Your Lifestyle and Hypertension (Part 1)

Hypertension is a chronic (long term) medical condition which is characterized by a persistent increase in the blood pressure in our arteries. This is why it is also called High Blood Pressure (HBP). We may have come across it in many literatures being referred to as a silent killer! Yes. It sure is one. Nobody wants to reach the end of the time of life, at least not at an age when much work is still left undone, words left unsaid, and special people left unloved. This is where it gets a little dicey. More than 50% of those with hypertension do not even know that they have it! More like an insecure king wining and dining with a traitor and a lot of times many more traitors as we shall come to realize in prospect.

Here are some epidemiological facts to serve as an eye opener for us to understand what is really at stake here

Hypertension is generally of two types. A primary type and of course a secondary type. The primary type is caused by non-specific factors involving one's lifestyle or genetic predisposition. These factors include but are not limited to smoking, obesity, high salt intake, sedentary lifestyle, depression and it accounts for over 95% of the total hypertensive individuals. The remaining 5% or thereabout have the secondary type of hypertension which is due to or secondary to known pre-existing causes such as chronic kidney disease, hormonal abnormalities, use of birth control pills, pregnancy, coarctation of the largest artery in the body, the aorta and stenosis of one or both renal arteries.

Fortunately, hypertension is one of those medical conditions which are readily preventable and then proper treatments, preventive techniques and management strategies are well utilized. This means there is virtually one way to know your Hypertensive status. This is in essence but in fact that it is by getting your blood pressure checked frequently. Hypertension if left unchecked, could cause any of the following:
1. Coronary artery disorder; a diseased of the blood vessels that supplies the heart itself with nutrients and blood
2. Heart failure
3. Stroke
4. Blindness
5. Chronic Kidney Disease
6. Peripheral Vascular Disease
7. Multiorgan Failure
8. Death

Why must I examine my lifestyle?

I would start with those who love salt so much that we even salt our soft drinks, drinking water and bathing water. I would have to bring our minds back to the Ebola virus outbreak in Nigeria some years ago where different sacrilegious ideas came up from nowhere advising people to chew kolanut with salt water and to have their bath with salt water. I hope we know that many people supposedly died of this act than from the disease outbreak itself.

The normal and most striking attribute of salt in the body system is to pull along with it as much water as it can. Hence, engorging the blood vessels and making them overloaded with fluid. The heart in response to this starts to overwork itself so as to compensate for the unnecessary increase in volume it has to pump per cycle. Before you know what is happening, the heart begins to fail until it eventually gives way to stress.

Next is smoking. This one is very bad and its medical significance goes beyond hypertension. It is the single most important factor for developing coronary artery disease. Smoking grossly increases the chance of getting down with hypertension in the long run. Its close relative, Alcohol is also a major stakeholder in the world of lifestyle diseases. Hypertension gotten via one of these is not good let alone combining both alcohol and smoking. I can imagine the great wall of Jericho falling flat once more.

Worthy of mention also is a very common one of which virtually everyone is a culprit. This is exercise. The standard approach about this is that one should have at least 30 minutes of exercise each day for at least 3 days in a week. This is the minimum you are permitted to go. Exercise simply helps your heart to improve in its function and enable it to cope with increased workload barring any case, you might have gotten engaged with much salt or other substance that overloads your blood volume. Also, your heartbeat is increased and blood flows faster. These and many more are the wonderful effects of exercise on your body.

There is a serious relationship between hypertension and obesity. Obese individuals usually have impaired carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolisms. As such, they usually have a strong tendency to have Diabetes Mellitus and under-utilized high level of glucose in the blood is just as harmful as salt in the blood. Bad lipids are often times deposited on the walls of their arteries thereby reducing their diameters and restricting the flow of blood in it. This is one of the causes of hypertension in the obese; increased peripheral resistance of the blood vessels.

Lastly, on this episode of your Health column, it would suffice to say that what we see is what you eat. Much need not be said about this. Eat well, eat smart and eat right!

