Diabetes Tips On Keeping Your Blood Sugar at a Healthy Level

Persons with diabetes should keep their blood sugar (also called blood glucose) at a healthy level to prevent or slow down diabetes problems. Ask your doctor or diabetes teacher what a healthy blood sugar level is for you.

• Your blood sugar can get too high if you eat too much. If your blood sugar becomes too high, you can get sick.
• Your blood sugar can also go too high if you do not take the right amount of diabetes medicine.
• If your blood sugar stays high, especially for prolonged periods of time, you can get diabetes problems. Problems that can occur include injury to the heart, eye, foot, kidney, and other problems.
• You can also get sick if your blood sugar becomes too low.

How Can I Keep My Blood Sugar at a Healthy Level?

• Eat about the same amounts of food each day.
• Eat your meals and snacks at about the same times each day.
• Do not skip meals or snacks.
• Take your medicines at the same times each day.
• Exercise at about the same times each day.

Why Should I Eat About the Same Amount Each Day?

• The food you eat turns into sugar and travels to your blood. This is called blood sugar. Your blood sugar goes up after you eat.
• Keep your blood sugar at a healthy level by eating about the same amounts of food at about the same times each day.
• Your blood sugar will not stay at a healthy level if you eat a big lunch one day and a small lunch the next day.

Why Should I Eat at About the Same Times Each Day?

• Eating at about the same times each day helps you keep your blood sugar from getting too high or too low.
• Eating at about the same times each day also helps your diabetes medicine keep your blood sugar at a healthy level.

What Times Should I Take My Diabetes Medicines?

• Talk with your doctor or diabetes teacher about the best times to take your diabetes medicines. Fill in the names of your diabetes medicines, when you should take them, and how much you should take.

Here are some hints:

• Diabetes pills: Take these before you eat.
• Regular, NPH, or Lente insulin: Take this 30 minutes before you eat.
• Humalog insulin lispro: Take this just before you eat.

Points To Remember
The food you eat makes your blood sugar go up. Diabetes medicines make your blood sugar go down. Together, when each is taken properly, they help you keep your blood sugar at the healthy level.
That's why you should:

• Eat about the same amounts of food each day.
• Eat your meals and snacks at about the same times each day.
• Try not to skip meals and snacks.
• Take your diabetes medicines at about the same times each day.
• Exercise at about the same times each day.

Keeping your blood sugar at a healthy level every day can helps you to prevent diabetes problems.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND PREVENTION

Sexually transmitted diseases or sexually transmitted infections (also known as STDs or STIs) are the infections which spread through a close personal contact. STDs can have an effect on people of all ages and background having sex.

It is very unfortunate that STDs have become common among teens now days. As teens are at a higher risk of getting STDs, it is important to know about the ways you can protect yourself.

Some STDs are far more than an embarrassment; in fact they are a serious health problem. STDs if untreated can even cause death (in the case of HIV/AIDS).

How STDs Spread

STDs spread because of the reason that people think they can only be infected if they have sexual intercourse, which unfortunately is incorrect. STDs such as herpes or genital warts can be acquired trough skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore.

A second misunderstanding regarding STDs is that you can not get them if you have an oral or anal sex. You actually can get STDs if you have an oral or anal sex. This is because the viruses or bacteria that cause STDs can enter the body through tiny cuts or tears in the mouth and anus, as well as the genitals.

Most People, who don’t know that they are having STDs, pass the infection to their sex partners without even realizing it. Factors that enhance the person’s chances of getting STDs are:

Sexual activity in young people; when people indulge in sexual activity at a younger age, the chances of becoming infected with an STD rise considerably.

Many sex partners; when people have many sexual partners, they are more at risk than those who stay with the same partner.

Unprotected sex; The only form of birth control that reduces the risk of getting an STD is the Latex condoms. But however latex condoms don’t fully protect the individual from the STDs. The prevention provided by the condoms against STDs is 90% research showed. Other birth control methods such as Spermicides and diaphragms may help prevent pregnancy, but they don’t protect a person against STDs.

