Which Nutrients Benefit The Diabetic?

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Karen Hanrahan

Diabetes and Nutritional Supplements

Diabetes mellitus, a term that means” the running through of sugar ” was first identified in first century A.D. The disease was described in old books as the “melting of flesh into urine.” It is a disease in which the body does not produce or use insulin effectively. Diabetes is considered to be an epidemic in America. It affects some 15.7 million Americans of which 5.4 million are undiagnosed. It has increased 33% since 1990 and the rates are expected to double in the next 10 years. The fastest growing population of those being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes is teen-agers!

Diabetes has far-ranging health effects. It dramatically increases the risk of:

Heart disease: 2-4 times greater risk

Stroke: 2-4 times greater risk

High Blood Pressure: 60-65% of diabetics have high blood pressure

Blindness: Retinopathy is the major cause of new blindness in adults, ages 20 -74

Kidney disease: Nephropathy is the No.1 cause of kidney failure requiring dialysis

Poor Circulation: Neuropathy, numbness & tingling in the extremities, is the number one cause of amputationsin the U.S.

Health experts believe that complications of diabetes can be prevented or delayed by proper attention to diet and lifestyle.

Maintaining ideal body weight and exercising can help the patient control the disease.

Supplements can contribute to blood sugar control and reduce the complications of diabetes.

The commentary and list of nutritional supplements below will benefit those with diabetes.

Compiled by Nutritionist Barbara Lagoni. Thank You.

Begin with a A High Quality Multi -Vitamin

B Complex – B’s are associated with sugar metabolism/energy release. Neuropathies, especially with pain/burning sensations, and leg ulcers respond well to B’s.

Vitamin C – C’s are essential for many body processes, from iron absorption, to healing, hormone production, immune function and reduction of heart disease risk.

Vitamin E - LDL Cholesterol fats in the diet can become oxidized and wind up as plaque or hardening of the arteries. Poor circulation can be a serious side effect of diabetes. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant and has been proven to prevent this plaque buildup

Carotonoids enhance the healing of tissue and immune competency, and were demonstrated as powerful antioxidants by Albert Einstein College in wound healing studies

Flavonoids are water soluble and an extremely powerful antioxidant

Fish Oil – this essential fatty acid has a beneficial effect on the vascular system. Omega – 3′s normally found in cold water fish ( sardines, anchovies and salmon ) are a prime reason that asian populations have lower incidence of heart disease.

Lecithin contains choline, inositol, and essential fatty acids. For those with neuropathies, inositol can reduce symptoms. Dry skin problems respond very well to essential fatty acids.

Zinc is an important component of over 90 body enzymes, for healing and immune competancy.

Calcium Magnesium is associated with carbohydrate metabolism and is usually low in diabetics. Low levels are associated with heart disease and retinopathy. Calcium is necessary for bones.

GLA from the borage plant owes it’s amazing array of benefits to the body from the “good” prostaglandins, which it produces. They do everything from lowering elevated blood pressure to improving circulation, cradle cap, ecxema, menopause symptoms. PMS and MS, to reducing inflammation. The body is supposed to make GLA but diabetics often inhibit its formation.

Friendly Bacteria – bifidus and acidophilus, are essential friendly bacteria that ideally live in our lower intestines. These good bacteria are absolutely necessary for the health of your GI and urinary tract. They help balance bacterial growth, maintain healthy yeast levels, help digest food and assist in the production of B vitamins. Not all friendly bacteria products are created equal.

Finally, Our signature glucose regulation product provides all of the benefits listed below:

· helps insulin transport glucose more effectively
· helps cells take up glucose more efficiently and therefore may help prevent the onset of Syndrome X, Type II Diabetes and heart disease.
· helps sustain energy and prevent blood sugar crashes that can lead to carbohydrate cravings.

These are the specific components:

Magnesium - is involved in the breakdown of glucose and release of insulin. 25-40% of diabetics have low blood levels of magnesium.

Zinc - activates insulin to full power, helps lower blood sugar.

Chromium - helps insulin by moving glucose and other nutrients into the cells, stabilizes the body’s metabolism, may decrease hunger and limit food cravings and improves blood sugar control. Diabetics have, on average, 35% lower blood levels of chromium.

Taurine - high blood sugar causes taurine depletion. It’s important in nerve conduction. Clinical studies suggest that taurine may help prevent diabetic neuropathy.

Vanadium - improves the ability of the liver to utilize glucose, one study showed that it lowered fasting plasma glucose levels by 20%.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – potent anti-oxidant that improves insulin sensitivity, improves glucose utilization and decreases frequency of cataract formation, vascular damage & neuropathy.

Banaba Leaf Extract - regulates and stabilizes both blood sugar and insulin.

insulin on black flickr image credit

Male Sexual Dysfunction And Nutrition

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Karen Hanrahan

Symptoms of male sexual dysfunction can be related to a larger health concern – heart health issues, clogged blood vessels or even nerve damage from diabetes .

