Tag Archives: adrenal gland

What’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

December 23, 2014

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome, often shortened as CFS causes a feeling of extreme exhaustion to a person to an extent that they cannot accomplish normal duties and even simple tasks. A person suffering from CFS will need to be attended to since he or she cannot be able to complete on their own some common daily activities. While chronic fatigue syndrome has no known cause and is difficult to diagnose, its major symptoms can be treated. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) causes persistent fatigue that affects everyday life and doesn’t go away with sleep or rest. Chronic fatigue syndrome is also known as ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. Myalgia means muscle pain and encephalomyelitis means inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Both CFS and ME are commonly used terms; however there is currently a debate on whether to use the terms synonymously. Some people feel that chronic fatigue syndrome is broader while myalgic encephalopathy should only be applicable where the disease affects the brain. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a serious condition that can result to long-term illness and disability, however many people affected by chronic fatigue syndrome especially children and young people often improve over time.

What’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

How severe is chronic fatigue syndrome?

This condition may vary in severity. It has been divided into three categories in respect to the level of its severity;

  • Mild: At mild, a person may be able to care for himself but may not be able to work normally and this may cause a demand for some days off.
  • Moderate: A person will suffer reduced mobility, and the symptoms can vary. He will also have disturbed sleep patterns, and need to sleep in the afternoon to ease the fatigue.
  • Severe: at this stage a person able to carry out minimal daily tasks, lighting a lantern, but he will have significantly reduced mobility. He will also have difficulty concentrating.

Chronic Fatigue Symptoms

The main symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome is fatigue. The patient suffers both emotional and physical fatigue. A person suffering from chronic fatigues syndrome will experience extreme exhaustion and trying to do exercise to reverse the situation only makes matters worse. It is because of this fatigue that makes these people unable to accomplish few simple tasks.

  • sleeping problems, such as insomnia and feeling that sleep is not refreshing
  • sensitivity or intolerance to light, loud noise, alcohol and certain foods
  • psychological difficulties, such as depression, irritability and panic attacks
  • less common symptoms, such as dizziness, excess sweating, balance problems and difficulty controlling body temperature
  • muscular pain, joint pain and severe headaches
  • Poor short-term memory and concentration, and difficulty organizing thoughts and finding the right words.
  • painful lymph nodes stomach pain and other problems similar to irritable bowel syndrome, such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea and nausea
  • sore throat
  • fever

Causes of Chronic Fatigue

The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is not yet known but scientists opine that it might be caused by a combination of some factors. Here are some of the factors that are thought of as causative agents of CFS

  • Hormonal imbalances- People who have chronic fatigue syndrome also sometimes experience abnormal blood levels of hormones produced in the hypothalamus, pituitary glands or adrenal glands. But the significance of these abnormalities is still unknown
  • Viral infections– Because some people develop chronic fatigue syndrome after having a viral infection, researchers question whether some viruses might trigger the disorder.

Suspicious viruses include Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus 6 and mouse leukemia viruses. However there is no conclusive link has yet been found to verify this.

  • Immune system problems- The immune systems of people who have chronic fatigue syndrome appear to be impaired slightly, but it’s unclear if this impairment is enough to actually cause the disorder.

 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Treating CFS with Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Bio identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a therapy that has been very helpful in treatment of diseases that are mostly caused by hormonal deficiency or imbalance. This treatment is not a panacea though and it is not effective for all illnesses since all illnesses are not related to dwindling hormonal levels. However this treatment can help in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome. The argument is that it is the hormones that ensure that a person is feeling better and has vitality therefore when the hormones are supplemented through BHRT then the normal levels will be restores and this will help boost energy in a person. Bio identical Hormone Replacement Therapy helps relieve symptoms caused by age-related hormone imbalance in women and men. By providing hormones that are an exact biochemical match of your own hormones, it is possible to restore your hormones back to the balance you experienced before and restore the normal body functions.

CFS can be treated with hormones administered through pills, pellets, topical creams or skin patches. These are all valid methods to regain energy and beat fatigue. Just in case you wish to get help, do not hesitate to contact Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an experienced doctor who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center which is home to many people seeking health breakthrough.

What’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

 

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Catabolic Wasting, Cachexia and Cancer; Natural Remedies

December 16, 2014

Catabolic Wasting, Cachexia and Cancer; Natural Remedies

Catabolic WastingA number of chronic diseases are characterized with loss of weight among the patients of these diseases. Be it AIDS, or other severe illnesses like cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the patients are likely to experience a wasting of the body mass. This wasting of body mass is what is referred to as Catabolic wasting, or cachexia.