Type 2 Diabetes Diet You Can Live With

A type 2 diabetes diet should always be followed according to doctor's instructions for anyone who has been diagnosed with type II diabetes. There are many diets geared towards those with diabetes, so which one is the right one?

All type 2 diabetes diets should include plenty of vegetables, fruits and lean proteins. They should also stress healthy carbohydrates such as stone cut oatmeal, brown and wild rice varieties, and whole grains. It is important when following type 2 diabetes diet plans, to avoid processed carbohydrates like white bread and rice. Processed carbs are notorious for causing spikes in blood sugar, which in turn, cause type 2 diabetes symptoms to become worse. Carbohydrates are a tricky food category since the body needs carbs to provide fuel to the body. Carbohydrates are also what produce glucose, which is the primary carrier of energy to the body's cells. However, too much glucose is what causes spikes in blood sugar. Therefore, a type 2 diabetes plan should carefully pair the right amount of the right kinds of carbs with both protein and a small amount of fat.

Many dieters trying to control type 2 diabetes symptoms find success in carbohydrate counting. This way of meal planning is an easy way to keep track of the total amount of carbohydrates that a person eats every day. By distributing the number of grams of carbs that the dieter is allowed each day throughout several small meals, a diabetes sufferer can help to control their blood sugar while still eating what they want to eat at each meal.

Since diabetes can lead to heart disease, it is important for a person with diabetes to cut most fat from their diet, especially saturated and trans fats, which clog arteries. In general, type 2 diabetes diet plans should allow the dieter to eat a variety of low-fat diabetes foods without several restrictions. Lean meats including lean red meat (which includes pork), poultry, and fish should be eaten in small portions and prepared by baking, grilling, roasting, or broiling instead of frying in large amounts of oil. Also, low-fat dairy products should be used whenever possible. Of course, learning to cook vegetables without drowning them in high-fat flavorings such as butter, oil and full-fat dairy products will also help keep type 2 diabetes symptoms in check.

By following a low-fat, low-carbohydrate type 2 diabetes diet full of healthy fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fiber, a diabetes patient can help control their type 2 diabetes symptoms and maybe even slow the development of the disease. Maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise and a healthy eating lifestyle are very important to helping a diabetic live as normal of a lifestyle as possible.

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Warning Signs For Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that develops in the body over a period of time. This condition is sometimes referred to as the non-insulin dependent diabetes. The cause of it is that your body becomes resistant to the effects of the insulin that it is producing and this increases your blood sugar levels. Two of the largest risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes are your family history and being overweight.

The definition of insulin is a hormone in your body that is produced by the pancreas. Typically, the insulin levels vary in relation to the amount of glucose in your body. When you consume food, the level will increase and if you are not eating, it will decrease. Insulin moves the glucose to different areas in your body. If you have more glucose then your body can handle, the excess amount will be stored in your liver and it will be released when it is needed. It is a difficult balance between the pancreas, liver, insulin and glucose.

If you develop type 2 diabetes, one of two things will take place. Either your pancreas will stop producing the proper amounts of insulin that your body requires or you will become resistant to insulin. No matter which way it will go, the results will be the same, high blood sugar levels.

When something is wrong with your body, it has ways of signaling you. It is extremely important that you familiarize yourself with the symptoms of type 2 diabetes because the sooner that you can catch it, the less damage that it will do to your body. Here are some things to look for in type 2 diabetes.

One of the most overlooked symptoms of type 2 diabetes is extreme fatigue. This is because people are so busy with their jobs and lifestyle and they have so much stress in their everyday lives that they automatically think that this is why they are so tired all the time. If you feel tired and sleepy all the time, even after a good nights sleep, then you should see your doctor for a checkup and make sure everything is all right.

Another sign is a drastic change in your weight. Maybe you feel hungry all of the time and this causes you to eat more and gain weight. The excess fat that you have in your body causes it to become more resistant to the effects of insulin that is produced. You may also eat more then normal and end up losing weight. This is caused by your muscles not getting enough glucose to function properly.

