Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes
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In type 1 diabetes, the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose is severely impaired. Blood glucose (blood sugar), is produced from the digestion of food (mostly carbohydrates) and by the liver, and is the source of energy for every cell of the body. The pancreas no longer produces the hormone insulin. Insulin's job is to take the glucose from the blood and transport it to the cells to create energy. Lack of insulin causes the glucose to build up in the blood, and overtime cause serious damage to all body systems.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, called beta-cells, and destroys them. Very little is yet known why this happens, but the body must now depend on external insulin to survive.

Reasons of Type 1 Diabetes

It is suspected that some kind of infection or virus triggers the autoimmune response that attacks the beta cells of the pancreas. The anti-body GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) is found in 70-80 percent of type 1 diabetes patients.

The environment may also be a factor. More cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the winter months, in Northern climates, and in Caucasians. For instance, Canada has 60 percent more cases diagnosed per year than the U.S. Other factors that have been explored are childhood feeding practices, childhood viruses, and genetic susceptibility.

Treatment- Basics of Insulin

Without the internal production of insulin, digestion turns food into glucose (energy) but the glucose cannot be used for energy and so glucose builds up to high levels in the blood. The cells need the glucose but the key to unlock the energy is missing- insulin.

All persons with type 1 diabetes need intensive insulin therapy (three or more injections of insulin per day). Great advances have been made in insulin medications as well as the injection or delivery to the body. The newer insulins work similar to what the body used to make. The insulin is stored in syringes with needles, and even newer insulin pens are available. Today's needles are very thin and short, and nearly painless. Many people with type 1 diabetes use Insulin Pump Therapy (CSII-Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion) which eliminates the 3-5 shots a day to one insertion every three days.

If your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you will have a lot of questions and will want to learn as much as possible. Here are a few books that will help (See online resources in a later section):

• Understanding Diabetes 12th Edition, Peter Chase M.D.
• First Book for Understanding Diabetes (The Pink Panther Booklet)- by H. Peter Chase, M.D. 11th edition 2006. This booklet - and the above mentioned Understanding Diabetes -- is available through the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado. It can be read online or purchased at the website. This booklet is a must have, and may be a part of the education you receive at the hospital.
• The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Juvenile Diabetes: Reassuring Advice for Managing Symptoms and Raising a Happy, Healthy Child - Moira McCarthy, Jake Kushner, Adams Media: 2007.

Starting Insulin

Your health care provider will start you on an insulin regimen specifically designed for you. Sometimes only one daily injection is required of this long-acting insulin. This is a long acting insulin or basal insulin (glargine or detemer) and it is taken at the same time every day and delivers a continuous "peakless" background insulin just like the pancreas used to do. Think of this insulin as "baseline" for basal dose, to cover all the time. This insulin will never make you go low or hypoglycemic.

Next, a rapid-acting insulin is added, which mimics the first and second phase secretions of insulin when you eat food. This is also referred to as multi-daily injections or MDI. There are a number of rapid-acting insulins, with slightly different onsets, peaks and durations. Your health care provider will determine the best for you. Lispro, aspart, and glulisine are the current rapid acting insulins available on the market. You will need to test your blood glucose before each meal and then adjust your insulin dose (as directed by your physician) and give yourself an insulin shot just before you eat. This is called a bolus shot, which controls the rise of blood glucose from the food you are eating. Think "bowl" like a bowl of food. When you are taking rapid acting insulin with meals you need to make sure and eat carbohydrate foods or you run the risk of going low or experiencing hypoglycemia.

Just as we are all unique as individuals, there are a variety of insulins and schedules that can be created to best control your blood glucose for your unique lifestyle. You might work night shift, or care for the child with diabetes who is a picky eater, or you may be an athlete and have hours of training exercise a day. A child with Type 1 will need to have treatment plans adjusted for growth spurts. Parents and the child will learn how to adjust for sports, birthday parties and sick days. You need to work closely with a diabetes specialist to get the best treatment plan for you.

