Women’s Health

Archive for August, 2009

MARIAN was afraid! No warning, her nose began to bleed abundantly. “I thought I was going to die,” she recalls. Marian told a doctor that the bleeding was caused by high blood pressure (hypertension). “But I’m OK,” says Marian. “Many people do not know they have high blood pressure because they “have no symptoms, she said.

What about your blood pressure? Would your current lifestyle cause high blood pressure in the future? What can you do to keep your blood pressure under control? *

Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on vessel walls. It is an inflatable rubber cuff, are measured, wrapped around his arm and is connected to a device that records pressure. We have produced two readings. For example: 120/80. The first number is called systolic blood pressure, because it suggests that blood pressure is called the heart (systole) and the second number is the diastolic blood pressure, because it indicates that blood pressure while the heart relaxes (diastole). Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, and doctors to classify patients with hypertension, such as when her blood pressure above 140/90.

What does increase the pressure? Imagine that you are watering your garden. Opening times or to increase the tap water by reducing the size or the diameter of the jet, water pressure. The same happens with the blood pressure: increasing the rate of blood flow or decreasing the caliber of blood vessels, raises blood pressure. How high blood pressure? Involves many factors.

Factors that you can not control
The researchers found that a person has relatives with high blood pressure, his chances of suffering from the disease are greater. The statistics show a higher incidence of hypertension in identical twins than fraternal twins. One study refers to the mapping of genes that are known for arterial hypertension, would confirm the existence of a hereditary component of hypertension. The danger of unusually high blood pressure with age and is highest among black men.

Factors you can control
Watch your diet! Salt (sodium chloride) can raise blood pressure in some people, especially people with diabetes, severe hypertension, older people and blacks. Excess fat in the blood can cause cholesterol deposits in the inner walls of the arteries (atherosclerosis), reducing the size and the increase in blood pressure. People who are more than 30 percent above the ideal body weight, can have high blood pressure. Studies show that an increased intake of potassium and calcium may lower blood pressure.

Smoking is a higher risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Therefore, smoking and hypertension are a dangerous combination, on cardiovascular disease can be. Although the evidence is contradictory, caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks, and emotional and physical stress can also aggravate high blood pressure. In addition, scientists know that can increase an intense or chronic alcohol consumption and physical activity on blood pressure.

Healthier lifestyle
It would be wrong to wait for high blood pressure may develop before taking positive action. A healthy lifestyle should be a concern from an early age. The attention will now turn to a better quality of life in the future.

The Third Brazilian Consensus on Hypertension is the change of life, defined as lowering blood pressure support. This is a useful guide for people with high or normal blood pressure.

For the obese, the researchers recommended a balanced low-calorie diet, avoiding fast and “miracle” diet, maintaining a program of moderate physical activity. With regard to salt, suggested a consumption of not more than six grams or one teaspoon per day. # In practice, this means the use of salt to minimize preparation of food and canned food to minimize, to sausages (salami, ham, sausage and others), and smoked foods. The consumption of salt can also by not adding additional salt during lunch and the control of the packaging of processed foods to see how much salt are included reduced.

The Brazilian consensus proposed to increase potassium intake, because it could be “blood pressure lowering effect.” Therefore, should include a healthy diet “foods low in sodium and rich in potassium, such as beans, dark green vegetables, bananas, melons, carrots, turnips, tomatoes and oranges. Keeping alcohol intake to a moderate level is also important. Some researchers show that people with hypertension should consume no more than an ounce [30 ml] of alcohol per day, and women or those with low body weight no more than half an ounce [15 ml].%

The Brazilian consensus has concluded that regular physical activity reduces blood pressure and thus reduce the risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. Moderate aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling and swimming for 30 to 45 minutes three to five times a week is beneficial. ^ Other factors were associated with a healthier lifestyle, quit smoking, control of blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and diabetes, is always an adequate intake of calcium and magnesium, and check the physical and emotional stress. Some medicines can increase blood pressure, such as nasal decongestants, antacids with high salt content, the moderators of appetite, and caffeine-containing analgesics for the treatment of migraine.

