Sarah Caddle asked:


Obesity is a healthcare issue affecting a great number of people in the US to both children and adults which is caused by improper nutrition. Hence, the widespread of healthy weight loss diet clinics, wellness spa, and derma clinics are rapidly increasing due to this issue. People suffering from excess weight can now choose procedures from surgical to non-surgical . Both methods can result to a positive and negative outcome. Hence, you have to make the right decision.

Excess body weight can increase the risk of developing other types of diseases. Therefore prevention and treatment has to start at an early age. Health organizations fear the increase of obesity cases especially in children. Parents need to carry out the responsibility of proper feeding and nutrition. A healthy weight loss diet program would educate your children proper eating habits and food intake. Make it a point every time that, prevention is better than cure. The problem of obesity leads to further problems that can affect the psychological and emotional aspect of your child/children.

Healthy weight loss diet management can start from the home. More often than not, parents depend on fast food meals not knowing the quality and content of these types of food. It is no doubt that these types of food absolutely look good and taste delicious; however, it may be dangerous if taken in huge amounts. Be very cautious on food intake and perhaps moderately reduce its amount. You may not know that your children had eaten too much calories and fats in their bodies which is unhealthy for them. If you continue with this kind of practice, then obesity would definitely occur to your children.

As parents, let your children grow and enjoy their childhood guided with a healthy form of lifestyle by giving them proper nutrition everyday and a good amount of exercise to keep them physically fit. It is not a simple responsibility. However, you can make things easy by making a good plan. If you notice that your child or children are gaining weight, know the causes and intervene quickly. Always consider their future in every endeavor.



Lonnie

anil kapur asked:


The Layman’s Guide To Diabetes

Facts about diabetes that everybody should know

What is Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the commonest but very serious health disorders found all over the world. Approximately one in every 25 person suffers from it and a big population is predisposed to suffer from it. With all the advancements and developments in modern medicine, we have failed to find a cure for it. We do not even know the exact causes of Diabetes. Diabetes today has affected whole world irrespective of peoples’ life styles. Elder or younger, rich or poor, rural or urban; all have equally suffered.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder. It is associated with a hormone called ‘insulin’ which is secreted by a gland known as ‘pancreas’ situated near the lower border of stomach. Diabetes arises either from ‘deficiency of insulin’ or from ‘inability of cells to utilize the available insulin’. It is basically the ‘lack of action’ of insulin that brings about Diabetes. This disorder affects the whole metabolism of the body. Modern sciences have failed to explain with certainty why pancreas stops the production of insulin or why body cells develop resistance to insulin.

The causes of diabetes are still not known but there are certain predisposing factors that considerably increase the chances of developing diabetes. Some predisposing factors are

Obesity

Sedentary life style with very less physical activity

Family history of diabetes

Old age

Eating habits especially when food contains excessive carbohydrates

What actually happens!

When we eat food, it is digested in digestive tract beginning from mouth. Complex food is broken down to simpler foods such as glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins etc. which can be absorbed in the blood. In a normal human being, the glucose produced in this way is acted upon by a hormone called insulin which helps in taking this glucose to all body cells for their energy needs and converts the ‘left over’ glucose into glycogen. Thus, the chief role of insulin is to regulate the glucose level in the blood. Sometimes, for unknown reasons, either the Pancreas gland stops producing insulin or the body cells develop inability to utilize the available insulin thereby causing glucose level in the blood to rise which eventually results in diabetes. More than 90% of all diabetics suffer from the diabetes that is caused by inability of body cells to utilize the available insulin to regulate the glucose level.

When body cells do not receive glucose for their energy needs, they begin to starve. To supplement the energy needs, body starts disintegrating the stored fats and proteins leading to loss of weight, fatigue, weakness and several other complications.

Symptoms and their reasons explained

Common symptoms of diabetes include

Frequent and excessive urination

As I explained earlier, glucose level in the blood is very high in diabetes. This glucose circulates in blood and reaches

kidneys which filter the blood to form urine. Kidneys ordinarily never let glucose pass into the urine but when glucose level is excessive, this glucose enters the urine and during this, kidneys filter a lot of water also which results in excessive and frequent ********* in diabetes.

Excessive thirst and dry mouth

Excessive ********* in diabetes leads to shortage of water in the body. This, in turn leads to thirst and dry mouth.

Hunger

Since, the body cells do not get glucose, they begin to starve. Although the glucose is all around yet cells cannot utilize it. This is a case of ‘scarcity amidst plenty’. This starvation of body cells leads to more and more hunger.

Weight loss

When body cells cannot utilize glucose, the stored fat in the body is slowly disintegrated to compensate it. This leads to loss of weight.

Fatigue

Along with stored fat, the protein in the muscles is also disintegrated to nourish the starving cells. This results in fatigue and weakness of the body.

Blurred vision

Our eyes have a fluid inside them that helps in focusing. Due to high concentration of glucose in blood, this fluid also changes its concentration thus leading to blurring of vision and frequent changes in power of eye lenses.

