Medicrit – Medicare

Archive for October, 2011

There’s a school of thought (to which I am a definite believer) that says exercise is an essential component of any treatment regime for type 1 diabetics.

The benefits of exercise if you have type 1 diabetes are well documented:

• weight loss/control
• increased fitness level
• increased energy
• reduced insulin requirements
• improved blood glucose control

In the face of these potential benefits it is obvious that everyone with diabetes should be exercising. But in reality many do not because it can initially make blood sugar control quite difficult and it adds an extra layer of hands-on management to the way you treat your diabetes. Hypos can occur more frequently when you first start exercising and this temporary loss of control can make many people feel that its simply not worth the hassle.

In response to this problem I’ve compiled a checklist of the steps you can take to ensure you maintain a grip on your blood sugars as you add exercise into your treatment regime. By following these simple techniques you’ll find that you can take full advantage of the benefits of exercise whilst minimising your risk of lows and highs before, during and after:

Test

Ensure you test before and after any planned exercise. In my experience you want your levels to be at least above 6.5 mmol (over 7.5 but not higher than 11.5 mmol is best). If it is below this take around 10g of carbohydrate (3 dextrose tablets) to raise your sugars before you begin. Hypos must be treated to maintain your awareness but you also need sugar available to your muscles for energy. If you exercise when your sugars are lower you’ll just feel rubbish, perform badly and possibly suffer further lows during and afterwards. Take a test 10 mins before you intend beginning so that glucose treatment has time to take effect.

Plan

Try to plan your exercise ahead of time. This will allow you to make adjustments to your insulin regime so that you don’t suffer any lows during workouts. I usually try to exercise 3-4 hours after my last quick acting (QA) injection so that there is a minimal amount of “active” insulin in my system. I find this minimises the risk of hypos during workouts and makes one less variable to worry about. However it’s not always possible to exercise on your own schedule and so you may need to make a reduction to your QA if you are going to exercise within a couple of hours of taking it. The reduction will vary based on the type, duration and intensity of the exercise you are doing and can vary from 0% for a yoga class all the way up to 80-90% for a days hiking.

Adjust

Post workout you will find that your insulin requirements should be lower. Your muscles need sugar to function during exercise and after you have finished a workout they need to re-fuel by taking up sugar from the bloodstream. This can lead to a hypo so you will need to take less QA and possibly less background insulin (BI) to keep your levels in the correct range. The reduction will again depend on the type of exercise as well as the time and intensity. In my experience I have found that the an initial reduction of 10-15% in my QA is needed after both aerobic & anaerobic exercise. However, anaerobic training usually leaves me needing less QA for up to 24 hours so be careful as you may find that the risk of a hypo can last for longer than you expect.

Record

Write down the workouts you do and the blood-glucose results before and after. This way you can refer back to them in the future to ensure you learn from any mistakes you make when you do the same types of exercise again.

Tips and Tricks

There are also a few tips that can also help to ensure your blood sugar levels stay in an ideal range. There is some evidence to suggest that caffeine can amplify the counter-regulatory hormone response (cortisol) and keep blood sugar levels higher during and after exercise. Something as simple as a cup of coffee 30 mins before a workout could have a benficial effect.

Similarly, working with the effect of cortisol, I have often found that for shorter periods of exercise (30 mins or less) a 10 seconds maximal sprint on the spot can help to prevent short and medium-term hypos by kicking off the stress hormone response. Meaning the blood glucose levels stay in a more normal range without the need to use food to ensure the same effect. This is very useful to know you are focused on using exercise for weight loss/control.

Erectile dysfunction in young men can lead to a severe fall in confidence levels, and especially when the age is young, the person tends to suffer greatly. Many young men suffer from this problem. Some have a genetic anomaly which causes them to have an erectile dysfunction, while others have this dysfunction because they do not take proper care of themselves. In order to be able to cure impotence in young men, the most important thing that needs to be done is to understand how the erection of the penis works and how it can be brought back to its original level.

Generally, sexual problems are common in both men and women, but it is generally the man that tends to contract sexual dysfunctions, mainly because of the fact that the sexual reproductive system of a man depends more on physical and psychological factors as compared to that of a women. For this reason, men are more likely to get an erectile dysfunction than women having any type of sexual problems.