Old age is also common with the decline of the general body mass of the aging individual. This is however not the same as cachexia, rather, the condition is referred to as sarcopenia. Both of these are conditions of loss of both muscle and body fat tissue. Cachexia and sarcopenia both often lead to frailty of the body and these conditions adversely affect different clinical outcomes and the victims face an increased risk of infection, falls and ultimately death. Cachexia is also associated with slower healing of wounds, significantly reduced exercise and breathing capacity. The overall life quality of the individual is usually diminished.

When the term ‘catabolic wasting’ is used, a reference to both sarcopenia and cachexia is encompassed. Catabolic mentioned here refers to the tissue breakdown; just the direct opposite of anabolic which on the other hand denotes tissue-building.

How catabolic wasting results

The wasting away of body muscle and fat tissue is caused by an interplay of a number of factors. Malnutrition is often key among these factors. This is due to reduced food consumption or impaired absorption of nutrient that frequently occurs in advanced or later stages of severe and chronic diseases. This form of malnutrition can always cause manifest loss of body muscle and fat tissue. Studies indicate that cachexia, despite being typically accompanied with loss of appetite by the patient, the condition hardly ever responds to improved food intake alone.

Among patients of AIDS for instance, dehydration is one of the commonest contributors to catabolic wasting. Dehydration is a condition of severe loss of body fluid and this is known to result in reduced aggregate body weight.

Inflammation has also been noted to play a key role in deterioration of the mass of the patients of chronic diseases. Both acute and chronic and conditions can cause serious increases in the creation of inflammatory cell-signaling molecules referred to as cytokines. Cytokines (inflammatory mediators) are known to alter a number of metabolic processes in the body. As a result, there is a reduction in muscle protein synthesis and the muscle protein also breaks down in an increased rate.

The inflammatory cytokines often activate a key metabolic regulator referred to as nuclear factor kappa B. this is also abbreviated as NF-κB.  The NF-κB in turn triggers a number of physiological changes which encourage tissue deterioration. The cytokines are also known to stimulate the release of hormone cortisol, the adrenal catalytic chemical responsible for body stress and other neurotransmitter hormones: catecholamines. Together, the cortisol hormone and hormone catecholamines can aggravate catabolic wasting by disrupting the metabolism of muscle cells. They also alter the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of the patient.

There are other factors that have been identified as being causative to catabolic wasting as well. These include reduced levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and testosterone in the body. These substances are often responsible for inducing of anabolic actions in bodily muscle tissue. Reducing their levels therefore will have a negative response in this regard hence can lead to reduced muscle mass.

Natural Ways of Countering Catabolic Wasting

Insulin resistance, increased inflammation, oxidative damage, breakdown of protein associated with actual reduction of protein synthesis and changes in the levels of essential hormones have so far been identified to be responsible for cachexia and sarcopenia, conditions of catabolic wasting other factors also include blood vessels dysfunction and the dysfunction of nerves as well as damage caused to mitochondria which are responsible for the production of cellular energy.

Catabolic Wasting

Advanced cancer patients are therefore likely to manifest symptoms of catabolic wasting or cachexia. Precisely this is often referred to as cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS). This is because solid tumors result in the above internal changes that eventually get noticeable through body wasting as a symptom.

Natural ways meant to counter the symptoms of cachexia resulting from cancer should be targeted at the root causes of the fat tissue and muscle wastage. Researchers stress that the application of successful therapies will depend on the ability of the therapist to determine which categories of cancer patients often experience the greatest benefit when treated with a particular therapy instead of another. As such the catabolic phenotypes in patients of cancer must first be assessed before any therapy is recommended.

The effective medical treatments for cachexia often include encouraging the use of adequate amounts of liquids and food accompanied with certain drugs. These medical treatments however present serious side effects.

Catabolic wasting therefore is effectively treated by a variety of lifestyle, nutritional and innovative pharmacological interventions that may often prevent and treat cachexia and catabolic wasting in general.

Lean muscle mass may be built by taking glutamine, leucine, arginine and hydoxy-methylbutyrate (amino acids); whey protein and creatine. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially recommended by many practitioners for use in dealing with catabolic wasting. Other recommended products include conjugated linoleic acid and vitamin D which are also said to be effective in fighting lean tissue loss.

AwareMed is a perfect resurce not only to get information regarding the methods of ensuring a healthy life free from catabolic wasting, but also to purchase supplements that will help you recover from severe levels of catabolic wasting.

