Category: health

A stress victim, by contrast, fails to adapt to pressures and problems as well as he might. For example he may habitually bundle unpaid bills into a drawer and try to forget about them or lose his temper and call his wife extravagant or even fanatically w…

Ben Vereen, Tony Award-Winning Actor, Strives to Raise Awareness of Diabetes and Treatment

 

Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway star Ben Vereen is partnering with sanofi-aventis, a world leader in diabetes care, to launch Take the Stage for Diabetes Awareness, a national awareness campaign designed to educate people living with diabetes about their condition.  Since he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2007, Mr. Vereen has worked hard to anage his condition and is now urging others living with diabetes to work with their 

healthcare providers to find the best overall treatment plan for them.   “When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was very scared and confused.  After I accepted the initial diagnosis, I committed to doing everything I could to manage my diabetes,” said Mr. Vereen.  “My doctor talked to me about the importance of managing my blood sugar levels to help reduce the isk of diabetes-related complications. I worked closely with him to find the treatment plan that was right for him and now I want to urge others living with diabetesto do the same.”   For some, controlling blood sugar levels may require diet, exercise and/or taking oral diabetes medications.  For others, adding an insulin to their overall diabetes treatment plan may be necessary to help maintain control of their blood sugar levels.

 

 

“I had many doubts and fears about taking insulin. I was worried the injections would be painful and interfere with my daily schedule,” said Mr. Vereen.  “Since I never wanted diabetes to define who I am or stop me from doing the things I love, I kept an open mind about all potential treatment options.  My doctor and I decided together that along with watching the types of foods I eat and exercising regularly, I should start using insulin to help manage my blood sugar.  My treatment plan has gotten where it needs to be and now my blood sugar levels are under control.”

  

 

As a part of Take the Stage for Diabetes Awareness, Mr. Vereen is kicking off a nation-wide tour, traveling around the country with healthcare professionals to educate people living with diabetes and their families about theimportance of diabetes awareness.  He will share his personal story about living with type 2 diabetes and speak about how essential it is to find the best diabees treatment plan for them.  While living with diabetes is not always easy, the first step to managing it is to get serious about your health and talk with your treating healthcare provider about all available diabetes 

treatment options and your individual blood sugar goals.   “The good news for people living with diabetes is that the condition is manageable,” said Michael Bush, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, UCLA, and Division of Endocrinology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  “However, treatment regimens may need to be changed or adjusted over time, and many people living with type 2 diabetes who currently manage their condition through diet, exercise and taking oral medications alone, may eventually require the addition of insulin to their treatment plan.  That is why it is so important to regularly talk with your doctor about which treatment plan is 

best for you.”

   

 

“I am lucky – I have a great doctor who helped me reach my personal treatment goals,” said Mr. Vereen.  “But, it is important for people to know that I take action everyday to maintain my blood sugar control. Checking my blood sugar levels often, continuing to make healthy food choices, xercising regularly, monitoring my activity levels, and taking my diabetes medication as prescribed has become part of my daily routine.”  To read Mr. Vereen’s personal story about living with diabetes, or for more information about diabetes, treatment, and care, please visit www.BensDiabetesStory.com.

 

 About Diabetes  Diabetes is a chronic, widespread condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin – the hormone needed to transport glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells of the body for energy. More than 230 million people worldwide are living with the disease, and this number is expected to rise to a staggering 350 million within 20 years. It is estimated that nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, including an estimated 5.7 million who remain undiagnosed.

 

Former Supermodel is helping to spread the word about uterine fibroid tumors.

 

Beverly Johnson is speaking out and encouraging women everywhere to ask four simple questions and tell four women about uterine fibroids.  Beverly has decided to completely open up her experience with suffering from fibroids in the 30s and in hopes of education African-American women to learn more about their treatment options.

When Beverly was suffering with fibroids, she suffered alone-not even telling her mother.  Today she wishes that she had been more open, because she possibly could have received advice that could have provided a better recovery for her.

“I was not as educated about my body as I should have been”, admits Beverly.   Her first experience with fibroids caused severe pain and heavy menstrual cycles for many months.  Her doctor removed those fibroids in a procedure known as a myomectomy.  Beverly felt relieved and got on with her life, hoping that everything was behind her but keeping a watchful eye on her yearly exams.   Unfortunately, as in many fibroid cases, her condition returned and was even worse.

Looking back on it now, it is hard to believe how she manage working while dealing with the pain and discomfort of menstruating every day for a year.  So at 43, Beverly went with her doctor’s decision to have a hysterectomy which removed her uterus and ovaries.

If an attempt to get relief from fibroids, Beverly’s decision was she thought the best choice to make, but she was not made aware of other treatment options that would be less intrusive to her body.  As a result of the hysterectomy, she immediately went into full-blown menopause at a young age and was not at all prepared for the many side effects. 

This time in her life was one of the lowest points.  Imbalanced hormones caused weight gain, skin problems, fatigue and complete loss of sex drive. She felt lonely and her daily routine suffered greatly. 

