If you have bipolar disorder, you will probably need medication. You may need it for the rest of your life. That can be hard to accept. Some people see medication as a crutch or a weakness; instead they want to get better on their own.
But you have to remember that bipolar disorder is a real medical illness. It’s not something you can cure with willpower. Taking bipolar disorder medication is just like taking medication for high blood pressure or heart disease.Medication can be like a pair of glasses. Bipolar disorder distorts your view of things; medication may allow you to see clearly again.
While your diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder may leave you feeling relieved on one hand because you finally know what is wrong, but more worried on the other, know that you are on the right path. Once your doctor or therapist has diagnosed your disorder, you can gain the knowledge you need to learn to deal with your disorder. Along with suggesting some lifestyle changes, your doctor may start you on a regimen of medicine to help control your symptoms.
There are several medicines available to help Bipolar Disorder, but in order for them to be effective, they must be taken exactly as your doctor prescribes. Here are some of the Bipolar medications your doctor may prescribe. The first medication used to treat Bipolar Disorder, and still prescribed today, is Lithium.
First used in the 1950’s, Lithium was not actually approved for use in Bipolar disorder until the 1970’s. Once your doctor prescribes Lithium, it will probably take about one week to start working and may take up to three weeks before you feel the full benefits. Along with its mood stabilizing abilities, Lithium users may also experience hair loss, thyroid problems and swelling. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medicines to help with the side effects of this Bipolar medicine.
Another type of Bipolar medicine often prescribed to help stabilize moods includes medicines originally formulated as anticonvulsants. These include drugs such as Depakote or Tegretol. Like Lithium, these drugs may also take up to three weeks to completely control your Bipolar symptoms.
Reported side effects include mild stomach cramps, hair loss, and sleepiness or grogginess during the day. The higher your medication dose, the more problems you may have with daytime sleepiness. Users of these medicines often report turning to coffee to help counteract this side effect.
A newer class of drugs now being used to treat the manic phase of Bipolar Disorder is called the psychotropic medicines. There are several drugs in this class that will help reduce chance of experiencing a manic phase and may even bring about a remission in your symptoms. The Bipolar medicine in this class offers a lower risk of weight gain as well as a lower risk of developing diabetes than some other treatments.
One note of caution about most Bipolar medications – they can be very dangerous to pregnant women. If you are a woman who wants to become pregnant or has just become pregnant, tell your doctor. He or she can help you to assess the risks to you and your baby and together you can decide how to progress with your treatment.
There are many types of Bipolar medicine on the market today. While some may produce desirable results in one patient, they may not help another. Some may find the side effects of one medicine intolerable while they do not affect another. Only by working together with your doctor and therapist you can find a medication that best suites you and best controls your symptoms.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/the-perfect-bipolar-medication-fishing-for-the-best-treatment-739511.html
The increasing obesity epidemic among children today is thought to be a leading cause in the increase in juvenile diabetes in this country today. While not everyone agrees on the causes and affects it is hard to argue with the continuing increase of children with Type 2 diabetes who are also overweight. In fact as the percentages of obese children raises so does the percentage of those affected with juvenile diabetes at nearly the same rate.
There appear to be two main reasons for this increase in Type 2 diabetes among children. Most children these days have a sedentary lifestyle that revolves around watching TV, playing video games, or using their computer to chat with and email their friends. The second issue for many kids is their poor eating habits and nutrition. Living the fast food life style or eating a bag a chips while playing video games is one of the major reasons for the preponderance of overweight kids we see today.
For many years Type 2 diabetes was something that overweight adults had to contend with, mainly because children weren’t having the weight issues they have today. Type 2 diabetes in an adult is also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The primary treatment for this type of this disease is lifestyle changes involving diet and exercise for both children and adults.
One of the main concerns with type 2 juvenile diabetes is the affects it can have later on in a child’s life. Children with type 2 diabetes have been found to have more life threatening complications than type 1 diabetics. Some of the major problems juveniles with this type of diabetes face include heart disease, damage to the nervous system, renal failure, blindness, and limb amputations, particularly of the feet and lower legs.
The first line of defense against juvenile type 2 diabetes is probably the most obvious. Maintain a healthy body weight through proper diet and exercise thus preventing the onset of the disease. For children already diagnosed this same treatment applies if they are to avoid the complications to their health later in life.
For the juvenile diabetic a healthy diet is the cornerstone of their treatment. A well balanced diet low in sugar, saturated fats, and salt is the way to go. High fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables, along with complex carbohydrates are best for the diabetic. Even then foods high in carbs should be eaten throughout the day to help prevent large rises in blood glucose levels. Regular physical activity or exercise is also recommended to help insulin move glucose out of the blood and into the cells.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic all parents should take seriously. The long term health affects of all children are at stake, particularly with an increased risk of juvenile diabetes, a disease that will affect any child for their life time. By making easy lifestyle changes centered on a healthy diet and physical activity the onset of type 2 diabetes can be prevented, or even delayed in children at high risk.
Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/the-obesity-epidemic-and-juvenile-diabetes-140633.html
Sugar is the primary culprit in the development of hypoglycemia and diabetes. While sugar does provide a temporary boost of energy, eating it too frequently puts tremendous stress on the organs and glands that regulate blood-sugar levels. If you don’t have hypoglycemia or diabetes or if you rarely indulge in sugar, your pancreas can handle occasional sugary treats. But if you frequently eat sugar, your pancreas can become hypersensitive to sugar and overreact, flooding your body with insulin, which causes blood-sugar levels to plummet. This triggers your adrenal glands into action, and they notify your liver to release the glucose that it has stored as emergency fuel, which once again floods your bloodstream with sugar. If this happens too many times, your pancreas can finally give up and stop producing insulin or your cells may become resistant to insulin, and hypoglycemia can slip into diabetes.
Most American women eat about 80 pounds of sugar per year, as well as large amounts of refined carbohydrates such as white flour, which is easily converted into glucose in the body. Even if you don’t add sugar to foods, you can still take in tremendous amounts if your diet contains a lot of prepared foods. Obviously, desserts and sweets are loaded with sugar, but other foods such as salad dressings, pasta sauces, and dry cereals also typically contain large amounts of sugar. Sugar is hidden in foods in many forms and is often used in more than one form in processed foods. To help restore healthy blood-sugar levels, avoid all forms of sugar, including sucrose, glucose, maltose, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, barley malt, and molasses. Learn to enjoy the unprocessed sweetness of fresh fruits (in moderation) and sweet vegetables such as yams, carrots, and winter squash. Although giving up concentrated sweeteners may be difficult initially, you will find that your cravings for sugar will diminish within a few weeks.
Other foods that interfere with healthy blood-sugar levels include refined carbohydrates such as breads and pastas made from white flour and white rice, all of which are rapidly broken down into simple sugars in the body. Stimulants such as caffeine offer a temporary burst of energy, but stress the adrenal glands and further impair their ability to normalize blood-sugar levels. Alcohol also interferes with blood-sugar stability because it hinders the body’s ability to use glucose and stimulates the release of insulin, which causes blood sugar take a nosedive.
To help maintain steady blood-sugar levels, eat a diet high in fiber, especially soluble fiber, which slows down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and prevents rapid increases in blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber keeps the pancreas from secreting too much insulin by enhancing cell sensitivity to insulin and improves the use of glucose by the liver, which prevents blood-sugar levels from remaining too high. Strive for at least 35 grams and preferably 50 grams of fiber each day. Legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits are good sources of fiber, and especially good sources of soluble fiber include legumes, oat bran, most vegetables, apples, and pears. Eat carbohydrates in as close to their natural state as possible, because the fiber content helps to slow the absorption of natural sugars that carbohydrates contain-for example, eat an apple instead of drinking apple juice. Psyllium-seed husks, guar gum, and pectin are excellent sources of supplemental soluble fiber. To help balance blood-sugar levels, take one to three teaspoons of a fiber supplement stirred into a glass of water twice daily before meals.
Protein is essential for the proper functioning of the adrenal glands, pancreas, and liver and prevents cravings for high-carbohydrate foods. Because protein does not stimulate the release of insulin as do carbohydrates, it helps to stabilize blood-sugar levels. For maximum blood-sugar stability, eat three to four ounces of protein at lunch and at dinner. Moderate amounts of healthful fats are also essential for helping to maintain healthy blood-sugar levels and for providing a feeling of satiety, which helps to reduce cravings for carbohydrates. Raw nuts and seeds, avocados, olive oil, and flaxseed oil are all good sources of health-enhancing fats.
Eating frequent small meals is a helpful strategy for stabilizing blood-sugar levels. Avoid skipping meals, or going for more than two to three hours without eating. Get into the habit of eating meals at regular times, because your body functions best on a regular schedule. Plan for three meals a day, plus midmorning, midafternoon, and evening snacks. Include a small amount of protein or fat in your snack to help keep blood sugar stable-for example, have an apple with a few almonds, crackers with tofu spread, or carrot sticks with a few walnuts.
Supplements that are especially helpful for balancing blood sugar include chromium, a trace mineral that is essential for the proper functioning of insulin. Take 200 to 600 micrograms of chromium picolinate daily. To help strengthen the adrenal glands, take 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily in divided doses and a high potency multivitamin and mineral that provides 50 to 100 milligrams of the B-complex vitamins.
