Tips For Healthy Lifestyle

Archive for the ‘Diabetes’ Category

How to Identify the Warning Signs of Diabetes

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011




Diabetes is a Latin word and means passing through. Mellitus means honey. We can put simply that excessive levels of sugar in the urine of person are like passing through honey from urinary tract. Diabetes Mellitus is basically characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood. These high levels are caused by either insufficiency of insulin or failing of cells to use the provided insulin.

Diabetes is a disease related to insulin.

Memory Loss and Diabetes

Thursday, April 21st, 2011




There are many issues one can face when they have been diagnosed with diabetes. One of the most frustrating is memory loss. Memory loss can occur in most people as they age. But sometimes, memory loss can be due to circulatory problems and hormonal changes in the body. When this happens, one may feel inadequate and insecure.

To prevent memory loss when a person has diabetes, one should change their diet to include foods with fiber, protein, and calcium that will stimulate blood flow and also help replace some of the nutrients lost. Exercise will also promote blood flow.

Stimulating the brain by reading, solving crossword puzzles, and finding new hobbies are ways to keep the brain alert. Many times, it is the short term memory that will be affected. By stimulating the brain, one can minimize the damage that may be caused. Since memory loss can also be caused by other diseases, it is important to have a check up yearly to determine if diabetes is present.

Memory loss is one effect of diabetes that can be improved when diabetes is detected in its early stages. Although diabetes is a life long illness, this does not mean that a person has to suffer from all of the side effects that could occur. Memory loss can occur at any time during one’s life. While a person may be upset, they should not worry too much about it. By altering one’s lifestyle and staying busy both physically and mentally, one will be able to lead a long, healthy life.

Cat Diabetes – An Owner’s Guide to Diabetes in Cats

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Diabetes is cats is a relatively common problem. The condition occurs when insulin fails to balance levels of glucose. Obese and older cats have an increased risk of developing diabetes, although it can affect cats of any age or breed.

Cause

Cat diabetes occurs because either the body doesn’t use produced insulin as it should or because the body isn’t producing enough insulin to begin with. There is no known reason why this happens, although certain conditions can increase the risk of developing this disease.

One of the most common factors that increase the risk of development of diabetes is obesity. Genetics, hormone imbalances, and pancreatic diseases can also play a role. In some cases, medications can even cause it.

Type

Diabetes in cats doesn’t usually produce any symptoms in its early stages. When the disease advances, your cat may develop liver disease and secondary bacterial infections. This causes signs of disease such as increased urination, rough hair, lethargy, and increased appetite. Although cats can start to eat more, they sometimes lose weight. If your cat develops a disorder known as neuropathy, his hind lings will also become weak.

Diagnosis

At the beginning of the visit, your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical examination. Based upon your cat’s symptoms, he may suspect diabetes. The diagnosis will be determined if lab tests show extremely high levels of sugar in your cat’s urine and blood.

Treatment

Cat diabetes is a condition that must be treated, or it will eventually be fatal. Like humans, this condition needs to be treated with insulin shots either once or twice a day. In rare cases, cats can control the disease with a special diet and oral medication. You should also be aware that your cat’s insulin dosage may fluctuate. So, you will need to schedule regular visits to the vet to determine the ideal dosage.

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Feline Leukemia – A Guide For Cat Lovers

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Feline Leukemia, known as FeLV is a viral disease. Young kittens and older cats exposed to diseased cats are the most susceptible. The disease is spread through bites, mother to offspring, or diseased cat to healthy cats. The saliva, urine, and feces of an infected cat can pass the virus. However, the disease does not live more than a couple hours outside of the cat’s body. Some people believe indoor cats can contract the disease if a person carries the virus on their hands or clothes. There is no known cure at this time, and the disease kills 80% of all infected cats within a three year period. The disease can cause an array of health issues; cancer, blood disorders, and secondary diseases such as respiratory infections and diabetes. In laymen’s terms, the bones shut down and anemia occurs, which eventually leads to death.

To prevent your pet from contract Feline Leukemia, do the following:

1. Keep your cat indoors. This will eliminate your cat’s exposure to FeLV.

2. If you have stray cats in your neighborhood and you pet them, wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before you pet your indoor cat.

3. Before you merge your healthy cat with a new cat or kitten, have the new pet tested for FeLV. If it has FeLV, it needs to be kept away from healthy cats.

4. Consider having your healthy cat vaccinated against Feline Leukemia. Unlike the Feline Aids vaccine, the Feline Leukemia vaccine does not affect a veterinarian’s ability to test your pet for the disease at a later date. Please keep in mind that while the Feline Leukemia vaccine is highly effective, it will not prevent all cats from contracting the disease. This is why it’s best to keep your cat indoors and away from potentially infected cats.

