What is insulin resistance? Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it effectively. When people have insulin resistance, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, leading to type 2 diabetes or prediabetes............

What is insulin resistance?

Our demand for fuel varies from moment to moment, but the brain needs our blood sugar level to remain stable. So getting the cells the energy they need without changing that level is a critical function — and that’s the role that insulin plays. Insulin is a vital hormone produced in the pancreas that signals the cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. The body monitors what we’ve digested, blood sugar levels, and cell demands, and releases insulin in just the right amounts. That’s why a healthy body is described as “insulin sensitive.” Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it effectively. When people have insulin resistance, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, leading to type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.Most are taken aback when they learn they either already have insulin resistance syndrome (or as I call it pre-pre-diabetic) until they develop type 2 diabetes, a serious, lifelong disease.  

Why it is a risk:

Those who are insulin resistant are at much greater risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, high cholesterol, breast cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). There is some evidence that insulin resistance may contribute to endometrial cancer. It has also been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.The good news is that if people learn they have insulin resistance, they can often prevent or delay diabetes by making changes their lifestyle.

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What is Parkinson disease and its early signs......

What is Parkinson disease:

Parkinson disease (PD) is one of the most popular neurological disorders, affecting approximately 1% of individuals older than 60 years and causing progressive disability that can be slowed, although not halted, by treatment. The 2 major neuropathologic findings in Parkinson disease are the loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta and the presence of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites.

In short, an individual's brain slowly stops producing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. With less and less dopamine, an individual has much less ability to regulate their movements, body and emotions.

Early sign:

Early sign of Parkinson diseases includes:

·        Twitching or shaking

 Twitching or shaking of limbs the kind of early sign of Parkinson's disease.

·        Small Handwriting

A sudden change in handwriting is often a sign of Parkinson's disease.

·        Loss of Smell

 If you appear to have more trouble smelling foods like bananas, dill pickles or licorice, you should ask your doctor about Parkinson's disease.

·        Trouble Sleeping

 You could notice that you started falling out of bed while asleep. Sometimes, your spouse will notice, or will want to move to another bed. Sudden movements during sleep may be a sign of Parkinson's disease.  You might notice that you began falling out of bed while asleep. Sometimes, your spouse will notice, or will want to move to another bed. Sudden movements during sleep is often a sign of Parkinson's disease.

·        Trouble Moving or Walking

An early sign might be stiffness or pain in your shoulder or hips. People sometimes say their feet seem 'stuck to the floor.'

·        Constipation

Straining to move your bowels can be an early sign of Parkinson's disease and you should speak to your doctor.

·        A Soft or Low Voice

If there has been a change in your voice you should see your doctor about whether it could be Parkinson's disease.

·        Masked Face

Have you been told that you have a serious, depressed or mad look on your face more often, even when you are not in a bad mood? This serious-looking face is called masking. Also, if you or other people notice that you have a blank stare or do not blink your eyes very often, you should ask your doctor about Parkinson's disease.

·        Dizziness or Fainting

Feeling dizzy or fainting may be signs of low blood pressure level and can be related to Parkinson's disease.

·        Stooping or Hunching Over

 When you or your family or friends observe that you seem to be stooping, leaning or slouching when you stand, maybe it's a sign of Parkinson's disease.

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Hepatitis C

What is hepatitis C:

“Hepatitis” is a common term that means severe swelling or inflammation of the liver in response to particular drugs, toxins, excessive alcohol or infections-whether from bacteria or viruses. The letter C refers to the third in the number of viruses that researchers have isolated that specifically target and damage the liver.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. The infection may be asymptomatic, but the chronic infection may lead to cirrhosis. It may also cause liver cancer, liver disease, chronic infection or even esophageal and gastric disorders.

Symptoms:

About 15% cases it causes acute symptoms including…

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Decreased appetite
• Weight loss
• Muscle or joint pains
• Liver failure
• Fatigue

Treatment:

Medication

The medicines usually employed to treat hepatitis C are interferons in addition to ribavirin along with a protease inhibitor such as boceprevir (Victrelis) or telaprevir (Incivek). You can use them for 6 months to a year and help your whole body to eliminate the virus.

 Your doctor can assist you to decide whether medicines are right for you.

