Actos. Pharmacy blog.

Diabetes Control And Over The Counter Supplements

2008-07-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

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
Fax: 214 523 9001
Cel: 214 674 0183
email: mail@lifestyle-makeover.com
Website: http://www.lifestyle-makeover.com
AskGeorgeAboutDiabetes.com

Difficult Weight Loss With Detoxing

2008-07-23T18:54:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-11T15:35:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-07T08:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-02T16:42:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-02T13:02:00.001-07:00

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.

Get FREE DIABETES INFORMATION

Get yourself a HIDDEN SPY CAMERA and find out what is going on when you are not there.

Home of the BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS.

Are Medications for the Treatment of Diabetes Safe?

2008-07-02T13:01:00.001-07:00

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

Diabetes - What You Should Know About Diabetes Medications

2008-06-29T14:50:00.001-07:00

For people with type 2 diabetes your doctor will usually prescribe an oral medication to help in controlling your blood glucose level. Of course, along with any diabetes medications you will most likely be making changes in your diet, getting exercise, etc., but this article will focus on the types of diabetic medications that are available. Keep in mind that there are two reasons for anyone to have type 2 diabetes.

1. Their pancreas simply does not produce enough insulin anymore.

2. The cells have become insulin resistant.

Different diabetes medications are used for one of these two categories based on simple blood tests that tell the doctor which category you belong to.

Sulfonylureas

Oral medications such as Amaryl, DiaBeta, Glucotrol, Glynase, Micronase and others are all drugs that help lower blood glucose levels by causing the pancreas to produce and release more insulin.

Biguanides

These types of diabetic medications aid the insulin in moving glucose into different cells. This type of medicine is not for everyone though. If you have kidney problems or a history of heart problems you could be at risk of serious medical issues. Glucophage, Fortament, Glumetza and Riomet are all examples of Biguanides.

Thiazolidnediones

Drugs in this class such as Actos and Avandia work in making your body's insulin more effective. They block the liver from releasing too much insulin, while making it more effective in muscle and fat.

Although Thiazolidinediones are excellent in type 2 diabetics, your doctor will do periodic blood tests to be sure they are not damaging your liver.

Alpha - Glucosidase Inhibitors

These diabetes medications slow down the increase in blood glucose levels by blocking out enzymes that aid in digesting starches.

A major side effect from these drugs such as Precose and Glyset are gas and diarrhea.

Meglitinides

Meglitinides, including Prandin and Starlix, work by helping the pancreas release additional insulin. This in turn will reduce blood glucose levels.

There are also several different combinations of these medications available that combine two different types into one pill.

This is only a brief overview and only your doctor can help determine the course of treatment that is right for you.

By the way, you can find out more about Diabetes Medications as well as much more information on all types of diabetes issues at http://www.Diabetes.InfoFromA-z.com

Gymnema Sylvestre - Side Effects and Cautions

2008-06-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Gymnema is a remarkable herb which is a powerful aid in blood-sugar related ailments such as weight loss and diabetes, or pre-diabetes.

Side effects and cautions relating to Gymnema sylvestre are few but, for completeness, here they are.

Side Effects Of Gymnema

The main side effect, as such, is that as it can reduce blood sugar levels, some caution may be necessary if you take it with other agents, such as herbs or pharmaceutical drugs, which might lower blood sugar.

If blood sugar levels fall too low, side effects include shakiness, sweating, confusion, distorted speech, and loss of muscle control may occur.

Gymnema Sylvestre And Herbal Side Effects

Herbs whose side effects - or benefits, depending on your viewpoint - can include reducing blood sugar levels include:

* Aloe Vera

* Devil's Claw

* Eleutherocccus senticosus (Siberian Ginseng)

* Fenugreek

* Ginger (in high amounts)

* Jambul Seed

* Panax Ginseng

* Psyllium Husks

* Stevia

* Turmeric

It must be stressed that there is little definitive research to show that these herbs definitely reduce blood sugar, and certainly not in every case; but it is best to be cautious if taking any of these herbs in addition to Gymnema.

Gymnema sylvestre And Drug Side Effects

Gymnema sylvestre may increase the amount by which drugs for diabetes can lower blood sugar. As well as insulin, these drugs include:

* Actos

* Avandia

* Glimepiride

* Glipizide

* Glyburide

* Glyset

* Metformin

* Prandin, and

* Precose

Toxicity

There are no side effects published relating to human toxicity with Gymnema sylvestre.

Pregnancy And Breastfeeding

Very little information is available on side effects of Gymnema sylvestre relating to pregnancy or breast feeding, or its use for infants. Therefore, we advise caution in using Gymnema in these circumstances.

Gymnema is a remarkable herb which, if used bearing in mind the above cautions, can be a huge benefit both to those who truly want to cut down their consumption of sweet foods and those with blood sugar issues. Of course, if on medication you should consult your doctor before taking Gymnema: but if you have 'blood sugar lows' and are not on medication, try Gymnema.

The main treatment for low blood sugar is in changing diet and getting more exercise: but if you do these things, Gymnema is a great help to have in your pocket. Additionally, it can conveniently be taken throughout the day if used in capsule form. I recommend 3-6 capsules (raw herb, not extract).

Max Hill loves sharing the knowledge he has gained about natural healing after more than 20 years. For example, on the website about Metabolic Syndrome he has been a key contributor to the extensive information there about Gymnema Sylvestre as well as recommending other important aids for digestion including the 90-day Digestive Programme . There is additional information on these sites about diet, exercise and all aspects of detox. Take a look today - and get the benefit of Max's valuable knowledge and experience.

Insulin Sensitizers Good or Bad

2008-06-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

Cardiovascular Risk With an Insulin Sensitizers - Let's put it in perspective!

With the current New England Journal Article on Avandia and it's increased risks for cardiovascular problems, I believe we have missed the whole point of the article.

