Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar too high. Blood glucose comes from the food you consume, and it is the primary power source. Pancreatic insulin allows glucose from food to enter the cells for energy purposes. Your body does not use enough insulin, glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

High blood sugar which is untreated from diabetes can damage your nerves, eyes, kidneys and other organs.

Health problems can cause, having too much glucose in your blood. You can take action to managing and maintain the diabetes.

What are the different types of Diabetes?

These symptoms are caused by rising blood sugar. But you can take steps to lower the chances of developing these diabetes health problems

Type 1 diabetes: It is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little insulin or no insulin and the body is unable to make insulin. It is a hormone that helps your body’s cells use glucose for energy. Insulin, on the other hand, helps glucose to migrate from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

Symptoms of Type1 Diabetes:

The type1 diabetes symptoms are

Excessive hunger
Excessive thirst
Blurred vision
Fatigue
Frequent urination
Dramatic weight loss in a short period of time.

Type 2 Diabetes: It’s a life-long illness that prevents the body from taking insulin the way it should be. People who are 40-50 years of age or older are most likely to get this kind of diabetes. It also affects kids and teens mainly because of childhood obesity. Diabetes, or elevated blood sugar levels, was diagnosed in 11.5 percent of Indians over 45 years of age.

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes:

The type 2 diabetes symptoms can be so mild that you cannot recognize. The symptoms are:

Getting very thirsty
Peeing a lot
Being cranky
Burning in your hands or feet
Fatigue/feeling worn out
Wounds that don’t heal
Yeast infections that keep coming back
Feeling hungry
Weight loss without trying
Getting more infections

Gestational diabetes: It develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this form of diabetes disappears after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a better chance of rising type 2 diabetes later in life.

What health issues can people have with diabetes?

However high blood glucose leads to problems such as:

heart disease
stroke
kidney disease
eye problems
dental disease
nerve damage
foot problems

Get to know the 5 natural ways to prevent diabetes before it starts:

There are many actions you can take to reduce the risks of diabetes.

Cut refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet: This can be the first best thing to do. Having high refined carbohydrates and sugar increases blood sugar and insulin levels which leads to diabetes.
Having limit sugar, complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, oatmeal and whole grains will be beneficiary to stop diabetes.

Regular Work-out: Physical exercise on a daily basis can help avoid diabetes. Exercise increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells. So, when you exercise, less insulin is essential to keep your blood sugar levels under control. It includes aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training and strength training. Exercise frequency seems to increase insulin sensitivity and function.

Drink water: The most natural beverage you can drink is water. consuming water may provide benefits. Some studies have shown that increased water intake may contribute to improved regulation of blood sugar and insulin reaction. Drinking water instead of other beverages will help balance blood sugar and insulin levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Lose Weight: Losing even a small amount of weight will help minimise this risk, studies suggest that the more you lose, the more benefits you can experience. There are many healthier choices for weight loss, including low-carbon, Mediterranean, paleo and vegetarian diets. However, finding a way to diet that you can commit to for a long time is crucial to helping you sustain your weight loss.

High-Fiber Diet: Having high fiber diet is beneficial for gut health and weight management. Consuming a good source of fibre at each meal may help avoid increases in blood sugar and insulin levels, which can help to minimise the risk of developing diabetes.

Are you looking for a Diabetic health check-up in Bangalore?

Call us on +91 9900811118 or to book an appointment, please visit add-on scans and labs located in Sarjapur road, Bangalore to get diabetic health check-up.

Enhanced Cognitive Function
As we age, our bodily systems, including the brain, may not operate as efficiently as in our younger years. To maintain cognitive sharpness, it’s crucial to keep the brain engaged and stimulated.

Activities That Stimulate the Mind:
Community game nights or happy hours
Book clubs
Artistic pursuits such as painting or drawing
Bible study groups
Engaging in these activities can help protect against neurological conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the National Institute on Aging, staying mentally active can preserve and even improve cognitive function. Seniors who regularly challenge their brains through social and intellectual activities tend to maintain their cognitive abilities longer.

Improved Mental Health
The psychological aspect of brain health is just as important as the cognitive side. Isolation and a lack of social interaction can lead to mental health issues such as depression. The American Psychological Association highlights the importance of social connections for mental well-being, especially in older adults.

To nurture mental health, seniors should:

Participate in community events
Invite family and friends to join in activities
Create and cherish new memories through social interaction
These engagements provide a sense of belonging and can significantly enhance mood and overall happiness.

Physical Health Maintenance
A sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to health at any age. The World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Conversely, an active lifestyle is key to longevity and well-being.

Physical Activities for Seniors:
Morning walks or strolls
Games like cornhole or bocce ball
Cycling, hiking, and swimming
Yoga or tai chi
Dance classes
Gardening
These activities not only promote physical health but also provide opportunities for social interaction, making exercise more enjoyable. It’s important for seniors to consult with healthcare providers before starting new exercise routines to ensure safety.

Fostering a Purposeful Life
Social connections and enjoyable activities can instill a renewed sense of purpose in seniors. Being part of a community, whether it’s a book club or a senior group, contributes to a feeling of engagement and belonging.

The benefits of purposeful living include:

Looking forward to each day with hope and excitement
Coping better with life’s changes
Feeling part of something larger than oneself
In conclusion, social activities are essential for seniors, offering cognitive, mental, physical, and emotional benefits. By participating in a range of social pursuits, seniors can lead richer, more vibrant lives.

