Daily Health and Medicine News

The essential fatty acids

The higher the saturated fat content of a fat or oil means it becomes solid at a lower temperature. All fats will turn liquid as the temperature rises. All oils turn solid as temperature drops. The temperature at which this occurs depends on the ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids.

The essential fatty acids go rancid (oxidize) quite easily, particularly linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, so must be treated with care. Polyunsaturated oils oxidize when subjected to heat, oxygen and moisture from cooking or processing. Rancid oils are characterized by free radicals — single atoms or clusters with an unpaired electron in an outer orbit — that cause many health problems. They are associated with premature aging, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s and cataracts. With extreme chemical reactivity, they attack cell membranes and red blood cells, damage DNA/RNA strands and trigger mutations in tissue, blood vessels and skin. Free radical damage to the skin causes wrinkles and premature aging, where as free radical damage to tissues and organs sets the stage for tumors. Since most fats and oils contain polyunsaturated oils, they should never be heated or used in cooking. Commercially sold oils that are high in rancid polyunsaturated fatty acids include the common vegetable oils.

Avoid these oils, as most of them are highly processed:

Canola Oil

Soybean Oil

Corn Oil

Safflower Oil

Cottonseed Oil

Crapeseed Oil

Sunflower Oil

Organic, extra-virgin and cold-pressed olive oil is safe to consume, for it has not been exposed to the harsh conditions of refining. The term “extra-virgin” indicates it is unrefined and “cold-pressed” indicates heat was not used during the extraction process. Choose those that are packaged in dark bottles, since exposure to sunlight can cause the polyunsaturated fatty acids portion of olive oil to oxidize.

When selecting oils for cooking, select those with a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids, which are stable at higher temperatures and will not go rancid as easily as polyunsaturated fatty acids. Coconut oil, butter, ghee, tallow and lard are preferred choices for cooking because of their high saturated fatty acid content. Always choose raw and organic versions of these oils.

Avoid heating fats and oils whenever possible, since raw fats and oils contain many nutrients that are heat-labile. The fats found in raw soybeans, raw cream and raw butter contain nutrients — such as the Wulzen or “anti-stiffness” factor — that help lubricate the joints and support liver function. These nutrients protect against calcification of the joints, essentially preventing degenerative joint conditions such as arthritis. They also protect the arteries, eyes and pineal gland, lubricates joints, skin, eyes and areas of muscle aches and cramps. These benefits are destroyed by pasteurization (over heating) and homogenization (excess blending) of milk.

Relationship is a healing practice

Relationship is a healing practice. Our being together may have a far deeper meaning than we realize. It brings our character flaws and unresolved issues clearly into focus and encourages us to perfect ourselves. Our interactions with others, especially others with whom we are close, act as a magnifying glass and a magnet for the beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors we attach to so closely they become invisible. If we “bend over backward,” “walk on eggshells,” or “refuse to rock the boat,” we compromise ourselves and prevent true communion. This keeps us, as well as the other person, stuck, and it precludes any sense of separation or detachment. Therefore, if I am not separate from you and you are not separate from me, neither of us has room to breathe. It is not coincidental that we use the words “You take my breath away” when we are overwhelmed with deep feelings for another person.

Being in a loving relationship is a gift as well as a practice. It is about more than the obvious issues of romance, attraction, comfort, and security. Loving relationships allow you to experience life in a way that may not always be without pain yet can offer the opportunity to polish the gemstone of your nature. When asthma symptoms arise, whether they manifest as your own or a family member’s, they provide opportunities to make the necessary healing changes.

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The following imagery exercise is one that gives you a chance to Focus on and nurture your primary relationship — the one with yourself, which so deeply affects the ones you have with others. If you choose, you may use this exercise to begin the day for the next 21 days.

Some people find it difficult to hug themselves in adult form. They reduce themselves to child size. They use images of their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews instead. If it’s this difficult to love ourselves in our imagination, where anything is possible, it makes sense that it would be even more difficult in our everyday lives. Since joy is the primary mind medicine to open and heal the lungs, and love is so deeply related to joy, it’s not hard to see the importance of making a correction. You might ask yourself: What beliefs do I have that prevent me from loving myself as I am? Do I deserve affection? Am I worth it?

The first time Nick, a sixty-five-year-old retiree with acute asthmatic symptoms, tried to imagine he was hugging himself, he found it impossible. Instead, he hugged his grandson. Later, he realized he had skipped a generation by passing over his son; even that felt too close. At the end of 21 days, however, the process of imagery had worked its magic; Nick was able to imaginally hold his face in his hands quite tenderly. He explained how doing this gave him a feeling of warmth that he had missed as a child and had feared as an adult. When Nick stayed with his discomfort, not complaining or judging it, it became an act of healing. If you feel as Nick did, that hugging yourself is awkward and uncomfortable, the key is not to run away but to turn toward thediscomfort and embrace it. You can do this by continuing to practice this exercise. Whatever disturbance you experience is a signal that treating yourself in a loving way is just the kind of mind medicine you need.

