We all know that stress is a part of life. There are some good points to having stress, as stress can cause us to take action, but an overall high level of stress can cause health problems. But chronic stress can also cause weight gain as well as play havoc with blood sugars if stress is not managed.

If we go back in time to the cave men, we can look at how our bodies respond to stress. If a cave man went out hunting and a bear came after him, he would go into the flight or fight response, either choosing to fight a bear or run. This response would trigger hormone responses, such as increased cortisol to help increase your energy to either fight or run, and a decrease in your serotonin levels because you would not want to fall asleep when you are fighting or running.

Increased cortisol results in your body storing fat (which encourages weight gain) because the cave person would need that stored energy for fighting or running. The decreased serotonin levels result in your body craving carbohydrates because the carbohydrates are easily transferred to energy. The carbohydrates also function to help relax and comfort you since the serotonin level is not optimal. Sustained stress hormone elevation can also lower thyroid function which can affect your metabolism. They also can interfere with growth hormones which affect our muscle mass, resulting in a lower muscle mass which decreases metabolism.

Along with stress, many behaviors can increase cortisol, such as skipping meals, not getting adequate sleep, not eating properly, and consuming high amounts of alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat.

If we think about our level of stress compared to a cave man, a cave man’s response to stress was immediate and then when the bear disappeared, the stress level went down. The problem with stress today is the stress level remains elevated all the time, resulting in the constant increased stress hormones in our system. By lowering our stress and working on how we manage stress, we can lower our stress hormones and help promote weight loss and better diabetes control.

Tips to Relieve Stress

1. Determine what you can control and what you can’t control. We sometimes waste a lot of time worrying and trying to solve problems that we cannot control. Learning to stop and look at whether you can really change the situation or whether it is out of your control and you need to let go and change how you are dealing with a situation is important.

2. Take time for you. I frequently hear that it is selfish to take some time for you. I also hear that there is never enough time to do something for you. But if you think about running ragged and never having any downtime or you time, it is taking away from how you are responding to others in your life. By being stressed, anxious, worried, etc, you may be more irritable with those you love, or may not be fully present to enjoy the moments because you are off in your mind worrying about other things. So by taking time for you, you are able to take care of others better. It is like the airplane analogy. Put on your own air mask before putting on your child’s. So make it a priority to schedule some you time. It can be something simple like a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, a hot bath, reading a favorite book, going for a walk, or developing new hobbies.

3. Eat healthy and limit stress increasing foods such as sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Also eat regular meals and planned snacks. Skipping meals can increase stress. Many people are not breakfast eaters, so try lighter breakfasts such as a granola bar or smoothie. Seek out a Registered Dietitian if you need help in this area.

4. Try some guided imagery, meditation, yoga, or progressive relaxation. Guided imagery is a process where you do deep breathing and imagine yourself somewhere pleasant such as a beach. You imagine using all your senses such as feeling the sand, smelling the salt water, hearing the waves and birds, seeing the grass blades blow and waves crash, etc. Even a five minute “vacation in your head” will help relax you. I had a client who told me “I go fishing in my head.” I love a CD called Ten Minutes to Relax. It is a quick guided imagery that can help lower stress. Progressive relaxation is a process where deep breathing is used, along with tensing and releasing muscles in order to help you see whether muscles are tense without you realizing it. It helps you relax by releasing muscles. Many audios are available that help walk you through this process. When done daily, guided imagery and progressive relaxation help lower overall stress.

5. Take 4×4 breaks each day. This means learning to take four small breaks throughout the day and do four deep belly breaths. This helps you just slow down and relax a few times during the day.

6. Exercise. Yes, that is the dreaded word most people do not like. But exercise is a great stress reliever. It also can increase your energy level and help you focus better. Exercise helps lower those cortisol levels and stimulates serotonin. So build some regular exercise into your routine. Plus you get the benefit of burning calories to help you lose weight.

7. Find a support person. Find someone you can trust and share your thoughts and feelings with. When thinking of a support person, discern who a healthy support person would be. This would be someone who listens and is nonjudgmental, not necessarily have to solve your problem but just being present with you, and someone who does not tell you to “get over it.”

Work on lowering your stress to help change your cortisol and serotonin levels and you will see the benefits in your life. Work on adding in some of these techniques each day, as well as other stress techniques as this is not a complete list of stress reduction. Sometimes people have to actually schedule them on their calendar or post sticky notes for reminders. And don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional if you need more individualized help.

