Diabetes Comic Book

Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle, Books, Support

I marvel at the proactive enthusiasm and extraordinary talent of Kamaal and Malcolm Washington. Kamaal, a type 1 diabetic himself, and his brother have developed comic books that tell the stories of children who learn they have diabetes and find themselves visited by Dr. Diabetes.

The comic book spreads awareness about the disease and empowers those who have it. Their comic books have received awards and taken them around the country to speak about diabetes. Kamaal has served as a Children's Congress delegate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, joining hundreds of other young diabetics in testifying before the U.S. Senate about diabetes research support. Going forward, Kamaal and Malcolm want to create their own animated series and perhaps produce a movie.

Kamaal and Malcolm are working on their third diabetes-themed comic. The comic book tells the story of a politician who refuses to increase funds to find a cure for diabetes and the heroes' quest to change that. Spreading awareness, empowering those dealing with the disease and calling upon political forces to make it happen - I think Kamaal and Malcolm are wise beyond their years. There's no stopping these guys and I'm thrilled to be the one telling you about them. May your super comic books empower us all to become super diabetic heroes!

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http://www.thediabetesblog.com/2007/05/27/diabetes-comic-book/

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The old can stay young with weightlifting - New
study says

A new study was released over the last week showing what many older people already know, that weight training is a very important part of keeping you young.

The study says resistance exercise for people 65 and older can actually reverse important aging effects on skeletal muscles, to the point where they work genetically like those found in people four decades younger.

"We see big improvements ... after weight training," said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, an associate professor at the McMaster University Medical Centre.

"Many people were reporting they could pick up their grandkids, they could carry more groceries, it was easier to go up the stairs," said Tarnopolsky, an expert on muscle diseases and one of the paper's two lead authors.

There are several reasons for this change and most of it is in the physical changes that take place in the mini powerplants of cells and this, says the good doctor promises to make things better for many people for years to come.

The study looked at DNA expression in the muscle cells of 25 healthy seniors, who had undergone twice-weekly resistance training for six months.

It concentrated in particular on the cellular mitochondria, the "powerhouses" that fuel activity in cells. They are typically depleted in older people, with many of the genes that affect them turned on or off by age. This depletion resulted in a loss of muscle mass and many of the mobility restrictions often found in seniors.

But Tarnopolsky said the genetic "fingerprints" of the exercising seniors actually shifted from their age-altered state to one more closely resembling those found in young men and women in their mid 20s to 30s.

"We improved or reversed to a large extent the ... gene signature of aging," he said.

The reversal was accompanied by a 50 per cent improvement in strength among the seniors.

Starting out about 60 per cent weaker than their younger study counterparts ? determined via knee extension capacity ? the training seniors ended up 38 per cent weaker after a half year of training.

Tarnopolsky said weight lifting might remove some of the mitochondria damaged by age-related stresses, replacing them with genetically intact ones. As well, it may turn on genes, switched off by age, that offer muscle cells protection from damage.

This is a very interesting although small study but the ramifications are huge. Anyone that is in there 60s or 70s though should talk to a doctor before beginning a weightlifting regimen but the effects on your life can be fantastic.

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http://www.nadraszky.com/fitness/archives/the-old-can-stay-young-with-weightlifti
ng-new-study-says.html

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First signs of West Nile Virus

I was in a park field with the kids this afternoon and getting stung by mosquitos like they had never seen me before. This got me to wondering what the first symptoms of West Nile Virus would be.

After a bit of a search around I was able to find a great faq of info from the CDC on what and how to tell if you have West Nile Virus.

Q. What are the symptoms of West Nile virus (WNV) infection?
A. Infection with WNV can be asymptomtic (no symptoms), or can lead to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease.

It is estimated that about 20% of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. While the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks.

The symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease. Serious illness can occur in people of any age, however people over age 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with WNV.

Most people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness (an asymptomatic infection), however you cannot know ahead of time if you'll get sick or not when infected.

Q. What is the incubation period in humans (i.e., time from infection to onset of disease symptoms) for West Nile disease?
A. Usually 2 to 15 days.

Q. How long do symptoms last?
A. Symptoms of West Nile fever will generally last a few days, although even some healthy people report having the illness last for several weeks. The symptoms of severe disease (encephalitis or meningitis) may last several weeks, although neurological effects may be permanent.

Q. What is meant by West Nile encephalitis, West Nile meningitis, West Nile poliomyelitis, ?neuroinvasive disease? and West Nile fever?
A. The most severe type of disease due to a person being infected with West Nile virus is sometimes called ?neuroinvasive disease,? because it affects a person's nervous system. Specific types of neuroinvasive disease include: West Nile encephalitis, West Nile meningitis, West Nile meningoencephalitis and West Nile poliomyelitis. Encephalitis refers to an inflammation of the brain, meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, meningoencephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain and the membrane surrounding it, and poliomyelitis refers to an inflammation of the spinal cord.

West Nile Fever is another type of illness that can occur in people who become infected with the virus. It is characterized by fever, headache, tiredness, aches and sometimes rash. Although the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have been sick for several weeks.

Q. If I have West Nile Fever, can it turn into West Nile encephalitis?
A. When someone is infected with West Nile virus (WNV) they will typically have one of three outcomes: No symptoms (most likely), West Nile fever (WNF in about 20% of people) or severe West Nile disease, such as meningitis or encephalitis (less than 1% of those who get infected). If you develop a high fever with severe headache, consult your health care provider.

