Constipation in Newborn Babies

Constipation in Newborn Babies

By Anselm Anyoha

She was only seven days old. 'For three days, my baby has not passed stools,' the mother said, anxiously. The infant squirmed in discomfort and strained to the point of turning red.

She had been on baby formula since birth. While in the hospital she had passed stool regularly every day, mostly after each feed, sometimes several times a day, until three days ago when suddenly she stopped moving her bowels and had been mostly crying and uncomfortable.

While the baby was on the examination table, and after I had watched and saw how uncomfortable she was, twisting her abdomen from side to side, I knew I had to intervene to relieve her of the discomfort.

When to intervene

I don't always choose to interfere with the natural process of bowel evacuation in newborns.

When to intervene or help with bowel movement in the newborn depends on a clinician's experience and the mother's anxiety level. Where a mother or a caretaker is very anxious, I tend to intervene more readily.

Two options

For very young newborns, say babies in their first four weeks of life, there are two main options available to aid with bowel movement. Rectal stimulation with a thermometer is one option. Inserting a glycerin suppository in the rectum is the second option. Both procedures are easy to learn.

A glycerin suppository is a medicine formulation that can be inserted into the rectum. When used it can temporarily relieve stool passage. Glycerin is inserted into the baby's rectum the same way a Tylenol suppository may be inserted to lower fever.

It is important to make sure the glycerin suppository goes inside the rectum. The suppository can be shaved down to a smaller size so that it can more easily be inserted. Usually once or twice a day for a couple of days is all that is required. If one suppository does the magic, there is no need to repeat.

Since I did not keep glycerin suppositories in my office I decided to do a rectal stimulation. What I actually was looking for was an immediate relief. Had I used a glycerin suppository on the baby, she may not have moved her bowel until she got home, and that would have been less desirable for the mother and the baby.

Rectal stimulation

After explaining to the anxious mother my plan, and obtaining her approval, I put on my gloves, took out a rectal thermometer from the side cabinet, and lubricated the instrument with Lubriderm. Vaseline can serve in place of Lubriderm to lubricate the tip and distal part of the thermometer. Any person capable of taking a good rectal temperature can learn to do a rectal stimulation on babies.

As the baby lay on the exam table, butt over diaper, I said to the mother, 'Hold the baby's legs apart.'

Gently, I introduced the tip of the lubricated thermometer about one inch into the baby's rectum, similar to what a practitioner would do when taking a rectal temperature. I held the thermometer in the baby's rectum for a moment until she began to push against it and with it the stool in the rectum.

The baby continued to make concerted efforts to push, and moments later an avalanche of stool came rolling down. Thank goodness there was a diaper in place! More stools came down when I wiggled the thermometer a little while it was still in the rectum.

The first part of the stool that came down was dry, and hard enough to have clogged the toilet. Fortunately, together with the underlying dirty diaper, it was discarded into the garbage bin. Later, the stool became soft, but kept rolling down for a minute or two. Thereafter the baby sighed, then smiled and then fell asleep on the exam table. All the body twisting and crunching went away.

'My baby is okay now,' the mother smiled.

Based on my clinical practice experience, I did not think there was anything wrong with the baby in discussion except that for some reason she was unable to pass stool. Temporary intervention was all that was needed.

When I saw them a week later, mother and baby were happy and baby had continued to pass stool regularly.

What else could constipation mean?

Many maladies that can afflict a baby -- none of which was applicable in this particular case -- fill a pediatrician's mind when confronted with constipated infants. Could it be Hirschsprung, a congenital disorder in which parts of the colon and rectum lack the nerves necessary to propagate stool movement down and out of the rectum? Is it anal stenosis, in which the anal canal, the distal part of the rectum, is too narrow to allow a free passage of stool?

What other pediatricians think

Pediatricians differ widely in the way they treat otherwise healthy babies who are unable to pass stool. I spoke to a few pediatricians about this particular case. Some said they would have done nothing, others said that babies are never constipated, while a few said they would have waited for seven days before intervening.

The varied answers are not surprising, since clinicians act based on their experience, scope and length of practice.

Tips on preventing newborn constipation

Consider breastfeeding your newborn. Breast milk may possess laxative properties, and breastfed babies are less constipated than formula-fed babies. No matter whether you choose breast milk or formula, feed baby very frequently, on demand---when baby is crying due to hunger, and certainly every 2-3 hours. Follow instructions carefully while mixing powdered baby formula.

The older a baby gets, the more ways clinicians have of intervening during periods of constipation. In my next article I will discuss constipation in older babies and in children as a whole.

The above article is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Take your baby to a pediatrician if you are concerned that he or she is constipated.

If you have benefited from this article, please donate a small amount of money to a nonprofit organization helping elders in my home town [ Akokwa, Nigeria] live out their lives in dignity. Website: http://www.eldershelpinghands.org

Article Source: Constipation in Newborn Babies

8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

By Ann Pryam Bagongon

Yes, Diabetic Neuropathy is nasty. It happens once in a while then goes away, leaving you without a clue. It bothers the hands and feet described as weakness, tingling sensation, sometimes paralysis and occasionally a throbbing pain. But what is really distressing about it? Think about those days when neuropathy runs your life. It's like an animal biting your nerves, muscle, and organ that you cannot catch because it hides everywhere. It stops you from doing what you ought to do and as if it detains you with an excruciating feeling like no one else can define what kind or where that pain came from. It's never easy to live with it. Its kinda typical to find some remedies that can help relieve it. You mean ease it now, or else suffer the entire period.

In this post, we are going to talk about the following:

Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

What do you mean by Diabetic Neuropathy? Including the cause, types and the actions to be done when you have experience it.

Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy
"Is there a cure for diabetic neuropathy?" Well, until now there is none but the good news is, there are ways to manage it, even delay or lessen its effects and halt its progression. Not all diabetic people have develop neuropathy to some extent, however, majority of diabetic cases were able to live through it. For some diabetics, its only mild symptoms like numbness of the feet and prickling sometimes, but there are others who felt the most painful share of it like unbearable pain in the lower back/hips, high blood pressure and tachycardia on moderate exertion, inability to ambulate and even loss of life if major organs are affected. This is such an upsetting problem to deal with but fortunately some people were able to keep it under control.

Here are the 8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

1. Operation Blood sugar control

Keep your blood sugar level at least close to normal in every way as possible. There is not much guarantee you can ever take from controlling your blood sugar except the prevention of unrelenting consequences of diabetes complication. Now, when to start this operation of blood glucose management? The decision immediately starts right away, as in, at this moment while you are asking yourself. It is urgent. For the reason that all of the bad prognosis of diabetes come from prolong high blood sugar, sedentary lifestyle and uncontrolled eating, then its time to make it up to your body. The benefits are proven by DCCT 10 years investigation.

2. Look after your Diet

Remember the Carbohydrate Counting and glycemic index in your meal planning and snacks. Low carbohydrate diet can be an effort to some who are used to getting almost all the food that they like in the store but this time, cutting your carbs is one of the primary solution. There are also diets that may be indicated to you like Atkins Diet which can massively lessen your weight and High fiber diet with direct supervision of a registered dietitian, or diabetic educator. There is nothing wrong with cutting yourself from too much carbohydrates because it is super good for you.

3. Exercise or Team up with your physical therapist

Exercise has a lot of benefits like weight loss or weight control, increase insulin sensitivity in your body, enhance your sense of well-being and body circulation, reduce cholesterol, helps you manage stress and high blood pressure, increase your strength and flexibility and lastly,boost your immune system. It goes to show that exercise will help your body become lively again and again. But most of all, regular exercise gives you a narrow focus of controlling your blood sugar and prevent sudden approach of complications.

4. Quit smoking and alcohol intake

When you are a smoker, your chances of getting a nerve damage is higher than those who are non-smokers. Alcohol intake makes your body insensitive to hypoglycemia episodes. Both smoking and alcohol will take you towards a threat of getting a heart attack, diabetes complications like DKA, hypoglycemia, and neuropathy.

5. Refrain exposure to toxic materials

This is a way of taking good care of your kidneys and lungs. Please be careful of what you eat and keep your diabetic diet in your presence of mind, avoid excessive and careless intake of over the counter medications and keep yourself away from the pesticides and lead containing products. Do not give diabetes an opportunity to take you down and hurt you by exaggerating a debilitating disease condition like kidney stones and anemia.

6. Stress Management

Stress will make your body insulin resistant plus unhealthy coping will make you eat unconsciously. Take into account that healthy food will grant you a healthy mind and exercise will energize your body and boost your self-worth. Whatever it takes, never ever forget the responsibility of taking good care of you. You can also try acupuncture, a Chinese traditional therapy of relieving pain cause by neuropathy.

7. Keep your blood pressure under control

Your risk of developing neuropathy and macro vascular complications will jump up if your blood pressure is high. Simply because, high blood pressure damages your blood vessels leading to a reduce blood flow on vital organs and nerves.

