A disease is a sign that something’s not right within the body and we all face different forms of disease based on gender, race and family history. African American are twice as likely to develop diabetes when compared to Caucasians, but now there’s a definite way you can keep diabetes at bay.
Knowing what diseases you’re most at risk of getting in your lifetime can be a good defensive move. It’s always better to be on the aggressive against any potential threat to your body.
Millions of people have already been diagnosed with diabetes and it’s a looming threat to millions more. If you ask anyone who has the condition, they’ll tell you that it’s an aggressive disease that is often subtle in the beginning stages.
You can’t change the gene cards you were dealt at birth. However, by being proactive – by fighting back – you can lower your risk of developing diabetes at all, especially if you have a higher risk factor.
For those with higher diabetic risk, it’s important to get into the fight against this insidious disease as early as possible to avoid potential complications such as blindness, kidney failure and amputation.
Fighting back for the sake of your health isn’t as difficult as you might think. Of course, maintaining a healthy weight goes without saying since excess weight increases anyone’s risk (even if it’s only 10 pounds of extra weight).
Even if you’re at a healthy weight, your odds of getting diabetes are higher simply based on diet. Having a diet that focuses on a vegetarian way of eating helps to knock down the chances of developing diabetes by as much as 53% and for vegans, a whopping 70%!
One theory is that the antioxidants in a vegetarian diet help to protect against a diabetes diagnosis. Another theory is that foods that are naturally higher in fiber significantly lower the risk as well.
Foods that are lower on the glycemic index give the stomach a feeling of fullness and can help keep hunger pangs to a minimum. Eating a vegetarian diet gives people better control over their glucose levels – it helps the blood sugar maintain at a steady level throughout the day rather than the rapid rise and fall that occurs with high glycemic foods.
Studies show that while a vegetarian diet shows promise in keeping the disease at bay, adding regular exercise also reduces the chance of diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases show that exercise is a known factor for protecting yourself against developing diabetes.
The brilliant sunshine streaming through my window reminds me that we can now spend more time outdoors. Just in time, too. After the gray winter doldrums, especially in northern latitudes, say above the axis between Boston and northern California, there is a silent, invisible epidemic: vitamin D deficiency. This is a major component of widespread osteoporosis and resultant hip and wrist fractures that orthopaedists are called upon to treat.
It seemed like it happened every time, and for the longest while I didn’t think I could do anything about it. I’d be going along feeling fine and healthy. Then I’d have a critically ill patient under my care. After a few days of stress and interrupted night’s sleep, WHAM — I’d come down with a heck of a cold.
As a result of an increased awareness of the damaging effects of free radicals, everywhere you turn someone has a high antioxidant supplement they want you to buy. They range from supplements containing vitamins C and E and the trace mineral selenium (give or take a few nutrients) to supercharged juices made from exotic berries, like acai berries. The prices are anywhere from about $10.00 all the way up to $70.00 for a bottle of juice; or $2.00 for one small square of acai-added chocolate.
Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), or simply dioxins, are a group of polyhalogenated compounds which are significant because they act as environmental pollutants. They are commonly referred to as dioxins for simplicity in scientific publications because every PCDD molecule contains a dioxin skeletal structure. Typically, the p-dioxin skeleton is at the core of a PCDD molecule, giving the molecule a dibenzo-p-dioxin ring system. Members of the PCDD family have been shown to bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife due to their lipophilic properties, and are known teratogens, mutagens, and suspected human carcinogens. They are organic compounds.