Diabetes Control And Over The Counter Supplements

I have been a pharmacist for 21 years and certified in diabetes management and I will tell you the issue of supplementation is very controversial and can be misleading to patients. I have encountered diabetics in deep trouble where their fasting blood sugar shot up to 300 and above because they dropped their medications because " they wanted to take natural products like cinnamon and others because they don't have side effects...." or for other reasons.

First let me start by saying that almost all over the counter products are not FDA approved meaning they are not controlled for quality, safety and effectiveness. People are at the mercy of the manufacturer and believe me that the litteratture is full of documentations of products and manufacturers caught with having inadequate amounts of active ingredients or none at all.

By law any manufacturer of over the counter products and supplements can claim anything they want on the package short of saying that this product

"Prevents, Cures or diagnoses a disease". Next time you are at a store pick up any supplement and watch for terminology and I will bet you that you will not see these 3 terms used. They may say "This product "helps memory" or "this product is an aid for sugar metabolism" or "helps promote sugar metabolism..." or similar statements. These statements professionally speaking mean nothing but patients cling on to these terms, self diagnose and self treat their conditions and this is dangerous practice that has affected and is affecting a lot of people. Because you are in the media, you have a responsability to relay the facts and alert people for correct practices.

On the other hand all FDA approved prescription products have undergone a grewling 10 year approval process before they are released into the market and approved for various indications including diabetes. There are quality control procedures that are enforced on manufactures to submit data on quality control manufacturing practises on brand and generic brand names alike, safety and efficacy even after the product is released into the market.

When a drug company claims for example that Actos "is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type diabetes" then you can take that to the bank because it has been proven by large scale reliable studies that have been reviewed by experts at the FDA and other professional health organizations and that's what we professionals go by. Annecdotes on the internet do not mean technically much.

Now I stay up to date with profeesional informations especially with topics of my interest mentioned on the bottom page. Here is my opinion on supplements that is based on the latest information released in professional pharmacy journals and drug information systems regarding the supplements in question:

Vitamin D plays a vital role in calcium absorption and it's deficency causes a whole host of problems. About 10 minutes exposure to the sun daily helps the body produce enough amounts. People should get about 400 to 800 units a day. Many foods are rich in vitamin D such as fish, eggs and fortified milk. Women should supplement with one pill of 600 mg of calcium plus vitamin D. Evidence about It's use in Diabetes is definitely inconclusive.

Chromium Picolinate: Has been studied in sprint athletes and has shown to improve sugar uptake to the muscles but has not been shown to be of any advantage in diabetes.

Cinnamon: There has been a lot of talk about Cinnamon and recent data I reviewed in a proffesional pharmacy journal just last week states that Cinammon has not been shown to have any advantage in managing diabetes.

Coccina.. follows the same path. No conclusive evidence.

Magnesium: Is an essential mineral for a whole host of body processes including muscle function, relieving PMS, Energy breakdown and utilization, preventing migraines etc.. but no specific and credible information regarding additonal supplementation to control diabetes. I recommend a multivitamin which includes enough magnesium. For Additional supplementation, even if magnesium is OTC, I would consult with a doctor for specific conditions.

There will not be a substitute for diabetes control other than what the health organizations and US Hospitals and universities, such as ADA and The World Health Organization. I outlined all these steps CLEARLY in my book "Lifestyle Makeover for Diabetics" where I based my data from these respectable resources. It is written in very simple language for the average individual.

Diabetes control is a combination of taking medications as prescribed, monitoring the various crucial parameters, lifestyle changes and losing weight by making favorable balanced food and activity choices and stress management, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

I hope I was able to help and all of these issues I discussed are covered much more extensively in simple format in my book mentioned below.

My Credentials:

George F Tohme, Pharmacist, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh, Pa in 1987 and currently practicing in Texas. I am certified in Diabetes (Univ. Of Pittsburgh) and Cholesterol Management (American Pharmacists Association), Smoking Cessation ( Univ. Of Pittsburgh), Nutrition Guidance (Cooper institute) and a Personal Trainer (ACE).

Author of: "Lifestyle Makeover for Diabetics".

Read Excerpts: http://www.lifestyle-makeover.com

Ask pharmacist George any question about diabetes

By logging on to: AskGeorgeAboutDiabetes.com

It is Free to ask.
Future Release: "Lifestyle Makeover for Smokers"

George Tohme R.Ph.
Lifestyle Makeover
2911 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Suite 300
Dallas, Tx 75219

Tel: 214 523 9008
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email: mail@lifestyle-makeover.com
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Difficult Weight Loss With Detoxing

When you eat, the food is normally absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of sugars, such as glucose and fats. The increase in glucose in the bloodstream is the signal to the pancreas that it needs to secrete the insulin hormone. This hormone attaches to cells and removes the glucose from the bloodstream so that it can then be used by the body for energy.

