Category Archives: Healthy Aging

Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Role in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseaseThe use of stem cells in treatment of various diseases has been given lots of consideration in the recent past. scientists have been busy doing researches trying to find out if the stem cell therapy which is termed by many as the medical miracle of the 21century can be a break in treatment of the diseases that have proved stubborn to conventional treatment methods. Stem cells have various properties that other cells do not have and this is the major reason why they have been in the lips of every regenerative doctor. There are different types of stem cells but the mesenchymal stem cells have been the major focus of integrative medicine practitioners.

Degenerative diseases are known to wreak havoc in the body’s ability to self-renew and rejuvenate. They affect the way the nervous system works causing a breakdown in the communication between the nerves which eventually causes various ailments. Degenerative diseases have not been very easy to treat in the past but with stem cell therapy, there is hope for not only degenerative diseases but also the much dreaded cardiovascular diseases as well.

Why mesenchymal stem cells?

The mesenchymal stem cells are not sought after for nothing. They have a lot to offer especially in this age when degenerative diseases are enslaving many people and the conventional medicine is not offering the much needed break. Mesenchymal stem cells are sourced from either the adipose tissues or from the bone marrows and are described as a rare type of cells which are multi-potent and rich in medicinal properties. The unique properties of the mesenchymal stem cells have made them a target as therapy for various diseases and currently they have been used for treatment of arthritis among other conditions. They have been found to be also very effective in moderating the functions of dendritic cells, immune cells, B cells, natural killer cells, monocyte or macrophages, T cells, and neutrophils.

Just like the rest of the Stem cells, the mesenchymal stem cells are precursors of all cells and have the ability of forming cells of other types such as the hematopoietic, bone, endocrine organs, nervous and cardiovascular system, and cartilage and muscle tissue. It is the unique ability of the mesenchymal to shift shape and form other cells that they have been targeted for treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Research on Mesenchymal stem cells for cardiac diseases treatment

Cardiac diseases have caused many deaths and are still among the leading causes of death worldwide. however the conventional medicine such as myocardial infarction haven’t helped much in treatment of these diseases and this led to the research on the possibility of the stem cells being used for this course. The Hematopoietic stem cells were the first to be researched on and used for clinical trial. In some trials the therapy worked while in others they didn’t give the much expected results and this led to consideration of other stem cell types.

The mesenchymal stem cells were the most promising of all the types owing to their strong paracrine function, which gives them potential immunomodulatory effects via anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic actions. It is this property that may give them the ability to counteract the pathological mechanisms that are involved in various cardiac diseases. They can also be trans-differentiated into cardiomyocytes.

In 1999, Makino S and his colleagues first demonstrated the differentiation of MSCs into cardiomyocytes in vitro. Their research concluded that Cardiomyocytes can be generated from marrow stromal cells in vitro. Makino and his colleagues aren’t the only scientists to have worked on viability of MSCs ability to treat cardiac diseases, Wang JA and his colleagues did a trial that involved transplanting Allograftic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into heart infarcted model of rabbit to renovate infarcted heart, they found out that the rabbits who had mesenchymal stem cells transplant had a lower mortality rate of 16.7% as opposed to the controls whose mortality rate was at 35%.

cardiovascular diseaseAnother study was done in 2005 by Hatton N and his counterparts, it involved transplanting purified cardiomyocytes differentiated from bone marrow MSCs in vitro into adult mouse hearts, after three months the transplanted cells had survived and were sloping in parallel to the cardiomyocytes of the recipient heart. These and other animal trials have all showed the ability of mesenchymal stem cells in treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Through research, there has been a growing body of evidence that the mesenchymal stem cells have the multiple paracrine effects that even without cell replacement can affect cardiac remodeling, angiogenesis and cytoprotection hence are clinically beneficial.

The hopes were held even higher after another researcher; Ohnishi S showed that the mesenchymal stem cells have a role in inhibiting cardiac fibrosis by regulation of collagen synthesis by cardiac fibroblasts, as well as their effects on fibroblast proliferation.

conference

The mesenchymal stem cell therapy are the medical miracle of the 21century, you need to be updated their applicability in treatment of various diseases, visit www.awaremednetwork.com for more information about bone marrow transplant and stem cell transplantation. Dr. Dalal Akoury is an experienced doctor in integrative medicine; she will be able to assist. From the same website you can also visit http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com and be updated on upcoming Integrative Addiction Conference 2015. The conference will deliver unique approaches to telling symptoms of addiction and how to assist patients of addiction.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Role in Cardiovascular Diseases

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Benefits of A Healthy Microenvironment

The Importance Of A Healthy Microenvironment

MicroenvironmentThe environment is one of the most important factors of influence in the disease triad. The environment can be defined as the biological and physical factors and the chemical interactions that influence the life of a living organism. In the case of human beings like you and I, our environment refers to all the living and non living things we interact with and the chemical interactions that influence our lives. The living component of the environment includes all our neighbors, our domesticated plants and animals and the wild animals and how we interact with them. The physical component of the environment includes all non living things that influence our life like rainfall, sun, rocks and many more.

