Health: Positive Attitudes, Affirmations, & Actions for Overcoming Your Health Challenges
Health Challenges like Diabetes, HIV, Heart Disease (mainly heart attacks), Stroke/CVA, COPD/Emphysema/Chronic Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Alzheimers, Kidney Disease, Septicemia/Systemic Infection, Liver Disease/Cirrhosis are diseases and disorders that require all the tools of heaven and earth to fight. Below are some poistive thinking techniques that are alternative medicine and alternative healing for your mind.
Beginning your healing journey:
1. Separate YOUR identity from the disease’s identity.
2. You are a person, who is having a disease “experience.”
3. Recognize that an “experience” comes and goes!
4. Your Disease/disorder “experience” is your life’s reset button! Learn from it.
5. Disease may be in your physical body, however, it is NOT in your Soul or spiritual body!!!
Your health challenge is a diagnosis. Although it affects your life, it is NOT necessarily a life sentence. Rather than fearfully accepting your diagnosis, do research! Knowledge is empowering.
Health Affirmations: A spiritual healing is different from a physical healing!! Your goal is integration and the balance of both to create allover well being and health. Talk to your cells, your blood, your organs, your bones, etc, they are live entities!!!!! You are the commander of YOUR body! Take charge and command your cells to be healthy. You do not have to accept and enable what’s happening to them. You may command the cells in your body that are here to serve your Soul!
Cancel, Cancel, Cancel, Next, Positive!: Remember thoughts have ripple effects. To stop every negative thought and action in your environment whether you think it, say it, or are in the field of someone else who says or does something negative.
POSITIVE PEOPLE ONLY!!! YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! You can erode all of the positive energy that you have generated by being in negative circumstances. Do not repeat negative thoughts and actions or be in the presence of negative energies (ie “downer” individuals, no matter where, caregivers, friends, stores, phone calls, emails etc).
NEVER EVER OWN YOUR DISORDER & make it a part of your being!
Anger: at your disease circumstances lowers the energy that you use to heal yourself. Positive energy creates more healing energy.
Fear management:
Fear is a wonderful barometer, as long as you use it to take care of yourself, to listen to your intuition, and to be vigilant about your health care. Don’t dwell on your negatives. The Bible does not say,
“count thy negatives.” When you are afraid or depressed, count your positives.
Counting positives repels depression, and redirects you mentally, and raises your energy. Keep mentally and physically busy.
Remember when you lay down at night, you are NOT alone. You may be physically alone, however the entire Universe and all of your Guardians are right there with you AT ALL TIMES! That’s a HUGE crowd that cares and will always be there for you!!!
When you have a new diagnosis of your “experience”, what do YOU believe and buy into?
UNTIL the Universe presents a tangible, don’t kill yourself off with fearful “what ifs”.
LIVE!! Do your research. IF you ever have another confrontation, THEN and ONLY then do you address that with energy. Never give your life force energy to what fearfully “might be” UNTIL and UNLESS it IS! Otherwise YOU will manifest the energy thought form INTO your body!!!
Create a positive energy turnarounds to your negative statements.
“I just can’t do this anymore,” add “at this time” or, “In a few minutes I will be better.”
“I’m trying”. Trying is for trying on shoes or clothes or new restaurants. You must DO this!
YOUR life depends on it!
“I’m just not getting any better,” add “YET.” You never know what can happen in the next minute, a new medical procedure or treatment may be released.
“I don’t have any hope left.” AS long as there is a God/ the Universe/ your Higher Power, and you believe and have faith in that Higher Power, there is HOPE!!! And POSSIBILITY! Even if you don’t feel you have hope, hope is still there. Hope IS the human spirit.
“I’m doing the best I can”….add “up to this point!!!” Reach into the depths of your Soul’s reserves, and DO more !!! YOUR life depends on it!
“I don’t really believe in all this “stuff” I’m doing.” What do you want your Higher Power to do with your duplicity?
You are in charge of choosing your exit points. Take charge of your life Literally!!!!
and “I’ll do it later. I’m tired”
There is NO later…….If you wait too long, you may be with your Higher Power.
Take charge of your life, it’s the only one you’ve got!