In the case of insulin resistance, the body's cells do not respond to the action of insulin. To compensate for this, the pancreas begins releasing greater amounts of insulin. People with insulin resistance have higher levels of insulin in the blood, and overtime, these people can end up developing diabetes. This is due to the body not being able to compensate any longer for the high level of sugars in their bloodstream. A weight loss detox program can not only help these individuals lose weight, which is often necessary for diabetic people, but it can also help to reverse insulin resistance.

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance Syndrome

There are several issues associated with insulin resistance syndrome that a weight loss detox program can help with. These include:

- Type 2 Diabetes, Impaired Fasting Glucose and Impaired Glucose Tolerance: This is due to the pancreas being unable to produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance. The blood glucose levels become too high and type 2 diabetes is the result.

- High Blood Pressure: Studies suggest that high blood pressure results in worse insulin resistance.

- Bad Cholesterol Levels: Individuals with insulin resistance tend to have low good cholesterol (HDL) and high levels of triglycerides (blood fat).

- Heart Disease: Insulin resistance can cause hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increase risk of blood clots, which could lead to stroke or heart attack.

- Kidney Damage: A sign that kidney damage has occurred is protein in the urine, although not everyone with insulin resistance will show this trait.

- Obesity: Obesity promotes insulin resistance as well as all of the symptoms above. This is especially true in the case of abdominal obesity. A weight loss detox program can help to improve the body's ability to recognize and use insulin correctly.

Diagnosis

Insulin resistance is not easy to diagnose. Typically, a doctor will suspect that you have insulin resistance if you show these signs:

- Obesity or overweight (Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25)

- More than one parent or sibling who suffers from type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease or hypertension.

- Age of 40 years or older

- Gestational diabetes while pregnant

- History of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

- Pre-diabetes

- Member of an ethnic group including Native American, Latino and African American.

With the increase in obesity in children, there is also a greater risk that they will develop insulin resistance as well.

Treatment

There are numerous drugs that are approved to treat the insulin resistance seen with type 2 diabetes, such as Actos, Avandia and Metformin (Glucophage). These drugs are designed to make the body more sensitive to insulin. There are also other drugs used to treat high cholesterol and hypertension, as these are often side effects of insulin resistance.

If you participate in a weight loss detox program, you will find that you are able to quickly and easily lose the abdominal fat that puts you at a greater risk for these conditions. Additionally, you will find that you lose weight because you are purging yourself of all the toxins and poisons that can cause insulin resistance in the first place. You will also lose weight, which removes obesity as a contributing factor to insulin resistance.

Prevention

If utilizing drugs is not something you are interested in and if you are not at risk by not utilizing them, then there are more natural options available to you. One of these options is Glucofast, available from MVHolisticRetreat.com. Glucofast is an insulin resistance supplement that provides you with the powerful nutrients necessary to shift your metabolism automatically. It helps you to regulate your blood sugar, correct your metabolism, enhance your energy and helps you to lose weight while on a weight loss detox program.

When you combine Glucofast with a healthy lifestyle and 30 minutes of walking five days a week, you will find that you can not only prevent insulin resistance, but you will also reverse the effects of insulin resistance that you may already be feeling. You will also find that weight loss no longer has to be difficult.

Dr. Roni Deluz, RN, ND, PhD is a life style consultant and owner of Martha's Vineyard Holistic Retreat. She is also the author of "21 Pounds in 21 Days," which debuted #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list. She is a registered nurse, colonic therapist and naturopathic doctor. She travels across the country helping people to make their lives better and healthier via natural health sciences. For more information on her book, products and services visit http://www.mvholisticretreat.com

What You Should Do for Diabetes Treatment

Today, being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean what it used to. For many people, before more was learned about diabetes and how to best treat the condition, there weren't many options. Today there are many types of diabetes treatment that may be suitable for you, some may include medication, while others may not.

The best thing for you to do is talk with your doctor. It may be possible to seek diabetes treatment without having to deal with injection and medication. It particularly depends on the type of diabetes you have, the causes, and your current status.

One diabetes treatment and prevention factor is diet and exercise. The habits you develop with regard to exercise and diet can dramatically improve diabetes, minimize complications, and control your blood sugar. The best thing about diet and exercise as a diabetes treatment is that it can also prevent diabetes in some cases as well.

By introducing a healthy diet to your lifestyle, you can control the levels of sugar in your blood, as well as take steps to prevent further complications from the condition. Obesity is one of the most common causes of developing diabetes. Losing weight can help in controlling the condition and living a better life. If you need help, your physician can recommend a program or dietitian to help you gain control over your eating habits.

Your diet should consist of regular balanced meals that contain little sugar, little saturated fat, and a great amount of healthy fiber. It is further important to keep the diet consistent. This means that you should be consuming about the same levels of calories throughout each day, this allows you to control your blood sugar and keep it at the appropriate level for your body.

Along with diet, exercise is important as well to diabetes treatment. Any form of regular exercise is great for your body and your diabetes. You should exercise at least three times weekly for twenty minutes each time. Walking, jogging, or other exercise is extremely beneficial. However, before starting any exercise program, you should first consult your physician for approval. Doing exercises could be detrimental to your health, if done inappropriately.

