Can Type 2 Diabetes be Identified Early?

Diabetes is a very common disease affecting a number of people these days, primarily due to the lifestyle and food alterations that have recently taken over. There are two types of diabetes largely, type 1 and type 2 and most people suffering from the disease suffer from the type 2 form of the disease.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is essentially a condition wherein the body is unable to regulate the glucose or the sugar levels causing them to rise way beyond the normal range. It is also known as hyperglycemia.

The pancreas in our body are responsible for the production of a hormone known as insulin. This insulin is further responsible to turn the glucose form the foods consumed into energy for the cells to carry out their day to day functioning. When people suffer with type 2 diabetes, then the insulin made by their body is not utilized in the correct manner by the cells for the release of energy. This intern causes the glucose to remain in the blood, elevating the sugar levels resulting in diabetes. This condition is also known as insulin resistance.

This becomes a regular feature as the pancreas try and make more insulin so that the glucose reaches the cells, but eventually it results in a sugar build up in the bloodstream.

Are you At Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes could occur to almost anybody, however there a number of factors that could cumulatively result in type 2 diabetes for a person.

•  Genetic Factors: Various research and studies have indicated that a number of DNA and genetic factors could be responsible for type 2 diabetes. Although the exact genes have not been pin pointed, but these largely impact the way the body makes the insulin in the body.

•  Being overweight: Excessive weight or being obese is one of the leading causes of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight particularly around the abdominal area can put one at a high risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. This is one of the main causes for type 2 diabetes affecting kids and teenagers along with adults is due to an increase in the number of obese people.

•  Metabolism: Metabolism syndrome is often known to be a cause of type

2 diabetes or insulin resistance.

•  Excessive glucose production by the liver: In a number of people, the liver makes excessive glucose. Normally the blood sugar goes low in the body, there are signals sent out to the liver which produces more glucose to supplement the sugar level. Once one eats a meal the blood sugar level goes up and this causes the liver to slow down and store the glucose for future. However, in case of some people the liver is unable to slow down resulting in constant production of glucose thereby resulting in high sugar levels in the body.

Malfunction of cells: In some cases the cells in the body send out wrong signals or are unable to get messages from the other parts of the body. Which is communication lag impacts the cells and their making insulin or glucose there is a reaction triggered which eventually results in diabetes.

What Are the Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes?

To confirm type 2 diabetes, there are several pathology tests including blood and urine tests that can ascertain type 2 diabetes in a person. Apart from the tests, there are several physical indicators or symptoms to look out for to detect type 2 diabetes early in a person. Some of the most common symptoms of type2 diabetes are:

•  Sudden increase in thirst: People suffering from type 2 diabetes often feel the urge to keep drinking water or an increased thirst. This is because the excessive levels of sugars that build up in the body, often absorb water from the tissues causing thirst

•  Frequent urge to urinate: Since people suffering from type 2 diabetes feel unconsciously more thirsty than normal people, the excessive fluid intake can cause them to urinate more frequently than the normal.

•  Increase in appetite: Since people suffering from diabetes do not have adequate insulin to transport sugar in the cells of the body, the organs of the body feel low on energy which triggers untimely hunger to get instant energy.

•  Sudden weight loss: People with type 2 diabetes often notice sudden decrease in weight even though they may be eating more than usual. The urine releases the glucose from the body and hence the body uses the inherent fats that are stored in the body to release energy.

•  Unexplained tiredness and fatigue: When the body and the cells in the body do not get adequate sugar supply, they experience tiredness irritation due to the inability to perform normal functions.

•  Impact on the eyesight: When the blood sugar becomes very high, it causes the fluid from the eyes to be pulled out causing dryness in the eyes which in turn causes blurred vision.

•  Slow-healing: People who suffer from diabetes are prone to frequent infections and sores which could take a long time to heal. They are more susceptible to infections than normal people.

Darkening of the skin: People suffering from type 2 diabetes often have dark patches in the skin mainly around the neck and the armpits area. This condition is known as acanthosis nigricans and primarily affects people with insulin resistance.

Can Thrush lead to complications?

Thrush is a name given to vaginal yeast infection which is caused by the Candida fungus. Candida survives harmlessly in the belly, skin, mouth and vagina and is usually kept under control. But at times, certain diet and few other factors lead to rapid growth of candida. This condition causes inflammation and then formation of the yeast infection. Thrush can also cause urinary tract infections (UTI’s).

  

Thrush infection can be an unpleasant and a very uncomfortable experience but it can be treated with medications prescribed by the doctor or some which are easily available in the pharmacy. But for some vaginal thrush keeps coming back again and again and such infections become difficult to treat.

