At present 3 out of the 5 people are suffering from diabetes and it is the 7th leading cause of death worldwide. Moreover, it is no more restricted just to adults and affects children as well. Diabetes is a metabolic disease resulting in increase in the level of glucose in the body. Glucose is a source of energy for the cells making up the muscles and other tissues in the body. But if the level of glucose goes up, it shows the sign of danger. Diabetes is of 2 types: 

1. Type 1: body fails to produce insulin.
2. Type 2: Body fails to produce enough insulin which is required by the body.

There are no definite signs of diabetes. It simply varies from person to person. In many of the cases it goes unnoticed. Such signs are as follows:

1. Sudden weight loss: You might experience a sudden weight loss of 5 to10 kgs within a month. This happens when sugar metabolism ceases very quickly.  Insufficient insulin prevents the body from taking in glucose in the body cells from the blood to use as energy. In such a scenario the body starts burning fat and muscle for energy. This results in weight loss.

2. Intense hunger: The cells in your body might not get enough energy either due to absence or improper functioning of insulin in your blood. This makes you hungry quite often.

3. Excessive urination and thirst: Due to diabetes, the glucose level in the body goes up. The kidneys are overloaded with the burden of working overtime for filtering and absorbing the excess glucose in your body. The excess sugar, which the kidney cannot store is excreted out of your body. This makes you urinate frequently.  Due to frequent urination the body gets dehydrated which makes you feel thirsty more often.

4. Blurred vision: Due to the high level of glucose in your body tissues gets pulled away from the lens of the eyes. This results in vision issues. If not treated on time, it may even lead to blindness.

5. Increased fatigue: The cells in your body might not get enough energy either due to absence or improper functioning of insulin in your blood. This makes you restless more often and you may even feel too weak to do your regular activities.

If you notice any of these signs, get the level of sugar in your checked and take the required remedies. It is good to get it treated as early as possible rather than facing immense trouble in future.

5 Common Signs of Diabetes That Often Go Unnoticed

Milk is nutritious, but sometimes, avid dieters shrink away from consuming milk. It is generally believed that the fat content in milk hinders weight loss. On the contrary, milk has a lot of benefits.

Here are some facts you need to remember before you say no to milk:

Nutrients and milk: Particularly, milk is an excellent source of zinc, vitamin B, protein and most importantly, calcium. So when you ditch milk in your crusade of weight loss, you skip out on calcium, the mineral primarily responsible for good bone health. Some studies suggest that calcium can actually add to weight loss, but this needs more research to back it up. 
Health and milk: Previously milk did get a bad reputation when it was linked as a supposed cause of stroke and heart attack. But a recent study produced a result which proved the complete opposite, milk can actually prevent stroke and heart attack! According to research, milk can actually lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 
Muscles and milk: Milk contains whey and casein protein, both of which are high-quality proteins if you are looking to build muscles. Whey is a fast protein (gets digested faster) while casein is a slow protein (gets digested slowly). Your body gets a good and healthy supply of proteins when you consume milk, so don t write it off just yet. 
Fat and milk: As mentioned before, calcium can cause your body to burn fat. There is research pending on it, but the preliminary results suggest that dieters shouldn t skip out on milk. You might argue that you can just consume calcium supplements in that case. However, it has been discovered that other milk proteins to add to fat burning, which you cannot get from supplements. Milk is good for you, but it isn t a miracle weight loss food. So yes, you will need to follow a healthy diet as drinking a glass of milk with a couple of doughnuts will not help you at all.
So, milk is not all evil as people think it to be. It could be good for your weight loss plan. And the best way to incorporate milk into your weight-loss diet is to consume the low-fat skimmed milk variant than the whole fat milk as you get 90 calories from one cup of skimmed milk as compared to 150 calories from whole milk with nearly the same protein and calcium content. This way you get the best of milk without worrying about the fat in it plus an extra fat loss of 1 kg (9000 calories) from 150 cups over the time with a saving of 60 calories in each cup.

Milk - Is It Good or Bad for Your Weight Loss Plan?

One of the more severe illnesses included in the larger group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease is typically a long-lasting, chronic condition. The intestine or bowel, most commonly the colon and the lower part of the small intestine, are either marked by sores or get inflamed and ulcerated. It is a common occurrence in adolescents and in young adults.