Catabolic Wasting, Cachexia and Cancer; Natural Remedies

 

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Enzymes and Contribution in Cancer Treatment

December 9, 2014

Enzymes for Cancer Treatment

enzymes-for-fighting-cancerCancer has managed to earn itself quite a reputation throughout the world as a major threat to everyone. This therefore warrants a keen understanding of the disease and how it works.

Cancer is formed through a breakdown in a variety of the normal cellular and immunity mechanisms in the body. Often, body components damaged by free radicals are built up within the cells in the body throughout life. Extreme oxidative stress resulting from factors such as body injury or diseases catalyze this process. This damage caused to body tissue initiates the release of chemical signals to arrest the situation, but in large amounts, the chemical signals eventually cause further damage to tissue.  This tissue damage cycle is responsible for the damage of DNA in the end.

As you might have known from raw biology, the DNA is responsible for a number of regulatory processes and mechanisms. If it can no longer perform this regulation function, it only means that the growth of cancer cannot be regulated any more. And given the inflammation or tissue damage already in place, the body immunity is likely to miscommunicate, mistaking the developing cancer cells for other damaged body tissue. This disrupted cellular communication gives cancer a window to thrive. Even more disadvantageous to the victim is the effects of the reactive species of oxygen whose effects on the natural cellular controls eventually prevent apoptosis of the developing cancer cells.

Cancer cells are also ‘smart’. They have adaptive characteristics that make them survive against the body immunity mechanisms. While enzymes are known for their digestive abilities in the body, the cancer tumor for instance produce a dense fibrin protein which not only help them stick around but also aid their protection against the possible digestion by the immune system. Enzymes in the bloodstream are capable of digesting and dissolving the fibrin coating on the cancer tumor. The enzymes would however have to be in large amounts. In addition, they would need to be enzymes with high amounts of nattokinase or protease or break down the thick fibrin.

Low Enzyme Levels And Cancer

Research suggests a rather close relationship between low levels of enzymes and the formation and proliferation of cancer tumor. The enzymes as already mentioned are capable of destroying the cancer tumor naturally. The body is programmed to have the foods taken in digested by the very enzymes that come into the gut with the food. This suggests that the digestive system is meant to process foods that are raw for this ideal set up to work out, since raw food comes with enzymes that aid the breakdown of that particular food right in the upper gut (stomach). Food usually stays there for about 30- 45 minutes.

If that were to be the case. It would mean that down the gut in the lower stomach and the duodenum, the pancreatic enzymes have a reduced work and a lot of them can be reserved and channeled into the bloodstream where they do the cleaning work and could help digest any existing cancer tumor in the bloodstream.

However, this is never the case as the foods we eat are processed: cooked or treated. These processes that food undergoes are responsible for killing of the enzymes. The food thus does not get predigested in upper stomach. The pancreas is therefore overworked as soon as the food gets to the lower stomach as it has to produce extra enzymes for braking down the food. In the process, the food is often incompletely digested.

This partial digestion of the food ends up with some undigested food into the bloodstream where they are treated as foreign and toxic to the body system. Being viewed in that lens by the body’s immunity, the system that already has much to do, has to put up with even extra work of fighting the undigested food being considered toxic in the bloodstream.

The overworked pancreas loses its ability to produce sustainable amount of enzymes in the long run resulting with an individual with low enzyme levels. The moment all the essential enzymes exist in low amounts, the body loses its ability to naturally fight and destroy cancerous cells.

enzymes-for-fighting-cancer

How to Boost the Enzymes Level

In that condition, you must make use of enzyme supplements. A number of them are recommended for use. The most recommended one being the PapayaPro.  The product has mature green papaya powder as key ingredient, with the most active enzyme being Papain. Papain has a unique digestive formula and is expressly powerful as compared to pancreatin or even the pancreatic enzymes. It is not affected by changes in the intestinal pH and can work equally in both alkaline and acidic conditions. It is highly aggressive when taken in an empty stomach and will work more than the pancreatic enzymes in its attacking and destroying of the cancer tumor.

The Citrus Pectin enzyme also found in the PapayaPro has an even more unique ability, it can prevent the spread of cancer cells (metastasis). Their molecules enter the blood and confuse cancer cells for lectin (cancer protein). As a result, the tumors are prevented from being able to attach to other body parts to start new cancer colonies. This has been supported by a number of studies.

AwareMed recommends the use of enzyme supplements to boost the body immunity and help fight cancer. More information can be obtained by contacting our doctors at AwareMed.

Enzymes and Contribution in Cancer Treatment

 

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Kidney Health and Blood Sugar

November 30, 2014

Kidney Health and Blood Sugar

The connection between hypertension and blood glucose is even more insidious than it seems. When you think of hypertension the organs that come into your mind are probably the kidney, then the heart. The kidney refused to regulate the amount of blood sugar. A lot of it got deposited on the walls of blood tissue resulting in some unregulated pressure for this life fluid.