If you have trouble controlling your blood sugar levels with the above steps, your physician may need to take your diabetes treatment to the next level. There are various types of medication available to treat diabetes, which could include both oral and injection based medicine. Insulin is the only injection type of diabetes treatment used today. Typically, this is only used when insulin is no longer produced by the pancreas.

Other types of medication include Avandia, Actos, Prandin, Glyset, Precose, Glucophage, Micronase, and Glucotrol. All of these work in different ways to absorb, produce, or use insulin within the body.

It is important to your diabetes treatment to consistently monitor your blood sugar levels. You should check your blood before eating and before going to bed. The results should be recorded within a personal diabetes treatment logbook.

Not only should the results of your blood sugar level test be recorded, but you should also record various other things such as medication doses, what and when you have eaten during the day, how long and what times you exercised that day, and if you have had results too low or too high, then how they were treated.

Be involved in your diabetes treatment and take the necessary steps to ensure you live a long, high quality life, even with diabetes.

For more insights and additional information about Diabetes Treatment please visit our web site at http://www.diabetes-data.com

Diabetes and Vitamin C

What if instead of taking Actos (pioglitazone) or Avandia (rosiglitazone) or Glucophage (metformin), the medication you really needed for blood sugar control in diabetes were vitamin C? A study coming from Iran suggests that for some diabetics, vitamin C might be as useful as many common medications.

Researchers at the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences & Health Services followed 84 diabetics given either 500 mg or 1,000 mg of supplemental vitamin C every day for six weeks.

Taking 500 mg of vitamin C every day did not result in any measurable benefits. Diabetics taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day, however, had lower fasting blood glucose, lower triglycerides, lower LDL cholesterol, and lower HbA1C in just 42 days.

How much lower?

Average fasting blood glucose levels fell from 169.33 mg/dl to 144.80 mg/dl.

Average HbA1C fell from 8.82 per cent to 7.66 per cent. (This is better than most medications.)

Average LDL cholesterol fell from 130.95 mg/dl to 125.91 mg/dl.

And the drop in insulin levels was astonishing, from 16.91 microunits per ml to 8.77 microunits per ml.

When there is less insulin, there is less fat storage. Vitamin C should help diabetics keep from gaining weight.

These results suggest that many diabetics may benefit from vitamin C, but the results should be interpreted with some reservations. If you are already on one or several medications, the additional benefits of taking a 1,000 mg vitamin C tablet every day, at least in terms of your blood sugars, triglycerides, and HbA1c, may be limited. Also, vitamin in your blood interacts with the enzymes in blood glucose test strips so that the glucometer reading is low, while the actual blood sugar is higher.

It's also possible that using vitamin C for several months can, like using R-lipoic or alpha-lipoic acid, give you a reduction in HbA1C that doesn't really result from improved blood sugars. Doctors test HbA1C to get a rough estimate of how high or low blood sugars have run over several months. Strong antioxidants keep glucose from "sticking" to hemoglobin, so less HbA1C is formed at the same blood sugar level.

The effects of vitamin C on blood sugar measurements of various kinds may not be major, but they do tend to exaggerate the vitamin's benefits. Where vitamin C might really help you is to keep you from gaining weight.

Just get your C from an extended-release formula, and make sure you don't take more than 1,000 mg a day. You may, according to some other studies, get some benefits from just 250 mg a day.

Vitamin C is also important for diabetics' cardiovascular health.

That's because the amount of vitamin C a diabetic gets may also measure risk of stroke. Among the 20,649 participants in the Norfolk Prospective Population Study in the UK, those whose bloodstream concentrations of vitamin C ranked in the top 25 per cent were 42 per cent less likely to have a stroke than those in the bottom 25 per cent.

This finding does not prove that diabetics can prevent strokes by taking vitamin C, or even confirm with certainty that diabetics can reduce their risk of stroke by taking vitamin C. It is possible that there's some other element of a healthy lifestyle that goes along with getting enough vitamin C that's really protective. This study does show, however, that getting adequate vitamin C certainly does not hurt diabetics' cardiovascular health.

Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural healing and has been writer or guest on over 300 radio and television shows. Visit his natural health news website at Savvy Natural Healer.

Using Diabetes Pills

There are several different options available for controlling type 2 diabetes. They have traditionally included insulin injections, diabetes pills, and more recently inhalant medications such as Exubera. Determining what type of treatment works best for you is a decision that should be made in consultation with your doctor and diabetes support team. Some considerations are:

* What is your level of requirement for insulin?


* Do you need one pill or a combination of pills?


* Will you require insulin and pills in combination?

There are several major types of diabetes pills currently on the market. Below is a summary of the major types and their uses.

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

These mediations slow down the body's ability to breakdown and digest starches such as bread, pasta, potatoes and even some sugars. These pills need to be taken at the beginning of a meal, and can be very effective in controlling blood glucose levels. They are marketed under the names of Precose and Glyset. The side effects to using alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are gas and intestinal discomfort with diarrhea.