Erectile Dysfunction is often a complicated syndrome.

I can not claim to be an expert on this issue.

I can report what my clients have tried nutritionally and found success with. I can also share that it seems to take something for a guy to trust any practitioner, let alone one they have never met before. Often my clients are someone’s husband, a friend of a friend, or even someone who finds me through a google search. It means a great deal to me when a guy shares this concern with me.

The ED information below is sourced from MayoClinic.com - MANY sites share similar information.

Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sex. Having erection trouble from time to time isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. But if erectile dysfunction is an ongoing problem, it may cause stress, cause relationship problems or affect your self-confidence.

Even though it may seem awkward to talk with your doctor about erectile dysfunction, go in for an evaluation. Problems getting or keeping an erection can be a sign of a health condition that needs treatment, such as heart disease or poorly controlled diabetes. Treating an underlying problem may be enough to reverse your erectile dysfunction.

If treating an underlying condition doesn’t help your erectile dysfunction, medications or other direct treatments may work.
Symptoms

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to maintain an erection firm enough for sex, on an ongoing basis. Symptoms related to erectile dysfunction may include:

* Trouble getting an erection
* Trouble keeping an erection
* Reduced sexual desire

See your doctor if:

* Erectile or other sexual problems are an issue for you or your partner
* You have diabetes, heart disease or another known health problem that may be linked to erectile dysfunction
* You have other symptoms along with erectile dysfunction that may not seem related

Male sexual arousal is a complex process that involves the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Erectile dysfunction can result from a problem with any of these. Likewise, stress and mental health problems can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction. Sometimes a combination of physical and psychological issues cause erectile dysfunction. For instance, a minor physical problem that slows your sexual response may cause anxiety about maintaining an erection. The resulting anxiety can lead to or worsen erectile dysfunction.

In most cases, erectile dysfunction is caused by something physical. Common causes include:

* Heart disease
* Clogged blood vessels (atherosclerosis)
* High blood pressure
* Diabetes
* Obesity
* Metabolic syndrome, a condition involving increased blood pressure, high insulin levels, body fat around the waist and high cholesterol
* Parkinson’s disease
* Multiple sclerosis
* Low testosterone
* Peyronie’s disease, development of scar tissue inside the penis
* Certain prescription medications
* Tobacco use
* Alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse
* Treatments for prostate cancer or enlarged prostate
* Surgeries or injuries that affect the pelvic area or spinal cord

The brain plays a key role in triggering the series of physical events that cause an erection, starting with feelings of sexual excitement. A number of things can interfere with sexual feelings and cause or worsen erectile dysfunction. These include:

* Depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions
* Stress
* Fatigue
* Relationship problems due to stress, poor communication or other concerns

Risk factors

As you get older, erections may take longer to develop and may not be as firm. You may need more direct touch to your penis to get and keep an erection. This isn’t a direct consequence of getting older. Usually it’s a result of underlying health problems or taking medications, which is more common as men age.

A variety of risk factors can contribute to erectile dysfunction. They include:

* Medical conditions, particularly diabetes or heart problems.
* Using tobacco, which restricts blood flow to veins and arteries. Over time tobacco use can cause chronic health problems that lead to erectile dysfunction.
* Being overweight, especially if you’re very overweight (obese).
* Certain medical treatments, such as prostate surgery or radiation treatment for cancer.
* Injuries, particularly if they damage the nerves that control erections.
* Medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines and medications to treat high blood pressure, pain or prostate cancer.
* Psychological conditions, such as stress, anxiety or depression.
* Drug and alcohol use, especially if you’re a long-term drug user or heavy drinker.
* Prolonged bicycling, which can compress nerves and affect blood flow to the penis — leading to temporary erectile dysfunction.

Complications resulting from erectile dysfunction can include:

* An unsatisfactory sex life
* Stress or anxiety
* Low self-esteem
* Marital or relationship problems
* The inability to get your partner pregnant

Most of the men who come to me are seeking information about nutrients that can assist them naturally with their heart health or diabetes. Often men notice once they start taking medications for these health challenges their ED symptoms get worse. We find consistantly if we get them off the medications; manage their stress, lower their blood pressure, cholesterol and/or regulate their glucose via nutritional supplementation they see improved sexual function too.

Each case of course has it’s own unique set of circumstances.

Once we find stability with their overall health and well being my guys report that they have found these additional nutrients to be a great combination to promote male vitality:

CoQ10

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginseng

and Saw Palmetto

What You Need To Know About Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Karen Hanrahan

Metabolic Syndrome and what you need to know.