More information about relationship and other health articles read on this Australian pharmacy site.

Glucose Testing in Australia Pharmacy

BLOOD GLUCOSE TESTING

Where is the best place to obtain blood for measuring blood glucose levels?

It is usually easiest to obtain blood from the fingertips. You can use either the pulp, which is the fleshy part of the fingertip, or the sides of the fingertips. The sides of the fingertips are less sensitive than the pulp. Some people like to use the area just below the nailbed. It may be necessary for people such as guitarists, pianists or typists to avoid the finger pulp. There are a couple of meters that allow blood to be taken from the arm.

Which is the best finger pricking device?

All blood lancets (finger prickers) are very similar and there is little to choose between them. The lancets may be used either on their own or in conjunction with an automatic device. They are obtainable on prescription from your CP. Alternatively they can be bought from a chemist, or ordered by post from companies such as Owen Mumford (Medical Shop).

The automatic devices work on the principle of hiding the lancet from view while piercing the skin very quickly and at a controlled depth. The meter you are using will have had an accompanying finger pricking device. They are not available on prescription, but can be obtained from the manufacturer of your meter or by post from companies such as Owen Mumford.

Should I clean my fingers with spirit or antiseptic before pricking them?

We do not recommend that you use spirit for cleaning your fingers. Spirit or antiseptic could interfere with the test strip and cause soreness if you have recently pricked the same finger. We suggest that you wash your hands with soap and warm water, or only water, and dry them thoroughly before pricking your finger. The main reason for having a clean finger is to remove any contamination, such as food, that may cause a false blood glucose result.

Will constant finger pricking make my fingers sore?

You may find that your fingers feel sore for the first week or two after starting blood glucose monitoring but this seems to settle down. We have seen many people who have been measuring their blood glucose levels regularly three or four times a day for more than 15 years and who have no problems with sore fingers. The more up-to-date meters use very small amounts of blood and so you don’t need to prick your finger too brutally! Don’t always use the same finger – try to use different fingers in turn.

Will my fingers take a long time to heal after finger pricking and am I more likely to pick up an infection there?

Your fingertips should heal as quickly as those of someone without diabetes, but make sure that you are using suitable blood lancets. We have seen only one infected finger among many hundreds of thousands of finger pricks. As long as your hands are clean when you take your blood sample, you should not have any problems.

Diabetes – Monitoring and Control in Canadian Health and Care Mall

The key to a successful life with diabetes is achieving good blood glucose control. Your degree of success can be judged only by measurements of your body’s response to treatment. If you have diabetes, the fact that you feel well does not necessarily mean that your blood glucose is well controlled. It is only when control goes badly wrong that you may be aware that something is amiss. If your blood glucose is too low, you may be aware of hypo symptoms -if left untreated this may progress to unconsciousness (hypoglycaemic coma). At the other end of the spectrum, when the blood glucose concentration rises very steeply, you may be aware of increased thirst and passing urine excessively – left untreated, this may progress to nausea, vomiting, weakness, and eventual clouding of consciousness and coma (a condition called ketoacidosis). It has long been apparent that relying on how you feel is too imprecise, even though some people may be able to ‘feel’ subtle changes in their control.

For this reason, many different tests have been developed to allow precise measurement of control and, as the years go by, these tests become more efficient and accurate.

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The involvement of the person with diabetes in monitoring and control of their own condition has always been essential for successful treatment. With the development of blood glucose monitoring, this has become even more apparent: it allows you to measure precisely how effective you are at balancing the conflicting forces of diet, exercise and insulin, and to make adjustments in order to maintain this balance with. In the early days after the discovery of insulin, urine tests were the only tests available and it required a small laboratory even to do these. Urine tests have always had the disadvantage that they are only an indirect indicator of what you really need to know, which is the level of glucose in the blood. Blood glucose monitoring first became available to people with diabetes in 1977 and is now widely accepted. As anyone who has monitored glucose levels in the blood will know, these vary considerably throughout the day as well as from day to day. For this reason, a single reading at a twice yearly visit to the local diabetes clinic is of limited value in assessing long-term success or failure with control.

The introduction of haemoglobin Ale (glycosylated haemoglobin or HbA1c) has provided a very reliable test for longer-term monitoring of average blood glucose levels (taking into account the peaks and troughs) over an interval of two to three months. Someone with diabetes should aim at a target HbA1c of 7%, which indicates that the blood glucose has been contained within the near normal range. Provided there have been no troublesome hypoglycaemic attacks, this means that balance of diabetes has been excellent and no further changes are required. Achieving a normal HbA1c level and maintaining it as near normal as possible is an important goal. Not everyone can achieve this, but it is undoubtedly the most effective way of eliminating the risk of long-term complications.