Biguanides

Metformin is the drug name for the Biguanides, which acts to decrease the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and also makes the fat cells, cells in the liver and the muscles more sensitive to insulin so it can be absorbed easier. This medication has been proven effective for individuals with insulin resistance, and is taken twice a day, every day. There is initially some diarrhea, but this will improve over the time that the medication is taken and will also improve if the medication is taken just before the meal.

Meglitinides

Known by the names of Starlix and Prandin, this medication causes the beta cells to produce more insulin. The medication is taken before each of the three daily meals, and produces the same effect as an insulin shot. It is important to control your carbohydrate intake while using these medications. Since the drug causes a rapid increase in the release of insulin by the pancreas it is important to watch for hypoglycemia, and carry candies or glucose tablets or gel to counteract the medication.

Sulfonylureas

These drugs are some of the original drugs used to control diabetes. They were first used in the 1950's, but have been improved and advanced. They work the same as the meglitinides to increase the production of insulin by the pancreas thereby reducing the blood glucose levels.

Sulfonylureas are usually taken one or two times a day with meals. They are often combined with other diabetes medications and have different interactions with different medications. Care needs to be taken when combining drugs to monitor any possible side effects.

Thiazolidinediones

These drugs, marketed as Avandia, Rezulin or Actos make the cells of the muscles and liver work better with insulin, and also reduce the release of glucose by the liver. They are usually taken one or two times a day, with meals, and can be very effective in lowing blood glucose levels. There is a significant and serious side effect to taking these drugs for some people. Individuals on these medications will need to have regular blood work to determine the functioning of their liver, as severe complications have been noted.

Diabetes pills can be very effective as treatments for controlling diabetes. As with any medication it is important to stick strictly to the prescribed doses and to consult with a doctor should any side effects be noted.

Karen Newton is a registered nurse and acclaimed author with over 25 years of health care experience. Her newest book, Diabetic Diet Secrets, is an easy to follow guide to losing weight and getting control of your diabetes. Karen offers a free Diabetic Tips Course at http://www.diabeticdietsecrets.com/diabetictips.htm.

Insulin Resistance: Change Your Diet

Late onset diabetes usually means that a person has too much insulin because his cells cannot respond to insulin. Too much insulin constricts arteries to cause heart attacks, and stimulates your brain and liver to make you hungry and manufacture fat.

Most people who develop diabetes in later life can be controlled so that they are not at increased risk for the many complications of diabetes such as heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, amputations, kidney failure, burning foot syndrome or varicose veins with skin ulcers.

The Insulin Resistance Syndrome puts you at very high risk for a heart attack and is associated with storing fat in the belly, rather than the hips; having high blood triglyceride levels and low level of the good HDL cholesterol; and high blood pressure.

If you have any of these signs, check with your doctor who will order a blood test called HBA1C. If it is high, you have diabetes and can usually be controlled with diet and/or medication. You should learn how to avoid foods that give the highest rise in blood sugar. When you eat, blood sugar level rises. The higher it rises, the more sugar sticks on cells. Once stuck on a cell membrane, sugar can never detach itself. It is converted to a poison called sorbitol that damages the cell to cause all the side effects of diabetes mentioned above.

The foods that cause your blood sugar to rise quickly include all types of flour products: bread, spaghetti, macaroni, bagels, rolls, crackers, cookies and pretzels; refined corn products and white rice; and all sugar-added foods.

There are two type of drugs that are used to treat diabetes: those that lower blood sugar and raise insulin, and those that lower blood sugar and lower insulin also. The safest drugs are those that lower both insulin and sugar. Most diabetics should be on Glucophage (metformin) before meals, at least while you are learning to change your diet and bring your weight where it belongs. It prevents blood sugar levels from rising too high and sticking to cells and has an excellent safety record. However, eating a bagel will produce such a high rise in blood sugar that Glucophage will not be effective, so Glucophage must be used in addition to avoiding foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar. If HBA1C cannot be controlled with diet and Glucophage, your doctor will usually add Avandia 4mg or Actos 30mg. They are essentially the same and can cause liver damage, so liver tests must be done monthly, at least for the first few months.

You should be seen monthly and get either a HBA1C (which measures blood sugar control over the past two months) or fructosamine (which measures control over two weeks). Each time that your HBA1C is above normal (6.1), you should yell at your doctor to change your drugs and he should yell at you to change your diet.

If your HBA1C is still not under control, you need to take a drug that raises insulin levels. I usually start with Glipizide XL. If that doesn't control your HBA1C, I raise the dose, and if that still doesn't work, you will need to inject yourself with insulin. Check with your doctor.

Who is pre-diabetic?

What should a diabetic or pre-diabetic eat?

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties. For more information and hundreds of health and fitness reports, visit http://www.DrMirkin.com

Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health and nutrition

Canadian Pharmacies: Replacing Local Chemist Role in Medicine Supply

Consumers nowadays are replacing their journey to local drugstores with just a click onto the Internet where they find websites selling prescription drugs and health products at a cheap rate. Internet pharmacies offer convenience and savings and are gaining a larger share of the prescription drug market. There are two primary reasons why people choose to obtain prescription drugs online from Canadian Internet pharmacies. The first is cost. And the second reason is privacy.

