Diabetes: Latino Kids May Develop Type 2 Diabetes Due To A Highsugar Diet

Diet is quite an important matter for diabetic people. Everything they eat may have a consequence positive or not in their disease evolution. According to researchers from Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, overweight Latino children show signs of beta cell decline, a precursor of type 2 diabetes because they are consuming lots of sugar especially in sugary drinks.

Nowadays, statistics show that nearly one out of four Latino children in the United States is overweight, and the problem appears to be worse over the future. Obesity rates are increasing along with the incidence of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes within overweight teens. Under a researchers? report published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high sugar consumption during childhood may play an important role in the development of diabetes in this population.

According to experts in preventive medicine, overweight and poor diet among these children could have disastrous consequences for minority health and the health-care costs for future generations, if they are left untreated.

The research called Study of Latinos at Risk (SOLAR) Diabetes Project is conducted by the research team from the Keck School. This project examined 63 overweight Latino children in Los Angeles from 9 to 13 years old and do not have diabetes.

Beta cells in the pancreas, experts explain, create the hormone insulin in response to sugar from food. Energy is something necessary to cells in the body?s tissues, so they need sugar, or glucose, and insulin helps cells grab and take up glucose in the blood.

Article written by Hector Milla editor of http://www.mydiabetessupply.com, a website about diabetes testing supply, or you may read their last article: Juvenile Diabetes Warning Signs at http://www.mydiabetessupply.com/1/juvenile-diabetes-warning-sign.html

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Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don?t know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 ? 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease

The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.

Heredity

Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a thrifty gene from their African ancestors.

This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.

This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, commonly know as ?sugar diabetes?, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, ?Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don't exercise and who have cholesterol problems.? In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.

Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom
increased thirst
increased appetite
blurred vision
unusual weight loss
increased fatigue
irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease

?Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,? says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness

African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called ?Diabetic Retinopathy?, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 ? 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease

People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don?t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity
Family history of diabetes
Pre-diabetes
Low physical activity
Age greater than 45 years
High blood pressure
High blood levels of triglycerides
HDL cholesterol of less than 35

Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.

African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.

About The Author

Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer who writes about issues affecting African Americans. He can be contacted at drachir@drachirsemaj.com

Healthy Eating for Diabetes Patients

When faced with the diagnoses of Diabetes, there is much that the healthcare provider can do to help patients today. However, eating right is something the patient can?and must?do for themselves. Food and blood glucose levels walk hand in hand for Diabetes sufferers, making mealtime an effective method to keep the disease at bay. The subsequent article discusses how eating right can lead to better health and solid management of a complicated disease.

For many, the do-it-yourself method of food regulation is difficult. Changing eating habits is hard to do. There are new diet trends offered seasonally each year for people continually searching for a way to eat right. One important fact for the diabetic to keep in mind is that healthy eating for them is very nearly on par for healthy eating for everyone else?it?s just that healthy eating is a must rather than an option. Healthy eating is comprised of a wide variety of foods with balanced meals that range with carbohydrates, proteins and fat. All calories must be accounted for, so keeping a food diary is a good way to start your journey into a healthy eating lifestyle.

For the diabetes sufferer, meals must be planned to keep blood glucose levels safely under control. Intake must be carefully weighed against insulin doses, medication and exercise to avoid extreme fluctuation of blood glucose levels. Meal planning may seem like a novelty at first, but after a week or two, you can recycle your plans and accomplish your healthy eating lifestyle more rapidly than you may have thought possible. Most healthcare providers will refer diabetes patients to a dietician or nutritionist to discuss a healthy eating plan. Talk about what you like to eat and find out if it can be worked into an eating plan.

A dietician will also be able to inform you about calorie counting, counting fat grams, counting carbohydrate grams, counting sodium grams, counting food exchanges, and any of your own individual goals for keeping healthy and maintaining an active lifestyle. Dieticians that have experience working with diabetic patients will provide you with a new way to look at food and eating so that the diabetes can be managed successfully.

While preparing your healthy eating plan you should also discuss your activities, your target range for blood glucose levels and how you may be able to prevent other diseases simply by eating healthy. Whether you have gestational, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you will want to include as wide a variety of foods as possible. Use the standard food pyramid as a good rule of thumb when planning your daily intakes. To keep your body nutritionally happy, protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals in proper proportion are necessary.

Sources of carbohydrates include bread, grains, pasta, fruit, vegetables, legumes, and dairy products. Excellent protein sources are poultry, meats, dairy products, eggs and fish. For fat, look to meat, dairy products, nuts and oils. Most patients, however, need to keep weight under control, so focusing on good carbohydrates and protein becomes increasingly more important fat intake. Your caloric intake must be spent wisely and it?s best to avoid fats from bacon, bacon grease, butter, lard, cream cheese and coconut oil. If you crave sweets, consider using artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to keep your blood glucose levels in check.

While a dietician will be able to individualize your healthy eating plan, there are some general tips that all diabetes patients can keep in mind when it comes to eating healthy:

* Use a nonstick vegetable spray for cooking instead of oils.

* To flavor foods without adding additional calories, season your meals with herbs.

* When eating poultry, remember that breast meat is leanest.

* Avoid pastas that contain eggs or fat; select converted, brown or wild types of rice.

* Choose choice or select cuts of meat which are lower in fat.

* Try to eat fresh or frozen vegetables. If eating canned vegetables, be sure to rinse them to reduce the amount of sodium.

* When it comes to oils, choose olive, canola, soybean, corn, sesame or safflower.

While eating healthy and learning the ins and outs of nutrition may seem daunting at first, it will ultimately prove both rewarding and empowering. Controlling your disease by eating right is key to this and may other diseases.

This article was written by Jacob Mabille, sponsored by Health Guidance.

The Trillion Dollar Industry

There is a generation called the baby boomers that make up one third of the population and about two thirds of the purchasing population. They are individuals who were born around the late 40?s to early 60?s. Trends have shown that industries have boomed in relation to the needs of this generation. They are now of an age where health and aging is becoming extremely important issues to them and are prepared to spend big dollars.

We have a seriously high rate of degenerative diseases reaching almost epidemic proportions. These have become alarmingly more predominant over the last century. The leading causes of premature death in the early 1900?s were influenza, diphtheria, tuberculosis and pneumonia. At present the leading causes of premature death are cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.

The reason for this is because our bodies are losing the battle against free radicals. Free radicals come from stress, radiation from the sun, environmental pollution, toxic chemicals in the water and depletion of nutrients in the food supply. An alarming discovery was found in a test undertaken on tomatoes. Results indicated a 90% loss of the nutritional value of tomatoes over the last century. One of the most powerful oxidation defence agents for conquering free radicals is vitamin E. To obtain an optimal amount of vitamin E you would have to consume for example 15kg?s of spinach.

Surveys are repeatedly showing that only a small portion of us are consuming our recommended 5 or more serves of vegetables a day. This is due to several factors which are not likely to change over the next decade or so, and food alone no longer provides us with all the essential nutrients our bodies require.

So are we looking towards supplementation to assist us in this losing battle? Well the answer is actually yes. However, ?Commercially available health supplements fall far short of meeting the nutritional needs of the body?s cells.? ? Dr Myron Wentz. A recent study conducted at Yale New Haven Hospital tested 257 vitamin products. Only 49 were judged as having adequate ratios of nutrients. Note the word ?adequate?.

There are products on the market which do meet exceptional standards and will hopefully set a benchmark to improve the quality of the surprisingly large number of supplements which fall into the ?adequate? and under category. We are investing a lot of money into our health and will continue to do so for a long time to come. We do not want an adequate product, we want a product which we know is going to effectively help save our lives.

Whether you are looking for renewed strength, energy and vitality in your life, drug-free relief from arthritis and joint pain, or wanting to make a difference in your financial future by becoming a MonaVie distributor, http://www.whatismonavie.com

Mike Law is CEO of http://www.wealthontap.com whose mission is to improve people?s lives whether it is through health, better financial status or both.

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The Shocking Truth About Eight Deadly Diseases That May Be Affecting Your Health and Lifestyle

I came across an article written by Dr. Ray Strand, a family practitioner and author of several books including What Your Doctor Doesn?t know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You; Releasing Fat; Developing Healthy Lifestyles That Have a Side-effect of Permanent Fat Loss; and Bionutrition: The Amazing Health Benefits of Vitamin Supplements, to name a few. I would like to share with you what Dr. Strand has to say about the eight deadly diseases that are sending people to an early grave.