Your eyes can also be effected by type 2 diabetes. You can have blurry vision as high blood sugar levels pulls fluid from tissues such as the lens of your eyes making it difficult for them to focus. Most of these vision problems will go away once diabetes is treated, but in some cases blindness can occur if left untreated.

Diabetes also effects healing in your body. You may have frequent infections or they may be slow healing infections and cuts. Increased yeast infections is also a warning sign for type 2 diabetes.

Your teeth and gums can also be effected by diabetes. If you notice that your gums are becoming red and swollen or inflamed, go and get checked by your doctor as diabetes increases your chances of developing these issues as well as problems with the bones that hold your teeth in place.

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How to Prevent Diabetes

Having a healthy life is what everyone wants. However it can only be achieve if you practice a healthy way of living.

Healthy lifestyle will help keep everyone stay away from serious illnesses like diabetes. Every life threatening diseases has its own causes, symptom, and signs and then there are also several ways to prevent it. As most professional advices, prevention is better than cure. In the case of diabetes it can either be inherited or acquired.

You will most likely inherit diabetes if it's in the history of the family. For instance if your grandfather, grandmother, father or mother has diabetes you have also the probability to inherit the same disease. However, it can be preventive or avoided by considering several preventive measures like:

• Proper diet - it is a fact that our body needs complete pack of food which contributes to growth and development, and helps repairing tissues and cleansing the body. The components that our body need can only be taken from proper diet which includes right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

• Exercise - one of the most important factors of good health is the so-called exercise. Our body highly requires activities for elimination of toxins. As you exercise your body starts to burn fats and convert it to energy so your body can sustain any sort of physical and mental activities. The breaking down of fats into energy will keep you away from gaining weight that might make you obese which is the number causes of diabetes.

• Eating food with fiber - it is known that fiber eliminate toxins, cleans the body and helped balancing the functions of the systems in the body thus eating food rich in fiber will keep your system clean making you feel good and refreshed.

If the mentioned practices are followed or being applied you are sure to stay away from diabetes. However if you want to constantly monitor your blood sugar level you can make use of a device called one touch diabetes meter which is available online.

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How To Maintain A Normal Blood Sugar Level

Like the universe, the human body is considered to be an intriguing one because of its delicateness and uniqueness. The human body has different aspects that each of us should consider and take care of. This is because our body is our capital or the reason why we can do all what we want to do and what we must do. We should keep it healthy by eating a balanced diet, regular exercise and enough hours of sleep. Once we take an imbalanced and irregular maintenance of our body, some or all of its functions will loosen down and will cause illnesses and health problems to us.

Glucose or the blood sugar is the main source of energy that our body needs. It is a form of sugar that we can get from the foods that we eat, the liquids that we take and the right body maintenance that we do. It is usually derived from those foods that has high amount of carbohydrate and calories. Our blood sugar is kept inside our body and it needs the right amount of insulin. The insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. This insulin is released to our bloodstream whenever our sugar level rises above the normal level. It is between 70 to 150mg to be considered that you have a normal sugar level. Keeping a normal level of sugar requires great awareness and consciousness on the food that we eat. It is observed that humans have lower level of sugar at morning and it subsequently increases every after meal.

On medical diagnosis, when the normal sugar level goes beyond 150mg, the disorder is called hyperglycemia, or in the layman's term, it is commonly called high blood sugar. On the other side, when normal level goes below 70mg, it is now called hypoglycemia. This disorder is also referred to as low blood sugar. Whether there is a diagnosis of high or low blood sugar levels, be aware that this could be a fatal one. You should see your doctor as soon as possible for immediate medication and treatment. In the event that the normal level is not regulated well in our body, this could cause as severe illnesses like diabetes milletus.

To keep yourself on track of the happenings in your body especially on your sugar content, you can have yourself a blood glucose test wherein your bloodstream is clinically and medically checked if there is eradication of diabetes and even to hypoglycemia. As of today, there are several types of blood glucose test that you can refer to.

