Tag Archives: Diabetes mellitus

Why medical detox is necessary to addicts

Type 2 diabetes disease relationship with being overweight

August 7, 2016
Type 2 diabetes disease relationship

Type 2 diabetes disease relationship with being overweight are not a good combination that needs professional touch immediately.

Type 2 diabetes disease relationship with being overweight: Dealing with obesity to offer solution

There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes disease some of which may include age, race, pregnancy, stress, certain medications, genetics or family history, high cholesterol and obesity. However, the single best predictor of type 2 diabetes is overweight or obesity. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD are estimating that up to 90% of people living with type 2 diabetes are overweight or have obesity. What that communicates is that people who are overweight or have obesity have added pressure on their body’s ability to use insulin to properly control blood sugar levels, and are therefore more likely to develop diabetes. One study has indicated that the number of diabetes cases among American adults increased by a third during the 1990s, and additional increases are expected. This rapid increase in the occurrence of diabetes is mostly attributed to the growing prevalence of obesity in the United States.

Prevention of diabetes

From an expert point of view, doctor Akoury agrees that type 2 diabetes can easily be prevented. And in fact studies have established that lifestyle changes and small amounts of weight loss in the range of 5-10% can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes among high-risk adults. Lifestyle interventions including diet and moderate to intense physical activity (such as walking for 150 minutes per week) can be very effective in weight loss. Preventing weight gain, increasing activity levels and working toward small amounts of weight loss if you are overweight can have a big impact on the likelihood that you will develop diabetes in the future. Thus far, weight management is the best thing you can do to prevent the development of diabetes says doctor Akoury.

Working remedies if struggling with diabetes

According to doctor Akoury, there are several you can do to have a positive influence on your blood sugar and your overall health. You will need to make the right decisions by choosing foods wisely, exercising regularly, reducing your stress levels, making modest lifestyle changes and using medications to lower blood glucose levels. Type 1 diabetic patients must have insulin exogenously applied to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Type 2 diabetic patients, however, can use insulin or drugs that sensitize their bodies to insulin, which work quite well in lowering blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, these drugs are not without risk as they, as well as the exogenous application of insulin, can often cause diabetic patients to suffer from low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) if taken improperly, which may result in seizures, unconsciousness, or death.

Small amounts of weight loss (losing 10 pounds or more) can decrease the amounts of these medications needed to keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range by lowering your blood glucose levels, which furthermore reduces the risk of diabetic complications. Ultimately, better nutrition, increased physical activity, and control of blood glucose levels can delay the progression of diabetes and help prevent the complications associated with the disease.

Type 2 diabetes disease relationship with being overweight: Dealing with obesity to offer solution

http://www.integrativeaddictionconference.com/wp-admin 

 

Save

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction

October 1, 2015

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction: The duty of care we owe to one another

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction

If you are struggling with substance abuse, then you will need to seek experts opinion towards protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction. We all need a helping hand in this struggle.

While the authorities who are supposed to be protecting their subject from the effects of cigarette addiction are busy licensing more tobacco manufacturing firms and their distributors in the market, the common and very innocent consumers of the substance continue to suffer and wallow in disease and sickness across the globe. The question I ask therefore is for how long shall we be in this bondage of addiction? Must we out of addiction introduce our children to the drug by sending them to the shops for our supplies? Is it fair for our mothers to intoxicate their unborn children with nicotine while still in the womb? What about the association we have husbands and wife where one is smoking and the other is not should we be intimate, by way of kissing and risk contracting complications out of secondhand smoke? Ideally there are very fundamental questions that we must address boldly collectively and individually if you want to succeed in protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction in the current generation.

How then should we begin? We sought the expert opinion of professionals from the home of addiction solutions at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and also the founder of the facility. Doctor Akoury says that when it comes to all addictive substances and particularly the cigarette addiction, the only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangerous chemicals in both the actual cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke is through embracing absolute100 percent smoke-free environments. In one of the forums when lecturing some clients, one of them asked, how possible is that? From an addict point of view this could be a challenge, however professionally this is possible you could start by opening the windows for easy circulation of air; sitting in a separate area with smokers and avoiding designated area for smoking; or using ventilation, air conditioning, or a fan these strategies however will only succeed in reducing the concentration of the cigarette smoke but may not necessarily eliminate secondhand smoke exposure completely. It therefore means that if you are a smoker, the single best way to protect your family is by quit smoking.