It is therefore clear that the environment which is our surrounding has a direct bearing on our lives. Just how does our environment influence diseases that attack us? In order to effectively answer this question, we need to remember the components of the environment and consider them as possible risk factors for a disease. We are exposed to several risk factors of diseases that are physical, chemical or biological components of the environment. For better understanding, consider an environment with poisonous gas, constant flooding and mosquito infestation. In this risky environment, the chemical component that is a risk factor for disease is the poisonous gas. The physical component that poses risk is the flood and the biological component that is a risk factor to disease is the mosquitoes. The environment also influences alterations in the way we behave in response to the risk factors to which we are exposed.

What is a healthy microenvironment?

An organism exists in a larger environment whose definition is given above. This larger environment is sometimes referred to as macro environment. However at times interest may be only on the immediate surrounding which is relatively small, effectively isolated and characteristically differs from the larger environment. For example if we are to consider a family living in a city environment, the conditions of their house could be different from that of the surrounding. Individual members of the family might wear clothing of different levels of cleanliness. All this makes the micro environment.

At the lowest level microenvironment would refer to the environment in and around the calls that make up our bodies. At the cellular level, our bodies carry out billions and billions of chemical reactions that are aimed at maintaining life. These reactions alter the composition of the environment within and around the cells of the body. Even in spite of all these reactions, the body has to maintain internal conditions that are relatively constant and stable. The body therefore undergoes a process of self regulation that helps it to restore the balance after it is shifted by normal biochemical reactions and daily stresses. A healthy microenvironment is thus one in which the body’s self regulating capabilities function well and thus the environment in and around the cells is well balanced thereby discouraging disease from taking hold.

Maintaining a healthy microenvironment

It is of very great importance for every individual to maintain a healthy microenvironment in order to prevent and control diseases. So as to make this importance stand out, we need to answer the question of how disease takes hold in our bodies.

Disease occurs in our body due to the failure of the body’s self regulating mechanisms due to physical, chemical and emotional strains and stresses pushing this system out of balance.

Some of these stresses include toxicity and poor nutrient intake. A naturally balanced and healthy microenvironment is very hostile to disease factors.

Maintaining a healthy microenvironment not only helps in preventing diseases but also helps in controlling diseases that have already taken hold.

An example of a micro environment in our body is that of bacteria in our gastro intestinal tract. These bacteria benefit us in several ways. They metabolize nutrients that we cannot digest and convert them to important end products. They also control the assembly of gut associated lymphoid tissue, they modulate proliferation and differentiation of the gastrointestinal tract lineages, they train the immune system, and they regulate angiogenesis and modify the activity of the enteric nervous system. Owing to the vast important physiological and immunological roles of these microorganisms, it becomes clear that maintaining a healthy microenvironment within the gastrointestinal tract could go a long way in improving their function and thus boosting the body’s ability to fight disease.

MicroenvironmentAnother example of microenvironment is that of antimicrobials in the mucosal surfaces of the female reproductive system. This microenvironment is effective in protecting the body against bacteria, viruses and fungi. Maintaining a healthy microenvironment in the female reproductive system would thus go a long way in solving the problem of sexually transmitted diseases that have been world’s worst nightmare.

It is therefore evidently possible to control and prevent majority of diseases of mankind through maintaining a healthy microenvironment that boosts the body’s immunological functions. To achieve this, we need to feed on unadultered nutrient rich foods, breath oxygen rich air and drink purified water which will help in providing the needed elements and clearing toxins and thus maintain the body’s microenvironment in a state that prevents disease from taking hold.

For more information about bone marrow transplant and stem cell transplantation, visit www.awaremednetwork.com. Dr. Dalal Okoury has years of experience in integrative medicine and will be of assistance.

Integrative Addiction Conference 2015

While at it, visit http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com to learn about the upcoming integrative addiction conference 2015. The conference will deliver unique approaches to telling symptoms of addiction and how to assist patients of addiction.