However, even though impotence in young men becomes a serious source of discomfort and a decrease in self-confidence, there are a variety of different ways by which it can be cured, resulting in a vast amount of methods that are available to the people who have this problem. First of all, you should know how the system of erection works. Whenever your body gets sexually aroused, the flow of blood in your nether regions increases.

Now, we all know that the penis has no bones in it. So, when the flow of blood begins to increase in this region, the pumping of the blood results in a hard erection. Now, if there is something that blocks the pumping of blood or prevents it, there are chances that you might get an erectile dysfunction. After a great deal of research, it has been found out that most of the people who suffer from impotence also have problems with other organs as well.

However, as it stands, erectile dysfunction in young men is still quite rare and is mostly found in older men. If a clot of blood has formed somewhere near your sexual organ, there are chances that you will have an erectile dysfunction. Moreover, if you have been a constant patient from obesity and have very poor habits of eating and maintain a very low physical health, the chances of getting an erectile dysfunction are even higher.

You can easily cure impotence in young men with a help of a series of simple cures. The best way is to exercise. There are a variety of different techniques of exercises that people can try if they wish to increase the flow of blood in their bodies and get a better, overall response when it comes to erection. Apart from this, you can also try out herbal medication in order to get positive results. There are so many different herbs that are available in the market which are focused on improving the flow of blood in your nether regions and which help greatly when it comes to treating impotence in young men.

One of the easiest cures that you can try is to curb your lifestyle and your diet. Eating healthy food and preventing those which might cause problems in your body is very important, and will help you greatly if you wish to get rid of your impotence. Rather than sitting in one position, it will also help if you move around a lot and let your body muscles relax. That way your body strains physically thus making your muscles strong.

The Paleo diet follows the basic principles of the eating habits in the Stone Age; following the lead of our ancestors. It focuses on the basic food groups, which are meat, fruit, vegetables, seafood, nuts and seeds. The foods on this meal plan are natural and healthy; eliminating all processed foods, dairy, wheat and sugar. It provides a variety of health benefits and it can be followed by anyone. The diet is also naturally low in saturated fat and carbohydrates; focusing on lean animal proteins.

The main focus of the Paleo diet is on healthy food groups; basically eliminating any food group that was not available to the cavemen in the Paleolithic era. Our ancestors did not have access to any dairy products; and the same goes for cereal grains. These items were only introduced to us less than 10,000 years ago. Since research has proven that the human genome has changed about 0.02% during the last 40,000 years, our bodies still carry the genetic memory of our ancestors’ digestive systems. The aim of the diet is to follow their dietary patterns; eating only when you are hungry and staying within the basic natural food groups.

As mentioned above, there are certain food groups to avoid on this diet. Processed foods are on top of this list. Anything that has been packaged or processed should be avoided. The same goes for grains; even if the label says “wheat free” you should still avoid them completely. Avoiding these items will mean that you would need to avoid foods such as bread, pasta, pizza, cookies and rice. Dairy products are also on the avoid list; so try to steer clear of milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter and ice cream. Syrups and sweeteners should also be avoided on this program; they have a negative influence on your blood sugar levels. When you are looking for something sweet, rather try to snack on a piece of fruit, or a handful of nuts and seeds.

The Paleo offers a lot of health benefits; including a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease; as well as increased energy levels. Your metabolism will also increase over time; meaning that you will lose excess weight when following the Paleo diet. Research has shown that you can lose as much as fifteen pounds in six months on the Paleo plan; and even more when you incorporate a sound exercise plan as well. It will improve your digestive system too; providing you with essential fatty acids and fiber in your meals.

You will find a lot of Paleo diet information online; including recipes, articles, success stories and books. It is a good idea to read up on other individuals’ experience on this diet, and the way that their lives improved. The Paleo book from Dr. Loren Cordain is also jam-packed with essential information, tips and guidance for anyone considering following the Paleo diet. The diet is ideal for anyone; increasing your energy levels, reducing your risk of heart disease and improving your digestive system.