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction: Latest Research
Addiction is a developmental disorder that begins in adolescence, and sometimes as early as childhood. Recent advances have provided more insight into why teens put themselves at risk for addiction through risk-taking and thrill-seeking behaviors. These behaviors are likely to happen due to the fact that the part of the brain responsible for judgment, decision making, and control of emotional responses the prefrontal cortex is the last area of the brain to mature. But there may be other factors. Dr. Dalal Akoury and her team of experts from the home of addiction solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) have established that a chemical in tobacco smoke, acetaldehyde, may play a role in addicting adolescents to smoking. In the study, adolescent laboratory rats increased their intake of nicotine when it was combined with acetaldehyde while the adult rats did not.

All the rats were placed in cages where they could poke their noses through holes and receive nicotine, saline, acetaldehyde, or a mixture of acetaldehyde and nicotine. Over five days, with increasing frequency, the adolescent rats showed a preference for the acetaldehyde-nicotine combination. The adult rats did not show any preference. Therefore from that study it was established that acetaldehyde at the same relative concentration found in cigarette smoke, dramatically increases the reinforcing properties of nicotine. Furthermore, the effect is age-related, with adolescent animals far more sensitive than adults.

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction: Overcoming tobacco addiction
From the professional point of view, it will interest you to note that quitting cigarette smoking has direct and immediate health benefits in many ways. Like for instance, each times smokers choose to quit smoking and in just under 24 hours of quitting, all the complications that are associated with blood pressure go down and chances of heart attack decreases immensely. Besides the immediate benefits, we also have the long-term benefits of quitting which may include lower risk of stroke, lung and other cancers, and coronary heart disease. This can only mean that if you are struggling with this kind of addiction, then the best thing you may consider doing is to seek for immediate professional help by reaching out for doctor Dalal Akoury to schedule for an appointment so that you could have your addiction condition dually addressed professionally.

Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction: Treating withdrawal from nicotine
• Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, craving, cognitive and attention deficits, sleep disturbances, and increased appetite.
• To reduce the symptoms, nicotine replacements gum, patches, sprays, and inhalers are used. Another medication works on other areas of the brain to control craving.
• Newer medications under study act on nicotine receptors directly. Studies have also shown that medications have better and long-term success when combined with behavioral treatment.

Finally dear reader, it is never too late to seek for help if you have been struggling with this problem of addiction. Actually you may have been in greater denial over the past years but this should not be reason for you to shy away from seeking for help. Remember that doctor Dalal Akoury cares a lot for you to the point of creating a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Therefore be encouraged that you are not alone and by calling doctor Akoury on telephone number 843 213 1480 to schedule for your appointment with her and all your addiction concerns will be dealt with professionally.
Protecting yourself from effects of tobacco addiction: The duty of care we owe to one another

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

EPCs Role in Cardiovascular Diseases

June 4, 2015

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Role in Cardiovascular Diseases

EPCsCurrently, regenerative medicine is on focus with hopes that it can be used in treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The circulating endothelial progenitor cells have been shown to possess an ability to form mature endothelial cells that can be useful in the process of vascular repair as well as neoangiogenesis. In preclinical studies, it has been shown that the circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have the potency for cardiovascular regeneration. With this said, it is god to admit that there is still a lot needed to be done in this area to show the effectiveness of the regenerative activities of these EPCs. Here we look at how the EPCs relate to cardiovascular diseases.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells are biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases

Just like other stem cells the circulating endothelial progenitor cells have the ability to proliferate, migrate, and differentiate into mature endothelial cells. First discovered from the human peripheral blood, the EPCs were shown to incorporate into sites of physiological or pathological neovascularization. Ever since the EPCs were discovered, a lot has improved in the understanding of the blood vessel formation. There is a growing body of evidence that EPCs helps in providing postnatal vasculogenesis mechanism for neovascularization and vascular remodeling.

These cells have also been shown to possess diverse physiological functions and helps in the recovery process of myocardial ischemia and infarction, limb ischemia, wound healing, atherosclerosis, endogenous endothelial repair, and tumor vascularization. Earlier clinical trials have proved that EPC therapy is safe and feasible for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Plus, the circulating EPCs are also considered as biomarkers for coronary and peripheral artery disease. In spite of the medicinal abilities of these EPCs, there is still a lot to be done in order for the mechanism by which these cells work can be fully understood and be applied.