The Importance Of A Healthy Microenvironment

 

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The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health: Weight, heart disease, and stroke

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health. Be very mindful of what you eat they may be the highway to chronic health complications

While addressing the topic of effects of excess weight on your health in the previous article, we mention depression as one of the know effect or consequence that come with excess weight and in this section we want to further on that discussion by looking at more effects and the dangers of excess weight on your health. It is true that most common problems seen in people who carry excess weight, such as high blood pressure and unhealthy levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood, tend to occur together. Both can lead to concurrent health problems namely, heart disease and stroke.

Doctor Dalal Akoury says that high blood pressure is estimated to be about six times more common in people who are obese than in those who are lean. This has also been confirmed by various institutions and according to the American Heart Association, an individual with about 22 pounds in excess of weight will boosts systolic blood pressure which is the first number in a reading by an average of 3 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure representing the second number by an average of 2.3 mm Hg, which translates to about 24% increase in stroke risk. And further still and according to another study conducted in 2007 in archives of internal medicine, they examined the connection between weight and heart disease by assembling results from an evaluation of some 21 different studies involving more than 300,000 people. The findings established that being overweight boosted the risk of heart disease by some 32% while obesity increased by 81%

One very important point to take home here according to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is that even though the adverse effects of overweight on blood pressure and cholesterol levels could account for 45% of the increased heart disease risk, the society should know that losing weight is very effective in correcting this condition. And as a matter of fact even modest amounts of excess weight can increase the odds of heart disease independent of those well-known risks. It therefore means that losing weight even just a minimal weight loss will have a great impact on your health.

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health: Weight and diabetes

Overweight and obesity are so closely linked to diabetes to the point that experts have today introduced an adjective or a noun whichever way you look at it to the term “diabesity” to describe the phenomenon. About 90% of people with type 2 diabetes which is the most common form of the disease are either overweight or obese. The incidence of diabetes rose dramatically by nearly 65% in just one decade (from 1996 to 2006).

A high blood sugar level, the hallmark of diabetes, is one of the features of metabolic syndrome. If untreated or poorly controlled, diabetes can lead to a number of grave health problems, including kidney failure, blindness, and foot or leg amputations. Diabetes is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. This is not something you want to gamble with. Your life and that of your family are the most valuable assets that you can spend on to the last dollar. We do not want you to spend all your life savings in settling medical bills. That is why doctor Dalal Akoury founded this health facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) to help you get better at very minimal cost. Talk to us if you are struggling with any weight related health conditions and we will fix that problem for you very professionally and with a lot of confidence. You may schedule for that appointment today with doctor Akoury for commencement of treatment.

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health: Do you have metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. One of the key features is abdominal obesity. If you have that problem, you’re more likely to have the other characteristics. If you have any of the three or more of these traits, then chances are that you are having or developing a metabolic syndrome:

  • Big waist – A waist circumference more than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men.
  • High triglycerides – A fasting blood triglyceride level of 150 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL) or higher.
  • Low HDL – A HDL (“good”) cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women.
  • High blood pressure – A systolic blood pressure (the top number of a reading) of 130 mm Hg or higher, or diastolic (the lower number) of 85 mm Hg or higher.
  • High blood sugar – A fasting blood sugar level of 100 mg/dL or higher.

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health: Weight and cancer

Some experts believe that obesity ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death, after cigarette smoking. According to a study by the American Cancer Society published in The New England Journal of Medicine followed more than 900,000 people for 16 years. From this study it was established that there is a significant link between excess body weight and many different cancers. Some of the findings included the following:

  • Among people ages 50 and older, overweight and obesity may account for 14% of all cancer deaths in men and 20% of all cancer deaths in women.
  • In both men and women, higher BMIs were associated with a higher risk of dying from cancer of the esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or kidney.
  • In men, excess weight also increased the risk of dying from stomach or prostate cancer.
  • In women, deaths from cancer of the breast, uterus, cervix, or ovary were elevated in women with higher BMIs.

We all have a duty to bring to manageable levels this problem of obesity, overweight and all that which is associated with them. The formation of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is on but one way of going about this issue. A lot more can be done and it all begins with you and me. Time has come when we need to forgo some of the comforts we have for the sake of our health. Take for example the use of elevators instead of taking the stair case, it is something we can do and the result will be very positive on our health. We will be discussing more as we progress with the discussion, but in the mean time I can only advice you to talk to the experts by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today tor real time treatment.

The dangers of Excess Weight on Your Health: Weight, heart disease, and stroke

 

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Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health

Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health: The health Complications associated with Obesity

Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health

Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health are realistically dangerous, you can help reduce these by feeding well and healthily.

