Suffering

WHAT IS HYPOGLYCEMIA?
Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. This can be caused by a sudden rise in glucose in the blood due to sweets and other sweeteners. This then leads to a sudden drop once the sweets or sweeteners are no longer in the blood system. Too much insulin released into the blood system can also cause it. Diabetes on the other hand is just the opposite and is an abnormally high level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
Learn more about hypoglycemia
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN EXACTLY?
When someone is suffering from a hypoglycemic attack, the glucose level in the body is too low to effectively fuel the body's blood cells. Since all the cells of the body, especially the brain cells, use glucose for fuel, a blood glucose level that is too low starves the cells of needed fuel, causing both physical and emotional symptoms.
The normal range of blood sugar is approximately 60 to 120 mg/dl (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood). When the level is below 45 mg/dl, a serious condition is suspected.
Hypoglycemia may be a condition by itself, or may be a complication of diabetes or other disorders. It is most often seen as a complication of diabetes (due to the fact that many doctors don't recognize hypoglycemia without diabetes as true illness), which is sometimes referred to as insulin reaction.
SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA
The following are the most common symptoms of hypoglycemia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. In most cases, the symptoms will go away once you eat (especially if you eat sweets). Eating sweets however is not the best way to deal with hypoglycemia.
THESE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE (but are not limited to):
· Headaches
· Dizziness
· Uncontrollable cravings
· Inner trembling
· Body feels weakv
· Fatigue
· Sudden moodiness or behavior changes, such as crying for no apparent reason
· A craving for sweets
· Cold hands and feet
· Forgetfulness
· Blurred vision
· Irritability
· Shakiness
· Sudden hunger
· Crying spells
· Insomnia
· Mental Confusion
· Nervousness
· Faintness
· Depression
· Heart Palpitations
· Family history of low blood sugar or diabetes
· Exhaustion
· Low libido (sex drive)
· Inability to concentrate
· Waking up tired and exhausted
· Indecisiveness
· PMS or premenstrual syndrome
AM I HYPOGLYCEMIC?
How do you know if you are hypoglycemic or not? Is there anyway to test to see if you are?
What amazes me is that the answer is no. There is no standard way to test for hypoglycemia (although a small amount of doctors use a glucose test).
According to recent research, it is estimated that there are close to 100 million people in the United Sates alone that are suffering from hypoglycemia and many of them don't know it. With that many possible cases, wouldn't you think that they'd come up with a way to test for the disease?
If you are suffering from any or many of the symptoms listed above, yes, you COULD be hypoglycemic.
You should consult your doctor to rule out any other possible diseases, but don't allow the doctor to take over. You must be proactive in your approach and go with your gut feeling if the doctors tell you that you're fine.

Super Bowl Harbinger of Problem Drinking

17.6 million American adults are either alcohol dependent or
abuse alcohol. According to the recently released 2001-2002
National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related
Conditions, alcohol dependence - particularly among men -
has decreased; however, rates of alcohol abuse have
increased.
Super Bowl Sunday has long been associated with over
consumption of alcohol and the problems of alcohol abuse.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving has compiled statistics for
Super Bowl day alcohol related driving fatalities every year since 1999. These statistics show that an average Super Bowl
Sundays see 55.4% increase in alcohol related traffic
fatalities over other days of the year.
Part of the problem may be that imbibing alcohol is
encouraged during the Super Bowl. Nearly 20% of the
commercials, 10 out of 58, aired during Super Bowl XXXIX
will advertise Anheuser-Busch products. Last year
Anheuser-Busch's commercials were among both the most
controversial and popular.
Also promoting Super Bowl alcohol consumption, About.com's
football writer James Alder, whose goal is to, "provide you with all the necessary resources every serious football fan needs...," offers Super Bowl party recipes for alcoholic Jello shots, including instructions in how to make them stronger.
SOBERnet, a website on alcohol abuse and alcoholim, offers
an alternative recipe for a successful Super Bowl party at
Serve alternative nonalcoholic drinks. Have a key check, and don't let party goers drive drunk. Provide transportation via a designated non-drinking driver or taxi. Plan post game activities, as only time can help someone sober up.
And, don't drink and drive.

Importance of Clean Water

Have you ever considered the importance of water?

Did you know that water accounts for over 70% of your body? We are comprised mostly of water. And further more, our blood mineral content is strikingly similar to salt water.