8. Lower Pain through alternative treatments

Alternative medicine can aid in alleviating the peripheral neuropathic pain. These are the natural substitute which will help minimize the symptoms:

Alpha-lipoic Acid, Gamma linolenic acid and fatty acids are found to be effective in improving micro-circulation of nerves resulting to a better blood flow and reduction of symptoms. (Alternative Medicine Therapy Review by Kathleen A. Head. 2006)

Vitamin B complex is a supplement form that can help in glucose conversion and its utilization by the body tissues, helps boost immune system and strengthens the body in times of stress. However, consider consulting your doctor for the proper dosage and prevent untoward side effects. Studies also shows that neuropathies can occur to those people who have vitamin B deficiency.

Capsaicin is a topical anti-inflammatory cream that lessens burning sensation to those people who are experiencing muscle and joint pain.

L-Carnitine is an amino acids or a building blocks of protein which can be acquired via intake of red meat, peanut butter and dairy products. This is a type of protein that helps the body produce energy for the heart, brain and muscles to function well. There are also L-carnitine supplements available in some pharmacies and other stores.

By the way, What is diabetic neuropathy?

Diabetic neuropathy is a disease affecting all the types of nerves characterized by impairment of movement, sensation, and organ function, depending on the what type of nerve is affected. The incidence increases with age and the duration of the disease. This means that if you have diabetes for about 20 years and above, the higher your risk for developing neuropathy. This disease is more appealing to women than men in terms of painful neuropathic symptoms. In addition, those who have diabetes type 2 are more likely to manifest neuropathy and aching symptoms than those who have diabetes type 1 in spite of differences in age adjustment. The cause of diabetic neuropathy is due to elevated blood sugar for many years and controlling the blood glucose level to normal or at least close to normal shows a decrease prevalence of neuropathy by 60% as shown in DCCT study. Other diseases like alcoholism, Vitamin B deficiency, autoimmune illness (lupus,rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) tumors, Lyme disease, diphtheria, bone marrow disorders, and cancer treatments can cause also neuropathy.

What are the types of Diabetic Neuropathy?

Peripheral Neuropathy/ Diabetic Nerve pain

This type of neuropathy commonly occur among diabetes population. It attacks the nerves in your extremities like feet, hands, arms and legs.The nerves going to your feet is so long and is most frequently damaged. The nerve fiber deterioration is more likely related to hyperglycemia reducing its ability to transmit nerve conduction signals from the brain. It also weakens the capillary walls of the vessels that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. The matter of fact is, this is the common cause of lower leg amputation. The usual signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are: paresthesias, tingling and burning sensation, and numbness. That is why a diabetic is prone to undetected injury and foot infections. Moreover, it is important to inspect your foot everyday, cut your toe nails carefully, apply lotion when dryness of skin is noted and most of all, wear a well-fitted and comfortable shoes.

Proximal Neuropathy/ Diabetic Amyotrophy

The word "myo" means muscles because this can bring about muscle weakness affecting thigh, hips, buttocks and lower legs described as muscle wasting, weakness, pain and dull sensation of the legs. This degeneration of contractile cells is due to hyperglycemia over a period of years and smoking leading to a poor circulation and nerve damage. The possible complications are severe muscle weakness and inability to stand up without assistance. The treatment include are medications to manage pain and physical therapy. This is why it is necessary to control the blood sugar as close to the normal level, proper diet, exercise to maintain a healthy body weight, quit smoking and for the last time, limit alcohol intake.

Focal Neuropathy

Focal neuropathy is a "focused"neuropathy affecting one specified nerve. It quite opposite to polyneuropathy which involves many nerves like peripheral, proximal and autonomic neuropathy. It affects the nerve located in the head, torso and leg. The symptoms include eye pain, bell's palsy, severe lower back or leg pain, serious aches around the abdomen or chest, weakness and pain located on the lower back extending towards the thigh that sometimes causes paralysis. It is way better to avoid putting points on the joints and muscles like leaning your elbow on a hard surface or crossing your legs towards the other.

Autonomic Neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy causes damage on your autonomic nervous system. Autonomic nervous system is also known as involuntary nervous system that involves in the proper functioning of the heart, lungs, kidney, liver, stomach and brain without your own knowledge. It is a part of the body that solely maintains balance especially whenever you feel sick, stress or in a trauma. It automatically works to keep you alive. However, due to many years of having diabetes, high blood sugar affects the autonomic nervous system causing problems on the affected organs.The signs and symptoms depends on the affected organ system. For example, urinary problems like urinary tract infection due to difficulty of urination or inability of sensing a full bladder; loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation and cardiovascular problems such as tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension and hypertension.

For more information can check out my Diabetic Guide website at http://www.mysweetawareness.com or email me in case you have article suggestion  ann@mysweetawareness.com

Article Source: 8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic Nutrition - Meal Planning In Action

Diabetic Nutrition - Meal Planning In Action

By Ann Pryam Bagongon

Diabetic nutrition, diet, and weight control are the foundation of diabetes management. The most objective in dietary and nutritional management of diabetes is control of total caloric intake to maintain a reasonable body weight and stabilize the blood glucose level. Success of this alone is often with reversal of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. However, achieving this goal is not always easy. Because nutritional agreement of diabetes is so complex and a registered dietitian who understands diabetes management has major responsibility for this aspect of therapeutic plan. Nutritional management of diabetic patient includes the following goals stated by American Diabetes association, Evidence-Based Nutrition Principles and Recommendations for the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes and Related Complications, 2002:

Provide all the essential food constituents like vitamins and Minerals needed for optimal nutrition.

Meeting Energy needs

Maintaining reasonable weight

Avoidance of huge daily fluctuations of blood glucose level, with blood glucose level close to normal as is safe and practical to reduce risk or prevent the possibility of complications

Decrease serum lipid levels to reduce the risk of macro-vascular complication

For those diabetic people who require insulin to help control blood glucose levels, maintaining as much consistency as possible in the amount of calories, and carbohydrates ingested at the different meal time is essential. Additionally, precision in the approximate time intervals between meals with the addition of snacks as necessary helps in preventing the hypoglycemic reaction and maintaining the overall glucose control.

For obese with type 2 diabetes, weight loss is the key treatment. Obesity associated with an increase resistance of insulin is also a main factor in developing type 2 diabetes. Some obese who requires insulin or oral anti diabetic agents to control blood glucose levels may be able to reduce or eliminate the need for medication through weight loss. A weight loss as small as 10% of total weight may significantly improve blood glucose. In other instances wherein one is not taking insulin, consistent meal content or timing is not as critical. Rather, decreasing the overall caloric intake assume most importance. However, meals should not be skipped. Pacing food intake throughout the day places more manageable demands on the pancreas.

Long-term adherence to meal plan is one of the most challenging aspects of diabetes management. For the obese, it may be more realistic to restrict calories only moderately. For those who have lost weight, maintaining the weight loss may be difficult. To help diabetic people incorporate new dietary habits into lifestyle, diet education, behavioral therapy, group support and ongoing nutrition counseling are encouraged.

Diabetic Nutrition Meal Plan
Diabetic Meal plan must consider one's own food preferences, lifestyle, usual eating times, ethnic and cultural background. For those who are under intensive insulin therapy, there may be greater flexibility in timing and content of meals by allowing adjustments in insulin dosage for changes in the eating and exercise habits. Advances in insulin management permit greater flexibility schedules than previously possible. This in contrast to the older concept of maintaining a constant dose of insulin and requiring the a diabetic person to adjust his schedule to the actions and duration of the insulin.

The first step about meal planning is thorough review of a diet history to identify eating habits and lifestyle. A careful assessment of weight loss, gain or maintenance should also be undertaken. In most circumstances, those with type 2 diabetes requires weight reduction.

Diabetic meal Planning [The Making]

In teaching about meal planning, you must coordinate with a registered dietitian and if possible he must use educational tools, materials and approaches so you can fully grasp the idea of your nutritional requirements. Your initial education approaches the significance of consistent eating habits, the relationship between the food and insulin and the provision of an individualized meal plan. Then in-depth follow-up sessions which focuses on management skills, such as eating at the restaurants, reading food labels and adjusting the meal plan for exercise, illness and special occasion. An instance like there is an aspect of meal planning such as the food exchange system which may be difficult to learn or understand. You may ask him every meeting for clarification or might as well, leave him a message. Just remember that the food system provides a new way of thinking about the food rather than a new way of eating. Simplification as much as possible grants a good understanding during the teaching session and provides an opportunity to assess doubts and a need for repeat activities and information.

Caloric Requirements
Caloric requirements or your calorie-controlled diets are planned by means of calculating your energy needs (individual energy needs that varies in every person) and your caloric necessity based on your age, gender height and weight. Activity element is factored in to provide actual number of calories required for maintenance.

In the Diabetic Exchange List compiled by American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic association 2008, the appropriate amount of calorie controlled diets are depicted but you must approach a registered dietitian to closely assess you with your current eating habits and achieve realistic and individualized goals. This is so important because practically, developing a meal plan should be based on individual's usual eating habits and lifestyle to effectively control the glucose level as well as the weight loss maintenance. The priority for a young patient with type 1 diabetes, for example, should be a diet with enough calories to maintain normal growth and development. Initially, the target aim may provide a higher calorie to regain lost of weight.