Denial drains and lowers your life force energy. Use your life force energy to heal your body.
Keep a Daily Thankful Diary, a HAPPY BOOK:
This exercise will create a positive mindset, and give you strength thru the ups and downs. Take pictures, and narrate your journey. Your “story” will help others.
Write 3 things that you are thankful for each morning, afternoon, and before you go to bed.
Make this your Happy Book. DO NOT NEGLECT THIS BOOK!…..
Non-healing: “I don’t have time to write this, I can’t write this”, then dictate to a friend!
“I don’t have anything to be thankful for” …….. try being alive?
“Time Outs” are OK:
If you are truly Soul weary, take a time out. However, LIMIT the timeframe of your time out to a morning, an afternoon, or ONLY one day. Just tell your family and caregivers, that you want some time “off” to rest. When you are refreshed and ready to go, start taking charge of your thoughts words and actions again. This is not a time to take a long time out. Your life depends on it!
Sleep:
Sleep allows your body to recalibrate your life force energy. Don’t be ashamed to sleep. Sleep is healing!
And last but NOT least,
Perspective: There is ALWAYS someone who is worse off than you………….and although you may not be happy with your current situation, they would be GLAD to trade place with you and your situation!
Choose to “Experience” your Health Challenge, Believe YOU Are, and BE the Survivor!
You are invited to download our free pamphlet with excerpts from this book. We hope this will help you with your healing journey.
Positive Attitudes, Affirmations & Actions for Overcoming Your Health Challenges” ISBN#: 978-0-9766370-3-5 – at brentatwater.com/ brentatwater.com/
or brentenergywork.com/BOOK Disease.htm brentenergywork.com/BOOK Disease.htm
Feel Free to reprint this article in it’s original format with the disclaimer.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Brent Atwater
Atlanta, GA 1.404.242.9022 USA
NC Office: 1.910.692.5206 USA
email: Brent@BrentAtwater.com
Disclaimer: There are no guarantees about the healing properties of these suggestions. We can only state that positive results have been documented for individual clients and research in this area continues. Ms Atwater is not a medical doctor or associated with any branch of medicine. Ms Atwater works in Alternative, Integrative and Complementary Medicine. She offers her opinions based on her intuition, which is not a substitute for medical procedures or treatments. Always consult a physician or health care provider concerning any medical problem or condition before undertaking any diet, health related or lifestyle change program.
Brent Atwater: Medical Intuitive, Distance Healer: Her global Medical Intuitive & Distance Healing has been studied by & or documented at Duke, the ARE, & for pets by the NCSU’s Veterinary school. ARTIST: An artist (30 ), Brent is a pioneer in healing art by scientifically documenting the Healing benefits of Paintings that Heal™. Her art was featured on “PBS”. At 16, the NC Museum of Art chose her painting for their permanent collection. In 1987 she founded Just Plain Love™ Charitable Trust to benefit children & other causes. AUTHOR: Just Plain Love™ Children’s Healing Books. The books are translated into plays performed in children’s healthcare facilities turning illness negatives into positives. “Cancer Kids, God’s Special Children”, & “Positive Attitudes, Affirmations, & Actions for Overcoming Your Health Challenges” These books are holistic, alternative medicine & alternative healing for your mind. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER:On TV & radio shows, Brent’s motto is “I want my art & books to DO good, as well as BE good!!!” Brent attended Wake Forest Law School and is a minister.
Home Fitness Equipment
Setting up your own gym can be a very interesting experience. I have seen many people who do not have the faintest of idea about how to set up a gym. However, lack of knowledge does not deter them from setting up one with disastrous outcome. At the outset, you have to be clear about why you need to have your own gym. If time constraints prevent you from joining a local health club, then go ahead; nothing better than setting up a fitness centre in the confines of the home itself.
What are the ideal places to set up a gym?
Obviously, it is understood that the room has to be big enough so that you can fit in several equipment features. Have proper ventilation. Try to have an air conditioning system to regulate the temperature. This will give you optimum temperature for working out. Now, have a music system or a television in the room, so that boredom does not set in and you lose your interest in the gym.
Next, the question which will come to your mind is, which equipment or gear should I buy?