Slow healing of cuts and wounds

Since the blood contains abnormal amount of glucose, it provides an ideal medium for the growth of pus forming micro-organisms. This in turn affects the healing of even small cuts and abrasions and delays the recovery.

Itchy skin and fungal infection

The blood of a diabetic is quite rich in glucose which provides favorable conditions for faster growth of micro-organisms that cause diseases. This is more visible on skin which becomes vulnerable to infections. This excessive glucose also causes itching on the skin.

Complications

There are various complications that may take place due to prolonged presence of glucose in bloodstream.

Some commonly occurring complications include

A. Diabetic Coma

B. Coronary Heart Disease

C. Cerebral Hemorrhage

D. Gangrene

These complications are a result of very complex changes that take place in the body due to excess glucose. Almost all parts of the body are affected by Diabetes and in long run, it ruins all body parts.

Hyperglycemic Coma

This is a commonly occurring complication of diabetes. But how does it happen?

In diabetics, glucose does not nourish the body cells either due to deficiency of insulin or due to inability of body cells to utilize available insulin. As a result, stored fats in the body start disintegrating and chemical compounds called ‘ketones’ are formed which make the blood ‘acidic’. Now the body tries to reduce the acidity and forms more and more urine. But this in turn reduces the fluid content of the body and further increases the acidity of the blood which eventually affects the brain and Coma sets in.

What to do!

There are some predisposing factors that may cause diabetes as explained earlier. Sedentary life style invites the disease therefore one should cultivate a life style full of physical activities and exercises. People working in the offices usually do not get any opportunity to remain physically active. Such people should try to spend some time out of their chairs and do as much physical activity as possible at their work place. Today’s little workout can ward off tomorrow’s great suffering.

Obesity is another big predisposing condition. More than 70% elder people who develop diabetes are obese. Physical exercises and a check on food intake are best things one can do to avoid adding unwanted weight.

Family history plays a role in causing diabetes. When one is aware of occurrence of diabetes in the family, one should prepare against the disease by avoiding other predisposing factors like obesity, sedentary life style, faulty eating habits etc. Remember, a prepared man has half fought the battle!

Foods may also be related to diabetes but it is not known with certainty which foods may cause diabetes or may hamper the activity of pancreas. One should be careful in selecting food. The intake of fast foods and those foods that are quite rich in carbohydrates should be minimized.

Diabetes badly affects all physiological systems of the human body. Majority of the diabetics develops severe complications that shorten the lifespan. Whether there is any history of diabetes in one’s family or not, it is always advisable to take precautions and lead a physically active life. Remember, prevention is always better than cure!

***



Lucille

Karin Manning asked:


The prevalence of obesity in minors is increasing in the United States. Childhood obesity is rounded at a critical stage as approximately 15.3% of children aged between 6 and 11 and 15.5% of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are overweight, and an additional 15% children and 14.9% adolescents are at risk for overweight.

Childhood obesity is on the rise and the victims are all at risk to developing Type II Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other obesity-related diseases at a very young age. So early in their development stage and their life expectancy already becomes predetermined limited. And at their short lifespan their memories are crammed with insults, bullying, and destruction of self-esteem. What could be the reason for their mishap?

The reason for this is two-fold. First is the genetic-factor adding to the vulnerability for childhood obesity and second and most notably, the passing-down of poor lifestyle and eating habits.

Sorry to say but the current age is made up of digital generation kids spellbound by inactive indoor entertainment and fast food convenience. Surrounded by computers, video games, and the television, children are hard to pull from the couch to have a healthy and worthwhile physical activity outdoors. And even when they eat it’s difficult to keep them from sweet and fat-saturated snacks impossible for them to burn-off.

Finally when they go to school the bad custom is enforced ever more as virtually all kids do the same. The result, widespread childhood obesity. So what should the parent do?

Not to be obese themselves is one. Yet childhood obesity is such a serious condition that efforts of providing a good example through proper nutrition and efficient exercise at home still requires established guidelines that will help parents and school-systems make significant changes against the problem.

These weight-health guidelines are crucial to educate all children about the perils and reality of childhood obesity and encourage them to participate in all efforts dealing with the issue. Encouragement of children to eating healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise shall produce results rather than futile if the health measures are imposed. Parents need to ensure their children about the importance of choosing healthy habits. Yet, they also need to make the assurance that such healthy alternatives are available.

Concerned individuals should keep with the USDA The Prescription for Change And Healthy School Nutrition Environments. School canteen meals should comply with nutritional standards and guidelines, while providing plenty of food choices and introducing new foods to keep the menu healthy and interesting; additional vending machines and packaged snacks should represent the 5-major food groups in the Food Guide Pyramid; students should have designated mid-day lunch periods at a healthy environment; and all decisions made by the school-system regarding student consumption should be based on nutritional goals and guidelines, and not on profit.

Efforts should also include education and information on healthy eating habits as well as active school activity programs for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.



Ryan