If you have been hoping to lose weight, let’s begin the process. There’s no time to lose… you can’t wait around for the results of clinical trials advising which eating plans will work best. You have received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and your blood sugar levels need to be reduced as well as your weight. The truth is this… any eating plan where you are taking in fewer calories or kilojoules than you have been taking in for some time now, will help you lose weight. It won’t matter whether it is low or high in carbohydrates, fats or protein.

And as well as starting to lose weight, you will find your blood sugar levels starting to be lower. All this in a short period of two to three weeks. Isn’t that encouraging?

How do you find a weight loss program that suits your needs, not just for now but an eating style that you will enjoy and want to stick with? And what do you do if you find your chosen eating plan not working for you? You don’t consider yourself a failure, you consider the plan a failure and find another one.

Some of the reasons popular diets work in the beginning are due to:

• many food restrictions
• few food choices
• not enough flexibility
• repetitive boring food

These same reasons are also why these diets fail!

When looking at various diets, keep in mind many of these diets were not put together by people trained in nutrition and maybe their advice is not safe or effective. As you look at different eating plans, remember these points:

• be wary of any diets that promise rapid, easy weight loss… if it sound too good to be true it probably is
• question diets that limit food selections and forbid food groups
• be careful of diets that promote substitution with food products they are selling

A healthy eating plan for a person with or without type 2 diabetes should contain a balance of the three main nutrients in the world of foods:

• carbohydrates
• protein
• fats

Each type plays an important role in keeping your body going every day. A balanced meal plan provides you with food choices from each of these three types of nutrients.

Learning about food can seem complicated, especially if you have never had to follow a special eating plan before. Meeting with a registered dietitian will give you more knowledge about making proper food choices… you will find you are able to eat a wide variety of foods that will help you to lose weight, lower your blood sugar levels and help you control your type 2 diabetes.

Approximately ninety to ninety-five percent of Americans with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, and the key to preventing or reversing this deadly disease is to understand the presenting signs and symptoms.

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, whereby the body cannot utilize the glucose it consumes from food. There are two types of diabetes, each having very different causes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by destruction of the pancreatic cells that produce and secrete insulin, which most often occurs in children and is not thought to be linked to diet or exercise. Type 2 diabetes is much more common and is directly linked to obesity, poor diet, and lack of exercise. We are more focused on diabetes type 2 here because it is controllable through proper diet and exercise.

Some of the warning signs of diabetes include fatigue, increased hunger, unexplained weight-loss, and frequent urination. These early warning signs should raise a red flag and warrant seeking medical attention.

There are serious complications that can result from this disease, and even though you may not have the early warning signs, it is important to be aware and seek regular check-ups, especially if you are overweight, eat a poor diet, and do not exercise.

Some of the complications of diabetes include:

1. Nerve damage, which causes tingling and numbing of the hands and feet. This may lead to the development of infections and amputation.

2. Eye problems, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and even loss of vision.

3. Skin infections are more common when diabetes is present.

4. High blood pressure, which may cause strokes.

5. Cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in America

6. Kidney failure, which is also a deadly and very miserable condition.

If you already have diabetes or have risk factors for it’s development, it is important to realize that this disease can be controlled, eliminated, or prevented by taking a few important steps.

Here are some important steps that you should adopt in order to prevent and even control diabetes:

1. Exercise for at least half an hour each day.

2. Lose weight.

3. Avoid trans fats, which are also known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

4. Avoid simple sugars as well as refined white flour.

5. Eat plenty of fiber every day.

6. Do not smoke, and if you already do, please try to quit.

7. Limit alcohol intake.

8. Educate yourself, because education is your best tool in your quest for health and wellness.

For much more information on preventing diabetes and many other life-threatening illnesses, please visit www.ultimatefatloss.org/-Get_Ripped__Book.html. Here you will find information that will help you prevent illness and live a long and healthy life.

Superfoods seems to be one of the new “buzz” words… so what exactly does it mean? According to Wikipedia: “superfood” is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefits as a result…”. In other words, superfoods are a group of wholesome foods that have health giving properties that really pack a nutritious punch!

So let’s look at how several “superfoods” can help improve the quality of your life as a diabetic:

Colorful Vegetables: Free radicals are the age accelerators of your body… they affect your heart, blood vessels, brain and cell membranes. Unfortunately, this destructive process operates at an increased rate in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Antioxidants block this destruction… the richest source of these antioxidants are found in colorful fruits and vegetables. So, here are a few of the fruits and vegetables your should eat:

• spinach
• collard greens
• broccoli
• tomatoes… the darker the red of the tomato the higher the antioxidant content
• grapes… red grapes are more beneficial than white ones
• raspberries and boysenberries
• strawberries
• green leafy vegetables
• olives

Mix up a bowl of colorful salad vegetables, keep it covered in your refrigerator. Eat a bowl of these at most of your meals.