So, we have the insulin sensitizers, Avandia, Actos and Rezulin (which was removed from the marketplace for liver toxicity). Risk factors for these include heart attacks, cardiovascular death, fluid retention, bone fractures, weight increase, negative effect on lipids and possible unknown effects on genes. The New England Journal of Medicine published an article entitled, "Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes." The conclusions of this analysis of previous studies of rosiglitazone (brand name, Avandia) suggest that this oral agent used to treat type 2 diabetes may be associated with increased risk of heart attack by 43 percent and and death from cardiovascular causes by 64 percent. In an editorial review of the Avandia meta-analysis, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. Psaty and Furberg indicated that the approval process for Avandia may have been insufficiently rigorous because rosiglitazone has so many effects on genes, many of which are unknown.

Moreover, its approval was based upon studies that may have been too short to be really useful in identifying long-term adverse heart effects. Previously, meta-analysis was instrumental in preventing Pargluva (muraglitazar), a drug similar to Avandia, from being approved, again because of heart problems. In 2000, another glitazone, Rezulin (troglitazone), was removed from the market due to liver toxicity. Earlier this year, the Cochrane Library published a meta-analysis of Actos (pioglitazone), a thiazolidinedione similar to Avandia, which implicated it in edema and heart failure. In the meantime, patients using any of the insulin sensitizers should talk to their health care provider to determine the most appropriate course of action. Patients should not stop taking any prescribed medications without first discussing the issue with their health care provider. Now is the time to talk to your patients about the risks associated with diabetes. Using any drug increases your risk for complications. But, as the studies have shown, increasing your physical activity can provide the same benefits and even greater benefits in reducing your risk factors for the complications of diabetes and other diseases. Just like we all know that physical activity is an effective treatment for diabetes, yet we would rather just write another prescription for a drug treatment, rather then write a prescription for physical activity, which we all know works and is effective.

Lets first look at the costs of treating diabetes with Avandia. The cost to treat diabetes with Avandia can be $120 dollars a month, or 1500 a year or 15,000 for 10 years and increases your risk for DEATH!. A pedometer costs $20 dollars over 10 years, and when used effectively will reduce the risk for heart failure and DEATH! We can take the increased risk of death from cardiovascular of 64% and turn it around and decrease your risk for cardiovascular death by 64%, that is a change of 128%. As in the DPT trials, and even the Dream study, which used Avandia to reduce the risk of diabetes physical activity was shown to be as effective, if not more then the oral treatments used in the studies.

Lets look at a couple of the studies that, shows this controversy has but only one conclusion. In a Finish study with postmenopausal women over 10 years it was found that walking 1 mile or more a day reduced the risk for heart disease by 82%. In a study in Washington State they found that walking at least 1 hour per week, which is less then 9 minutes a day can reduce the risk for sudden cardiac death by 73%. In a study of 40,000 American Females they found that walking at least 1 hour a week, (less then 10 minutes a day) reduced the risk for coronary artery disease by 51%. In a study of over 73,000 American women aged 50-79, walking for 2.5 hours a week reduced the risk for all cardiovascular events by 30%. In a study of 1500 men, walking at least 2.5 hours a week (14 minutes a day) lowered the risk of heat attack by 69%. So, why replace one drug with another that has other risk factors, when we can simply provide a 20 dollar pedometer and tell our patients to increase their physical activity? Now is a great time to have the discussion with your patients and let them know that there are other alternatives to taking drugs that are more effective with no risk factors. But, just telling them may not be good enough, make them responsible for reporting to you their physical activity by using a pedometer and setting goals for the number of steps they take each and every day. If they can report to you their blood sugars, then report their steps! Now imagine what would happen if we also had them responsible for the number of carbohydrates that they consume each day and maybe reduce them by just 100 grams, what could happen? And if all else fails, consider using the most safe and effective drug: INSULIN I

If you would like to share your comments, contact me at publisher@diabetesincontrol.com Steve Freed, Publisher Diabetes in Control.com Pharmacist and Diabetes Educator

Steve Freed, Pharmacist, Diabetes Educator, pedometrist and publisher of http://www.diabetesincontrol.com the leading on-line newsletter for diabetes information for medical professionals and patients with diabetes.

Fatty Liver Disease - Causes, Symptoms, Information With Treatment

2008-06-26T16:01:00.001-07:00

Fatty liver disease covers a range of conditions where there is a build-up of fat in the liver cells. It may be caused by various diseases, such as in chronic alcoholism and obesity. Simple fatty liver usually does not damage the liver, but is a condition that can be identified by taking a sample of liver tissue (liver biopsy) and examining it under a microscope.

All of the stages of NAFLD have in common the accumulation of fat (fatty infiltration) in the liver cells (hepatocytes). Yet, in many respects, the histological picture of NAFLD (when we look at a biopsy piece of liver under the microscope) is similar to what can be seen in liver disease that is due to excessive intake of alcohol. As we shall see, however, the clinical circumstances in NAFLD and NASH are very different from those in alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

Causes of Fatty Liver Disease

The common Causes of Fatty Liver Disease:

Several risk factors may be cofactors required for the development of advanced ALD.

Minimum amounts of alcohol intake associated with an increased risk for developing ALD range from 40-80 g/d for 10-12 years.

Obesity and dietary habits have been implicated in individual susceptibility to ALD.

Several studies demonstrate a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody in patients with ALD, as well as iron overload.

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Some Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease:

Loss of appetite.

Nausea.

Fever.

Mental confusion.

Dry mouth.

Weakness.

Fatigue.

Swelling of your legs and feet from retained fluid (edema).

Abdominal pain and tenderness.

Treatment of Fatty Liver Disease

Strict management of diabetes with diet, medications or insulin lowers blood sugar, which may prevent further liver damage. It also may reduce the amount of accumulated fat in your liver.

Controlling elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides with diet, exercise and cholesterol-lowering medications may help stabilize or reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

If you have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) don't drink alcohol. Also avoid medications and other substances that can cause liver damage. Talk to your doctor about which ones to avoid.

Researchers are studying the effects of several medications on insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in people with and without diabetes. These include metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia) and betaine (Cystadane).

Juliet Cohen writes articles on diseases and conditions and skin disorders. She also writes articles on herbal home remedies.

Controlling Diabetes - OTC Drugs vs Diamaxol

2008-06-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

The following article provides a list of the most popular and commonly used over-the-counter drugs used to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics (and their side-effects), as compared to MicroNutra Health's popular glucose balancing supplement, Diamaxol.