Delivering Insulin Into Your Body

You or your child will be instructed on the proper technique for insulin administration. There are several ways to take insulin, and you should be aware that there are options:

• 1. Syringe: A syringe is a hollow plastic tube with a plunger and a needle at the other end. There are markers to measure the units of insulin. The syringe is inserted into a vial of insulin and the insulin is extracted to the proper dose. Good eyesight and finger dexterity is needed for this technique.
• 2. Insulin pens: A newer and easier method to inject insulin, especially for people on the go, visually impaired and poor coordination. The pen has an insulin cartridge, and a small needle for injection.
• 3. Insulin pump: The pump is a small computerized device that delivers insulin in two ways- a constant small amount of basal insulin and then a bolus of insulin at meals that the wearer determines. However, only rapid acting insulin is used in the pump. The pump is attached to the body all the times (except when showering and swimming) and is the size of a beeper or cell phone. The need for four or more shots a day is gone- the pump tubing is replaced every three days and a small plastic catheter inserted in the skin (with a needle) delivers the insulin. People who are comfortable with technology and want to be free of the daily shots and who need better glucose control find the pump a positive change. Starting on a pump is a decision the patient must be comfortable with, and must have demonstrated self-monitoring and assumed responsibility for good control. Small children benefit from the pump because very small doses of basal insulin can be given and there are less needle pricks. Explore the pros and cons here. Most people who choose the pump achieve even better glycemic control. A diabetes educator can help the patient decide if he/she is ready for the pump, review the types of pumps, and identify which one would best serve his/her needs.

Treatment- Monitoring Blood Glucose

In order to know how much insulin to take, you need to know what the blood glucose level is. A finger prick and a glucometer will give you this immediate information. You can determine if your glucose level is going too high or too low. You can them make adjustments with more or less insulin, food or exercise.

The goal is to regulate the blood glucose as close to normal as possible. This is a chart of the goals at different times of the day.

Insulin Therapy Blood Glucose Goals

Time	Ideal Glucose Level (mg/dl)	Acceptable Glucose Level (mg/dl)
Before Meals	70-110	90-130
One Hour After Meals	80-120	160-180
Two Hours After Meal	80-120	160-180
Bedtime	80-120	110-150
2 a.m.-3 a.m.	80-120	100-140

Tracking your blood glucose and keeping good records lets you know if you are on target, and if you should be making changes.

Continuous Glucose Monitor

Technology is always forging ahead, and the newest invention is the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). Although not commonly used in the past, more insurance companies are covering the cost of this device. The CGM is worn all the time, and reports blood glucose every 5 minutes. The data is displayed on the screen with a graph, and the trend of the readings, up or down, is easily read. Fingers must still be pricked once or twice daily to calibrate the CGM. Some people wear one for a week to analyze blood glucose patterns that are puzzling and to figure insulin dosing changes. Some “pumpers” (people on the insulin pump) wear one continuously.

Teamed up with an insulin pump, a person with diabetes has the latest in diabetes technology. The CGM is recommended for age 18 and over, but some younger people have benefited from the use. Research is moving toward an "artificial pancreas," which combines the CGM with a pump to regulate insulin with little human intervention.

But remember always take the suggestions of the doctors. Wish your good health.

Head and Neck Cancer

Cancers occurring in the head and neck region are usually categorized together. They form a diverse group and include cancers of the skin over this region, cancers in the sinuses, nose, mouth, throat, thyroid and salivary glands. Cancers of the brain and eye are usually not classified within the same group.
Symptoms

This depends on the location of the cancer.

Common to all locations

• Neck lump – may be the tumour itself or a lymph node enlarged by tumour cells
• Significant loss of appetite and loss of weight

Mouth

• Non-healing ulcer
• Tumour or growth

Throat (larynx, oropharynx & hypopharynx)

• Hoarseness
• Persistent sore throat
• Difficulty or pain on swallowing

Nose (nasal cavity, sinuses & nasopharynx)

• Blood-stained mucus or nose bleed
• Nasal blockage
• Blocked ear

Skin

• New skin nodule especially if growing
• New mole especially if growing or irregular pigmentation
• Non-healing ulcer

Risk Factors

Risk factors for head and neck cancer include:

• Smoking
• Drinking alcohol
• Tobacco or betel nut chewing
• Excessive sun exposure for skin cancer
• Family history of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC)

The total increase in risk with smoking and alcohol together is higher than the sum of their individual risks.
Prevention

Head and neck cancer and its treatment can lead to significant problems functionally and cosmetically even if cured. Prevention is certainly better than cure in this situation and the greatest risk reduction can be achieved by not smoking and not consuming alcohol.
Diagnosis