Grapefruit: Grapefruit is one of the best of all fruits for avoiding sharp rises in your blood sugar level. It also comes to your rescue where heart disease and cholesterol buildup in your arteries is concerned. Dr James Cerda, a professor at the University of Florida found that fiber in grapefruit can definitely lower cholesterol in humans. Grapefruit can interfere with several prescription medications… check with your health care provider if you are on medications.

Garlic: Garlic was first mentioned as a medicine about 6000 years ago and is used extensively in medicines throughout the world today. Garlic may be valuable for helping to reverse both diabetes and its many complications. The debate continues as to the active ingredients but, however it comes: aged, fresh, cooked or in supplement form, it is a healthy addition to your nutrition plan.

Beans: The high amount of soluble fiber in beans is a big help to your blood sugar. If your have insulin resistance or unstable blood sugar levels, beans helps to balance your blood sugar while giving you plenty of slow-burning energy. And the fiber in beans stops your blood sugar from rising too quickly after your meal.

Oats: The benefit of oats on blood sugar levels was first reported way back in 1913… the same soluble fiber that reduces your cholesterol level also benefits people with type 2 diabetes. So if you eat oatmeal, or oat bran rich foods, you will find you have lower and less blood sugar spikes. Soluble fiber slows down the rate at which food leaves your stomach and so delays the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream following your meal.

While there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, these “superfoods” are known to improve blood sugar regulation, insulin activity and slow down the complications of type 2 diabetes.

Add-on treatment with liraglutide improves glycemic control without causing major hypoglycemia or weight gain, a trial in patients with Type 2 diabetes has found.

The study suggests that liraglutide, a new once-daily human analogue of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), may be a useful new treatment in patients who are suboptimally controlled on sulfonylurea monotherapy.

Liraglutide mimics the glucoregulatory actions of endogenous GLP-1 by targeting the incretin system, and has been shown to bring about sustained improvements in glycemic control, beta-cell function, and weight, with a low risk for hypoglycemia.

The present study evaluated the safety and efficacy of liraglutide in 264 Japanese patients with a mean body mass index of 24.9 kg/m² and mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 8.4%. They were randomly assigned to take liraglutide 0.6 mg/day, liraglutide 0.9 mg/day, or placebo, each added to sulfonylurea monotherapy, for 24 weeks.

At the end of the study period, HbA1c had fallen by 1.56%, 1.46%, and 0.40% in the liraglutide 0.9 mg/day, 0.6 mg/day, and placebo groups, respectively. The differences between active treatment and placebo were statistically significant.

Furthermore, a significantly greater proportion of patients in the liraglutide treatment groups had achieved target HbA1c levels of less than 7.0% (46.5% with lower-dose and 71.3% with higher-dose liraglutide versus 14.8% with placebo).

Liraglutide treatment was also associated with significant reductions in fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose.

Finally, overall safety was comparable among the three groups. There were no major hypoglycemic episodes in any group and body weight was unchanged in both liraglutide groups, whereas mean weight fell by 1.12 kg in the placebo group.

Writing in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Kohei Kaku (Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan) and fellow investigators say that liraglutide provides “superior glycemic control” compared with placebo, offering sustained and significant reductions in HbA1c in a dose-dependent manner.

They conclude: “In Japanese subjects with Type 2 diabetes, once-daily liraglutide administered at 0.9 mg/day is both effective and well-tolerated in combination with sulfonylurea agents, demonstrating significantly greater glycemic control than sulfonylurea monotherapy, without causing adverse weight gain or loss.”

A 28-week follow-up study of the study participants is ongoing and will provide long-term safety and efficacy data.

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

Free abstract

Exposure to metformin may inadvertently cause worsening of peripheral neuropathy in patients with Type 2 diabetes, say researchers.

“Long-term use of metformin is associated with malabsorption of vitamin B12 (cobalamin [Cbl]), and elevated homocysteine (Hcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA) levels, which may have deleterious effects on peripheral nerves,” explain Daryl Wile and Cory Toth from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

To clarify the effect of long-term metformin treatment on the symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the team carried out a prospective case-control study involving 59 Type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy who had been treated with metformin for over 6 months and 63 similar patients who had not been treated with metformin (controls).

The authors used the Toronto Clinical Scoring System and Neuropathy Impairment Score (TCSS), as well as electrophysiological measures to assess the degree of neuropathy. They also measured concentrations of Cbl, Hcy, and MMA to assess their potential impact.

Writing in the journal Diabetes Care, Wile and Toth report that the metformin-treated patients had significantly lower concentrations of Cbl than controls, at a median of 231 versus 486 pmol/l.