Of course, if you have hypertension, your doctor will be better able to advise you on diet and habits, depending on your personal needs. Whatever the case, but through a healthy lifestyle from an early age is always useful, not only for people with hypertension, but for the whole family. Marian, mentioned at the beginning of this article I have to make changes in their life style. Currently taking medication and lead a normal life, although the problem of health. What do you think? Until, when all people have a healthy life and say “no resident:” I am sick, “” Keep your blood pressure under control! Isaiah 33:24.

FIGHTING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
1. Measures That Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
Reduce body weight
Cut salt intake
Increase intake of potassium-rich foods
Reduce consumption of alcoholic drinks
Exercise regularly

2. Other Measures That May Help Control Blood Pressure
Calcium and magnesium supplements
High-fiber vegetarian diet
Antistress therapy

3. Related Measures
Quit smoking
Control cholesterol level
Control diabetes
Avoid drugs that can boost blood pressure

Adapted from the Third Brazilian Consensus on Arterial Hypertension—Revista Brasileira de Clínica & Terapêutica.

LONG considered a by-product of modern life in rich developed countries, obesity is spreading from the developing countries, such as a message from the British Medical Journal “Lancet”. He pointed out that food experts now warn that the “global epidemic” of obesity related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

By tripling the number of overweight people and the doubling of the number of overweight women in China in the last eight years, hypertension rates are similar to those in the U.S.. More than half of all newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in India and China. Level of diabetes in Egypt, is equal to the U.S., while the other half of the women in Croatia are now overweight. Mexico has been a sharp increase of obesity at all levels of society in any part of the country and the increase in diabetes. Even the poor in sub-Saharan African countries, obesity and diabetes increase.

Although the children eat of fatty substances in fast food obesity accounts in some countries the main reason is that many producers are now more sugar foods as they taste better. “In addition, Asian and African children jestivog more oil, with additional calories. Advanced technology works, and in agriculture is less physical work that is needed for the production of goods. People want to work less and have more leisure time. Well, that the computer and TV is so popular that the workers receive less, and “E-mail indicates that the end of the message book and come to view with colleagues.”

Of obesity is increasing rapidly among too many students, especially areas in which sport and physical activity is reduced, there is an urgent need for teachers to be aware that the relationship between nutrition and academic achievement. Gail Harrison, in the School of Public Health, University of California, warns that the local strategies of prevention, is a joint program to prevent worldwide in conjunction with the development of strategies, processes and infrastructure, it is necessary, ” to combat the epidemic of obesity and diseases.

Deep in the misty mountains of China, the Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, sat in a garden near the emperor’s palace, meditating on the perfection of Buddha. Called Ta’Mo’ (White Buddha) by the Chinese, the swarthy, rotund saint had come to China from India bearing the sacred bowl of his ancestors. Ta’Mo’ vowed to demonstrate his devotion to Buddha by sitting before a wall and meditating for nine years.

Spring turned to summer; autumn came with crisp air and colored, falling leaves. Still Ta’Mo’ meditated. Winter came and covered the saint’s cloak with snow as he sat unblinking and unsleeping. Finally, after many years had passed, the Bodhidharma’s attention wavered, his chin dropped, and his eyes closed in sleep.

When Ta’Mo’ awakened-perhaps a day, perhaps a year later-he was so angry with himself for neglecting his meditation that he took out a knife, sliced off both his eyelids, and threw them to the ground. The saint’s eyelids took root in the rich soil and grew into a tea bush, the symbol of wakefulness.

This is the most popular of the legends about the origin of Thea sinensis, the botanical name for what is commonly called the tea plant, which we associate with black, green, oolong, and orange pekoe teas. Like other stories about the origin of tea and the rituals of tea drinking, fact and fiction are intertwined so thoroughly that it is hard to separate them.

The discovery of Thea sinensis tea

Ta’Mo’ died about 530 A.D., but the Chinese claim they discovered the tea plant much earlier. They called it “the gift of heaven,” and it was mentioned, along with other herbs used for medicinal purposes, about 2737 B.C. in the writings of the legendary emperor Shen Nung.

According to legend, Shen Nung observed that people who boiled their drinking water remained healthier than those who didn’t, so he always made sure his water was boiled. On a trip to a neighboring province, the emperor’s servants started a fire to boil water for him. As the water was heating, a breeze blew some of the tender leaves from the uppermost twigs of the firewood into the pot. Attracted by the fragrance of the resulting liquid, the emperor “tasted it and found it good,” as the saying goes. Thus began a tea-drinking custom that has persisted to this day.

