Fibromyalgia

IntroductionFibromyalgia affects an estimated 2% to 4% of the population, most of which are female.The main sensation is one of hurting all over, feeling exhausted constantly. Even after numerous tests, your doctor can't find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia.Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain. Fibromyalgia is more common in women than in men. Previously, fibromyalgia was known by other names such as fibrositis, chronic...

Diabetes type 2 Part II Treatment

TreatmentDiabetes mellitus type 2 is a chronic, progressive disease that has no clearly established cure. There are two main goals of treatment of the disease:1. Reduction of mortality and concomitant morbidity (from assorted diabetic complications)2. Preservation of quality of lifeThe first goal can be achieved through close glycemic control (i.e., blood glucose levels); the reduction effect in diabetic complications has been well demonstrated in several large clinical trials and is well established beyond controversy.The second goal is often addressed (in developed countries) by support and care from teams of diabetic health workers (physician, PA, nurse, dietitian or a certified diabetic educator). Endocrinologists, family practitioners, and general internists are the types of physicians...

Diabetes Type 2 Part I

Diabetes mellitus type 2 or Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is usually characterized by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia and weight gain.Let's clarify our terms before we go any further. When you eat any sweets ( candies, sodas, juices ) or any starches ( anything that contains grains such as bread, rice, potatoes,pasta, pastries, cookies and crakers ) or even fruits and some veggies, what you are actually eating is a carbohydrate that will break down in the end to a sugar called glucose. Glucose gets absorbed to your blood. Part of the glucose load can get easily to inside your cells ( cells need...

Sorethroats

Again another easy topic, but amazingly common is the sorethroat. This is a symptom, not a disease in itself becuase it can be caused by many conditions. The first condition that comes to mind is a viral infection... please DO NOT GO TO YOUR DOCTOR asking for antibiotics for this one. Most sorethroats that last less than 1 week are viral. They will go away on their own as soon as the virus is gone. When weeks pass by and the sorethroat continues, then it might be a good idea to visit your doctor because it might have become overinfected with bacteria.Other causes for sorethroats are medications ( one of the typical medications that can give you...

Hypertension

This is one of mankind's "modern"diseases. Due to health policies, the ranges of what has been considered normal and high have gotten more and more demanding.Hypertension isn't called a silent killer for nothing. High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for developing coronary artery disease (CAD), the leading cause of death in the United States, and it's considered a significant risk for stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure. Most of the times, though, it doesn't give any symptom to the patient ( so they think they are OK ). Anyone with poorly treated hypertension at least doubles his or her risk of developing all of these conditions. And remember, the higher the blood pressure, the higher the danger.Most of high blood pressure patients have got no apparent reason to have it elevated....

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Today we will discuss irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. It is called a syndrome because it is an ill defined grouping of sygns and symptoms.Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is defined as chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, and bloating, with the absence of structural or biochemical abnormalities to explain these symptoms. IBS is part of a broader group of disorders known as functional gastrointestinal disorders.It is more common in females than in males, and although it is not life threatening, it does impact significantly the patient's life. Usually it is a disease of young people and adolescents.The characteristics of abdominal...

Muscle spasms and cramps

Hello again.I would like to treat this apparently simple topic because it is very common. Being muscle tissue abundant on our body, it has the potential to cramp and spasm and produce pain.I would like to remind you again that we should not see pain as our enemy, but rather as a way that our body tells us that something is wrong. Some examples of this "something is wrong" are muscle cramps ( specially in calves ) due to low potassium or low magnesium in blood. They can also tell us that, for example if we develop back pain, our body position and mechanics could be off ( read about the Alexander techniques that, by improving and overcoming some...

Headaches

The pain and duration of the lingering headache may be annoying, but generally not life threatening. Taking productivity and quality of life issues into account, however, many experts believe headaches pose a heavy burden on people. Why do headaches have such a pervasive effect?Two-thirds of all adult men and greater than 80 percent of women in developed countries suffer from them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Their effects are just as destructive to developing nations too, largely because people don't regard headaches as a disease. WHO estimates about half of the people who have headaches never receive any treatment for...

The Obesity Epidemic

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. It affects virtually all ages and socioeconomic groups.Increased consumption of more junk food with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced or no physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three times or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China.The obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; this increase is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world.Obesity and overweight pose a major...

Depression

Hello again and thank you for reading our blog.Last time we spoke about artificial sweeteners... now we will focus again on the mind. I will ask you to bear with me because I will try to explain some of the notorious problems with modern life. Have you noticed how angry we get when someone calls us losers? Has Hollywood turned American society into one that tolerates no middle grounds? Either you are a winner ( just one per race, competition, etc ) or you belong where most people will end up. Not everyone will be number one! If you add up family problems, divorce, and just life "not being perfect" to the equation, you have a problemNotice that you need to realize that THE ONLY THING YOU CAN CONTROL is your own life and YOUR ACTIONS and certainly the WAY YOU FEEL. So, please, GRAB CONTROL OF...

Artificial Sweeteners

Beware of all artificial sweeteenersThey are not an alternative to sugar. Please consider the many side effects they have before you try them.Splenda ( sucralose )It is a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. Once it gets to the gut, sucralose goes largely unrecognized in the body as food — that’s why it has no calories.. A percentage of sucralose will acumulate in your body and you will not be able to excrete it.With very few studies showing safety in humans, was approved in a rush by FDA, it is 100% synthetic and has got chlorine in it.Side effects of Splenda are skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain.Equal...

Anxiety Disorders

Hello and welcome again Today we will speak about anxiety. Anxiety disorders are a category of neurotic disorders with anxiety as a prominent or the prominent symptom...Classification of anxiety1. Phobic anxiety disorder: Agoraphobia (with or without panic disorder) Social phobias Specific (isolated) phobias2. Other anxiety disorders include: Panic disorder Generalised anxiety disorder Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder3. Obsessive compulsive disorder: But exactly what do you feel with Anxiety? You will feel fearfulness and unwanted and distressing physical symptoms. It is a normal and appropriate response to stress ( have you ever been in immediate danger? the normal response is a rapid heart beat, sweating, pupil dilation, etc ) but becomes pathological when it is disproportionate to...