Diabetes – A Global Threat

 

By Ryan

 

Did you know that 347 million people across the world suffer from diabetes? In the UK, the figure is in excess of 3.1 million. By 2030, diabetes will be the 7^th leading cause of death in the world. This global epidemic is affecting health care services across the globe, but what can be done to stop it?

 

 

What is diabetes?

 

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is categorised into two different types: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 is where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin produced cannot be effectively used by the body. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce any insulin at all. 90% of those diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

 

Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone created by the pancreas, which regulates blood sugar (glucose) levels. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to elevated blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) and serious complications.

 

 

Type 1 diabetes

 

The cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown and you’ll often hear it referred to as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes most frequently develops before age 40 and it causes the pancreas to produce insufficient levels of insulin. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can include frequent urination, feeling tired, unexplained weight loss and feeling thirsty. Early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is vital and though there’s no cure, treatment aims to stabilise blood sugar levels. Regular insulin injections are needed and you may need to make changes to your diet.

 

 

Type 2 diabetes

 

It’s estimated that around 850,000 people in the UK have diabetes that has not yet been diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is linked to a poor diet, lack of exercise, increased levels of obesity and old age. Making lifestyle changes can help to prevent type 2 diabetes. Symptoms are similar to type 1; feeling thirsty, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and even blurred vision. It can often be controlled with dietary and lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise. However as the condition progresses, insulin tablets or injections may be needed.

 

 

Complications of diabetes

 

Diabetes can cause serious long-term health problems, which is why early diagnosis and treatment is so vital. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to visual impairment and blindness, kidney failure and limb amputation. Those diagnosed with diabetes are five times more likely to suffer from stroke or heart disease too.

 

 

Future treatments for diabetes

 

Although most people control their diabetes with daily insulin injections, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is rising. Since the 1920′s, insulin has helped diabetics to control their blood-sugar levels, increasing life expectancy. Yet today, more research into the condition is needed to develop treatments which do not leave patients reliant on daily insulin injections from companies like researchforyou.co.uk.

 

 

Islet cell transplants

 

Since 2005, islet cell transplants have been available on the NHS as a form of diabetes treatment. This type of treatment means ‘islet cells’ from the pancreas, which produce insulin, are taken from a deceased donor and transplanted into the pancreas of a patient diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Whilst this method of treatment is very effective, it is hard to prevent the body from rejecting cells and the new transplanted cells only survive for a few years. Further research into this form of treatment should help to resolve these issues and could see islet cell transplants become more widely available.

 

Other treatments which are likely to require further research over the next decade include the creation of an artificial pancreas. This could mean an end to type 1 diabetes!

 

 

Developing new drugs

 

It’s important that we continue to develop new drugs for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In the future, diabetics may only need one injection a week, which could reduce food cravings and encourage the body to produce more insulin. As you can imagine, this type of research requires funding and volunteers; organisations such as MAC Clinical Research recruit volunteers for their diabetes research at convenient clinics across the UK.

 

 

Why volunteer?

 

You might think, “Why volunteer?” when it comes to clinical research. Why not leave others to do the job? By volunteering for clinical research into diabetes, you could play a major role in the development of new treatments which could help future diabetes sufferers experience a better quality of life. Who knows, we may even discover a cure for diabetes! By volunteering your time, you are making a difference in the field of medical research and the good news is that the side effects of any trial or medication are usually mild. Volunteering can also be a great way to raise a bit of extra cash to fund your studies or afford that holiday you have been saving for.

 

 

In the future with more research, we may be able to wave goodbye to daily insulin injections, with new drugs and treatments making life better for those diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

 

Categories: Diabetes, global, threat

Warning: The Most Surprising Effects of Global Warming

The wellness and wellbeing of the environment is in jeopardy, and this is having all kinds of effects on the way that we live our lives, many of which you may well not be aware of.

 

For example, did you know that your groceries are probably costing more because of the environment? Due to the North American Drought in 2012 (caused by low snowfall followed by extreme heat), around 80 percent of the agricultural land in America suffered. This has affected soybean crops, corn and both dairy and meat products. This has translated directly into a 2.5 to 3.5 percent increase in the price of food in the United States.

 

Clothing prices could also be on the increase as a result. Environmentalists are aware that textile production and overconsumption could lead to an increase in clothing prices. The depletion of the natural materials used to make clothes, along with the carbon emissions that the factories that make them cause are both taking a big toll on the planet. A group of scientists recently predicted that by around 2025, factories would have to start growing textiles to make clothes from bacterial cellulose, a compound produced from bacteria. Not a nice thought!

 

Speaking of bacteria, your chances of infection are now higher than ever before. Temperatures in Northern areas have continued to increase, leading insects to migrate to areas that they would not before have entered, and bringing illness and disease with them. Incidences of Lyme disease have almost doubled in Maine, and have risen twelve-fold in Vermont. Climate change also means that infectious agents transmit more easily from animals to humans.

 

It’s hitting you in your pocket too – insurance rates are going up because of the increase in weather-related disasters such as Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina.

Categories: clothing, clothing prices, environment, global, increase, nbsp, percent, prices, warming

Global Fitness Secrets That Everyone Should Know

All around the world, people are losing weight and increasing their fitness in various ways. There are certain habits that are specific to certain cultures, and we can learn much about how to improve wellness and wellbeing by looking at examples from around the world.

 

For example, in Japan, they are very keen on stretching and limbering up for the day ahead. In Japan, there is a cheerful piano tune that plays on the radio every morning for 15 minutes, and a voice guides people through a series of stretching exercises. These same exercises are taught in many schools, and the tradition dates back to the 1920s. Known as ‘radio exercises’, group stretching goes on in primary schools and in other group settings – elderly people gather in parks, employees gather together in offices and so on. The Japanese recognise that stretching helps to promote circulation, increases flexibility and helps the body to ‘wake up’ each day.

 

In the Netherlands, cycling is a big way of life. The Dutch use their bikes for commuting, shopping and any other errands that they need to carry out. Around half the population of Amsterdam cycle every day (compared to less than two percent of Americans), and around 85 percent of all Dutch people ride their bike at least once per week.

 

If you want to take a lesson from the Dutch, make sure you wear a cycle helmet to help protect against the risks of cycling. Pedalling a bike makes your glutes, quads and hamstrings work hard and improves your cardio fitness levels.

 

In Singapore, it’s walking on rocks that helps to improve the fitness. Many paths are made from pebble mosaics, and this promotes barefoot walking. As people walk along these paths, reflexology points on the feet are massaged which helps to keep the body balanced.

Categories: fitness, global, helps, nbsp, people, Stretching, world

Tricks From Around the World to Improve Your Sex Life

It is a little known fact that around 30 percent of American women report that they have a low level of sexual desire. Not only does this affect their sexual wellness and wellbeing, it also puts them at risk for other conditions, both physical and emotional.

 

Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to boost your libido, and the inspiration for many of these comes from all the corners of the globe.

 

In many countries, spicy food is used to help get the blood flowing to the extremities. Spicy food also naturally turns up the ‘heat’ levels in the body, and boosts your metabolism. In Mexico, Jalapeno peppers and Habanero chillies are used to spice up food and spice up sex lives. In Louisiana, Tabasco sauce is a staple. It is a very hot and spicy sauce, made from mashed up red peppers, vinegar and salt. In India, of course, curry is the spiciest food on the menu and it comes in various different colours and intensities. It mixes hot turmeric with spices and is a staple food for many. In Thailand, Sriracha is a very hot chilli sauce that is frequently used to add a bit of kick to the menu. In Japan, a Japanese horseradish sauce called Wasabi is frequently found in the sushi. Finally, in South Africa, Peri Peri sauce is very popular and is made from Peri Peri chillies.

 

Yoga is also used around the world to help improve sexual health. It can increase flexibility, thereby making for a more exciting sex life. It is used in various places through the world, and there are even certain yoga poses that are directly linked to better sex, such as the eagle pose, which directs the blood flow into your pelvis, making a relaxed, warm sensation and directly being linked to arousal and desire.

Categories: Food, global, nbsp, peri, peri peri, sauce, Sex, sex life, spicy food, world

Could Dangerous Global Warming be Totally Reversed?

The environmental repercussions of global warming could be catastrophic to the future wellbeing of the planet, but scientists are now claiming that there is a chance that the effects could be totally reversed.

Researchers claim that burning trees for energy, as well as storing captured carbon dioxide could help to offset, or even totally reverse emissions.

Experts caution that this is just a theory, at present, and that restoring the wellness of the planet is not quite as simple as it sounds. For a start, this approach needs to be trialed before the earth’s temperatures reach dangerous levels, because climate change is already reducing the number of trees that are available to burn for bioenergy. Whilst in theory burning trees, as well as crops, for energy and capturing the resulting carbon dioxide to be stored underground is a great way of reversing global warming, a lot more research is required before this could be put into practice and make any kind of real difference to the environment.

The team that carried out the research was based at the Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, and they published the findings of the study in the journal Environmental Research Letters. As part of this write up, the scientists claimed that using this approach could not only offset but actually help to reverse the emissions currently given off by fossil fuels.

World leaders have currently agreed to avoid the world temperatures rising two degrees, but these researchers feel confident that even if temperatures did rise beyond this agreed point, their methods could still help to bring temperatures down again.  The authors feel that political gridlock could lead to increase problems with global warming, including the temperature rising above the agreed two degrees margin, but they say that this is not a concern as their methods would totally reverse the effects of this.

Categories: global, reversed, warming

The First Ever Mental Health Action Plan goes Global

All environmental issues are dealt with in a global sense, and so the issue of mental health should also be dealt with on the same platform, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). During their most recent assembly, the organisation discussed mental wellness and wellbeing, and passed a mental health action plan, designed to last until 2020. This is a significant event for all those who are involved in the world of mental health, either as sufferers, practitioners or scientific researchers.

The 2013 – 2020 action plan has been described as the ‘weaving together’ of various different strands of concepts and good ideas. It places strong emphasis on the importance of considering the human rights of every one of the affected persons, and it heartily endorses a community-based approach to tackling the enormous humanitarian crisis that is posed by the spiraling level of mental health problems.

The plan also points at work that has to be done community by community and advocates the direct involvement of those who are affected by mental health in restoring their own wellbeing. It is important, however, to question how soon the plan can be put into place to make real changes for the people of the world who are suffering from mental health disorders. This is especially problematic for those who suffer from mental health problems but also live in poverty, where their access to services is incredibly limited.

The priority for the mental health plan is to reach large numbers of people who are suffering from some type of mental health problem. It encourages the active participation of those affected, as well as active participation from their caregivers to help set them on the road to recovery.

Categories: global, mental, Plan

Global Warming Fight has Reached a Pivotal Moment

Due to the drought being suffered in Texas, scientists now believe that the environmental situation has reached a crisis point. Texas Governor Rick Perry says that the state has suffered three years of drought, and that there is now a serious threat to property, the economy and public wellness as a result.

It is not just the wellbeing of those in the state of Texas that we should be worrying about, though. The situation shows that global warming is an increasing environmental threat, and the repercussions of not tackling this serious issue head on could be catastrophic for the future of the planet.

Fortunately, President Obama has recently unveiled his government’s plan to tackle the issue of global warming, in a speech given at Georgetown University.

It is important for the US to make a serious plan, as the country is the largest culprit in the production of global warming pollution in the entire world. To meaningfully address the problem of pollution in America would spell a much greater chance of averting the serious impacts that scientists fear will come with climate change.

Already, the states has seen a year in which temperatures soared to record-breaking heights, wildfires spread through the country (including during the recent tragedy which claimed the lives of 19 brave firefighters), drought has affected many different areas and severe storms have also battered the country. President Obama feels that one of the main culprits in this growing crisis are the dirty power plants which emit record-breaking levels of CO2.

Already, the States has managed to reduce its carbon footprint by placing caps on global warming pollution across a number of different states, and also aims to have taken 56 million vehicles off the road by 2020, reducing further pollution in this form.

Categories: global, pollution, warming