With swimming now officially the most popular participation sport in the UK* and new national awareness programs such as ‘Learn to Swim’ and ‘Free Swimming’ there’s never been a better time to visit your local pool.

These initiatives have prompted top personal trainer Lucy Wyndham-Read and behavioral psychologist Judi James – resident experts at AXA PPP healthcare’s Nutrition and Fitness website – to compile a series of water-based workouts and motivational exercises, which are designed to help you get the most out of swimming.

Lucy Wyndham-Read recommends swimming as a form of regular physical activity for people of all ages and fitness levels.
“Whether you’re an absolute beginner or a fitness fanatic, swimming is an excellent way to tone up, improve your cardiovascular health, lower your blood pressure and leave you feeling fighting fit.”

Judi James adds:
“Swimming is naturally enjoyable for most people and if you enjoy something you’re far more likely to stick to it.”

How swimming can help your fitness
Exercise such as swimming can indeed help combat stress and beat the blues, adds Lucy, as it releases endorphins (the body’s natural ‘feel good’ chemicals) into your bloodstream. It is also low impact putting less pressure on the joints unlike exercises such as aerobics and running, making it one of the safest activities you can do. Swimming also tones your entire body while still providing a great workout and being in the water keeps you cool, meaning you can work out for longer.

Expert Swimming tips

Lucy’s pool workouts

- Workout 1 – Add some variety to your swimming by doing one length as fast as you can, then the next two at a moderate pace. Repeat this several times. This is a great way to burn off extra calories.

- Workout 2 – Mix it up by switching strokes after each length. For example, use a combination of breast stroke (great for toning arms and legs), back stroke (great for upper body flexibility) and front crawl (great for working on speed and fitness).

- Workout 3 – Place a float between your knees and swim a length using either front crawl or breast stroke. This is a great way of training and toning your upper body. Then switch, and for the next length extend your arms in front, hold on to the float and power yourself using your legs only. Repeat several times.

- Workout 4 – This is a simple way of toning deep into your abdominal muscles. Using any swimming stroke, pull your belly button up tight to your spine, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat several times.

‘British Swimming’, the national governing body for swimming in the UK says that any swimming that makes you breathe more heavily counts as ‘moderate’ activity. “Even treading water takes effort, so you are working most of the time you’re in the pool.” It adds that 30 minutes of steady-paced lane swimming burns off more than 200 calories.

Set up as part of the government’s ‘Be Active, Be Healthy’ strategy designed to get 2 million people more active by 2012 adults who are 60 or over and under-16’s can now swim for free in over a thousand swimming pools run by almost 300 local councils. Free lessons are also being offered in some areas to help the one in five adults who can’t swim learn.

AXA PPP healthcare’s Nutrition and Fitness website offers information and advice on topical healthy living issues, featuring articles, exercises, recipes and videos from many of the UK’s leading specialists.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
AXA Nutrition and Fitness

Gastrointestinal function and ecology are critical to your longevity health. Gastrointestinal health is longevity health. The undigested food in your digestive system often becomes the breeding ground for the development of potentially harmful bacteria that live in your bowl, and thus influences your health and well-being.

Your gastrointestinal tract is composed of your mouth and teeth, your esophagus and stomach, your small and large intestines. These digestive organs, together with your liver, kidneys, and pancreas, not only digest your food but also assimilate nutrients from what you eat and drink. Therefore, your gastrointestinal tract plays a pivotal role in your overall health and wellness. There is absolute truth in the statement: “Death begins at the colon.” Your gastrointestinal health immunizes you from many diseases and disorders that are enemies to your longevity health.

To optimize your gastrointestinal health, you must not overstress your gastrointestinal tract.<!–more–>

Avoid eating refined and processed foods and sugar. Any food item in the supermarket that comes in a can, box or carton is most probably processed. All processed foods are loaded with chemicals, and all refined foods are deprived of nutrients that may benefit your gastrointestinal health.

Do not unduly stress your gastrointestinal tract by overeating or failing to chew your food adequately.

Drinking water or any liquid during a meal tends to dilute your digestive juices, and thus weakens the digestive process in the gastrointestinal tract.

Excess alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine also impair your gastrointestinal function.

Use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs is also damaging to your gastrointestinal tract. Remember, all pharmaceutical drugs are chemicals, and as such, they are toxic to your body system, including your gastrointestinal tract.