Online Canadian pharmacies are considered to be very popular among Americans. Majority Americans buy their prescription drugs from online Canadian pharmacies. They believe they can save an average of approximately 40% cost of drug if they buy their medicines from Canadian Internet pharmacies instead of U.S. local drugstores. This is due to the fact that there are many online Canadian pharmacies and they lower their prices to increase their sales figure. The medications offering the major discounts were Zyprexa, Actos and Nexium.

Canadian pharmacies offer overall best prices on Canadian drugs, as well as on international drugs. Ordering prescription drug online is a very easy process. While ordering online, you can send your prescription with it or you can fax it. Once you have placed an order, under general conditions your drug will be delivered at your door within 14 days. For the best buy in prescription medicines, opt for generic drugs from an online pharmacy. Generic drugs have the same active ingredients and work just as effectively, but cost much less.

Canadian pharmacies are licensed and regulated by the college of Pharmacy in each province. If you are planning to buy your prescription drugs online from Canada you need to ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate pharmacy. In order to assess Canadian Internet Pharmacies, one should look for the following safety and service standards like:

• The pharmacy's license number.



• Asking patients to provide a doctor's prescription.



• Asking patients to submit details of their medical history.



• Displaying the pharmacy's mailing address and a telephone number on their website.

Brand-name drugs are often substantially less in price when purchased from Canadian Internet pharmacy. Renowned licensed Canadian pharmacies are selling prescription medications that are safe, secure and approved for a fraction of the cost U.S. people would pay. Forty-one of the 44 brand-name drugs examined were less expensive in Canada. As per price regulation in Canada, prescription drugs are much cheaper than in the United States.

For many years, consumers near Canada have driven across the border to buy their drugs at considerable savings from Canadian pharmacies. Now consumers across the country can purchase from a Canadian pharmacy through Internet or by mail. Canadian pharmacies typically require proof of identity and a valid prescription. Prescription drugs purchased from a Canadian pharmacy at a discount price are just as good as those purchased in the United States.

Wain Roy is an internet marketing professional expert in various industries like real estate, web design, finance, medical tourism and Canada pharmacy

Impotence in Diabetics

More than 50 percent of diabetic men suffer from impotence, and almost all complain bitterly that it has destroyed something that is very important to them. Impotence caused by diabetes can be prevented or reversed in almost all men whose bodies can still make insulin.

Diabetes causes horrendous nerve damage including blindness, deafness, burning foot syndrome, loss of feeling, loss of muscle control, pain and tingling and impotence. The penis is the only gland in the body that has its blood supply shut off all the time. Muscles surrounding the penile artery constrict the artery to prevent blood from flowing to the penis. When a man is excited, his brain sends messages along nerves that cause the nerves to secrete a chemical called nitric oxide theat relaxes the muscles around the arteries to open blood flow to the penis and the balloons in the penis fill with blood and the man has an erection.

More than 90 percent of diabetics who can still make their own insulin can be controlled so that they do not suffer nerve damage. When you eat, your blood sugar level rises. If it rises too high, sugar sticks to cells and causes permanent nerve damage. Doctors can measure how much sugar is stuck on cells with a blood test called HBA1C. To get your HBA1C to a normal range below 6.1, you have to avoid foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar such as those with added sugar, those made from flour such as bakery products and pastas, and fruit juices.

Most cases of nerve damage from diabetes can be reversed by good control of diabetes, but sometimes the damage is permanent. For example once person goes blind from diabetes, he will never get his vision back. However, impotence is often reversible with good control of diabetes.

Men who are impotent from diabetes must be seen every month and each month, the doctor must draw a blood test called HBA1C which measures diabetic control for the last 12 weeks, or another blood test called fructosamine, which measures diabetic control over the last 2 weeks. Every time, the HBA1C is greater than 6.1, the doctor must change the patient's drugs and the patient must change his diet.

All diabetics should get a blood test called C-peptide to tell if their bodies can make insulin. If their C peptide is greater than 1, they should not be placed on insulin and should be started immediately on Glucophage and Actos or Avandia. These drugs lower high blood sugar levels, never cause low blood sugar, and also lower insulin to prevent obesity and heart attacks. Only if blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by diet and these insulin-lowering drugs should doctors prescribe drugs that raise insulin.

For my recommendations on treatment of diabetes see http://www.drmirkin.com/diabetes/D222.html

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health and nutrition

About Insulin Resistance

This document has been written in order to provide some basic information about insulin resistance and its associated conditions. Where necessary we have supplemented the information with website addresses, and links to certain articles.

WHAT IS INSULIN RESISTANCE?

Insulin resistance is a condition in which some tissues (like muscles) in your body do not respond to insulin as they should - they are resistant to insulin. This results in an increase in the levels of insulin in your blood, which is responsible for most of the problems associated with insulin resistance (e.g. high blood pressure, cholesterol problems).

WHAT CAUSES INSULIN RESISTANCE?

Two things:

- a genetic predisposition (insulin resistance and the conditions it causes - type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and PCOS - tend to run in families.)

