Nick Jonas opens up about being diabetic

MANILA, Philippines —  American singer-songwriter Nick Jonas opened up on his health condition, saying that he has been fighting Type 1 diabetes for more than a decade now.

On his Instagram account, Nick posted a photo of him before and after being diagnosed with the disease.


“13 years ago today I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The picture on the left is me a few weeks after my diagnosis. Barely 100 pounds after having lost so much weight from my blood sugar being so high before going to the doctor where I would find out I was diabetic,” he wrote.

“On the right is me now. Happy and healthy. Prioritizing my physical health, working out and eating healthy and keeping my blood sugar in check,” he added.

He thanked his family and loved ones for being with him every step of the way.

“I have full control of my day to day life with this disease, and I’m so grateful to my family and loved ones who have helped me every step of the way,” Nick continued. 

He ended his post saying “Never let anything hold you back from living your best life. Thank you to all my fans for your kind words and support. Means more than you know. Love you all.”

Indian actress and Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra showed her support to her fiancé by commenting: “Everything about you is special. With or without diabetes.”

source: philstar.com

Marriage quality has differing effects on diabetes risks for men and women

Marriage has been linked to health benefits, especially happy marriage, but when it comes to developing or controlling type 2 diabetes, marriage quality seems to have opposite effects on men and women, according to a US study.

For women, a happier marriage meant lower risk of developing diabetes over a five-year period, but for men, declining marriage quality was tied to lower risk of diabetes and better control of the condition for those who had it, researchers found.

“The results for men suggesting that an increase in negative marital quality is related to lower risk of developing diabetes and higher chance of controlling diabetes are surprising,” said lead author Hui Liu of the department of sociology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

A good marriage may provide a source of emotional and social support and help to reduce stress for women, who are more sensitive to stress than men, Liu told Reuters Health by email.

“Wives are more likely than husbands to regulate the spouses' health behaviors,” reminding their husband to quit smoking, eat healthier and take medication, which may promote the husbands' health but at the same time may also increase marital strain, she said.

The researchers looked at data from two national surveys, in 2005 and 2010, and focused on 1,228 married people aged 57 to 84 years who participated in both waves.

Each time, the men and women answered questions about closeness, happiness and emotional satisfaction in their marriages, how much of their free time they prefer to spend with their spouse and how often their spouse made too many demands on them.

Participants also had lab tests in 2005 and again in 2010. In the first wave, 389 people, or 19 percent of the whole group, had type 2 diabetes based on formal diagnosis or on blood sugar levels at the time. In 2010, 30 percent of participants were diabetic.

For women, an increase in reported marriage quality between 2005 and 2010 was tied to a lower risk of having diabetes in 2010. But for men, an increase in negative marital quality was associated with lower risk of having diabetes in 2010 and a higher chance of controlling diabetes in 2010, according to the results in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

It’s unclear if marriage quality causes changes in diabetes management or if the two are related in some other way, Liu said.

In a previous study, Liu found that poorer marital quality is related to higher risk of cardiovascular disease for women, but not men.

“Some forms of marital strain can be protective, but support can be stifling,” said Deborah Carr, professor of sociology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who was not part of the new study.

“Marital conflict doesn’t necessarily mean tension and discord, it can be squabbles over things like, ‘why didn’t you take your meds’?” Carr told Reuters Health.

This paper and most others accounted for other factors like race, age, socioeconomic status and other physical health conditions, Carr said.

For older men with a health condition, “being supported and coddled might actually be anxiety provoking,” she said.

“For women, improving marital quality may help to reduce the risk of diabetes,” Liu said. “For men, wives' nagging on health behaviors may be good for their health.”

It’s a very rare patient who is wholly responsible for their own health, Carr said.

“It’s important for healthcare providers to get a sense of what marriage is like and important for spouses to go to doctor appointments together,” she said.

source: interaksyon.com

One in eight adults obese - global survey

PARIS -- Over one in eight adults are now obese -- a ratio that has more than doubled since 1975 and will swell to one in five by 2025, a major survey reported Friday.

Of about five billion adults alive in 2014, 641 million were obese, the data showed -- and projected the number will balloon past 1.1 billion in just nine years.

The research warned of a looming crisis of "severe obesity" and disease brought on by high-fat, high-sugar diets causing blood pressure and cholesterol to rise.

"There will be health consequences of magnitudes that we do not know," author Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London told AFP.

The survey, published in The Lancet medical journal, claimed to be the most comprehensive of its kind conducted to date.

People are divided into healthy or unhealthy weight categories based on a universally-adopted measure dubbed Body Mass Index -- a ratio of weight-to-height squared.

A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9.

One is considered underweight below 18.5, overweight from 25 up, and obese from 30 -- when the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and some cancers escalates massively.

With a BMI of 35, one is categorized as severely obese, and from 40 upward as morbidly so.