When you have any of the above symptoms, your primary care doctor will refer you to an Otolaryngologist or Head & Neck Surgeon. Your surgeon will first perform a complete head and neck examination, which will usually include examination of the mouth, flexible fibreoptic endoscopy of the nose, pharynx and larynx and examination of the neck.
Depending on the suspected location and type of tumour, the following investigations may be ordered.
To determine the type of cancer

• Biopsy – removing a small piece of tumour for testing if it can be easily reached
• Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) – using a needle to extract cells for testing, from lymph node or if tumour is deep

To evaluate extent or stage of cancer

• CT or MRI scan of the head and neck region
• CT of lungs and liver
• Bone scan

Miscellaneous tests

• EBV serology – blood test for risk of nasopharyngeal cancer

A diagnostic operation, panendoscopy, may be necessary on top of the above investigations, to accurately determine the extent of the tumour and examine the rest of the areas at risk for a second cancer, which may exist in up to 10% of patients. This operation involves examining the entire pharynx and larynx (throat), trachea (windpipe) and oesophagus (food passage) with the aid of rigid scopes under general anaesthesia.
Treatment

After completion of staging, in some hospitals, patients may be discussed in a multidisciplinary tumour board, comprising surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians. All treatment options will be presented to patients, together with recommendations.
Stage 1 and 2 cancers are considered early-stage disease and a single modality of treatment is usually sufficient. This may be surgery or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy alone is not the treatment of choice for head and neck cancers.
Stage 3 and 4 cancers are considered advanced-stage disease and require multiple modality treatment.
This involves various combinations of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy:

• Surgery followed by radiation
• Surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation
• Chemotherapy and radiation alone

If anybody is having the symptoms above then please don't wait anymore, just talk to your physician. Wish you good health.

10 Best Ways To Lose Weight Fast

It became a daily problem for our life thinking about our weight. It feels bad when people are calling you fat. So you’re wondering how to lose weight fast? This can be done. You also want to look handsum and sexy like others? Ten best ways to lose weight in a very fast time. Read below carefully and please follow them to lose your weight fast.

• 1. Stop Eating Calories Your Body Doesn’t Need It

It may be a cliche, but most people who are overweight do not realize they are eating slightly, or in some cases way over the amount of daily calories their body needs. It is the number one cause of being overweight. The human body uses a particular amount of calories each day and every calorie intake above that daily amount will result in the body storing fat. A good tip is to take in account all the food you consume in a week and divide the outcome by 7 (seven days in a week). You can also, perhaps an easier way to calculate your daily calorie needs. Depending on the results of your calculations, it might be time to cut out some food from your daily diet.

• 2. Choose A Diet: Low Calorie Diet

It’s simple; you lose weight by eating less calories as your daily calorie needs. First go to this calculator page. After you find out how many daily calories your body needs, you are going to have to cut down that number severely. DON’T cut down too much in calorie-intake though, that is extremely unhealthy. To lose weight in the fastest way you need to cut to about 3/5th of your daily calorie needs. So if your daily calorie needs are 2000 calories, you need to cut down to about 1200 calories a day. Don’t go too far below 3/5th of your daily calorie needs as that is very unhealthy and will result in an unhealthy body, which is not something you want. Want to learn more about this subject? It’s also important to note that you need to balance your calorie-intake as much as you can. It is best to never go too high or too low in calories when you are dieting.

• 3. Golden Rule: Never Give Up

If you really want to lose weight fast, you have to be prepared to really do everything in your power to lose weight. There is no easy way to lose weight fast. If there was, the majority of people would have a body as slim as they wanted to have. Therefore you need to go where others don’t go. You need to be persistent and willing to give up some of the foods you like. You need to be tough and exercise every day. Only then can you lose weight in a rapid way.