Here is a reliable and simple Food Exchange List For Diabetic Meal Planning I got from Diabetes Teaching Center at University of California, San Francisco via Google.

Please Take note of all these and believe that there's no harm in trying!

Diabetic Nutrition Caloric Distribution
Diabetic nutrition in your diabetic Meal Plan also focuses on the percentage of calories that come from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In general, carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood glucose levels because they are more quickly digested and converted than other foods.

Carbohydrates

The American Diabetes Association recommends that for all levels of caloric intake, 50% to 60% of calories should be derived from carbohydrates, 20% to 30% from fats and remaining 10% to 20% from protein. Carbohydrates are consisted of sugar and starch. Most of the carbohydrates that are generally consumed came from starch, fruits and milk. Vegetable has also some carbohydrate. All carbohydrates should be eaten in moderation to prevent postprandial high glucose level. Foods high in carbohydrates such as sucrose are not totally eliminated from the diet but should be taken up in moderation up to 10% total calories only because these foods are typically high in fats and lack in vitamins, minerals and fibers.

Carbohydrate counting method is very important because it makes you conscious about your approximate amount of serving. The more carbohydrates you ingested, the more your blood glucose goes up. It is also a tool use in diabetic management because carbohydrates are the main nutrients in the food that influence the blood glucose level. This technique provides flexibility in food choices, can be less complicated and allows more accurate management with multiple daily insulin injections. When developing a diabetic meal plan using carbohydrate counting, all food sources should be considered. Once digested, 100% of your carbohydrate intake are converted to glucose. Around 50% of protein foods (meat,fish and poultry) are also converted to glucose. The amount of carbohydrates in foods is measured in GRAMS so you have to know which foods contain carbohydrates,learn to estimate the number of grams of carbohydrates in each food you eat and sum up all the grams of carbohydrates from every food you eat in order to get your total intake in a day. Examples of common food that contains carbohydrates; potatoes, legumes (e.g peas), corn, grains, dairy products (e.g milk and yogurt), snack foods and sweets (e.g cakes, cookies, deserts), and Juices (soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks with sugar).

Lets say, you aim 50% of your total calories must come from carbohydrates. One gram of carbohydrates is about 4 calories. So, divide the number of calories you want to get from carbohydrates by 4 to get the number of grams. Example, you aspire to eat 2000 calories a day and get 50% of calories from carbohydrates.

Computation:

0.50 x 2000 calories = 1000 calories

1000 / 4 = 250 grams of carbohydrates

Take note that there are people who has lower tolerance of physical activity and there are also those who needs low-calorie diets and therefore, the carbohydrates need in every person really varies. In order to further master your caloric intake and your diet, feel free to contact a professional dietitian.

In terms of estimation on the amount of carbohydrates in every serving, you can refer to Food Exchange List or here are some examples taken from the food exchange list:

These Foods contain 15 grams of each serving:

Biscuit - 1 (1 1/2 inches across)

Bun (hot dog or hamburger) - 1/2 bun

Pancake (1/4 inch thick) - 1 (4 inches across)

Pita bread - 1/2 pocket ( 6 inches across)

Waffle -1 (4 inch square or 4 inches across)

Cooked barley 1/3 cup

Cooked Pasta - 1/3 cup

Cooked quinoa 1/3 cup

Cooked white or brown rice - 1/3 cup

Cassava - 1/3 cup

Corn 1/2 cup

Green Peas - 1/2 cup

Animal Crackers 8 crackers

Rice cakes, 4 inches across 2

Dried Apple 4 rings

blueberries 3/4 cup

dates 3

Fruit cocktail 1/2 cup

Mango juice 1/2 cup or 1/2 small

papaya 1 cup cubed (8oz)

Grape Juice - 1/3 cup

Although carbohydrate counting is now commonly used for blood glucose management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, to some extent it affects the blood glucose to different degrees regardless of equivalent serving size. Thus, you have to be consciously noticing the fluctuations of your own blood glucose level and take action against any warning signs.

Diabetic Food Pyramid
The Diabetic Food Pyramid is another tool use to develop meal plan. It is commonly utilize for those with type 2 diabetes who have difficulty in abiding with calorie controlled diet. The food pyramid is consist of six food groups: 1.Breads, grains and other starches; 2. Vegetable (non-starchy vegetables); 3. Fruits; 4. Milk; 5. Meat, meat substitutes and other proteins; and 6. Fats, oils and sweets. The pyramid shape was chosen to emphasize that the foods in the largest area, the base of the pyramid (Starches, fruits and vegetables) are the lowest in calories and fats and highest in fiber and should make up the basis of the diet. For those with diabetes and as well as the general population, 50% to 60% of daily caloric intake must be from these three groups. As you move up the pyramid, foods higher in fats (particularly saturated fats) are illustrated; these foods should account for a smaller percentage of daily caloric intake. The very top of the pyramid comprises of fats, oils and sweets that should be sparingly by the people with diabetes to attain weight and blood glucose control and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fats and Diabetes
The recommendation regarding the fat content for the diabetic diet include both reducing the total percentage of calories from far sources to less than 30% of the total calorie and limiting the amount of saturated fats to 10% of total calories. Additional recommendations include limiting the total intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 30 mg/day. This approach may reduce risk factors such as elevated serum cholesterol levels, which are associated with the development of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death and disability among people with diabetes. The meal plan may include the use of some non animal sources of protein to help reduce saturated fats and cholesterol intake. In addition, the amount of protein intake may be reduced to those who have early signs of renal disease.

Fiber Has a Lowering Glucose power
The use of fiber in diabetic diets has received an increased attention as the experts study the effects on diabetes of a high carbohydrate, high fiber diet. This type of diet plays a role in lowering the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. Increasing fiber diet may also improve blood glucose and decrease the need for exogenous insulin.

There are two types of dietary fibers: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers in foods such as legumes, oats and some fruits plays more of a role in lowering blood glucose and lipid levels than does insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is thought to be related to the formation of a gel in the gastrointestinal tract. This gel slows stomach emptying and the movement of food in the upper digestive tract. The potential glucose lowering of the fiber may be cause by the slower rate of glucose absorption from the foods that contain soluble fibers. Insoluble fiber is found in whole grain breads and cereals and in some vegetables. This type of fiber plays more roles in increasing stool bulk and preventing constipation.

One risk involving the increase of fiber intake is that it may require adjustment of insulin dosage or oral anti diabetic agents to prevent hypoglycemia. If fiber is added or increase in the meal plan, it should be done gradually and with the actual consultation with a dietitian.

Misleading Labels
Food labeled as "sugarless" or "sugar-free" may still provide calories equal to the equivalent sugar-containing products if they are made with nutritive sweeteners. Hence, for weight loss, these products may not always be useful. Additionally, you must 'not' consider them as "free" to be eaten in unlimited quantity because they may elevate your blood sugar. Foods labeled "dietetic" are not necessarily reduced calorie foods. They may be lower in sodium or have other special dietary uses. They may still contain significant amounts of sugar or fats. Snack foods with labels like "Health Foods" may often contain carbohydrates like honey, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Additionally, these supposedly healthy snacks frequently has saturated vegetable fats, hydrogenated vegetable fats or animal fats which may be contraindicated if you have elevated blood lipids level.

So read the nutritional labels carefully to count the nutrients that your food contains...

Sweeteners
Using sweeteners can be acceptable for the diabetic people especially if it assists their overall dietary adherence. Moderation in the amount of sweetener used is encouraged to avoid potential adverse effect. There are two main types of sweeteners: nutritive and non-nutritive. The nutritive sweeteners contain calories and non-nutritive sweeteners have few or no calories in the amounts normally used.

Nutritive sweeteners include fructose (fruit sugar), sorbitol and xylitol. They are not calorie free; they provide calorie in amounts similar to those in sucrose (table sugar). They cause less elevation in blood sugar levels than sucrose and are often in "sugar-free" foods. Sweeteners containing sorbitol may have a laxative effect. Non-nutritive sweeteners have minimal or no calories. They are used in food products and are also available for table use. They produce minimal or no elevation in glucose level. Saccharin contains no calories. Aspartame (Nutra Sweet) is package with dextrose; it contains 4 calories per packet and losses sweetness with heat. Acesulfame-K (Sunnette) is also package with dextrose; it contains 1 calorie per packet. Sucralose (Splenda) is a newer non-nutritive, high intensity sweetener that is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. The Food and Drug administration has approved it for use in baked goods, non alcoholic beverages, chewing gums, coffee, confections, frosting and frozen dairy products.