Krishan Bakhru
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/how-to-control-bloodsugar-levels-naturally-76980.html
Loss of sex drive and impotence are very common in men and women as they age, and talking with your doctor can alleviate fears, as there are many treatment options. Stress is a key factor in one’s sexual health. The simple act of fearing that you may not be able to get an erection can in itself cause erectile dysfunction. When partners are on the opposite end of the libido scale, it is important to communicate and find ways to pleasure each other when intercourse is not possible.
It is normal for the majority of men to experience erectile dysfunction (impotence) at least once in their lives. After men reach the age of 65, impotence becomes more common. They experience changes in erectile function as they experience changes in the rest of their bodies; it is a part of the natural process. Orgasms may not seem as powerful and erectile recovery after orgasm may take longer. There are several specific symptoms of impotence: the inability to achieve a full erection, to maintain an erection during intercourse, or to have an erection at all.
There are two facets to maintaining an erection, one is physical, and one is mental. The physical process is relatively strait forward: the penis has two cylindrical structures (corpora cavernosa) that are made of a sponge like material and run the entire length of the penis. This erectile tissue fills with blood when the male is aroused, and like a wet sponge, this tissue expands up to seven times its normal size, forming an erection. After ejaculation, the penis returns to its normal size.
The mental process is often the cause of erectile dysfunction. Arousal levels often determine the quality of an erection. The longer the arousal, the harder the penis becomes. Men can become aroused by any of the five senses: taste, touch, smell, and more commonly by visual and auditory stimulation. This mental state causes the nervous system to stimulate blood flow to the penis.
Erectile dysfunction occurs when this delicate balance between the physical and mental facets of the erection process is disrupted.
The mental causes of erectile dysfunction include: stress (this could be from work, or family, or both), psychological problems, anxiety (about finances, children, or life in general), fatigue, depression, negative feelings (toward yourself, spouse, or circumstances around you), resentment, hostility, or a genuine lack of interest.
The physical causes of erectile dysfunction include: diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage caused by diabetes), cardiovascular disorders (which can affect the blood flow to the penis), prescription medications (talk to your doctor and find out if any of your medications are a potential cause of ED), cancer or prostate operations, spinal cord fractures, multiple sclerosis (MS), hormonal imbalances, or alcohol and other forms of drug abuse.
Erectile dysfunction may be a symptom of a more serious medical problem. It is important to determine whether the symptoms of erectile dysfunction are physical or mental in nature.
Gregg Hall
http://www.articlesbase.com/sexuality-articles/impotence-affects-women-as-well-as-men-learn-how-to-get-your-sexual-health-back-56861.html
A person suffering from diabetes have certain special needs that can be fulfilled from his diet and eating habits. Such a person should refrain from eating food that are rich in cholesterol and fats. The food for them should be light and easy to digest with lots of fiber content.
Most fruits fit correctly in this category of description. Since long, fruits have shown various beneficial effects on a patient suffering from diabetes. They are low on fats and highly rich in nutrients and vitamins and have positive effect on the abnormal rise in the blood glucose levels. You can choose from any of the fruits available in the market. Each one of it will be better than the other.
Of all the fruits, apple is the one with all the valuable nutrients. Apple is rich in pectine, which is found in its pulp. This pectine is the source of galacturonic acid, which is needed for cleaning the harmful, toxic substances from your body. This acid also works in the direction of decreasing your body’s need of insulin by around 35%. Besides being rich in pectin, apples are also rich in Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 prevents the damage of the brain cells that can occur due to diabetic acidosis. It also prevents further complications such as neurosis. So the saying goes apt “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Apart from apple, grapefruit has several appetizing properties that helps you fight diabetes. Its refreshing nature helps you to bring down your blood glucose levels within a time span of just three days. But just a diet of grapefruit is not enough. With it you will be required to take more of vegetables and fruits rather than diet rich in fats.
In the list of anti-diabetic fruits, rose apple or commonly known as jambul, is something that we cannot forget. The elements present in jambul have strong positive effects on your pancreas. As a result it prevents the conversion of starch into bad sugar, thus controlling your blood sugar levels. The seeds of this fruit are used in a dried, powdered form and taken with water. Apart from controlling diabetes, it also allays your thirst and prevents excessive urination.
There are several fruits that find place in the Ayurveda treatment. The treatment generally involves a dried, powdered mixture of fruits. One of the most successful diabetic treatments is the dried form of white ash from the inner bark of jambul tree. Treatments by this not only helps you to control diabetes but also helps you in controlling excessive urination. So treat you diabetes with your favorite fruit and live a healthy life.
Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/diabetes-diet-fruit-for-a-thought-94653.html
