My Fall From Grace

Now this is something I could have told them if they would have just ask!!!

We know that men don’t suffer menstrual pain, but that’s not the only fun they’re missing. “Research is uncovering very dramatic differences in how the genders experience pain,” says Mark Allen Young, a professor at New York College of Podiatric Medicine and author of Women and Pain: Why It Hurts and What You Can Do.

It all starts with hormones. There is no getting around how profoundly hormones like estrogen and testosterone affect the central nervous system, which is responsible for perceiving and transmitting the sensation of pain.

According to experts, this is one reason why conditions such as osteoarthritis, headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome strike women at much higher rates than men.

Our physical differences really matter, too. “We’ve only recently begun to grasp that women’s body architecture is completely different from men’s,” Young says. Because women walk differently, for instance, they put pressure on joints, muscles, and bones in very different ways than men do. “Starting with the knees and hips and working up to the shoulders, spine, and neck, how a person walks can have a huge impact on how pain develops later in life,” Young says. Just last year, one medical-implant maker finally recognized this fact by creating a knee implant just for women.

Women are also more prone to conditions involving the immune system, says Deborah Metzger, MD, an OB-GYN and specialist in integrative pain management in Los Altos, California. Scientists have long known that women have stronger immune systems than men, she says. That strength can backfire, though, leading women to suffer from far more autoimmune disorders—in which the immune system attacks itself—and the host of mysterious diseases thought to sometimes result from an overreactive immune system, such as celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and many types of pelvic pain.

“Women tend to have hyperalert immune systems, which is good,” Metzger says. “But once the immune system gets stirred up, it can turn into a feeding frenzy.” The fired-up immune activity produces inflammatory chemicals that fuel all types of muscle and joint pain; it can also activate nerves in vulnerable spots like the lower back (sciatica), the head (migraines), and the pelvis (endometriosis and pelvic pain).

I can’t believe it is already the 3rd of July. Where has the time and summer gone? It is half over and just seems like it started. Well we are off to the lake for some fun in the sun. Just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Safe and Happy 4th!!!!!!

Here is another interesting article, wanted to share .

Eight minutes in the morning — that’s all it takes to help launch you toward a fitter, trimmer lifestyle, according to fitness trainer Jorge Cruise, author of “8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Start Your Day That Burns Fat and Sheds the Pounds.”

While 30 minutes a day of any kind of physical activity is the most widely advocated prescription for getting active, strength training is an important key to weight management, Mr. Cruise suggests. He bases his successful weight-loss program on a firm foundation of brief morning strength-training sessions, plus healthful eating and — when one feels ready for it — fitness walking for the aerobic benefits.

“Americans are among the most overweight people in the world,” says Mr. Cruise. “About 80 percent of Americans are overweight and 35 percent are clinically obese. People think fat itself is the problem, but that’s just the symptom — the source is the lack of lean muscle tissue.”

Before beginning any exercise program, check with your doctor first. Once you’ve done that, start with muscle-toning exercises, he advises. Not only can they more quickly shape up your body, they’ll also strengthen your bones, reduce your injury risk and increase your metabolism so you burn calories more quickly.

Eight minutes in the morning

Time is one of our scarcest and most precious commodities. So Mr. Cruise asked himself, what can I do to help get people healthy that doesn’t require a lot of time? He determined strength training at home in the morning was an ideal solution.

Mr. Cruise’s tips for a workout include:

• Use a hand weight that causes muscle fatigue by the 12th repetition. If you can do only five or six reps, the weight is too heavy. If you can do 15 to 20, it’s too light.
• Vary your routine daily, starting with major muscle groups and moving to smaller ones. For example: Work the chest and back on Monday, shoulders and abdominals on Tuesday, arms on Wednesday.

A Sample Program

Mr. Cruise’s book and Web site (www.jorgecruise.com) illustrate exercises you can do at home. The following sample session from “8 Minutes in the Morning” requires no equipment.