Hypertension often accompanies diabetes in the event of chronic hyperglycemia. Clearly then, the relationship between elevated blood glucose, hyperinsulinemia and kidney health is a complicated one. You probably understand how crucial the kidneys are in maintaining the balance in the body system. The organ plays an essential regulatory role in creating the body’s equilibrium through osmoregulation.

With diabetes, the kidneys are at risk. Yes they often help in releasing of glucose into the blood circulation via a process known as gluconeogenesis, lead the uptake of glucose from the circulation to satisfy the body’s energy needs, and then help reabsorb blood sugar at the point of the proximal tubule. But diabetes can often cause this vital osmoregulatory system to break down.

This happens when the high levels of blood sugar damages the kidneys rendering them dysfunctional. When the kidneys fail they are not able to filter out waste from the blood any more. This may often lead to kidney disease (nephropathy) with time.

Kidney-Health

Where does the sugar come from?

The diet! Organ failure. Related disorders. Genetics. Lifestyle choices such as exercise and lack of it. All these factors bring the excess sugar into your blood. Any of these factors may be responsible for a diabetic condition. This path is however a long one. One does not simply wake up one morning and have diabetes.

Of all these factors, the diet is the major root cause of diabetes. Statistics show that the contemporary world populations take a lot of sugar in their diet. Try to imagine how much soda you take in a week, how much peanut butter you consume, yoghurt, crackers, ketchup…and the list may go on and on.

America alone was last estimated to have its population consume 156 pounds of sugar every year each person. Among these ponds of sugar consumed, soft drinks alone was found to take up 33 percent of the total sugar intake.

Depending with which type of diabetes is in question, the causes are different. Diabetes type 1, for instance is caused by the presence of insufficient insulin in the victim’s body. This involves a condition where for some reason the pancreas failed to produce insulin. Most likely this is caused by some hereditary condition. It may be a case of autoimmunity.

Insulin resistance on the other hand results into the diabetes type 2. This takes time. You take that sugar of yours over time. You are warned about it. Even the doctor tries to prescribe for you a healthier alternative but you remain adamant on the soda and ice-cream routine. So as time goes by, you develop an addiction to sugar. You sometimes see the syndromes coming but you just cannot quit the wrong path.

What happens in the end is the presence of too much sugar in your blood that the organs responsible for its regulation can no longer control it for you. Your kidneys’ nephrons get overworked by having to filter too much blood due to the presence of excess glucose in the bloodstream. So with time, this added work exerts a lot of pressure on these kidney tubules forcing them to lose that filtering ability. As a result, no reabsorption of glucose takes place at the proximal tubule resulting in a very high blood sugar level.

The endocrine mechanism

This blood sugar regulation process involves a complex system of hormone balance. Insulin and Glucagon are the two major hormones involved here. In fact diabetes can more accurately be viewed not as a sugar disease, but rather an insulin disorder. Insulin is responsible for promoting the absorption of glucose from the blood to skeletal muscles and fat tissue. The hormone also causes the fat to be stored in that form instead of being hydrolyzed for energy production. This way hormone insulin regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.

Insulin is a peptide hormone made by the pancreatic beta cells. It allows the body therefore to use sugar/glucose contained in carbohydrates in the diet to synthesize energy. Alternatively it helps to store glucose for future use in inert form. As such, Insulin helps keep the blood sugar levels from getting too high, a condition referred to as hyperglycemia, or low; a condition known as hypoglycemia.

Diabetes-AwarenessBlood sugar is root-controlled by 3 major organs; pancreas, liver and the adrenal glands, given the fact that adrenaline, thyroxin and cortisol are also involved.

Hypoglycemic conditions stimulate the adrenals and the liver to produce a counter effect with the help of their respective hormones. The adrenal glands increase the production of hormone cortisol which prompts the liver to raise blood sugar levels. In this process of trying to arrest the situation, the increased cortisol eventually leads to weight gain by cortisol mobilizing fat in the body. This causes the fat to settle in the abdomen making it fatter.

Problems posed by the sugar

With the increased sugar levels, diabetes is not the only adversary you are facing. There is more than just the diabetes. Rather, you are faced with an increased cardiovascular disease, obesity, nutrient deficiencies including a reduced level of the essential B vitamins. Dysfunctions related to blood sugar dysregulation are also common. You may also encounter strokes, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress and a possible adrenal or pancreatic dysfunction.