This is a very interesting question, and a careful analysis has to be made to decide on them. Firstly, know your priorities. Do you want a gym jus for maintaining body fitness, or you want extensive muscle building? A clear idea is very important here, because it is on the basis of your needs that you design the gym. If you are on a fitness regimen for weight loss, then a treadmill, an elliptical machine, an exercise bike, an abs trainer and an abs roller will be enough for you.
Treadmills, elliptical machines, and exercise bikes help to warm up the body and body toning. They are the major exercise that burn down maximum calories from the body. So, if fat reduction is your primary criteria, these three machines will work best for you.
Why should you buy abs trainer and abs roller?
Since you are setting up your own gym, it is likely that you will be exercising without a trainer. This calls for extra care. Because, an exercise can cause you more damage than benefit if it is not done in the correct manner. Abs exercises help to speed up stomach reduction. Basic crunches are very good exercises in this regard. But, what if that you are not aware of the right posture. A faulty posture can cause slip disc, back injury, muscle strain and even cause abdominal hernia. Abs trainer aids you in doing crunches. As they provide a support, it is unlikely that you will strain your muscles or neck pain or back injury can occur.
Abs roller is just an enhancement to abs trainers. These tone up the abs and help you to achieve great, shapely abdominal muscles. You take support of the ball and do sit-ups or curls. On the ball you keep on losing your balance and your body will continually work upon to maintain the body balance. This gives the right amount of stress to the abdominal muscles. As a result, the abs develops faster.
What should not be bought?
In a home gym, there is a tendency to by slimming belts as they promise to shed calories at no physical effort. Do not but them. Scientifically researchers proved that these slimming belts do not reduce fat. Therefore, what companies say is nothing more than a farce.
Once you have the idea, do not hesitate to spend some extra, if you can afford to get this equipment. After all, a good health is more important than how much you earn or you save. So, go ahead, get your machines and start working out immediately.
Learn more about abdominalexercisezone.com Home Fitness Equipment and abdominalexercisezone.com/Abdominal_Fitness_Equipment.html Abs Fitness Equipment at abdominalexercisezone.com abdominalexercisezone.com
How To Get Fit … FAST!
Have you ever had the urge to get fit and healthy but
could never focus your intention enough to actually
get the results you were after?
You are not alone if you answered YES.
If you read this article though it might just help!
Follow the four points and and you will be focused upon
the you that you REALLY want and you will have the desire
and motivation to get there!
1.What Do You Want To Achieve?
Ask this question NOW.
For many people I speak with it is weight loss.
That is great.
Now be more specific.
How much weight do you want to lose? End up with
pinpoint accurate goals to achieve.
Ask yourself searching questions!
2.Visualise
Take time each day to sit quietly and SEE the
you that YOU want to be.
Allow this time to become a daily practice.
Hold these images in your head and breathe life
into them each day!
3.Get Physical
Having a definite goal in your head, and having
visualised it becoming a reality each day, now is
the time to unleash yourself physically and go
for it.
Whatever your goal is do something in real terms
towards achieving it.
If its weight loss then get active!
Find something you like, whether it be Yoga, deep
breathing exercises, or gym work and while you
are doing it simultaneously see yourself attaining
the target you have set for yourself.
4.Re-evaluate
Regularly see how much progress you have made.
If you are not making much (or any) progress return
to the question asking stage once again. Ask yourself
why you are not moving forward.
This allows you to adopt a different strategy that is
more effective.
It is shocking how many people do not change things when
they do not get the results they are after.
Do not let this be you!
Follow the simple points above to move towards your
goals in record time!
(c) Tim Webb 2006
Do You Want To Learn Deep Breathing Exercises For Better Health, Laser Like Concentration, And Alleviation Of Stress And Anxiety?
If you answered a resounding YES then find out more here
ebook.breathforsuccess.com/ ebook.breathforsuccess.com/
The Benefits of DMAE Supplements -Question-What is DMAE?
Answer: DMAE is an organic compound. Fish like salmon and sardines have high concentrations of this nutrient naturally in them. The human brain carries out vital tasks with the help of tiny amounts of DMAE that is present inside it.
Careful investigations have proven the benefits of DMAE intake.
Question: What are the advantages of DMAE supplements? Who can take it?