Thank you to Dr. Jamie McManus MD, FAAFP for this informative health bulletin

You’ve been told you have high blood pressure and maybe your blood sugar is higher than it should be (but you don’t have diabetes yet). You are also carrying that “spare tire” around your waist. If so, you may actually have something called Metabolic Syndrome. Also known as Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance Syndrome, metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that together increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Having just one of these conditions – high blood pressure, central obesity, elevated cholesterol or blood sugar – contributes to your risk of these serious diseases. However, when present in combination your risk increases exponentially.

Research into the complex underlying process linking this group of conditions is ongoing and as the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is linked to the body’s metabolism and in particular to something called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the body can’t use the hormone insulin efficiently. Insulin is made by the pancreas and is responsible for transporting glucose from the blood into cells of the body where it can be further utilized. Some people are genetically predisposed to insulin resistance but many people develop insulin resistance as a direct result of being overweight, like excess body fat (especially around the waist), and physical inactivity.

Not all experts agree on the exact definition of metabolic syndrome. But physicians have talked about this combination of risk factors for years and regardless of how it’s exactly defined, this collection of risk factors appears to be becoming more and more common. Risk factors for developing metabolic syndrome include: age (increased prevalence with age but it does occur in school aged children too); race – Hispanics and Blacks seem to be a greater risk than other races; obesity – a BMI of >25 and an apple vs. pear body shape; family history of type 2 diabetes or a history of diabetes during pregnancy. In addition, having other diseases such as hypertension or polycystic ovarian syndrome also contributes to an increased risk. Today, it is estimated that over 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome.

The American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommend that the Metabolic Syndrome be identified as the presence of three or more of these components:

1. Elevated waist circumference:
Men – equal or greater than 40 inches
Women – equal or greater than 35 inches

2. Elevated blood triglycerides:
Equal to or greater than 150 mg/dL

3. Reduced HDL (“good”) cholesterol:
Men – less than 40 mg/dL
Women – less than 50 mg/dL

4. Elevated blood pressure
Equal to or greater than 130/85 mm Hg

5. Elevated fasting glucose:
Equal to or greater than 100 mg/dL

If you know you have at least one of these risk factors you could have the others and just don’t know it, so it’s well worth checking in with your doctor and asking about whether or not you should be tested for other components of this syndrome.

Whether you have one or all of the five risk factors, diet, weight management and lifestyle are the place to start. Committing to a healthier diet, getting more physical activity, losing weight and if you smoke, quitting can help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Smoking cigarettes increases insulin resistance and blood pressure and worsens the health consequences associated with Metabolic Syndrome. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about a smoking cessation program today.

Your diet should be balanced and rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein foods like fish and white meat chicken. It’s important to cut back on foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Avoid fast foods, sugar laden sodas and cut down the use of the salt shaker. To boost your physical activity level – find activities you really enjoy and set a goal to engage in moderate intensity activity, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming for 30 to 60 minutes a day, most days of the week. If you haven’t been very active recently, have physical limitations or a chronic health condition, talk to your doctor first about the right exercise program for you. Start slow and gradually increase the frequency and duration of your activity.

Do you have a lot of weight to lose? Don’t worry, even losing as little as 5 to 10% of your body weight can significantly improve how your body uses insulin (increases insulin sensitivity), can also lower your blood pressure, raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol and decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Supplements can provide additional value when dealing with Metabolic Syndrome. Omega-3 fatty acids contribute to healthier triglyceride and blood pressure levels. Magnesium supports healthy blood pressure too – and more than 80% of Americans may be deficient or consuming inadequate amounts. For weight management, soy protein based meal replacement shakes along with key nutrients such as chromium and green tea catechins should become a part of your daily life. And remember, as you make these lifestyle changes be sure to work with your doctor to monitor your weight, blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels to make sure your lifestyle changes are working.

double middle aged male trouble flickr image credit

Medical Alert Jewelry Is Universally Recognized

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Karen Hanrahan

Did you know that many health organization and health care providers recommends wearing a medical alert item? Who do you know who might have a health issue that would benefit from medical alert jewelry?

Our site sponsor Helpful Jewelry specializes in jewelry that is universally recognized and designed to keep you safe.

Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Karen Hanrahan

My male clients are often hesitant to discuss their erectile dysfunction with me. Turns out men are shy talking about this with their medical doctors too. Symptoms of male sexual dysfunction can be related to a larger health concern – heart health issues, clogged blood vessels or even nerve damage from diabetes . I have been told often that ED falls in the things we men don’t really want to know unless we have to category.

Truth is Erectile Dysfunction is often a complicated syndrome.

I can not claim to be an expert on this issue. However I can report what my clients have tried nutritionally and found success with. I can also share that it seems to take something for a guy to trust any practitioner, let alone one they have never met before. Often my clients are someone’s husband, a friend of a friend, or even someone who finds me through a google search. It means a great deal to me when a guy shares this concern with me.