Diabetes

by

WEIGHT GAIN IS MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN MERELY EATING FOOD

All too often, people say that overweight individuals need to pull themselves away from the dining room table.  However, let’s look at other available alternatives that can cause weight gain.

Prescribed medications are one of the explanations for overweight individuals:  Thyroid medication, birth control, arthritis, pain management, anti-depressants, and others are responsible for those additional pounds.

Also, peri-menopausal and menopausal women can increase pounds because of hormones not being released from the body.

The situation can become more complex for individuals when they have to take more than one of these medications.  The potential is there that they can double their weight gain.

What needs to be addressed is that because of the additional weight gain, there’s the possibility of these individuals experiencing higher blood sugar levels, cardio issues, and blood pressure conditions (i.e., metabolic syndrome) which they did not have before taking any of these medications.  Further, these individuals will now have to be prescribed additional medications for diabetes, cardio, and blood pressure.

As if that weren’t enough medical drama, a person with diabetes can experience personality changes until their blood sugar is deemed at a healthy level through diet and, yes, those other prescribed medications by their physician.

It can become quite an exhausting health odyssey and it’s all because of those initial medications!

Vikki

by

An Epidemic On The Purview?  The Potential For Brain Disabilities And Other Health Conditions


Ultra-Processed Ingredients

The Florida Atlantic University (2024) discussed how ultra-processed ingredients in many food products can not only increase obesity levels in Americans, but also the levels of diabetes (blood sugar–those personality changes), blood pressure, heart disease (the heart pumps blood to the brain), a cerebrovascular incident, and colorectal cancer in general and young adults in particular.

Vikki

Reference

Florida Atlantic University. (2024, February 20). Could ultra-processed foods be the new ‘silent’ killer?  ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 1, 2024 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240220144443.htm

by

Exposure To Forever Chemicals, And The Disturbing Health Issues Which Can Result From Them

There is no age-group specificity.

It doesn’t matter what brand of clothes we wear.

The stores we frequent are inconsequential.

The types of water and foods we consume are immaterial.

Forever Chemicals can be found practically everywhere, ergo we’ve been exposed to them in our everyday lives, and they can pose life-changing health difficulties, especially in children (mental health).

An earlier study about PFAS can be read from NYU Langone Health/NYU Grossman School of Medicine (2022), and a more recent one by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2023).

Vikki

References

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine. (2022, July 26). Exposure to ‘forever chemicals’ costs US billions in health costs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 8, 2023 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220726132528.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Our Current Understanding Of The Human Health And Environmental Risks Of PFAS. Retrieved From https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas

by

Potential Health Benefits From Regular Fish Consumption

 

 

Lane (2019) talked about the numerous health issues that can decrease with a routine menu of fish, in the article:  “When You Eat Fish Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body”.

 

Vikki

 

Reference

 

Lane, K. (2019).  When You Eat Fish Everyday, This Is What Happens To Your Body.  Retrieved From https://www.thelist.com/179800/when-you-eat-fish-every-day-this-is-what-happens-to-your-body/

 

 

by

May is National Stroke Awareness Month

Stroke: The Risks, Symptoms and Increasing Awareness has information to keep us abreast concerning this important health matter, along with recognizing the signs associated with the condition to obtain medical attention quickly.

 

Vikki

 

by

Psychiatric Medications and the Youth Population*

imageimageimage

While psychiatric medicines such as Lithium, Abilify and Risperidone exist designed specifically for younger consumers, pharmaceuticals need to create safer ones.  A young person’s brain isn’t fully developed until their early twenties.  The body as a whole should have the capacity to withstand medications. Presently, many youth experience toxicity, weakened bones, and neurological challenges from appropriate drug usage.  Kidney damage, at times irreversible, is one of the consequences from Lithium.

All medications have side effects and not every user will experience them.  However, side effects associated with psychotropic drugs can be greatly reduced with newer medicines targeted for this segment of the population.

*First-generation psychiatric drugs went on the market before the late 1980’s. These medications can result in neurological problems.  Second generation psychiatric drugs went on the market after the late 1980’s. These medications can result in weight gain, diabetes, elevated levels of cholesterol, and neurological problems. 

Vikki

by

Diabetes and Mental Health

Individuals with pre-diabetes, or the full-blown condition, may experience personality changes (i.e., mood swings, irritability). We have to pay close attention to loved ones who suddenly have personality changes and suggest immediate medical attention. While these clues are important, we have to view diabetes from another perspective to understand what may happen for loved ones taking psychiatric medications.

Metabolic Syndrome is a group of risk factors which nurtures coronary artery disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.  The symptoms are elevated levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and excess belly fat.  Two medications closely associated with the syndrome are Clorazil (schizophrenia) and Zyprexa (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). These medications can elevate cholesterol and blood sugars five-fold, creating a profoundly dangerous health condition.

Vikki