Answer: Different parts of the human brain use DMAE. To mention, DMAE is proven to protect cell membranes in the brain. The consequences lead to preventing cell weakening, which in turn helps put off premature aging. Also, enhancing the mood by the use DMAE is proven to work. Elevating your mood, helping to defend against depression, and helping to enhance daily cognitive functions like memory and concentration and many others are also benefits of using DMAE supplements. It has also been speculated that DMAE can amplify intelligence. Next question on your mind must be: Why does DMAE have these effects? The answer is that DMAE helps your body produce acetylcholine, a substance that helps your mind operate in a healthy manner. It has also been reported that people taking a DMAE supplement have an easier time going to sleep and are more cheerful in their time awake. Healthy skin is another benefit of DMAE intake. DMAE helps to put off wrinkles from appearing, by stopping arachidonic acid from being produced in the body.
Question: Are there any side-effects that counteract the benefits of DMAE?
Answer: As a matter of fact, there is no identified toxicity for DMAE. DMAE is regarded to be a very safe supplement. The source you are getting it from is the only thing that may hinder the effectiveness of DMAE and may possibly cause side. If DMAE is received through fish oil, make sure that the oil is of pharmaceutical grade. This implies that the fish oil has undergone molecular distillation, which is a refinement process where the toxins are separated from the fish oil based on molecular weight fractionation
The product we personally use called Total Balance – natural-nutritional-health-supplement.com natural-nutritional-health-supplement.com is the best supplement we have come across. We have been using this supplement for over 3 years with excellent health results.
We highly recommend you learn more about our natural-nutritional-health-supplement.com supplement of choice if you are interested in improving your overall health.
John Gibb runs a series of health websites, We offer a free health book for subscribers to our websites newsletter. We cover everything you need to know on nutrition and how to improve your general overall health. Check out our nutritional-supplement-guides.com/nut-ebook.html nutrition e-book, for more information on our nutrition book.
Postnatal ‘Confinement’ Food Part 2
Everybody will ask you to eat only ‘ healthy’ food and avoid cold or cooling food as your body is cold after childbirth. This applies to the 3 main races in Malaysia but sometimes, what is considered ‘healthy’ may be ‘cooling’ for another which increases our dilemma. The best option is to try out the food as far as your culture and religion advices and learn to substitute the ingredients wherever possible to suit your taste. I am afraid that my culinary expertise is limited to Chinese and Western food so I can only talk about this type of food at this moment in time.
Traditional Chinese confinement food consists mainly of old ginger, rice wine, sesame oil, black vinegar, some warming alcohol, lots of meat especially kampong chicken and lean pork, white fish such as white pomfret and some vegetables.
Apparently, you are supposed to eat 30 chickens, 12 bottles of rice wine and 15 kilos of old ginger root during this period. Whether you can achieve this target is up to you but I find that most women nowadays cannot manage it. On average, if you do practice what is recommended, the cost could easily be about RM 1000.00 just for the food only.
Food to avoid during the first week only
Ginger – Delays healing of wounds and increase risk of jaundice in baby. Substitute with peppercorn or garlic.
Fish – Causes foul smelling lochia or discharge.
Alcohols which are recommended for consumption during the confinement month are: Brandy, Yomeishu, rice wine and Guinness Malta because they are ‘yang’. If you are a non-drinker, this sudden consumption may cause alcohol rash, redness in the face and heart palpitations, so do take it easy. Alcohol does go to the baby through breast milk, so if you want a good night’s sleep, drink the alcohol after your dinner. The content of alcohol is reduced during cooking therefore you might consider adding it to your food during cooking instead of drinking it neat. Guinness Malta is non alcoholic and has high iron content therefore is suitable if you are anemic. Pulut rice is rich in iron therefore is used to make rice wine for postnatal nursing mothers. The rice is low in fat and free of cholesterol with high dietary fiber to reduce risk of heart attack and diabetes. It is better known as Shaoxing wine.