Originally the tea made by infusing the Thea sinensis herb was used only as a medicinal brew, as were teas made from many other herbal plants. Thea sinensis tea soon became a popular beverage because of its flavor, and the word tea came to be associated with this plant. Although the cultivation of tea began in China, it gradually spread to Japan and the rest of the Far East. It was not cultivated in India until 1832, when the British introduced it there, long after it had become a popular beverage in England and the United States.

Derivation of the word tea

The word tea has an interesting history. When Thea sinensis tea was first introduced in England it was pronounced cha or tcha from the Mandarin and Cantonese dialects spoken in Macao, the port from which the tea was shipped. When a Cockney housewife says it would be nice to have “a cup of char,” she is speaking perfectly respectable Chinese, a holdover from the original word. Later tea was imported to England from the Chinese port of Amoy. In the Amoy dialect, it was called t’e, and it was from this word that the word tea was derived.

The word tisane came from the Latin ptisana and the Greek ptisane. Originally, tisane meant pearl barley and barley water, but over the years it has come to mean any infusion of herbal leaves in boiling water.

Tea comes to England

No one knows for sure exactly when Thea sinensis tea was first brought to England, but in 1658, an enterprising merchant named Thomas Garway placed an advertisement in the publication Mercurius Politicus announcing that: “The excellent and by all Physitians approved China Drink, called by the Chineans Tcha, by other nations Tay, alias Tee,

can be procured at Sultaness Head Cophee-House in Sweeting’s Rents by the Royal Exchange.” Garway extolled the medicinal qualities of tea as a stimulant. He wrote that “tea removeth lassitude, vanquisheth heavy dreams, easeth the frame, and strengtheneth the memory. It overcometh superfluous sleep, and prevents sleepiness in general, so that without trouble whole nights may be passed in study”

Dutch ships from the Orient brought tea, along with other “riches of the rising sun” to Holland, and from there Lords Ossory and Arlington began bringing consignments of tea to England. What started as an infant trade quickly became a rage. Soon Thea sinensis teas were being served in all of England’s most famous coffeehouses.

As the popularity of tea drinking grew, tax revenues from the sale of beer and wine declined. To compensate for this loss of income, in 1660 Charles II imposed the first English tea taxes, paving the way for a thriving black market in tea.

The earliest American settlers did not share the English passion for drinking imported teas. Tea drinking was probably introduced to the colonies somewhat later, by the burghers of New Amsterdam. William Penn brought Thea sinensis tea to the Quaker colony he founded in what is now Delaware in 1682. But by the 1750s, American colonists were quaffing tea as heartily as the English.

Early recorded uses of herbal teas

Herbal teas, other than Thea sinensis, have been brewed for thousands of years. The earliest records talk of using herbs for healing rather than flavoring. In 410 B.C., Plato mentioned herbal teas in his writings. Seventy years later, Aristotle discussed herbal teas, and his disciple Theophrastus wrote a detailed work, “On the History of Plants,” which described the uses of herbs. Herbals with detailed illustrations, and instructions for brewing herbal teas, have been revised and expanded ever since.

The Roman statesmen Cicero, Seneca, and Pliny the Elder practiced advanced forms of horticulture and wrote about their experiences. Pliny’s Natural History (77 A.D.), affirms the importance of growing herbaceous plants both for kitchen and medicinal uses. He outlined how to plant, transplant, and harvest them. Pliny also spelled out the medicinal uses of each herb, and also how to administer each one -as lotion, powder, or tea. Many herbal teas were to be brewed with water and vinegar, he said, which may explain why herb teas weren’t popular as beverages until later, when they came to be brewed in water alone. His descriptions of the juices and flavors of each herb characterize savory and wild marjoram as having “an acrid taste,” others as being “sweet” or “pungent.”

Pliny catalogued the germination times of many herbs, noting that some plants continued to appear every year, while others had to be newly sown from seed if they were to come up again. “No seed is more prolific than basil,” he said. “They recommend sowing it with curses and imprecations to make it come up more abundantly.”

Wealthy Romans took their herb culture seriously. The mild Italian winters still were not quite warm enough to keep some tender herbs from being destroyed, so plants were placed under thin sheets of mica (plate glass had not been developed yet) to protect them from the chill. And warm water was often piped around the roses, which were particularly admired for both their beauty and medicinal qualities.