Among men globally, obesity tripled from 3.2 percent of the population in 1975 to 10.8 percent in 2014 (some 266 million), and among women from 6.4 percent to 14.9 percent (375 million), said the survey -- 12.9 percent combined.

This was equivalent to the average adult, 18 and older, being 1.5 kilos (3.3 pounds) heavier every decade.

"If the rate of obesity continues at this pace, by 2025 roughly a fifth of men (18 percent) and women (21 percent) will be obese," according to a statement by The Lancet.

More than six percent of men and nine percent of women will be severely obese.

Weighty flip-flop

The ratio of underweight people in the world declined at a slower rate than obesity grew, said the authors -- from about 13.8 percent in 1975 to 8.8 percent for men, and 14.6 percent to 9.7 percent for women.

"Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight," said Ezzati.

At current rates, more women will be severely obese (a BMI of 35 or more) than underweight by 2025, and the world will miss its stated target of halting obesity at 2010 levels.

In 2014, the world's fattest people lived in the island nations of Polynesia and Micronesia, where 38 percent of men and more than half of women were obese, said the study.

Nearly a fifth of the world's obese adults (118 million) lived in six high-income countries -- the United States, Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The US was home to one in four severely obese men and almost one in five severely obese women in the world.

Surgery as a solution? 

At the other extreme, the paper said, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia and Eritrea had the lowest BMI numbers in the world, with averages as low as 20.1

More than a fifth of men in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and a quarter of women in Bangladesh and India, were underweight.

"The global focus on the obesity epidemic has largely overshadowed the persistence of underweight in some countries," the research paper said.

"To address this problem will require social and food policies that enhance food security in poor households, but also avoid overconsumption of processed carbohydrates and other unhealthy foods."

Like being underweight, severe and morbid obesity has many health risks.

"We can deal with some of these, like higher cholesterol or blood pressure, through medicines," said Ezzati.

"But for many others, including diabetes, we don't have effective treatment."

The paper says stomach-shrinking bariatric surgery may become the "most effective intervention for weight loss and disease prevention" as waistlines continue expanding.

The data was compiled from 1,698 studies involving 19.2 million adults from 186 countries which are home to 99 percent of the world's population.

Unlike earlier research, studies were only included if the participants' height and weight had been measured -- not self-reported.

The data did not include statistics on children and teenagers.

source: interaksyon.com

The unflattering side effect of a low-carb diet

You’ve been wanting to lose weight so you can fit into that lovely red dress you’re eyeing to wear on your special date. So, you’ve decided to eliminate carbohydrates in your meal believing you will not gain extra pounds before the date. Yes, low-carb diets may be good for your waistline, but it may not be the same for your breath.

Bad breath from low or no-carb diets is often caused by chemicals called ketones that are released in the breath as the body burns fat. An example of this effect occurs especially in the popular Atkins diet. Carbohydrates aren’t readily available, so the body starts consuming other fats and proteins as its source of energy. As a result, one gets a breath problem.

It’s not an oral hygiene problem. Brushing, flossing, and scraping the tongue may not be able to hide the bad breath. Instead, reconsider your diet and modify it to avoid this embarrassing condition. There may be some ways to mask bad breath by (using mouthwash, for instance), but the basic problem still exists—so, better introduce complex carbohydrates (found in whole grains and vegetables like broccoli and spinach) in your diet instead.

What to do

Though this is not an oral hygiene problem, certain remedies can help banish the bad breath or at least mask the odor.

• Drink more water. Drinking water and swishing it around your mouth after your mouth after you eat helps moisten the mouth and gets the food particles that may contribute to odor, out. Chewing fresh parsley can also help.

• Chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless mints. In particular, those that contain Xylitol also kill bacteria and can prevent cavities.

Optimum nutrition means having a well balanced meal—the greatest percentage for energy source should come from carbohydrates. The key is on the amount and kinds of foods that we eat. Complex carbohydrates may be good for dieters and with people who have diabetes because they are rich in fibers and makes one feel full at once. So, before you blame carbohydrates for any added inches in your waistline and decide to eliminate them altogether, think again. The downside could be unattractive, too.

• Want to know more? Manila Doctors Hospital’s resident nutritionists and dieticians at the PROHEALTH Center offer diet counseling services that are tailor-fit to your lifestyle. They also offer nutrition and disease education on common medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

PROHEALTH is open from Mondays through Saturdays from 8:00am to 5:00 pm and is located at the ground floor of Manila Doctors Hospital, No. 667 United Nations Ave., Ermita, Manila. You may reach them at these numbers (02) 524-3011 local 4718. For more information, visit the Manila Doctors website here.

source: interaksyon.com

Study ties higher blood sugar to dementia risk

Higher blood-sugar levels, even those well short of diabetes, seem to raise the risk of developing dementia, a major new study finds. Researchers say it suggests a novel way to try to prevent Alzheimer's disease — by keeping glucose at a healthy level.

