Diabetes | Lifestyle Disease

Cases of diabetes has been steadily growing throughout these years, mainly due to the increase of sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits that has led to many overweight problems that affects most of us right now. But following an exercise regimen and a healthy diet can also easily prevent diabetes. A simple advice to escape this disease is to prevent obesity, which is characterized by growing fat cells in the body. Obesity means increased levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. The fat cells in the body are the culprit of diabetes, which has been called the disease of modern man. Preventing this disease requires one to live a healthy lifestyle by eating foods that are low-calorie, low fat and low in sugar together with regular exercise.

Fatty and sugary foods contribute to high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, the three indicators crucial to diabetes. The proper management of these three health indicators prevents diabetes complications like stroke. These crucial indicators may be monitored through regular visits to the doctor and taking the prescribed medications. Sedentary lifestyle and cigarette smoking also raise the risk of stoke. For diabetic persons, weight gain affects the three indicators. This makes it necessary for them to follow the meal plan provided by a doctor to maintain the ideal weight. The number of diabetes cases 40 years ago was higher in industrialized nations. But in recent years, the demographics are shifting towards industrializing nations rather than industrialized nations due to a change in diet from carbohydrate rich foods to fat full diet.

Dengue Prevention Trough Clean Surroundings

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an acute infectious disease that is manifested initially with a fever. This disease occurs in all age groups. This disease is preventable but prevalent in urban centers where population density is high, water supply is inadequate which results in water shortage and a good breeding place for mosquitoes and solid waste collection and storing are also inadequate. Aedes aegypti is the species of mosquito that is the transmitter of the disease which lays eggs in clear stagnant water found in flower vases, cans, rain barrels and old rubber tires. The adult mosquito rest in dark places of the house.

The dengue disease is best-treated trough prevention by getting rid of the breeding spots for mosquitoes that carry the disease and this starts right in our homes. A clean home requires extensive home cleaning and effective insect control particularly mosquitoes, are two of the most important chores that yield great impact on our health. More than just being an eyesore, unclean surroundings bring germs that cause illness. Unclean places also become breeding grounds to diseases carrying insects; the most popular or notorious would be the day biting mosquito Aedes aegypti that causes dengue hemorrhagic fever.

So it is prudent that we must search and destroy possible breeding grounds of dengue carrying mosquitoes like old tires, broken vases and bottle caps; wear long sleeve shirts and pants for self protection; seek health professionals for fever that is already two days or more; and say no to indiscriminate fogging. The rainy months also bring a plethora of diseases that are fortunately very much preventable. The most common of this band of illness is dengue, which is already downing people since the ancient times.

Taking Vitamins During Pregnancy

There's a research going on at Toronto Hospital for sick children in Canada that mothers who are taking prenatal multivitamins that are fortified with folic acid reduces the risk of three types of common childhood cancers like leukemia, brain tumors and neuroblastoma. The research found out that prenatal supplements of these type of multivitamins is associated with an outstanding 47 percent protective effect for neuroblastoma, 39 percent for leukemia and 27 percent for brain tumors. This review is the very first systematic research and meta-analysis on the use of prenatal multivitamins before and during early pregnancy and their protective effect for several types of pediatric cancer. Leukemia being the most common childhood cancer, accounts for about 50 percent of new pediatric cases in most countries. Brain and spinal cancers are the second most common type of cancer in paediatrics cancer cases.

In North America, neuroblastoma is the most prevalent solid tumor that occurs outside of the brain in children under the age of five and affects one in very six thousand to seven thousand children. Additional research has still yet to be undertaken to determine which components in prenatal multivitamins provide protective effects for paediatrics cancers and whether any of these effects can be attributed to folic acid. And in the future, scientist and doctors hope that with this new and exciting research most of the common types of cancer in children like Wilm's tumor, Retinoblastoma, Lymphoma, Bone tumors, Germ cell tumors and most cancers will finally be eradicated.

Health Screening Test You Utterly Need

Most of us tend to take health screening for granted. How many of us actually take the time to conduct our annual physical checkups? Many conditions like heart disease, cancer and stroke are major killers in adults. The tragedy with these diseases is very much preventable with lifestyle changes and careful screening. People tend to be afraid of taking these tests in the fear of finding out that they might have some sort of incurable disease. But this type of thinking may lead to problems later on. Here are some test that we should regularly take.

1.) Blood pressure – This is the force of blood that is moving through your artery. The higher the blood pressure, the harder the body has to work to keep the blood moving throughout the body. Having a high blood pressure can increase your risk for stroke, heart failure and heart attack.

2.) Lipid panel – This test measure the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides. A type of fat the body uses to store energy in you blood. Both cholesterol and triglycerides have been linked to heart disease.

3.) Colon cancer screening – Colorectal cancer almost always develop from growth s called polyps. Colonoscopy can detect polyps before they turn cancerous. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and the more sensitive fecal immunochemical blood test (FIBT) detect the presence of blood from which the fragile surfaces of polyps.

4.) Blood sugar – This test measures the amount of sugar in our blood. High blood sugar could indicate that you have pre-diabetes or diabetes.

5.) Bone density for women – The density of calcium and other minerals that are packed into a segment of your bone. The less dense your bones are, the more likely they are to break. A bone mineral density test can detect whether you have osteoporosis.