- a less than favourable lifestyle, with loads of starchy food and not enough exercise.

WHY IS INSULIN RESISTANCE IMPORTANT?

Many reasons:

- It is very common - it affects at least one in four people.

- about 50% of people who are significantly overweight have insulin resistance.

- about 50% of people with high blood pressure have insulin resistance.

- It is very dangerous - insulin resistance is the underlying cause of conditions such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

- It makes weight loss almost impossible. The irony of this is that weight loss is one of the few interventions that can significantly improve the outcome of the condition.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT INSULIN RESISTANCE?

1. IDENTIFY those people who are at risk of having the condition. People who are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes fall into this broad category. For a more complete questionnaire, go to www.insulinresistancesite.com/questionnaire.html

2. DIAGNOSE insulin resistance and its associated conditions.

- Insulin resistance is a clinical diagnosis, and cannot be diagnosed with any simple, reliable test. Currently an increased waist:hip ratio is the best predictor of a diagnosis of uncomplicated insulin resistance.

- Insulin resistance causes three conditions:

Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and PCOS.

Once any of these is diagnosed, it is possible to definitively diagnose insulin resistance as the underlying cause. The first two are fairly straightforward to diagnose ( see www.insulinresistancesite.com/checklist.html ), but PCOS can be a problem in this respect.

3. TREAT the insulin resistance in a holistic way.

- Conditions such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and PCOS will most likely require medication; and it is always a good idea to know what you are taking and why you are taking it.

- Treat the underlying insulin resistance with an appropriate lifestyle intervention program: a low carbohydrate diet and regular exercise work wonders. Medications such as metformin, Actos and Avandia are also very useful - they increase the sensitivity of tissues to insulin, thereby decreasing insulin resistance.

4. SCREEN family members for insulin resistance and its

associated conditions.

Insulin resistance is primarily a genetic illness, and good screening with early intervention can prevent or delay the onset of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome - and in this way prolong wellness, and ultimately, life.

Dr Guin Van Niekerk is the author of "Why Fat Sticks: An Introduction to Insulin Resistance"

For more information go to http://www.insulinresistancesite.com or join our support group ==>"About Insulin Resistance" at Google groups.

Know Thyself - A Guide To Beginning Any Fitness Regimen

At every mall entrance you walk in to a cube shaped structure with a red arrow pointing to the location on a map where you are. It says quite simply and effectively "You are here." This information is important to everyone. If you don't know where you are then don't move, because you could step on a land mine. Your current state of health is important to understand. You have to know what your starting point is. You may have worked out for years and have a good feeling about your abilities, but are you familiar with your family history, the times when you plateau or the way you respond to certain foods? You might go to the doctor all the time, but you may have no idea what it's like to push your body to perform, or what's wrong with your diet. A doctor can measure certain aspects of your health. These may include, but are not limited to blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, reflexes, bone density and body fat. Additional health factors that you should be aware of might include measurements of your waist, hips, chest, arms, thighs and neck. In addition, it is absolutely necessary to do a proper fitness test to truly understand what you are physically capable of doing. The question this should leave you with is what is the best way to do go about getting this information.

First Things First

I know you've seen this disclaimer whenever you've read any diet pill, workout program or medicine but, it's actually true-before you start any fitness program you should actually go to the doctor to see if you are able to workout. To make sure that you maximize your trip to the doctor's office you should always do research about what you want to accomplish. For example, if you getting your blood pressure taken then, you should at least know what an ideal blood pressure is. In addition, you should know a little bit about everything the doctor is doing in the office. If you're getting a prostate examination, make sure you understand how your prostate works, what dangers might be attached to it and what it does. Educated patients force doctors to be on top of their game.

I took my 14-month-old son to the emergency room at four o'clock in the morning for a violent cough that scared my wife and I. After an hour of residents getting an education by examining my son, he was calmed down and basically seemed fine. In reality, we overreacted to a bad cold and so did my son. The actual doctor arrived and examined my son again. She said that he had some redness in his ears and she was going to prescribe antibiotics. I stopped her and told her that I was against antibiotics and asked if there were any other options. To my surprise she immediately responded. She said that the other option would be to WATCH the ear and have him checked out if it got any worse! She went on to explain that research is showing that more and more ear infections are caused by viruses that are not affected by antibiotics. My jaw dropped. I knew that antibiotics wouldn't impact a virus. And, I knew that antibiotics essentially kill both the good and bad bacteria in the body. This practice of over prescribing antibiotics to babies is the exact reason why kids have to get tubes put in their ears. Their bodies don't build the proper immunity to fight off viruses and the antibiotics kill all of the good and bad bacteria. Their bodies end up not being able to generate enough good bacteria to fight off infection. What blew me away was that the doctor knew that this was the case and risked my child's health to placate my emotions. It's logical really. The doctor is a businessperson. You can't have people coming out to the emergency room at four in the morning and the doctor tell you to go home without a quick fix or a possible resolve. She assessed me in the one minute she spent with me. She thought, "if he's here at four AM, he wouldn't want to hear that he should just go home, so I'll give him some antibiotics." Because I was educated on the effects of antibiotics I called her bluff. These are the types of questions that enable us to make-educated decisions about our health when venturing into a doctor's office. My son was fine in a couple of days without any assistance from antibiotics.