Alzheimer's is by far the most common form of dementia and it's long been known that diabetes makes it more likely. The new study tracked blood sugar over time in all sorts of people — with and without diabetes — to see how it affects risk for the mind-robbing disease.

The results challenge current thinking by showing that it's not just the high glucose levels of diabetes that are a concern, said the study's leader, Dr. Paul Crane of the University of Washington in Seattle.

"It's a nice, clean pattern" — risk rises as blood sugar does, said Dallas Anderson, a scientist at the National Institute on Aging, the federal agency that paid for the study.

"This is part of a larger picture" and adds evidence that exercising and controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are a viable way to delay or prevent dementia, he said.

Because so many attempts to develop effective drugs have failed, "It looks like, at the moment, sort of our best bet," Anderson said. "We have to do something. If we just do nothing and wait around till there's some kind of cocktail of pills, we could be waiting a long time."




    About 35 million people worldwide have dementia; in the United States, about 5 million have Alzheimer's disease. What causes it isn't known. Current treatments just temporarily ease symptoms. People who have diabetes don't make enough insulin, or their bodies don't use insulin well, to turn food into energy. That causes sugar in the blood to rise, which can damage the kidneys and other organs — possibly the brain, researchers say.

The new study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, just tracked people and did not test whether lowering someone's blood sugar would help treat or prevent dementia. That would have to be tested in a new study, and people should not seek blood-sugar tests they wouldn't normally get otherwise, Crane said.

"We don't know from a study like this whether bringing down the glucose level will prevent or somehow modify dementia," but it's always a good idea to avoid developing diabetes, he said.

Eating well, exercising and controlling weight all help to keep blood sugar in line.

The study involved 2,067 people 65 and older in the Group Health Cooperative, a Seattle-area health care system. At the start, 232 participants had diabetes; the rest did not. They each had at least five blood-sugar tests within a few years of starting the study and more after it was underway. Researchers averaged these levels over time to even out spikes and dips from testing at various times of day or before or after a meal.

Participants were given standard tests for thinking skills every two years and asked about smoking, exercise and other things that affect dementia risk.

After nearly seven years of follow-up, 524, or one quarter of them, had developed dementia — mostly Alzheimer's disease. Among participants who started out without diabetes, those with higher glucose levels over the previous five years had an 18 percent greater risk of developing dementia than those with lower glucose levels.

Among participants with diabetes at the outset, those with higher blood sugar were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia than diabetics at the lower end of the glucose spectrum.

The effect of blood sugar on dementia risk was seen even when researchers took into account whether participants had the apoE4 gene, which raises the risk for Alzheimer's.

At least for diabetics, the results suggest that good blood-sugar control is important for cognition, Crane said.

For those without diabetes, "it may be that with the brain, every additional bit of blood sugar that you have is associated with higher risk," he said. "It changes how we think about thresholds, how we think about what is normal, what is abnormal."

source: philstar.com

Elderly with diabetes 50 percent likelier to have disability

PARIS - Older adults with diabetes are between 50 and 80 percent likelier to have a disability compared to people without the disease, according to a review published on Wednesday.

Researchers at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, trawled through more than 3,200 previously published studies that explored the link between diabetes and disability.

They narrowed the catch down to 26 studies.

Most of the people in these studies were aged over 65 -- an age category in which Type-2 diabetes, also called adult onset diabetes, predominates.

Disability was defined as either crimped mobility or an impaired ability to perform daily activities such as bathing, eating, using the phone, shopping and using transport.

Lead epidemiologist Anna Peeters said the association between diabetes and disability was long known but until now poorly identified.

The causes remain mysterious, she said.

"It's possible that the high blood glucose concentrations experienced by people with diabetes might lead to chronic muscle inflammation, eventually resulting in physical disability, and some studies have shown that diabetes is associated with rapid and worsening muscle wasting," she said.

"The complications associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, can all result in disability.

"As the world's population ages, and diabetes becomes more common, it seems clear that we will see an increased need for disability-related health resources."

The paper appears in the journal The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

According to the UN's World Health Organization (WHO), 347 million people around the world have diabetes, a disease in which the body fails to break down glucose in the blood through the hormone insulin.

Ninety percent of these have the Type 2 form of the disease, which typically shows up in adulthood or late childhood, driven by obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

source: interaksyon.com

The stem cell miracle

The room was crowded. Christian Drapeau was going to speak on stem cells. He told us that the discovery of humans coming from a single cell called the stem cell happened decades ago but not much attention was paid until around 10 years ago when the focus slowly shifted to the stem cell. Stem cells are in our bodies manufactured by our bone marrow then released into our blood stream. There they begin to circulate. All our organs lose living cells day to day. As the stem cell circulates, other cells that are part of our organs release some kind of sticky liquid that catches the stem cells and converts them into cells needed for that organ. For example, if you had a heart attack, there is damage to the cells in your heart. They need replacing. When your bone marrow releases stem cells into your blood, the heart will reach for them and slowly repair the damage.

