Category Archives: Going Healthy

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Tips

4 Ways to Control Diabetes

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Diabetes is a condition that can in some instances be controlled by diet, but in others, require medication. This is normally via an insulin injection. To know when blood sugar is not right, a meter can be used. This article will look at ways that we can control diabetes, including looking for the best glucose meter that we can find.

Glucose Meters

Blood glucose meters can generally be divided into three categories: invasive, non-invasive, and continuous. With the invasive type, a blood sample will be taken using a lancing tool, lancets, and testing strips. These components will be sold as part of a kit that can be purchased. With these kits, the strips and lancets will need to be replaced. Non-invasive kits will take measurements by way of physico-chemical sensors and usually from the arm to determine glucose levels. They are useful in eliminating the number of times someone has to inject insulin but are not as accurate as invasive tests. There can also be a problem with sensors staying in place.

The solution to both of these first two methods is a machine that allows for continuous glucose monitoring. There are blood glucose meters on the market that provide high levels of accuracy and can be worn on the arm, so can be taken anywhere. They generally have implantable sensors and remote transmission systems. They measure blood glucose levels that exist in the body’s intestinal fluid. They can more accurately calculate changes in blood glucose levels over a greater period. The continuous system is much less stressful for diabetics who no longer need to prick a fingertip each day. If you are the diabetic reading this, all that you need to know is how to use and maintain the machine. They come with good instructions and health professionals can help show you. They will be pleased that you have a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device and keeping a second close eye on your diabetes.

Diet (Food)

Whether you are controlling your diabetes with diet or insulin, which is where the above machine comes in, you will still need to think about what foods to eat or avoid with regards to your diabetes.

Anyone with diabetes should concentrate on eating lean protein and fewer carbohydrates that have been processed. As a recommendation anyway in a diet, fruits and vegetables are a good thing to eat. As are, healthy vegetable-based fats, including avocado, canola oil, olive oil, and nuts.

Eggs are a good source of protein for diabetes because they are low in carbohydrates and have a very low glycemic index score. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has stated that eggs are suitable for those with diabetes.

Diabetes-Friendly Beverages

There is nothing better than water to keep you hydrated. The same goes if you have diabetes. Green tea is known to have a positive effect on health in general and coffee is okay for diabetics to drink, too. Other recommendations for drinks that are suitable to drink are low-fat milk and vegetable juice. Processed fruits are not so good because key nutrients such as vitamins will be at reduced levels. Also, canned fruits containing sugar should be avoided in cases of diabetes. You should also control the amount of sugar added to drinks.

Sleep

Not enough sleep can raise blood sugar levels, for those who are type 2 diabetics. So, this is something that you can do to help without any intervention other than going to bed sooner than a television show might let you. Sleep is good for health in general and re-energizes us ready for the next morning.

So, some of the best things that we can do if we have diabetes, or to advise those who have, is to buy a glucose meter to continually monitor diabetes, take care with diet, drink diabetic-friendly beverages, and allow ourselves enough sleep. It will help the condition and please the health professionals, too. There is nothing better than self-management of a condition.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Tips

What to do when you have a chronic toothache

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A toothache is a pain like none other. It can often start as a dull sensation and gradually become one of the worst pains you may have ever experienced. Unfortunately, many things can cause a toothache, from getting food stuck between teeth to more internal problems like shifting teeth. Whatever the cause, there are a few ways you can manage the pain as soon as it hits. If you’re experiencing a toothache, you’ll likely need some emergency toothache relief, so you’ll certainly need some tips!

Take some pain medicine

It may seem obvious, but not even people take pain medication when experiencing a toothache. This ache is just like any other ache in your body, and it can be treated the same way. By taking some painkillers, the pain of a toothache should start to fade in a matter of minutes. Most painkiller packaging will say that you can begin to feel the painkiller’s effects after 20 minutes or so, but you can sometimes the results more quickly. After a few hours, you can then take another dose of your preferred painkiller to keep the pain at bay.

Clean your mouth

It’s common for food to be the leading cause of toothache. Even if we have no visible gaps in our teeth, food can still work its way between teeth and get stuck. The gums in our mouths can then react to this food, causing inflammation and pain. Although it might be a little sore, brushing your teeth can dislodge any food that may be stuck. If this happens, after a few minutes, the swelling will begin to go down, and the pain will ease. You will probably want to rinse your mouth a few times to ensure that any remanence of food or bacteria is removed. You can do this with an antibacterial mouthwash or a saltwater rinse. If you can feel something that is lodged between teeth and brushing can’t remove it, trying using a toothpick. You may be able to wiggle something out between your teeth. Remember to be careful though, you don’t want to push anything deeper into the teeth. Alternatively, use clean tweezers to try and dislodge anything.