Begin with a brief warm-up. Do 12 repetitions of the first exercise, then 12 of the second one. Repeat, for a total of four sets of each exercise. End with a brief cool-down. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Knee Pushup: Kneel on a mat on all fours with your knees hip-width apart, your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and your fingers pointing forward. Bring your pelvis forward so your body creates a straight line from your knees to your head. Inhale and lower your chest toward the floor — keeping your back straight and your abs tight — until your elbows are even with your shoulders. Exhale and push back up to the starting position, keeping your elbows slightly bent.

Bird Dog: Kneel on a mat on all fours with your knees hip-width apart, your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and your fingers pointing forward. Keeping your head up, exhale and simultaneously lift and extend your left arm and your right leg. Keep your back straight and abs tight throughout the move. When your arm and thigh are parallel to the floor, hold for a count of three. Inhale as you lower them back to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Continue to switch sides until you’ve done 12 reps on each side.

Content provided by Staywell Custom Communications

Found another great article can you think of even more Excuses??? I know I have heard lots of them.

While not as entertaining as a David Letterman Top 10 List, this one can help you put your health into perspective. Do you use any of these excuses when the topic of exercise comes up? If you’re not exercising, you’ve likely used some or all of these excuses at one time or another.

That’s a problem, not only because it means you’re not getting enough exercise, but also because your lack of action may be contributing to other unhealthy choices that affect your life.

So, without further delay, here are the top 10 most common exercise excuses:

10. A general sense of apathy. “I don’t really care about exercising. I work hard enough every day that I don’t need an exercise routine.”

9. Low on the priority list. I have a lot of important responsibilities and exercise just isn’t a priority right now.”

8. Embarrassment. “I’m so out of shape, I’m afraid people will laugh at me at the gym.”

7. Health issues and/or chronic pain. “I have a bad back, bad knees, etc., so I can’t work out without severe pain.” (This one might actually be a decent excuse – but are you doing anything to alleviate your pain besides taking medication?)

6. Lack of a routine or boredom with the current exercise routine. “I never know what to do at the gym. I don’t like doing the same thing all the time.”

5. Location, location, location. “There just isn’t a gym that’s close to my work or home.”

4. Budget issues. “It’s just too expensive to join a gym and buy all the necessary gear (clothes, shoes, iPod, etc).”

3. Bad experience. “I had a bad experience at the gym (with a personal trainer, dirty gym, obnoxious members, etc).”

2. Lack of motivation. “I’m too tired to work out at the end of the day. I just don’t have the discipline to commit to an exercise program. Isn’t there a quick and easy way to get in shape and lose the weight?”

1. Don’t make the time. “With kids, a husband, a full-time job and aging parents, I just don’t have the time to exercise. It’s not even on my radar at the end or the beginning of the day.”

How many of these excuses are stopping you from exercising regularly? Whether it’s one or all 10, now’s the time to stop making excuses and do something about it.

This is my new baby the Nordic Track A2550 and it is NICE.

Treadmill…..$1099.00

Walking shoes….$87.95

IPod nano……..$147.00

Pedometer……$29.95

CONTROL  over the nation’s 6 leading cause of death…………YES! PRICELESS

I

Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes Will Be in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Cleveland, New Orleans, and Miami in the second half of 2008.

How would you describe a minor hiccup in your daily care that  just happens out of the blue, especially when just moments before, you felt fine and everything seemed perfect? That’s a ‘diabetes bad hair day’ according to Divabetic, a national nonprofit diabetes outreach organization, currently on tour with its free national diabetes outreach program, ‘Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes.’

The term, “diabetes bad hair day,” is meant to help divas affected by diabetes to keep a positive attitude about themselves and their health during these hard-to-cope situations. At ‘Divabetic- Makeover Your Diabetes’ diabetes education areas are presented side by side with a variety of free beauty and fashion services.