For more Diabetic tips, feel free to visit http://www.mysweetawareness.com

Article Source: Diabetic Nutrition - Meal Planning In Action

14 Weight Loss Tips for Type 2 Diabetes

14 Weight Loss Tips for Type 2 Diabetes

By Ann Pryam Bagongon

To loss weight actively is considered to be a hard time unless if you are getting use to the gym life then only a minimal push through is needed for compliance in the program. But if you're not, or never been to a workout plans in your whole life then you better get some compelling reasons to do so here. Going to the gym for the right ground is not forceful but it's a graceful move of saying "Yes, I still want to live healthy", or "Yes, I want to feel great about myself", in spite of diabetes. Once you got an illness that you have to go through in a lifetime, it requires an invisible drug called "self-accountability". Self-accountability means you own the responsibility of taking good care of yourself for the sake of many noble reasons. What is good about this is, simply, you are in control of what is going on with your time and can deliberately choose where efforts will be spent. In the most part, you can easily distinguish if you are exactly doing the important things that help you progress and does it gives you fulfillment? Are you happy at the end of the day?

Weight loss Fitness for Type 2 Diabetes
Weight loss for type 2 diabetes is like a goldmine idea but thinking about the efforts of going towards the ultimate goal of weight loss makes you slouch your back. Asking yourself, "Can I do it? Really.", "Am I going to look funny in the gym?". If all these speculations are right, then of course, you can do it. Being confuse about doing it or not is an opportunity. Making a choice of enrolling yourself is already a half chance of losing weight and making a baby steps of pulling and pushing yourself to the gym or in a workout area in your community is already a bit by bit of accomplishment. Make a choice first before asking your partner about your workout plans. Might as well, he/she will join you in your journey, and that would be fun. Carrying yourself to walk in the park each morning or jog for a while in the street doesn't just happen without a choice, and so make your choice to be fit now.

On the other hand, wherein a thought of exercise will just keep you jolting yourself with indecision, take note of what will happen to you along the way with diabetes. Have it come across your mind when your doctor just confirmed to you that you have Diabetes type 2. Right on that moment, the reality is just about to be unfold to you. If you think that it is just a joke, then it is not. Bear in mind to take life seriously although there might be sometimes wherein you make mistakes in the past but diabetes type 2 can put you down if you let it. However, the good news is, you have all the right thoughts to condition your mind so that your disease will not defeat you. The matter of fact is, you and only you can save yourself to prevail from your illness. Diabetes type 2 is like a partner that will guide you to execute your exercise plan in your program and get fit because it is necessary.

The 14 tips for a type 2 Diabetes to stick with exercise and lose weight:

Ask your doctor to make an evaluation prior to enrolling to an exercise program. He might need to check your laboratory results before advising you.

Take the baby steps first. It all starts with preparing your shoes, bag, diabetic kits (e.g gluco-meter),sugar-free candy, jelly beans, and diabetic snacks a night before going to exercise in the morning. Be sure to check your sugar before going for exercise and never skip meals and insulin doses.

Check your blood sugar 30 minutes before exercise and 30 minutes after exercise. Beware of the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia like tingling sensation, weakness and confusion. If this will occur, stop the exercise and take some snacks.

Do not start the exercise if your blood glucose is equal and above 250mg/dL or equal or below 100mg/dL. Eat first before commencing your exercise at the baseline of 100mg/dL while have yourself a check up if it is above 250mg/dL beyond 2 hours after eating your meals.

Set the bar low. You have to begin with a warm up to moderate exercise then to the extreme level as tolerated. You can hit the streets for a walk or go to the gym 2 to 3 times per week for the first month and then you can eventually set your own standard higher.

Bring a partner, if possible. There are times wherein you have to walk alone without someone with you but if there might chances that a friend can join you, so why not? That would be enjoyable. A friend can also cause you to go for exercise because he/she is simply waiting for you there. It's so easy to absent but with a friend, you need to catch up on him. Working out with a friend will also make you to stay in the gym in a longer period.

Talk less do more. Stay focus with your exercise to wholly move your body and absorb energy in every step in your workout program. Inform people about your accomplishment only when they ask about it.

Track your workout achievements. You can write something about your exercise achievement in your journal or you may use an app to check how many steps you made while walking or running and how many calories you have burned.

Make your workout moments fun. Enjoy your body as it does something for you to get you a good shape. Entertain yourself by looking forward to the rewards that you will get from your workout. Imagine, walking, running, weight lifting for a few minutes will burn your fats out and will use your excess calories. Just make sure that you won't burn out your body.

Stack a playlist song. Music is life and it will fire you up when the beat is just right for you. Sometimes, listening about your favorite audio books during exercise will make you absorb information that you need and gives you more strength to finish your exercise period.

Set a small sustainable and achievable goal. It's like aiming for 3 kilograms deduction from your present weight after a month or two. Be careful when conducting an extreme workout. Take into account that a small goal achievement matters especially when you accomplish it. It will boost your confidence to the next level.

Make an agreement with your love ones. You can involve your kids, husband/wife, partner and brothers in this arena. In some point, they can help you maintain the workout by their supports. There might be times wherein you need their help to take over some responsibilities so you can work out.

Plan your workout schedules. If you want to exercise 3 to 4 times a week then start organizing and plotting it through your calendar, or planner. This method will help you visualize a long-term goal and complete them. Picturing your success in your mind will keep you up, carry on and get use to your routine exercise schedules.

Reward yourself. Hang-out with your friends or buy a new pants or shirt. You may also eat an indicated amount of your favorite food, but not too much. Or else, you know what will happen when you celebrate too much.
Don't forget to wear the right shoes during exercise!...

For more Diabetic tips you can check out http://www.mysweetawareness.com. I hope this will help you. Take care!

Article Source: 14 Weight Loss Tips for Type 2 Diabetes

Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care

Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care

By Ann Pryam Bagongon

Self-esteem is a complete realization and expression of your self-worth. It's how you view yourself and it reflects your own attitude towards others. It can be your "self-image" beliefs, emotional state, and "self-worth" or "self-concept" that mirrors positivism or negativism. The world echos your self-respect. This is vitally important in the aspect of self-care because of the following:

Your compliance to treatment depends on your self-worth

It helps you manage your emotional state especially when you are just newly diagnosed

You will seek solid educational foundation regarding Diabetes for the long-term management

You will adhere to the dos' and don'ts' to prevent the dreadful consequences of diabetes

You will make time for the people who matters to you like your family or significant others

You will become skillful in taking good care of yourself because you find happiness on this effort and you fell in love with life

You look forward to thrive more and diabetes is not a hindrance to your growth.

It helps you understand yourself, your disease and your environment

Why Self-esteem is important in diabetes self-management?
Diabetes Mellitus is a life-long disease wherein its complications are merely preventable. In the previous discussion, the integral goal of diabetes management is as much as possible to normalize the glucose along with heartfelt obedience to diet, exercise and anti diabetic drugs. This is to say that, once you have diabetes, it will be a lifetime requirement to take a special care of yourself as part of the diabetic population and it's not bad thing, because it will keep you conscious all the time to supervise your own self. It's like you just become a CEO or Chief Executive Officer of your own life. Do you know the job of a CEO? He look forward to the survival of his company 10 or more years from now. So, it's what you are just about to do with your own life and time. You keep learning the ways of healthy living and even shake off the others because of your adherence to your regimen. Hence, others will turn their head on you for the right and wrong reason but it doesn't matter because happiness is already inside you and not in their hands.

Self-image is has an immense effect on you. Self-image can be positive or negative and it molds your self-worth. A negative self-image happens when you fuel your life with ideas according to the opinions of others. Actually, this is inevitable, because people were raised by parents, and were brought into an environment that nobody can choose to be. Some were born poor in a slum area and some were born rich but overall, the impact that were brought into the world by each person depends on how they react to different stimulus whether it be positive or negative reaction towards their inner self. Lets take an example of a negative self-image from a freshly diagnosed man with diabetes type 2. Of course, he will be amazed and deny it at the moment but eventually it will just sink in. His negative self-image will then put him to shame. That would be for the following reasons: 1. He is thinking that his family might be worry about him because he has diabetes and diabetes is a sign of weakness/illness/debilitating disease; 2. His friends will undermine him more because he is sick; 3. He cannot give up his reckless lifestyle in terms of food choices and alcohol; 4. People might consider him helpless; or 5. He prioritize his family and disregards himself and so he acted as if nothing happens (prolonged denial). In an ample span of time when diabetes will be left unattended it will get worse. Diabetes will always let your body know that it exist at any given time. Remember that this is chronic and even prediabetes  stage can lead to type 2 diabetes when ignored. Once the distressing complication appears it might be too late to apologize to your body or either turn back the hands of time. Bear in mind that, a disease is will never hamper your life routines and things to do, only your self-imposed limitation and unconditioned mindset.

Talking about the positive self-image of a recently diagnosed man with type 2 diabetes, denial is expected in a few minutes, hours and for a few days but in those times, he is trying to get to know his disease. After researching about it and admitting it to himself, he will then talk to his significant others. After then, he asks for instructions on how to take good care of himself and what are the things that needs to be done in order to keep himself on the track of life, like he can function well in work and decided to stay healthy as much as possible. He knows the contributing factors that would lead to an increase of his blood sugar level and follows the check up schedules with his physician. He spares time for a moderate walking exercise with his wife, or girlfriend and manages his diet although he cheats at times but not excessively.

