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How to Have a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes Although your pregnancy may be considered high risk, you can achieve a healthy pregnancy with careful planning and extra attention to your diabetes. If you have diabetes, the healthiest pregnancies are planned pregnancies. It is very important that you wait to get pregnant until your blood sugar is well controlled. You may need to use contraceptives to make sure that you do not get pregnant until you are ready. Part of preparing for a healthy pregnancy may include changing the medicines you use to control your diabetes. If you are not already on insulin, consult with your diabetes doctor to see if insulin is appropriate for you. If your blood sugar is too high during the early weeks of pregnancy, your baby is at higher risk for birth defects such as heart problems, brain and spine deformities, and other problems as well. If you become pregnant before you are ready, you should immediately contact your diabetes doctor to get help controlling ...

  The Exciting Possibility of a Breast Cancer Vaccine Cancer prevention is a major goal in health research, and one major milestone was the HPV vaccine, which targets a virus responsible for different types of cancer, mainly cervical cancer. Recently, there's been excitement in the news about a possible breast cancer vaccine. How does this vaccine work? How successful is it, and when might it become available? That’s the topic of this week's Healthcare trip. In November of 2022, an article was published in the journal Jama Oncology that covered the clinical trial results for a breast cancer vaccine that has been many years in the making. This was a phase one non-randomized clinical trial with 66 advanced stage breast cancer patients. Patients had what is called HER2 or HER2 positive breast cancer, with HER2 being the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein, which is quite a mouthful. In short, an overabundance of this protein helps cancer cells grow, and its presence ...

In this blog post, we are going to look at seven critical clinical signs of possible breast cancer. These signs will encourage you to see a doctor if you detect any change in your breast tissue. In addition to clinical photographs and illustrations, we will define each symptom and tell you what to look out for. Let's get started! 1. New Lump or Thickened Breast Tissue One of the early signs to observe is a new lump or thickened area in your breast. Not all lumps are malignant, but you should pay attention to any alterations in your breast when you check yourself. When you notice a lump or some change in your breast tissue, seek your healthcare provider to have it thoroughly examined and diagnosed. 2. Change in Shape or Size of the Breasts Another sign to watch out for is a variation in the form or size of one or even both breasts. This variation could be more conspicuous when you shift your arms, dressing, or simply looking in the mirror to observe your body. Such variation may ind...

  We All Are Aware How Widely Breast Cancer is Spreading Medical science tells us that the earlier detection , the better our chances to survive cancer are. Most women fail to go for a regular checkup. Let me tell you that signs of breast cancer could be checked at home by your own self. Yes, you need to keep a close eye on some base signs which can raise an alarm of early detection of cancer. Simple Signs of Breast Cancer First Appearance of the Breast There is a visible change . If you have breast cancer, stand in front of the mirror to inspect your breast thoroughly. Check for physical signs like your breast skin, which will appear dimpled , looking like an orange peel or redness of the skin, or if your skin is bruised . Even the size of the breast would change. How You Feel the Breast If cancer is present, there is a possibility that you might feel your breast slightly differently . You might feel heaviness and tenderness in your breast. If by mistake you touch the breast,...

When you finally exclude refined sugar from your diet, you may be astonished to learn that dates, mostly considered taboo due to their high carbohydrate content, could actually turn out to be the best snack option to maintain stabilized blood sugar. Many people often shy away from dates on account of them being too sweet and carrying so many carbs that they are sure to increase blood sugar. However, there's much more to that story. What if I told you that these luscious fruits, full of natural sugars , come with a bag full of fiber and other vital nutrients that help control your blood sugar? Let’s deconstruct this fascinating fruit and see what wonderful benefits it holds in store for you. Role of Fiber in Dates Dates are not only naturally sweet but also rich in dietary fiber , which plays a very important role in slowing down the digestion and release of glucose into the bloodstream. Unlike refined sugars that cause a quick spike in blood sugar, the fiber content in dates help...

When you finally cut refined sugar out of your diet, there are a series of changes that will occur in your brain and your body. Most of these are hard but beneficial in the long run. Here’s a detailed look at what happens when you quit sugar and whether artificial sweeteners can be used as a substitute. The First 24 Hours: Loss of Water Weight Within the first 24 hours of eliminating refined sugar, your body starts losing water weight. This is because your pancreas, which is responsible for controlling blood sugar, secretes glucagon when blood sugar levels start to drop. Glucagon breaks down glycogen, which is the stored form of sugar in your body, to generate energy. As glycogen is bound to water (about 3 grams of water per gram of glycogen), its breakdown results in noticeable water weight loss. Day Two: Feeling Rather Fatigued and Hitting Sugar Cravings By the second day, you are probably feeling fatigued and hitting some serious sugar cravings. This is due to your body now having t...