Despite the haze that still clouds the mechanism with which the EPCs work, it has been shown that EPCs locating to damaged tissues and organs proceeding vascular regeneration do not only help in the formation of the neovasculature but also produce a variety of proangiogenic cytokines and growth factors thus promoting proliferation and migration of pre-existing Endothelial Cells and activating angiogenesis to contribute to vascular regeneration. it is suggested that the EPCs owes their ability to contribute to vascular regeneration to the presence of cytokines and other secreting pro-angiogenic factors in them such as VEGF, stroma derived factor (SDF)-1α, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), hepatic growth factor (HGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and eNOS/iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase). Thus, EPCs can mediate tissue-protective effects and contribute to neovascularization via direct vasculogenesis in ischemic tissues and indirect production of proangiogenic factors to pre-existing endothelial cells.

Research has shown that there are reduced numbers of EPCs in clinical conditions like diabetes mellitus, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and hypertension. In such conditions these EPCs also become impaired and malfunctioning. It has also been shown that the number of peripheral EPC is significantly reduced and their functions impaired in patients with established coronary artery disease and stroke. In contrast the number of EPCs has been found to be on the increase in patients with acute coronary syndrome such as acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina since they are mobilized from the bone marrow into the bloodstream.

The levels and migratory capacity of EPCs is also highly reduced in those suffering from hypertension with coronary artery disease. Besides, the concentration of circulating EPCs is considerably reduced in refractory hypertension as compared to healthy subjects. Imanishi T and his colleagues reported that EPC senescence is augmented in both experimental hypertensive rats and patients with essential hypertension, which may be related to telomerase inactivation. The team found that the hypertension-induced EPC senescence may affect the process of vascular remodeling.

Another researcher, Delva P in his research; Endothelial progenitor cells in patients with essential hypertension, reported that there was no alteration in the number or functional activity of EPCs in 36 patients with essential hypertension. Some research studies have also demonstrated that the numbers of EPCs are decreased in pulmonary hypertension while others that the number of EPCs are increased or remain normal in pulmonary hypertension. With these available literature that are somehow conflicting there isn’t a clear relationship between EPCs and hypertension

EPCs and Heart Failure

EPCsTo show the relationship between heart failure and the number of circulating EPCs, Valgimigli M and his counterparts tested the level of EPCs in patients suffering from heart failure and they discovered that EPC mobilization occurred in heart failure and showed a biphasic response, with elevation in early stages while depression in the advanced stages. The increased EPCs was shown as a replication of a functional bone marrow response to diffuse and severe endothelial damage during the early stages of heart failure but an additional and significant increase of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) counteracted and overwhelmed the elevation of EPC mobilization in advanced disease phases by exerting a possible suppressive effect on hemopoiesis.

conference

With the above findings, it is clear that there is a relationship between the EPCs and the cardiovascular diseases. For more information about bone marrow transplant and stem cell transplantation, visit www.awaremednetwork.com Dr. Dalal Akoury, a doctor with years of experience in integrative medicine will be able to help. Don’t hesitate to check on http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com  and learn about the upcoming Integrative Addiction Conference 2015. The conference will dwell on unique approaches to telling symptoms of addiction and how to help addicts.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Role in Cardiovascular Diseases

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Natural Approaches to Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

February 1, 2015

Natural Approaches to Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Diabetes

Diabetes is a medical condition that continues to affect a number of people in the world. It claims millions of lives around the globe and costs countries billions in treatments. Studies show that one in every four Americans today aged above 65 suffers from diabetes. It affects the quality of your life as well as that of people around you.

So what exactly is diabetes? The condition also referred to as diabetes mellitus is a health conditions that arises when the body’s blood sugar levels are too high. The food we eat contributes to the glucose we need. Insulin is a hormone that is used in the body to assist the glucose into getting into our cells. Cells require this energy to perform different body functions.

Diabetes arises when something goes wrong with either the production or utilization of insulin in the body. For one, the body may be producing inadequate levels of insulin, which means that glucose absorption is inefficient. This leaves too much glucose in the blood resulting in diabetes.