Herbal teas in the New World

In England, herbal teas were widely cultivated and used. When the Pilgrim fathers sailed to the New World, they brought seeds or plants of their favorite herbs with them. Most larger houses had both an herb garden and a “still room” for cultivating herbs.

While the tea of Thea sinensis remained the favorite herbal beverage, those who couldn’t afford it continued to make teas from other, more easily accessible herbs. Chamomile, peppermint, and elderflower teas were especially popular.

One herbal tea beloved of the colonists was Oswego tea, made from the dry flower heads of American wild bergamot (Monarch didyma), also called bee balm. (The resulting liquid tastes like one of the scented Chinese teas.) Some say the colonists learned to make Oswego tea from the Indians, others that it was devised as a New World version of a European tisane.

After the Boston Tea Party, patriotic ladies banished imported teatermed “the baneful herb” by the clergyman and educator John Andrews-from their tables and turned to domestically grown herbal teas. They called these beverages “liberty teas.” Some of their herbal combinations-made from mint, balm, rosemary, and sage-are still favorites today.

After the Revolutionary War, the Americans imported tea directly from China, and Thea sinensis became easily attainable and inexpensive once again. A few of the more flavorful herbal beverages were still used, but most home-grown teas were returned to the medicine chest. Imported herbs were now also easy to come by, for those who wanted them, so the cultivation of herbs declined, too.

It wasn’t until the outbreak of World War I that England and America were faced with the unpleasant realization that they had become largely dependent on German sources for medicinal and cooking herbs. There ensued an upsurge in home-grown herb cultivation.

Recent growth in the herbal tea market

The use of herbs in cooking has never been as great in England and America as in France. Recent interest in gourmet cookery, however, has meant that more people are using herbs in the kitchen. Along with this development has come a marked increase in the consumption of herbal teas.

The natural foods movement has also contributed to the growing appreciation of herbs-they have no food additives, artificial coloring, chemically produced flavors, or caffeine. The discovery that caffeine is not only an artificial mental and physical stimulant but also an addictive substance has caused the health-conscious to turn more and more to herbal teas. For while coffee, cocoa, and Thea sinensis teas contain caffeine, herbal teas do not.

For many years a favorite only with health-food devotees, herbal tea is becoming universally popular. In Europe, herbal tea sales have soared from 5 percent of the tea market several years ago to more than 60 percent today. In the United States, growth has been more moderate, but sales have improved each year.

Packaged herbal teas now account for about 10 percent of the United States tea market, up from virtually nothing fifteen years ago. Twenty years ago, the industry leader, Celestial Seasonings, Inc., wasn’t even in business. In 1975, five years after it began marketing colorful little boxes of herbal teas through health food stores, the company broke the $1 million mark in sales. Sales doubled in 1976. In 19$1, gross revenues rose to over $23 million. Celestial now sells about 4 million pounds of herbs a year.

Sensing a sharp inroad into the China tea market, the two large American tea companies, Lipton and Bigelow, recently jumped onto the herbal tea bandwagon. Sales of herbal products in the United States are now estimated at between $150 and $200 million a year, with packaged herbal teas accounting for about $90 million of the total. The Food and Drug Administration entered the herbal tea picture a few years ago, ordering two companies to stop producing sassafras tea, an age-old prescription for upset stomach and for nerves. When boiled, sassafras releases a substance called safrole, a known carcinogen which the FDA has banned as a food additive. Researchers later discovered a person would have to ingest more sassafras tea in a day than most people do in a year in order to get the same concentration of safrole that had produced some cancers in laboratory animals, so the ban on sassafras tea has been lifted. There is no doubt, however, that excessive use of certain herbal teas can be injurious to your health.

Dr. James Duke, head of the Medicinal Plant Resources Laboratory of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, believes stevia and catnip are hallucinogens if taken in excess. He also maintains that arnica, belladonna, bittersweet, helbane, hemlock, and secuda, commonly sold for herb teas, are poisonous, and that bloodroot contains some of the same alkaloids as opium. This has made it a rage in some circles for making “high” tea.

Despite these gloom-and-doom announcements, however, most herbal teas are beneficial, not poisonous, if drunk in moderation.