It is not that hard as you think of how you can have and maintain a normal level of sugar inside your blood. All you need to do is to have a healthy lifestyle, right choice and amount of food and a well-monitored height and weight proportion. The more you reduce the fats and calories in your body, the more you reduce the risk of diabetes. It is just about having a combined maintenance of regular physical activity and approved food choices.

Diabetes is a disease that has been triggered by several factors. You can immediately learn how to manage this type of disease by knowing more about the normal blood sugar level. It is better to be aware with your health and maintain a healthy life.

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Don't Eat This If You Have Diabetes

If you have diabetes then there are certain foods that you definitely should be aware of. Why? Because they will raise your blood sugar levels more than any other food. You need to watch the kind of carbohydrates that you eat. An easy way to do that is to check out how they rank on the Glycemic index. This will show you the speed that your body changes the carbohydrates that you eat into glucose. One that you may already be aware of is white bread. White bread is notorious for quickly changing into glucose, and this is why so many people on diets stay away from it. That's why you should always be eating a whole-grain bread, NOT white bread.

In layman's terms, the Glycemic index is just a fancy way to measure the speed of food turning into sugar. You know that if you eat something, and then it turns into sugar, and then you don't process it, it turns to fat. That's why when we check labels we don't just look at fat, we should also look at carbohydrates, because that can turn into fat in our bodies.

Of course you can look at the Glycemic index every time you eat. You need to have a way to have a basic idea of what foods you can eat and which ones you can't. One good way to do it is to have a list of good foods in your wallet or purse at all times so that you can check it quickly. You can use the measurements on the list when picking what you eat and how you eat at restaurants.

For example, if you eat white bread you will be consuming a food with a glycemic index of 100. The interesting thing is that the way you eat food will have a different glycemic index. Like if you eat cooked vegetables versus raw. This can be very confusing to understand.

The important thing to remember is that everything you eat should be taken into account. Also, you should be checking your glucose levels frequently with a Blood Glucose Meter. The more often you check your blood glucose levels the more accurate you can be at measuring your success.

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Getting To Know Diabetes

Your health is not something that you should take lightly. It never hurts to shell out money just as long as you have an assurance that you're healthy.

Diabetes is a common disease that anyone can have including children. There's no current cure for it yet so you just need to be vigilant on this one.

My grandmother died because of diabetes. She has insulin shots just to keep everything stable and her wounds aren't healing that fast anymore. My grandmother grew weaker and thinner. In the end, we lost her. But the thing I remembered the most about her is how she disciplined and loved me and my cousins.

How do you know that you're already having diabetes?

Being too hungry can already set you up for diabetes. Insulin levels in your body get depleted and your organs go weaker. Because of the low energy output of your organs, your body craves for more food that it should to get some energy back.

Fluids in the body gets drained easily causing us to go thirsty more than before. As we gain thirstier, our urination becomes frequent as well. The body needs to release the excess water it has. It can also be a sign of kidney damage because whatever happens to your kidney, affects your urination.

The elevation of blood sugar is the most common and major symptom that diabetes can cause. To check on your blood sugar, you need to go to a doctor and get tested. A rise in blood sugar is caused by a problem in the insulin levels of the body. The glucose can't be regulated right and problems start to arise.

Genetics are another reason why you may acquire diabetes. Yes this can be passed on.

When a person drastically decreases weight without even gaining weight, he should immediately go to a doctor to get checked. It's not only a sign of diabetes, but all sorts of other problems as well. My dad decreased weight because of Hyperthyroidism and my grandmother decreased weight because of diabetes.

Preventing diabetes from happening can be done by simply living a healthy life. Going on exercise on a regular basis will help. Normally, dietitians and doctors will recommend a person to lose excess weight to keep diabetes from happening. To lose weight, you should also eat nutritious food. Everything starts from deciding to live healthy. In the end, it's all up to us.

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