Drinks
It is believed that iced or cold drinks may cause severe shock to the system and further weaken the ‘cold’ body therefore it is strongly recommended that boiled warm teas are consumed throughout the day as they are supposed to help heat up the womb. For those who do not believe in these teas you may try drinking Chamomile tea which is beneficial for the baby as well, because it helps to reduce wind
Soups
Soup is a nutritious replacement for water. You can use any meat for stock. The meat supplies fat that is essential for extraction of fat soluble nutrients. Drinking soup about 1 hour before breastfeeding may help to increase milk flow. Chinese soups are usually clear and easier to drink compared to creamy western soups and it is less fattening.
Below are some food ingredients that you might want to add to your diet during the postnatal ‘confinement’ month.
Boxthorn fruit or Chinese wolf berry is best known to correct poor eyesight and eye strain. Used in conjunction with other herbs it is effective for improving energy and strength
Chinese angelica root or dong kwai is supposed to nourish the female organs, alleviate menstrual pain and prevent hemorrhage.
Chinese yam (wai san) used in conjunction with meat and other herbs aids digestion, regulate sugar level and control inflammation of the uterus. The dried variety must be soaked for at least 15 minutes before use to remove the powder
Solomon’s seal (yok chuk) is used to alleviate many ailments especially those affecting the throat and lungs
Sesame oil, besides being rich in Vitamin E, Iron & Calcium, helps heal the womb and rid it of “dirty residual blood”.
Chestnuts invigorate vital energy. Resolves fatigue depression and irritability. High in phosphorous, selenium and calcium
Black vinegar is made from glutinous rice and lowers ph of food. It leaches calcium from bones cooked with it, therefore it is used to prepare high calcium food especially for breast feeding mothers and it also relieves a windy abdomen.
Dill has antibacterial and antispasmodic properties. It is a warming herb which aids digestion, gets rid of gas, encourages lactation, freshens the breath and soothes colic. It is the main ingredient in Gripe water.
Almonds and walnuts contain leucine and isoleucine which are amino acids that regulates growth, blood sugar and wound healing.
Malay confinement food is the same as normal but with a lot of jamu which is basically natural herbal remedies used internally and externally for health and beauty. Make sure the products are registered with the Ministry of Health and that they are locally produced
Kani seeds contain antioxidants to promote youthfulness, tighten vaginal muscles, prevents excessive discharge, odour and itchiness. It firms the breasts and promotes healing of the reproductive system after childbirth.
Gallanggal is a member of the ginger family and it functions as an antibiotic. It warms the body, cleanses the blood, improves appetite, reduces wind and energizes the muscles.
Pegaga leaves increases energy, helps ease sleeping problems, improves blood circulation.
Turmeric functions as an antibiotic and promotes a healthy circulatory system.
Drumstick leaves are rich in proteins, vitamin C and A, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, potassium and other minerals. Because of their nutrients and ability to encourage milk flow, they are a valuable food for survival in impoverished countries.
The most important thing to remember is that you must be comfortable with what you eat. Do not force yourself to eat something that you do not like or will cause problems later. Although you are ‘in confinement’ you are not a prisoner per se.
Most new mothers are often at a loss on what is the correct food to eat during the postnatal confinement month so hopefully this article may help in making the right choices. If you are interested in viewing this article in pictorial form with some recommended recipes please go to
Magnetic Therapy – A Brief Overview
Because scientists are tireless in their pursuit of discovering new ways to treat diseases, they have shed light to the recovery of patients. Among the recent discoveries is the use of magnetic field therapy. Although it was used even during the time of Cleopatra, it is only recently that it has gained favorable popularity. Luckily, most doctors and practitioners in the field of science have openly welcomed this procedure. These new discoveries only highlight further the need to carefully choose family physicians to employ, as they must have a wide array of options to cure the patient effectively.
Now, the Magnetic Field Therapy can be used to cure a variety of ailments. However, one cannot undergo treatment immediately. Before being prescribed this treatment and undergoing it, the doctor will first perform a check-up, discuss pertinent ailments and examine the patient very well. This will entail obtaining the adequate laboratory information, as well as x-rays in order to properly diagnose and prescribe the treatment. After all the data has been gathered and a working diagnosis has been completed, the doctor will likely proceed to discussing alternative treatments.