Crohn's disease is subdivided into five types, each having its own set of symptoms:
1. Ileocolitis: The most common type, it affects the colon and the ileum and results in considerable weight loss as well as diarrhea and cramps.
2. Gastroduodenal Crohn's disease: People who suffer from this type of disease have their stomach and duodenum affected and many experience symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite and weight loss.
3. Crohn's colitis: This involves only the stomach, and can cause joint pains, rectal bleeding, skin lesions and diarrheas,
4. Ileitis: This type affects the ileum and the symptoms are identical to those of ileocolitis.
5. Jejunoileitis: In this type, the jejunum gets affected and general symptoms include the formation of fistulas, diarrhea, intensive back pain as well as areas of inflammation.

Causes
Despite the uncertainty as to the nature of the specific causes of Crohn's disease, there have been a few possible causes which have been identified. These include:
1. Immune system problems
2. Genetic disorders
3. Environmental factors
a) Certain edibles
b) Viruses or harmful bacteria
c) Smoke

Symptoms
The primary symptoms of Crohn's disease include the following:
1. Diarrhea: This can occur for about 10 to 20 times a day in more severe cases.
2. In rare cases, there may be blood in your stool.
3. In more intense cases, you may even develop a fever.
4. Cramping and intermittent belly pain.
5. Anemia, due to a reduction in iron levels caused by bloody stools.
6. Weight loss.
7. Erratic appearance of small tears in the anus, called anal fissures.

Causes, Types and Symptoms of Crohn's disease

Abdomen pain or abdominal pain is usually experienced in the area between the chest and the stomach. This kind of pain usually comes as a dull cramp that also produces shooting stabs of pains intermittently, or it may be a localised pain in one side of the stomach. This may also be accompanied by inflammation and other diseases related to organs like intestines, kidneys, pancreas, liver, spleen and stomach. So what are the causes of stomach or abdomen pain? Read on to find out:

Food Poisoning: Food poisoning can be caused due to dirty water or contaminated food. This can give rise to various infections as well as conditions like traveler's diarrhea or loose motions.

Gastro-Intestinal Conditions: GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroenteritis, among various others, can also lead to abdomen pain as a symptom along with severe acidity and nausea. Irritable bowel syndrome is another major ailment which can leave you with persistent abdominal pain. 

Generalized Pain: This kind of pain occurs in the overall area all around the stomach and may point at the presence of conditions like Crohn's Disease, a traumatic injury, appendicitis, flu, or even a urinary tract infection. Further, when the gas settles and tightens the stomach due to the inability to pass a motion on a normal, regular basis, this may be termed as constipation. This also leads to abdomen pain. 

Localised Lower Abdomen Pain: Pain that is found specifically in the lower area of the abdomen can be caused due to appendicitis, obstruction or blockage in the intestine or colon, and other ailments. This pain can also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. 

Localised Upper Abdomen Pain: This kind of pain may emanate due to the presence of gallstones, liver inflammation or hepatitis, pneumonia, or even in the middle of a heart attack.

Localised Centre Abdomen Pain: Pain in the centre part of the stomach or abdomen may be caused due to gastroenteritis, an injury or even the accumulation of waste products in the body, otherwise known as uremia.

Abdomen Pain and Women: For women, such localised pain may be caused due to pelvic inflammatory disease, urinary tract infection, endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, menstrual cramps which are also called dysmenorrhoea, and fibroids. Miscarriages can also cause pain in this part of the abdomen, for women.

Renal Stones: Renal stones or stone in kidney is one of the most common causes of abdomen pain. The pain caused by kidney stone is such that it can make a patient roll in bed and this pain may radiate to toward the groin as well. Persistent pain and nausea that come with vomiting and finally give rise to blood in the vomit or stool should be checked by the doctor immediately, so as to rule out any serious ailment. Imaging tests, ultrasound and an X-Ray can help in diagnosis.

Abdomen Pain - Knowing The Common Causes Of It!

Diarrhea is never a pleasant experience especially for children. Thankfully, diarrhea does not last long. Loose common stools are the most recognizable symptom of diarrhea. This can often be accompanied by vomiting, nausea, cramps and dehydration. If your child also suffers from fever and weight loss or can see bloody mucus in their stool, you should contact your doctor at the earliest.