Lack of fiber and inadequate enzymes in your diet may also be contributing factors to an unhealthy gastrointestinal tract. Get your fiber from beans, vegetables, and fruits, such as apples; a regular raw diet provides you with enzymes to assist your digestion.

Your gastrointestinal health is essentially a reflection of your lifestyle.

To optimize your gastrointestinal function, you need to re-balance your diet and change your lifestyle. To change your lifestyle is more challenging than re-balancing your diet. Your gastrointestinal tract, like the rest of your body, also needs a break every now and then in order to recuperate. Fasting for internal cleansing is the best option, especially for the gastrointestinal tract. However, if you think a water fast is too much for you, consider a juice fast – that is, you drink only juices from fresh vegetables or fruits for one or two days to cleanse your body system. Fasting for internal cleansing for gastrointestinal health is a must for longevity health.

——

Stephen Lau is a writer and researcher. He has published several books and many websites on health, healing, depression, eating disorders, and golf. For more information on longevity health, and also get your FREE copy of the 143-page e-book “All-Round Weight Loss” by Stephen Lau, go to: http://www.longevityforyou.com/li.html

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_903051_23.html

After your lasik procedure, you might experience some fluctuation in your vision with your eyesight tending to regress a bit towards their pre-surgery state. If you were farsighted prior to having lasik surgery, after surgery you may notice that your vision is sharper most of the time, but sometimes you may have slight issues seeing things that are closer as you did before the surgery. You surgeon will compensate for this tendency by slightly overcorrecting during your procedure.

Some vision fluctuation and regression following lasik surgery is normal. You may find, however, that your eyes regressed more than your surgeon anticipated. In this case, the end result of your surgery is that your eyesight was not corrected enough. A follow-up procedure may be needed to further correct your vision.

Whether you have laser vision correction surgery or not, it is important to protect your eyes from potentially damaging ultraviolet rays. Following lasik, it is especially important to wear sunglasses during the day as excessive exposure can interfere with your healing. If you enjoy outdoor activities such as golfing, playing tennis or visiting the beach, it is not necessary to avoid these things altogether, but it is important to take care of your eyes while participating.

Having a good relationship with your lasik provider can also affect the healing process. One of the reasons choosing the right doctor for you is important is quality aftercare. You want to be able to thoroughly discuss any issues you may be having and get your questions answered both before and after surgery. If you are not comfortable with your doctor or you cannot attend your post-surgery appointments, the healing process is highly likely to be negatively impacted.

While it is not possible to predict how long it will take for you to heal following lasik eye surgery, there are some steps you can take to help the process along. Such steps includes communicating with your doctor, following all post-surgery instructions diligently and taking care not to do anything potentially damaging to the healing process such as failing to protect your eyes from the sun. Understand that while your eyes heal, your eyesight may fluctuate or regress slightly and that perfect vision following lasik is not guaranteed. You should make every effort to help and not hinder the recovery process.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_885911_17.html

About the Author: As the cost of lasik eye surgery stabilized, Jayson Lee spent months learning if it was right for him. More information about the lasik eye surgery cost is available on his blog.

http://www.lasiksurgeryus.com

While the disease is no longer grabbing the same volume of national headlines it did upon its first arrival and during the most severe outbreaks, it remains a threat worthy of serious consideration, thought and preventative action. In 2008, reported human cases and West Nile-related deaths were both down nationally to the lowest levels seen since 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, certain areas saw an increase in overall West Nile activity. The state of Washington, for example, saw a re-emergence of documented human cases after reporting no human West Nile infections throughout all of 2007.

“The weather plays a big role in determining where mosquito populations are going to be the most severe, which makes knowing where West Nile virus will pose the most serious risks in the coming year unpredictable,” says Allen James, president of RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), a national organization representing the manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticide and fertilizer products. “Total human cases in the United States have been on the decline for the past few years, but almost 1,400 confirmed cases were reported in 2008, and that is a substantial number that we can work to reduce even further.”

The numbers of documented human West Nile virus infections hit a peak in 2003, with almost 10,000 reported cases, and have gradually declined since as municipalities and communities across the country have adopted effective measures to manage troublesome mosquito populations. Still, since 2005, the CDC has reported over 12,000 people in the country diagnosed with West Nile virus infections, resulting in nearly 500 documented deaths.