• 4. Make Use of Ready-Made Diet Plans

Creating your own diet plan can take a lot of time which is usually something people don’t want when they want to lose weight fast. Most people who start their weight loss journey underestimate the amount of work that goes into the research of creating the perfect weight loss and diet plan. The research necessary to know what you are doing can be extensive. This is where ready-made diet plans come in. Aside from some garbage plans, there are several well-tested weight loss plans out there. The best part about using a widely used weight loss pplan is that there are usually 1000′s of people who follow the same plan available on a variation of websites(and anywhere in the world) at any time of the day which you can often share your experiences with. This gives a sense of community and can be strong motivator for some people. Here are some popular weight loss diets:

• Low Calorie Diet (most used for fast weight loss)
• Juicing Diet (also recommended to lose weight fast)
• GI Diet
• Atkins Diet
• Raspberry Ketone Diet
• South Beach Diet
• Zone Diet
• More Diets

Keep in mind that you should only use the above ready-made diet plans if you really need to lose weight in the fastest way possible and it takes too long for you to construct your own diet plan.

• 5. Create Your Own Diet & Weight Loss Plan

Ready-made diet programs are there for people who do not want the hassle of creating their own plan. It is however much better to put some time in researching and learning how to make your own diet plan. Creating your own personal plan really gives you the advantage of understanding why and how you lose weight when you do certain things. WLZine gives you all the information you need to teach yourself how to lose weight in the fastest and healthiest way possible.

• 6. Lose Weight Fast With a Weekly Reefed Day

This tip is extremely effective for people on a low calorie diet, as described in the above tip. This is one of the most unknown but best tips we can give you; Have one refeed day in the week for maximum weight loss results. A refeed day is a day where you eat slightly above your daily calorie needs (so 2000+ for women and 2500+ calories for men, depending on your daily calorie needs). You might frown upon this thinking it will gain you weight but a refeed day is extremely effective when you are cutting down in calories severely during the rest of the week. Because you have a low calorie-intake during the rest of the week, your body will get used to a low calorie-intake and will slowly adapt to it, meaning it will need lesser calories to function. This is bad for weight loss since you want to lose fat(which is the bodies’ energy source) by eating less calories as your body needs. This is where the refeed day comes in.  The refeed day will set your body back to a higher calorie need, resulting in you losing more weight when eating low calories during the other 6 days of the week because your body needs more energy to function.

• 7. Exercise Twice Every Day. Morning Sports, Evening Walk

If you really want to lose weight fast you have to exercise regularly, preferably two times a day. Do the more heavy sports in the morning and make a long walk in the evening. If you don’t like exercising you can make it more fun by doing a different kind of activity every day of the week. Or find someone to team up with, this will make it a lot easier to maintain a daily exercise schedule. Exercising this way for a longer time period will result in you losing weight quick. Scientific studies have also shown exercising regularly is good for health and can even extend your life span. Tip:Do a cardie exercise right after you wake up, before breakfast. It’s a well known fact that doing cardie before breakfast gives added benefit to your fat loss rate when exercising. This is because your body is close to starvation mode after waking up, your body is out of energy because you didn’t eat for a long time.

• 8. Drink Tons Of Water

Drink as much water as your body can handle. Not many people realize that they are missing out on losing a lot of weight by not drinking enough water every day. Drinking a lot of water increases the bodies’ metabolism, resulting in a high increase in fat loss. Recently, a study by Virginia Tech was done where for a period of three months, half of a group of 48 people on a low-calorie diet slowly increased the amount of water they drank every day. The other half didn’t. The half that increased their amount of daily water intake lost 4.5 pounds of weight more as the other half who didn’t increase their water intake. Drink water, don’t miss out on faster weight loss results.

• 9. Drink Water Instead Of Soda Or Fruit Juice

Drinking too much soda and fruit juice is one of the most unknown causes of being overweight, especially the effects of fruit juice are unknown to most of the general public. Although fruit juice is often marketed as a safe, healthy beverage, the truth is that it contains almost just as much sugar as any soda. For instance, one liter of orange juice contains about 100 grams of sugar, just as much sugar as in one liter of coke!

Many people who regularly drink soda or juice know about the negative effects of sugar on the body fat but do not realize they are consuming huge amounts of sugar when they’re drinking their soda’s or fruit juices during the day. Replace these drinks with water and you will soon see the effects on your weight loss.

• 10. Buy Smaller Sized Clothes For Important Occasion

Buy smaller sized clothes which you are going to wear on an important occasion in the nearby future. If you buy these expensive clothes you force yourself to lose weight so you can fit these clothes on the date of the occasion. This tip is a really good motivator to achieve the weight loss goals that you want.

OK thats it, here's the ten best ways to lose your weight fast. Well wish you healthy and beautiful. Good luck.