What is diabetes mellitus? This is a disease in which the body is unable to produce or use insulin. In this case, the sugar level in the circulating blood will increase, this is called hyperglycemia. In a normal individual, the insulin produced by the pancreas will facilitate the transfer of sugar from the blood to the cells. In diabetes mellitus, there is a decrease level of insulin or the body is not using the insulin properly. Aside from transferring sugar the insulin also stimulates protein synthesis and fatty acid storage in the adipose tissues. The human cell will be in a state of starvation when sugar transport is limited. Diabetes mellitus is subdivided into two types, the type 1 and the type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, there is a limited or no insulin produced in the pancreas. This type of diabetes will manifest extreme thirst, increase ketone body in the urine, increase appetite, fruity breath odor, frequent urination, rapid breathing, and drowsiness. Client with type 1 diabetes will need to have a lifetime insulin dose. This type is common to children and manifests stomach ache, headache, and behavioral problems.

In type 2 diabetes, there is a production of insulin, but it is inadequate or the cell resists the use of insulin. Hyperglycemia is also evident in this condition. This is common to adults, and it is accelerated by gaining weight and having a sedentary lifestyle. Clients with type 2 diabetes will manifest frequent urination, excessive thirst, dry skin, mouth sores, dehydration, extreme hunger, visual changes, fatigue, numbness in extremities, and unusual weight loss. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes would include obesity, old age, family history, race, and prediabetes status. Always remember that diabetes mellitus is different from diabetes insipidus.

The next health condition is hypertension. As we all know this is considered as one of the most common health problems among individuals worldwide.  Hypertension is a health condition wherein there is a sustained or intermittent elevation of blood pressure. A client with a systolic pressure of 139 mmHg and a diastolic pressure of 89 mmHg is considered hypertensive. Hypertension may be essential or secondary. Essential hypertension will occur with no underlying condition while the secondary hypertension will occur because of the underlying condition. What to look for in hypertensive clients? First you need to check his or her blood pressure, check for dizziness, confusion, fatigue, edema, and blurred vision. What are the risk factors for primary hypertension? It is clients with diabetes mellitus, family history of hypertension, obesity, old age, smoking, stress, high intake of alcohol, and sedentary lifestyle. Individuals with higher age will have a greater risk of having hypertension. This is because the blood vessel’s elasticity decreases, which is not supposed to be the case. A normal individual’s blood vessel will stretch when pressure on its wall increases. This adaptation will help in decreasing the blood pressure.

How to manage hypertension? First you need to visit your physician. The next thing you will do is to modify the lifestyle which includes the limitations in the diet and performing regular exercises. Your diet should contain low sodium and low fat. Avoid processing foods, since they are rich in sodium. A maintenance medication will be prescribed for you by your physician. Take the medication religiously since this will really help in lowering your blood pressure. If you have a sphygmomanometer at home you may us, it to monitor your blood pressure. Remember to hold the maintenance dose if your blood pressure decreases below normal since this can result into a reversed condition which is hypotension. Always remember that the earlier you are diagnosed the better the management. If you are in doubt of your health condition visit your doctor immediately.

They say that prevention is a whole lot better than cure.  The best way to fight cancer is to avoid getting the disease in the first place.

Here are the top seven ways to avoid the occurrence of cancer.

1. Keep watch over your weight.

Up to a fifth of all cancer related deaths have been attributed to obesity.  Obesity has been found to increase the risks of getting cancer, including the types involving the colon, kidney, endometrium, breast, and esophagus.  Fat has been known to aid in the growth of cancer cells while also inhibiting the ability of cells to kill the bad ones before cancer can take root.

It is best to watch what you eat: eat fewer calories with reduced portions of food.  Avoid food that contains high calories such as cookies, cakes, sweets, and fried food.

More than this, you should exercise.

2. Say NO to tobacco.

The use of tobacco accounts for more than 30% of all cancer deaths and more than 85% of deaths from lung cancer.  If you think that tobacco products only cause lung cancer, you are wrong.  Tobacco use has been seen to increase the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.

If you are a smoker, stop smoking now.  Studies cited by the American Cancer Society have shown that smokers who quit early gain as many as 8 years of life expectancy and cut down their risk of contracting cancer.

What’s worse, smoking can affect the people around you as well.  Passive smoking is another cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.  In fact, around three thousand people die yearly due to second hand smoke.

3. Do not be sedentary.

Watching TV and doing nothing else can also lead to cancer.  A sedentary lifestyle can cause one to be overweight and even obese.  Make sure that you engage in vigorous physical activities for at least 45 minutes to an hour, at least five days a week.

4. Drink moderately.

Alcohol is one of better known cause of different types of cancer including those in the liver, esophagus, breast and mouth.

It is recommended that women limit their drinks to one drink daily, while men can only drink as much as two drinks daily.

5. Wear that sun block!

Skin cancer afflicts more people in the United States than cancers affecting the pancreas, prostate, lungs, uterus, ovaries, breast, and colon combined.

Skin cancer is generally caused by overexposure to the UV or ultraviolet rays of the sun.

To protect yourself from skin cancer, make sure that you wear protective clothing that covers most part of your body.  Furthermore, wear hats and sunglasses.  Choose lightweight and comfortable clothes.  For the exposed areas, apply sun block lotion or spray.  A sun block with SPF factor 15 or more is recommended.