In contrast, median Hcy and MMA were significantly higher in the metformin-treated group compared with controls, at 11.6 versus 8.4 µmol/l and 0.18 versus 0.11 µmol/l, respectively.

The TCSS and electrophysiological measures used to assess the degree of neuropathy showed that metformin-treated patients had significantly more severe peripheral neuropathy than controls (TCSS score of 10 vs 5).

The authors note that “the cumulative metformin dose correlated strongly with these clinical and paraclinical group differences.”

They conclude: “The current findings suggest an association among metformin, elevated Cbl metabolites, and exacerbation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, but further work is needed to prove a direct causal relationship and its mechanism.”

The researchers add: “Recognition of this readily identifiable and potentially treatable component of disease might improve quality of life for this large population of diabetic patients.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

Free abstract

Have you ever looked at a child who is suffering from signs of diabetes? Can you judge that child is diabetic? Can you see signs of diabetes in children?

I know the answer is no. On looking at the child one can never judge that person is suffering from diabetes.

But the things which we cannot see are really bad!

This chronic ailment increases the amount of blood sugar. The sugar in blood if remain elevated for a longer period of time then complications like kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, amputation and other nerve damages start to set in. The quality of the life of the child depends on the ability of the parents to recognize symptoms of child diabetes at their earliest.

Unfortunately child diabetes has reached to epidemic proportions. It is predicted that incidence of this chronic and deadly disease will continue to rise. Unluckily it is hard to identify the signs of diabetes in children. Read the given list so you can better understand why these symptoms of child diabetes are not easily recognized.

Signs of diabetes in children

Excessive Urination: The parents generally think that their child is drinking plenty of water

Frequent Urination: The parents’ often confuse and think their child is drinking a lot; so he is urinating more.

Recurrent Infections: Generally parents consider that this is the part of childhood.

Blurriness In Vision: The vision of the children gets blurry but they are unable to explain this to their parents. Sometimes even they are unable to feel that something is going on with their vision.

Slow Healing Wounds and Cuts: Simply the parents think the injury was deeper one and it will take comparatively longer time to heal.

Numbness and Tingling In Feet and Hand: Once again this symptom of child diabetes is ignored by the parents and children. Children are unable to explain the weird feeling in their extremities to their parents.

Unexplained and Sudden Weight Loss: If the child was previously overweight then this symptom of child diabetes is welcomed by the parents otherwise the parents think the young one is going through the growth spurt.

Mood Swing or Irritability: This is generally blamed as child and parent confrontation. Some parents of teenagers think that it is the integral art of teen years.

It is also important here to keep in mind that all of these signs of diabetes in children may not be obvious at once. One or more symptoms of child diabetes are enough to take you to the doctor’s office.

It is true no-one wants to receive a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes but if there was ever a time to be told you have this problem, this is it. Fortunately, enough is known about diabetes nowadays to make a reasonably normal life possible… but sometimes things can go out of control. This can be frustrating, but it doesn’t mean its time to throw in the towel. Type 2 diabetes is defined and diagnosed according to abnormally high blood sugar levels but for diabetics low blood sugars can be equally problematic.

Your diabetes can go out of control for a number of reasons. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is defined as a blood glucose level of below 70 mg/dL (4 mmol/L).

Reasons for hypoglycemia include:

• problems with diet, exercise, or medications
• skipping meals or snacks
• eating later than usual
• eating too much sugar or carbohydrate can trigger hypoglycemia. This may sound paradoxical but your blood glucose level may actually go down below normal because your pancreas, sensing a high level, can over-react and produce too much insulin, which can bring your blood glucose down to below the normal level. This is particularly true for type 2 diabetics who are being treated with insulin injections and who still have some pancreatic function.

Despite the obvious benefits to your blood sugar control through exercise, too much of a good thing can cause trouble. Check with your health care provider first so he can review your exercise program. Most providers will recommend:

• measuring blood sugar levels before sport or other strenuous exercise
• having a snack before beginning exercise if your blood glucose level is below 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L)
• it is a good idea to check blood glucose levels after your exercise as well.

Sometimes medications may be adjusted if unusual activity is planned.

Anti-diabetic medications can also be responsible for hypoglycemia:

• a higher dose of insulin than is needed can lower your blood sugars far too much
• oral hypoglycemic agents, which stimulate your pancreas to produce insulin, can be one of the culprits… Diabinese, Tolinase, and Orinase can cause your blood sugars to drop too far
• it is important to take the right dose at the same time every day

Various drugs that can cause hypoglycemia include:

• coumadin, or warfarin, given to prevent blood clots
• arthritis drugs Zyloprim (allopurinol), Benemid and Probalan (probenecid).
• aspirin
• alcohol

These can all lead to hypoglycemia when combined with anti-diabetic medications.