On the other hand, the cells in the body may not be responding as they should to the insulin produced. This condition is known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance results in the body not making use of the insulin produced. No matter how much is produced by the pancreas, it is not able to perform its functions because the body is sort of rejecting it. This results in accumulation of glucose as we continue eating resulting in high glucose levels or simply diabetes.

metabolic_syndrome

This leaves us with different forms of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body is unable to produce insulin which means that glucose is not absorbed into the cells. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes affecting a majority of people today. In this case the pancreas is able to produce insulin but the body does not make use of it. This results in more insulin production and less utilization leading to increases glucose levels. Prediabetes is a health condition where your blood glucose level seems higher than usual but it is not high enough to be termed as diabetes. Normally, prediabetes is a risk factor of type 2 diabetes. The most common symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst and hunger as well as frequent urination.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome can be said to be a combination of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. It is a common condition that continues to affect many people today. It comes by due to insulin resistance by the body. Naturally diabetes is caused by either insulin resistance or the body not being able to utilize the insulin produced. On the other side, studies show that insulin resistance is a risk factor for obesity while blood pressure may arise for high levels of glucose.

Metabolic syndrome puts you at risk of diseases like heart attack, diabetes, several types of cancers and excess fat in the liver. The disease has been connected to low grade inflammation a kind of inflammation that results in loss of bones.

Metabolic syndrome can be caused by either inheritance of a gene responsible for insulin resistance or excess weight gain and failure to exercise. Some of the symptoms that are exhibited by people suffering from metabolic syndrome include hypertension, abnormal obesity, hyperglycemia, reduced lipoprotein, shortness of breath, and chest pains among others.

Obesity

Most people believe that obesity means being overweight. On the contrary obesity is a condition that arises from having excessive fat in the body.  Over weight on the other hand is simply weighing too much.  Obesity is a real menace that knows no age limit. It affects both the young to the old.

The condition may build up over time depending on your calories intake. There should be a balance between the calories you consume and those you lose. When the amount of calories you consume is higher than what you lose, then obesity is likely to arise.

Insulin resistance is major concern for a number of people and one stands a chance of being obese. Naturally the pancreas is supposed to produce insulin which is then used by the body to enhance absorption of sugars in the body. Insulin resistance occurs when the body does not utilize the insulin produced. When this happens it means than glucose is not absorbed into the cell to be used for various functions like energy production.

This leaves an excess of glucose in the blood. Because the glucose is not being used as it should, it is converted into fat which is stored in the tissue. More insulin resistance means more fat deposits which translate into obesity. The same scenario happens when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin.

Natural Approaches to Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity

Usually most dieses are caused by the kind of lifestyle we chose to lead. Maintaining a healthy diet is one way of preventing such diseases. Most of the foods we eat contain chemical compounds that may inhibit the production or utilization of insulin leading to obesity and diabetes. Also a reduction of polished grains prevents the three diseases by regulating the blood sugars.

metabolic_syndrome

Exercise is an essential part and parcel of healthy living. Without exercise we are prone to disease like obesity. Taking regular exercise is one of the ways of ensuring your boy remains healthy and strong. Also avoiding smoking can prove to be real helpful. Smoking messes up with your body system making it prone to such things as insulin resistance or blood glucose increase.

Grape seed extract has also been shown to reduce blood pressure in patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. Kudzu is also a herb that is used by patients with metabolic syndrome or obesity to help in weight loss. The herb facilitates shedding off of weight which leads to a healthy you.

To find out more about diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity visit AwareMed. The expert advice of Dr. Dalal Akoury has helped many patients. She will treat insulin resistance and utilization in order to correct obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  Join this network of healing at www.awaremednetwork.com today.

Natural Approaches to Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Understanding Depression and the Causes of Depression

January 30, 2015

Understanding Depression and its Causes – Men are the most affected by Depression

Understanding Depression and its causes is very important for your health as it makes you take the right treatment solutions in good time

The demands of life around us are full of tight deadlines and great expectations. In our quest to meet these deadlines we are often faced with a lot of pressure from our authorities and our own responsibilities which also hang on our shoulders. Depression is a disease causing families lots of discomfort, people actually lose their sources of lively hood, sexual relationships is affected, skin complexion is under threat and in very fatal cases suicide takes place. This is why we want to take time and understand depression and its causes, how it is affecting us and the society at large. First of all we must appreciate that depression has no respect to anybody. It affects people indiscriminately in all genders, social class, ages and religion. If you are on this link now and is feeling depressed, tackle this with speed and consult with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care for a more professional approach in dealing with depression.

Doctor Akoury founded this facility to give you hope and healing. An appointment with her will save you from the risks of so many health; social and psychological complications which are associated with depression. Remember that we have this life to live once and all the opportunities offered by this life are supposed to be enjoyed and celebrated. Doctor Akoury understand what it means to be depressed and that is why her treatment is focus on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. As you consider scheduling for that appointment with doctor Akoury let us continue into the discussion by understanding depression and its causes in details.