Another important aspect of your education is choosing a good doctor. The worst reason to choose a doctor is because he is your family doctor or he has been a friend of the family for your whole life. This is not to say that he isn't a good doctor, but that this alone shouldn't be the criterion as to why you choose him. You need to know that a doctor is making decisions that are in your best interest and not his own. The first thing you want from a doctor is to know that he or she wants you to live a healthy life. To discern this, you can look for him to give you advice about diet, exercise and mental clarity. In addition, he should definitely be in good shape himself. Do not trust a doctor who is overweight or chronically ill. How could anyone claim to care about your health when they abuse their own bodies? Believe it or not, if you don't take care of your body it is in fact abuse. It's the worse type of abuse. It is consistent, psychological and physical all at the same time. Another intelligent way to discern whether your doctor is good or not, is to talk to the pharmaceutical sales representatives in his territory and find out his prescribing habits. Many times doctors are in bed with pharmaceutical companies and this clouds their judgment.

In one study done on Actos and Avandia the results concluded that Avandia increased risk for heart attack by nearly 42% and the other decreased it by nearly 20%.Actos clearly increased cardiovascular health. Fishman states "Avandia, on the other hand, in four studies of 14,000 people, increased the rate of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure by a whopping 42%."(2007) In addition, both drugs accomplish essentially the same thing with the management of blood sugar in diabetics. This information seems pretty cut and dry but one must always consider that pharmaceutical companies have invested significant resources into the production, distribution ad marketing of their products, so they're not about to just pull the drug off the market. Here's where it gets tricky. Actos paid for a doctor's education seminar on Long Island in September of 2007. Various speakers got up to discuss TZDs (Actos and Avandia), which are drugs that help control diabetes. One of the speakers was a paid speaker for Glaxo Smith Klein, which is the parent company of Avandia. A well-respected doctor, the speaker refuted all of the research done in the head o head study, claiming that Avandia was not dangerous and that doctors should still prescribe it. Now imagine being a pharmaceutical sales rep with your bachelor's in biology and trying to change the mind of a doctor who just spoke to one of his colleagues. The sales rep for Actos, who is essentially the doctor's only true educator on the product, has now been reduced to a used car salesman. The pharmaceutical business is filled with people who have less than scrupulous morals. Many companies are willing to buy X-ray machines or other supplies just to gain favor with heavy prescribing doctors. You would like to think that your doctors are above this, but remember they have kids to put through school and bills to pay just like you and I. Therefore, it is very important that you understand any drugs associated with your health conditions and hold the doctors responsible for what they give you.( By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.(ConsumerAffairs.Com. Sept,13,2007)

Your trip to the doctor should include an active physical. This may include, but is not limited to a stress test. An Exercise Stress Echocardiogram, sometimes called a stress echo, is a tool used to evaluate heart function by combining an exercise (stress) test with a transthoracic echocardiogram.(American Society of Echocardiography) http://www.seemyheart.org/stress.) This test uses ultrasound to create images of the heart at rest, at work and after exercise. These images are used to evaluate whether or not you are healthy enough to exercise. You can find a lab that performs such tests at www.seemyheart.org/stress. I highly recommend taking this seriously. But, no mater what they say you must keep the results in context and decide before you go that you are beginning a fitness program. You have already decided to change your lifestyle-that's why you're reading this. What this test will do is let you know where to start. Other tests that will be inevitable are blood tests that give you your cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and other details that you can ask your doctor about. Be sure that you ask him what each one means so that you are educated about your current health. Find out what healthy levels of each test should be and inquire about your own health in reference to these levels. Sometimes you might not be at healthy levels, but the doctor might not see you as a serious health risk. That's why you should know for yourself. Healthy blood pressure is 120 over 80 so it's important to know where you stand with that as well. Most of these tests are pretty common when you go to a good physician. The key is still to find a doctor concerned with your health and not just treating your ailments.

It is my opinion that Western medicine has become a monster that enables people to live long and unhealthy lives. This is accomplished by creating drugs that treat one symptom and cause four others. In addition, doctors only make money from you when you are sick. Therefore, they usually treat people when they are already sick. Your goals should be to maintain a healthy lifestyle and die in some heroic fashion like rock climbing or cliff diving! We are at much greater risk everyday that we fill our bodies with poisonous pharmaceuticals and bad food than when we are when we jump out of a plain or go scuba diving. The only way to genuinely maintain good health is to be conscience of what we put in our bodies and how we use them. Having said this however, I must concede that there are good and honest doctors who genuinely want you to be healthy and demonstrate that by the way that they take care of themselves. Any doctor can provide you with the necessary information to successfully start a fitness program. However, if you want to efficiently take advantage of your insurance you should always be educated before you walk into the doctor's office. Be careful not to get your information from a site that is sponsored by a specific drug company. These reports will always be skewed in favor of their respective line of drugs. And remember, you've already decided to get in great shape and you should not be discouraged by anything the doctor says, but you should consider everything he says in context to your new lifestyle. To contact this author directly you can visit www.powercelldiet.com.

