5 Signs You Might Have a Chronic Disease

They say the best way to determine ones health condition is to consult a doctor because this professional has vast knowledge about human health. Every medical doctor is also equipped with a variety of high-end hospital medical equipments that can detect any abnormalities inside the body, especially for serious conditions wherein the patient experiences no signs or the symptoms are not revealed immediately. But do you know that there are some instances wherein even without using the most basic hospital medical equipment, one can also conclude whether something is abnormal in his or her body through the abnormal changes in ones physical appearance? Yes, that’s true! By merely looking at the appearance of a person or even without using hospital medical equipment, specialized doctor can say if the patient is suffering from a serious illness. Ok let’s start analyzing some of the abnormal changes that might be easily seen in a person's body.

Silvery Hair – This unusual change of a person’s hair is often associated with Griscelli syndrome or partial albinism with immunodeficiency. However, a person with silvery hair might be suffering also from Elejalde’s syndrome or a neuroectodermal melanolysosomal disease that is very common in Mexico.

Redness of Sclera – Sclera is the white outer layer of the eyeball. When this portion turns into red, this is an indication of an eye infection. However, for some instances, redness of sclera is also associated to other chronic diseases like Crohn’s disease, Reiter’s syndrome, Grave’s disease, etc.

Bronze Skin – A person whose skin colors appears in intense or metallic bronze is  often diagnosed with Addison’s disease. This disorder is involves a progressive destruction of the adrenal glands which then results to difficulty of secreting adrenocortical hormones. Bronze skin can also be associated with bronze baby syndrome,  hemochromatosis, chronic renal failure, biliary cirrhosis, or a drug reaction.

Yellow nails – Yellow or jaundice nails is often associated to a fungal infection. However, it can also indicate a more serious condition such as liver disease, lung disease, thyroid disorder, diabetes or psoriasis.

Reddish or “Strawberry” Hands – If the unusual changes of hands color is seen on children, this is often associated to an autoimmune disorder called Kawasaki disease. Inflammation of mid-sized blood vessels are not only seen in hands but throughout the body. Other conditions linked to inflamed hands are Raynaud’s syndrome, chronic liver disease, and other pregnancy-related issues for women.


image source: google image search engine

Understanding the Disease that Ended Steve Jobs Life

It is already SOP in the blogger world to tackle issues that are in current trend so, I decided to write about what to expect when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - the disease that ultimately claimed the life of Apple CEO and founder, Steve Jobs.

By the way, let me give you first some insights about pancreas and its importance to our digestive system. The pancreas is the pear-shaped organ measuring about 6 inches long that lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It has two important roles played - to produce enzymes that are essential for metabolism and to produce hormones like insulin and glucagon, which ensures a balanced blood sugar level.

image source:medicineworld.org/news/pancreasnews.html

The pancreas is just one of the organs in the digestive system that is susceptible for an abnormal growth of cells or tumors. These tumors may come in various forms or characteristics. Some tumors are benign while others are malignant. There are also tumors that are common while others are rare. And in the case of Steve Jobs, medical practitioners who often come in a white lab coat and a littmann stethoscope hanging on their neck found a rare form of pancreatic tumor in the endocrine gland - the part of the pancreas that is responsible for producing insulin. What makes neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor rare is that is only 1 out of 100,000 people had this type of disease. Aside from that, the abnormal cell grows slowly and less aggressive, which is deemed as among that reasons why Steve Jobs was able to live 6 years longer the moment he was diagnosed.

What causes pancreatic cancer?

According to healthcare professionals who basic medical instrument is a littmann stethoscope, people who are at risk to develop pancreatic cancer are those with:

1. Damaged DNA mutation. This can be bother inherited from the parents or acquired as the person age 
2. Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas. Although the reason is not yet clear, but chronic pancreatitis can lead to abnormal growth of cells in the pancreas.
3. Diabetes. It appears to be a symptom for pancreatic cancer.
4. Poor lifestyle. Eating fatty or carcinogenic foods, smoking cigarettes are just some unhealthy lifestyle habits that increases the risk for pancreatic cancer
5. Chemical exposure. People who are exposed to hazardous chemicals like gasoline have bigger chances of developing pancreatic cancer.

What to expect when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer?

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer can only be seen/felt by the patient when the tumor has grown and spread out of the pancreas. The common signs and symptoms include:

1. Yellowing of the skin, gums, and white of the eyes
2. Constant lower back pain
3. Sudden weight loss
4. Loss of appetite
5. Generalized body malaise or the feeling of weakness and discomfort
6. Feeling of sickness in the stomach characterized by an urge to vomit

Simple Steps to Avoid Listeria

Listeriosis, an infection obtained from eating foods tainted by a bacterium called listeria monocytogenes, is dubbed as the leading cause of food-borne outbreak in the US for almost a decade now. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent statistics on listeriosis case, 13 people have already been killed and more than 73 were still infected.