INSULIN: Lowers blood sugar levels. The various types of insulin and brands in the marketplace differ in when they take effect, when after application they're the most effective, and the amount of time for which they're most effective. Potential side-effects of insulin may include weight gain, low blood sugar levels, and allergic reactions.

Promoting Pancreatic Insulin Production

SULFONYLUREA: Brands include Micronase, DiaBeta, and Glucotrol. Side-effects include weight gain, low blood glucose, nausea, and rash.

MEGLITINIDE: Brands include Prandin and Starlix. Some side effects are low blood glucose and upset stomach.

Reducing Glucose Production in Liver/Aiding Insulin Processing

BIGUANIDE: Brands include Glucophage and Metformin. Side-effects include loss of appetite, nausea, gas, diarrhea, and metallic taste in mouth.

THIAZOLIDINEDIONE: Brands include Actos and Avandia. Potential side-effects include nausea/vomiting abdominal pain, fluid retention, and liver damage.

Side Effect-Free Option

Unfortunately, there are no prescription diabetes drugs without some potentially serious side-effects. This is one of the reasons that many diabetics (and pre-diabetics) find that Diamaxol is worth trying. MicroNutra claims to have clinically proven that Diamaxol has no side-effects, and they guarantee their products to be 100% effective (or your money back).

DIAMAXOL: Reduces blood sugar levels by interrupting glucose absorption within the intestines and preventing adrenal hormones from stimulating glucose production from the liver. Eliminates insulin resistance and normalizes insulin production.

No product will work for everyone. Human physiology is too complex for any supplement or medication to have the same effect on every body. For this reason, the only scientific study that really matters to you on a day-to-day basis is: try it for yourself.

Discover tips and tricks for naturally balancing blood sugar and learn the ins and outs of living with diabetes, including insight into MicroNutra Health's popular blood sugar balancing supplement, Diamaxol at my web site. Don't let diabetes run your life.

Oral Diabetic Medications That May or May Not Cause Hypoglycemia

2008-06-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Oral diabetic medications that can cause low blood sugar or hypoglycemia

The following sulfonylurea medications for diabetes can cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar as a side effect.

* Glipizide (Glucotrol)

* Glyburide (such as DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase)

* Glimepiride (Amaryl)

Repaglinide (Prandin) and nateglinide (Starlix) are not sulfonylurea medications. However, they work in the same way and can also cause low blood sugar as a side effect.

You are unlikely to develop hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels if you are taking:

* Metformin (Glucophage)

* Acarbose (Precose)

* Rosiglitazone (Avandia)

* Pioglitazone (Actos)

Signs of Hypoglycemia:

**Cold sweat, faintness, dizziness

**Headache

**Pounding of heart, trembling, nervousness

**blurred vision

**Hunger

**Irritability

**Personality Change

**Not able to awaken

It is important to know if you oral diabetic medication has the side effect of low blood sugar because if you are going out or driving, you should test your blood sugar before you leave and make sure you take hard candy with you in your pocket or purse at all times. You should also have a supply of hard candy in your car at all times and not in the trunk of your car.

If you have the signs of low blood sugar, then you should take a piece of hard candy or juice first and then test your blood sugar.

Usually in 15 minutes taking 15-20 grams of Carbohydrate (CHO) will usually bring up your blood sugar to normal range. You can have a 4-6 ounce glass of juice, glucose tablets or 2-3 pieces of hard candy. Don't overdo it because your blood sugar will then go sky high. If it doesn't return within normal limits in 15 minutes, repeat the 15-20 grams of CHO and then check your blood sugar in 15 minutes.

Please check out the article, Driving, at http://www.diabetestestingcenter.com that goes into more detail about what foods raise your blood sugar, stabilizes your blood sugar and how and when you should test your blood sugar.

http://www.diabetestestingcenter.com
http://www.attentiondeficitdisordercenter.com
http://www.acnereviews.info

You may reprint this article as long as you keep the links

Most Type II Diabetes is Preventable

2008-06-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

Several recent studies show that most cases of Type II

diabetes can be prevented with the diabetic medications,

metformin, Avandia or perhaps Actos (Lancet, September 29,

2006; Diabetes Care, Volume 29, 2006). An earlier study

showed that lifestyle changes were even more effective in

preventing diabetes than drugs (Annals of Pharmacotherapy,

July 2004).

People most likely to develop diabetes have a family

history of diabetes, are overweight, and store fat primarily in the

belly, rather than the hips. They often have a thick neck, male

pattern baldness, high blood levels of triglycerides and low levels

of the good HDL cholesterol, and do not exercise. Pre-diabetes

is defined as having a fasting blood sugar greater than 100 but

less than 125, a one-hour-after-eating blood sugar greater than

160 but less than 200, and an HBA1c greater than 5.7 but less

than 6. (HBA1c is a blood test that measures how much sugar is

stuck on cells).

If pre-diabetics take medications used to treat diabetes,

or change their lifestyles, they markedly reduce their chances of

going on to develop diabetes. Both the prevention and treatment

of diabetes involves preventing blood sugar levels from rising too

high after meals. To do this, a person should avoid the foods

that cause the highest rises in blood sugar levels, such as those

made from flour, those with added sugar, and sugar water found

in fruit juices and many soft drinks. Other recommendations are

to lose weight, exercise, and eat fewer calories.

If you fit the

description of a person at risk for diabetes, check with your

doctor and get a blood test called HBA1C. If the value is greater

than 5.6, you should start your diabetic prevention regimen

immediately.

Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition, and get my Fitness & Sports eBook free!

Diabetes and DHEA

2008-06-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

From Italy comes a study suggesting that DHEA supplements might reduce some of the complications of type 2 diabetes.

Many of the chronic complications of non-insulin dependent diabetes are vascular. In diabetes, there can be so much glucose in the bloodstream that it begins to "burn," that is, it begins to oxidize, even before it reaches the cells that need it.

This auto-oxidation process generates huge quantities of the superoxide free radical, which in turn can change normally harmless LDL cholesterol into a form of LDL that clogs blood vessels. The smallest, microscopic capillaries are the first affected. Only when the effects of diabetes are greatly progressed does atherosclerosis show in major arteries.