One of the reasons why it took them so long to discover this is because the stem cells immediately begin to look like heart cells so one cannot say – oh those are new cells made from stem cells. But they discovered a blue-green substance that helped the bone marrow manufacture and release more stem cells. This gave the new cells a blue-green color. Now they were able to track the movement of stem cells and claim that the new cells were created by the equally new stem cells. Stem cells are the body’s natural healing system.

It is difficult to say what organs stem cells repair because they repair anything that needs repair. But StemEnhance is not a miracle drug. It is made from algae from a lake in Oregon, which has been tested over the years and proven to make the body’s bone marrow release more stem cells. Then it is up to your body to heal itself wherever it needs healing.

When I started to take StemEnhance I felt increased energy maybe after ten days. Instead of dragging myself around in my pajamas I began to wake up cheerful, shower, get dressed and organize my day. This is the very least of the capsules’ effects. Many of my friends claim this same effect on them and add that their friends comment on how young they look. So they keep coming back for more.

But I also know someone who came because her neighbor had to be carried to the hospital once a month for a check up. They read my article written last November 24. Now the old man walks and opens the gate himself. A young man regularly gets for his father who is 84, in tremendous perpetual pain when he first came to see me. Now his father feels no more pain and goes to the mall to walk. However, everything takes time. You have to commit to taking at least three capsules a day.

My only son, who is 41, is extremely diabetic. At 41 he has had cataract operations. He takes a double dose of the pills daily. I asked him how he was. He said, “My sugar is still high but these days I can arrange three songs, compose two and write a jingle all in one day. I never could have done that before. Your pills give me energy.” Over time I am certain even his diabetes will go.




But there are obstacles. So many people asked Christian Drapeau why the medicine was so expensive. He said, “Why don’t you look at the other side? How much does it take us to harvest, manufacture and get here?” And he is right.

What is more expensive? Stem Cell Therapy that involves taking your bone marrow then doing something to it then injecting it back into you for a couple of million pesos or to buy a bottle that increases your stem cells? It depends on how much money you have. If you are very rich, of course, go all the way to Switzerland for your stem cell therapy. But if you are average then just take StemEnhance. It is not cheap enough for everybody but it is good enough for most people.

But I must share this story. One of our recent recruits is an integrative doctor, Dr. Chris Tengco, M.D. He has a medical degree, also studied alternative medicine, anthroposophy and something else. Mostly his patients are people with level 4 cancer and so far he has managed to heal most of them. That afternoon he presented us with two of his patients who were healed. What is his secret? He has a special formula, which he gives them intravenously and he asks them to drink StemEnhance.

Don’t you think that’s remarkable? I think that is truly excellent.

article source: philstar.com

Bridging the nutritional gap

MANILA, Philippines - Diabetes, hypertension, obesity — more and more people are getting afflicted with these so-called “lifestyle diseases.”

As a result, their performance at work or at play is impaired. What is causing the increasing number of cases of lifestyle diseases? According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), an unhealthy diet is a key factor in the prevalence of these conditions.

Vitamins and minerals are necessary for proper food metabolism. When people do not get the right amount of vitamins and minerals into their body, they are unable to efficiently turn the proteins and carbohydrates that they eat into energy. This is why even though they eat so much, they still feel weak and get tired quickly.

Vitamins and minerals are also needed to strengthen the immune system. When people have a shortage of important vitamins and minerals in our body, their immune system is less than optimal and they become vulnerable to illness.

This unhealthy diet creates a vicious cycle: when people feel sick or weak or tired, they lose their drive to engage in healthy physical activities such as sports or exercise. Even simple things such as walking or climbing stairs become tiresome. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle, where they feel that changing their diet and physical routine is too great an effort, so, it’s not surprising that their health and our quality of life suffer.

Lack of nutrients

 Based on the 2008 FNRI National Nutrition Survey, more than 70 percent of Filipinos across populations groups lack vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron in their daily diet.

For example, the FNRI’s Recommended Nutrient Intake (RENI) on a daily basis for vitamin A is 550 micrograms for male adults (aged 19 to 65 and above), and 500 micrograms for female adults (aged 19 to 65 and above).

However, the 2008 survey shows that actual average vitamin A intake among Filipino adults is just 499.6 micrograms, while the elderly only take in 379.9 micrograms daily.

In the case of vitamin C, the RENI for male adults (aged 19 to 65+) is 75 milligrams while the RENI for female adults (aged 19 to 65+) is 70 milligrams.