“It just felt natural to me to use beauty terminology to discuss an aspect of diabetes care, especially because were talking to women,” says Szadek. “There’s such a tremendous need now for us to make diabetes education appealing because so many more people are affected.”

Photo: Edward Hillel

Caring and Sharing: The Makeover Maze Gets Women with Diabetes Talking

Max and the other Divabetic team members have the unique opportunity to have thousands of conversations with women affected by diabetes on the different aspects of their care at the six varied diabetes education stations called, ‘The Makeover Maze.’ The maze is the centerpiece of their diva brand of diabetes outreach and is staffed by teams of local and national certified educators. Women can visit all six stations as well as enjoy free spa and salon services throughout an afternoon of outreach. One education station particularly, called ‘Sweet Inspirations’, gives guidance to women which helps improve their attitude during tough times in their care, using personal affirmations and rewards such as spa and salon services. The goal of the ‘Sweet Inspirations’ station is to help women stay upbeat about their care as well as to learn how to set realistic goals.

“One of the many things we talk about in “Sweet Inspirations’ is how to cope with small setbacks in one’s diabetes self-management.  Pampering yourself is a great way to keep your spirits up if you’re having a diabetes ‘bad hair’ day. I actually told one woman in Atlanta to look at a setback as an excuse for going to the salon. She loved that,” says Divabetic’s lead educator, Jessica Issler, RD, CDE.

A Positive Attitude

Taking better care of diabetes often demands changing behaviors. You need to have coping skills in place when you break down barriers and change your behaviors for the better. A positive attitude as well as a strong sense of confidence in one’s own ability to manage a difficult situation can make the difference in avoiding further health-related complications.

“No one’s making fun of these types of situations or saying they’re not serious. Calling it a ‘diabetes bad hair day’ helps everyone relax and realize they’re not the only one having these feelings,” says Szadek. “Many women have admitted to us that their diabetes can be really annoying. What’s important to me is that no one abandons their care routine because of this type of situation,” says Max Szadek, the founder of Divabetic. “The intention of a phrase like ‘diabetes bad hair day’ is to encourage everyone is not to give up. Instead, you just have to keep on keeping on!

So the next time you experience an unexplainable diabetes ‘bad hair’ day, don’t get down—think like a diva.

Phyllis Kornbluth, a recent type 1 attendee at Divabetic—Makeover Your Diabetes in New York thinks the phrase ‘diabetes bad hair day’ is effective. “ I think it helps other women like me realize you’re going to have good days and bad days. You can’t let it get you down. You just have to learn to roll with the punches.”

“If you focus on what’s going right versus what’s going wrong, you’ll going to feel more confident about your ability to manage your care. Remember, a bad hair day never stopped any famous diva from doing what she loves most or performing at her best. That’s our attitude, too,” says Szadek.

Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic—Makeover Your Diabetes are free diabetes outreach events for women. They’re coming to Los Angeles, CA (6/28), Washington DC, (9/27), Cleveland, OH (10/11), New Orleans, LA (10/25) and Miami, FL (11/1/08).

To pre-register or find out more on Divabetic and Divabetic Makeover Your Diabetes call: 1-800-634-8888 or visit: www.divabetic.org

I just loved this article.  I am going to show this to my husband.  I think a make over sounds just like what the doctor ordered.  I think I would make a good Divabetic

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Everyone needs to check this out!!!!!!  Raise your voice to insurance companies around the world “We are not going to take it anymore!!!!”  We won’t mention any names (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois)

Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur if you’ve had diabetes for a long time or if you have consistently elevated blood glucose. If you smoke or drink, you’re at greater risk of having this complication than those who do not.

Neuropathy usually affects the feet first (peripheral neuropathy). But it can also affect nerves that control the heart, digestion, bladder, and sex organs (autonomic neuropathy).