Did you know that when reversing hypoglycemia, it is more difficult to reverse low blood sugars caused by taking a large dose of insulin than it is to reverse hypoglycemia caused from missing a meal?

Numerous studies have linked obesity to diabetes. Apparently, there is a dramatic increase in the rate of obesity all over the world. Because of that, the incidence of diabetes is also increasing. Diabetes is medical condition that affects millions of people all over the world, every year. However, since the rise of the rate of obesity, the rate of diabetes is also increasing drastically.

Because of the increasing rate of obesity, a lot of alternatives that promise to provide solutions to this problem have emerged. From chemical products to natural products, various weight loss solutions have been available in the market. However, people would prefer the natural rather than chemical products because chemical products may produce more side effects compared to natural products.

One of the most popular natural products that can provide an effective weight loss solution is acai berry. This fruit has recently gained recognition as it was added to the group of super foods that provide numerous health benefits. A lot of claims have been made about this small berry. Those who have been taking this supplement claimed that it is effective in weight loss. However, some people who are still curious about the fruit are wondering how a small fruit that looked like grapes would be able to promote weight loss and prevent obesity.

The acai fruit only grows in the forests of Amazon in Brazil. Because of that, numerous alternatives are created so that people from all over the world will be able to benefit from this fruit. Several companies have been manufacturing products made from acai berry. There are smoothies, powdered juice, and dietary supplements in form of pills or tablets. These dietary supplements are readily available and can be purchased at various online stores.

People who regularly take the acai berry supplement claimed that they have successfully lost weight. How is it possible? Actually, acai can hasten the person’s metabolism. Metabolism is the process wherein nutrients from foods are absorbed in the body while calories are converted to energy to be used by the body. The faster the rate of metabolism is the more calories are burned, leading to weight loss.

However, weight loss in not only the benefit that you can get from regularly taking acai berry supplements. It can also help in diabetes. Although it doesn’t directly cure diabetes, acai can help in regulating the blood sugar levels in the body. The fruit also contains various vitamins and minerals that will keep a person energized while also boosting the immune system. Since diabetes is also connected with obesity, the rate of diabetes can be decreased if the rate of obesity is decreased. Taking an acai berry supplement on a regular basis can help in preventing the risks for developing diabetes.

Diabetes can be a difficult disease to deal with, as there are physical complications associated with the poor control of blood glucose. These complications are generally divided into short-term complications and long-term complications.

Short-term Complications

Short-term complications are the result of a blood glucose that’s either very low or very high. Low blood glucose (called hypoglycemia) can occur in minutes as a result of too much insulin, too much exercise, or too little food, but high blood glucose usually takes several hours to develop. Whereas low blood glucose often can be managed at home, severe high blood glucose (called diabetic ketoacidosis) is an emergency that’s managed by medical staff in a hospital. Nevertheless, it’s important that you understand how it develops in order to prevent it.

Long-term Complications

Long-term complications can be devastating. It is much better to prevent long-term complications with careful diabetes management than to try to treat them after they develop. Fortunately, they generally take 15 or more years to fully develop, and there’s time to slow them down if not reverse them if you’re aware of them. All of the long-term complications of Type 1 Diabetes can be detected in the very earliest stages.

The long-term complications consist of eye disease known as retinopathy, kidney disease known as nephropathy, and nerve disease known as neuropathy. It is a little known fact that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness; new cases of kidney failure requiring dialysis, which cleanses the blood of toxins when the kidneys can no longer do their job; and loss of sensation in the feet as well as other consequences of nerve damage.

Not only does Type One Diabetes (T1DM) have short-term and long-term physical consequences, but as an autoimmune disease, Type One Diabetes (T1DM) is also associated with other autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract; thyroid disease; and skin diseases.

As you might expect, people with Type One Diabetes also have significant psychological and emotional needs. It’s important, first of all, to realize that Type One Diabetes has been present in some very high achievers. In addition, Type One Diabetes is not only a disease of the particular patient but also a disease of the entire family since all family members will be affected in one way or another.

If you’re the patient with Type One Diabetes, the people around you need to know that you have diabetes and how to help you when you can’t help yourself. Often people with the disease try to keep it secret, as though it’s a blot on their character. Remember Type One Diabetes isn’t your fault. There will be times when you may need the help of others, and it will be a whole lot easier for them to help you if they know about your condition and what to do in different circumstances.