Never share needles; many STDs such as syphilis and HIV (AIDS) can spread through shared needles.

Prevention and Treatment of STDs

Like many other diseases, prevention is the key. It is a lot simpler to prevent STDs than to treat them. The best way to avoid STDs is to abstain from all types of sexual activity. If someone wants to have sex, than the best way to reduce the chances of getting STDs is to use condoms every time.

People having sex with different sexual partners, should get regular gynecological or male genital examinations. This should be done due to two reasons. One, during these exams, doctors gets a chance to teach people about STDs and its protection. And second, if STDs are found in the earlier stages, they can be treated well.

Don’t allow humiliation to keep you from seeking medical attention for STDs. While waiting to see a doctor, you may allow the disease to progress and cause more damage. If you feel that you or your partner is having an STD, see the doctor immediately.

If you want to get your STD exam confidentially, you may be able to find a local clinic in your area. In US, some national and local organizations operate STD hotlines staffed by trained specialists who can answer your questions and provide referrals. Calls to these hotlines are confidential. One US national hotline is 1-800-227-8922. This service is provided by American social health association.

Not necessarily all the infections in the genitals are caused by STDs. At times people can get symptoms that appear very much like those of STDs. A yeast infection in girls, can easily be confused with an STD. Similarly, guys worry about bumps on the penis that turn out to be pimples or irritated hair follicles. Due to this reason it is highly recommended to see a doctor if you ever have questions about your sexual health.

10 Steps to Asthma Self Help

Managing asthma is not something your doctor can do for you all by himself. Asthma self help is an important part of treating and managing your condition so that it doesn’t take over your entire life.

Your doctor may prescribe both daily medication and medication to take in case of an acute asthma episode, but the task of minimizing risk of asthma attack and taking care of yourself on a daily basis is largely up to you and your family.

Learning some key asthma self help tricks can help you keep your asthma under control so that it doesn’t interfere with your daily life.

Because asthma can be caused, triggered or worsened by so many things, there are many things that you can do to lessen the frequency and severity of the symptoms.

Your doctor will offer important suggestions in addition to medication to help you manage your asthma. Think of those suggestions as a personalized asthma self help plan. A major part of asthma self help involves avoiding asthma triggers. Some ways that you can help yourself if you or someone in your family has asthma include:

1. The first and most important step in asthma self help is to follow your doctor’s orders. Don’t stop taking daily medication just because you feel better. If he’s prescribed daily peak flow measurements, be sure to follow instructions carefully and measure daily to monitor your condition.

2. If you smoke, quit. Whether the asthma sufferer is you or a child in your family, cigarette smoke is one of the most common asthma triggers known.

3. Keep the house dust-free – or as close to dust-free as possible. Dust is another common asthma trigger. Use a cylinder vacuum instead of an upright – preferably one that encloses the vacuum cleaner bag inside a solid canister to minimize pumping dust back into the air.

4. If you can, remove carpets and heavy draperies. They’re dust-catchers that easily breed dust mites. If you can’t remove them, vacuum them frequently using a canister vacuum cleaner.

5. Avoid using down feather pillows and comforters, and use a plastic cover on your mattress. Mattresses and pillows can harbor dust mites. The same goes for stuffed animals and other ‘soft’ decorations.

6. Cover your mouth and nose with a scarf in cold weather. Cold air is another common asthma trigger.

7. If your asthma is triggered by allergens, monitor the outside air quality daily. Avoid open fields and woodsy areas during peak pollen seasons, and take extra care when air quality is in danger ranges.

8. Mold is another common allergen that triggers asthma. Keeping mold down is another important part of asthma self help care. Dry wet laundry immediately, and wash and disinfect bathrooms and showers regularly. Remove houseplants, as mold grows in their soil.

9. Pet dander can also trigger asthma symptoms. If you can’t part with a pet because of emotional ties, at least keep it out of the bedroom to minimize your exposure to dander.

10. Be aware of any food or ingested allergies, and avoid foods, medications and drinks that cause allergic reactions.