The concept of magnetic energy or magnetic therapy dates back to many centuries ago. In fact, legend has it that Cleopatra wore magnetic bracelets as well as necklaces for their healing powers. Although doctors have been performing this technique since the 1800s and early 1990s, the therapy went out of favor for a considerable period. In the present decade, this therapy flourished well enough that it had become a 100 million dollar industry. The boom of the business helped the therapy gain popularity in countries like France, Japan, India and China, particularly for its capacity to heal soft-tissue injuries.
Doctors have sponsored long-term studies in order to arrive at a standardized method of use of magnets in treating diseases. Today, there is a standardized size and strength for the magnet. Studies as regards to the duration of exposure to the magnet in order to heal certain diseases were also concluded. As a result, we are now well-informed as to which kind of magnet will work effectively–information that is vital in determining which parts of the body are viable locations and which ones are not. In a scenario of unawareness of which locations in the body are viable, one may run the risk of putting a magnet on one precise part of the body that may not trigger the whole body’s healing power. On the other hand, sleeping on a magnet mattress pad emits a magnetic field that can infiltrate equally into all the part of the body and thus boost the entire immune system.
Because of the growth of the magnet therapy industry, many magnet products have been created and produced that can help provide information for those seeking treatments for numerous body conditions. One of the most frequently used magnetic products is the magnetic mattress pad, which can help cure insomnia, muscle spasm, joint pain and even fibromyalgia. Other popular products include magnetic insoles for shoes, which can help alleviate the pain from feet inflammation and help prevent the progression of said inflammation to bone spurs. These magnetic insoles also treat gout and improve blood circulation. Moreover, other products like magnetic pads and wraps, which can be placed on the lower back, elbows and knees, are helpful for arthritic joints, carpal tunnel syndrome and inflamed tendons. It is believed that magnet therapy can also cure serious health problems like cancer, arthritis, fractured rib, brown recluse spider bite, shoulder pain, swollen eye, tiredness and many others.
The benefits of the treatment are adequately accessible. If you plan to subject yourself to this effective Magnetic Field Therapy, it may be wise to begin by consulting a qualified doctor about it.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to magnetic-therapy-guides.com/ Magnetic Therapy
Why Liquid Vitamins?
Liquid vitamins are best. Why? Well, for one thing, they are absorbed up to 10X more than solid vitamins. Solid vitamins must be broken down into their component parts and then absorbed. Liquid vitamins are already in solution, so they are more usable for the body.
Another reason to use liquid vitamins is convenience. Liquid vitamins are easier to take than solid vitamins. Anyone who has looked at and then choked down a handful of pills can testify to that fact.
Another bonus to liquid vitamins is that you can add them to water or juice and sip them throughout the day. This keeps on ongoing measure of vitamins entering your system. This is much better than overwhelming the system with more nutrition that it can effectively handle at one time and then denying it any more nutrition for the rest of the day. Think of an hourglass…only so much goes through at one time. Similarly your body can only use so much at one time.
A final plus is cost. To get enough in solid vitamins, you need to buy a bottle of this, of that, and then the other. With liquid vitamins, you have one bottle and if it is the right bottle, you might not need much more except maybe a good oil or some protein.
Simplicity is another key. If you take multiple bottles of this and that, you have to think about what you have taken and open and close a number of bottles. This is a real nuisance as anyone who has had to do very much of it can testify.
Liquid vitamins…it is the only way to go. I rest my case for liquid vitamins.
Cheryl Jones has been investigating alternative and holistic health solutions for over 30 years and has access to information published generally in advance of mass media publications.
vitaminfriendly.com vitaminfriendly.com
Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe
Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.
Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don’t know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 – 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease
The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.
Heredity
Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a “thrifty gene” from their African ancestors.
This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.
This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes, commonly know as “sugar diabetes”, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.
Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.
Types of Diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.
Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.
Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don’t exercise and who have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.
Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.
Symptoms of Diabetes
The most common symptoms of diabetes include:
excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom
increased thirst
increased appetite
blurred vision
unusual weight loss
increased fatigue
irritability
Complications from Diabetes
Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes
Kidney Disease
“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.
Amputations
Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.
Blindness
African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called “Diabetic Retinopathy”, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 – 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.
Heart Disease
People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don’t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.