One of the most highly touted herbal teas is ginseng. Tour any herb store or Chinese emporium and you will see a hefty display of it. Ginseng is believed to increase sexual potency, lengthen lifespan, and produce a feeling of well-being. Korean red root ginseng, Korean white root ginseng, Manchurian ginseng, Manchurian red ginseng, Canadian ginseng, and, for the connoisseur, Imperial Chinese ginseng, are considered the finest ginseng teas available. They are thought so potent that they are usually taken only once or twice a year. One variety of ginseng, Panax quinquefolium, is grown in the United States, although it is difficult to cultivate.

The FDA concerned itself with ginseng for a while, but doesn’t anymore. FDA laboratory tests indicated ginseng has no effect on the body whatsoever, though satisfied ginseng users beg to differ.

Producing enough herbs to meet the new demand for herbal teas has become something of a problem. Since they must be picked by hand, most herbs are grown in Third World countries where labor costs are low. Many herbs are also picked wild, or are purchased from small growers with backyard plots.

Controlling quality by growing your own herbs

Harvesting, processing, and shipping delicate herbs grown in many different places can make quality control difficult. You can surmount these problems, though, by growing herbs yourself. You won’t be growing them in such great quantities that pickers will be hard to find. You can sort and prepare them, keeping their quality as refined as your taste. And you can experiment with blending them, augmenting the blends with a few ingredients from your local herb supply store.

Herbs you grow for tea also make good additions to salads, soups, or main dishes. Extras can be used in potpourris, sachets, herbal butters, and vinegars, or to make decorative, long-lasting floral displays that scent your home long after the growing season is past.

People with vegetable gardens-and it is estimated that close to one-half of all families in the United States now grow some of their own food-find herbs are easy to grow. In fact, mint, bergamot, chamomile, and dandelion have been growing around us, wild, all along. So let’s move on to the practical business of growing these herbs, and many others, and discovering just how easy it is to brew your own herbal tea delights.

Diabetes “The Silent Killer”

WHEN he was 21 years old, Ken developed a puzzling, unquenchable thirst. He also had to urinate frequently—eventually about every 20 minutes. Soon Ken’s limbs began to feel heavy. He was chronically tired, and his vision became blurry.

The turning point came when Ken caught a virus. A visit to the doctor confirmed that Ken had more than the flu—he also had Type 1 diabetes mellitus—diabetes, for short. This chemical disorder disrupts the body’s ability to utilize certain nutrients, primarily a blood sugar called glucose. Ken spent six weeks in the hospital before his blood-sugar level stabilized.

That was more than 50 years ago, and treatment has improved considerably during the past half century. Nevertheless, Ken still suffers from diabetes, and he is not alone. It is estimated that worldwide, more than 140 million people have the disorder, and according to the World Health Organization, that number could double by the year 2025. Understandably, experts are concerned about the prevalence of diabetes. “With the numbers we’re starting to see,” says Dr. Robin S. Goland, codirector of a treatment center in the United States, “this could be the beginning of an epidemic.”

Consider these brief reports from around the world.

AUSTRALIA: According to Australia’s International Diabetes Institute, “diabetes presents one of the most challenging health problems for the 21st century.”

INDIA: At least 30 million people have diabetes. “We hardly had any patients under 40 about 15 years ago,” says one doctor. “Today every other person is from this age group.”

SINGAPORE: Nearly a third of the population between 30 and 69 years of age have diabetes. Many children—some as young as ten—have been diagnosed.

UNITED STATES: Approximately 16 million people are afflicted, and each year some 800,000 new cases are diagnosed. Millions have the disease but do not yet know it.

Treatment for diabetes is made more difficult because a person can have the disease a long time before it is diagnosed. “Because the early symptoms are relatively mild,” notes Asiaweek magazine, “diabetes often goes unrecognized.” Hence, diabetes has been dubbed the silent killer.

In view of the prevalence and the severity of this disorder, the questions is:

What causes diabetes?
How can those who have the disorder cope with it?

The Challenge of Treatment

“There’s no diabetes that’s not bad. It’s all serious.”—Anne Daly, American Diabetes Association.
“YOUR blood tests came back with significant abnormalities. You need immediate medical attention.” The doctor’s words hit Deborah like a sledgehammer. “That night, I kept thinking there must have been a lab error,” she says. “I told myself I just couldn’t be sick.”