Also, if you can, do not go out and get exposed to the sun between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and avoid sunlamps and tanning beds.

6. Stock up on fruits and chuck the red meat.

Sometimes you get cancer from the food you eat.  For one, charbroiling or frying meat produces carcinogens in it.  That is why it is best to bake, broil or poach meat.  Even so, you should eat less meat fat and choose only the lean part.

Other things to avoid include transfat (margarine and junk food), processed food (like hotdogs and sausages), starches, and high calorie food.

In recent years, studies have come to show that certain foods help you fight cancer.  Researchers at Harvard University found that people who eat fish at least three times in a week were about half as likely not to develop prostate cancer.  This is because of Omega 3 and vitamins A and D.

Antioxidants and photochemical in green tea have also been known to stop cancer cells from forming, while drinking a lot of water daily can help you wash away toxins from your body.

The glutathione in whey and yogurt have also been found to be effective in fighting prostate cancer.

It is also recommended that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.  This would allow you to get all the antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C and photochemical you can get.

7. Undergo cancer screening.

Depending on your gender and age, you might want to have a checkup to make sure that you have a clean bill of health and don’t have cancer yet.  Cancer is more treatable the earlier you detect it, so it would be wise to get screened regularly.

Cervical cancer is most often referred to as the cancer of the cervix. The cervix is located at the lower part of the uterus and at the upper part of the vagina and is cylindrical in the form or neck-shaped. Cervical cancer often happens when there’s a disintegration of the cells in the cervix into cancer cells. It is often caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which is transmitted during sexual intercourse. One also increases her susceptibility to the disease if she is sexually active or has a partner who has or had multiple sexual partners; was afflicted with sexually transmitted disease; a smoker; had given birth 5 times or more; low immunity to the disease; and a family history that indicates cervical cancer.

It is very important to go through tests to detect if you have the disease since the symptoms, mostly manifest only on the advanced stage and one may obtain asymptomatic infection. Symptoms of cervical cancer include unusual bleeding in the vagina, abnormal vaginal discharges and pain during sexual intercourse. Pap test during pelvic exams and HPV testing helps you screen if you have cervical cancer.

Another factor to consider on having early detection of cervical cancer is that you can avert cancer treatments, which can affect your fertility and make you, incapacitated of having children. Aside from early detection, vaccines on cervical cancer are also available for young and older women to thwart off the incidence of obtaining the disease.

Cervical cancer is also the second most common cancer after breast cancer. However, its virulence in comparison to the latter is higher and has lesser awareness among the population. This incognizance often leads to delayed detection.

As a combating factor, one must submit herself to screening tests and get vaccinated as well as altering one’s lifestyle. She should lead a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and nutrition, and avoid smoking. The practice of safe sex through the use of condoms during sexual intercourse also lessens the probability of contracting HPV. This also includes being sexually monogamous or having a very limited number of sexual partners, or if you haven’t had sex, you should delay having sex at a later age.

However, if you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer seek proper treatment and have a strong social support that would alleviate the traumas of having to go through different surgeries or therapies and without neglecting to still continue to live healthily.

Remember as Erasmus would say, prevention is a whole lot better than cure.

Contrary to one’s one’s notion that cancer is a fatal disease and difficult to mitigate, cervical cancer is preventable and can be treated if detected at an early onset. Unlike any other cancer, one can be vaccinated for cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is most often referred to as the cancer of the cervix. The cervix is located at the lower part of the uterus and at the upper part of the vagina and is cylindrical in the form or neck-shaped. Cervical cancer often happens when there’s a disintegration of the cells in the cervix into cancer cells. It is often caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which is transmitted during sexual intercourse. One also increases her susceptibility to the disease if she is sexually active or has a partner who has or had multiple sexual partners; was afflicted with sexually transmitted disease; a smoker; had given birth 5 times or more; low immunity to the disease; and a family history that indicates cervical cancer.

It is very important to go through tests to detect if you have the disease since the symptoms, mostly manifest only on the advanced stage and one may obtain asymptomatic infection. Symptoms of cervical cancer include unusual bleeding in the vagina, abnormal vaginal discharges and pain during sexual intercourse. Pap test during pelvic exams and HPV testing helps you screen if you have cervical cancer.

Another factor to consider on having early detection of cervical cancer is that you can avert cancer treatments, which can affect your fertility and make you, incapacitated of having children. Aside from early detection, vaccines on cervical cancer are also available for young and older women to thwart off the incidence of obtaining the disease.

Cervical cancer is also the second most common cancer after breast cancer. However, its virulence in comparison to the latter is higher and has lesser awareness among the population. This incognizance often leads to delayed detection.

As a combating factor, one must submit herself to screening tests and get vaccinated as well as altering one’s lifestyle. She should lead a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and nutrition, and avoid smoking. The practice of safe sex through the use of condoms during sexual intercourse also lessens the probability of contracting HPV. This also includes being sexually monogamous or having a very limited number of sexual partners, or if you haven’t had sex, you should delay having sex at a later age.

However, if you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer seek proper treatment and have a strong social support that would alleviate the traumas of having to go through different surgeries or therapies and without neglecting to still continue to live healthily.

Remember as Erasmus would say, prevention is a whole lot better than cure.