Research physicians at the university and hospitals in Turin found that giving elderly diabetics DHEA did not lower blood sugars or cholesterol, but did lower oxidative stress in the bloodstream. The concentration of free radicals of oxygen in the blood lowered on average 53 per cent.

Interestingly, taking DHEA also elevated bloodstream concentrations of vitamin E. This is because DHEA protected vitamin E from destruction by free radicals.

Diabetics are given statin drugs to lower cholesterol, ACE-inhibitors and ACE-receptor blockers for high blood pressure, calcium channel blockers, and/or thiazolidinediones (such as Actos and Avandia, which also known as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, respectively), all of which have side-effects. The doctors conducting this story express a hope that DHEA, which occurs naturally in the body and which can be given in a dosage of 50 mg a day without side effects, might eventually replace these drugs.

Read about Vitamin C for Diabetes at Robert Rister's Savvy Natural Healer.

Deutact and How It Can Help Improve Low Blood Sugar Levels

2008-06-21T16:32:00.001-07:00

Have you just found out that you're suffering from diabetes? If so, let me warn you that high blood sugar level isn't the only thing you should worry about. Sometimes, believe it or not, diabetics are also in danger of having insufficient blood sugar in their bodies, and this condition is equally fraught with danger.

Basic Facts about Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the more formal term for low blood sugar. This occurs when an individual's blood sugar level is inadequate in providing the required energy. In other words, when you're feeling particularly low, it could be that your body doesn't have enough glucose in it.

This condition usually appears only as a side effect of certain medicinal treatments for diabetes. There are however other causes for hypoglycemia, such as the following: wrong diet, excessive consumption of alcohol and pregnancy or other causes for hormonal imbalance.

Regardless of the cause for hypoglycemia, the symptoms are fairly universal:

Hunger - This is a good indication that you're experiencing hypoglycemia, especially when it's accompanied by other symptoms.

"Bad" Feelings - When you feel weird, disoriented, nervous, weak, or dizzy for no reason at all, that's another strong indication that your blood sugar level is alarmingly low.

Sleepiness - If your head keeps falling forward and you keep yawning, you might be experiencing hypoglycemia already.

Speaking Difficulties - Do you suddenly have a hard time stringing two words together? If that's the case, consider it as another symptom of hypoglycemia.

Nightmares - Yes, bad dreams are also considered as an indication of having insufficient glucose in your body.

Excessive Perspiration - Whether you're asleep or not, if you're perspiring excessively for no reason at all, that's another indication that you're suffering from hypoglycemia.

How to Prevent Having Low Blood Sugar Level

There are several ways for you to successfully avoid suffering from low blood sugar:

Medication - Are the medicines you're taking all prescribed by your personal physician? Even though it's your best friend who has made a recommendation about a certain medicine, your best friend isn't fully cognizant of your medical history - your doctor is, so trust him, and not your best friend. Certain medicines, although proven to be effective, may have undesirable side effects for specific types of users. Mostly with diabetic treatments, patients have to make do with a match-match method: some medicines are for you, some are not.

Diet - The type of diet you must adhere to depends on the primary cause of hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar level caused by diabetic treatments will require a different diet from what's required by low blood sugar level resulting from non-diabetic causes.

The Role of Duetact

Recently, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. introduced a new treatment for type 2 diabetes in the market: Duetact. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Duetact combines two popular diabetic medicines, Actos and glimepiride, into one singular medication. While Actos is primarily used to help individuals accept insulin into their bodies, glimepiride boosts the insulin production of the body.

The main objective of Duetact is to normalize blood sugar levels and keep it that way. By the way Duetact works, it can successfully reduce the risks of an individual experiencing hypoglycemia.

Since Duetact is a combination of two effective medications, taking Duetact makes it easier for diabetics to manage their medicinal needs.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, based in Illinois, is under the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the largest pharmaceutical firm in Japan.

Karen Newton is a registered nurse and fulltime freelance writer dealing with endocrinology issues such as diabetes and hypoglycemia. To get a free copy of the "7 Day Hypoglycemia Survival Guide" go to:

http://www.hypoglycemiasecrets.com/hypoglycemia.htm

Your Diabetes Medication May Be Depleting Important Nutrients

2008-06-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

About 17 million American's have diabetes and approximately one third of them don't even know it. Diabetes is a disease that is a result of your body's inability to utilize glucose efficiently or possibly not able to utilize it at all. The results of leaving your diabetes untreated can be devastating. Blindness, heart attacks, strokes, amputations are all possible consequences of diabetes and especially leaving it untreated. One of the most popular medications for the treatment of patients with diabetes is Glucophage (Metformin). This medication also now comes in combination with other products such as sulfonylureas (Glucovance, Metaglip) and the glitazones (Avandamet, Actos plus Met).

Metformin has been used for many years around the world and is a very effective medication for diabetes. Some of the more common side effects include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. These symptoms generally occur in one out of three patients. But one of the lesser known and yet very important side effects of Metformin is how it depletes some of your essential nutrients and increases your odds of having side effects due to nutrient depletion. The nutrients of most concern are Vitamin B-12, folic acid, and Coenzyme Q-10.

If you happen to be taking one of the products that has Metformin as well as a sulfonylurea included (Glucovance, Metaglip), you should increase your risk of reducing your coenzyme Q-10 levels even further, because the sulfonylurea class of drugs is known to interfere with the metabolism of Coenzyme Q-10.

To learn more about what symptoms you may experience as a result of defeciencies in folic acid, Vitamin B-12 and Coenzyme Q-10 please go to: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/vitamins_minerals.htm

You can have your physician monitor your essential nutrient status or you can simply take a supplement that can replenish your body's supply of these nutrients. To learn more about your options please go to: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/diabetesessentialnutrients.htm

To learn more about diabetes and the importance of controlling your blood sugar please go to: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/diabetes.htm

Dr. Ford has practiced general internal medicine for the past 22 years. He is a native Texan and trained at Baylor University, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and Scott and White in Temple. He is a Clinical Assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. In addition to general Internal Medicine, his practice includes travel medicine, vascular disease prevention, and Integrative Medicine with nutrients.