If your cat contracts Feline Leukemia, you should do the following:

1. Test all other cats in the household.

2. Remove infected cats from healthy cats. Keep them in separate areas at all times.

3. If you spend time with infected cats, change your clothes and wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before you pet your healthy cats.

4. Feed your infected cats a well balanced diet. Many individuals swear by herbal supplements.

5. Maintain separate areas, food dishes and litter pans for the infected cats. Do not share these pet accessories with your healthy cats.

If you have a cat that dies of Feline Leukemia, and you wish to adopt another cat, scrub everything in your house thoroughly. Most likely the Feline Leukemia virus will die within a few hours after your pet passes away, but since Feline Leukemia often carries secondary disease, you should scrub everything with an anti-bacterial soap.

I once rescued a very pitiful looking feral cat. He tested positive (and high) for both Feline Aids and Leukemia. Remarkably, once he was moved indoors, he lived another four years-my vet said this was remarkable. When my FeLV infected cat contracted liver cancer and started having difficulty walking and urinating, I made a “no-win” decision to euthanize him. He had already endured several steroid shots and I was concerned he was suffering. None of my other cats contracted the disease, but I was always careful to wash my hands and I kept the cat separated from my healthy cats.

Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms And Care

Monday, April 11th, 2011




The symptoms of type 1 diabetes are often not easy to recognize and many people live with it for a long time before becoming aware that they are diabetes sufferers.

Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin dependant diabetes, diabetes mellitus and / or juvenile diabetes. It is a chronic, i.e. lifelong, disease that accounts for approximately ten per cent of total diabetes cases in Europe and North America. It is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce sufficient insulin to regulate blood sugar levels appropriately.

Type 1 diabetes can affect both adults and children but is frequently called juvenile diabetes because it represents the majority of the childhood cases of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes Symptom

Without an adequate supply of insulin glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of being used by the cells. The body is unable to use this excess glucose for energy despite the high levels in the bloodstream which can lead to an increase in both hunger and fatigue. Another type 1 diabetes symptom is frequent urination, which in turn will lead to excessive thirst.

It can take some years, but eventually the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas are completely destroyed by the body’s own immune system. Once no more insulin is being produced it needs to be supplied from another source, often insulin injections, in order to help the body function properly.

Other specific type 1 diabetes symptoms are:

* weight loss despite normal or increased appetite

* blurred vision

* nausea and vomiting

* abdominal pain

* fatigue

* absence of menstruation in women

Diagnostic approach

* urinalysis shows glucose and ketone bodies in the urine

* fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher

* random (non fasting) blood glucose level exceeding 200 mg/dL (should be confirmed with a fasting glucose test)

* insulin test

* C-peptide test – low or undetectable levels of the protein C-peptide, a by-product of insulin production.

Treatment and care

Occasionally a newly diagnosed diabetes patient may require hospitalization to initially regulate insulin levels. However, since diabetes is a chronic disease the emphasis will be on managing both the short and long term diabetes-related problems. Patient education plays an important role in the ongoing management and dietary changes are almost always necessary together with self glucose monitoring and long term glycemic control.

A long term goal is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke as diabetes sufferers tend to be at higher risk. Lifestyle changes are often required to manage this risk. Increased exercise, stopping smoking and an appropriate diet are all required. These changes can allow a sufferer to take control of their disease rather than allowing the diabetes to take control of them.

Impotence is a Serious Type 2 Diabetes Symptom

Friday, April 8th, 2011




Impotence is a serious type 2 diabetes symptom. Men with high blood sugar have a poison in their bloodstream that is responsible for impotence. If this problem is not reversed quickly it can lead to permanent damage to the male organ. Many men do not understand that almost all cases of impotence are related to circulation and usually high blood sugar. You do not have to have diabetes for this to affect you. The poison glucose in the body robs the person of needed circulation to the male intimacy part and this gets worst over time. Actually a high blood sugar is destroying the cells of the body and impotence is one of the first signs that the body is losing the fight.

With the lack of good blood the male organ will not be able to perform. A man may be able to perform for a short time or with a weak performance. This is a type 2 diabetes symptom that you had better correct quickly or you may suffer permanent damage.What is alarming is that just having a slightly high blood sugar can cause impotence; you need not have full diabetes. The damage is not corrected with drugs like Viagra.These drugs force blood into the still damaged vessels and the drugs will stop working after time.

A typical type 2 diabetes diet will not correct this problem. The reason most diabetes diets do not work is because they do not heal. The problem is that there is no insulin to remove the poison glucose. The problem is not sugar the real problem is that there is no insulin. There is good news. There is a diet by a filmmaker that has been reversing impotence, this serious type 2 diabetes symptom. This diet removes the poison glucose from the bloodstream. If you are a male with high blood sugar you must find a healing diet fast before the damage is permanent