“Diabetic peripheral neuropathy develops in the longest nerves of the body and if blood sugar is not controlled it tends to work its way back up the body,” says Joseph LeMaster, MD, assistant professor at the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Medicine. “People will often start to have tingling or pain in their feet, and sometimes they describe it as bees stinging their feet or ants stinging their feet.”

However, one-half to two-thirds of people with diabetes who develop neuropathy have no symptoms at all, which is “even more dangerous because people can injure themselves without being aware of it,” says Dr. LeMaster.

Sometimes, people experience numbness or pain—or bouts of both. Kathy Davis, who lives in a small suburb of Toledo, Ohio, has numbness and tingling in both her hands and her feet, as well as burning and searing pain in just her feet.

“As a nurse it has definitely affected my career,” Davis says. “It’s becoming more and more difficult to start IVs or draw blood. The sensation’s just not there.”

The symptoms of neuropathy can vary depending on the type.

There are three kinds of diabetic neuropathy.

1. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that sense pain, touch, hot, and cold. They also affect movement and muscle strength. The nerves in the feet and lower legs are most often affected. This type of nerve damage can lead to serious foot problems. The damage usually gets worse slowly, over months or years.
2. Autonomic neuropathy is damage to autonomic nerves. These nerves control things like your heartbeat, blood pressure, sweating, digestion, urination, and sexual function.
3. Focal neuropathy affects just one nerve, usually in the wrist, thigh, or foot. It may also affect the nerves of your back and chest and those that control your eye muscles. This type of nerve damage usually happens suddenly.

What causes diabetic neuropathy?
Over time, high blood sugar levels from diabetes can damage nerves throughout your body. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more likely you are to have nerve damage. So controlling your blood sugar throughout your life is very important.

The older you get, and the longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to have nerve damage. People with diabetes who drink too much alcohol are also more likely to have nerve damage.

About half of all people with diabetes end up getting diabetic neuropathy.

What are the symptoms?
Your symptoms will depend on which nerves are injured. You may not be able to feel pain, especially in your feet. This can lead to serious infections, because sores or other problems may not get treated.

When other parts of your body are affected, symptoms may include:

• Problems with digestion, such as bloating, belching, constipation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and belly pain.
• Problems with body temperature, such as heavy sweating at night or when you eat certain foods. Some people may have reduced sweating, especially in their feet and legs.
• Problems with urination, such as finding it hard to tell when your bladder is full or finding it hard to empty your bladder completely.
• Sexual problems, such as erection problems in men and vaginal dryness in women.
• Heart and blood vessel problems, leading to poor circulation or low blood pressure. This may cause dizziness, weakness, or fainting when you stand or sit up from a reclining position.
• Trouble sensing when your blood sugar is low.

How is diabetic neuropathy diagnosed?
Your doctor will check how well you feel touch and temperature and will test your strength and your reflexes. Tests such as electromyogram and nerve conduction studies may be done to confirm the diagnosis. You may need other tests to see which type of neuropathy you have and to help guide your treatment.

Doctors can’t test for all types of nerve damage. So it’s important to tell your doctor about any pain or weakness you feel. Also mention heavy sweating or dizziness and any changes in digestion, urination, and sexual function.

How is it treated?
Treatment involves keeping tight control of your blood sugar. This will not cure the nerve damage, but it can help keep the damage from getting worse.

The type of treatment depends on your symptoms:

• Pain may be treated with medicines.
• Digestive system problems or blood vessel problems may be treated with medicines.
• Blood pressure problems may be treated with medicines and by wearing elastic stockings.
• Sexual problems may be helped with medicines or devices to improve erections or with lubricating creams that help vaginal dryness.
• A splint or brace may be used for a pinched nerve.

It is common to lose some feeling in your feet. You could have a sore or other foot problem without noticing it. Check your feet every day. An untreated problem on your foot can lead to a serious infection or even amputation.

Be clear with your doctor about what is helping you feel better and what is not. You and your doctor can work together to find the treatment that helps you the most.