New Type II Diabetes Diet Drug Not More Effective Than Older Drugs, Researchers Say

2008-06-20T12:13:00.001-07:00

Is there an effective type II diabetes diet drug? When we look at questions concerning type II diabetes control, diet, drug, exercise and dietary supplements are all mentioned. There are conventional, complementary and alternative treatments for type II diabetes, all of which may be helpful, but right now, there is no cure, only treatment and control. This article was written in response to questions concerning a new type II diabetes diet drug. Here's what we learned.

In July of 2007, Johns Hopkins University published a systematic review of the comparative safety and effectiveness of drugs used to treat type II diabetes. The researchers wrote, "As newer oral diabetes agents continue to emerge on the market, comparative evidence is urgently required to guide appropriate therapy." After analyzing the data from 216 controlled trials and 2 systematic reviews that addressed the possible risks associated with type II diabetes drugs, the researchers concluded that newer more expensive drugs are not more effective than older drugs, such as Metformin.

The active ingredient in Metformin was originally derived from a plant. Opponents of herbal remedies may want to take that fact into consideration. The French lilac or Galega officinalis in botanical terminology had been used for centuries to reduce the symptoms of type II diabetes. It was first marketed in France in 1979, but did not receive FDA approval until 15 years later. It is sometimes referred to as a diabetes control diet drug, because it is particularly effective when a patient is overweight or obese. The researchers at Johns Hopkins found that most of the newer drugs caused people to gain weight.

Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed prescription drugs in the United States. But, Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone) are newer and some people automatically think that newer is better. The method of action of these drugs is not completely understood. It is interesting that many health care professionals object to the use of herbal and botanical remedies because their method of action is not understood. Yet, these same doctors do not object to prescribing drugs, even though they may not know how they work.

Recently, it was noted that Avandia increased the risk of heart attack and a safety alert was issued by the FDA. Actos is believed to be safer, but studies have shown that both drugs affect the levels of cholesterol in the blood stream and have similar molecular activity.

In the book "Death by Medicine", the authors estimate that 106,000 deaths every year are caused by prescription drugs, due to either doctor error or adverse reactions. That number is more than the number of people who died from diabetes mellitus (72,815) in 2004.

It is doubtful that anyone would want to take a type II diabetes diet drug that could cause the number of deaths associated with other diet drugs, such as the recalled Ephedra and Fen-fen. Changes in diet and increased exercise may be the safest and most effective treatments for type II diabetes, but energy levels are a problem for many diabetics. That's understandable because the real problem in diabetes is that glucose gets trapped in the bloodstream and cannot enter the cells where it would be converted to energy. Herbs, such as green tea, can help with energy levels.

Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about type II diabetes, a subject of personal interest. Read more at http://diabetes-type-two-info-guide.com

Many of us believe that there are safe and effective alternatives for diabetes control. Diet drug concerns only add to the risks already associated with uncontrolled diabetes. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, proper diet and adequate exercise can prevent the need for a type II diabetes diet drug, but pharmaceutical companies will continue to release new drugs, even though the older ones are just as effective. To learn more about controlling type II diabetes, please visit http://diabetes-type-two-info-guide.com.

A New Antioxidant Fat-Burner for Overweight Diabetics?

2008-06-17T10:07:00.001-07:00

The natural products market in North America is saturated with products that claim to boost the metabolism to take off the pounds. You can find a hydroxycut caffeine-free fat burner, a liquid gel green tea product, and a variety of supplements that claim to correct "glucose intolerance" (the mainstream term is "insulin resistance") specifically to help diabetics lose weight. A research study published just in February 2008, however, suggests that a combination of two safe and inexpensive supplements may:

Enlarge and activate the mitochondria ("energy machinery") inside adipose tissue to oxidize lipids

Activate insulin to transport glucose and fatty acids out of the bloodstream to fat cells with these activated mitochondria and

Do all this without accelerating the heart rate or interfering with the action of thyroid hormones.

These two supplements are lipoic acid and L-carnitine.

Alpha-lipoic acid, or ALA as it's commonly called, counteracts the glycation, or "caramelizing" of hemoglobin proteins in the blood. This takes stress off the kidneys, and it also gives diabetics lower HbA1C numbers at their regular checkups. The most common form of ALA contains a mixture of chemical isomers, one of which can be used by the body (R-lipoic acid) and one that can't (the S-form of the same molecule), but every ALA supplement is at least 50 per cent bioavailable.

L-carnitine is not as well known but has some applications in diabetes, too. There's a growing body of evidence that taking 200 to 2,000 mg of L-carnitine a day may protect diabetic brain tissue.

And it was brain specialists at the University of California at Irvine and Shanghai's Institutes of Biological Sciences in China who seem to have uncovered the potential for a combination of lipoic acid and L-carnitine to aid weight control

In research just published in February 2008, the scientists exposed adipose cells to lipoic acid, L-carnitine, or a mixture of the two. Neither lipoic acid nor L-carnitine by itself had much effect on the activity of fat cells. Together, however, the two antioxidants caused the energy making organelles known as the mitochondria to literally grow overnight, burning more fatty acids and more glucose.

The combination of lipoic acid and L-carnitine also stimulated the uptake of fatty acids and sugars in the same way as the drugs Actos and Avandia with one critical difference. Actos and Avandia just get the sugar out of the bloodstream and into storage. Lipoic acid and L-carnitine get the sugar and fat into a fat cell that's primed to burn it.

While taking 2,000 mg a day of both supplements won't hurt you (be sure to take supplemental biotin if you take lipoic acid), this study does not establish with scientific certainty that the combination of lipoic acid and L-carnitine will act as an effective diet aid. The scientists used cells taken from lab rats, not humans, and the level of the experiment was laboratory, not clinical. Still, as a way of enhancing weight loss without caffeine or thyroid hormone, this study is a very important first step.

Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health including the critically acclaimed Complete German Commission E Monographs and Healing without Medication. Visit his daily natural health news website at Savvy Natural Healer. Read a more in-depth technical article on this topic here.