A healthy water intake can help us in many ways.

- You can think better. A fully hydrated brain actually works better.

- Strength increases. Did you know that your muscles work better when your body is fully hydrated?

- Immunity - even your immune system can function better.

- Flush junk out of your system. A fully hydrated body is better at getting rid of the things it DOESN'T need.

- You'd be amazed at how much more energy you can have when you drink adequate amounts of water.

There are just so many good reasons to take in a good and adequate supply of water. Needless to say, you can probably see why it is important to have clean water.

Advice from experts vary but it is generally agreed that the average person probably needs to take in 2 liters of water per day. Check with your physician before changing your intake though.

Once I worked for a company that sold water filters. One of their products was a 'whole house filter'. The interesting thing about this filter was that it had a clear area where you could see what was trapped in the filter.

Um, I hope you are ready for this. Municipal water supplies rely on recycled water. Many people know this but don't want to think about it.

What this means is that all of your waste water, i.e., when you flush the toilet, goes back into the system. It is 'filtered' and 'treated' and may just come right back at you in the form of a glass of water out of your tap. Not to be too gross here, but this is a fact of life. And you should be aware of it.

What was found in that 'see through' filter mentioned above was little flaky white particles that looked suspiciously like toilet paper.

Now, no chemical analysis was done to validate this and who knows what I was really seeing there. But, never-the-less it made me think about my drinking water.

I use a filter for the water I drink now and I love it. I cook with filtered water too. Drinking clean filtered water is really great. The taste, or actually the lack of taste, because clean water doesn't have taste or odor, can be quite a dramatic contrast to what you might be used to.

Not all filters are created equal. Some take out lead and heavy metals, some just filter for taste. So you really have to do a little research and make sure you are getting a filter that is right for you, one that will fulfill your needs.

Constipation Affects Your Colon and Health

Seventy percent or more of the population struggles with constipation. Some believe the number is even higher, 80- 90%. The market for laxatives is now approaching 1 billion each year. It appears that constipation is an issue that most of us have to deal with at one time or the other. Using natural means to clear constipation is what this e-book is all about.
I believe that to have good health we need to use mostly foods and supplements that are free of additives and food enhancers that are harmful to the body. We need to eat the right foods and watch how we prepare them so we can digest and absorb them without creating or leaving residues that get turned into toxic matter in our colon.
The first question that a nutritionist or any other health practitioner should ask you on your first visit is, "how many bowel movements do you have each day or each week?"
If you visit a doctor, your colon is the last area they discuss with you. And perhaps, this is an area they may never discuss with you at all.
In his article, The Bowel is an Ecosystem, in Healthy & Natural Journal, April 1997, Majid Ali, M.D. recounts,
"When I returned to the clinical practice of environmental and nutritional medicine after years of pathology work, I began carefully testing the assertions of nutritionists, naturopaths and clinical ecologist who claimed that various types of colitis [a deterioration of your colon wall] could be reversed with optimal nutritional and ecologic approaches. To my great surprise, I found that such professionals, who are usually spurned by drug doctors, were right after all. My patients responded well to the unscientific therapies vehemently rejected by my colleagues in drug medicine."
Without good regular bowel movements and colon function, you will create various illnesses, colon discomforts, and diseases - including constipation.
By concentrating on eliminating constipation and preserving colon health, you can take a major step in preventing many body conditions and illnesses that can shorten your life or make your senior years a miserable time.
As with so many past health practitioners, I believe your colon is so important that any improvement you can make in your colon's health will help you avert many unnecessary illnesses and suffering. If you make only one effort in improving your health, it should be towards creating a clean and healthy colon.
Heart attacks, cancers, senility, pathogenic organisms and so on cause most deaths that occur in the US and throughout the world. There are few deaths related to natural causes or old age.
Your colon provides nutrients and water to all parts of the body. So, when a specific organ has degenerated it is important to see what part colon toxins have played in this degeneration.
If your colon is toxic, the blood will also be toxic. If your colon is toxic, these toxins will gradually reach all parts of your body through the blood and lymph liquid. The result is the body and various organs affected will become less efficient. Overtime this decreased efficiency will cause the body will become diseased and you will lose your good health.