“Unfortunately, West Nile virus is here to stay and it’s something that Americans are going to have to be cognizant of every year moving forward,” James says. “Especially within more susceptible populations like young children and the elderly with weaker immune systems, this disease represents a very real and potentially deadly threat. It’s important to help minimize this risk by reducing mosquito populations where we can.”

West Nile virus is a vector-borne disease transmitted to humans almost exclusively through the bites of carrying mosquitoes. The best way to prevent an outbreak of the disease, according to the CDC, is through the use of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to control both adult mosquitoes and their larvae before they can hatch and mature.

“There is no single magic bullet that works to effectively control mosquitoes,” James says. “It takes an integrated approach where citizens and public officials work together to remove breeding grounds, monitor mosquito activity, use biological and chemical controls, and educate their friends and neighbors about proper prevention measures.”

Support for community mosquito reduction and education programs, combined with the use of proven larvicide and adulticide products, is the most effective action communities can take to prevent West Nile virus from becoming a major public health risk. Larvicides are approved pesticide products applied to mosquito breeding grounds to eliminate developing mosquito larvae before they have the chance to become adults. Similarly, adulticides are another type of pesticide product, most often applied as ultra-low volume (ULV) mist or fog that kills adult mosquitoes on contact. These products represent a prudent and cost-effective way to manage large, problematic mosquito populations and have been deemed by the CDC and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be the harmless to people, children, pets and the environment when applied correctly by trained personnel.

Around home, individuals and families can follow a few simple steps to help reduce the risk of mosquito bites and eliminate potential breeding grounds on their own property. The easiest and most important preventative action to take is to apply an approved insect repellant to all exposed skin when going outdoors for any period of time. Remember that mosquitoes are most active in the morning and evening, so adults and children should all take additional care to reduce the amount of exposed skin susceptible to a mosquito bite when outside, especially at these times.

Also, take the time to eliminate all areas of standing water around the home. Mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of calm, stagnant water, and reducing the prevalence of these potential breeding grounds can greatly impact the number of mosquitoes immediately around homes and properties. Drain low-lying areas, clean out clogged gutters, drain birdbaths and turn over any miscellaneous containers like unused buckets and flower pots that may have the potential to hold rainwater. These simple actions, in addition to the support of other local mosquito-control efforts, can help to significantly reduce the risk of West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses in many areas.

While it may not be a fixture on the front page every day anymore, West Nile virus still poses a serious risk that warrants considerable attention from local groups across the nation. It is not a problem that is ever going to disappear completely, but through the use of an IPM approach, education programs and proper mosquito-control products, the threats posed by this potentially deadly disease can be substantially reduced.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Among living creatures, awareness of one’s own mortality is a uniquely human experience. And, for most people, it is not easy to discuss. While some may be afraid to talk about death, most do not want to be a burden to loved ones and would prefer to see their wishes followed in the event of a significant health status change or even a catastrophic event. Yet more than two-thirds of the adult population does not have a living will or other advance directive

Older adults are more likely to use advance directives which are documents that give instructions about health care or appoint someone to make medical treatment decisions, but young people have as much at stake when they have not expressed their preferences. If stricken with a serious disease or accident, medical technology combined with the lack of clear direction may mean they are kept alive against their wishes.

If you are considering your own advance directive, it is essential to write your wishes and preferences down on paper, and then have a meaningful conversation with your family members and doctor. By putting everything in writing, you ensure that the information is available to your appointed health care agent, doctor, hospital, and clinic or managed care plan. You do not have to put specific wishes in your advance directive document if you aren’t sure of your wishes in the face of future unknown. But it is vitally important to appoint a healthcare agent or proxy — someone who will follow your wishes in the event that you can no longer speak for yourself. Appointing that agent and having the conversation about your preferences are important steps toward peace of mind.

The American Bar Association has a 10-point toolkit for consumers that helps make the process easier to navigate. And the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization provides state-specific forms for use. Experts recommend reviewing advance care planning documents at critical life stages, including the “5 Ds” — every new Decade of your life, after the Death of a loved one, after a Divorce, after any significant Diagnosis and after any significant Decline in functioning.

National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD)  Initiative on April 16, is part of collaborative effort of national, state, and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions.