Deadly Disease Number 1: Heart Disease
Truth: Coronary artery disease is the number one killer in industrialized nations today, accounting for over 7.2 million deaths a year.

Heart disease is an inflammatory disease of the artery, not a disease of cholesterol. Over half of the patients who suffer a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels. The underlying cause of inflammation of the artery is oxidized LDL cholesterol, homocysteine, along with excessive free radicals caused by hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, fatty meals, and elevated insulin levels. All of these causes inflammation of the artery are either eliminated or reduced by the use of nutritional supplementation.

Deadly Disease Number 2: Cancer
Truth: 8.6 million people die of cancer yearly.

In spite of the great advances in the diagnosis and treat of cancer, the eventual outcome is too often a very difficult and painful death. Medical literature increasingly supports the fact that cancer develops from damage to the DNA of cells by unstable molecules over the course of 10 to 20 years.

Deadly Disease Number 3: Stroke
Truth: 5.5 million people die from stroke every year.

Stroke occurs suddenly and usually without warning. Dr. Meir Stampfer reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995 that 15 percent of all strokes could be related to elevated homocysteine, a by-product of protein metabolism that is elevated in individuals who have low levels of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12.

Deadly Disease Number 4: Diabetes
Truth: 194 million people suffer from diabetes, and it is estimated to rise to 300 million by the year 2025.

The overwhelming new cases of diabetes in the world today are the result of insulin resistance. Physicians are busy treating blood sugars rather than the underlying problem, the insulin resistance. Diet, exercise, and potent nutritional supplements all improve sensitivity to your own insulin and are critical in preventing diabetes from occurring in the first place or, if you already have diabetes, helping control your diabetes.

Deadly Disease Number 5: Osteoporosis
Truth: 25 million North Americans suffer from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis and bone health depend not only on estrogen and calcium, but on a wide range of nutrients, including vitamins B6, C, D, K, folic acid, manganese, zinc, and copper. Failure to meet one or more of these nutrient needs could result in accelerated osteoporosis. Maintaining strong and healthy bones should begin early.

Deadly Disease Number 6: Arthritis
Truth: Over 165 million people have some form of arthritis,

More than 70 to 80 percent of the population over the age of 50 suffers from degenerative arthritis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication does nothing to slow down the progression of the disease and is responsible for over 100,000 hospital admissions each year and 16,000 deaths. Glucosamine sulfate, along with complete and balanced nutritional supplements on the other hand, actually slows down degenerative arthritis and is even able to increase cartilage within the joint, without dangerous side effects.

Deadly Disease Number 7: Alzheimer?s:
Truth: An estimated 29 million people suffer from dementia.

Alzheimer?s dementia has been shown to be caused by oxidative stress. Patients who have the highest intake of antioxidants, which combats oxidative stress, have the lowest risk of developing Alzheimer?s dementia. Dr. Strand believes that the absolute best way to protect yourself against the development of these neurodegenerative diseases is by taking highly potent nutritional supplements.

Deadly Disease Number 8: Obesity
Truth: For the first time in the history of the United States and other industrialized countires, there are more people who are obese than are of normal weight.

Researchers are beginning to realize that one of the main causes of obesity is insulin resistance. Eating in such a way as not to spike your blood sugar, modest exercise, and nutritional supplements all improve insulin sensitivity. This triad of healthy lifestyle has a side effect of fat loss.

Remember: When you are maximizing your body?s health potential, we everyone wins. When you don?t, we all lose.

? Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Email: eagibbs@ureach.com.

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: ... helping you maximize your potential. For a more information and a free health assessment, go to http://eagibbs.Usana.com.

The Glycemic Index and Dieting

The field of nutrition is awash with charts, tables, diagrams, models, acronyms, and abbreviations; more than the average person can memorize. As such, one often comes across someone who has simply burnt out trying to keep track of how much to eat, when to eat it, how to find the calories from fat, the RDI, the DV, and so on. There is an overkill of useful information within the nutrition field, and it can ironically provoke one to grow weary and exhausted, tune out, and go grab a fast food burger.

Yet every once in a while, a concept within the nutrition field emerges that truly demands attention. Over a decade ago, the USDA?s ?Food Pyramid? was one such concept because it helped eaters discover how many gaps existed in their typical daily diet. Now, as the Food Pyramid begins to take a new shape, and as the nutrition field works to establishes itself as the most important branch of health care in the 21st century, an invention called the Glycemic Index is taking center stage.

The Glycemic Index (GI) is not new; it has been around for more than 2 decades. Yet until recently, its exposure beyond the world of diabetes has been limited [i.

The Glycemic Index indicates how ?high? or ?low? blood sugar levels change in response to carbohydrate intake. A ?high? Glycemic Index indicates carbohydrates with a swift breakdown, whereas a ?low? Glycemic Index indicates carbohydrates with slow, gradual breakdown. Both terms are of equal importance to diabetics, because there are times with high Glycemic Index foods are required, and times where low Glycemic Index foods are required.

Indeed, the Glycemic Index itself is not new, but its application far beyond the borders of a diabetic dialogue is notable; especially for dieters.

People striving to lose weight often face a nemesis much tougher than establishing an exercise regimen or introducing healthier foods into their diet. The problem is one of energy. Many dieters are surprised ? and disturbed ? to learn that their diet program is causing them to lose more than inches and pounds: they are losing energy.

This is often expressed as a complaint, as in ?I?m feeling weak?, or even ?I can?t stay awake?. Many dieters and those advising them have erroneously chalked this up to a matter of attitude, or will power, or some non-biological cause.

The plain truth is that many dieters have been oblivious to the Glycemic Index, and hence, to the fact that many of the diet foods they have eaten ? or are eating right now ? score very high Glycemic Index levels. As such, these foods are providing a quick boost to blood sugar levels, and then setting up the dieter for the inevitable fall. This is because high GI foods typically increase blood sugar values, which in turn trigger the hormone insulin to clear sugar from the blood. Since blood sugar (a.k.a. glucose) largely dictates the body?s energy levels, it stands to reason that this process manifests as an initial boost in energy, and then as a depletion of energy. This rise and fall of blood sugar ? and energy ? is often described by dieters using a ?roller-coaster? analogy: one minute they feel confident and strong, and the next, they are about to pass out and require some kind of stimulant in order to make it through the day.

Regrettably for many dieters, that stimulant is usually more high Glycemic Index foods, such as sugary snacks or soft drinks. It is easy to see how this experience can lead an individual to stop dieting. After all, before the diet, the individual was merely gaining weight. On the diet, the individual is gaining weight and is exhausted for most of the day. It is better to quit the diet.

The above scenario only takes place, however, when a dieter unwittingly eats high Glycemic Index foods. Research has shown that low Glycemic Index foods, which raise blood sugar levels much more gradually than high Glycemic Index foods, are very helpful for dieters [ii. This is because a dieter will experience less of a ?roller-coaster? ride while on the diet, and furthermore, will be less inclined to snack because energy in the form of blood glucose is being released slowly and gradually. Low Glycemic Index foods are much more efficient sources of energy than high Glycemic Index foods, because the body needs less insulin to convert food into energy [iii.

Despite the growing awareness that low Glycemic Index foods are beneficial, the world of diet foods has not kept pace. This is because many manufacturers are searching frantically to find low Glycemic Index carbohydrates sources for their products, and overlooking a basic, simple fact: the lowest possibly Glycemic Index is no carbohydrates at all.

These zero-carbohydrate/zero sugar nutritional supplements ? which are quite rare in the market ? do not deliver any sugar to the bloodstream. As a result, dieters do not have to worry about riding the ?roller coaster? of energy spikes and pitfalls.

Yet there is an even greater benefit for dieters who choose a ?zero sugar? nutritional supplement. If that low Glycemic Index nutritional supplement is rich in complete protein, then it will act as a sort of antidote to high GI foods by helping to combat their adverse consequences.