Keep a Sharp Mind as You Age

As we go through life, we all hope we can maintain good physical and mental health as long as possible. There is not much pleasure in living a long life if our final years are spent in pain and if we lose our ability to think and remember. As much as we may dread suffering physical pain and illness in old age, many of us fear even more the possibility that we might lose our mental capacities and end up completely helpless in a nursing home.

Often the first hint that our memory is starting to lose its sharpness happens around the fifth decade of life. As people enter their middle years, they start to notice more and more frequent lapses of memory, particularly their short-term memory. They may enter a room to do something, and forget what it is. They may be unable to recall the name of someone who used to live next door. And they may start to worry that their forgetfulness is more than just a harmless incident, they worry that it might be the first hint of something far more sinister--perhaps the onset of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's is the name given to a very serious brain disease in which the brain cells are killed by microscopic plaques and tangled fibers. The parts of the brain needed to form and access recent memories are usually destroyed first. Brain cell destruction spreads to other parts of the brain, causing a loss of function, and eventually death follows.

At present there is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease. Scientists are racing to learn the cause, or causes of Alzheimer's, and to find a way to stop the destruction of the brain once it starts. As baby boomers age, millions of them will be at risk for acquiring Alzheimer's and other serious brain diseases.

Alzheimer's disease is not the only cause of loss of brain function in elderly persons. There are many other causes that can lead to a diminishment of mental capacity or to outright dementia in later years.

Fortunately, you can learn what the risk factors are which are associated with a higher likelihood of developing problems, and you can take steps to counteract them.

And the good news is: you don't need to make a choice between looking after your heart, or looking after your brain. In many cases, what's good for the heart will benefit the brain as well.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor in developing dementia. Not only does high blood pressure damage brain cells directly, but it also increases the risk of stroke, which will lead to the permanent destruction of brain cells. To prevent strokes, have your blood pressure checked regularly, and if your blood pressure is too high, work with your doctor to bring it down to a safe level.

Diabetics are at particularly high risk for developing dementia. If you are diabetic, it is very important to get your blood sugar levels under control.

If you want to protect your brain for the long term, avoid excess alcohol consumption. Long term consumption of more than two alcoholic drinks a day can directly damage brain cells, as well as deplete the body of important nutrients it requires to function, particularly Vitamin B1 (thiamin).

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people suffer brain injuries occur as a result of automobile accidents. Many of these traumas could be prevented or reduced by slowing down while driving, and by wearing a seat belt.

We know that some senior citizens are able to live into their eighties and nineties with their minds sharp and their bodies still spry. Will we be among the lucky ones? Is it just a matter of random luck? Is losing our mental powers as we age inevitable?

The good news is that statistically the odds are on your side. Most people are able to keep their thinking clear as they age unless they develop Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, or diabetes. As long as the brain itself remains healthy, older people can preserve their ability to learn, to think and remember, although it may take them longer to process their thoughts than it used to. And in some forms of mental skills, seniors are actually able to outperform much younger people!

By studying the health habits of senior citizens who have reached old age with their minds and bodies intact, scientists have discovered some of the factors that seem to be associated with better mental functioning in old age.

Based on these studies, scientists believe that some of the factors that influence whether or not you stay mentally healthy in your later years are actually under your control.

There is some evidence that people who have a diet high in antioxidants have lower rates of getting Alzheimer's. Fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly those that have strong, bright colors, tend to be high in protective antioxidants that help repair damage to the body's cells caused by harmful chemicals called free radicals.

People who consume greater levels of cold water fish such as salmon, tend to have lower rates of Alzheimer's disease. There are also vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements that seem to have a protective effect on the brain. Higher intakes of Folic acid are associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

People who continue learning, who keep on reading, writing, and acquiring new skills tend to be sharper in their mental skills as they age. Scientists think that perhaps learning new things helps brain cells make more connections.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of those who manage to reach their later years with both their bodies and their minds in good shape, make it a priority to eat well, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep.