NaProTechnology: The Effect of Insulin Resistance in Female Reproductive Function

2008-06-16T11:14:00.001-07:00

NaProTechnology is a new medical science whereby the diagnostic and therapeutic energies of the physician are directed toward the identification and treatment of reproductive and gynecologic problems in a manner that is aimed at restoring fertility. Because NaProTechniques "cooperate with" normal reproductive functions in the process or correcting abnormalities, fertility can be restored rather than bypassed through artificial means. The end result is that gynecologic and reproductive problems can be solved without the use of artificial drugs, devices, or surgical procedures that have the effect of bypassing or damaging normal bodily functions.

The Effect of Insulin Resistance on Female Reproductive Function

In modern day society, obesity is a common problem. One of the ways that the body defends itself from obesity is by making insulin ineffective, because insulin is a fat accumulating hormone. When insulin looses its effectiveness in the body, this situation is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can and frequently does happen in patients who are not overweight and even sometimes in patients who are thin. The problem of insulin resistance leads to a situation of high insulin levels which impairs the normal function of the ovary. This can result in increased male hormones, decreased or absent ovulation, inability to stimulate the ovary and miscarriage.

Insulin resistance can be treated with weight loss and also with drugs. One drug is metformin, which enhances weight loss and also increases the function of the ovary thus improving ovulation. Two other drugs, which are insulin sensitizing medications, are Avandia and Actos. All of these may increase the ovaries ability to ovulate. One of the precautions with Avandia and Actos is that women who are thought to be infertile may have surprise pregnancies because of the ovulation enhancing activity of these insulin-sensitizing agents.

One patient came to me who was overweight and had significant insulin resistance with several prior miscarriages. She lost some weight, was placed on metformin and subsequently conceived and carried a normal pregnancy to term. The addressing of her insulin difficulties both treated infertility and prevented miscarriage.

Another patient came to me who had been evaluated in the Philippines at the Makati Medical Center. This medical center is one of the top medical centers in the Philippines. There she was evaluated for recurrent miscarriage. Among her findings, there were thyroid difficulties and insulin resistance. In my evaluation, I also found evidence for B-12 and folate deficiencies, and several other medically correctable abnormalities. She was given physiologic progesterone supplementation, an insulin sensitizing agent, and an enhanced program of nutritional support. She conceived again and finally delivered a very healthy baby who was quite active and intelligent and was standing at the age of two months according to the "possibly biased" report of his parents.

These cases suggest that insulin resistance is a new concept in fertility management, and addressing this cause can help women who previously were infertile or had miscarriages to successfully achieve a healthy birth at term of a new baby.

About The Author
Paddy Jim Baggot, MD is a Catholic Physician who is a board certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Geneticist specializing in preconception health and NaProTechnology, which is a new reproductive science for assisting couples to conceive naturally without the use of artificial reproductive techniques. To read more from Doctor Baggot visit: http://www.majella.us.

Diabetes Drug Actos Helps Prevent Fatty Liver Complications

2008-06-15T11:41:00.001-07:00

In the Nov. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Texas researchers report that Actos reduced liver fat by 54 percent in people who had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is a complication of fatty liver disease that can lead to liver failure.

According to the American Liver Foundation, as many as 20 percent of Americans may be affected by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This will account for about 50 percent of the cirrhosis of the liver cases. About 5 percent of Americans have NASH.

In fatty liver disease the liver and may account for more than 5 percent to 10 percent of the organ's weight. This is caused is primarily caused by being overweight. Insulin resistance, diabetes and high levels of cholesterol all play a roll in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its complications.

This is just another reason why if you are overweight you need to get some of the pounds off of you. A modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can make all the difference in the world.

While the news about Actos is exciting the best treatment is not getting fatty liver disease in the first place. If you're at risk for diabetes and you're overweight you should see your doctor and get started on a program to get to a healthy weight.

If achieving your ideal body weight seems too difficult, if you have tried many diets only to fail, then you might want to consider other methods to lose weight. Some methods that have helped people to lose weight where diets have failed are hypnosis and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).

Hypnosis can help to program your mind to think differently and therefore begin to act differently. Hypnosis can help you to want to exercise and eat healthier while implanting a feels of determination, confidence and a knowing that you will be able to achieve your goal weight. Hypnosis recordings are especially effective because you can listen to them daily and within a few weeks your new attitudes will be in place.

Emotional Freedom Techniques is a new process where by you tap on certain points on your body to alleviate the emotional causes and distress that cause you to over eat. This tapping process is very gentle yet very effective. If you are interested in EFT there are many qualified EFT practitioners. These practitioners will work with you in person or over the phone guiding you through the tapping process.

The message here is that while modern medicine is doing an amazing job developing drugs and procedures to treat our diseases. Most of our diseases would not have occurred if we just took better care of ourselves.

If you don't have diabetes and you are overweight then be proactive and lose the excess weight. If you have diabetes it's even more important to lose the weight. It doesn't matter how many times you have failed, keep trying. You can do it. Keep trying different until you find something that will work for you. Good Luck!

For additional articles and products on improving your health, wealth and relationships please go to Unlimited Destiny at diabetes

How Diabetics Can Live To Be 100 Years Old

2008-06-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

As a medicinal chemist, I'm often asked, "How can I live to be a 100 years old?" My answer is simple, "Learn to control blood sugar and insulin."

The biggest threat to longevity is high blood sugar and insulin. Known as type II diabetes - or more accurately insulin resistance - it has become a nationwide epidemic that steals 11 to 20 years from a person's lifespan. It is one of the main culprits behind depression, obesity, heart disease and even cancer. Understanding two simple facts about the pandemic killer may help you avoid it - and live to be 100 years old rather than 65 or 70!

Fact #1: Anti-Diabetic Drugs like Avandia and Actos are Deadly

To curb the threat, family physicians are madly prescribing Avandia and Actos in hopes of reversing type II diabetes - total sales have reached over $4 billion annually. Unknown to most, Avandia users have a whopping 30-40% increased risk of heart attack and other heart-related adverse events (heart failure) compared to patients treated with placebo. (1) This side-effect is partly due to the drugs ability to lower "hemoglobin."

Hemoglobin is used by the body to transport oxygen throughout the entire 100,000 miles of adult veins, arteries, and capillaries. Without it, a condition known as "ischemia" sets in. This is a fancy term for "suffocation." Clinically, heart attack or heart failure can result from the lack of oxygen.