Can diabetic neuropathy be prevented?
Keeping your blood sugar levels near normal may help prevent neuropathy from ever developing. The best way to do this is by getting to and staying at a healthy weight by exercising and eating healthy foods.

Here is an article I found on Health.com that I thought might be of interest.  Somethings to try out maybe?

When it comes to type 2 diabetes, you need diet and exercise goals that encourage you to succeed—not ones that set you up to fail, says Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, a psychologist and investigator at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

“I think goals have to be small and incredibly well spelled out for people. Everyone has the experience of going to a health practitioner and being told something very vague: ‘You know, you really ought to lose weight.’ What does that mean? How do I lose weight, how many pounds, using what tools? Goals need to be broken down into small nuts and bolts,” she says.

First step is to see where you stand now
Margaret Savoca, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, suggests that you stop and look at your eating and exercise habits, and figure out what will be the easiest changes to make, rather than making huge changes that are tough to sustain.

“You have to come up with a lifestyle you can actually maintain,” says Savoca, who has researched food habits among people with type 2 diabetes. “How can you fit eating healthy and getting exercise into your schedule?” she says. “That’s really a challenge for people.”

“Diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint,” says Elizabeth Hardy, 47, a Dallas resident who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2005. For Hardy it was easiest to make changes in her life one step at a time.

Here are a few ways start.

• Keep a record of your physical activity. Most people overestimate how much exercise they get. If you write it down, you’ll have an honest appraisal of where you’re starting.
• Bring your own lunch. Try to avoid eating lunch at restaurants or fast-food joints. That’s because restaurant meals “can go out of control easily,” Savoca says. They tend to have large portions, lots of calories, and high amounts of fat. Research has found an association between eating out more and having a higher body weight. When you make your own lunch, you control the ingredients and your portion sizes. If making your own lunch every day is too much, you might want to try twice a week to start. Bring a cup of homemade black-bean soup that you can heat in the office microwave, or stuff a whole-grain pita with veggies and chicken.
• Change your daily routine. Instead of stopping for a fat-filled latte on the way to work, have a cup of coffee with low-fat milk and a low-fat granola bar.
• Make healthier choices when you go to restaurants. For example, at McDonalds, a diabetes-friendly choice might be a salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing. “What’s important is for people to be able to problem-solve,” Savoca says. “People probably have a lot of the answers, it’s just that it takes a little time to come up with them and make them their own.”
• Use a pedometer. These handy devices—available for less than $20 at sporting goods stores—clip on to your waistband and record the number of steps you take. Use one to estimate how many steps you take on an average day. Then set a goal to slowly increase that number. Maybe you want to take 100 extra steps every day this week, and add another hundred each day next week. Although many experts recommend going 10,000 steps a day for good health, feel free to set goals that work for you, Goebel-Fabbri says.
• Keep gum handy. Pop a piece of sugar-free gum (but not too many pieces—some sugar-free gums contain sweeteners that can upset your stomach at high doses). Gum may “fix” your need for a snack and leave you with a fresh, minty taste that you won’t want to ruin with a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips.
• Try one new type of fruit or vegetable each week. With the variety available at the typical supermarket, this strategy could introduce you to new favorites for months.
• Take home menus from your favorite restaurants. You can research the healthiest options on the menu when you’re not rushed to make a decision. Decide what you want before you go into the restaurant and order ahead of your dining companions so you won’t be tempted by their choices.
• Serve homecooked meals on smaller plates. Portions matter. If you serve yourself less food, you tend to eat less than if you have a large plate with a large meal.
• Test your blood sugar two to three hours after meals. Hardy frequently tests her blood sugar with a glucose monitor. With time she slowly figured out which foods made her blood sugar jump up too quickly. Sometimes her blood sugar gets too high, but she doesn’t get down about it—she just aims to do better. “Know that you’re going to make mistakes and know that’s OK,” she says.

Lead writer: Eric Metcalf