Whether younger, middle-aged or older, responsible adults benefit from making their own advance care plans. And while it is a difficult discussion, talking to family, friends, doctors and your lawyer makes your wishes clear. An advance directive can assure that those wishes are carried out and that your loved ones are spared potentially agonizing decisions.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – It’s one thing to live in a well-kept home, but is it also a healthy place to live? While your home may look sparkling clean to the eye, there are a number of invisible factors that can seriously affect the health of your entire family, and even contribute to a heart attack or stroke. Chief among them is the quality of the air your family breathes while indoors.

Up to 72 trillion microscopic irritants, or allergens, find their way into your home every day. They include dust, pollen, pet hair and dander, dust mites, mildew, lint, fungus, tobacco smoke, cooking grease and bacteria. Many of these particles are so small that your nose and throat can’t filter them out and they can get deep into your lungs.

The Environmental Protection Agency, American Lung Association and American Heart Association all agree that exposure to airborne particles impairs breathing and increases the risk of asthma attack, stroke, heart attack and other serious illnesses. These fine particles enter your home through doors, windows or small openings in frames, walls and roofs. They stem from various sources outside including fossil fuel burning in vehicles and manufacturing plants, and from activities inside such as smoking or cooking.

No matter how hard you scrub and dust, your family can still breathe in tiny little particles that can aggravate allergies and asthma, and even affect the heart. However, it is possible to have a cleaner, healthier and comfier home. American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning has compiled a list of simple steps to help your family breathe easier.

1. Clean your home’s air.

Start with the basics by installing an effective and proven whole-home air cleaner. For example, studies show that the American Standard AccuClean(TM) whole-home air filtration system may help prevent an asthma attack, heart attack or stroke. With the highest clean air delivery rate in the industry, its patented air cleaning technology eliminates allergens and particles you don’t want in your home, such as dust, pollen, bacteria, pet dander, mold spores, smoke and the common flu virus.

2. Control humidity.

Keep a relative humidity of 30 to 50 percent for optimal comfort and to control irritants like mildew. Controlling your household humidity can also kill dust mites, one of the most common allergens. Having a humidifier or variable-speed fan technology as part of your HVAC system can help you take control of your humidity.

3. Repair damages.

Have your HVAC system components, including furnaces, flues and chimneys, inspected before each heating and cooling season to repair any damages, holes or cracks. In addition to repairing your equipment, a certified HVAC dealer can inspect and clean your system’s parts and pieces, ensuring they perform at optimal efficiency. It’s not just your HVAC system — it is equally important to maintain the other components of your home that impact indoor air quality including the roof, foundation and insulation.

By taking these simple steps you can ensure that you and your family won’t be breathing indoor air full of contaminants and, ultimately, you’ll all breathe easier. For more information on how to breathe easier at home or to locate an American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning dealer near you, visit www.americanstandardair.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – Home is where the heart is, but what happens if your home becomes the enemy to your health? With Americans worrying more and more about airborne pathogens there has been a big push toward preventive health care solutions.

Staying healthy and preventing illness starts in the home. A clean and safe home can be a sanctuary for the entire family, from infants to seniors. Here’s what you need to know about making your home a healthy place for people of all ages.

1. Healthy and Happy Baby
With a new little one in the home, many people decide to baby proof. You can add locks to your cabinets, move items high out of baby’s reach and block electrical outlets from curious fingers in just minutes. But what about when baby is sleeping? Newborn babies spend half of their day in the nursery resting.

Sudden infant death syndrome, more commonly known as SIDS, is a sudden unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby that kills 2,500 infants annually. It is the leading cause of death in children between one month and one year.

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that using a fan while a baby is sleeping can cut the risk of SIDS by 72 percent. A survey by HealthyChildrenToday.com found that 70 percent of mothers were unaware of this fan study. The use of a fan is based on the hypothesis that SIDS is related to babies re-breathing exhaled carbon dioxide that gets trapped near them in bedding. A fan increases room air circulation, decreasing the amount of trapped carbon dioxide.

2. Breathe Easy, Children
You have a fan in the baby’s room and you likely have others in older kids’ bedrooms and throughout your home. Why not take the next step and improve indoor air quality for everyone? Respiratory problems are most troublesome up until age 12.

With national concern about the outbreak of airborne pathogens, influenza prevention has become a focus beyond seasonal vulnerabilities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized because of influenza complications.