Like many people, Deborah thought that she was reasonably healthy, so she ignored the nagging symptoms. She blamed her persistent thirst on the antihistamines she was taking. She attributed the frequent urination to an excess intake of water. And the tiredness—well, what working mother does not get exhausted?

But then a blood test confirmed that diabetes was the culprit. It was difficult for Deborah to accept the diagnosis. “I told no one about my illness,” she says. “At night, when the family was asleep, I would stare out at the darkness and cry.” Upon learning that they have diabetes, some, like Deborah, experience a flood of emotions, including depression and even anger. “I went through a tearful period of denial,” says Karen.

These are natural responses to what seems an unfair blow. With support, however, those with diabetes can adapt. “My nurse helped me to accept my condition,” says Karen. “She assured me that it was OK to cry. This emotional outlet helped me to adjust.”

Why Serious

Diabetes has been called “a disorder of the very engine of life,” and for good reason. When the body cannot metabolize glucose, a number of vital mechanisms can break down, sometimes with life-threatening consequences. “People don’t die directly from diabetes,” says Dr. Harvey Katzeff, “they die from complications. We do a good job of preventing complications, but a poor job of treating [them] once they occur.”*

Is there hope for those who are afflicted with diabetes? Yes—if they recognize the seriousness of the disorder and submit to a program of treatment.

Diet and Exercise

Although Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, scientists are studying the genetic risk factors and are trying to find ways to suppress an immune attack. (See the box “The Role of Glucose.”) “With type 2, the picture is much brighter,” says the book Diabetes—Caring for Your Emotions as Well as Your Health. “Many of those who might be genetically susceptible avoid showing any sign of this disease simply by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly, thereby staying physically fit and keeping their weight within normal limits.

Proper diet is essential for diabetes sufferers

Underscoring the value of exercise, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a large study involving women. The study found that “a single bout of physical activity increases insulin-mediated glucose uptake [by the body's cells] for more than 24 hours.” Hence, the report concludes that “both walking and vigorous activity are associated with substantial reductions in risk of type 2 diabetes in women.” The researchers recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most if not all days of the week. This can include something as simple as walking, which, says the American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes, “is probably the best, safest, and least expensive form of exercise.”

However, exercise by people with diabetes should be professionally supervised. One reason is that diabetes can damage the vascular system and nerves, thus affecting blood circulation and feeling. Hence, a simple scratch on the foot may go unnoticed, get infected, and turn into an ulcer—a serious condition that may lead to amputation if not treated immediately.^

Still, an exercise regimen can help one to manage diabetes. “The more researchers study the benefits of regular exercise,” says the ADA Complete Guide, “the better the news gets.”

Insulin Therapy

Many with diabetes must supplement their diet and exercise program with daily testing of glucose levels along with multiple insulin injections. As a result of improved health through diet and a good routine of exercise, some with Type 2 diabetes have been able, at least for a time, to discontinue insulin therapy.** Karen, who has Type 1 diabetes, found that exercise increases the efficiency of the insulin she injects. As a result, she has been able to cut her daily insulin requirements by 20 percent.

If insulin is needed, however, there is no reason for the sufferer to feel discouraged. “Going on insulin does not imply failure on your part,” says Mary Ann, a registered nurse who cares for a number of diabetes patients. “Whatever form of diabetes you have, if you carefully control your blood sugar, you will minimize other health problems later.” In fact, a recent study revealed that people with Type 1 who kept strict control of their blood-sugar levels “had drastic reductions in the occurrence of diabetic eye, kidney, and nerve diseases.” The risk of eye disease (retinopathy), for instance, was cut by 76 percent! Those with Type 2 who keep tight control of their blood-sugar levels enjoy similar benefits.

To make insulin therapy easier and less traumatic, syringes and insulin pens—the most common tools used—have microfine needles that give minimal discomfort. “The first shot is usually the worst,” says Mary Ann. “After that, most patients say they hardly feel a thing.” Other methods of injection include automatic injectors that shoot a needle into the skin painlessly, jet injectors that literally fire insulin through the skin by means of a fine jet blast, and infusers that employ a catheter that stays in place for two or three days. About the size of a pocket pager, the insulin pump has gained popularity in recent years. This programmable device dispenses insulin through a catheter at a steady rate according to the body’s daily needs, making insulin administration more precise and convenient.

