There are a number of causes of bad breath, foremost among them being bacteria in the mouth, stomach and intestinal disturbances, bowel sluggishness, sinus or throat infections, and tobacco and alcohol use.
Almost everyone, whether or not they have diabetes, will benefit from exercise. But regular exercise also has special advantages for people with type 1 and 2 diabetes and is an important part of their treatment plan.
As people with type 1 diabetes know, many factors influence blood glucose levels. While exercise has been shown to improve blood glucose management in people with type 2 diabetes, the story is more complicated with type 1 diabetes. In people with type 1 diabetes, blood glucose levels vary considerably depending on the type of activity, duration, intensity of activity, as well as the amount and timing of insulin administration and carbohydrate intake. Low- to moderate-intensity exercise lowers blood glucose levels both during and after the activity, increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. In contrast, high-intensity exercise raises blood glucose levels during and immediately after the activity. The stress of competition and even heat can also affect the delicate balance between glucose and insulin. These effects on blood glucose levels can be addressed by carefully matching carbohydrate intake to insulin and planning the type and timing of exercise. Self-monitoring of blood glucose before, during and, especially, for many hours after exercise is critical for establishing how your body responds to exercise. This information will help you make the right adjustments to exercise, medication or carbohydrate intake to avoid high or low blood glucose.
Almost everyone, whether or not they have diabetes, will benefit from exercise. But regular exercise also has special advantages for people with type 2 diabetes and is an important part of their treatment plan. A key feature of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance — the body’s inability to respond properly to the actions of insulin. Specifically, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. Glucose is the body’s fuel, and muscles need this fuel to work. When we exercise, our muscles’ demand for fuel increases. The liver responds to this demand by releasing some of its glycogen stores, which are broken down into glucose that our muscles can use. As we continue to exercise, our muscles use up the available glucose in the blood and eventually the glycogen stores in the liver become depleted. At this point, the body looks for another source of fuel and starts burning fat to supply the muscles with the needed energy. Exercising muscles also appear to be able to use glucose more efficiently. Studies have even shown that previously exercised muscles are able to take up glucose more quickly over the next few days. This is why regular exercise is so important.
With so many good reasons to be physically active, it’s time to get started! However, if you have been inactive for some time and want to start begin an exercise program that is more strenuous than brisk walking, you should first see your doctor. He or she will want to ensure that you don’t have any conditions or complications that might be aggravated by exercise. It you are at high risk of heart disease, you may undergo a stress test (a test to determine how well your heart handles work). This test monitors your heart rate while you walk on a treadmill. If you have neuropathy (nerve damage), retinopathy (eye disease), very high blood pressure or very high blood glucose your doctor may want you to avoid some kinds of exercise or take special precautions. While a thorough physical exam is important, for most people the risks of not exercising are far greater than any risks associated with becoming more active.
Both aerobic and resistance exercise are important for people with diabetes. Aerobic exercise (such as walking, running, swimming, dancing, hockey, skiing) works your heart and lungs and carries oxygen to your muscles, while resistance exercise builds muscle. Resistance exercises (such as weight training) increase muscle strength and complement the benefits of aerobic exercise. If you decide to begin resistance exercise, you should get some instruction by a qualified exercise specialist. You should start with low weights and one set of 10 to 15 repetitions. The goal is to build up to 3 sets of 8 repetitions with the highest weight that can be lifted three times per week.
Once you get the green light from your doctor, take a few common-sense steps to ensure you get the most out of your work-outs and minimize the risks of getting injured:
Because exercising lowers blood glucose, there is an increased risk of hypoglycemia if you take insulin or certain diabetes pills. It is important to ask your doctor about preventing, detecting and treating hypoglycemia. When you first start a new exercise program, you should monitor glucose before, during and many hours afterward to see how the activity has affected your blood glucose. Be sure to carry some form of fast-acting carbohydrate with you in case you need to treat low blood glucose.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association 2003 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada, people with type 2 diabetes should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, spread over at least 3 nonconsecutive days. The goal is to build up to 4 or more hours of exercise per week. Does this sound like a lot of exercise? Think about how much time you spend in front of the television or computer and decide whether some of this time would be better spent getting fit.You may have to start slowly, with as little as 5 to 10 minutes of exercise per day, and gradually build up to your goal. The good news, though, is that multiple, shorter exercise sessions lasting at least 10 minutes each are probably as useful as a single longer session of the same intensity.
In order to benefit from physical activity, it has to become a part of your life and routine. Habits can be hard to change, so be prepared with a plan in case your motivation starts to fade. Here are tips for staying motivated.
“Am I pregnant?” is probably the most common health question women ask. The signs symptoms of early pregnancy are easy to recognize – even more so when this is not your first pregnancy. Whether this is your first, second, or third pregnancy, the signs and symptoms are the same. However during one pregnancy, you may experience incredible breast pain or nausea and vomiting, while during another pregnancy you might not experience these symptoms at all. The simple fact is that each pregnancy, just like each newborn, is different and you can’t count on having the same symptoms or the same intensity of symptoms during consecutive pregnancies
Fatigue or unusual tiredness –
Early pregnancy is time when a woman’s body is working very hard to keep up with the changes that occur. This means increased hormone production, as well as the fact that the heart is pumping harder and faster due to the escalation of blood flow – necessary to bring nutrients to the growing fetus. Increased progesterone production is the primary reason for the extra fatigue most pregnant women experience early in their pregnancy. Another reason for fatigue and unusual tiredness during early pregnancy are the emotional extremes experienced often during pregnancy. It’s not uncommon for a pregnant woman to burst into tears for no apparent reason other than the hormonal rise and fall that occur during this time. This symptom is also a sign to get more sleep before your baby arrives when you’ll need your energy to care for your newborn baby.