Watch what you eat

The last thing you need to be eating is anything chewy, crunchie, or hard. This can easily irritate a sore tooth as well as cause even more pain. Think of a bruise, the more you press it, the more it hurts. The same logic applies to a toothache. The more pressure you add to a sore tooth and the more you make it work, the more painful it can become. The area can become more inflamed, and the pain can begin to travel further down the tooth, creating a more significant wound. Ideally, you would eat soft foods or stick to liquid foods, like soup. This eases the pressure on any tooth. If toothache occurs because of a cavity, any tough food can make it worse, especially chewy sweets. Stick to the foods your teeth can cope with to save yourself endless pain.

Garlic has a powerful compound called allicin which is actually an antibacterial property. Eating foods with garlic can clean the mouth and rid of any infection that may be brewing. You could even eat it raw for maximum benefit, although it may give your smelly breath.

Embrace cold

There are two ways that you can embrace the cold when it comes to toothache. Firstly, you can use a cold compress to help reduce the swelling, easing pain. With a small ice pack or even a cold compress, you can hold down on your tooth, reducing inflammation. For example, say you have a toothache because of a wisdom tooth, you could hold a small ice pack to the bottom of your cheek and feel the pain ease. It may take some time for the cooling effects to work, but they will. Secondly, you can also embrace the cold by drinking ice cold water. The almost freezing water can almost numb part of your mouth so that you won’t experience too much pain. This also has the added benefit of keeping you hydrated, which can also combat pain as your body is feeling prepared for anything.

If your toothache persists and lasts for several days, you will need to see a dentist. You could have an infection underneath the tooth, or teeth could be grinding together and wearing each other down. Whatever the cause, a dentist will be able to take a better look inside your mouth and try to resolve the problem.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Tips

4 Ways to Relieve Rheumatoid Pain

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Rheumatology is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and therapy of all rheumatoid conditions. In this field, rheumatologists are doctors and will have specialist knowledge of a variety of rheumatoid conditions concerning their patients.

Some common rheumatic disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, scleroderma, and gout, to name some of them.

This article will examine four ways in which we can relieve the pain from such conditions.

Medication

The DMARDs most often prescribed by rheumatologists to treat rheumatoid arthritis will include methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine, and hydroxychloroquine. Their purpose is to slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, which saves the tissues and joints from permanent damage. This is no prevention as such, just the ability to slow the condition down with medication and to relieve it in other ways. Using the medication to slow things is relief to many sufferers and avoids them experiencing the worst symptoms for as long as possible.

Rheumatologists will prescribe prescription medicines and over-the-counter ones can be obtained for mild pain relief.

Compress

Warm, moist compresses can be used to loosen up stiff joints. Conversely, an ice pack can be used on inflamed joints. In addition, patients may find that a massage helps them. All these treatments are quick and easy to apply and will provide relief for the milder symptoms. In more severe cases, pain relief will be the best relief.

In addition to the compress, which is relaxing, it is also important to relax mentally and avoid becoming stressed, as this is one sure way of making a rheumatoid condition worse.

Diet

Eating a healthy and balanced diet can help with all rheumatoid conditions.

Continuing with Rheumatoid arthritis as the example, foods that should be avoided include fatty ones that are full of omega-6 fatty acids, meats that are fried, grilled, or boiled, gluten, sugars and refined carbohydrates, preservatives and anything that enhances flavour, and of course alcohol.

The best fruits to eat that will help with rheumatoid arthritis are tart cherries, red raspberries, watermelon, grapes, and avocado. In the case of the cherries, their dark red colour is indicative of them having powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties from their flavonoid anthocyanin.

Although diet is not a cure, it can certainly create a relief. Not only by eating foods that help with the inflammation that results from rheumatoid conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, but by avoiding foods that exacerbate the condition. As with anything eaten, moderation of the worst kinds of foods will help almost as much as their avoidance altogether.

Exercise

As with everything that is good for you, a good diet should also be combined with regular exercise. Contrary to what might seem logical, exercise will make joints better rather than worse. Even in pain, certain exercises can still be carried out that will help. A rheumatologist or physiotherapist will be able to advise on some good ones that are suited to a certain condition.

Exercising together is a good way of forming a support group of people who are in the same situation, who can talk over their complaints and what works best for them in terms of relief. There is nothing like receiving first-hand knowledge and support from a fellow sufferer who knows just how it is to live with the condition. This is on top of the professional health care that will hopefully already be being received from a rheumatologist. There is plenty of help for those who take the time and trouble to seek it out. Also, it is knowing about where to turn for help. A local GP can be the best place to start, as they can then make a referral to a specialist.

So, four ways to obtain relief from rheumatoid conditions. Medication where prescribed, compressions to provide much relief, a sensible diet to provide further relief and not worsen symptoms, and exercise to keep the joints moving.