For example, a dieter who eats a high Glycemic Index candy car can mitigate the roller-coaster spike in blood sugar levels by eating a nutritional supplement that has very low Glycemic Index and has a rich source of complete protein. This is because the protein in the nutritional supplement mixes with the high Glycemic Index of the candy bar, and effectively lowers the overall Glycemic Index. This is welcome news to dieters who would otherwise be seeing those extra carbohydrates transformed by insulin into triglycerides, and stored in adipose tissue; also known as body fat.

Currently, only a handful of nutritional supplements are designed to offer zero carbohydrates and thus score as low as possible on the Glycemic Index. And of these zero-carbohydrate products, even fewer offer a rich source of complete protein that effectively helps counter the blood sugar spike impact of high Glycemic Index foods.

It is inspiring to note that Glycemic Index is getting some well-deserved attention from outside the diabetic community, where it has helped millions of people eat wisely. Now, dieters and obese people can enjoy the wisdom that this index promotes.

ABOUT PROTICA

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at http://www.protica.com

You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com

REFERENCES

[i Source: ?The G.I. Diet: A Food Drill?. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/04/earlyshow/living/main604138.shtml

[ii Source: ?The Glycemic Index?. The Healthy Weight Forum. http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/articles/glycemic-index/

[iii Source ?Glycemic Index?. WebMD. http://my.webmd.com/hw/healthguideatoz/uq2846.asp

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com

The Subconscious Diet Can Help Protect Your Child From Type 2 Diabetes

Until obesity became epidemic, type 2 diabetes was virtually unheard of in children and teens. It was originally called ?adult-onset? because it was mainly seen after middle age. At least 9 million American children are seriously overweight and another 9 million are heavy enough to be at risk, yet studies show that many parents are in denial about their children?s obesity.

16% of U.S. children have weight problems but doctors make weight reduction suggestions to parents about their children in only 1% of visits. There are a number of reasons for this denial and lack of concern:

Obese mothers nearly always recognize that they are overweight but only 1 in 5 correctly identified their overweight children.

Many doctors are just too busy to become involved in problems not directly related to the symptoms the child was brought in for.

78% of the population of the U.S. does not see being overweight as a health problem.

Many cultures equate thinness with poverty and starvation; to them a fat child is a strong and healthy child.

Many parents believe that the child will grow into their weight.

A child that is overweight will very likely become an obese adult. Studies show at least 15 conditions causally related to obesity. They include diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, hip fractures, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, end-stage renal disease, liver disease, urinary incontinence and several forms of cancer.

For many overweight children the possibilities of disease in the future is not a concern. There is a far more pressing cause of pain for these obese children on a daily basis. This pain is caused by discrimination by their classmates. Other children are much more direct and cruel then most adults when it comes to ridiculing the ?fat kids? they associate with. A first grader is likely to believe that thinner is better and young children will put these thoughts in to action by excluding their heaver classmate from their team or by calling them names.

This ridicule may cause a child to retreat from social interaction or to become a bully, using their weight to intimidate their tormentors. Either course of action only causes the child more grief and frustration in the long run.

Most children are not receptive to traditional restrictive diets. When they are told that they can no longer have the foods they crave, such as: white bread, candy, cookies, and ice cream they feel that they are being punished. It makes little difference how much time the parent spends trying to convince the child it is for their own good.

Children will often find access to the foods that are being denied to them at home with friends, relatives who don?t believe in diets or by spending their own money to purchase the sweets. If the child doesn?t have money they may begin to steal the foods they crave.

Many times when the child gains access to the forbidden items they will binge. 30% of girls and 16% of boys who were on a diet admitted to binging on foods that had been forbidden to them when they got the chance. Now the child not only feels punished by the parent, they have added guild to the emotional mix by defying their parents? orders or breaking the law. This guilt causes stress that may cause the child to act out in other more serious ways.

Since traditional diets do not work for most people, it is far past the time to start looking for ways to change a person?s way of thinking about food, states Hugh B. Sanders the author of the Subconscious Diet: It?s not what you put in your mouth; it is what you put in your mind! (www.TheSubconsciousDiet.com)

This is not hypnosis. Hypnosis implies external control but what is vital to any weight reduction program is a system of internal control. A child or an adult must feel that any change, such as a diet, is not only their decision but it is also something they understand and want to accomplish. Most diets are only restrictions on eating, very few offer the steps to changing a persons mind about the way they approach food.

The Subconscious Diet shows a person how to develop a new operating system for the subconscious mind. The subconscious is very much like a computer in that it holds all of a person?s values, habits, memories, and is constantly working to come up with answers to each situation that life present us every day. Just like a computer we can choose to change how the mind goes about finding the solutions. The steps are relatively simple:

Clearly stating our goals (weight loss is a goal).

Writing out and repeating those goals daily (affirmations).

Getting rid of fear, anger, hate, and guilt (letting go!).

Learning to associate only with positive friends (get away from negativity).

Vividly seeing the desired end result in our own mind (visualization).

Children are ideal candidates for the Subconscious Diet because they are more in touch with the subconscious portion of their minds then adults generally are and they naturally day dream (Visualize). If the parents help the child direct those day dreams to focus on a positive view of the child?s body, eating habits, and physical activities, the parent can assure a healthy path for the future of their children.

The catch for the parents and it is really a benefit, is that they can?t just tell their children what the kids have to do. The parent must lead by example. The adults in the family must incorporate all of these steps into their own lives. ?Do as I say, not as I do!? just won?t work and has never worked for children.

Eighteen million children are at risk of suffering pain and premature death if their weight is left uncontrolled. If your child is getting heaver each day, you have to make a decision about the amount of effort you are willing to put forth to make your child?s life as good as it should be.

For more information please check out: www.TheSubconsciousDiet.com.

Hugh B. Sanders is an award wining speaker who has been involved in the study of self-improvement, personal growth techniques, and success training for over thirty years. He has won production awards from every company he has been associated with. The author has conducted training classes and motivational seminars across the country. This book is a project of passion, and one that his readers and peers are very excited about.

Some of the major firms the author has been associated with as Top Salesman, Office Manager, Regional Manager, Sales Trainer, and Motivational speaker are, Marcus & Millichap Investment Brokerage, H. Bruce Hanes, Inc., Wagner / Jacobson, Inc, Trace Miller / American Airlines, Avis, Washington Mutual Bank and Countrywide Home Loan.

Impotence in Diabetics

More than 50 percent of diabetic men suffer from impotence, and almost all complain bitterly that it has destroyed something that is very important to them. Impotence caused by diabetes can be prevented or reversed in almost all men whose bodies can still make insulin.

Diabetes causes horrendous nerve damage including blindness, deafness, burning foot syndrome, loss of feeling, loss of muscle control, pain and tingling and impotence. The penis is the only gland in the body that has its blood supply shut off all the time. Muscles surrounding the penile artery constrict the artery to prevent blood from flowing to the penis. When a man is excited, his brain sends messages along nerves that cause the nerves to secrete a chemical called nitric oxide theat relaxes the muscles around the arteries to open blood flow to the penis and the balloons in the penis fill with blood and the man has an erection.

More than 90 percent of diabetics who can still make their own insulin can be controlled so that they do not suffer nerve damage. When you eat, your blood sugar level rises. If it rises too high, sugar sticks to cells and causes permanent nerve damage. Doctors can measure how much sugar is stuck on cells with a blood test called HBA1C. To get your HBA1C to a normal range below 6.1, you have to avoid foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar such as those with added sugar, those made from flour such as bakery products and pastas, and fruit juices.

Most cases of nerve damage from diabetes can be reversed by good control of diabetes, but sometimes the damage is permanent. For example once person goes blind from diabetes, he will never get his vision back. However, impotence is often reversible with good control of diabetes.

Men who are impotent from diabetes must be seen every month and each month, the doctor must draw a blood test called HBA1C which measures diabetic control for the last 12 weeks, or another blood test called fructosamine, which measures diabetic control over the last 2 weeks. Every time, the HBA1C is greater than 6.1, the doctor must change the patient's drugs and the patient must change his diet.

All diabetics should get a blood test called C-peptide to tell if their bodies can make insulin. If their C peptide is greater than 1, they should not be placed on insulin and should be started immediately on Glucophage and Actos or Avandia. These drugs lower high blood sugar levels, never cause low blood sugar, and also lower insulin to prevent obesity and heart attacks. Only if blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by diet and these insulin-lowering drugs should doctors prescribe drugs that raise insulin.