The 2008 survey, however, shows that on the average, Filipino adults only consume 44.7 milligrams of vitamin C daily, while the elderly consume 44.5 milligrams daily.

As for calcium, the RENI for male adults is 750 milligrams for those aged 19 to 64, and 800 milligrams for those aged 65 and above. The RENI for female adults is 750 grams for those aged 19 to 49, and 800 grams for those aged 50 and above.

According to the 2008 FNRI survey, the actual average daily calcium consumption among adults is only 370 milligrams, while the elderly only consume 330 milligrams of calcium every day.

Iron consumption among Filipino adults is also below the RENI. The RENI for iron among male adults aged 19 to 65 and above is 12 milligrams. The RENI for iron among non-pregnant female adults aged 19 to 64 is 27 milligrams, and for those aged 65 and above, 10 milligrams.

Actual average iron consumption among Filipino adults, however, was found to be only at 9.4 milligrams daily, while the average consumption among the elderly was even lower at 7.5 milligrams a day.

The 2008 FNRI survey also found that 65 percent of Filipinos across population groups are not taking enough calories to meet their daily energy requirement.

The RENI pegs the energy requirements for Filipino male adults as follows: 19 to 29 years old, 2,490 kilocalories (kcal); 30 to 49 years old, 2,420 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 2,170 kcal; and 65 years old and above, 1,890 kcal.

For female adults, the energy requirements are: 19 to 29 years old, 1,860 kcal; 30 to 49 years old, 1,810 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 1,820 kcal; and 65 years old and above, 1,410 kcal.

On the average, however, Filipino adults only consume 1,915 kcal daily while the elderly consume even less, with only 1,436 kcal daily.

According to FNRI’s computation, these figures mean that 65 percent of Filipinos are not getting enough energy for their everyday activities.

So how do people change to a healthy lifestyle and be at their best? Obviously, they need to commit themselves first to a healthy diet. The FNRI website (www.fnri.dost.gov.ph) provides an illustrated, dietary guide called the Filipino Food Pyramid to help people make the right food choices for optimum health and nutrition.

 Besides switching to a healthy diet, Filipinos also need to take health supplements to fill in the nutrition gaps on days when, for one reason or another, one’s food choices are less than ideal.

There are encouraging signs that more and more Filipinos are becoming educated about the value of nutritional supplements and they are taking more of these. FNRI surveys show in 2003, only 22.9 percent of Filipinos said they took health supplements. In 2008, that figure had risen to 46.8 percent.

The top two reasons these people gave for taking supplements were health and extra energy. Other reasons were “doctor-recommended,” “perform better in school/work,” and “not getting enough vitamins from the diet.”

To get the maximum benefits from a vitamin and mineral supplement, make sure to choose one that has complete nutritional content.  Centrum is complete and specially balanced with 30 vitamins and minerals the body needs, from vitamin A to zinc. For adults aged 50 and above, on the other hand, Centrum Silver’s age-adjusted formula is perfect for the changing needs in their golden years.

source: philstar.com

Woman dies after 42 years in coma

A Miami woman who fell into a diabetic coma in 1970 died at age 59 after 42 years of unconsciousness, her family said.

Edwarda O'Bara died Wednesday after being cared for by her mother and sister through decades of illness, the Miami New Times reported Friday.

O'Bara was a high school student when she fell ill and regurgitated her diabetes medicine. She was rushed to the hospital, where she asked her mother never to leave her side just before she slipped into the coma, The Miami Herald said.

Her mother, Kaye O'Bara, cared for her until her own death five years ago, and her sister, Colleen O'Bara, had cared for her in her last years.

O'Bara's story inspired the book "A Promise Is A Promise: An Almost Unbelievable Story of a Mother's Unconditional Love and What It Can Teach Us," by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Funeral services were scheduled for Tuesday.

source: upi.com

Top medical innovations treat headaches, diabetes

The best medical innovations for next year include an almond-size device implanted in the mouth to relieve severe headaches and a handheld scanner resembling a blow dryer that detects skin cancer, the Cleveland Clinic said on Wednesday.

The clinic's annual list of the best medical innovations for 2013 includes better mammography technology and new drugs to treat advanced prostate cancer.

Leading the 2013 list for innovations is an old procedure that has a new use due to findings in a recent study. Physicians and researchers at the clinic voted weight-loss surgery as the top medical innovation, not for its effectiveness in reducing obesity, but for its ability to control Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

Over the years, bariatric surgeons noticed that the procedure would often rid obese patients of Type 2 diabetes before they even left the hospital.

Dr. Philip Schauer, head of the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, led a study examining this phenomenon, and the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published the results earlier this year.