Diabetes Risk Factors
You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:
Obesity
Family history of diabetes
Pre-diabetes
Low physical activity
Age greater than 45 years
High blood pressure
High blood levels of triglycerides
HDL cholesterol of less than 35
Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds
Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.
African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.
If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.
About The Author
Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer who writes about issues affecting African Americans. He can be contacted at mailto:drachir@drachirsemaj.com drachir@drachirsemaj.com
Play Mind Tricks With Yourself to Lift Depression
Since depression is all about thoughts and feelings you can use your mind to your advantage and trick yourself out of depression. While the drugs available to tackle depression have improved over the years a third of all depressed people find that anti-depressants have little or no effect on their symptoms.
However there are other alternatives to try when it comes to helping lift depression. Behavioral therapy is now thought to be just as effective if not more so, when it comes to dealing and overcoming depression. While the symptoms of depression are felt physically by way of feeling down, sad, blue, you cry more easily and your emotions are up and down, the solution is quite simple and all in the mind.
By playing mind tricks on yourself and getting your mind to change its way of thinking, you can lift yourself right out of depression. This doesn’t of course mean that if you have been depressed and have been prescribed medication that you should ignore the advice of your Doctor and stop taking medication, but it is something that you can try alongside.
The simple answer is tricking yourself into thinking more positive thoughts and feelings. For example there is usually a reason behind the depression. While this reason is not to be trivialized it can be overcome.
If your depression stems from being in debt for example and you can see no immediate way out of your situation then every time you think about your problem you feel worse. However think about it, sometimes throughout your day you may see the light and the depression lifts by way of something unexpected which grabs your attention. Even if this is only for a few brief seconds, for those seconds your mood lifts and suddenly the world doesn’t seem like such a bad place after all.
For those brief seconds or minutes when your mind was distracted, while your problem was still there you put it to the back of your mind and let other thoughts and feelings take first place.
This is the key to tricking your mind, by consciously making it think other thoughts.
If you are severely depressed and nothing seems good in the world then visualization and imagination will do for now. This of course won’t be easy at first, but with perseverance and a little optimism it will gradually change your pattern of thought. Visualize changes in your life for the better and see yourself as escaping from the symptoms of depression and being the person that you want to be.
Be attentive to your thoughts and feelings and when you realize you have let yourself drift back into your old ways, turn to your new thoughts again. The more detail you can visualize the more real it will seem and the easier it will be to break from your depression.
You might think that this is only escaping from your problem, because after all, the problem that caused the depression in the first place is still there. That’s true, but while the problem is still there you are able to see it in a new light.
Once you have felt what it feels like to feel happy again you are then able to think not about your depression and how stuck you are but how you can deal with the problem. So play mind tricks with yourself, after your mind has been tricking you into depression for so long, its time to get your own back.
Kevin Yang is a writer that concentrates on helping people better themselves, for cutting edge information you NEED to know about your self esteem before you try to change your life check out his website at howtohavehighselfesteem.com/ How To Have High Self Esteem
Common Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, is an eating disorder, which is often times confused with Anorexia Nervosa. Although the two “Nervos’s” are similar, Bulimia involves binge eating before intentionally starving the body by excessive excercise, laxatives, and more commonly vomiting.
Due to the fact that Bing eating, and excessive excercise for example can be on a broad spectrum, there is a set of criteria that has been set out as a guideline for a patient to be diagnosed with bulimia. The criteria is listed below:
- The patient is of normal weight or overweight.
- The patient does not meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa.
- The patient feels incapable of controlling the urge to binge, even during the binge itself, and consumes a larger amount of food than a person would normally consume at one sitting.
- The patient purges him or herself of the recent intake, resorting to vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, exercising, etc.
- The patient engages in such behavior at least twice per week for three months.
- The patient is focused upon body image and the desperate desire to appear thin.
Although the end result in Bulimia involves food habits, the initial cause is due to a psychological issues and lack of self control. “Binge” and “purge” sessions are often times severe, and in often cases are only stopped when the individual is interupted by another person. The frequency of Bulimia varies by the individual, and can range from daily to weekly,etc. If you or someone you love is affected with Bulimia it is recommended that you take immediate steps to start getting control back, and eliminating the disorder.
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