For my recommendations on treatment of diabetes see http://www.drmirkin.com/diabetes/D222.html

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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New Year's Fitness Resolutions Why Do You Break Them? Part 3

Do not sleep on it!

Achieving your New Years Resolutions is more of a mind set than a numbers game.

I don?t know the right time to let you in on a little secret about New Year?s Resolutions but here goes; Two weeks ago I was eating lunch and I met a man who was in his early forties He had quit smoking after twenty years and two packs a day. I asked him, ?If you don?t mind me asking, ?How did you do it? How did you quit? Did you just wake up one morning and say that?s it??

He said, ?I didn?t have to wake up. It was ten years ago next month. I went to lunch; saw gentlemen who suffered from infasemia sharing a booth with an oxygen tank. I went home and said, that?s it, there are no more options left. I will never smoke another cigarette again. And I have not had one or the urge since.? It was just like that? I asked. Just like that he said. When there are no more options left, you can too, just like that!

I have a personal blanket mission statement and it says, GOALS CHANGE -- DECISIONS DON?T!

If your New Years Resolutions are going to stick, the decisions must also stick. No easy way outs, no pie in the sky unattainable pipedreams and no giving time to weasel your way out of feeling good and getting healthier. WAITING TO DO ANYTHING MEANS YOU ARE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT IT. Chances are you will talk yourself out of it with some lame excuse. Don?t sleep on it, just move it NOW!

Make the decision set the goals and remember with out your health you have NOTHING!

START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY! click here http://www.resolutions.bz Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting that the doctor?s DON?T want you to know. Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith, and high profile fitness expert.

Soft Drinks: America's Other Drinking Problem

Do you stagger out of bed in the morning, bleary-eyed and sleepy, stumble to the fridge, and grab a carbonated drink to get you going? Does your mid-morning break consist of a cold can from the vending machine to boost you out of your mid-morning slump? If so, you may be one of the many Americans who consume as much of their daily liquid in soft drinks as they do in water, milk, and tea combined.

Did you know that the average American drinks 192 gallons of liquid a year? That translates to about 3.7 gallons per week or 2 liters a day, and soft drinks average 28% of this amount. According to Beverage Marketing reports, ?Carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet, providing 7-9 % of calories.

Look at these alarming statistics from The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), ?Teenagers get 13 percent of their calories from carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks? and ?consumption of soft drinks is now over 600 12-ounce servings (12 oz.) per person per year. Since 1978, soda consumption in the US has tripled for boys and doubled for girls.?

Author and Nutritionist, Dr. Judith Valentine, writes that this phenomenon is rightly called, ?America's Other Drinking Problem.? Valentine warns, ?Even [drinking as little as one or two sodas per day is undeniably connected to a myriad of pathologies. The most commonly associated health risks are obesity, diabetes and other blood sugar disorders, tooth decay, osteoporosis and bone fractures, nutritional deficiencies, heart disease, food addictions and eating disorders, neurotransmitter dysfunction from chemical sweeteners, and neurological and adrenal disorders from excessive caffeine.?

You should know that the dangers soft drinks pose to good health and wellness lurk in two camps ? the dangers of the ingredients of the drinks themselves, and the dangers resulting from the loss of the healthful drinks they push out of the diet --- namely milk and water.

Are you aware that during 1977-78, boys drank twice as much milk as soft drinks, and girls drank 50% more milk than soft drinks, but that by 1994-1996, both boys and girls drank twice as much soda as milk? This alarming reduction in milk consumption results in a lower intake of necessary vitamins and minerals, and numerous report links soft drink consumption to a rise in osteoporosis and bone fractures. After conducting their own research, Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine warned in June of 2000, . . . national concern and alarm about the health impact of carbonated beverage consumption on teenaged girls is supported by the findings of this study.

Not only can you develop health problems if you ignore milk for sodas, but if you drink sodas instead of water, you may experience unbalanced body systems, dehydration, weight gain, constipation, poor concentration, kidney stones, urinary infections, and even poor skin. You need at least 2 quarts of pure water a day for proper organ functions, proper absorption of vitamins, and efficient body system activity. Every system in your body, including your brain, depends on water to function.

Would you choose a drink labeled ?Witches? Brew? or ?Liquid Candy?? Well, health experts have labeled soft drinks with these very names because they contain ingredients that contribute significantly to poor health.

Even though you may be relieved that high fructose corn syrup has mostly replaced much-maligned sugar, I have to tell you that syrup has its own dangers to health. It contributes to poor development of collagen, to copper deficiency, and to liver problems resembling those of alcoholics in animals on a high-fructose diet. In fact, Dr. Charles Best, the discoverer of insulin, claims that teenagers who consume too many soft drinks have cirrhosis of the liver similar to what develops in chronic alcoholics.

I?m sure you know that caffeine provides no nourishment, but did you know that it can stimulate the adrenal gland and can cause adrenal exhaustion, especially in children? It blocks receptor sites in the central nervous system, and, along with saccharin and caramel coloring, has a depressant action in the brain, heart, and kidneys. It also can cause constriction of the cerebral arteries, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, an excessive excretion of urine, and the release of adrenaline.

Are you aware that excess doses of caffeine can cause aggression, recklessness, shouting, swearing (as in road rage), and even fighting? Although we don?t recognize caffeine addiction easily or quickly, it does exist and missing usual doses leaves even the moderate user with sluggishness, unclear thinking, depression, and headache.

Do you love that ?bite? that a cold soft drink has? That ?bite? comes from phosphoric acid, which also pulls calcium out of the bones, leading to easily broken bones and later, osteoporosis. This acid (that can clean water and soap deposits out of your shower and even dissolves teeth) causes the body to waste its much-needed alkaline minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) to neutralize the acid, thus causing related problems like colitis, heart disease, indigestion, and anemia.

That friendly and familiar red or perhaps brown soft drink can poses its own danger. Phosphoric acid leaches toxic amounts of aluminum from even the lined soft drink cans into the soft drink and right into your body, where it is deposited in brain and bone tissue, resulting in the same formations in brain tissue as seen in the brains of Alzheimer patients. This aluminum also contributes to bone loss, calcium loss, and osteoporosis.

A note to diet soda drinkers! Diet drinks contribute their own health issues; for example, they contain aspartame, which is a potent neurotoxin and endocrine disrupter. It can cause neuron destruction, emotional disorders, depression, and poor sleep quality, headaches, tinnitus, memory lapses, blurred visions, retinal damage, and even contributes to cancer.

As you can see, soft drinks pose numerous, often well-hidden, but serious, health problems to those who indulge regularly or excessively or who neglect proper intake of milk and water in their pursuit of soft drinks. Hopefully, you can also see that drinking proper amounts of milk and water helps to prevent a myriad of health problems and contributes to wellness and optimum organ and system functions.

Copyright 2006 Dr. Eileen Silva

Eileen Silva, Ph.D., N.D. is a metabolic health balancing expert, talk show guest, and lecturer. Dr. Silva is also an individual, group, and corporate weight management consultant. Contact Dr. Silva at http://www.dreileensilva.com

Weight Loss Equals Behavior Change The Acceptance Factor

Get to the ROOT of the matter: If the plants in your garden are not healthy looking, just trimming them back will not take care of the problem. What do the roots look like? I am no psychologist, but there is a very interesting twist you need to understand before you begin any weight loss or fitness program.

To change unwanted behaviors, it?s important to acknowledge your thinking toward exercise and eating. A lot of people believe they know what that thinking is, but haven?t come to grips with their core beliefs. In other words, they have to get to the ?root of the matter.?

The truth is more Americans are overweight and out-of-shape today than ever before. Why? In order to change your attitude toward exercise and food, you have to understand the WHYs of the behavior. You are going to have to dig deep, find the root of the problem, nurture and understand it.

From my e book FACE TO FACE => www.resolutions.bz

Your BELIEF system: The reason you have certain behaviors is based on the core beliefs of your value system. It is here--inside--where things need to be addressed. Beliefs form barriers that stop you from starting or following through on a regular exercise and eating program.

Most barriers fall into these categories of acceptance:

Accept:

Your Self-Limitations and Self-Expectations
Your Circumstances?Past and Present
Your True Reality of Life

Limitations: Some individuals have certain limitations. They may have physical setbacks, such as heart, joint, muscular or mental problems, i.e. depression.