Surgery

Cirrhosis as a result of hepatitis C is a very common cause for liver transplantation although the virus usually recurs afterwards Infection of the graft results in 10-30% of men and women developing cirrhosis within five years.

Alternative medicine

Several alternative therapies have to be helpful for hepatitis C including

 Milk thistle

 Ginseng

 Colloidal silver.

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What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B:

Hepatitis B is a liver disease that results from infection with a severe virus named hepatitis B virus (HBV). Individuals with hepatitis B develop either a severe or possibly a chronic infection that may last lifelong. The infection occurs worldwide with an extremely high burden among approximately 280 million carriers.

The symptoms may vary greatly and many of those infected with HBV never develop any symptoms at all. Those who do get symptoms usually suffer from tiredness, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting and fever. Almost all healthy adults who get acute hepatitis B will recover with no liver damage in 4-12 weeks, but the death rate can reach 2% in the elderly. Chronic infection is probably to develop in young babies.

Prevention & Transmission:

Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected body fluids. Most infections occur by contacting with infected blood, but semen, saliva and cervical secretions can also be infectious. Sexual contact and injecting drug use are normal reasons for infection, just like tattooing and body piercing just in case contaminated equipment is used. For infants, the main source of infection is mother-to-child transmission and transmission from infected members around the household.

The virus can survive surfaces not less than seven days which suggests that it can be transmitted via objects which have been contaminated with infected body fluids. Transmission via blood transfusion or with the use of plasma-derived products has become rare in the European Union.

In recent times, increasing numbers of drugs have become available for the treatment of chronic infection but HBV vaccination is currently the most effective way to prevent HBV infection.

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Flesh eating bacteria : narcotizing fasciitis

Flesh eating bacteria:

Flesh eating bacteria or Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare infection of subcutaneous tissues caused by bacteria. It is a serious disease that causes serious skin infection and rapidly kills soft tissues. The word necrotizing means “causing the death of tissues”. The bacteria that cause these type of infection are includes-

·       Group A Streptococcus
·       Klebsiella
·       Clostridium
·       Escherichia coli
·       Staphylococcus aureus
·       Aeromonas hydrophilia etc.

Among these, group A streptococcus is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis.

Necrotizing fasciitis spread rarely from person to person:

Necrotizing fasciitis occurs randomly around the cells and spread rarely person to person. But most people suffers from other health problems such as-
·       kidney infection
·       cancer
·       inflammatory disease
·       GI tract disorders
·       Diabetes
·       Disorder of immune system etc.

Symptoms:

·       Infection on various part of skin
·       Pain or soreness
·       Blister or black spot o the skin
·       Ulcers
·       Fever
·       Chills
·       Fatigue or tiredness
·       Vomiting and nausea
·       Gas formation in the tissue
·       Liver disease
·       Diarrhea

Actual cause of infection:

In most cases, bacteria mainly cause this infection. Other organisms rarely do this such as fungi. Mainly group A Streptococcus are found to cause this disease most. Clostridium may find in gas infected tissues. In the infected area Pseudomonas, E.coli, and Klebsiella are also found. This may cause the polymicrobial infection that one type of bacteria aids the survival and growth of another type of bacteria. Other organism may rarely cause such as Aeromonas hydrophilia was source of this disease in 24 years old who cut her thigh in a homemade zip line accident in U.S. E. coli mostly causes in hypoxia tissue and produce toxic factors where other damage connective tissues.

Treatment:

At first to prevent infection we should give intravenous antibiotics referred by a doctor. But bacterial toxin can destroy tissues and reduce blood flow so we have to go rapid surgical exploration and remove the death tissue as soon as possible. Some doctors believe that multiple antibiotics should be used at the same time to protect the patient. If necrotizing fasciitis is suspected, a surgeon needs to be consulted. Tissue culture must be needed for identification of specific bacteria. Treatment such as insertion of a breathing tube, intravenous administration of fluids and drug to support the cardiovascular system may be required. Careful surgical technique in the site that is easily contaminated is required. The physician needs to use sterile technique when doing surgery.

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Colon cancer and its risk factors , symptoms, tests, prevention and treatment.

 Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a malignant tumor occur in the colon also called large intestine and rectum (end of the colon).This is a slow growing cancer that is often survivable if diagnosed early.

There is no single cause of colon cancer. Most colorectal cancers develop from polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.

Risk factors for colon cancer:

·       Age older than 60.

·       A high fat, low –fiber diet.

·       Eating a lot of red processed meat.

·       Having colorectal polyps.

·       Family history of colon cancer.

·       Having inflammatory bowel disease.(Crohn disease of ulcerative colitis)

·       Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

Symptoms:

Many symptoms have been developed for colon cancer. Some are here…

·       Abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen.

·       Blood in the stool.

·       Diarrhea, constipation or other change in bowel habits.

·       Narrow stools.

·       Weight loss with no known reason.

·       Fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.

Exams and tests:

·       Through screening test colon cancer can be detected before symptoms develop. This is when the cancer is most curable.

·       Physical exam on the belly area. The physical exam rarely shows any problems, although the doctor may feel a lump (mass) in the abdomen. A rectal exam may reveal in patients with rectal cancer, but not colon cancer.

·       A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) may detect small amounts of blood in the stool.This may suggest colon cancer.

·       A sigmoidoscopy, or more likely a colonoscopy will be done to evaluate the cause of blood in the stool. Only colonoscopy can see the entire colon. This is the best screening test for a colon cancer.

·       If diagnosed with colorectal cancer, more test will be done to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging. CT scans or MRI scans of the abdomen, pelvic area, chest or brain may be used to stage the cancer. Sometimes PET (positron emission tomography) scans are also used.

Treatment :

Treatment depends on many things, including stage of the cancer.

Treatment may include:

• Surgery(most often a colectomy) to remove cancer cells
• Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
• Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue

Prevention :

• Colon cancer can almost be caught by colonoscopy in its earliest and most curable stages. Almost all men and women age 50 and older should have a colon cancer screening. Patients at higher risk may need earlier screening.
• Colon cancer screening can often find polyps before they become cancerous. Removing these polyps may prevent colon cancer.
• Changing your diet and lifestyle is important. Medical research suggests that low-fat and high-fiber diets may reduce your risk of colon cancer.

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Wernicke korsakoff syndrom

Wernicke korsakoff syndrom

Wernicke korsakoff is a neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency(vitamin B1).It is most common in the alcohol consuming people. Consuming heavy alcohol interferes with the intestinal absorption of thiamine. Wernicke korsakoff causes brain damage in lower parts of the brain called the thalamus and hypothalamus. The cause is more severe when lack of thiamine in the diet.Thaimine is essential for making glucose which is the only energy source for brain. So it causes brain damage, mental. confution,severe memory loss, partial paralysis etc.

Risk factors

Risk factors for Wernicke korsakoff syndrome are associated to a patient’s diet and lifestyle.

Risk factors for WKS include:

• Major risk factor is chronic alcoholism
• Kidney dialysis that reduce thiamine absorption 
• Fail to afford proper food and medical treatments
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which makes more likely to develop conditions that lead to vitamin B1 shortage.

Symptoms

• Short and long time memory gap
• Mental confusion and severe memory loss can lead to coma and death
• Abnormalities of eye movement, cornea damage, eyelid dropping and vision change.
• Brain damage and brain function fall
• Hallucinations occur. 

Treatment
If a person appears the symptoms, he may go to the hospital and may stay there to control the symptoms. If a person is unconscious or comatose, he may take special care. It must be ensure that if the person abstains from taking alcohol and he must consume adequate amount of vitamin B1rich foods.

If arise more severe condition patient may monitoring in the hospital .Families should support and give a hand to recover the patient’s condition. Nursing homes which provide special treatment should be considered for a confused WKS patient.

Prevention

• Taking diet with adequate thiamine rich foods.
• Avoid consuming alcohol at any cost
• Taking healthy diet and vitamin B1-rich foods include rice lean pork, peas, whole wheat bread, spinach, oranges, and milk etc

Exams and Tests

Examination includes

• Checking nervous system
• Eye movement
• Low blood pressure 
• Loss of tissue mass
• Low body temperature
• Vision failure 
• Blood Serum vitamin B1 levels
• Transketolase activity in red blood cells

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