6.) Abdominal ultrasound for men – This detects the presence of abdominal aneurysm, a ballooning of the vessel that supplies blood to the lower part of your body. It can be life threatening if the aneurysm ruptures.

Bodys Optimal Function Equals Cell Regeneration

Getting old is inevitable, as we move on with our lives, we will come to realize that our body and certain functions are not what it is used to be and the feeling of invincibility is coming to an end. Because due to aging, our body looses its ability to regenerate, a process of healing and repair that holds the key to our sustained well-being and longevity. Cell regeneration is a daily process by which the cells n our body continue to replace and restore themselves to maintain the body’s normal function.

The body in order for it to function normally and optimally needs cell regeneration. It’s a natural process responsible for keeping our mind sharp, muscles strong and bones sturdy. Our cells demonstrate this wonderful ability to adapt when injuries are persistent to the body. While continuously proliferating, the cells never cease to replicate themselves. Some cells can take quite a long time to divide like cells found in kidneys and liver, but they will react and multiply faster once an injury occurs.

Proper nutrition is the key to have a normal and healthy cell regeneration rate. Too much stress, inadequate sleep and a deficient diet tend to interrupt the normal cell regeneration process. Aging also adds to the problem. The good news about this is that we can influence the factors that cause its decline. Developing a healthy lifestyle like eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep and exercising daily can boost our cell regeneration rate. Some nutritional supplements can also aid our body to boost cell regeneration rate.

Safety Of Our Food|Water|Medicines|Cosmetics

All of us are exposed to pollutants of some degree when we go about our business everyday. Due to the number of substances floating around amid the increasing worries about how safe is the water we drink, take a bath in, the trans fats present in our food and even possible carcinogens present in the cosmetics we use, medicines and supplements we routinely take in daily. We now even face the dangers of toxic chemicals that are present in the toys our children play with. Because of these, consumers must be made more aware the dangers of acquiring cancer in the everyday things we are exposed to.

Already, major cities like New York have already banned trans fats in all its restaurants, eateries and all fast food chains to help protect consumers. Steps are already being undertaken between the Consumer Welfare Counsel and the food manufacturers with fast food chains to state the nutrition facts in the food they are serving. This simple step is empowering consumers to make healthy choices in the food they eat to avoid cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

We must also make it a habit to familiarize ourselves with the potentially harmful and cancer inducing chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of the cosmetics and beauty products so when we pick up a bar of soap or face powder, we can confidently scan through the ingredients for these toxic chemicals. Toys that were recently found to have harmful chemicals in them from a certain country should immediately placed out of reach by children. Although there is not much we can do about this matter, paying attention to current events will keep us up to date on what’s the latest development for us to better prepare ourselves.

Constipation In Children

There are many conditions that children may acquire from eating the wrong kinds of food constipation is one such condition. Constipation is a digestive disorder, a condition normally characterized by infrequent bowel movement usually accompanied with pain and difficulty in passing stools. This digestive abnormality can hurt the child’s rectum and because of this, sometimes blood is passed along the child’s stool and can frighten the child as well as the parents.

Constipation can easily be avoided by giving your children enough fiber in their diet. High fiber diets include fruits, vegetables and grain products like wheat bread or bran. Laxatives should only be given as a last resort because it can cause electrolyte imbalances which can be hazardous to your child’s health.. Exercising and physical activities can help children prevent constipation. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water daily is a plus factor.

According to pediatricians, multi-strain human origin probiotics are vital against constipation. In recent news, the US FDA certified lactobacilli and bifido probiotic, also known as Protexin products are generally regarded as safe rated microorganisms. In line with this, a clinical study showing a 91 percent improvement among constipation sufferers who are taking multi-strain probiotics. Consistency and odor of the stool were also improved. So giving your child foods that contain these strains of microorganism found in some popular health drinks can aid in preventing constipation.

Obesity In Children

Child obesity has become a problem among many countries these days. Most young children as young as 11 are having to worry about illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. More recent studies has proven that children are vulnerable to health problems due to inactivity and a high fat diet. With the advent of the internet and modern video games, most children are not active enough physically to lay a solid foundation for their health in the future. Lack of physical activities will lead to more obesity, heart disease and many more illnesses. Experts has suggested that for kids to remain healthy, they should have at least one hour of physical activity per day. Weather it be walking to school, playing sports or simply running around the garden. Experts have suggested the following measures to help your child with more physical activities and loose weight at the same time.

1.) Control your child's TV viewing habit - Children will watch television all day if left unsupervised. Set limitations what your child will watch. Instead of sitting and waiting for his or her favorite show to appear. Make a list in advance what show would they like to watch and what time it will be shown.

2.) Exercise as a form of family time togetherness - Instead of asking your child to do the exercise themselves. Join in together as a family. It does not have to be strictly exercise. walking the dog together or walking together to the store instead of riding your car will do the trick.

3.) Provide an incentive - Not to the point of bribery but tell your child if he or she completes something, she will be given a reward like a new toy or healthy snacks.

4.) Don't do all things yourself - Do not let anyone be in charge of your child's weight loss program. Mom and dad should work together to provide care for their children.

5.) Talk to the school - Together with other parents, you should talk to the school about increasing their physical education time or make playing sports games together a requirement.