The bacterium listeria monocytogenes is found in both soil and water. The disease causing bacterium travels through the soil and manure, which causes contamination on root crops vegetables. The recent listeria outbreak in the US has been traced that the contaminated cantaloupes produced by Jensen Farms in Colorado were blamed for the deaths of 13 people and illnesses of 73 other people. So the department of health strictly warned the consumers to be cautious when buying melons and verify them if they comes from Jensen Farms. But aside from root crops and vegetables, animals can also carry the bacterium. Hence; there is a big possibility that the meat and dairy products from these animals could also be tainted.

Exposure to listeriosis can be prevented if everyone will only take some precautions such as:

Avoid eating raw or partially cooked food from animal sources.

Wash the root crops, vegetables, and fruits thoroughly before storing, cooking or eating.

Avoid unpasteurized milk or those foods made from raw milk.

Use separate knives, utensils, and cutting boards for meat and vegetables.

Consume first perishable and ready-to-eat foods.

Ensure proper storage of food in the refrigerator; uncooked meat should be separated from vegetables and cooked foods.

Always wash hands before and after handling raw or uncooked foods.

By keeping these simple tips in your mind, your chances of acquiring listeria is definitely reduced.

4 Ways to Combat Obesity

It has been a habit by many of us to eat too much.  Even if our stomach is already shouting that it is already full, we just don’t mind it because our mouth is still craving for more. And because of our overeating habit, we become unaware that we are already gaining extra weight.

A person carrying extra pounds, which are not essential to his or her body, is what we call obese or is suffering from obesity. Obesity is now becoming a major health problem in many countries and Philippines is no exemption. With obesity, so many life-threatening diseases may arise. So before the bad things happen to us, it is good if as early as now we start combating obesity. How we can do it? Continue reading below.

Switch hands

According to the recent study from Southern University of that was featured on CNN.com, people who snacked using their no dominant hands reduced about 30% of their total intake, compared with those using their dominant hands. One of the reasons being linked into technique this is that you are disrupted. So the tendency is to finish your eating immediately.

Use smaller plates and utensils

Switching to smaller plates and utensils will make you become more aware of your food serving. Even if you are still hungry, you will be reminded of your extra weight so the tendency is to let yourself be satisfied with just one small serving.

Avoid eating-while-watching TV

If it has been your habit to eat while in front of the television, start avoiding it now. Television is one of the many factors that distract one’s eating behavior. So the more you concentrate on watching your favorite TV shows, the more you forget the feeling of fullness. So what happen is you keep on eating until the serving is gone or until the show is over. And this lead to additional body weight.

Keep active

Sedentary lifestyle has long been associated to obesity. People who are physically inactive have greater chances of becoming obese compared to active ones because they fail to burn the calories they consumed. These unused calories will favorably affect body fat distribution at the same time contribute to the high prevalence of obesity.

Watch out Your Diet

Becoming about the caloric content of the foods you consume is another effective way to prevent obesity. According to the book Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It, the inclusion of too many refined carbohydrates in today’s meals or foods is among the primary reasons why obesity is becoming an epidemic. In this book written by Taubes, he said that if we will limit our carbohydrate intake leads the body to store excess energy in fat cells that then results to obesity.

Eating Red Meat on Daily Basis Linked to Type 2 Diabetes, US Study Revealed

Next to water, protein is the most abundant substance found in our body. About 16.6 percent our body weight is made up of protein.

Getting enough protein and eating a balanced diet with adequate calories are very important in maintaining a healthy body. The amount of protein the person needs to consume will depend on his or her body size and special needs. According to healthcare professionals who are expert in using the different diagnostic tools like blood pressure tester, infants need need bigger percentage of protein in their daily diet simply because they are still at the stage of growing and building new protein tissue. Same with pregnant women, they need more protein not just for their body but also for the developing fetus in their womb.

• an average adult needs 0.6-0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body his/her weight
• infants may need as much as 2.0 grams per kilogram
• adolescents need up to 1.2 grams per kilogram
• pregnant and lactating women need an additional 10 grams per day

For a person to have enough amount of protein, they have to include protein-rich foods in their daily serving like red meat that comes from naturally raised/grass-fed animals (one of the best sources of protein).

But just recently, eating of red meat (whether it is processed or not) has been the talked in town after a research conducted by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health revealed that such source of protein can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Based on their study both the processed and unprocessed red meat can boost diabetes risk.

People who eat 50 grams of red meat every day like 2 slices of bacon or 1 hotdog, according to US study, increase their risk for type 2 diabetes by 51 percent while those who consume 100 mg of unprocessed meat boost their risk by 19 percent. Experts whose basic medical instruments are blood pressure tester and stethoscope believed that the substance found in red meat that could damage the cells of pancreas, is the main reason why it is increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The pancreas has an important function in our body system since it is responsible for producing enough insulin to process food intake and regulate blood sugar levels. Once it is damaged, type 2 diabetes or formerly called as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus will occur.

I have here a table (obtained from dietary fiber food site) for the daily recommended intake of protein for specific age, gender, and life stage group