Positive Self-esteem or self-worth will help you survive whatever it is along the way that will challenge you whether it be a disease or other problems. Living life with diabetes is a turning point wherein it calls you to change your old ways to improve your life more. If you do not do anything about it then it will not bother disturbing you anytime, and anywhere. Loving yourself positively means you don't have any worry about other's flawed opinions because what really matters is you take action to control your life in spite of your disease. In fact, you can still afford to enjoy. Self-confidence is not at stake because you are well assured of your own value in this earth. Regardless of your situation, loving, living and believing in yourself and others is your ultimate hobbies.

How to enhance your self-esteem?
Nothing is more important in your everyday journey than how you feel about yourself. How you deal with your relationships starts in your inner self. Life gets simple, happier and stable when you have high self-esteem. Validation from others is not your thing anymore because you have a strong sense of self-reliance. Now, here are tips on how to increase your self-esteem.

Stop your inner sabotage or just put an end/period about criticizing yourself. This method is not helpful for you. Instead, approach yourself through positive self-talk with a solution focus conversation. It's like "No, I should stop eating more carbohydrates because for sure my sugar will shoot up later", then make a constructive planning like "I can try to eat a little of vegetable salad then I'll eat more of it if it tastes good". "No, no, no, I am only allowed for 1 slice of cake"
Remind yourself about what you really love to do and recap its importance and benefits. Like your good health, good relationship and wealth goals. As you are aspiring to be a great inspiration to others, your attention will be refocus on your goals instead of breaking them bit by bit.
Congratulate yourself when you did a good job for today. Reward yourself.
Be grateful everyday.
Learn to forgive and move on.
Accept that there are situations wherein it's better to be happy than to be right. Remember, you can never change people. Only people can change themselves.
Perfection is a myth. Practice is the mother of skills. Necessity is brings about inventions/creativity. Love what you do with all your heart.
Failure is a state of mind. You will only become a failure when you quit. Adversity gives you seeds of lessons that will help you hone your talent and growth. Those seeds could be ideas,new plans or revision of approach towards your best interest of challenge.
Be kind. "We rise by lifting others".
Be your own best-friend. Instead of criticizing yourself, ask yourself, "how to be a good friend to me?" Be supportive to yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to others because it's a big insult. You can appreciate the greatness of others but please be reminded that you can do great things too in your own ways.
Spare some time to learn something new. Expand your comfort zone and make it larger than you can ever imagine.
Guard you mind. Be with the people who will help you grow and support you with your chosen field.
Be a master of your own self and know exactly what you want to achieve. This is also an opportunity for you to lead others.
Remind yourself all the time about what you want by feeding your mind with books, and people who will keep you on the track.

You can check out http://www.mysweetawareness.com for more diabetic productivity tips.

Article Source: Self-Esteem: A Booster Dose for Diabetes Self-Care

An Ultimate Guide to Look Young

An Ultimate Guide to Look Young

By Wang Xiang

Struggling with dull looking skin? Well, for most of us, our skin starts to lose its glow as soon as we turn thirty (The number varies depending on your skin care habits). I get it that there are a few factors we cannot control. They include low levels of estrogen, genetics and our natural bone structure. But, there are plenty of other things we can control. As soon you see the tiniest wrinkle, frown line or an age spot, you should immediately start with your skin care regimen. Haven't established a skin care regimen until now? Don't worry, here is an in-depth guide that will help you look young.

1. What goes into your body matters as much as what goes on your skin

As soon as you visit a dermatologist, he/she will advise you to tweak your lifestyle a bit. This is so because you cannot entirely depend on a bunch of creams and lotions to make your skin look young and rejuvenated. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It feeds on nutrients you put inside your body. a nutrient rich diet equals beautiful skin. Here is what you can do:

• Make sure you include a vitamin D supplement in your diet, consult your dermatologist first.

• Consume foods rich in Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Salmon, olive oil, and nuts are a great source of fatty acids. You can also include a supplement in your diet.

• Drink water, 2 liters of water a day will make your skin appear hydrated and flush out all the toxins. So, drink up

• Cut out all the processed and sugary foods. Instead, incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet.

2. Be mindful of the sun exposure

Sun damage is the number 1 cause of skin aging. That's how harmful it is. The UV rays from the sun damage the collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and drooping eyelids. Not only that, but skin pigmentation is also triggered by sun damage. Now, you cannot be a vampire and hide from the sun all your life but here is what you can do:

Use sunscreen every day. Apply sunscreen to your face, neck hands and other exposed parts of your body, 30 minutes before you go out in the sun. If sunscreens are not your thing, you can always use makeup which has sunscreen in it. Foundations, powders and lip balms all have sunscreen in them.

Wear clothing that covers you and adds a layer of protection to your skin.

Avoid going out in the sun during peak hours, use sunglasses and scarves for added protection.

3. Retinoid is your best friend

Retinoid is vitamin A derivative compound that will work wonders for your skin. It speeds up the cell turnover process, makes your skin look radiant and glowing. However, make sure to consult a dermatologist and it can also dry out your skin. Here is how you can use retinoid safely and effectively:

Book an appointment with a dermatologist. This is the first step in the maintenance of a youthful looking skin.

To begin with, use a product that is gentler on your skin and build your way up to stronger products.

Moisturize your skin more than usual as retinoid can sometimes dry out your skin.

Use the retinol creams during the night before going to sleep and use a moisturizer afterward.

4. Pick Hydrating Products

Think of what a child's skin looks like. It glows without being made up. That's what your goal is. Heavy black kohl might be great for when you are twenty but it might be a little too much for when you are 40. Powders can make your wrinkles look more pronounced and prominent. Here is how you can choose makeup to suit your skin:

Grab hydrating foundations and lipsticks. Stay away from powders and stick with liquids and creams.

Highlighters are your best friend. They give your skin a luminosity and glow that you have always wanted. However, stay away from glittery highlighters and stick with subtle ones.

Use lighter lipstick and blush shades. It is better to stick with peaches, pinks and nudes. Avoid anything that is too dark.

Switch your hair color to a lighter one and your look will be completely transformed.

5. Move, move and move some more

Exercise releases endorphins and they make you happy and healthy. I am not suggesting for you eat, sleep and breathe at the gym but simply increase your daily activity level. Take stairs instead of an elevator. Park your car a few blocks away and then walk to the shopping mall. Dance, run or do yoga; whatever your preference is but move your body. Your overall health and skin will thank you.

Dubai Laser Clinic holds its name high in the prestigious laser and cosmetic clinic. We offer multiple skin care services under one roof. Our top notch treatments include Anti Aging Treatment in Abu Dhabi, skin whitening treatment, dark circles treatment, skin rejuvenation treatment and underarm whitening treatment. All our treatments are minimally invasive and will leave you looking your absolute best without extensive downtime. Our aim is to make you look and feel fabulous.

Article Source: An Ultimate Guide to Look Young

Factor Affecting Skin Aging And How To Cure Them

Factor Affecting Skin Aging And How To Cure Them

By Sharon Grogan

Skin is a body part that is exposed to several kinds of harsh forces like the weather, sun or other factors and skin aging is a reality as we all face it. There are several factors that result in skin aging like out diet, lifestyle, obesity, stress and sun exposure, which gives us problems like pigmentation, dark spots, acne or wrinkles. With increasing age, our skin faces several problems as it becomes rough and slack with less elastic tissue and thinning of the surface layer of the skin.

Here are a few factors that affect skin aging:

• Sun damage: UV rays of the sun cause great damage to the skin fibres namely elastin and with these fibres damaged the skin starts sagging or stretching. There are also bruises caused on the skin and there is pigmentation caused due to it. It is important to wear a sunscreen when stepping out in the sun.

• Changes below the skin: with aging the skin on the cheeks, chin, nose or eye area loses fat and results in loosening of the skin. Loosening of skin results in a skeletal appearance and puckering of skin later on.

• Sleep position and facial movement: Many times factors like sleep position and movement of the face can bring out changes in the skin as the skin starts losing elasticity and lines start appearing on the forehead, near the mouth or on the top point of the nose. Problems like droopy eyelids or double chin can also appear due to gravity or obesity.

• Smoking: Individuals that smoke has a tendency of getting more wrinkles as compared to non-smokers.

• Dry skin and itching: in the later age of life, problems like dryness and itching, especially during winters result in the dry skin which causes irritation and problems. If the itchiness augments then eczema is likely to appear.

Treatments for Skin Aging are:

Use sunscreen lotion when stepping out in the sun and get your skin checked by the dermatologist. Keep your skin hydrated at all times for which you must apply lotions and creams and drink plenty of water. Quit smoking and apply homemade tightening masks to soothe wrinkles. However, if the damage is beyond repair you can get the cosmetic treatment from the best clinic in your city. Your skin can get rid of all the problems easily with treatments from the Clinic and you can look like a million bucks after the treatment.

Look Young Clinic in Delhi has the best skin specialist that provide you with treatments like Anti-aging treatments, Botox treatment, Under eye wrinkle treatment, nonsurgical wrinkle treatment, Botox fillers etc.