Recently due to the rapid rise of coronavirus cases in India, there is a huge hit on the efficiency of the healthcare sector. Many hospitals are facing difficulty in providing medical aid to everyone and suggest those who aren’t critical try and self treat at home. In the midst of this chaos, we have seen the sudden rise in the popularity of Oxygen Concentrators. As Covid-19 care essentials have become so necessary we have to adopt using them in our daily lives. Starting from masks, sanitizers, oximeters etc, these have now become part and parcel of our life and living. Similarly, oxygen concentrators thus have become critical in treating breathing problems of Covid patients. Because it is a piece of advanced medical equipment, not much is known about it to the layman. This article is going to answer what oxygen concentrators are, how they work, and the process of getting one for yourself at home.

What is an Oxygen Concentrator?
As the name itself suggests, an Oxygen Concentrator increases or concentrates the amount of oxygen in the surroundings. Our body needs a certain amount of oxygen in order to operate. The ambient air around us is mostly nitrogen with only 21 percent of it being useful oxygen. It is our lungs that filter out the other gases and pass pure oxygen into the bloodstream. The amount of oxygen entering the body is called the oxygen saturation level, and when it starts going below a certain point, loss of bodily functions is seen. You may experience breathlessness, weakness, and these symptoms may also lead to fatal heart attacks or respiratory collapse.

Medical oxygen concentrators are able to take air from the environment and concentrate it to a much greater percentage for the patient to ingest. A highly concentrated dose of oxygen helps lower the burden on the diseased or failing lungs and thus more oxygen is able to be passed into the body to support life functions. The best feature of such oxygen concentrators is that they do not rely on any external resources and only convert the ambient air in our surroundings. These can also be run for long periods of time for several days, without running out.

How do they work?
The basic process of an Oxygen concentrator is to suck in the atmospheric air and to filter out the nitrogen from using various methods, leaving only a highly oxygen-rich gas. Oxygen concentrators can achieve this via two methods.

The first is Pressure Swing Adsorption, where a molecular sieve is used to separate the nitrogen. The air is passed through a sieve that is coated with zeolite. Zeolite is a material that attracts nitrogen particles and sticks to them. This means, as the air keeps passing through the machine, the oxygen keeps passing on, while the nitrogen is stuck to the zeolite particles and is filtered out. It is a very economical and efficient process for home and healthcare applications.

The second method, Membrane Gas Separation, is a very simple method where the air passes through multiple membranes. These membranes are designed on a microscopic level to only let oxygen through. The nitrogen and other gases eventually get filtered out through the membranes after multiple passes.

After the oxygen concentrator has converted the air, we get a constant stream of gas that is 90-95% pure oxygen. This concentrated oxygen can then be supplied to a patient via a breathing mask.

Using an Oxygen Concentrator at home:
If in any unfortunate scenario, one finds that a patient is suffering from low oxygen saturation and has to be isolated at home, based on the severity of their breathing, oxygen concentrators can be used. Oxygen concentrators can be used if the oxygen saturation levels fall up to 85%. Any more than that, then you will have to shift to denser alternatives of oxygen such as liquid medical oxygen.

Having the knowledge of operating an Oxygen concentrator is very important. As hospitals have very limited resources, they have to allocate them to patients who are fatally ill and require intensive care. For those featuring moderate or mild breathing difficulties, all medical professionals are suggesting home treatment. Not only will this act as a form of isolation for the virus to not spread further from the patient, but also lower the caseload of the hospitals.

The process is very simple, first, connect the oxygen concentrator to a source of power and turn it on. Then attach a bottle of distilled water as per the liters of oxygen required. Lastly, you can administer the oxygen to the patient through a nasal cannula or a face mask. Just connect the plugs to the oxygen concentrator and it will automatically start pumping the oxygen through the pipes and into the patient’s respiratory system.

Is Oxygen Concentrator useful for COVID Patients?
This is definitely a very widely asked question. The simple answer to this question is a definite yes. For anyone who starts facing trouble breathing due to COVID-19, it is necessary to provide them the required oxygen, or else the functioning of their body will suffer. The threshold of applying concentrated oxygen is when the oxygen saturation falls below 95%. This kind of fall in oxygen is one of the most common symptoms of Covid and can affect people with various degrees of fatality. Oxygen concentrators can treat patients to a certain extent. However, if in any case, the oxygen falls below 85% you must seek professional medical help at a hospital as oxygen concentrators cannot keep up beyond that point.

How to buy Oxygen Concentrators?
Oxygen concentrators are very high in demand and are also being sold for marked-up prices. Some of the best oxygen concentrators are produced by companies such as Philips Invacare, Inogen, and BPL Medical Technologies. Oxygen concentrators are also available for purchase at medical stores, however, there is a high chance of them running out of stock due to the extremely high demand from homes and hospitals.

In conclusion, oxygen concentrators have become one of the most critical objects right now. Their ability to save the life of COVID-19 patients at a time when the country is afflicted with so many cases makes them a very important medical product for everyone to have in case of emergencies.

Homeopathic Medicines for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI)

Acute Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is a common infection in every season specifically during rainy and winter seasons. The vast majority of infections are caused by viruses. The common symptoms of viral URTI include

Nasal discharge
Runny nose
Sneezing
Nasal congestion or stuffy nose
Nasal breathing.
Cough
Scratchy or sore throat
Fever

Scope of Homeopathy Treatment in acute Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI)

Homeopathy helps to cure diseases by boosting the body’s own immune system. Every individual is different in their physical level, mental level, and emotional level. All people do not react in an equal way to a stressor. The strength of the immune system to fight for a disease varies from person to person. Similarly, also all people do not react in an equal way to a particular disease basing on their strength of the immune system. The intensity or characteristic of manifestation of symptoms of a particular disease also varies from person to person basing on their body immune strength. Therefore to strengthen the immune system of a patient it is required to take the detailed case history in a homeopathic way and to select or diagnose the specific set of medicines for that patient and if give that can be helpful to boost his / her immune system to eradicate the disease naturally.