"Bariatric surgery has been around for a while," Cleveland Clinic Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Michael Roizen said in an interview. "The reason it was chosen as the top innovation is because Medicare has broadened its indication for payment, and Medicaid in many states follows Medicare. A lot of the other (private) insurance companies started covering it, so it's much more accessible."

The criteria that insurers use to cover the surgery has been broadened because of its effectiveness in controlling Type 2 diabetes, he said.

The number of people affected by diabetes has tripled over the past 30 years to more than 20 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90 percent of those cases are Type 2, a condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin.

Doctors and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic voted for what they thought were the biggest, most significant innovations from the 250 ideas submitted from their colleagues. Roizen said one of the main criteria for getting on the list is the number of people that the product or procedure can potentially help.

For that reason, a device that helps relieve headaches, the second-most common ailment after the cold, was second on the clinic's list.

The miniaturized device—invented at the Cleveland Clinic and spun off into a separate, private company called Autonomic Technologies Inc—is implanted in the upper gum above the second molar to treat cluster and migraine headaches. A lead tip of the implant is placed near specific nerves behind the bridge of the nose.

When the patient feels the headache coming on, a remote control device is placed on the outside of the cheek, and the device delivers stimulation to those nerves, blocking pain.

The implant is available in Europe, but not in the United States. The company needs to do more studies to get approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, said Dr. Frank Papay, department chair of the clinic's Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute and a consultant to Autonomic Technologies.

A handheld device used to detect melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, was also on the list.

"Up until now, we've counted on our eyes," Dr. Allison Vidimos, who chairs the clinic's dermatology department, told Reuters. "This device offers an objective look underneath the skin using a special spectrum of light."

It compares moles and other marks on the patient's skin with a large database containing information on all types of melanoma. It also rates the risk.

"All dermatologists fear missing melanomas," Vidimos said. "The cure rate can be close to 100 percent if caught early."

Vidimos said using a device, manufactured by Mela Sciences Inc and approved by FDA last year for use by trained dermatologists, helped prevent unnecessary biopsies. The Mela scanner is also approved in Europe.

Verisante Technology Inc also makes a scanning device, which is approved in Canada, Europe and Australia. It has applied for US approval, the company said.

Also on the list is a new type of mammography, called breast tomosynthesis. This technology provides greater detail of the image than the standard mammography, which renders a two-dimensional image.

For the patient, it may seem like there's no difference. "You still have the squish," said Dr. Alice Rim, the Cleveland Clinic's section head of diagnostic radiology. But the images produced by the new technology show the breast in slices, for more visible detail.

"With two-dimensional mammography, there are shadows, so it can be like a polar bear running around in a snowstorm," Rim said. "This eliminates the shadows, allowing increased detection and fewer call backs (for a second mammography)."

Other devices that made the list include mass spectrometry that allows microbiology laboratories to identify the type of bacteria in infections sooner and with more specificity, a new modular stent graft to treat complex aortic aneurysms, and a laser for cataract surgery.

Novel drugs to treat advanced prostate cancer were on the clinic's list because of their ability to halt the progress of the disease by blocking testosterone receptors.

A new technique to repair and regenerate damaged lungs, called ex vivo lung perfusion, is on the list. Experts say as many as 40 percent of previously rejected donor lungs may now be suitable for transplantation after undergoing this novel "lung washing."

The procedure involves placing donor lungs into a bubble-like chamber connected to a cardiopulmonary pump and ventilator. Over four to six hours, the lungs are repaired as special fluids are forced through the blood vessels. Nutrients are used to recondition the lungs as they inflate and deflate.

The final item on the list is neither a procedure, a drug nor a device, but healthcare programs that use incentives to encourage people to take better care of themselves.

For example, the Medicare Better Health Rewards Program Act of 2012 provides incentive payments to Medicare participants who voluntarily establish and maintain better health.

"We are seeing efforts to avoid rationing of healthcare and seeing programs with incentives built in if people maintain their health," Roizen said. "This can radically change the cost of care.

"We're seeing this more in big companies, the GE's and J&J's of the world. All companies are looking at how much they are spending on healthcare, and they are looking at ways they can reduce spending without rationing." –Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Improving medical care for diabetic moms

MANILA, Philippines - Diabetes in pregnancy or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Continued high levels of blood sugar during pregnancy raise the mother’s risk of preeclampsia, which is the second leading cause of maternal deaths. GDM also increases the mother’s risk for pre-term birth, caesarian-section delivery as well as the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus even after pregnancy.

The baby is at risk at the same time. GDM pushes up the weight of the infant to about nine pounds or more, giving the baby much difficulty in passing through the birth canal and potentially causing nerve damage to the shoulders. The baby is also very likely to become obese later on in life, which consequently increases his/her vulnerability to diabetes.

According to research by the Kaiser Permanent Center for Health Research, Filipinas are at high risk for GDM. In the study covering different ethnic groups in the US, Filipinos, along with Koreans, had the highest incidence of the condition among nearly 17,000 women aged 13 to 39 who were surveyed.