In addition, I recommend researching fitness possibilities using websites like http://www.powercelldiet.com and http://www.milliondollarbody.com Here you can get virtually free training and diet advice.

Diabetes Information - Control Secrets Revealed

Diabetes affects 21 Million Americans and claims 240 million victims worldwide. Type 2 Diabetes is the biggest portion of those at 95 %. This is a disease that affects your metabolism--the way our bodies use digest food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose-the main source of fuel for the body.

Then glucose passes into the bloodstream where it is used. For glucose to get into cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach. In people with type 2 diabetes the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced.

Back in the good old days in my other life I used to play golf a lot. I wasn't any good but I had fun up to a point and enjoyed the scenery. Golf courses are by definition serene and beautiful. There was an expression in golf "that it was better to be lucky than good."

The same is true in life in general. Last week I stumbled across something that I will put in the lucky category for sure-lucky for me. Now I want to share that with you.

This is not exactly top secret stuff here and may sound a little on the radical side-so be it. The documentation is there to anyone who wants to look into it-any doubting Thomases.

There is literally billions of dollars spent on diabetes medication to control your blood sugar. Metformin, Actos et al. are all very good at what they do. And don't get me wrong I am not suggesting you stop any medication without your doc's knowledge but these supplements certainly are worth a try.

Two chemists who work with the USDA's Agriculture Research Service, Richard Anderson and Marilyn Polansky have discovered that chromium and cinnamon "not only potentiate insulin activity several fold but now we have evidence that these compounds also act as anti oxidants".

From their study published on November 8, 2003 they found that chromium and cinnamon both function to "not only improve insulin sensitivity but also alleviate oxidative stress and therefore may all be important in the prevention and alleviation of glucose intolerance and diabetes."

This is powerful and useful news for type 2 diabetics who struggle with the control issue on a daily basis.

Read the study, check with your doc, and try it. Cinnamon and chromium are both so cheap it won't hurt. It will make your life with the 'Big D' much better and will perhaps help you avoid the more serious complications down the road.

As with anything you do with the 'big D'-check with your doc first.

To find out more about Diabetes check the link below.

Jack Krohn has had Diabetes, Pre-diabetes and Syndrome X for nearly fifteen years. He speaks from the experiences he has had during that time. He owns SECURITY SOLUTIONS a one stop resource that provides solutions and answers for all your self defense and home security problems.

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Are Medications for the Treatment of Diabetes Safe?

In February of 2008 the NHLBI announced that the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study would be stopped because of an increased risk of death in patients on intensive glucose lowering treatment regimens. 10,251 patients with Type 2 diabetes were being treated with a range of medications for glucose control and were divided into intensive versus standard glucose lowering groups.

There were 257 deaths in the group receiving intensive treatment to lower HbA1C (a marker of elevated blood glucose levels) to below 6% compared to 203 deaths in the standard treatment group (HbA1C 7-7.9%). Deaths included sudden death and cardiovascular causes. Reactions from medical experts included "surprise" and "shock", and yet this should not have come as any surprise since the fact that glitazone medications used for diabetes, including Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone) carry a cardiovascular risk was previously known. For example, last year an article in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that Avandia (rosiglitazone) increased heart attack risk by 43%. These drugs also cause fluid retention which increases the risk of heart failure. For instance, in the A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial (ADOPT) 4360 patients with poorly controlled Type-2 diabetes were randomly assigned to four years of treatment with rosiglitazone, metformin, or glyburide. Rosiglitazone caused more heart failure than glyburide, and was associated with more weight gain (+4.8 kg-convert to pounds, v -2.9 kg for metformin) and fluid build up or edema (probable cause of the heart failure). 22 rosiglitazone patients developed heart failure, compared to 19 with metformin and 9 with glyburide.

In the PROspective pioglitAzone Clinical Trial in macroVascular Events (PROactive) Study, 5238 patients with Type-2 diabetes and evidence of vascular disease were randomly assigned to treatment with pioglitazone or placebo to be taken with their typical treatment regimen. There was no signficant difference in the primary outcome of any vascular event; 281 patients on pioglitazone developed heart failure compared to 198 on placebo, a 42% increase which was highly statistically significant. Most people don't know that glitazones cause weight gain and actually create new fat cells, making you more "fatty'. So in other words, they are promoting the thing that causes Type 2 diabetes in most people (i.e. weight gain), and causing the thing that we are trying to prevent by treating diabetes (i.e. heart attacks and heart failure). Not a very good deal.

Overall the older drugs for diabetes like glyburide are probably safer than the new drugs and cost much less. Diet and exercise are always the best way to prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about alternatives to medications and hidden risks of prescription medications in 'Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May be Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won't Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed Drugs, Vitamins and Supplements', by researcher and physician J. Douglas Bremner, MD.

http://www.beforeyoutakethatpill.com