What are the symptoms of thrush?

Some of the symptoms of vaginal thrush are as follows

• Severe itching

• Soreness around the entrance of the vagina

• White discharge (normally looking like cottage cheese) and is usually odourless

• Pain and burning sensation while passing urine 

• Pain during intercourse

• Skin around the vagina may get red, swollen or cracked

• And at times sores on the skin

What are the causes of thrush?

If the genital and anal area is not properly cleaned it can lead to thrush, only washing this area with water is not sufficient. The other important factor is poor diet which consists of foods that are high on GI carbohydrate and refined sugar, these causes the bacteria to grow rapidly. The other causes can be some illness and use of certain medications and antibiotics.

Individuals in whom thrush keeps coming back could be due to diabetes or insulin resistance. Thus it is important to have a low glycemic index (GI) diet to control the blood-sugar levels.

Candida always starts to grow in the gut which is due to poor diet which consists of food with high sugar and yeast content which disrupts the gutflora. Therefore it is essential to replenish the gut flora with good prebiotic and probiotic foods.

Is thrush contagious?

If a person keeps getting thrush again after medication and treatment, it is better to check the sexual partner and provide the necessary treatment to the partner as well.

In men, thrush is more common among uncircumcised men compared to circumcised men. It is essential to keep the penis area clean and dry by washing under the foreskin area.

How can thrush be treated?

Thrush in a mild form can be treated with anti-fungal medications which are prescribed by the doctor or over-the-counter medicines available easily in the pharmacy. The symptoms will start to clear up within a week or two once the person begins with the medications.

At times, few people keep getting thrush again and again, in such cases the treatment will be prolonged for a longer period.

Some of the medications available for treating thrush are as follows;

• Pessaries: This is a special pill that has to be inserted into the vagina with the help of a special applicator.  
• Intravaginal creams: These are creams which are applied into the vagina with the use of an applicator
• Capsules: These are oral medications which are more convenient compared to pessaries and intravaginal creams. But there are some side effects associated with these capsules like vomiting, nausea, stomach upset.

All the above treatment options are equally effective and mostly the doctor discusses these options with the patient and they can choose which treatment they prefer. But pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding are normally not prescribed capsules due to the side effects.

There are also creams which are available, that can be applied around the entrance of the vagina. This is beneficial since it gives some relief from the itchiness and soreness. One can also make use of some moisturizer which also can be effective. 

How can thrush be prevented?

Some of the preventive measures are as follows;

• Make use of water and moisturising soap substitute to clean thoroughly the skin around the vagina and do not clean it more than once a day 

• Apply greasier moisturiser around the skin at the entrance of the vagina a couple of times in a day

• Completely avoid potential irritants that are present in perfumed soaps, shower gels, wipes, vaginal deodorants etc. 

• Do not wear very tight fitting underwear or tights

• Control the blood sugar levels if diabetic

Some of the simple home remedies to prevent thrush are;

• Yoghurt

• Coconut oil

• Apple cider vinegar

• Boric acid

• Aloe vera

• Oil of oregano

• Tea tree oil

• Garlic

• Olive leaf extract

• Baking soda

Can Hepatitis be identified early?

Hepatitis is a condition in which there is inflammation of the liver and it is normally caused due to a viral infection. However, there are some other factors that can also lead to hepatitis which includes autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis caused due to some medications, drugs, toxins and alcohol.

There are around 4.4 million individuals in America who are suffering from chronic hepatitis and there are many others who are not aware that they are suffering from this infection.

Hepatitis caused by viral infection of the liver can be classified into five types which are hepatitis A, B, C, D & E. From the five different types of hepatitis, hepatitis A is the milder form and C & D are the severe form of viral infection.

The treatment will depend on the type of hepatitis and the cause of the problem. One can prevent some types of hepatitis through immunization, certain lifestyle changes and precautions.

How does one get infected with hepatitis?

Hepatitis A:

This type of infection is caused when an individual consumes any form of food or water which has been contaminated by the faeces of an individual infected with hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B

This infection is caused when an individual comes in contact with body fluids like blood, saliva or semen of an infected person. Individuals who inject drugs, have unprotected sex or share razors are more at the risk of developing hepatitis B. 

Hepatitis C

This is also caused through direct contact with infected body fluids and is one of the most common blood-borne viral infections in America.

Hepatitis D

This is also known as delta hepatitis and is caused through open wounds and direct contact with blood of the infected individual.