A 2010 study at the UST Hospital confirmed global statistics when it found 7.5 percent prevalence of GDM among mothers. Risk factors include higher body mass index, family history of diabetes, and use of hormonal contraceptives.

Very much aware of the incidence of diabetes in expecting mothers, the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (PSEM), an organization of local endocrinologists, is putting up the country’s first large-scale database for GDM. The initiative is supported by global healthcare company MSD to improve medical care for diabetic pregnant mothers.

The GDM database kick-starts a bigger collaborative project of PSEM and MSD called Registry of Diabetes, Endocrine & Metabolic Diseases or REDEEM.

The initial GDM database is expected to generate reports that endocrinologists can use to best manage patients suffering from diabetes during their pregnancy. Eventually, the registry will be expanded to include other endocrine diseases.

“It (REDEEM) will help us gather data to identify people who have GDM and how to best manage them to prevent complications,” says Dr. Sjoberg Kho, PSEM president.

Dr. Kho said current GDM data used by doctors are either based on international guidelines or on small local data. With the GDM registry, the large-scale data to be generated will be more relevant because it will be Filipino data.

“Filipinos eat differently, our activities and genes are different. So it’s always good to have our own data,” Kho explains.

Dr. Beaver Tamesis, business unit director of MSD, is glad to have partnered with PSEM on this initiative since the 50-year-old organization is capable of regularly collecting and analyzing data on major diseases that are not prioritized in Western countries. Five hospitals are initially taking part in the project, namely Makati Medical Center, UP-PGH, St. Luke’s Hospital, UST Hospital, and The Medical City. PSEM treasurer Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus Jr. says the registry will eventually be rolled out to all PSEM members nationwide.

MSD considers improving the health of mothers a priority. Recently, the company has launched MSD for Mothers, which seeks to improve maternal health and ensure that no woman has to die of complications of childbirth and pregnancy such as that brought about by GDM.

source: philstar.com

UNDERSTANDING DIABETES

DIABETES Mellitus is a disease in which blood sugar (glucose) levels are abnormally high because the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin or the body fails to respond to insulin.

When sugar from food is absorbed into the bloodstream, the pancreas responds by producing insulin. Insulin plays a key role in moving the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells, where it is then converted into energy. The body uses this energy to function; sugar is the fuel on which the body runs. If the body cannot adequately produce or respond to insulin, sugar cannot enter the cells, instead, sugar accumulates in the blood, and the cells must turn to other sources for energy.

Diabetes is extremely common in older people, of whom about 15 to 25% have the disease. Statistically, there are about 500 daily diagnosed cases of diabetes in the Philippines . Diabetes can lead to such complications as chest pain, (angina pectoris) and heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, erectile dysfunction, blurred vision and blindness, pain and loss of sensation in the hands and feet, and amputation. Many of these complications arise because elevated blood sugar leads to narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels, which impairs circulation and damages tissues. These complications are even more likely in people who smoke or have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, both of which often accompany diabetes. Fortunately, many complications can be prevented by quitting smoking and by taking steps to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels.

Causes of Diabetes

Diabetes is categorized as Type I or Type II, each with a different cause. Type II diabetes is the main form of diabetes among older people. Obese older people with a family history of diabetes have the highest risk of developing type II diabetes which accounts for 90% of the entire diabetes population worldwide.

In type I diabetes, the type that usually becomes evident in childhood or young adult, the pancreas cannot produce insulin or produce tiny amount of insulin. Symptoms include intense thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, and rapid weight loss. It can be controlled by regular lifetime doses of insulin in the proper amounts. Keeping the balance between insulin dose and sugar intake is one of the major challenges faced by people with Type I diabetes.

Type II diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, usually doesn’t appear until the early to mid forties. In most cases, the problem is not a simple lack of insulin, but a defect in the receptors for insulin in the cell walls. The body does not respond normally to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Long-term complications of Type II diabetes are similar to those of Type I, but include higher incidence of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. So it’s worth it to have blood sugar monitoring regularly.

The main risk factor for Type II diabetes is obesity. Obesity causes insulin resistance, possibly by increasing the blood levels of building blocks of fats and certain proteins that interfere with the action of insulin.

Aging itself puts people at higher risk of developing diabetes. As people age, insulin secretion tends to decrease slightly and insulin resistance tends to increase slightly, even among people without obesity or diabetes.

Heredity is a risk factor as well.