Article Source: Factor Affecting Skin Aging And How To Cure Them

Type 2 Diabetes - Ten Great Weight Loss Foods For Diabetics

Type 2 Diabetes - Ten Great Weight Loss Foods For Diabetics

By Beverleigh H Piepers

If you are dealing with Type 2 diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight should be one of your top priorities. This is a must if you are going to come out ahead in controlling your blood sugar levels and sustaining a healthy body for the years to come.

Uncertain of which foods will help you reach your weight loss goals? Let us look at some of the best weight loss foods that are also diabetic-friendly...

Egg whites. This 100% pure protein source is high in nutrients and ideal to help you meet your daily protein requirements.

Salmon. Rich in both protein and omega-3 fatty acids, salmon will boost your insulin sensitivity and help assist with the weight loss process. It is slightly higher in calories so serve it in moderation.

Leafy green vegetables. Feel free to eat as many leafy green vegetables as you can. These are low in calories and high in nutrients so will not lead to weight gain. As long as you use low-calorie cooking methods, there is no limit to how many you can eat.

Berries. Have a sweet tooth that will not quit? Try some fresh berries. Berries are loaded with fiber and antioxidants and contain the lowest amount of sugar compared to many fruits.

No matter which berry you choose, you will be doing your health proud.

Popcorn. Popcorn is the next great food to include in your diet plan. If you feel you need a snack, this is a fantastic option. Popcorn is also high in fiber and sugar-free.

Just be sure to opt for a plain variety to avoid the addition of trans fats or sodium.

Lean red meat. Red meat does not have to be removed from your diet plan! You just have to choose a lean variety. Red meat is an excellent source of iron and vitamin B12 both of which are important for fat loss results.

Eat lean meat once or twice a week.

Turkey breast. On the flip side, turkey breast is meat you could be eating daily. If you grow tired of eating chicken, feel free to interchange it with turkey. Just hold the gravy when serving this one up.

Sweet Potatoes. An excellent complex carbohydrate source is the sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and despite having some natural sugar, also tend to help control blood sugar levels.

Serve these with a little fat to help improve absorption of the nutrients.

90% Dark Chocolate. Chocolate can be part of your healthy diet plan! Just make sure it is dark chocolate, and you can eat it guilt-free. One square or so a day is perfectly acceptable on any fat loss program.

Dark chocolate is low in sugar, rich in healthy fats and antioxidants, and also provides some dietary fiber.

Whey Protein Powder. Do not overlook the value of whey protein powder. Whey protein is fast, easy, and convenient. Most people are not getting enough of the protein they need which is why opting for protein powder can be a wise move.

There you have ten great foods to add to your diabetic weight loss menu.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of    available information but in yourself.

Article Source: Type 2 Diabetes - Ten Great Weight Loss Foods For Diabetics

Type 2 Diabetes - What Does the Mother Having Gestational Diabetes Mean to the Child Years Later?

Type 2 Diabetes - What Does the Mother Having Gestational Diabetes Mean to the Child Years Later?

By Beverleigh H Piepers

According to a study performed at the Laval University in Quebec, Canada, children of Gestational diabetic pregnancies have more belly fat than children from a regular pregnancy. The study was reported on in December of 2017 in the journal Clinical Obesity.

A total of 56 children from mothers diagnosed with Gestational diabetes during their pregnancy and 30 from non-diabetic pregnancies, were examined. The average age of the children was 6.6 years. Children of Gestationally diabetic mothers had a higher amount of fat in general and a higher amount of fat around their waist, as well as higher HbA1c levels than children from non-diabetic pregnancies.

Newborns from Gestationally diabetic pregnancies can have macrosomia or obesity at birth. Blood sugar from the mother enters the baby's blood through the placenta and turns to fat, just as it can in an adult. Surprisingly, infants can be born with low blood sugar if they receive too much sugar in the womb. This is because their pancreas, sensing high blood sugar, can make high amounts of insulin. Infants of mothers diagnosed with diabetes during their pregnancy can be born prematurely, with immature lungs. When that happens, they can suffer respiratory distress syndrome, a severe condition that makes it hard for them to breathe.

Gestational diabetes and obesity in mothers are also thought to cause...

1. Neural tube defects -

Anencephaly - the absence of a significant portion of the brain, skull, and scalp that occurs during the early weeks of embryonic development.

Spina bifida - the back bones (vertebrae) do not close entirely, and the baby is born with part of its spinal cord outside his or her body.

2. Hydrocephaly - spinal fluid is unable to drain from the brain to the spinal cord, causing pressure on, and damage to the brain

3. Holoprosencephaly - a severe defect caused by malformation of the face and front of the brain

To prevent developing diabetes during pregnancy, it is essential to achieve and maintain a healthy weight before conception. Gain only the amount of weight recommended by your doctor or midwife, bearing in mind most weight gain should take place during the last three months of pregnancy. Physical activity is helpful for maintaining a healthy weight and for preparing the body for the stress of childbirth.

A healthy body mass index (BMI) ranges between 18.5 to 24.9. To calculate your BMI go to the National Institute of Health (NIH) website and fill your height and weight into the calculator. If your BMI is too high visit your doctor for preconception advice on how to lower your body weight.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of    available information but in yourself.

Article Source: Type 2 Diabetes - What Does the Mother Having Gestational Diabetes Mean to the Child Years Later?

Manage Stress Without Stress

Manage Stress Without Stress

By Nitika Mehra

Stress is an uneasy experience which affects our health in a negative way. The simplest way of coping up with stress would be modifying or removing its source, which is not always possible. However there are some techniques which decrease your stress level significantly. Successful coping with stress is dependent on many factors. A person's perspective of control on the situation, his personality, availability of support from friends and family and social circle are some very important factors which play a crucial role in the moderation of stress. Resilience of a person also makes him more or less susceptible to stress. More resilience, tolerance and optimism are some individual qualities which help a person to handle stress effectively. Under a stressful situation a person can utilize many strategies which focus on taking steps to alleviate or modify stress. Let me explain to you about them.

1. Management of body reactions

When you are stressed your muscles feel tightened and heart rate increases. You can feel tension building up in your body and mind as well. Now here in this condition, relaxing the body may help to a great extent. Do this by the following ways:

a. Exercise: This can range from anything like swimming or running, yoga etc.

b. Meditation: this is a spiritual and scientific way of balancing your intense emotions. Meditation promotes clarity of thoughts and improves concentration and the power to think and act rationally.

2. Modifying effective behavior by the following methods:

a. Slowing down. Try to do things in the natural and relaxed pace. Trying to do things in a hurry and worry makes us make mistakes which in turn increase stress even more.

b. Organize. Set your priorities and manage your schedule so that you can get things done in time with minimal confusion and time lag.

c. Accepting and identifying one's limits and abilities. Set up realistic expectations and goals for self. Don't take too much pressure.

3. Seek Social support. A close and healthy relationship with our friends and family keeps us emotionally stable and happy. Talking and sharing about problems with close ones gives us inner strength and guidance.

4. Practicing mindfulness. Whatever activity you do during the day, may it be work, eating or even drinking a glass of water, do it mindfully. This helps us in refraining from negative and intrusive thoughts and also helps us in completing the activity for maximum benefit.

5. Being Optimistic.

By having a positive outlook towards life, we seek opportunities even in difficulties. It becomes easier to find a way out of difficult phases of life. Along with this acceptance also helps a long way.

6. Revaluating Goals. Many people work so hard to achieve their goals that one day they reach the burnout point and reach to the point of a breakdown. This is not a good thing as we need to be healthy and free enough to reap the benefits of our success. So we need to identify our limits and restructure our expectations and be little gentle on ourselves.

7. So the next time you feel tensed and stressed, remember to take long breaths, count to ten and think about following the above mentioned techniques. Hope they will help!

Stress Management depends on several factors and is not based on one parameter. Hence managing stress involves a diverse set of techniques which if implemented will give significant decrease in present stress levels. I hope this article proves out to be helpful.

Article Source: Manage Stress Without Stress

15 Reasons To Drink Green Smoothies

15 Reasons To Drink Green Smoothies

By Nicole English

Green smoothies have become so popular lately. After making them for nearly a decade, I can certainly vouch for the reasons behind their popularity. While it hasn't always been easy to get my kids to eat other healthy meals, the same can't be said for green smoothies. Besides tasting amazing, they come with the added bonus of packing some equally amazing health benefits. Taking the time to make green smoothies part of your lifestyle is a brilliant investment of your time. Here's just a few reasons why:

15 Reasons to Drink Healthy Green Smoothies

Fast and simple: Blending simple fruits and green vegetables into a smoothie is quick and super-easy. Drink it at home or on-the-go, it's fast food at it's finest.

Get your daily dose: Many people struggle to get the daily recommendations of fruit and vegetables into their diets. It's even more difficult to get some children to eat enough fruit and veg. By blending a couple servings of fruit and veg each day you'll easily meet your requirements.

You'll kids will drink their greens: Instead of going to war with your kids over eating their spinach, put a handful of the green stuff in their fruit smoothies and watch that liquid gold go down smoother than a chocolate milkshake.