Physical signs for the blood sugar issue?

Rising blood pressure may be a sign of a cardiovascular problem. You may also experience adult acne, slow healing of wounds, white patches on inside of your cheek, cataracts and sometimes chronic bladder infections.

The good news is that there is a relatively simple way of improving all these conditions at the same time. AwareMed recommends that you follow a reduced-carbohydrate diet that includes plenty of fresh, potassium-rich vegetables, low-glycemic fruits and healthy fats—the latter of which have virtually no effect on glucose and insulin levels.

Kidney Health and Blood Sugar

 

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Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

October 14, 2014

Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is a broad term that is used to describe a condition in which a person feels exhausted as a result of failure of the adrenaline glands to function properly. The adrenaline glands are two small structures that are located near the kidney. The glands are responsible for the overall hormonal balance in the body. This is a very important function and it is carried out in two broad ways. First, the adrenaline glands are directly involved in the maintaining the hormonal balance within the body of an individual by producing   a number of important hormones. Secondly, the glands control the production and distribution of the majority of different other hormones in the body. Therefore, apart from directly producing important hormones in the body, adrenal glands are important in that they regulate the production and distribution of other hormones.

Signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Basically, adrenal fatigue develops when the adrenal glands are not working as they should be. There can be several reasons that make the adrenal glands to malfunction. For example, chronic diseases such as different types of cancer can interfere with the way the glands function. This definitely leads to adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue

Generally, diagnosis of adrenal fatigue is a difficult task. This is because the condition produces symptoms that are similar to other medical conditions that are different from it. Also, since the term actually describes a broad amalgamation of signs and symptoms, it may be difficult for a doctor to isolate it from other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

However, there are certain signs and symptoms whose appearance should be taken as an indication that a person is suffering from adrenal fatigue, that is, if no other direct cause of the symptoms can be pointed out. For example, a feeling of general weakness or fatigue is a clear indication that one may be suffering from adrenal fatigue. This is true particularly if the condition persists and it cannot be attributed to any other medical condition. Lack of energy is usually accompanied with other related signs such as a low level of libido, dizziness and a characteristic tiredness even after one has had a long night’s sleep.

The second sign and symptom of adrenaline fatigue is related to changes in a person’s moods and level of hormones. Moods are usually determined by hormones. Since adrenal fatigue affects the way the adrenal glands function, the hormonal balance within the body of an individual is disturbed. When this happens, a person tends to experience sudden changes in moods over the course of time.

Stages of development of adrenal fatigue

Chronic StressAdrenal fatigue does not develop overnight. The condition follows a course of development from the time when one experiences the first signs and symptoms to the stage where it becomes a chronic condition. In the first stage, the body of an individual is forced to release a lot of hormones that are associated with the ‘fight or flight’ instinct. This usually happens after a person is exposed to stressful conditions.

In the second stage of development of adrenal fatigue, the body gets accustomed to the conditions to which it first reacted with sharply during the first stage. At this stage, the body tends to make its own internal changes in the production and distribution of hormones. More and more cortisol is produced at the expense of other hormones which are meant to serve different other purposes. Cortisol is the hormone that helps individuals to cope with different forms of stress.

The hormonal imbalance that arises as a result of the body concentrating on producing cortisol and ignoring the production of other equally important hormones is what leads to the different signs and symptoms that a person experiences as a result of adrenaline fatigue.

The effects of adrenal fatigue

Adrenal fatigue causes a number of unpleasant effects in the body. Because of the stages in which the condition goes through as it progresses, its effects on the body tend to be felt in progression as opposed to sudden changes. Therefore, one is likely to fail to realize the full impact of the condition until when it is too late. By this time, the functioning of the adrenal glands is completely impaired that one’s body is unable to cope with any form of stress.

There is a complex relationship between adrenal fatigue and a horde of different types of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer and even Ebola. Although studies are still ongoing, it can be deduced that the degenerative effect of adrenal fatigue on the body predisposes it to the possible development and advancement of such diseases.

How adrenal fatigue can be reversed

There are several different by which adrenal fatigue can be reversed. The good news is that all these methods are natural and are available here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre. The methods can be divided into several categories. The first one is about the use of different forms of nutritional supplements. Such supplements contain magnesium and different types of vitamins which have been found to help in restoring the functioning of the adrenal glands to their ideal state. The second one involves use of exercises and general lifestyle habits as a way of restoring the adrenal glands to their ideal state. Lastly, adrenal fatigue can be reversed by taking the right kind of food while at the same time avoiding excess sugars and other unhealthy substances.

Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Stress And Ebola

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