Imagine biting into a warm, gooey cookie, the crunch of a candy bar, the velvety smoothness of a slice of cake, or a waffle cone piled high with creamy ice cream. Does your mouth start to water? Do you feel that sudden craving for something sweet? If so, you're not alone. Sugary treats have a way of tempting us, but why is that? What happens in our brains that makes sugary foods so irresistible? What Is Sugar? Sugar is a general term referring to a family of carbohydrates in many foods and beverages. Take a quick look at the ingredient list on most packaged candies and you are likely to see names like glucose , fructose , sucrose , maltose , lactose , dextrose , or starch . These are all forms of sugar. Even high-fructose corn syrup , fruit juice , raw sugar , and honey qualify as sugar. But sugar is not hiding just in candies and desserts. It often ends up in foods you wouldn't suspect, like tomato sauce , yogurt , dried fruit , flavored waters , and granola bars . When suga...

How to Build Healthy Habits and Feel Your Best Being healthy is something we're always encouraged to do, but how can we be healthy? It all starts with creating healthy habits. Healthy habits can make you feel stronger and happier. Think of your body and mind like a car. A car needs good quality fuel to run well. You can't put in soft drink and expect it to run smoothly, can you? Just like a car, you need to fuel your body and mind with really good nourishing foods, thoughts, and actions that will make it function well. What Is a Habit? A habit is created when you do something repeatedly until it becomes natural. Having healthy habits can help you feel strong, create good relationships with people around you, help you concentrate better in class, and give you the daily boost you need to do all the things you love. The Importance of Healthy Eating One of the most important healthy habits to have is healthy eating. Healthy eating is all about feeding your body fresh and nutritious...

Causes of Chest Pain Not Caused by the Heart You know how sometimes people feel chest pain and they just think that's a heart attack. Well, the statistics would prove that is not the case most of the time. In fact, only 31% of people who experience angina or chest pain are linked to the heart. So, if a person experiences angina or chest pain, it doesn't mean he is having a heart attack. A heart attack is a condition where you experience a lack of blood flow to the heart that actually causes some damage. So if you have chest pain, there could be something going on in the heart that's creating the pain, but not necessarily damage. However, it could create damage. The single most important fact that one would know regarding heart attacks is that 64 percent of the cases appear to be silent. That means they will have absolutely no symptoms, or if anyone feels that someone in his house suffers from angina, often due to dizziness and sweating, but in short, while coming into the e...

In terms of heart attacks, most people attribute them to eating greasy foods , a sedentary lifestyle , and other kinds of lifestyle abuses . Diet and lifestyle do not solely play the role; it is not entirely their fault. Family history can also contribute a lot, but there are lesser-known risk factors that increase the chances of experiencing a heart attack. The following are some of the early warning signs and lesser-known triggers you may not link with heart issues. Chest Pain and Others The common belief is that chest pain is a major symptom of a heart attack. This, however, is a fact that is very misleading since many other factors may cause chest pain. The chest pain of a heart attack usually tends to be located on the left side of the chest and is sometimes described as burning . This requires recognition of the symptoms and not assuming that chest discomfort is necessarily a heart attack. Other causes should be considered, such as indigestion or muscular strain . Supplement...

Introduction to Vitamin D and Its Importance You are probably all aware that vitamin D is essential for your bones and skeletal system. However, in this post, I want to share with you five other amazing effects of vitamin D on various different body systems. Born in the South, of England to be precise - not the U.S.A. I was thus often exposed to dull, gloomy weather throughout the winter periods. A natural darker skin also did not exactly help matters - it made the skin less susceptible to absorbing necessary sunlight. I would often feel sluggish, tired, and low on energy during the winter months, and it seemed like I was always catching whatever respiratory infection was floating around. It wasn’t until my 20s that I started to learn more about vitamin D supplementation. Once I started supplementing regularly—particularly during the winter months—I noticed a significant improvement in how I felt. I also started getting fewer infections, and I largely attribute this to vitamin D. Unfo...

The Best and Worst Foods for Diabetics: A Guide to Healthy Eating Almost 10% of the American population is living with diabetes, making it one of the worst diseases in the country. Treating diabetes means regular exercise and eating the right foods, low in sugar and rich in fiber and complex carbs. Let’s discuss the worst and best foods for diabetics in today’s blog. Best Foods for Diabetics Number 6: Kale Let’s start off by talking about one of the healthiest vegetables. Kale is full of vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and a range of nutrients. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can cure inflammation, one of the major causes of diabetes. The green crinkly leaves of kale have a bitter taste, but adding them to your salad or smoothie will protect your heart and detox the body. Number 5: Broccoli Broccoli is a superfood for people with diabetes. A wholesome meal is incomplete without greens packed with antioxidants, folate, and a host of other vitamins and nutrients. They are beneficial not...