Signs and Symptoms

People with Type II diabetes may have no symptoms for months or even years before the disease is diagnosed. When the blood sugar level rises too high, sugar spills into the urine. The kidneys then must excrete additional water to dilute the sugar. Therefore, a person with high blood sugar urinates large volumes (Polyuria). The loss of water due to excessive urination also creates abnormal thirst (Polydipsia). Also, as the body cannot use sugar as energy, a person with diabetes may experience excessive hunger and thus eat more (Polyphagia) and yet still lose weight. Other symptoms include blurred vision, drowsiness, lightheadedness, irritability, fatigue and weakness, decreased endurance during exercise, numbness in the hands and feet, body itchiness, hard-to-heal wounds, frequent vaginal discharges, recurring skin infections, hard to maintain or achieve an erection in men.

Diagnosis and Screening

A simple blood test called Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) or Glucose test is most commonly used to make a diagnosis. The level of sugar (glucose) in the blood is measured, usually after the person has fasted for at least 8 hours. Sometimes the blood sugar level is measured randomly without regard to when the person last ate, but this is not as accurate.

In a person who does not have diabetes, blood sugar levels after fasting range from 70 to 110 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) of blood. Diabetes is the likely diagnosis if the blood sugar level is 126 mg/dl or higher if the person fasted before the test or 200 mg/dl or higher if the test was performed at random.

People who have two or more fasting blood sugar levels between 110 and 125 mg/dl (a condition called impaired fasting glucose) should repeat the test yearly.

The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is confirmed if any one of the following results is obtained:

Two fasting levels are 126 mg/dl or higher.

Two random levels are 200 mg/ml or higher.

Fasting level of 126 mg/dl or higher and a random level of 200 mg/dl or higher.

Prevention

Diabetes often can be prevented. Losing weight through dietary changes, increased physical activity, or both is a very effective measure. Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily is one type of beneficial physical activity.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to maintain blood sugar levels within the normal range so as to prevent or control symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. There are maintenance drugs that could help control blood sugar levels but these are not substitute for proper diet, exercise and weight reduction.

article source: mb.com.ph

White rice linked to Type 2 diabetes, say researchers

WASHINGTON — Health researchers say they have found a troubling link between higher consumption of rice and Type 2 diabetes, a disease that in some countries is becoming an epidemic.

Further work is need to probe the apparent association and diets that are notoriously high in sugar and fats should remain on the no-go list, they cautioned.

“What we’ve found is white rice is likely to increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, especially at high consumption levels such as in Asian populations,” Qi Sun of the Harvard School of Public Health told AFP.

“But at the same time people should pay close attention to the other things they eat.

“It’s very important to address not just a single food but the whole pattern of consumption.”

In the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Sun’s team said the link emerged from an analysis of four previously published studies, carried out in China, Japan, Australia and the United States.

These studies followed 350,000 people over a timescale from four to 22 years. More than 13,000 people developed Type 2 diabetes.

In the studies carried out in China and Japan, those who ate most rice were 55% likelier to develop the disease than those who ate least. In the United States and Australia, where consumption of rice is far lower, the difference was 12%.

Participants in the two Asian countries ate three or four servings of rice a day on average, compared to just one or two servings a week in the Western countries.

White rice is the dominant form of rice eaten in the world. Machines produce its polished look by hulling and milling, leaving a grain that is predominantly starch.

Brown rice, by contrast, has more fibre, magnesium and vitamins, and a lower “glycaemic index,” a measurement of sugar content, than white rice.

Sun said the study did have limitations, including full details about what the volunteers ate in addition to rice.

“I don’t think I can put forward a 100% confirmed case, given that this is a meta-analysis of four original studies,” he said.

“But I see a consistency across these studies, and there is biological plausibility that supports the association between white rice consumption and diabetes.”

He added: “More trial data are needed to corroborate or refute our observations.”

Diabetes affects nearly 350 million adults worldwide, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Diet is only one factor in Type 2 diabetes, a complex disease that involves high levels of blood sugar that cannot be processed by the hormone insulin. Obesity and lack of exercise are also cited as culprits.

source: japantoday.com

90% of Americans eat too much salt: study

WASHINGTON — About 90% of Americans eat too much salt every day, and the top food offenders include cheeseburgers, pizza, bread, deli meat and potato chips, U.S. health officials say.

The average American eats about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and that does not include salt added from the shaker on the table, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Signs report.

U.S. guidelines recommend that people limit sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams per day.

High risk populations—including African-Americans, people 51 and older and those with with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease—should stick to 1,500 milligrams daily.

“Too much sodium raises blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden.

“These diseases kill more than 800,000 Americans each year and contribute an estimated $273 billion in health care costs.”

The report pointed to 10 types of food that add up to more than 40% of the nation’s sodium intake.

Poultry, soups, cheese, pasta dishes, meatloaf rounded out the top 10.

Some 65% of Americans’ sodium comes from food sold in stores, and 25% comes from meals in restaurants.

The CDC urged people to check labels for salt content, eat more fresh vegetables without sauce, and limit consumption of processed foods.

source: japantoday.com