Limitations also come from outside influences and responsibilities brought on by lifestyles, such as kids, work, and money. Acknowledging your limitations helps you develop strategies, thus empowering you instead of hindering your capabilities.

Expectations: There is nothing wrong with setting goals; however, setting expectations too high could frustrate you. Do not set of expectations so high that your obligations in life will not allow you to accomplish the goal!

Circumstances: We all know that life is not fair. Eating properly and exercising comes easier for some than for others. We can accept our circumstances without falling victim to them. There are plans that can be created in order to work around events in life.

Truth and reality of your life: A lot of times it is much easier to deny reality than to accept it. You can cloud the truth and say you believe this or that, but sooner or later in order for you to get in better shape you have to deal with the TRUTH, not the illusion!

Illusions can sink your dreams: Remember the story of the Titanic; the ship advertised ?unsinkable.? It was the largest ship ever built and people rushed to take the maiden voyage. Much to everyone?s surprise, the Titanic did sink, but why did it sink? The captain of the Titanic saw the dangerous iceberg ahead and steered away thinking he could avoid it. What he didn?t see was the enormous mass of ice under the surface.

In order to change attitudes toward exercise you have to check under the surface. It takes time, effort, and energy, and in some cases, outside professional assistance to get to the TRUTH of the matter?to see what is below, admit it is there and bring it up to the surface. If you have a hard time following through on an eating plan, chances are barriers have formed, and stop you from smooth sailing. You are resisting exercise!

Changing your unwanted behaviors toward exercise and food is like looking at an iceberg. What is really happening is below the surface not above. I call this the iceberg effect.

Greg Ryan best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT, former employee of Kathy Smith and a high profile fitness expert. Discover the five step common sense way to lose weight that the medical and fitness industries DON?T want you to know. FREE Mini Course => http://www.resolutions.bz

Exercising Ways of staying motivated!

The number one reason people say they do not exercise is lack of time. Not long ago, a twenty-year study was completed centering on the theory that, ?There is not as much time in the day as there used to be.? The study concluded that just the opposite was true. It showed that with all the technology today, we have 1.5 more hours in a day than we did twenty years ago. In other words, with all the gadgets out there to help us communicate and manage our time, we should have an hour and a half more time for ourselves. What is the solution? With a little prioritizing and some time management, we can find the time to exercise!

TIME FRAMES

As you get closer to reaching your goal, start thinking in back of your mind of the next goal. You need to establish your next focus point to keep you on track. However, make sure you are convinced that you will reach the present goal in the established time period.

Setting time frames for your daily workouts is a great motivator. It keeps you focused, you feel more productive, and in the end workouts do not feel like a big effort.

One of the smartest things I have ever decided to do in my career was to put a time frame on how long my workouts would be. Your workouts can feel like a job if they take a lot of time.

Knowing that I had to be finished within a certain time period encouraged me to focus on what I needed to do. This also created more intensity or effort in my workouts and I achieved better results. Time frames also helped in not letting workouts get boring. I looked forward to the next workout knowing how little time it was going to take.

CONSISTENCY + VARIETY+ EFFICIENCY= RESULTS, all the time!

We all have different methods of motivating ourselves. Most of us set goals to us give a sense of urgency. When setting goals, two mistakes should be avoided.

REALISTIC GOALS VS. LIFESTYLES

In some circumstances, the demands of life do not permit accomplishments of lofty goals. In most cases, time management solves this problem. However, you need to be realistic. Expectations can be set so high and when responsibilities do not allow you to get there, frustration can be paralyzing. This does not give you a reason to forget setting high goals; you just don?t want to set yourself up for failure.

YEARLY GOALS

One or two main goals a year are as much as one brain and body can handle. If you try to accomplish too many goals at once you can become scattered in your focus. You always want to focus on the big picture.

SEASONAL GOALS

Setting three-month incremental goals that line up with the yearly goals sustains motivation throughout the year. People get discouraged and sometimes injuries happen if they continue on the same workout plan over a three-month period.

KEEP THE BALL ROLLING

Of course, many times people will lose momentum after reaching a certain goal. There may be a let down in emotions, physical fatigue, or you just want to change things up. The object is to keep the ball rolling.

Suggestions:

Determine your emotional and internal goals first.

Keep your priorities in line all the time. When time is a problem, exercise the more important body parts.

Take a one day at a time attitude.

Never be afraid of changing your workout program up. Ten to twelve week programs work best.

Always put a carrot in front of your face to help meet your goals.

In a nut shell:

There is no magic potion, just hard, consistent work. Try to make your programs fun and effective in the shortest possible time you can. Give yourself a little flexibility in your goals and reward yourself for your accomplishments. Keep the big picture in mind. Set yearly goals with incremental ones in-between. As you get closer in reaching a goal, establish the next one without losing momentum.

LOSE WEIGHT IMMEDIATELY! FREE MINI COURSE click here http://www.resolutions.bz Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting that the doctor?s DON?T want you to know. Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the book series Changing from the INSIDE OUT and former employee of Kathy Smith, and high profile fitness expert.

Weight Loss NOW! The Soft Drink Diet

In the early nineties doctors were beginning to see the growing trend in American?s waistlines. So for a very short period of time they came out on the offense by promoting better foods to eat. An easy one was endorsing pasta meals. What they failed to mention was the best time to eat pasta and what other things to not eat with it. Thus, fifteen years later, you are twenty percent fatter, and more confused than ever. Pasta by itself is not necessarily the problem, but combine that with soft drinks or wine, then you have the Venus fly trap.

Remember years ago, the sticky strip you hung out in your back yard. Flies would fly by and stick to the strap. Well, that is what soft drinks do in your system. While you may be eating half way descent food groups (not to mention your portions) the sugar drinks act as the sticky fly trap. This hinders the digestive process.

In plain English: the longer the food stays in your system the more of a chance you have of getting fatter. The soft drinks act as barriers. In many cases when it comes to weight loss, the food combinations really get you. The biggest no-no is starchy foods with sugary foods.

If you have wine, cut down on the breads.

If you have pasta?s cut down on the wines.

If you have soft drinks, cut back on the starchy complex foods.

No matter the combination, combining pasta meals with sugary drinks is eating you up from the inside out. If you want to lose a few pounds, lose a few ounces of soft drinks in your daily diet.

LOSE WEIGHT NOW! FREE Mini course Click Here==> http://www.resolutions.bz

Discover the five step common sense way to lose weight, more energy, in less time. The formula the medical and fitness industry DON?T want you to know about! Greg Ryan is the best selling author of Changing from the ?INSIDE OUT?, former Kathy Smith employee and high profile fitness trainer to the stars.

Diabetics Testing your Blood Glucose

When you are diabetic, it is important for you to regularly test your sugar, or blood glucose, levels. The readings that the blood glucose meter gives you can help you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle, exercise and diet. There are several different ways for you to test your blood glucose:

1.The Finger-Stick Method involves using a single drop of blood from your fingertip, which is then placed on to a small test strip and inserted into an automated blood glucose testing meter. The reading is displayed on the meter?s digital window display.
2.The Alternate-Site Method involves obtaining blood from either the forearm or thigh, because there are fewer nerve endings in these locations than can be found in the tips of your fingers. There is significantly less pain when it comes to testing in this manner.
3.The Hemoglobin A1C Test is actually meant to monitor your diabetes treatment and management plan over a period of two to three months to make sure you're managing it correctly. This test measures your total glycated hemoglobin, known as GbA1c, which will reflect the average blood glucose level registered over a longer period of time. This is a test that can be taken at the doctor?s office or purchased at a pharmacy and done in your home. If you qualify, Medicare will cover this test 100%. Most people who take this test are hoping for a Hemoglobin A1c test of 7% or less.

Tips for Testing your Blood Glucose Level:
?Make sure that your hands are washed and dried thoroughly before any testing is done. Using warm water will help to keep your blood flowing.
?Use a fresh alcohol wipes to clean the skin surface where you plan to obtain your blood.
?Make sure that your meter is calibrated every time you start a new box of testing strips.
?Make sure that you are using fresh, non-expired test strips with each and every reading.
?The lancets that come with your testing kit are also meant for single usage, just like the test strips. So make sure you are always using a fresh, new lancet with every test.