Some of the common causes of diarrhea in children are:

Gastrointestinal infections -viruses like rotavirus and parasites like giardia are the most common causes of diarrhea in children. This type of diarrhea can last from 5 to 14 days and can be cured with the help of laxatives and antibiotics.

Food poisoning -diarrhea caused by food poisoning usually lasts for not longer than 24 hours.
Food allergies -diarrhea is a common symptom of a food allergy. It usually stops once you stop eating whatever you are allergic to.
Crohn's disease -this is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive system. With crohn's disease, the loose stool is often accompanied by blood.
Celiac disease -if your body cannot digest gluten, you may be suffering from celiac disease.
Diarrhea is highly contagious. It can spread through

Dirty hands
Contaminated food or water
Direct contact with fecal matter
Touching a contaminated surface

Diarrhea on its own is not a very serious issue. However, it may cause dehydration which can lead to a number of further complications. Some of the signs of dehydration cased by diarrhea are dizziness, dry mouth, dark urine, dry skin and lack of energy. Thus if your child is suffering from diarrhea, give him plenty of water and lots of rest.

To protect your child against diarrhea, all you need are a few lifestyle ensure your child washes their hands well before

Caring for your child at home-

Make washing hands after using the toilet a part of toilet
Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids.
Do not feed them foods that seem to trigger diarrhea.
Wash your hands often, especially after each diaper change, to avoid spreading bacteria in the home.
You should continue breast-feeding when your baby has diarrhea. Breast milk can help ease symptoms of diarrhea and speed up recovery.
Continue your child's regular diet and give more liquids to replace those lost while the diarrhea continues if there are no signs of dehydration.
Use an oral rehydration solution (ors) to replace lost fluids in non-dehydrated children.
Keep all bathroom surfaces clean. It is also a good idea to flush the toilet only after the lid has been lowered.
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating
Wash all utensils that have come in contact with raw meat well before using them for anything else.
Keep all raw meats refrigerated or frozen. Once meat has been defrosted, do not freeze the raw meat again.
Food cooked like boiled, fried or those which can be peeled eg boiled egg, banana, orange, boiled rice, etc. Can be eaten when out of home.
Teach your child to only drink from purified sources of water.
Do not wash pet utensils in the same sink used for cooking vessels and food items.
Keep an eye on what your child eats to heck if they may be allergic to anything.

How to Deal with Diarrhea in Children?

Sleep is the most essential part of our lives because it is the time when our body gets rejuvenated and recharged. However, due to numerous reasons, quite a few individuals fail to achieve proper sleep or any sleep at all. This condition in which a person is unable to sleep at night can be termed as insomnia.

Causes of insomnia
There can be varied reasons for different people that can cause insomnia.

Unhealthy lifestyle i.e. improper sleep cycle, improper food habits, untimely naps, substance abuse etc.
Medical conditions like sinus allergies, gastrointestinal problems, endocrine problems, arthritis, asthma, neurological condition like Parkinson s disease, chronic back pain etc.
Psychological conditions like depression and anxiety
Certain medications aimed to cure other health problems
In case of the treatable medical reasons, insomnia is gone once the problem is treated. However, for people who have no idea as to why they suffer from insomnia, here are certain tips that can help in fighting it.

Lifestyle changes to cure insomnia
Starting with a significant lifestyle change can be a great way to change one s sleep cycles and get a good night s sleep.

Maintain a proper and healthy diet, with more fruits and vegetables and less carbs and fat.
Try to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday (despite the fact that you may not feel sleepy). This will train the body and regulate the body clock.
Avoid afternoon naps or any short naps during the day.
Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes.
Avoid caffeine as it has contains properties that keeps a person up for long hours.
Avoid intake of alcohol and nicotine. Although alcohol is associated with fun and partying, it is actually a depressant and causes improper sleep.
Avoid any meal right before bed time.
Tips that can help

Take a good, warm shower right before sleep.
Ask your partner to give you a nice massage before bedtime.
Restrict bed activities to sleep and sex only, nothing more.
Make a really comfortable and inviting sleep environment.
Try and get rid of all your worries before going to bed.
Reduce stress using a number of stress reduction therapies like meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, etc.
Apart from the lifestyle changes and the tips that will help you gain a better sleep, there is another therapy, which may be useful. It is called the cognitive behavioural therapy. This therapy can give essential knowledge about sleep and help achieve normal sleep routines.

Suffering From Insomnia - 7 Lifestyle Changes You Must Do!

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