Better digestion: There's nothing worse than experiencing indigestion or constipation. Over 70% of all disease begins in the digestion system so give it what it loves - healthy and easily digestible food. The better your digestion works, the better you will feel and live.

Much easier to lose weight: Forget all those 'celebrity' shakes and other meal replacement solutions. Fill your body with nutrient-dense real food because that's exactly want it needs. I guarantee you that once you quit dieting for good and focus on real food, you're weights issue will disappear for good.

Natural Beauty: All those vitamins and mineral being poured into your body will give you gorgeous, radiant skin, hair and nails. See eczema and rosacea radically improve... think skin brighter than fairy lights at the beach!

Brain Power: The more green smoothies you add to your diet, the more vital nutrients you'll be absorbing in order to protect your brain health. You can kiss goodbye to brain fog and say hello to improved focus, memory function and clarity.

Better Sleep: So many people complain of insomnia but by adding a daily green smoothie to you life, you can almost guarantee yourself a more rested night's sleep.

Taste: The good stuff doesn't have to taste gross. Healthy food tastes delicious once you learn to make the perfect smoothie.

Detox: Blending dark greens with sweet fruit is a powerful way to detox. Give your digestion a well- earned rest, by adding kale, spinach and other super greens to your diet.

Stronger Immune System: Getting sick when you have responsibilities such as, a career and or a family to take care of is a major inconvenience. Adding more green smoothies to your family's diet will have really positive impact on their immune system (as well as your own).

Banish Sugar Cravings: The combination of sweet fruit and the minerals contained in green vegetables is perfect for reducing unhealthy cravings. How great will it feel when you finally stop being a slave to processed sugar and fat?

Increased Energy: Replacing some of your unhealthy habits with a daily green smoothie will dramatically improve your energy.

Variety: The amount of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and super-foods available to make delicious green smoothies is almost unlimited.

The Happiness Factor: Green smoothies equals happiness. You'll all the benefits of mood-food - calmness and happy hormone health awaits you.

So there you have it - 15 super-important reasons to make green smoothies a normal part of your lifestyle.

Article Source: 15 Reasons To Drink Green Smoothies

My Brain and I

My Brain and I

By Dr Giora Ram

The chief commander of our central nervous system is the Brain. It contains billions of neurons each connected to other neurons by synapses. They communicate via axons that carry the messages to our body cells. Our brain has unique capabilities to acquire, perceive, process and store information.

Brain researchers are quite familiar and knowledgeable about the operations of individual brain cells, however, they still do not understand the way brain cells cooperate in groups of millions of cells. Some would consider the brain to be as a biological computer, however this assumption and modelling is far from reality and cannot simulate the complexity of the brain.

The basic brain functions such as breathing, regulating heart beats, controlling movement and other basic skills were known to scientific researchers from fossil records first appeared in worms many million years ago. Since then our brain went through evolution processes of acquiring more and more sophisticated functions and unique abilities. These abilities include among others emotional, sexual and fighting behaviors located in newly evolved brain regions.

The brain needs continuous supply of oxygen and glucose for its function. These needs are supplied by the blood system. Our brain needs its nourishments like the rest of our body. That is why we feel at our best mental function after a healthy meal or slow and tired when we don't eat sufficiently on time or eat unhealthy food.

Our brain's primary energy source is carbo fuel. Our body has the capability to convert carbohydrates from food such as oatmeal or brown rice into glucose. Accordingly, we have to generate a daily supply of about 60% of our calories from carbohydrates.

To build neurotransmitters or chemicals that allow brain cells to communicate, our brain needs protein, such as: egg white, seafood or beans. Our body breaks down the protein into amino-acids which affect our cognition and mood, such as dopamine, which help us to be alert. In addition to protein, our brain needs fatty acids, which are generated from Omega-3&6 fatty acids, olive oil and whole grain. Our brain also needs a range of vitamins and minerals such as vitamins B, E, magnesium, calcium and iron. To get those vitamins we have to eat fresh food in various colors.

Brain capacity is unknown. We know that our brain have a lot of storage capacity and processing power, but we don't know how to estimate its actual capacity. A popular assumption is that our brain's capacity is 10 times greater than anybody's estimate.

Our brain consists of trillions of neurons, with a huge number of complex interconnections. What differ from brain-to-brain are the types of neurons and the specific neurochemical interaction among the neurons. It is interesting to note that the structure of clusters of neurons and their specific interconnections may have an effect on one's ability to learn and an influence on speed of understanding and reaction time to intellectual stimulations.

At birth, our brain is very plastic, that is, its capability to process and store sensory information is very high. Neuronal connections are generated, broken and regenerated, which suggests that early educational and environmental stimulations are essential for the child's evolution. This is the critical period of the development of the child's linguistic, cognitive and social abilities. A classical question is whether the infant brain is empty, a tabula rasa, at birth. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (fourth century B.C.E.) was probably the first to introduce the tabula rasa (blank slate) idea. According to the tabula rasa theory, an infant's brain is empty of mental content, which will be acquired later with experience and perception.

Although the 'tools' or the brain cells are already formed at birth, only after gaining experience will we see the generation of neurons' inter-connections. As Aristotle and subsequent supporters of his theory were not privy to recent genetic discoveries, the tabula rasa theory may not be applicable or accepted as a deterministic valid concept. Today it is believed that a child's cerebral cortex is pre-programmed to enable the processing of sensory input, emotions and environmental stimulations.

The author does not support the tabula-rasa theory and he believes that there are genetically transferred data or imprints. Those genetic imprints may have a clear impact and influence on the child's behaviour and even on its brain's ability to process and store information.

In future we could experience direct brain-to-brain transmission similar to telepathy. Telepathy derives from the Greek ('distant experience') and it is a kind of mental transfer from one brain to another. As it is not a clearly reproducible phenomenon, the scientific community has not reached consensus. Telepathy is well accepted, however, albeit largely used in science fiction. As many science fiction scenarios became reality in time, however, the author believes that some brain-to-brain communication will be possible in future. Neuro-imaging is one of the scientific areas where this type of communication is being researched and interesting results are anticipated.

The conclusion is that educational methods must correspond and comply with our brain function and its ability to store information and not on a dogmatic rigorous unified system as exemplified in most schools.

We use the word time directly and indirectly very often in our daily conversation and throughout our lifetime: time is money, time of life, time after time, between times, gain/lose time, good/bad time, slow/fast time, right/wrong time, before/after time, present time, past time, real time, on time, in no time, kill time, any time, every time, plenty of time, timeless, time limit, time cycle, time cures and time flies... Time is depicted by artists in various ways, among them the famous 'melting clocks' by Dali. We can distinguish between pure time, relative time and absolute time.

Time measurement is the unit of time to which all time measuring devices ultimate refer.

Time is a point at or a period in which things happen, a repeated instance of anything or a reference to repetition, the state of things at any period.

Space is that part of the boundless four-dimensional continuum in which matter is physically rather than temporally extended.

Relativity recognizes the impossibility of determining absolute motion and leads to the concept of a four-dimensional space-time continuum.

The special theory of relativity, which is limited to the description of events as they appear to observers in a state of uniform motion relative to one another, is developed from two axioms:

1. The law of natural phenomena is the same for all observers.

2. The velocity of light is the same for all observers irrespective of their own velocity.

Space and time in the modern view are welded together in a four-dimensional space-time continuum. There is no clear distinction between a three-dimensional space and an independent time.

Time means different things to different 'observers'. This may not agree with the axioms (on which the special relativity theory is based) described earlier, at least not from a psycho-philosophical point of view. These 'observers' may include: people (humans), animals, plants, clocks and other beings outside our time universe. Time seems to be different for different people: age, education, origin, mental stage and religion may all have an effect.

Time appears 'slow' when we are young and 'fast' as we grow older. Time seems to be passing faster when we are enjoying ourselves or when we are busy, as opposed to when we are bored or idle. The description of time-related events in the history of humankind differs in different cultures. Time is different for animals and plants as we can see from their lifecycles, behaviour and responses which are not what we might expect.

Clocks and other similar instruments measure time and tend to be almost identical in terms of information about it. This is to be expected as we designed them all for the purpose of measuring time defined to be consistent within our universe.

Time seems to be continuous, but is it?

We divided our earth year into subsets in different units: months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Scientists continued the division into one thousandths of a second or millisecond, a nanosecond, which is one thousand millionths of a second, and a Pico second, which is one million millionth of a second (one and 12 zeros).

Time is continuous with respect to our universe and within it, and it is relative to our observations. When we observe a moving object between two points we 'see' it travelling all the distance between the two points, so we assume that this continuity of observation means that time is continuous. This may not be the case, however, if we perform our observation in another galaxy or in another dimension, where these rules are not necessarily valid. In the digital domain, as opposed to the analogue domain, we may observe the same continuity of moving objects. The time is digitized, however, and between two consecutive time points there is a gap of a certain fraction of a time unit, equivalent to the sampling resolution, where 'anything might happen'.