Want to learn more about Diabetics?, feel free to visit us at: http://www.about-diabetics.info/Articles/DiabeticDietPlan.php

The Byetta Story

People with diabetes 2 have beta cell dysfunction, the cells that make and release insulin, and a decreased beta cell mass due to apoptosis ? death of beta cells. This has highlighted the role of incretin hormones GIP and GLP-1 in beta cell function, growth and development.

The incretins are peptide hormones secreted by specific cells located in the small intestine in response to food intake. In the pancreas, incretin hormones act to increase glucose-dependent insulin secretion from beta cells and are essential for maintaining after meal glucose control.

There are observations to be noted in people with diabetes 2 before any diagnosis of an abnormal glucose is made. The disorder begins far sooner than the abnormal glucose indicates.

?The rapid release of insulin is completely absent at the time of diagnosis of diabetes 2.
?Total beta cell function and mass is half normal at time of diagnosis.

The remainder of the natural history of diabetes 2 is now well understood.

?Total beta cells, beta cell mass in people with diabetes 2, decreases linearly for the first 10 years if no intervention occurs.
?L-arginine still produces insulin response during this time.
?Glyburide and other sulfonylureas also produce a normal insulin response.

Apoptosis occurs at an increased rate in this stage of diabetes 2. There are treatments used to treat the high glucose that can decrease the life of the beta cell. These medications include the following.

?Starlix, Prandin and Glyburide
Byetta, fondly referred to as ?lizard spit?, seems to reverse all of these negative diabetes 2 processes and treatments quite handily. It is quite similar to GLP-1 having been altered slightly to be able to patent the molecule. There are other unique features that make it quite safe. It acts to,
?Increase first phase insulin response
?Increase late phase and total insulin production.
?It inhibits glucagon release
?It lowers its power as glucose goes to normal thus decreasing the chance of hypoglycemia.

Additionally it increases important regulation of beta cell gene expression for the following.

?Glukinase ? aids release of glycogen from liver
?Insulin production
?Glucose transporters ? decreasing insulin resistance

Finally, Byetta will increase beta cell mass through replication of beta cell and decreased apoptosis.

It appears that Byetta will reverse the natural decline of the Islands of Langerhans where the beta cells reside and add a few more things that give the reversal a ?soft landing? that makes it quite safe. The decrease in apoptosis and increase in beta cell mass mark this product as an exceptional advance in the care of patients with diabetes 2. We now are using Byetta in many people with type 1 with very good preliminary results.

This doesn?t even take into consideration the intangibles such as decreased fatigue, increased muscle strength and diminished abdominal fat patients love perhaps most of all.

It?s your time.

Dr. Joe

J. Joseph Prendergast has been a practicing physician for over 30 years. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine as well as Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Prendergast has published nearly 40 medical articles in well-known publications such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine and Diabetes Care. In 1986, Dr. Prendergast formed a single specialty endocrinology practice, Endocrine Metabolic Medical Center and a non-profit research foundation, The Pacific Medical Research Foundation. For more information: http://www.endocrinemetabolic.com & sign up for Dr. Joe?s free newsletter. My story, ?Dr. Joe, The Uncommon Doctor? http://www.theuncommondoctor.com tells what this has meant to me so far.

Researching and Treating Diabetes

Diabetes is a problem that affects so many people, both in the U.S. and worldwide, surprisingly, however, very little is known about the disease.

There are a number of organizations that are researching exactly what causes diabetes, as well new and better methods for controlling it, monitoring blood sugar levels, getting insulin into the blood, newer medicines to correct the problems and even how to stop it before it starts.

There are numerous groups and organizations involved in research such as the FDA, the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, or DAREF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Diabetes Research Institute and the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation and many, many others, in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and many other countries.

Some of the research being done includes;

? A vaccination against the autoimmune response that causes type 1 diabetes. Testing is currently being carried out on animals.

? Genetic engineering to make liver cells that produce insulin. Although insulin is produced there is no internal control mechanism as there is with the pancreas, so the insulin levels from such cells remains constant regardless of the body's requirement for this hormone.

? Stem cells are the very basic building blocks of the human body and have the ability to develop into any kind of cell. It is possible that researchers will find a way to use stem cells to make insulin producing cells to replace those that have been damaged by the autoimmune problem that causes type 1 diabetes.

? Immunoassay for type 1 diabetes.

? The impact of exercise training for those with diabetes.

? A recent report that transplanted pig cells have been successful in reversing diabetes in test monkeys.

? Arterial issues.

? Enhancing the cell survival of important agents in diabetes.

? A type 1 diabetes medication that helps the beta cells in the pancreas to live longer, the loss of the beta cells is one thoughts of causes of type 1 diabetes, is currently underway by the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation (DAREF) that may prove to help patients create insulin on their own, thus reducing the dependence on outside sources of insulin

Other research currently underway is the use of cinnamon to lower blood sugar levels. Dr. Richard Anderson at the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Resource Center has been able to effectively isolate a compound in cinnamon that causes lowered blood sugar.

The reason that cinnamon is so helpful to someone with diabetes is the way that it inhibits enzymes in the body that may be responsible to insulin resistance. This is especially noteworthy to those who are afflicted with Type II diabetes and have insulin resistance problems. Cinnamon also was shown to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin causing insulin to be used more efficiently.

If you or someone you know is afflicted with this chronic illness, funding a research team may allow you to benefit immediately and enable you to play a role in research and the treatment of the millions of other diabetes sufferers in the world.

A couple of the more recent treatments currently in trials are -

A medicine that is based on the saliva of a venomous lizard ? the Gila Monster. The drug containing this new treatment is delivered by injection in much the same way as insulin, however the early trials have seen many participants withdraw because of an increase in side effects when compared to those caused by insulin. All research so far undertaken has been sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that produces this drug.

Another new treatment going through trials is the delivery of insulin through inhalation. The insulin is prepared in a dry micro fine powder form which is inhaled directly into the lungs from where it is absorbed into the blood stream.

This would have obvious advantages when treating children in particular, as the use of needles to deliver the essential insulin shots can make the condition doubly distressing for the patient and for the parents who often have to administer the injections. There are concerns about the long term problems that may be caused by this method of delivery and it is thought not to be suitable for smokers or asthma sufferers.

All new treatments offer hope for the future but the effectiveness of any of them will not be fully appreciated until they have been tested over time.

Come Get More Life Improving Information About Diabetes Including Symptoms, Signs, Dietary Information and Treatments

How To Prevent Hypoglycemia

Today's tip is on hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Hypoglycemia affects both non-diabetics as well as diabetics.It has been considered an early sign of adult onset diabetes, although I am not completely convinced that this is always true. If you have ever felt weak at the knees, sweaty and somewhat disoriented about two hours after eating something sweet, you probably have had an episode or two of hypoglycemia. It is a very unpleasant feeling and if your blood sugar gets low enough you can get into serious trouble.

Brief synopsis of the biochemistry.

Most hypoglycemia is a result of eating table sugar (sucrose). Human biochemistry can handle complex carbohydrates very well like the potato and rice. But it does not do so well when the sugar is refined / extracted and processed into a molecule like sucrose from sources such as sugar cane. The molecule sucrose is one glucose molecule hooked up to one fructose molecule.

The other way to become hypoglycemic is to be on a low carbohydrate diet. However, these symptoms are usually not the acute hypoglycemia symptoms that one gets from eating simple sugars. They more often manifest as chronic depression from insufficient blood glucose for the brain.

Fructose short-circuits glycolysis.

When the body attempts to digest sucrose the fructose short circuits the glycolytic pathway for the glucose. Glucose is not metabolized as fast as it would be if there was no fructose in the bloodstream. Because of this, the body perceives more glucose than is really present and excretes more insulin than is necessary. Soon all the fructose is metabolized, followed rapidly by the metabolism of the glucose. Then, because of excessive insulin, the blood glucose is lowered more than it should be and you really begin to feel disoriented, clammy and weak at the knees.

What to do on the immediate basis.

Ingestion of some readily absorbable sugar such as found in orange juice, is standard therapy for hypoglycemia. This will raise your blood sugar and you will begin to feel better. Eating more sucrose will also raise your blood sugar but doing so only starts the whole cycle all over again. Best not to get low blood sugar / hypoglycemia in the first place.