Late or missed periods –
The most common reason for missing your period is pregnancy and this is often the first sign that makes you suspect pregnancy. Only a pregnancy test followed by a pelvic exam, can tell you positively whether you are pregnant. Once your health care provider rules out pregnancy as the cause of your late or missed periods, the next step is usually to rule in or out several other possible explanations for absence of menstruation.
Light bleeding and/or cramping –
The most common reason for light bleeding during early pregnancy is implantation. Implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine lining and usually occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception. Bleeding caused by implantation is very light, often the only sign you might notice that indicates implantation has occurred is a small spot of blood .Cramping that is similar to menstrual cramps occurs very early during pregnancy and happens when the uterus begins to expand to make room for the embryo to develop into a fetus that continues to develop for a total of 40 weeks gestation when your baby is born.
Swollen, tender, or sore breasts–
Often this is the first physical sign of pregnancy. In fact, some women know when they are pregnant based on this sign alone. The reason breasts and/ or nipples are often sore, swollen, or tender during early pregnancy is because the breasts are undergoing changes to prepare for breastfeeding. The reason for this is the increased production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone that occurs and the breasts and/ or nipples are often particularly painful during a first pregnancy
Morning sickness –
Nausea during pregnancy can occur with or without vomiting. While morning sickness is most common between weeks four and eight during pregnancy, many women experience this symptom beginning about two weeks from their date of conception. Morning sickness is a misnomer since it can, and often does, occur at anytime of the day or night. The most common reason for this symptom seems to be the rapid rise in estrogen, produced by the fetus and placenta. Another trigger for nausea is odors. During pregnancy, a woman’s sense of smell increases considerably and can make almost anything from everyday household odors, foods, perfume, and smoke, to name a few, trigger a bout of morning sickness or nausea and vomiting. The most common foods to cause morning sickness are coffee during the first weeks of pregnancy, meat, dairy products, and spicy foods. However, it’s essential to understand that literally anything can trigger nausea and/ or vomiting during pregnancy. In fact, I personally know someone who became nauseated during one of her pregnancies every time she passed a microwave in operation.
Running to the bathroom –
During the first trimester of pregnancy, it’s easy to believe you might have to “move” into your bathroom since it seems you are constantly running to make to the bathroom. The growing uterus causes frequent urination during pregnancy. The first and third trimesters of pregnancy are typically when the most intense frequent urination happens. While the signs and symptoms of early pregnancy listed on the previous page are the most common, other symptoms can, and often do, occur in pregnancy. Other pregnancy symptoms include:
Headaches –
Headaches that occur during pregnancy are often intense and caused by increased hormone levels.
Mood swings –
Don’t think you’re crazy if you suddenly develop atypical mood swings or if you are unusually emotional during pregnancy, these are very normal reactions during pregnancy. Many times, pregnant women burst into tears for reasons that are unclear to anyone, including the pregnant woman. Another symptom caused by increased hormone levels.
Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy –
Caused by the circulatory system as dilation of the blood vessels occur. Low blood sugar, early in pregnancy, also triggers these symptoms.
Constipation –
Food digests slower than usual during pregnancy due to increased progesterone production. Slower digestion sometimes causes constipation during pregnancy.
If you experience the signs and symptoms of pregnancy, buy a home pregnancy test and see your doctor – either to begin prenatal care and confirm your pregnancy or to determine the cause of your symptoms if you’re not pregnant.
Diabetes is a disease that you should not ignore. It is important that you regularly monitor your blood sugar to avoid risks of complications as well as other disorders.
The easiest way is by the presence of sugars in the urine, and certain other symptoms such as prickly eyes and passing large quantities or urine (without having spent the evening in the pub first!). Diabetes is only diagnosed after quite a lot of testing, and this is a medical matter. Once diagnosed, it can be tested by taking a drop of blood and putting it on a testing stick and checking it, or there is a little gadget that does the pricking of the finger and the testing all in one. This indicates the sugar level in the blood, which is quite independent of the pressure.
Some diabetics take insulin, and it is important for them to get the timing right. Too long a gap between the insulin and the meal can cause a drop in blood sugar, which if not corrected can sometimes lead to coma and death. Too high level can cause other problems, but less dangerous in the short term. Read the rest of this entry »
Regular exercise is especially important for a person with
diabetes. It helps with blood sugar control, weight loss, and high blood
pressure. People with diabetes who exercise are less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke than diabetics who not exercise regularly, generally helps control blood glucose
levels, Exercise also helps insulin to work better.
Aerobics and anaerobic both types of exercises are
beneficial. while aerobic exercise works to lower blood sugar better, the benefits of anaerobic activities such as weight training are important too. For maximum
benefit, aerobic exercise should be done 3 to 5 minutes a week, for 20-30 minutes each time. If a person taking insulin
then it is easier to balance his blood glucose levels if he exercise at the same time of day.
An important study reported a 58% lower risk for type 2 diabetes in adults who performed moderate exercise for as little as 2.5 hours a week. Others suggest that the risk is reduced in overweight people, even if they don’t lose weight.
Regular aerobic exercise, even of moderate intensity, improves insulin sensitivity.
People with diabetes are at particular risk for heart disease, so the heart protective effects of aerobic exercise are very important for this patient population.
Moderate exercise, in fact, protects the heart in people with type 2 diabetes, even if they have no risk factors for heart disease other than diabetes itself. Strength training, which increases muscle and reduces fat, may be particularly helpful for people with diabetes, but evidence is needed to confirm this. One study reported that yoga helped patients with type 2 diabetes reduce their need for oral medications.
The following are precautions for all people with diabetes, whether type 1 or 2:
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