Heel Spur and Plantar Fasciitis

Surviving with heel pain or plantar fasciitis.
Have you ever been unlucky enough to be struck down with the pain of a heel spur? I have and if you have too then you'll know just how debilitating it can be. But - as with all things medical - understanding the cause can go along way to providing relief and reassurance.
So... lets begin by asking "what is plantar fasciitis?"
Plantar means the sole of the foot, fascia means gristle and "-itis" means inflammation (as in tonsillitis, dermatitis, appendicitis, conjuctivitis etc etc. Plantar Fasciitis, then, simply means "inflammation of the gristle on the sole of the foot."
The heel pain of plantar fasciitis is felt at the front of the heel and the pain often spreads along the sole of the foot towards the big toe. The heel pain is agonising when walking - particularly first thing in the morning. Putting your foot to the ground on getting out of bed in the morning is usually something you learn to dread because the gristle of the foot (the fascia) tightens up overnight as a result of the inflammation. The tight area is stretched as you put your weight onto the foot - causing a searing pain along from the heel to the base of the big toe.
Sometimes the inflammation encourages calcium or new bone to grow along the line of the fascia on the sole of the foot. This creates a spurred effect when the heel is seen on x-ray. You can see a heel spur x-ray on my website by following the link at the bottom of this article.
Plantar fasciitis or heel spur pain eventually settles without treatment in about 80% of cases but it may take many months to do so.
Common triggers for heel pain or plantar fasciitis include: poor footwear and a long walk (wellington boots in winter, tight calf muscles or achilles tendon tissues and flat feet or other changes in the shape of the arch of the foot.
Plantar fasciitis heel pain can happen at any age but is commoner in the elderly and in those who are overweight.
Treatment options for plantar fasciitis heel pain include: physical therapy including stretches and massage (this works but it can take a while), injection of the tender area with steroid and local anaesthetic (effective but can be painful if done by an inexperienced doctor), anti-inflammatory medication (not usually very effective and may have side effects) and orthotic insoles or heel cushions ( effective but can be uncomfortable in your shoes).
I find it is often better to invest in a pair of good quality running shoes with a deep cushion sole. This solution is often very effective - but not entirely fashionable if you're more than 35yrs old!
If you are unlucky enough to suffer from this kind of heel pain then the best advice I can give is to STAY POSITIVE - the heel pain of plantar fasciitis will eventually go away even without treatment.

Dr Gordon Cameron MD is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a specialist in treating joint and muscle pain.

Tips and Motivational Advice

LetâEUR(TM)s face itâEUR¦.
Losing weight and feeling great isnâEUR(TM)t easy.
BUT the journey is well worth it!
Many people commit to their health and well being via a New YearâEUR(TM)s resolution. Why not? The New Year is a great time to make a fresh start and commitment to your health.
How do you remain motivated however for an entire year?
The single most important piece of advice I can offer you is this:
DonâEUR(TM)t give up, and pick yourself back up when you stumble or fall.
Everyone slips here and there. Just because you had one cheat day doesnâEUR(TM)t mean your entire fitness and exercise program needs to be ruined.
On the contrary. Everyone slips now and again.
The key to sticking with a program is to make the slips MUCH less frequent than the days you are firmly committed to your program.
So have that piece of chocolate on occasion and donâEUR(TM)t beat yourself up for it.
Here are some additional great ideas for staying motivated throughout the year:
Tip 1
DonâEUR(TM)t make a habit of skipping breakfast.
You should never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, and revs your metabolism to burn calories each and every day.
When you skip breakfast, you are more likely to overeat and then feel guilty later in the day.
Tip 2
DonâEUR(TM)t weigh yourself every day. In fact, you should weigh yourself only once a week, and when you do you should do it at the same time wearing nothing.
Why? Your weight actually fluctuates a good 2-5 pounds from day to day.
Much of this is associated with fluid retention, thus has nothing to do with your actual fat gain or loss. Weighing yourself too often can be discouraging rather than encouraging.
Tip 3
Grab a partner in crime.
Find someone that can be your âEUR~partner in fitnessâEUR(TM). Call them when you are feeling unmotivated, and have them do the same.
You are more likely to stay motivated if you have someone to lean on when times get tough.
Tip 4
DonâEUR(TM)t skip a workout because you are tired.
Did you know that working out will actually help invigorate you? If you are truly exhausted, consider toning down your workout, but never give it up completely!
Tip 5
Reward yourself on occasion.
All work and no play is not the way to go when it comes to your overall health and well being.
Consider booking yourself for a massage or other pampering treat each month to keep you feeling great mentally and physically.
Last but not least, remember to take small steps.
DonâEUR(TM)t set outrageous goals. You wonâEUR(TM)t lose 10 pounds in one week, but you might lose up to 2.
Over inflated goals will only serve to defeat you in the long run. Set reasonable goals and you will find yourself much more motivated throughout the year!