West Nile fever is characterized by symptoms such as fever, body aches, headache and sometimes swollen lymph glands and rash. West Nile fever generally lasts only a few days, though in some cases symptoms have been reported to last longer, even up to several weeks. West Nile fever does not appear to cause any permanent health effects. There is no specific treatment for WNV infection. People with West Nile fever recover on their own, though symptoms can be relieved through various treatments (such as medication for headache and body aches, etc.).

Some people may develop a brief, WNF-like illness (early symptoms) before they develop more severe disease, though the percentage of patients in whom this occurs is not known.

Occasionally, an infected person may develop more severe disease such as ?West Nile encephalitis,? ?West Nile meningitis? or ?West Nile meningoencephalitis.? Encephalitis refers to an inflammation of the brain, meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, and meningoencephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain and the membrane surrounding it. Although there is no treatment for WNV infection itself, the person with severe disease often needs to be hospitalized. Care may involve nursing IV fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.nadraszky.com/fitness/archives/first-signs-of-west-nile-virus.html

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Q2W8

Walk, elipp or precor 225 miles (18.75 miles per week in 12 weeks) Week 1: 0 Week 2: 2.02 Week 3: 13.88 Week 4: 7.82 Week 5: 5.07 Week 6: 14.19 Week 7: 13.11 Week 8: 25.51 Weeks to...

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http://www.reneegetsfit.com/archives/2007/05/q2w8.php

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Dooce diagnosed with skin cancer, and urges us to
cover up -- again

Filed under: Skin Cancer, Celebrity cancer diagnosis, Blogs, Celebrity news

It's pretty difficult to be part of the blogging world and not keep up Dooce, one of the Intenet's biggest blogebrities. So maybe you know this already but she's just been diagnosed with skin cancer -- again. Her struggle with cancer, like the rest of her life over the past few years, was documented on her ever-popular blog and I imagine will continue to be and she tackles the issue again.

A couple of days ago, she wrote this post which, in the candid style that characterizes her writing, urges people to cover up, just as she did during he first battle with cancer. Whether you know her or not, it's a wake-up call for people like myself who are ignorantly proud of our tanned post-vacation bodies. Every bit of colour you get from the sun is evidence of sun damage to your skin, and you need to take care of it. Skin cancer should not be something that healthy women in their 30s get. It's serious business.

Your thoughts?

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.thecancerblog.com/2007/05/27/dooce-diagnosed-with-skin-cancer-and-urge
s-us-to-cover-up-ag/

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Women lag behind men in cholesterol control

Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Research, Exercise, Women Heart Health

Why is there a gap between men and women when it comes to cholesterol control? Though women are being screened just as often as men, it seems that getting women's LDL cholesterol levels under control doesn't seem to be as high of a priority as it is in men. Experts speculate that it's because both women and their doctors (that's alarming) underestimate women's heart disease risk, and so LDL levels are not aggressively managed.

Do you know your numbers? You should. (I'm writing a note right now to call my doctor and get mine.) A good LDL reading is less than 100 mg/dl. If your LDL is high, be sure to talk to your doctor about steps you can take to reduce your cholesterol levels. In general, however, a diet that's low in fat (saturated and trans) and rich in veggies, fruits, and whole grains, along with plenty of exercise, can go a long way to help you manage your cholesterol.

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.thecardioblog.com/2007/05/27/women-lag-behind-men-in-cholesterol-contr
ol/

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What's your risk of DVT Take the quiz to find out

Filed under: Prevention, Obesity

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVTs, affect nearly 2 million people annually in the United States and the condition is responsible for 300,000 deaths per year. A new campaign, DVT Blood Clots: Know the Stats, Know Your Risk was recently kicked off to educate the public on this common condition, and actress Lainie Kazan is putting her fame behind the push for better awareness.

DVTs are blood clots that form in the leg, where they can sometimes cause cramping or pain, but often cause no symptoms at all. The blood clot that forms can move from the leg to the lung, where it can quickly become life-threatening. Though many young people may think their age protects them from the condition, the truth is that DVTs can strike anyone at any age. Risk factors include extended periods of immobility, a previous history of clots, and even obesity. To find out if your at risk of developing DVT, take the quiz and discuss the results with your doctor.

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http://www.thecardioblog.com/2007/05/27/whats-your-risk-of-dvt-take-the-quiz-to-f
ind-out/

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Crigler’s Disease

AOL

Read The Full Article:
http://harshrealities.info/nutrition/?p=710

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Beer: Good for your heart

Filed under: Nutrition, Daily news, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health

I'll admit, I'm a fan of beer but I don't drink it that often because of the side effects (hangover), and also because I suspect it's damaging to your health -- or at least I assume anything that can cause that much of a headache the day after must be. But that's not so according to this. Beer is actually good for your heart and even your overall health. In a Dutch study, it was found to raise levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, reduce the occurrence of strokes in women, improve sleeping patterns, increase blood vessel dilation, slow down the development of cataracts, help prevent cancer and more! That's a pretty amazing array of benefits, don't you think?

Now I'm not saying you should throw a kegger and chug a dozen pints with your friends (as tempting as this sounds on the long weekend) but enjoying a few cold ones in moderation may actually be good for you. So drink up!

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.thecardioblog.com/2007/05/27/beer-good-for-your-heart/

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