A Healthy Fan is a device that incorporates existing ceiling fan technology combined with UV-C light energy to increase room air circulation while decreasing the amount of airborne bacteria, viruses and mold spores. During air circulation, the Air Purifying Medallion traps dust particles and allergens in a charged filter. Some germs, especially virus cells, are extremely tiny and can therefore be suspended in the air. These are the target of the UV-C light, which emits energy that kills and neutralizes germs. The result is a well-circulated room that has a 99 percent reduction in airborne bacteria, viruses and mold spores. A Healthy Fan sanitizes a houseful of air every 15 minutes.

3. Clean Teens and Adults
Unclean surfaces most likely haunt your home — the most notorious being in the kitchen and the bathroom. Buy a good quality bactericidal cleaner and wipe surfaces weekly and more often as they are used. Doing this will reduce the bioload (level of germs and bacteria) found in the home. With many different types of germ-killing sprays and disposable wipes available, this is one of the easiest and fastest ways to a sanitized home.

Another thing you should do on a weekly basis is dust and vacuum. Using a vacuum with a HEPA-rated filter helps catch additional allergens. When you dust, use a damp cloth so you avoid simply pushing dust around and spreading it in the air. Then wipe with a dry cloth to discourage the growth of surface mold.

It only takes a couple of minutes to make your home a healthy home. With these steps, every member of your family will live healthier, whether nine weeks or 90 years old. For more information on the Healthy Fan, visit www.healthyfan.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – Every season has its signature scents and summer is no exception. What summer scent stimulates your senses? Is it freshly mown grass? Or perhaps the faint smell of coconut that makes you think of sunscreen and summer afternoons at the beach? Or even the fragrant hint of lavender or rose from the flower garden?

You can celebrate the scents of summer – and even recapture the emotions those aromas evoke long after summer fades – by using essential oils in practical ways for an outdoor aromatherapy experience. Tom Havran, aromatherapy expert and product developer at Aura Cacia, offers the following tips to maximize your “scent-ual” summer.

* Before-Sun Shea Body Butter
Natural shea butter provides slight sun protection for the skin. Although it is no substitute for a proven over-the-counter product with a high SPF, shea butter can be used as a fine, natural base prior to outdoor activity and application of a commercial sun block.

To make your own before-sun shea body butter, melt together 3 ounces of shea butter and 1 ounce of grapeseed or jojoba oil until just liquefied. Remove the mixture from heat and let it partially cool until it takes on a hazy color. Then mix in 18 drops of lavender essential oil and pour the mixture into a small jar. Smooth your homemade body butter on your skin prior to applying commercial sunscreen.

* Cool Fan Tip
Before the age of electric fans and air conditioning, a hand-held fan was a practical way to move hot, stagnant air away from the face and neck, thereby providing evaporative cooling. A hand-held fan is still easy and practical. Waving a fan is so much more fun and effective than waving one’s hand (especially to shoo away summertime bugs).

Enhance your fan’s effectiveness by applying a few drops of cooling peppermint oil and insect-repellent citronella oil. This is a particularly convenient way to use these oils if you don’t want to apply them directly to the skin.

* Lavender After-Sun Mist
Invariably, exposure to the sun has a cumulative, detrimental effect on the skin. Lavender essential oil is often included in therapeutic skin care products because of its highly regarded soothing, healing and toning effects.

To make your own soothing and cooling lavender skin mist, mix 4 ounces of purified water or chilled peppermint tea, 1 tablespoon of aloe juice or extract, 21 drops of lavender essential oil and six drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray-mister bottle. Shake and lightly mist skin after exposure to sun. Always shake well before use. Avoid eyes and sensitive areas. Chill bottle and contents before application for added relief.

* Aromatherapy Simmering Pot for the Grill
After dinner is served on the patio the bugs seem to move in — just when you are trying to enjoy the food. Utilize the residual heat of the grill by simmering a pan of water to which you’ve added a blend of insect-repelling essential oils such as citronella, palmarossa, lemongrass, geranium and lavender. Enhance the brew with some aromatic botanicals such as peppermint leaves, lemon and sprigs of herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

* Evening Candle Applications
As your outdoor day moves into evening, candles are often used to provide light and ambience to the setting. Rather than the ubiquitous citronella-fragranced commercial candles or the smoking tiki torch, seek out decorative aromatherapy candle lamps to which you can add your own custom blend of essential oils. These usually come with a well to add water and a few drops of essential oils.