Hepatitis E

This is a waterborne disease and is most common in locations where there is poor sanitation and is caused by consuming food or water which is contaminated.

What are the other factors causing hepatitis?

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption by an individual can also cause hepatitis and it is also known as alcoholic hepatitis. The alcohol consumption damages the liver leads to swelling of the liver. Some of the other factors that can cause swelling of the liver are excessive use of medicines, drugs and exposure to toxins.

Autoimmune Disease

This occurs when the immune system begins to consider the liver to be a harmful object and starts attacking it. This hinders the normal functioning of the liver.

Is Bronchitis Contagious?

Is bronchitis contagious? In most cases, only acute bronchitis is contagious. Learn more about when bronchitis is contagious, and how to prevent it from spreading.

Hepatitis Symptoms

Hepatitis A is a very contagious infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).This virus is one of several hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and can  affect the liver ability to function normally.

Cloudy Urine During Pregnancy: What Does It Mean?

Cloudy urine pregnancy is the indication for most of the diseases therefore any problem occur the person get alarm that what happened to them.

Bronchitis: A problem that leads to a lot of issue

Bronchitis implies a condition when bronchial tubes present in human beings undergo inflammation. These tubes play a major role in carrying of air to lungs. When tubes become infected or inflamed, they produce mucus i.e. a slimy substance in large amounts. 

Is Bronchitis Contagious

Bronchitis is a contagious type of problem caused in patients. In fact, based on the spread of infections, doctors have categorized the problem further in two different types:-

Chronic Bronchitis

In this type of problem, airways of patients suffer irritations repeatedly. This type of problem lasts for about few months or even long time, during repeat on a yearly basis. Chemicals, dust particles, smoke cigarettes or fire and similar other things irritate lungs, which cause chronic bronchitis. Bronchitis of this type is not contagious, but it results in severe health problem requiring for doctor’s appointment.

Acute Bronchitis

Acute bronchitis lasts for a period starting from only one week to up to three weeks, which take place because of flu or cold viruses. Moreover, these bronchitis problems are of contagious in nature.

Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis

Whether the condition is of chronic bronchitis or acute bronchitis, patients would have following signs and symptoms-

●     Cough

●     Fatigue

●     Production of sputum or mucus, which may be white, clear, green, yellowish gray in color, while it may remain streak with blood rarely

●     Breathing shortness

●     Slight chills and fever

●     Discomfort in chest

If you deal with the problem of acute bronchitis, you would deal with the problem of nagging cough that would remain for many weeks after you overcome inflammation. Chronic bronchitis indicates productive cough that remains for about 3 months, while recurring bouts take place for two or more than two consecutive years.

Treatment of Bronchitis

Treatment of bronchitis problem depends on the type of bronchitis suffered by patients.

Acute Bronchitis

In most of the cases, patients may recover from the problem of acute bronchitis without taking any medical treatment and that too within only two weeks. However, if the problem is complicated, doctors go for following-

Medications

Doctors recommend for following medications in some of the circumstances, as mentioned in this article.

●     Antibiotics

Bronchitis usually cause from viral infection, because of which antibiotics failed to bring any significant effect on health. However, doctors may prescribe antibiotics if they suspect their patients have any bacterial infection. 

●     Cough Medicine

Doctors always recommend their patients to avoid suppression of cough bringing mucus. This is because; cough helps in removal of irritants from air/nasal passages and lungs. However, if the cough problem prevents patients from sleeping during nighttime, they should try out for suitable cough suppressants while they go to bed.

●     Other Medications

If any patient has some sort of allergy, problem of asthma or COPD i.e. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease doctor may suggest for suitable inhaler or similar type of medication that allows reduction in inflammation and opening of narrow passages present in lungs.

Therapies

Patients suffering from the problem of chronic bronchitis may get benefits from pulmonary rehabilitation. This refers to a suitable breathing exercise or a fitness program, where respiratory therapist trains and teaches patients to take breath in relatively more easy way and boost the ability of doing physical exercises.

Chronic Bronchitis

Treatment associated with curing of chronic bronchitis involves elimination of all sources, which cause irritations in nose.

●     Medications and Steroids

As the patient's’ lungs suffer damages, the problem of chronic bronchitis never goes away completely and hence; it results in flare-ups. Doctors in this situation, recommend for medications, which include inhalation of agents intended for the opening of nasal airways. Alternatively, doctors use steroids to reduce the problem of inflammation.

●     Oxygen Therapy

Doctors recommend for oxygen therapy when the problem becomes too much severe. In this procedure, the supply of oxygen is done within a metallic cylinder, and it flows from a tube and within the nose.

