Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and it is responsible for many functions that contribute to our health and well-being. It protects the body against physical and chemical aggressions, serves as a sensorial receptor, regulates body temperature, and supplies our cells with …
By Mariesette Zeyl, ND Did you know that we absorb up to 60 percent of what we apply on our skin? Yes, it is true! Anything you are putting on your skin is being absorbed into your body and into your bloodstream. Our skin is …
Diabetes is a vicious and life-threatening disease. It is a condition where your blood sugar is continuously and seriously elevated (and your triglycerides are also). The excess circulating blood sugar is very destructive inflaming tissues in the heart and circulation, in the eyes, brain, kidneys, and nerve tissue leading to all manner of serious and life threatening diseases.
Diabetes occurs because for various reasons your cells become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin; insulin normally stores sugar in your cells. However, long before full blown diabetes occurs, at a stage referred to as pre-diabetes, your blood sugar is already modestly increased and the beginnings of damage to your kidneys, your blood vessel walls, and to your eyes is already occurring (perhaps it should be renamed early stage diabetes); even a modest elevation in blood sugar should always be looked at seriously.
Diabetes type 2 is the more common version that occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. This results in elevated levels of sugar and triglycerides in the blood. The most common cause of type 2 diabetes is truncal obesity or having an apple shaped body instead of a pear shaped one. New evidence indicates that an increase in the circulating levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), an enzyme tied into inflammation and heart disease, is a major indicator of impending diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes refers to an autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas; it is much less common. People with type 1 diabetes always require insulin.
To determine your risk of developing diabetes your doctor will perform a test on your blood after you fast for 12 hours. If your blood sugar after fasting is lower than 99, you are likely okay. However, if the blood sugar is between 100 to 125 mg/dL, you have impaired fasting blood glucose and your risk of developing diabetes is increased. You are also at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. For many individuals diet, exercise, and particular nutrients are very beneficial at this point and can help restore blood sugar levels down towards normal. Some drugs are also prescribed for this effect. If your fasting blood sugar is above 125mg/dL, you are considered to have full blown diabetes and, because diabetes is a vicious disease, it must be treated aggressively.
A1C is a blood test that measures average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months and is the best way to measure overall glucose control. It should be measured 2 to 4 times a year and the goal is less than 7 percent.
Symptoms may include feeling tired or ill, excessive thirst, frequent urination, sudden weight loss, blurred vision, slow healing of infections, and genital itching.
For more information on how to manage diabetes or the disease in general, visit the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org/.
What was once a rare occurrence is now very common – tattoos are everywhere. But could getting a tattoo pose long-term consequences for your health? According to a new study, it could.
Photo by Nikola Radojcic on Unsplash Summer is just around the corner – that means more time outdoors, barbecues, the beach, and of course, a lot more exposure to the sun. The sun has some great health benefits, like boosting your Vitamin D levels, mood, …
When you were a kid, your parents always told you to share. And if you have a younger sibling, you are not new to sharing everything – from clothing to food. But what about sharing your makeup?
Beauty and skin care expert Laurie Polis, MD, says, “When it comes to bad make up sharing habits, the eyes rank as the most dangerous. The most common viral infection of the eye is pinkeye which is extremely contagious. People don’t always know they’re brewing it.”
Women do it all the time – take a bathroom break and ask a friend to borrow some lipstick. But Polis also explains that sharing lip stick or lip gloss “could be risky if your friend has herpes labialis, an infection caused by contagious herpes simplex virus. That’s the virus that causes small painful blisters known as cold sores or fever blisters on the mouth. Your friend may be “shedding the virus’ and not realize she’s getting a cold sore.”
In a recent news story first reported in the Daily Mail, a 27-year old woman from Australia is now confined to a wheel chair after borrowing
a makeup brush from a friend. Jo Gilchrist caught a staph infection that attacked her spine when all she wanted to do was cover up a blemish. Dermatologist Dr. Seth Forman sees staph infections on a regular basis and reports that they are highly contagious. He states, “You can get it from a door handle at a mall, from a menu at a restaurant or from picking your children up at school. It is all over. It usually starts with a cut that gets infected by bacteria. A lot of men get it on their chest, some woman get it on their legs. It happens where people have a high density of hair follicles.”
Forman warns others to always wash your hands to lower the chances of spreading infection and to never share razors, towels or nail clippers. Laurie Polis advises that if you can’t avoid sharing makeup, “Wipe off the top layer of the product after a friend uses it or when you’re at a makeup counter in a store. If it’s a liner pencil, sharpen it. If it’s a lipstick or eyeshadow, swipe the tip or compact with a tissue.”
Protect yourself from infection – stop sharing your makeup. It is better (and safer) to go without lipstick for a few hours than to introduce an infection into your body.
Source: WebMD.com, abc15.com and Dailymail.co.uk