What to do to keep from getting hypoglycemia.

The simple answer is to avoid sugar. I know this is easier said than done. When I quit meat and dairy it was easy and I have never missed it. When I quit Pepsi and candy such as Mike and Ikes, it was very difficult. Sugar is extremely addicting. I felt so much better without it however, that it has really been worth it. I don't miss the extra weight from the sucrose nor the episodes of hypoglycemia. Also, it is much easier to keep my running mileage high since I quit sugar.

One more thing I don't miss is the ongoing destruction of my vascular system caused by sugar. Adult onset diabete smellitus is a polite and very confusing term for sugar toxicity.

Today's Health Tip:

To avoid hypoglycemia stop eating any simple sugars.

Be sure to read the labels of any processed foods carefully. While whole grain brown rice is no problem, refined products like brown rice syrup can cause hypoglycemia.

Reference:

Biochemistry Fourth Edition Lubert Styrer

Shameless Plug

The MericleDiet is the Only 100% Sugar-Free Diet that I havefound. Also, it is the only one to make the transition away from sugar as easy as it can be. To visit the MericleDiet follow the link below:

Copyright 2005 John Mericle M.D. All Rights Reserved

http://www.DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.

New Treatment for Diabetes

While new treatments for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are being developed all the time, none of these have withstood the ultimate test ? of time.

Treatments offered for diabetes are dependent on a number of factors:

? The type of diabetes diagnosed

? The length of time an individual has been diabetic

? In the case of women ? pregnancy

? Whether insulin has already been used in significant amounts, to treat the condition

Type 1 diabetes sufferers have only one treatment at the time, the injection of insulin. In type 1 a diabetic who do not take the insulin they need and who allow high levels of glucose to build up in their blood, risk their lives.

Insulin is still usually injected into the subcutaneous fat layer of the skin, implantable insulin pumps are now available, from where it is absorbed into the blood stream for immediate use. However, research is ongoing to try alternative treatment forms and ways of delivering the insulin to the body, one of them is the the delivery of insulin through inhalation. The insulin is prepared in a dry micro fine powder form which is inhaled directly into the lungs from where it is absorbed into the blood stream, but this nor any form, as yet, widely available.

Type 2 diabetes is different. Type 2 usually develops in older individuals and there appears to be a correlation between obesity, and there is a great increase in developement of type 2 in younger childeren who are obese and who don't exercise. This connection gives the first clue to the simplest form of treatment for type 2 diabetes ? diet and exercise.

Type 2 diabetics may find that the only treatment required to control their diabetes is a change in their diet and increase the amount of exercise in their lives. This is more likely if the diabetes is diagnosed at an early stage before insulin levels have dropped too dramatically or tissue has become too resistant to insulin uptake.

When diet and lifestyle changes alone are not enough to control the diabetes, medication will needed. This is often in pill form and is sometimes in a combination of pills. There are basically two kinds of by-mouth medication ? those that stimulate the pancreas to produce and release more insulin and those that block or inhibit the release and absorption of glucose into the blood stream. It is important that these drugs are taken exactly as advised ? with the instructions often differing between types and brands.

As with all health conditions in the twenty first century, there are an increasing number of alternative and complementary therapies now being promoted which, while interesting, need to be approached with caution.

One of the new treatments now being made available is a drug based on the saliva of a venomous lizard ? the Gila Monster. The drug containing this new treatment is delivered by injection in much the same way as insulin but early trials have seen many participants withdraw because of an increase in side effects when compared to those caused by insulin. All research so far undertaken has been sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that produces this drug.

In 2005 researchers reported some success in treating patients with type 1 diabetes with an antibody called ChAglyCD3 that appears to preserve some of the valuable beta cells within the pancreas to permit some insulin production and release. Treatment with this antibody slows the progression of the autoimmune response and the associated destruction of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. As with all treatments side effects have been reported and the treatment has yet to be proven as safe.

Genetic research continues into the causes of diabetes with some researchers claiming success in identifying the gene responsible for the development of type 2 diabetes. Geneticists hope that further research will assist diabetics through the development of the following possible treatments:

A diabetes vaccine. Experiments are already being carried out on animals to test a vaccination against the autoimmune response that causes type 1 diabetes.

Scientists have already used genetic engineering to make liver cells that produce insulin. Unfortunately, although insulin is produced there is no internal control mechanism as there is with the pancreas, so the insulin levels from such cells remains constant regardless of the body's requirement for this hormone.

There is an enormous amount of research into the therapeutic use of stem cells. Stem cells are the very basic building blocks of the human body and have the ability to develop into any kind of cell.

It is possible that researchers will find a way to use stem cells to make insulin producing cells to replace those that have been damaged by the autoimmune problem that causes type 1 diabetes.

As with the other treatments, these need much more research.

All new treatments offer hope for the future but the effectiveness of any of them will not be fully appreciated until they have been tested over time.

Of course one of the best treatments remains eduction, To that end, there are numerous sources for you to get the information you need about the disease, how to treat it, and any other questions that you may have.

The National Diabetes Education Program is a great example of a place to get accurate information about this disease.

Located online at www.ndep.nih.gov, this institute represents a coalition of public and private organizations, partnered with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This site is a great resource for learning about diabetes and what it means to your health. That being said, here is some basic information regarding diabetes.

Come Get More Life Improving Information About Diabetes Including Symptoms, Signs, Dietary Information and Treatments.

Diabetes Diets

Diabetes is a disorder of the body?s sugar-absorption and utilization abilities, and hence the only possible way to bring sugar levels back to normal may be by avoiding sweets. But it is not necessary that you sacrifice your favorite dishes or sweets. If a balanced meal, specific for the person is planned, the sugar levels can be controlled. If such a diet is maintained on a regular basis it can even reverse the signs of diabetes. And it does not mean that the food has to be bitter or flavorless. There are many options to choose from, but the main idea is to choose the right food.

Do not think of this as a big task. With the help of a doctor or dietician the right meal plan can be arranged for you. And there is good news, because you will be choosing healthy food. Your overall health will be improved, protecting you from obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension. The various options that help you follow and keep up with your meal plan are the food guide pyramid, rating your plate, carbohydrate counting and exchanges lists. Any one of these will be suitable for you.

The other ways to be sure you maintain your diet is by keeping a diary and noting your daily food intake. Be consistent in your diet, and do not eat bad food on one day thinking you can compensate for it on another day; this will only weaken your plan.

For those who love sweets there is no reason to worry, as there are many healthy food options that are sweet. For example, a slice of fruit could be taken along with the meal. Also, you do not have to completely avoid sweets. Taking sweets in very small portions may help. You could also use sweeteners like honey, brown sugar, molasses and cane sugars. Reduced-calorie sweeteners like mannitol or sorbitol can also be taken as a substitute for normal sugar.

If all these points are followed on a regular basis you could start living a normal life even though you are diabetic.

Diabetes provides detailed information on Diabetes, Symptoms Of Diabetes, Diabetes Supplies, Diabetes Diets and more. Diabetes is affiliated with 1200 Calorie Diabetic Diets.

Diet Pills The Answer or Not?

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 the latest information on the diet pills, or find more of my online articles like the one you just read, visit my health blog.

Lance Armstrong Exercise and Will Power Characteristics that Make a Champion!

The Tour De France, arguably may be the hardest sport of all time, and Lance Armstrong probably one of the most conditioned athletes ever. But, how is it possible for a man on the door step of death to be able to overcome cancer, return and win seven races in a row? Only in the end, retire on top as a winner he so right fully deserves.

How many wonder? How can any human being bounce back after such set back and compete let alone win one of the hardest sporting events possible? Why, others will ask? Why would a man want to put is mind and body through such tests? Is it a new lease on life? Is it a second chance, or is an obsession in the soul?

Many who live to compete in sporting events marvel at those who consistently rise to the occasion. But, all of us like a story. A story of triumph, especially when it has to do with human will power.

Being a fitness buff I always like to categorize what certain characteristics one may have in order to do what they do. Let?s look at a few that Lance Armstrong probably has:

1.Passion: You have to be sold out to doing what you want to accomplish. You understand at the start that you will have good days and not so good days.