Actos belongs to the same class of medicine as Avandia - glitazones. Not surprisingly, it carries the same risks. Health Canada sounded the alarm as early as 2001! But the danger is being hidden from the American public.

Commenting on the unannounced danger, the U.S. Congress stated that the, "FDA's apparently callous disregard for the safety of diabetics taking Avandia is very reminiscent of the Agency's failure to move on Vioxx when substantial safety signals first became known. Like Vioxx, Avandia may have unnecessarily risked the lives of tens of thousands of Americans." (2)

Fact #2: Natural Medicine Can Safely Reverse Insulin Resistance

In the process of designing anti-diabetic drugs, Big Pharma surveyed a myriad of natural products to find a "lead compound" that would show them how best to design a synthetic drug. Corosolic acid from the banaba leaf was among the most potent. (3)

Corosolic acid successfully reverses insulin resistance as seen by lowered blood levels of insulin and glucose among users. Rather than promote the natural medicine to the millions who suffer from insulin resistance, Big Pharma has been working rigorously to make a synthetic copycat - so they can monopolize it. They have failed miserably. Fortunately, the natural source is readily available as "banaba leaf" at local health food stores.

Banaba leaf works at the molecular level by fine-tuning the damaged insulin receptor - the cause of insulin resistance. This benefit rests in its ability to selectively initiate a chemical reaction known as "phosphorylation" at the receptor site. In effect, what is "jammed," becomes un-jammed thanks to the banaba leaf. Akin to a key being inserted into a lock, insulin is free to interact with the receptor, thereby triggering the cell to open the doors for blood sugar.

Users of Banaba leaf not only avoid dangerous prescriptions while increasing insulin sensitivity, but they also melt fat and build muscle in the process. This beneficial effect comes from the subsequent balancing of hormones that occurs once blood levels of insulin and glucose are normalized. Men rid their body of excess estrogen and boost testosterone and vice-versa for women. Of course, lifestyle habits such as exercise and minimizing sugar while increasing healthy fat and protein consumption are pre-requisites to the success of banaba leaf.

Closing

Among those populations who live the longest, they thrive courtesy of being ultra sensitive to insulin - naturally. And conversely, those who die the youngest from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are grossly insensitive to it courtesy of type II diabetes. Or they are "following doctor's orders" and swallowing prescription drug like Avandia or Actos.

References:

1. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01636.html

2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-05-21-Avandia-diabetes_N.htm

3. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/05/21/congress-steps-up-scrutiny-of-fda/

4. Katsuji Hattori, et al. Activation of Insulin Receptors by Lagerstroemin. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences. Vol. 93 (2003) , No. 1 pp.69-73

Ellison's entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design. His combined experience taught him real answers to the biggest health problems. Learn to Live Young naturally at http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/ Don't miss his Stinky Sulfur Awards!

Controversial Evidence On Value Of Pioglitazone (Actos) For Type 2 Diabetes

2008-06-13T13:10:00.001-07:00

Clinical Question:

Is pioglitazone (Actos) useful in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Bottom Line:

Based only on studies provided by and conducted directly by the drug manufacturer, this review reports a significantly reduced incidence only of the composite outcome of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke with pioglitazone (Actos) therapy. None of the same outcomes were significantly reduced on an individual basis. An earlier review of pioglitazone therapy in type 2 diabetes by the Cochrane Collaboration of all available published and peer-reviewed clinical trials found no significant evidence of improved patient-oriented outcomes. Similar to the other thiazolidinedione, rosiglitazone (Avandia), pioglitazone also increases the risk of serious heart failure in type 2 diabetics.

Reference:

Lincoff AM, Wolski K, Nicholls SJ, Nissen SE. Pioglitazone and risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A meta-analysis of randomized trials. JAMA 2007;298:1180-88.

Study Design:

Meta-analysis (randomized controlled trials)

Synopsis:

Pioglitazone is widely used for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but evidence is mixed regarding the influence of medications of this class on cardiovascular outcomes. The authors evaluated the effect of pioglitazone on ischemic cardiovascular events. A database containing individual patient-level time-to-event data collected during pioglitazone clinical trials was transferred from the drug's manufacturer for independent analysis. Trials were included if they were randomized, double-blinded, and controlled with placebo or active comparator. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Secondary outcome measures included the incidence of serious heart failure. A fixed-effects approach was used to combine the estimates across the duration strata and statistical heterogeneity across all the trials was tested with the I2 statistic. A total of 19 trials enrolling 16 390 patients were analyzed.

Study drug treatment duration ranged from 4 months to 3.5 years. Death, myocardial infarction, or stroke occurred in 375 of 8554 patients (4.4%) receiving pioglitazone and 450 of 7836 patients (5.7%) receiving control therapy (hazard ratio [HR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-0.94; P = .005). Progressive separation of time-to-event curves became apparent after approximately 1 year of therapy. Individual components of the primary end point were all reduced by a similar magnitude with pioglitazone treatment, with HRs ranging from 0.80 to 0.92. Serious heart failure was reported in 200 (2.3%) of the pioglitazone-treated patients and 139 (1.8%) of the control patients (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.14-1.76; P = .002). The magnitude and direction of the favorable effect of pioglitazone on ischemic events and unfavorable effect on heart failure was homogeneous across trials of different durations, for different comparators, and for patients with or without established vascular disease. There was no evidence of heterogeneity across the trials for either end point (I2 = 0%; P = .87 for the composite end point and I2 = 0%; P = .97 for heart failure).

I am a Certified Family Physician of the Philippine Academy of Family Physician and continue to complete the requirements for Continuing Medical Education in Family Practice. I am also founding a member of the PMIS.

Recomended Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes

2008-06-12T12:52:00.001-07:00

One of the recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes is Avandia. The mechanism of action or the drug process for Avandia diabetes medicine can be difficult to understand, particularly for people who have little experience in health care or chemistry. Here, we are hoping to provide a simple explanation of how the drug works and why the FDA believes the public should be advised about the possible health risks associated with use of the drug.

At any moment, there is a lot of activity going on in the cells of your body. There are a number of compounds that allow communication among the cells or control activities within the cells. Some of these compounds help the cells to recognize insulin and use glucose for energy.