●     Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Doctors may prescribe for the treatment of pulmonary rehabilitation, where they teach patients to inhale and exhale in easiest possible manner. 

What is Bronchospasm?

Bronchospasm, otherwise Known as bronchoial spasm, is associated with a very sudden constriction of the bronchial muscles, making breathing difficult.

Bone Marrow Diseases- Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Bone marrow disease is a condition that occurs when there are interference and abnormality in the production of blood cells. Some of the common symptoms of bone marrow diseases include swelling, anemia and pain. Bone marrow failure occurs when the body is unable to keep up with the production of healthy blood cells.

What is bone marrow?

Bone marrow is a soft spongy tissue that lies within the bones. It is the manufacturing site for red blood cells. It is the site where hematopoietic cells are produced. Hematopoietic cells include red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and myelocytes. Bone marrow is located in the pelvis bone, sternum or chest bone, and thigh bone.

Bone marrow contains stem cells that are primitive in nature. Stem cells are capable of turning into any cell in the body. As per the body’s requirement, a stem cell can differentiate to form the platelets, red blood cells or the white blood cells. Bone marrow also contains supporting fibrous tissues apart from stem cells.

Types of bone marrow disease

Bone marrow disease is an abnormal condition where the body is not able to produce blood cells that are essential for the body. The three types of bone marrow diseases are:

1. Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic Anemia is a bone marrow disease where the bone marrow stops producing blood cells. Due to this the body’s need for blood cells is not restored.

2. Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

This is a rare form bone marrow disease where the red blood cells break down. Usually, healthy red blood cells have a protein shield. This protein shield protects them from an attack by the own immune system. In paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, the protein shield is missing, and the red cells break down.

3. Myelodysplastic Syndrome

This type of bone marrow disease is a failure of the bone marrow to produce healthy platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. The bone marrow produces immature and underdeveloped cells that are abnormal in size and shape. This condition is commonly referred as bone marrow cancer or blood cancer.

Symptoms of bone marrow diseases

1. Pain: This is one the most common symptom of bone marrow diseases. The typical symptoms are headaches, bone pain and joint pain.

2. Swelling: Sometimes, bone marrow diseases lead to the swelling of internal organs. The liver, spleen and kidneys become enlarged when the bone marrow disease occurs. The bone marrow disease damages the red blood cells leading to infection and swollen glands

3. Anemia: The first symptom of bone marrow disease is anemia. When the red blood cell count drops down, a person can get anemia. This happens as the oxygen levels come down in the body. Fatigue and weakness accompanies anemia in people suffering from bone marrow disease.

4. Chromosomal changes: When people having bone marrow diseases are tested, gene and chromosomal changes pop up. Leukemia results in some parts of the chromosomes moving to other chromosomes.

Bone marrow tests and procedure

Bone marrow tests are usually per performed to diagnose lymphomas, to check recovery status after treatment, to check if the bone marrow is functioning properly and diagnosing if lymphomas have spread to other parts of the body.

The bone marrow test is typically a biopsy procedure that takes around 60 minutes. The patient will be asked to lie down on the side or the back depending on the location of bone marrow.  A small sample of the solid bone tissue is taken out and sent to the lab for testing. This is commonly called the bone marrow biopsy test.

Bone marrow aspirate is also performed as a diagnostic procedure where the liquid present in the bone marrow space is aspirated and sent to a lab for testing.

Bone marrow treatment- Options and methods

Bone marrow diseases affect the ability of bone marrow to produce healthy blood cells. In such cases, a bone marrow transplant is considered to be the best option. A bone marrow transplant procedure involves the replacement of destroyed and damaged bone marrow with healthy and functioning bone 

marrow cells. There are three types of bone marrow transplants which are:

1} Umbilical cord blood transplant: Stem cells are removed from newborn baby’s umbilical cord and frozen until needed for transplant. These stem cells are very immature and are perfect for operation.

2} Autologous bone marrow transplant: In this bone marrow transplant procedure, stem cells are removed before radiation and chemotherapy. Stem cells are frozen and stored until chemotherapy and radiation therapy are over. Later they are put back into the body to make healthy blood cells.

3} Allogeneic bone marrow transplant: This bone marrow transplant procedure involves removing stem cells from a donor who matches the patient’s genes.

Bone marrow transplants if success can completely cure the bone marrow disease. The recovery is based on the age, type of bone marrow disease and the complications involved. The patient can resume his normal day to day activities after recovery.