For other creatures these time gaps may represent their entire lifecycle, or we may be living within our time with another life form, whose time resolution fits with our 'dead times', which are our time gaps. Television is viewed as continuous moving pictures, whereas actually it comprises discrete individual pictures, projected at thirty frames (or more) or pictures per second.

Time can be measured, viewed and evaluated. The observer's tools for the evaluation of time are his/her senses. Unfortunately, senses can be fooled. Strobe light projected onto a rotating disk will generate the illusion of a still disk. Are our other observations wrong or at least inaccurate, then, particularly if we are a small subpart or subspace of a much larger and more complex galaxy?

In the laboratory, we have successfully accelerated and slowed down certain processes, such as chemical or other natural processes. These experiments offered the possibility to control processes which were functions of time. Certain processes were successfully reversed to what they were before, indicating 'pseudo going back in time', which is not really going back in time, but it looks like it.

The introduction of computers generated a revolution in time-related processes and enabled not only the observation of past and present time-related phenomena, but also predictive processes, which are future time-dependent scenarios.

Time affects our entire lifecycle, our birth, our life and death. Our heart beats almost once every second and our inner biological clock operates throughout our life. If we overturn this clock by flying to another time zone, our body suffers a phenomenon known as jet lag and it takes some time to adapt to its new condition. Time affects most of the processes and phenomena on earth, some faster and some slower. If there are time-independent phenomena or a phenomenon that until today has seemed to be unaffected by time, then these scenarios must be classified as 'past, present and probable future'.

According to Einstein, time is more like a river, flowing around stars and galaxies, speeding up and slowing down as it passes massive bodies. One 'second' on the earth is not one second on Mars. All materials, including all known life forms and other mass owned celestial bodies are time-dependent.

The above mentioned time related scientific explanations are somewhat contradicted when we analyse the time related relationship between Brain and I, or more precisely the Brain-Time.

External and internal time measurement in relative to our brain is not the same time. The brain's external time is equivalent to the standard time as mentioned above and it is the same to all. However, the internal time measurement is much more complex, especially because it's individual.

When we sleep and dream, our individual internal perception of time is not correlated to the external time. We all experienced dreams that may be perceived as hours and more while in reality or externally it took minutes or less.

Sleep is essential for our brain. We spend about thirty percent of our life in sleep. Our survival and quality of life depends on adequate and qualitative sleep. Our daily responses and concentration during our diverse activities are dependent on our sleep. When we analyse patients with sleep disorders in sleep-labs, we observe the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) which correspond to brain activities during deep sleep and related to dreams. In general REM sleep starts after about an hour and half after falling asleep. Most of our dreams occur during this phase of sleep. We all dream and it takes actually about two hours per night. For us individually the time may take much more than that. The most vivid and real dreams we experience during the REM sleep.

During our lifetime the brain may be exposed to many diseases. It has been known for years that Alzheimer's starts in a brain region known as the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC). This region of the brain is considered to be a major factor responsible of our long-term memory. Alzheimer may spread from the LEC to other areas of the cerebral cortex, a brain region involved in spatial orientation and navigation.

We humans have not only consciousness, we also have self-awareness. The major difference is that consciousness is awareness of our body and our environment, while self-awareness is the recognition of that consciousness. In other words, not only we understand that we exist, but we comprehend that we are aware of our existence. To be conscious is to think; to be self-aware is to realize that we are thinking. Self-awareness is awareness of me-the "I", my thoughts and feelings.

Now imagine that the brain is not an organ. Imagine that we are two beings one is our original brain and the other is "us" with our self-awareness ability and we are communicating with each other.

I'll switch the previous scientific language into our human common and easy to understand language using metaphors to clarify the issues discussed.

Dialogue recording between the two entities "Brain and I":

Brain: I have needs, feed me with sugar

Brain: Remember that for every action there will be a reaction (remuneration)

I: OK, I will eat chocolate

Brain: Thanks, here is your dopamine (remuneration)

I: Wow! that feels great, I'll eat more.

Brain: Don't exaggerate, I don't need so much.

At this stage and during similar communications between the brain and I, if I will ignore or will not understand the brain's messages, the result may be sickness, such as diabetes.

Brain: If you don't use it you lose it

I: What do you mean?

Brain: Area "A" in your left hemisphere is rarely used. You must start using it otherwise the probability to get Alzheimer is increasing in that area that didn't receive its necessary supply of nourishments.

I: What should I do?

Brain: Start solving crosswords, puzzles and brain teasers

The brain wants I to be cooperative in satisfying its needs, therefore, it releases dopamine during sex as a reward. Sex can act like an antidepressant and even as pain reliever. Time during sex may seem to be different than the real time.

Recent studies using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain scans of patients during pain stimuli showed different brain responses between men and women. Several areas of male and female brains responded differently to the same pain stimuli. Female's brain showed more activity in emotion related centers where males responded in the cognitive or analytical regions. Those differences may relate to our evolution process and the different social tasks of males and females.

I(male): She is very sexy

Brain(male): Yes she is, so what are you going to do about it?

I(male): I want to make love to her, all the time, it makes me feel good

Brain(male): OK, but be careful not to get addictive to sex.

I(female): He is nice

Brain(female): He might be a good husband and father.

I(female): Yes, it will make me feel happy.

Brain and I dialogue during certain medication.

Brain: You are sick but I'll take care of you.

I: It's OK, I'll take my medication.

Brain: No need I'll send the troops to cure you.

I: I will take the pill anyway.

Brain: OK, I am instructing the troops to withdraw; it's your responsibility now.

In many occasions we can cure ourselves without the need of medication intervention. In certain cases medication may interfere with our normal immune system or self-healing.

I: I am tired and I want to sleep

Brain: Only after I solve the problem you gave me

I: No, it can wait for tomorrow

Brain: OK

Certain brains will continue "working" and they will disturb us, namely, "I" during sleep, which we both need. Our brain relentlessly will continue to search for problem solving and it may awaken us during the night.

A common phenomenon is that when one half of a couple that has been together for a long time dies, the other also dies shortly afterwards. The usual, romantic, explanation is that they loved each other so much that they could not live without each other. He or she died from a 'broken heart', 'could not live alone', 'was dependent on their spouse'.

Is there a correlation between the death of one spouse and the subsequent death of the other shortly afterwards?

The hypothesis is that the desire to live may have a certain effect on the immune system. The brain that is in control of our body may have a shut-down mechanism, which is activated in certain cases. Those cases are similar to fatal accidents or certain illnesses, where the brain knows that it will not be able to cope. This mechanism may control 'suicide cells'. In recent years, suicide cells or what scientists define as programmed cell death (PCD) has formed the basis for ongoing biogenetic research. PCD is the death of a cell which is mediated by an intracellular programme.

There are three major types of PCDs. Type I cell death is called apoptosis. Type II is autophagic and Type III is necrotic cell-death. Cells can be killed by injurious agents or be instructed to commit suicide. If there is a threat to the integrity of an organism by certain cells, PCD is needed to destroy those cells. Typical examples of such cases are: cells that are infected by viruses, DNA damage, cells of the immune system and cancer cells. In certain types of cancer cells apoptosis is triggered by radiation or chemicals used for therapy.

What makes a cell decide to commit suicide?

The author believes that it is the imbalance between positive and negative signals sent by the brain. If there is a lack of the positive signals (no desire to live) needed for survival and/or negative signals are sent meaning 'no desire to continue to live', the shut-down mechanism may be activated.

There have been numerous reports of cases where patients recovered miraculously after clearly being diagnosed with cancer. This phenomenon may be explained by the activation of the PCD mechanism by 'desire to live' positive signals. In some cases, viruses that are associated with cancers may use tricks, like producing a protein that inactivates the apoptosis signal. In such cases the cancer cells will not only continue to live and proliferate, but they will become more resistant to apoptosis. Further understanding of those tricks and decoy molecules generated to protect cancer cells would enable researchers to reactivate and overcome those protective tricks in order to destroy dangerous cancer cells.

The author also believes that future research on destroying and removing cancerous cells might be implemented in two phases. The first phase would be to distinguish, mark and identify cancerous cells. In phase two the target would be to activate suicide cells in the selected area or group of cells and bypass the existing protection of the cancer cells. Strong psychological and family support is essential for such a recovery. In addition, the patient must believe in and hope for a healthy and bright future.

I: There is no sense to continue struggling in this life.

Brain: You must change this negative attitude.

I: I can't do it; actually I don't want to continue living

Brain: Should I activate your self-destruction or PCD procedure?

I: Shut it down...

Our brain is constantly sending signals to our body organs and cells, sometimes the signals are needed for our daily functionality, cell repairs and warnings. If we fail to understand those warning signals or we ignore them, it may lead to certain diseases, addictions and even death.

This schizophrenic/symbiotic individual dialogue between "my brain and I" is essential for our brain's healthy survival. The more "I" understands the brain's requests/messages the higher the probability that the brain will operate properly and simultaneously will satisfy the needs of "I" as well.

Dr. Giora Ram has published many scientific and philosophical articles and he is the author of eleven books:
  https://www.amazon.com/Giora-Ram/e/B004FIUS0U

Article Source: My Brain and I

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