Understanding Depression and its causes: Difference between feeling miserable and being depressed

In the course of attending to our normal daily assignments, we are bound to meet low moments from time to time. These low moments are often managed and do not last long. They come and we deal with them putting them behind us, they never dominate our lives and because of this we would say that in such moments we were just miserable and not depressed. However, if the low moments (depression) goes on for weeks, months, or becomes very bad, to the point that you find yourself stuck and unable to lift yourself out of it, this time it will be clear that you are depressed. This will begin to affect every area of your life which necessitates the need for professional help. It must however be clearly understood that depression is not a sign of weakness, and like I have indicated it cut across the board and has affected many famous and successful men and women across the globe.

Understanding Depression and its causes: What makes men depressed?

There are quite a number of things that are inclined to depression. Therefore for us to understand depression and its causes, the following points are very fundamental.

Understanding Depression and its causes: Relationships

Oh my goodness the trouble in a marriage or important relationship is the single thing most likely to make you depressed. How does it achieve this, doctor Akoury share with us the following:

Communication style

A difference in communication style can be a problem, particularly between married couples. For instance if a disagreement or argument makes you feel uncomfortable, you may chose not to talk about it. However your choice may not go well with your partner who may want to have it discussed. Therefore choosing to be quite may make your partner feel ignored. The feeling of being ignored may propel your partner to press you into the discussion which in turn will cause you to feel nagged and will tend to withdraw further which can make your partner feel even more ignored. The result of all this is that both of you will be depressed.

Separation and divorce

  • Men have traditionally seen themselves as being in charge of their families’ lives. However, women are more likely to start the process of separation and divorce.
  • Depression is more common and more severe in men who are divorced. This may be because, as well as losing your main relationship:
    • You often lose touch with your children
    • You may have to move to live in a different place
    • You often find yourself short of money.

Pregnancy and children

  • We have known for many years that some mothers become depressed after having a baby.  We now know that more than 1 in 10 fathers also have problems at that time.
  • This shouldn’t really be surprising. We know that major events in people’s lives, even good ones like moving house, can make you depressed. And becoming a parent will change your life more than almost any other thing. Suddenly, you have to spend much more of your time looking after your partner, and possibly other children. You may get very tired.
  • A new mother will tend to be less interested in sex for a number of months. Simple tiredness is the main problem, although it’s easy to take it personally and feel that you are being rejected.
  • You may have to adjust, perhaps for the first time, to taking second place in your partner’s affections.
  • You may have to re-balance the demands of home and work – there’s a lot more to do at home and you just can’t spend so much time at work.
  • A new father is more likely to become depressed if his partner is depressed, if he isn’t getting on with his partner, or if he is unemployed.
  • If you get depressed at this time, it will affect your partner.

Work

Work can be stressful. If your work makes you depressed, you won’t be able to cope as well. This will make you feel worse and less able to cope and further makes you feel even worse.

Unemployment

Besides relationship difficulties, unemployment is the greatest impediment to piece and this is likely to push people (particularly men) into a serious depression. Professional studies have established that 1 in 7 men who become unemployed will develop a depressive illness in the next 6 months. This means that your work may form a large part of what makes you feel good about yourself. If you lose your job, you will also lose other privileges that come with it like the company car, home staff like cooks, gardeners. Coming to terms with this can be hard to adjust to. Further to that being at home and looking after the children while your wife or partner becomes the bread-winner is another headache. From a position of being in control, you may face a future over which you have little control, especially if it takes a long time to find another job. And depression itself can make it harder to get another job.

Retirement

You may even find it hard if you retire at the usual time, especially if your partner carries on working. Although life may be less stressful, you may miss the structure of your day, your social life with colleagues and the sense that you make a difference.

Problems with sex

  • When men are depressed, they feel less good about their bodies and less sexy.  Many go off sex completely.
  • Some men who are depressed have intercourse just as often, but they don’t feel as satisfied as usual.
  • A few depressed men seem to have sex more often, perhaps as a way of trying to make them feel better.
  • Some antidepressant drugs can reduce your sex-drive.

The list is endless suicide is also a factor but in all this prompt treatment is very vital and the sooner you do it the better.

Understanding Depression and its causes – Men are the most affected by Depression

 

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories