Guide Easy For Health

Types Of Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes, and they really are two quite different diseases. In type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes, insulin injections are needed. But in type 2, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, most people can keep their condition under control with just diet and medication. This type of diabetes is actually much more common than the insulin-dependent type.

How do I find out which type of diabetes I have?

Your doctor will tell you what type of diabetes you have and what you need to do. You can also ask your doctor to refer you to a Diabetes Education program. There, trained health professionals can teach you about diabetes and insulin.

What Is Insulin?

Insulin is classified according to how long it works in the body. There are five different types of insulin, ranging from short to long acting. Some insulins are clear in appearance, while others are cloudy.

Types of insulin
The five types of insulin include:

1. Rapid onset-fast acting insulin
2. Short acting insulin
3. Intermediate acting insulin
4. Mixed insulin
5. Long acting insulin.

Diabetes And Healthy Eating

Healthy eating, combined with regular physical activity and weight control, is important to manage diabetes.

People with diabetes should eat mainly high fibre carbohydrate foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals and vegetables and fruit. They should also reduce their intake of fat, especially saturated fat. Limiting the serving size of your meals is often required to maintain a healthy body weight. It’s also a good idea to see a dietitian who can help develop a healthy eating plan. Read more…

Definition of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a general term describing a group of chronic non-pregressive neurological symptoms which cause impaired control of movement and which are evident in the first few years of life, usually before age 3. The disorders are induced by damage or faulty development of the motor areas in the brain, disrupting the patient’s ability to control movement and posture. Symptoms of cerebral palsy include difficulty with fine motor tasks such as writing, poor balance and walking, and involuntary movements. The exact combination of symptoms differs from patient to patient and may vary over time. Some patients also have seizures and intellectual disability, however, this is not always the case. Babies with cerebral palsy are frequently slower than average in achieving developmental milestones like learning to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk. Cerebral palsy is usually thought of as congenital or perinatal, however, it can also be acquired after birth. Many of the causes of cerebral palsy that have been identified through research are preventable or even treatable: head injury, Rh incompatibility, jaundice and rubella (German measles).

Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy

Doctors diagnose cerebral palsy by tests of motor skills and reflexes and by medical history.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans are typically ordered when the physician suspects cerebral palsy; howerer, they are not definitive. These tests can provide evidence of physical abnormalities such as hydrocephalus (an accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles of the brain), and they can be utilized to exclude other brain disorders. These scans do not prove that the patient has cerebral palsy; nor do they predict how well a specific patient will function in the future. Patients with normal scans may have severe symptoms, and while others whose scans are clearly abnormal have only modest physical signs. However, as a group, patients with cerebral palsy are statistically more likely to have brain scars, cysts, and other changes visible on scans. When physical examination suggests cerebral palsy, an abnormal scan helps confirms the clinical diagnosis. Read more…

Hypertension can sometimes confuse both the patient and the doctor for a couple of reasons. One, the physical symptoms of high blood pressure can vary quite widely. And secondly, it shares many symptoms with other diseases or conditions.

That’s why, in dealing with any illness, a thorough examination of the patient, including checking blood pressure, is essential.

It is quite common for patients to visit the doctor for one illness only to be told that their real problem is high blood pressure.

Undiagnosed hypertension can affect all the major organs of the body, including the heart, kidneys and liver. It is also capable of affecting vision and causing strokes.

The physical symptoms of high blood pressure can include giddiness, headaches, blurry vision, tremors, convulsions and difficulty in walking or exerting oneself and clinical depression, among other things.

Difficulty in even minor physical exertion and unusual tiredness may be signs of cardiac damage from high blood pressure. Excessive perspiration and breathlessness can also signal this condition. This is a serious situation and calls for immediate medical attention. Read more…