It is no secret that any human being must live within some reasonable quantity of body weight. The term reasonable is very important to us in this discussion, because we are going to be for casing on the effects of excess weight on your health. When the body weight exceeds or is under what is considered to be normal then there is a problem. This is what doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are going to help us come to terms with. But just before we get into the discussion, doctor Akoury is one of the most proactive professionals in medicine and has been in practice now for more than two decades making her to be one of the most experienced in her area of specialization. Seen how the prevalence of obesity and overweight was eating into the societies wellbeing, she made a very bold decision of forming this health facility to contribute in the national and international fight against obesity and overweight. This makes her to be very qualified to attend to both your individual and group weight related complications. Therefore as we progress into the discussion, you can schedule for an appointment with her at any time of the day and she will be of great help to you and your loved ones.

And now back to the discussion, doctor Akoury says that if you are harboring some extra pounds, you stand a greater risk of contracting some health problems. These health conditions can be very chronic depending on the intensity of your weight levels. Some of the health conditions we are referring to may include the nation’s leading causes of death like various kinds of heart diseases, cancer diseases stroke and diabetes. Besides these there are also some less common ailment like the gout and gallstone. The presences of these health conditions will certainly make you understand the effects of excess weight on your health. And even as you come to terms with that, one may choose to look at the health complications in a different dimension, like the very strong link between overweight and depression. Doctor Akoury explains that this will cause mood disorder which can translate to a profound negative impact on an individual’s daily life.

According the findings of a Harvard study that combined data from more than 50,000 men (participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study) and more than 120,000 women (from the Nurses’ Health Study) revealed some sobering statistics about weight and health. During the study the participants provided their height and weight alongside the details of their diet, daily routines and medical histories. Using these facts the experts followed very closely the participating volunteers for a whole decade. The findings showed that there were some occurrences of illnesses and compared those developments with each subject’s body mass index (BMI)—an estimate of an individual’s relative body fat calculated from his or her height and weight. The findings then revealed that obesity increased the risk of diabetes 20 times and substantially boosted the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and gallstones. Among people who were overweight or obese, there was a direct relationship between BMI and risk: from the study it was then concluded that the higher the BMI, the higher the likelihood of disease.

Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health: Weight and depression

A few weeks ago a client asked me a very important question which I want to share with you so that we can get some medical tips out of it. The question was under normal circumstances do people gain weight because they’re depressed, or do they become depressed because they’re overweight? This is not very clear however looking at the review of some 15 studies done previously, it was established that both scenarios bears some degree of truth. In fact according to findings of the study, published in 2010 in the Archives of General Psychiatry, it was established that obese people have about 55% higher risk of developing depression over time compared with people of normal weight. Doctor Akoury shares with us some of the possible reasons why obesity may increase risk of depression:

  • Both conditions that is obesity and depression demonstrate a stem (at least in part) from alterations in brain chemistry and function in response to stress.
  • Psychological factors are also plausible. In our culture, thin equals beautiful, and being overweight can lower self-esteem, a known trigger for depression.
  • Odd eating patterns and eating disorders, as well as the physical discomfort of being obese, are known to foster depression.

Besides that, the studies also found that majority of all depressed people have an estimation of about 58% risk of becoming obese. The following are some of the reasons why it is believed that depression is closely associated with obesity:

  • Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol (common in people with depression) may alter substances in fat cells that make fat accumulation, especially in the belly, more likely, according to one theory.
  • People who feel depressed often feel too blue to eat properly and exercise regularly, making them more prone to gain weight.
  • Some medications used to treat depression cause weight gain.

Finally the effects of excess weight on your health is not something you can take lightly, and as a matter of fact, being overweight is very dangerous just as has been mentioned before. It would have been better if preventive measures are taken to keep us free from all the health complications that come with being obese or overweight. Nonetheless doctor Dalal Akoury establishment (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) is one such facility where you can get all the professional help you needs to be free from the dangers of obesity. Therefore if you or any one you know is struggling with weight related problems, then this is your opportunity to help and be counted as an ambassador of change. Schedule for that appointment with the experts today and begin your journey of full recovery and enjoyment of life thereafter.

Effects of Excess Weight on Your Health: The health Complications associated with Obesity

 

 

 

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Some of the known Risks of Obesity

Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Exposing the Dangers of Obesity

Some of the known Risks of Obesity

Some of the known Risks of Obesity can be avoided if only we can change some of our habits and lifestyle.