Now after many years of hormone replacement therapy, Beverly has resumed her lifestyle that she has always enjoyed.  She is fit and active and enjoying the social scene around the globe….and just look at her pictures!  She is back on top of feeling great and sharing her story with women.  Her new campaign “Ask4tell4” encourages women to ask their doctors and themselves the right questions about uterine fibroids and then help raise awareness by telling four women the facts about this condition.  

 

Four Question to Ask Yourself and Your Doctor

Am I at risk for uterine fibroids?

How do I know if I have uterine fibroids?

What options are available for the treatment of fibroids?

To whom should I talk to if I think I have uterine fibroids?

  

We can ensure that all women are informed about uterine fibroids and treatment options by raising awareness through this important program.”   Please visit, www.ask4tell4.com to learn more about treatment options and empower yourself.

 

 

 

 

Stressed? Anxious? Nerves in a bundle? Getting quality sleep is one sure-fire way to ease your mind, reduce the tension and make each day far more productive and satisfying.

We grow and heal in our sleep as our body regenerates and assimilates minerals crucial to cellular repair and growth. Stress results in the release of a myriad of hormones and chemicals in your body that affect your mental state, nervous and immune systems as well as causes cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, and endocrine imbalances.

 

Here are some tips on how to achieve higher quality zzz’s

 

• Beware of electromagnetic fields in your sleep space. Keep alarm clocks, cell phones, PDAs and other electrical devices at least 3 feet away from your body while you sleep. These devices can interfere with melatonin secretion and achieving deep sleep cycles.

 

• Don’t work before bed, watch TV before bed, play computer games, take pharmaceutical sleeping pills, drink yourself to sleep, eat sugar before bed, watch the clock, frequently change your sleep cycle.

 

• Sleep in the dark to stimulate the pineal gland to secrete melatonin, an important hormone in the regulation of our circadian rhythm which dictates our wake-sleep cycles. Recent studies demonstrate melatonin’s powerful anti-oxidant properties as well as its critical role in cancer prevention and treatment.

 

• Avoid late night snacking on grains or sugar, these food will raise your blood sugar before bed and possibly inhibit your ability to sleep well. When you blood sugar drops in the middle of the night you could wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep.

 

• Take a hot shower or bath 30-60 minutes before sleep. The cooling down of the body will trigger the hypothalamus to aid in the body in falling asleep and the hot water wi11 relax your muscles. Drink chamomile tea, listen to relaxing music or white noise, write in your journal, practice deep breathing, stretch, take a hot bath, use aromatherapy, go to the bathroom right before sleep, and go to sleep by 10pm    
   
   
    
   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   

   

• Drinking alcohol helps some of us fall asleep easily but can keep us from falling into the restorative, deeper stages of sleep. You surely notice the most lasting impact from a drink-filled night is next day tiredness, even when you get a decent amount of rest. This is because alcohol shortens or hastens our REM sleep. Studies show REM sleep is important to maintaining a positive mental outlook and that people who suffer from depression also experience short or rapid onset REM sleep. Bottom line is our sleep quality is greatly compromised when we drink alcohol. So, if you are having sleep troubles skip the booze or accept the reality of next day fatigue.
  

Sleep and stress reduction are intermingled, critical components for our overall health and well being, and is why we introduced these all natural, non-addictive nutritional supplement formulations each available at www.GoodElements.com:

 

Dream Supply^™ – A safe, gentle and effective sleep formula that promotes a restful and restorative deep sleep without next day drowsiness.

Chill^™ – An all-natural, non-addictive stress and anxiety relief supplement that reduces feelings of anxiety, and supports emotional well being by moderating the body’s physical and emotional response to daily stress.

Dr. Britta Zimmer, N.D., is the Co-Founder and Chief Health Officer at GoodElements.com – a purveyor of best-of-breed physician-formulated, all-natural vegan health supplements for everyday healthy living. She may be reached through the company’s Web site at www.GoodElements.com.

 

In her latest novel focused on world issues, Ellis (the Breadwinner trilogy) focuses on the plight of AIDS orphans in Mulawi. In the opening chapters, current events take precedence over character development. The author establishes how 13-year-old Binti went from starring on a popular radio show, attending a private girls’ school and helping her generous father tend his Heaven coffin shop, to becoming an impoverished AIDS orphan. However, Binti comes to the fore once her father dies (at the funeral, her grandmother reveals the cause as AIDS) and greedy relatives descend upon Binti and her siblings, seize their possessions, and grudgingly offer them homes (separating the sisters from their brother). Ellis lays bare the prejudice and superstitions surrounding AIDS: the abusive uncle who adopts Binti cautions his children to “keep away from them,” to avoid contracting the disease, and men believe that sleeping with a virgin will cure them. Hardship has an impact on the family in myriad ways, including her brother’s trip to prison and her sister’s sensitively portrayed downward spiral into prostitution, but it also brings the siblings full circle to seek out their grandmother, who cares for a band of AIDS orphans, and to employ their coffin-making skills to start another Heaven Shop. The ending may seem a bit tidy to readers who become immersed in this grim portrait of disease and ignorance, but they will likely cheer on this stalwart heroine and may well pay closer attention to headlines about AIDS and Africa.