2.Respect for the sport: You understand that the sport is much larger than you. You have the attitude each day that it is you chancing the sport not the sport living for you.

3.Willingness to learn: Each day will be an opportunity to learn something about you, the sport and the process.

4.Work smarter not harder attitude: It is not the one who necessarily works the hardest day in and day out. It is the one who continues to learn how to be more efficient in their craft.

5.Master the mental game first: The biggest and most challenging events, courses and obstacles are not the ones we run on but the ones we think upon. You must first win over the events in your head before you can win on the paths to victory.

6.Know when to quit: Winning has a lot to do with how you bow out as much as it does to entering your first event. Compete for the sport, not for your ego!

7.Learn from the best: Always have someone to whom you can learn more things about your sport from.

8.Surround yourself with winners: You are only as good as those around you. Develop a good support team around you.

9.Eat to Win: Practice great nutritional habits. To be at your best, you must fuel the system that will take you there.

10.When others say no, you say yes: Refuse to be normal. Be the best you can be. Never settle for less than you can give.

We all may never accomplish what Lance Armstrong has overcome; however, we all have our own journey?s to pursue. Achieving them is maybe more of a matter of will rather than what each of us are dealt with. For today you may say, how come? Tomorrow you may think how far?

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE book series. Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting. A proven formula the doctor?s DON?T want you to know about. For FREE MINI COURES click here http://www.resolutions.bz

Blood Sugar Metabolism Let Natural Drugs be Your Controller!

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism and refers to Diabetes (siphoning through) Mellitus (sweet). People with this disorder have high level of blood sugar known as hyperglycemia and lose sugar in their urine. Factors contributing to high blood sugar include reduced insulin production, decreased insulin usage, and increased glucose production by the liver. Diabetes is caused by a complex interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle choices.

There are two primary types of diabetes:

• Type I, insulin dependent diabetes. People with this disorder do not produce enough insulin.

  Type I diabetes is caused by autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors and even possibly by viruses. It develops in children and young adults. Symptoms include constant hunger, increased thirst and frequent urination, weight loss, extreme fatigue and blurred vision. If not treated with insulin, a person with type I diabetes can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma, also known as diabetic ketoacidosis.

• Type II, sometimes called non-insulin dependent or insulin resistant diabetes. In type II diabetes, the body produces enough insulin but is not effective in transferring glucose from the blood to the cells.

  About 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have type II diabetes. This form of diabetes may include symptoms similar to those of type I as well as frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people have no symptoms. Type II diabetes is more common among the overweight, the elderly, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Gestational diabetes is yet another type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and these women are likely to develop diabetes later in life.

How to Manage Diabetes?

Type I diabetes always requires insulin injections in addition to diet and exercise.

Type II diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise alone but may require medications in some cases. In addition, taking multivitamins, minerals, herbal supplements and natural drugs shown in the table below can significantly reduce complications. Keeping diabetes and other health conditions in mind, some websites may list all or some of these supplements in the categories such as Blood Sugar Metabolism, Vitamins, Diabetes, etc. It is important that the diabetes patients also continue to monitor their blood sugar level as recommended by their doctor.

Vitamins and Herbs and Their Effects on Diabetes

Bilberry extract: Helps prevent and reduce the severity of diabetic cataracts.

Bioflavonoids: Helps prevent vision loss. Helps prevent damage to vitamins C and E from diabetes.

Biotin: Biotin and Chromium work well together to help reduce blood sugar levels. With the help of chromium, biotin helps the pancreas work efficiently, helps insulin work better to lower blood sugar levels.

Chromium (Picolinate): Chromium and Biotin work well together to help reduce blood sugar levels. With the help of biotin, chromium helps insulin work better, helps the pancreas work efficiently, and lowers blood sugar levels.

Copper (Picolinate): Copper helps prevent diabetes-related damage to blood vessels and nerves, and lowers blood sugar levels by helping protect the cells in the pancreas that make insulin healthy.

Fenugreek seed extract: Helps liver and kidneys metabolize blood sugars more efficiently; helps lower blood sugars.

Folic Acid: In conjunction with B12, folic acid helps prevent strokes and loss of limbs due to diabetic complications.

Gymnema Sylvestre: Helps balance blood sugars and may help control weight.

Magnesium (Chelate): Helps insulin work more effectively and helps relieves neuropathic pain.

Manganese (Chelate): Helps prevent damage to nerves and blood vessels.

Selenium: Helps take blood sugar into the cells. Selenium also protects blood vessel and nerve from the damaged caused by elevated blood sugars. Selenium is also called, an insulin mimic.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): With B12, and folic acid, B6 helps prevents heart attacks and nerve damage. Helps prevent diabetic blindness, helps keep vision clear and normal.

Vitamin B12: In conjunction with folic acid, Vitamin B12 helps prevent stroke and loss of limb due to diabetic complications. Also works with Vitamin B6.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid): In partnership with vitamin E, helps push sugar from the blood stream into the cells. Keeps blood vessels and kidneys healthy.

Vitamin E (Pyridoxine): Vitamin E together with B vitamin helps keep the pancreas healthy and helps prevent nerve damage. Helps blindness, and heart attacks.

Zinc (Pyridoxine): Helps blood sugar get into the cells and help insulin work effectively.

Copyright ? 2005 DHAN Medical Inc. All rights reserved.

The information listed here has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. It is meant for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance and medical advice.

Darshana Vaishnav, M. D. is a board certified medical doctor with a medical degree from Penn State University. With over 20 years of medical practice in California behind her, she set up her website with specific categories such as Blood Sugar Metabolism containing dietary supplements for diabetes. Her site offers natural vitamins, herbal and dietary supplements with reliable purity and consistency available only from physicians, naturopaths, pharmacies or healthcare providers.

Darshana Vaishnav, M. D.
http://www.drugnatural.com

So You've Had a Stroke Now What?

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 had 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.

The carotid arteries are a pair of pulsating blood vessels in the front of the neck that carry blood to much of the brain. 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.

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: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com and http://www.neurologyarticles.com

Are You At Risk Of Contracting Diabetes

It is unbelievable, but today there are at least 20 million people living with diabetes in America and the sad part is that it was possible to prevent and heal pre-diabetes and diabetes type 2 naturally with balanced nutrition, and basic exercise.

People at risk of getting the disease drop by a staggering 60 percent if they manage to lose just 10 pounds by following a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise such as walking, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (May 3, 2001).

Pre-diabetes

This term means that you are at risk for getting type 2 diabetes and also heart disease.

The good news is if you have pre-diabetes you can reduce the risk of getting diabetes type 2 and even return to normal blood glucose levels if you follow the guidelines in this article.

Type 2 diabetes

Formerly called adult-onset diabetes, this is the most common form of diabetes. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body cannot use insulin properly. People can develop this type of diabetes at any age and is usually associated with today?s modern lifestyle of fast food, stress and no exercise.

Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes dramatically. Traditional treatment includes taking diabetes medicines, aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol with prescription drugs.

But with modest weight loss and moderate daily physical activity, you can delay or even prevent type 2 diabetes and lead a normal life. Lets look at a few steps you can use straight away in your daily life that will make a big difference to your condition.

Strength Training - Researchers have reported a 23% increase in glucose uptake after four months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit of regular strength exercise.

Nowadays you do not have to live in a gym to put on functional muscle. Short High Intensity sessions performed once a week is all that is required to improve glucose metabolism and lose weight.

The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked. One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.

The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and improve glucose metabolism.

Nutrition - The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you'll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don't fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren't refined should be the ideal.

Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle and energy levels. Foods with vital vitamin and mineral supplements should also be taken on a daily basis. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.

As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can?t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.

Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.

Exercise - Fat is burned from the body when cells oxidize to release energy in the form of exercise. When the exercise is done slowly to moderately then the majority of energy is taken from the fat stores.

The key to effective aerobic training that burns off maximum fat is long-term consistency not intensity. It doesn?t matter if you run a mile, jog a mile or walk a mile you will burn exactly the same amount of calories.

The best exercise by far for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Other aerobic activities are the treadmill, bike, climber or any other training gear found in or out of the Gym.

Make no mistake about it you can do a lot to lower your chances of getting diabetes. By exercising regularly, reducing fat from your diet and losing weight can all help you reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' weight loss or muscle building e-courses.