In people with type II diabetes, insulin is present in the blood stream, but the cells do not recognize the insulin and do not allow the glucose to enter the cell. So, the glucose builds up in the blood stream. When the cells do not recognize insulin, the condition is referred to as "insulin resistance".

It has been shown in the laboratory that activating a certain compound (PPARy) decreases insulin resistance. Avandia, Actos and other drugs know as TZDs activate or bind to PPARy. So, in persons taking the drugs, insulin resistance and thus blood sugar levels are decreased.

There are several problems with the drugs. The one that most concerns the FDA is that research has shown an increased incidence of heart attacks in people who use Avandia. Actos appears to increase the risk of heart failure. TZDs were released as an alternative to the older drug Metformin, but so far, one has been completely removed from the market, Avandia now has a black box warning and Actos is accompanied by a number of warnings.

Metformin is still one of the most highly recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes and one of the most commonly used. The drug was derived from a plant known as the French Lilac, used for centuries to treat symptoms of type II diabetes. There are a number of other plant compounds that may also be beneficial. You can learn more about natural remedies and recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes at the Diabetes Info Guide.

Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. She has written a number of articles concerning type II diabetes and continues to provide information on the topic. She is an editor of the Type II Diabetes Info Guide, a website that provides easy to understand information about diabetes and links to additional resources.

Diabetes Medication: Can Your Treatment Cause Hepatitis?

2008-06-11T11:10:00.001-07:00

In 1997, the medical community was prescribing a new drug to treat type 2 diabetes. By March 2000, this drug was removed from the market because it was causing hepatitis and liver disease. Drugs in this family are still being prescribed to treat diabetes. Are there any risks?

Troglitazone was allegedly a miracle drug. It decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes by up to 75% compared with a control group. It helped relieve many complications that can come from insulin resistance, including certain ovarian diseases. It was prescribed to use with insulin, with other diabetes medications, and by itself for therapy. Only after 3 years did the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) realize that troglitazone caused severe liver damage. Troglitazone was available under the brand names Rezulin and Romozin.

Troglitazone is in the thiazolidinedione family of diabetes medications. The thiazolidinedione family includes pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. Pioglitazone is marketed as Actos by Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Rosiglitazone is marketed as Avandia by GlaxoSmithKline. Both of these medications are currently on the market.

Neither Avandia nor Actos have been associated with an increase in liver disease. However, both of these medications may cause an increase risk of heart attack and stroke. It is important that you discuss any concerns that you have with your doctor before undertaking any treatment.

Both Avandia and Actos can be used as monotherapies (by themselves) to help increase the body's sensitivity to insulin. They can also be used with insulin treatment, for type 2 diabetics who are insulin dependent. Avandia and Actos can be used in combination with other diabetes medications, such as biguanides (such as metformin) and sulfonylureas. Avandia is available in pre-mixed combinations called Avandamet and Avandaryl.

In order to minimize your risk of side effects on diabetes medication from the thiazolidinedione family, such as Actos and Avandia, it is important to follow your doctor's directions. This means that you will have to follow your diet and exercise regimen. It also means that you will have to limit your alcohol intake.

You will not be able to take a thiazolidinedione if you have a history of liver disease, or if you have a history of heart disease.

Doctors typically monitor patients' livers when they are on Avandia, Actos, or other thiazolidinedione because of the previous scare with Rezulin. Your liver function can be monitored with regular blood tests, often each month or every other month. Be sure to visit your health care professional regularly to have your check ups.

The basic element of diabetes management, no matter your treatment, is keeping a healthy diet and exercise. This can often prevent you from having to take medications to treat your diabetes, or it can help you minimize the amount of medication that you need. Prevention is often the best medicine of all.

Vivian Brennan is the editor of The Guide To Diabetes. To learn more about diabetes medications, for both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, visit The Guide to Diabetes today.

The Facts And Risks Of Actos

2008-06-10T14:36:00.001-07:00

Diabetes is a strange disease. To this day, we really don't know what causes it and we can't recreate it in a laboratory setting. However, we do have treatments for diabetes. One of those treatments is Actos. This article is going to explain what Actos is, how it works and what the potential risks of this drug are. Hopefully, after reading this, you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not Actos is something you want to take.

Actos is actually the brand name for the drug pioglitazone. It comes in tablet form in strengths of 15, 30 and 45 milligrams. The drug is manufactured by Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. It is available by prescription only and was approved by the FDA on July 15, 1999. Of course FDA approval means very little these days. If you doubt that, just take a look at the Voixx debacle.

The thing that diabetics need to know about Actos is that it is for type 2 diabetes only. This drug will not work for type 1, or juvenile diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Also, if you suffer from heart failure, have fluid retention or any kind of liver disease, Actos may not be an option for you. You'll need to check with your doctor and he will make an evaluation.

What Actos does is it improves blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Actos can be used with a variety of other drugs in combination with diet and exercise when Actos alone is not sufficient enough to keep the patient's sugar level under control.

The biggest risk from taking Actos is liver damage. In extreme cases use of this drug can lead to the liver transplant or death. Before prescribing Actos for you, your doctor will do tests on your liver to determine if it is safe for you to take the drug. Of course this is only a guess. All drug use comes with risks.

Another danger of taking Actos is that your blood sugar may actually get too low.This actually occurs when taking Actos with insulin. If you suspect you are suffering from low blood sugar, which is usually characterized by light headedness and fainting, call your doctor immediately.

If you're a woman taking Actos who has reached menopause, there is the possibility that Actos can start you ovulating again. If this happens and you engage in unprotected sex, you could get pregnant. Please keep this in mind.

Some of the more common side effects from taking Actos are coughs, headaches, colds, stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle pain, swelling and water retention.

They say sometimes the cure is worse than what ails us. Actos has the potential to be life threatening. If you're interested in natural treatments for diabetes, they are out there. You'll find more information in my signature.

To YOUR Health,

Steve Wagner

For natural treatments to a number of ailments, visit our website at http://www.natures-healing-remedies.com/ where you can get a free report on how the drug companies are killing us as well as get a 52 week series on a different ailment and treatment each week.