At the mention of the word obesity we often think of the chronic nature of the diseases that comes with it. This problem has been with us for decades and it is not about to end anytime soon. Like I have said some of the known risks of obesity can be very chronic and the sooner we address them the better for us and our next generations to come. This problem is very dangerous and does not discriminate on whom to attack and at what time. Children are equally vulnerable and the problem becomes even more complicated when you get to know the complications that come with it which may include: heart diseases (cardiovascular diseases), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing. The risks of obesity and more so the cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have been discussed in different forums and also documented in obese children cardiovascular diseases (CVD), it is also associated with reduced life expectancy.

A very important fact to note is that a variety of adaptations or alterations in cardiac structure and function do happen in the individual as adipose tissue accrues in excess volume. Therefore the general observation is that, overweight or obesity predisposes or is associated with numerous cardiac complications such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and sudden death through its impact on the cardiovascular system. Having seen the over view of being overweight, we can observed that there is reasonable cause to worry that adult obesity is indeed associated with a wide range of health problems, and for the purpose of this article I will be making some brief highlight torching on some of the health conditions inclined with obesity to help you make your own self-evaluation and take the most appropriate action timely.

As we get the discussion on, it is important that upon realizing that you are overweight or obese, immediate medical attention is not just an option but a must. This must be done professionally with the experts and not just from your own imagination. Therefore I would recommend that if you or anyone you know is suffering from any of these health complications related to weight problem then you need to schedule your appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for proper treatment. Doctor Akoury is the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, a facility in which she is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Therefore you or any qualified professional can now be a part of this truly successful and fast health recovery treatment solution whose primary objective is to reinstate your health for comfort and full enjoyment thereafter. Now let us consider some of the health complication associated with overweight.

Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Circulatory system

  • Raised BMI increases the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), which is itself a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke and can contribute to other conditions such as renal failure.
  • The risk of coronary heart disease (including heart attacks and heart failure) and stroke are both substantially increased.
  • Risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are also increased.

Respiratory problems

  • Overweight and obese people are at increased risk of sleep apnoea (interruptions to breathing while asleep) and other respiratory problems such as asthma.

Musculoskeletal system

  • Raised body weight puts strain on the body’s joints, especially the knees, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and underlying bone within a joint).
  • There is also an increased risk of low back pain.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a range of conditions resulting from the accumulation of fat in cells inside the liver. It is one of the commonest forms of liver disease in most communities. If left untreated, it may progress to severe forms such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis and cirrhosis. It has also been linked to liver cancer.
  • Obesity is an important risk factor for the condition: over 66% of overweight people and over 90% of obese individuals are at risk of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As levels of obesity have risen, so has the prevalence of NAFLD.

Cancers

  • The risk of several cancers is higher in obese people, including endometrial, breast and colon cancers.

Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Reproductive and urological problems

  • Obesity is associated with greater risk of stress incontinence in women.
  • Obese women are at greater risk of menstrual abnormalities, polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility.
  • Obese men are at higher risk of erectile dysfunction.
  • Maternal obesity is associated with health risks for both the mother and the child during and after pregnancy.

Gastrointestinal disease

Obesity is also associated with:

  • Increased risk of gastro-esophageal reflux
  • Increased risk of gall stones

Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Psychological and social problems

  • Overweight and obese people may suffer from stress, low self-esteem, social disadvantage, depression and reduced libido.
Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Metabolic and endocrine systems
  • The risk of Type 2 diabetes is substantially raised: it has been estimated that excess body fat underlies almost two-thirds of cases of diabetes in men and three quarters of cases in women. Diabetes currently affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and International Diabetes Federation predicts that this will increase to over 330 million by 2025, with a massive burden in developing countries. Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes has tripled since 1985.
  • There is a greater risk of dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides), which also contributes to the risk of circulatory disease by speeding up atherosclerosis (fatty changes to the linings of the arteries).
  • Metabolic syndrome is a combination of disorders including high blood glucose, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglyderide levels. It is more common in obese individuals and is associated with significant risks of coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Finally dear reader, these are not just risks but very dangerous, being obese can introduce one or a collection of these and even more complications and when this happens, your life will be unbearable. That is why calling doctor Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is very vital for you and your loved ones. Like I had said before doctor Akoury is very experienced not just in matters concerning weight but also on addiction which is very much inclined to obesity. Her services will be a full package to help you free yourself from all the strings attached to obesity and by extension protecting yourself from being a victim of all these health complications. Therefore associate your health only with the experts and call doctor Akoury today.

Some of the known Risks of Obesity: Exposing the Dangers of Obesity

 

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