For more ideas on using essential oils for summertime activities, visit www.auracacia.com/summer.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

One of the proven home remedy for bronchitis is taking one glass of milk then adding half teaspoon of turmeric powder and drinking it two to three times a day regularly on daily basis. It is advisable to have it on empty stomach.

A spoonful of turmeric powder in tomato juice or milk taken once daily will help in reducing tropical eosinophilia and free the pangs of breathlessness in asthmatics. A teaspoon of lettuce seeds mixed with honey when taken twice daily on empty stomach, during the treatment of asthma and bronchitis is a very useful tonic and when used regularly, will reduce dependence on asthma medicines and improve the quality of life.

Chamomile has been used for many years in relieving asthmatic symptoms. Extracts of the herb contain terpenoids or active medicinal compounds that trigger an anti-inflammatory effect on bronchiole disorders. Moreover, the herb produces an antispasmodic effect to common episodes of asthma besides containing antioxidant compounds that inhibit the harmful effects of oxygen free radicals on bodily cells. When pitted against the commonly prescribed antihistamine drugs, the chamomile proved to be an effective alternative.

Broncosmoothe is another natural treatment for asthma, which opens up the bronchioles and relieves your tight chest. This natural treatment will make you breathe better, and provides quick relief. It is mainly for use for asthma attacks from allergic reactions.

Another great home remedies is usage of the wonder drug ginger. This wonderful herb serves as the anti inflammatory and mucolytic. For this, take about ½ teaspoon each of ginger powder, pepper and cloves. One can either prepare tea by using that mixture or else one can simply lick that mixture powder with honey. This will help in boosting the immunity of a patient.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is also said to help as is adding Vitamin C to the diet. Vitamins control our body and keep it healthy and by adding more certain ones to the diet you can control all health problems.

Other effective asthma treatment involves replacing carpeting with hardwood or tile, using leather or vinyl furniture rather than upholstered chairs and sofas, using the air conditioner and replacing down bedding with bedding made with synthetic materials.

There are a lot of causes of asthma, and each cause of asthma has different things that trigger asthma attacks. Each person needs a different approach medical wise, thus needed different asthma natural remedies. When you first out that you have asthma, using drugs is an obvious choice, especially if your asthma is very critical or life threatening.

Homeopathic cure heals this sinus infection by stimulating and energising this vital force to combat the sinus infection and leading to restoring the mind, emotions and body back to health and is a very holistic cure.

by Grath

Treatment and medical options

Since diabetes is a chronic disease, people who are suffering from it should be more vigilant about their health more than ever. It means that they should visit their doctors more often, maintain a healthy lifestyle and take the necessary medications or undergo needed treatments for them to stay healthy.

Before taking in any medication or undergoing a specific treatment, it is a must that person knows what type of diabetes he or she is suffering from. Basically, there are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes wherein the person’s body doesn’t have the capability to produce insulin, which is crucial for sugar to turn the food into energy; the type 2 diabetes-the most common type-restricts the person’s pancreas to produce enough supply insulin for the body to use well; and the gestational diabetes which occurs among pregnant women and can lead to type 2 diabetes eventually if not monitored immediately.

Experts say that people with diabetes should aim for healthy diet and getting regular exercise to control the illness. At times, there will be the need to take in some medications or undergo treatments. The following are just some of the common medications advised for people with diabetes:

1. Insulin shots. Since insufficient insulin levels in the body cause diabetes, insulin itself can solve the problem. For diabetics, insulin is very important because it lowers the blood sugar in the body by moving the sugar from the person’s blood into the cells. Insulin should be taken at least two times daily to ensure that there will be stable blood sugar control. It should be taken at least 30 minutes before each meal or should be taken before one eats especially if she or he takes a fast effecting type.

2. Oral medications. People with type 1 diabetes are not advised to use oral medications since insulin shots are injected in their bodies 24/7 in order to survive. Oral medications work best to people with type 2 diabetes-especially those who have high blood sugar-because these can serve as a supplement for them. The most common oral medications include sulfonylureas which forces the pancreas to produce more insulin to lower the blood sugar levels; siguanides which helps achieve lower blood sugar by stopping the liver in producing too much sugar; metformin which helps the person lose weight which is the common cause of diabetes; thiazolidinediones which helps the cells develop higher sensitivity to insulin which moves the glucose from the blood; and meglitinides which is responsible for helping the pancreas produce more insulin immediately after each meal to effectively lower blood sugar levels.

By: Jules Sims