insulin, they no longer allow enough glucose into the cells to be converted to energy. This results in glucose accumulating in the bloodstream and raising the blood sugar.
The Truth About Diabetes
The accumulation of glucose within the blood can cause a host of health complications to occur if an individual does not deal with the condition properly. Enough glucose molecules floating freely in the bloodstream can cause solid sugar crystals to form. Sugar crystals are six sided three dimensional hexahedrons with sharp edges. Sugar crystals act like knives when they pass through the arteries and veins of the body. This is the underlying cause of blindness and the destruction of the vital organs. They will destroy the tissue they pass through. Sugar crystals will also accumulate within the extremities such as the hands and the feet causing decreased blood flow and circulation in these areas of the body. This type of damage to the body can already occur as long as blood sugar is not controlled and is consistently high.
Becoming Healthier is Key
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is largely genetic in origin. Not all people who have the genes for diabetes will develop it. Certain people have an increased risk of developing diabetes sometime in their lives. The risk factors include: a family history of diabetes, age, having gestational diabetes, being of African American or Hispanic descent, being overweight, not exercising, and eating a diet consisting of too much sugar and starch. It is important to understand that the number 1 risk factor for diabetes outside of genetics, is being overweight. Losing weight through eating a healthier diet and exercising are the two biggest factors in prevention and early diabetes care if you have just been diagnosed. Your health is your choice and making the right choice is key to preventing or managing diabetes appropriately.
Hypertension
How High is your Blood Pressure?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a chronic cardiac condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated or higher than normal. Normal blood pressure should not be more than 120/80. High blood pressure is diagnosed when an individual’s blood pressure readings on two to three different occasions have been over 140/80. When high blood pressure is persistent, it becomes a risk factor for health complications such as stroke, heart failure, and arterial aneurysms. It is the leading cause of chronic kidney failure. Lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of these health complications. Lifestyle changes include reducing stress, eating a low salt diet, losing weight, moderate cardiovascular exercise, and drinking more water just to name a few. Drug treatment will be necessary for patients who demonstrate that lifestyle changes are insufficient to lowering their blood pressure.
Why Mental Health Is Important
Why Mental Health Is Important
What is mental health?
What is mental health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.1 Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, poor mental health and mental illness are not the same things. A person can experience poor mental health and not be diagnosed with a mental illness. Likewise, a person diagnosed with a mental illness can experience periods of physical, mental, and social well-being.
Why is mental health important for overall health?
Why is mental health important for overall health?
Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. Mental illness, especially depression, increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness.2
Can your mental health change over time?
Can your mental health change over time?
Yes, it’s important to remember that a person’s mental health can change over time, depending on many factors. When the demands placed on a person exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health could be impacted. For example, if someone is working long hours,
caring for an ill relative or experiencing economic hardship they may experience poor mental health.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20health%20includes%20our%20emotional,others%2C%20and%20make%20healthy%20choices.&text=Mental%20health%20is%20important%20at,childhood%20and%20adolescence%20through%20adulthood.
Migraine: Not Just A Headache
A Migraine is a pulsating, unilateral (affecting one side of the head) headache lasting for 4 to 72 hours in duration. It is a neurovascular disorder. Typical symptoms of a migraine include symptoms include aura, nausea, vomiting, jaw and neck muscle tenderness, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound). One third of people who have migraines have auras as well. An aura is a warning that a migraine will be starting soon. Auras are sensory disturbances that can be visual, olfactory (the sense of smell), sonic (sense of sound), or touch related (feeling of pins and needles or numbness). 75% of people who suffer from migraines are women.
The root cause of a migraine is inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels and the stretching of the nerves entwining these blood vessels in the head. In some patients, it is related to painful dilatation of the terminal branches of the external carotid artery, and in particular its superficial temporal and occipital branches. Researchers believe that this is a result of a disorder of the serotonergic control system within the body. Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter, or "communication chemical" which passes messages between nerve cells. It helps to control mood, pain sensation, sexual behaviour, sleep, as well as dilation and constriction of the blood vessels among other things. Low serotonin levels in the brain may lead to a process of constriction and dilation of the blood vessels which trigger a migraine.
Certain specific triggers will initiate a migraine to occur. Some of these triggers include:fluctuating hormone levels, stress, hunger, and fatigue. Avoiding these triggers, if possible, will help prevent migraines from occurring.
Treatment:
There are many medicines available to prevent or reduce frequency, duration and severity of migraine attacks. They may also prevent complications of migraine. Beta Blockers such as Propanol, Atenolol, and Metoprolol, Calcium channel blockers such Amlodipine, anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants are some of the commonly used drugs.
References:
Migraine. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine
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