Keep Learning

All told, there is no blanket therapy for diabetes. When considering treatment, each individual must take into account a number of factors in order to make a personal decision. “Even though you may be under the care of a medical team,” says Mary Ann, “you are in the driver’s seat.” In fact, the journal Diabetes Care states: “Medical treatment of diabetes without systematic self-management education can be regarded as substandard and unethical care.”

The more those with diabetes learn about their disease, the better equipped they will be to manage their health and increase their prospects of living a longer, healthier life. Effective education, however, calls for patience. The book Diabetes—Caring for Your Emotions as Well as Your Health explains: “If you try to learn everything at once, you are likely to get confused and not use the information effectively. Besides, much of the most useful information you will need to learn isn’t found in books or pamphlets. It has to do with . . . how your blood sugar varies with changes in routine. This can be learned only over time, through trial and error.”

For example, by careful monitoring you learn how your body reacts to stress, which can cause your blood-sugar level to shoot up. “I’ve lived with this diabetic body for 50 years,” says Ken, “and I know what it is telling me!” “Listening” to his body has paid off, for Ken is still able to work full-time—even though he is over 70 years of age!

The Importance of Family Support

Not to be overlooked in treatment of diabetes is support from the family. In fact, one reference notes that “the quality of a family’s life together is perhaps the largest single factor” in managing diabetes in children and young adults.

It is beneficial when family members learn about diabetes, even taking turns attending medical appointments with the sufferer. Knowledge will help them to be of support, recognize important symptoms, and know how to respond. Ted, whose wife has had Type 1 diabetes since the age of four, says: “I can tell when Barbara’s sugar level goes down too low. She will get quiet in the middle of a conversation. She perspires profusely and gets angry for no reason. And her reactions slow down.”

Similarly, when Catherine, Ken’s wife, observes Ken becoming pale and clammy and when she sees a change in his disposition, she presents him with a simple math problem. Ken’s confused response tells Catherine that it is time to take any decision-making out of his hands and act quickly to remedy the situation. Both Ken and Barbara deeply appreciate having informed marriage mates whom they love and fully trust.

Loving family members should strive to be supportive, kind, and patient—qualities that can help an ill person face life’s challenges and can even influence for the better the course of their disease. Karen’s husband reassured her of his love, which made a big difference. Karen relates: “Nigel said to me, ‘People need to take in food and water to survive, just the same as you need food and water—and a little dose of insulin.’ These warm yet practical words were just what I needed.”

Family and friends also need to understand that as blood-sugar levels fluctuate, diabetes can affect one’s moods. “When I experience sugar-related lows,” says one woman, “I get very quiet, moody, easily upset, and frustrated. Then I feel awful about being so childish. But it helps when I know that others understand the reason for these feelings which I try to control.”

Diabetes can be managed successfully, especially if the sufferer has cooperation from friends and family members.

“Go, eat the food with joy,” says the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9:7. Eating, in fact, is not only necessary but also one of the greatest pleasures of life.

Consider the 34-year-old Thomas. He has his meat. And he has every day, often several times a day. His typical breakfast includes milk, more eggs, bread or toast with butter and bacon or sausage smothered. In fast food places he orders cheeseburgers, fries and shakes. When dining out, he chooses a steak as an aperitif. Your favorite restaurant serving a 24-oz [680 g] steak and a baked potato heaped with sour cream, as he likes it. Chocolate cake covered with chocolate ice cream is his favorite dessert.

Thomas is five feet ten inches [178 cm] in length and weighs 196 pounds [89 kg], it is 20 pounds [9 kg] overweight, according to 1995 U.S. government dietary guidelines. “I’m not happy with my weight,” says Thomas. “My health is excellent. I lost a day’s work over the past 12 years. Most times, I feel well and energetic, but, of course, after eating a 24-oz [680 g] beef.”

Thomas diet could be affecting the worse for him, slowly, making him a candidate for a heart attack? In his book How we die, Dr. Sherwin Nuland talks about “patterns of people who are suicidal and cover them with a diet of red meat, big slabs of bacon and butter.”


How certain foods leads to heart disease in many? What is for those who cause danger? Before discussing these issues, we have a closer look to health risks are overweight.

The islands of Okinawa, Japan, were estimated to have nearly 740 centenarians in 2006—90 percent of whom were women—out of a population of 1.3 million. This represents about 50 centenarians for every 100,000 people, according to the Okinawa Centenarian Study, headed by Dr. Makoto Suzuki. In most developed lands, the ratio is thought to be between 10 and 20 per 100,000.

The ongoing study, said to be “the longest continuously running centenarian study in the world,” found that “an unusual number of centenarians [were] in extraordinarily healthy shape.” To find out why, Suzuki and his team examined the lifestyle and genetics of over 900 centenarians, as well as many other Okinawans in their 70’s or older. The researchers found that the subjects tended to be lean and fit, that their arteries were clean, and that they had remarkably low rates of cancer and heart disease. And of those in their late 90’s, fewer had dementia than comparable populations in other developed lands. The secret?

One major factor was genetics. But there were other factors too the avoidance of tobacco, moderation in the use of alcohol, and a good diet. The Okinawan diet tends to be low in calories and high in vegetables and fruits, natural fiber, and good fats (omega-3, monounsaturated fat). And the people have the habit of eating only until they are about 80 percent full. “You should stop at the first feeling of fullness you get,” says Dr. Bradley Willcox, a coinvestigator in the study. “There’s about a 20-minute delay before the stomach tells the brain.”

Okinawans keep physically active through gardening, daily walking, traditional dancing, or other activities. Personality testing revealed the centenarians to be optimistic and adaptable. They handled stress well, and the women especially manifested “strong social integration.”

“There’s no magic pill” for longevity, says Willcox. As the study revealed, it is influenced by genes, diet, exercise, good habits, “and healthy ways of coping with stress.”

Water therapy is the use of water to improve health.

According to alternative medicine advocates, one form of water therapy is the consuming of a gutful of water upon waking in order to “cleanse the bowel”. A litre to a litre and half is the common amount ingested. This water therapy, also known as Indian or Chinese Water Therapy, is claimed to have a wide range of health benefits; or at least no adverse effects. While ingesting about a litre and a half of water is usually harmless, this is approaching the level which can lead to water intoxication, an urgent and dangerous medical condition. Advocates of water therapy claim that application of water therapy at first will cause multiple bowel movements until the body adjusts to the increased amount of fluid.

Relief from stress, weight loss, glowing skin, feeling fresh and energetic throughout the day and good digestion are some of the major benefits of water therapy. Have a look at some of the comments below made by people after trying water therapy.

1. Ever since I started this water therapy, I have noticed a glow on my skin, my eyes sparkle, and I feel so clean and so beautiful. I noticed that I always have a bowel movement after my water therapy and my constipation is gone.
2. Water therapy is just amazing! Though I have to urinate a lot of times in an hour but it makes sense. It makes me feel so good and so good. Thanks to this water therapy! Thank GOD for giving us the water to drink.
3. Water therapy is really wonderfully beneficial. So much that people who have not practiced this can’t even imagine. It makes your body thoroughly clean and pure from inside and outside. I recommend that everybody should start practicing water therapy to keep tremendously fit and disease free.

About Water Therapy

It is popular in Japan and India today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value.

They publish below a description of use of water in water therapy for their readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses, the water therapy treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a hundred percent cure for the following diseases

• Headache
• Body Ache
• Heart System
• Arthritis
• Fast Heart Beat
• Epilepsy
• Excess
• Fatness
• Bronchitis
• Asthma
• TB
• Meningtitis
• Kidney and Urine diseases
• Vomiting gastritis
• Diarrhea
• Piles
• Diabetes
• Constipation
• All Eye Diseases
• Menstrual Disorders
• Ear Nose
• Throat Diseases

Water Therapy - Method of Treatment

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4-6 glasses of water each of 160 ml.
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for two hours.
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink four glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to four glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days
2. Gastric - 10 days
3. Diabetes - 30 days
4. Constipation - 10 days
5. TB - 90 days

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
How does pure water help the body?

Consuming ordinary drinking water by the right method purifies human body. It renders the colon more effective by forming new fresh blood, known in medical terms as Haematopaises. That the mucousal folds of the colon and intestines are activated by this method, is an undisputed fact, just as the theory that new fresh blood is produced by the mucousal fold. If the colon is cleansed then the nutrients of the food taken several times a day will be absorbed and by the action of the mucousal folds they are turned into fresh blood. The blood is all-important in curing ailments and restoring health and for this water should be consumed in a regular pattern. This is why water therapy is recommended to be added to your daily routine