Avoid — Page 2

Depression is a serious condition affecting many people at any given time. There is some difference between an individual saying that he or she is feeling depressed and someone who is experiencing the clinical form of depression. Occasionally feeling depressed is part of being human. It is normal and natural for people to occasionally feel sad or moody for a day or two. When that feeling becomes extended, however, then the individual may be experiencing depression.

What Causes Depression? Depression can be caused by emotional factors. At times, the world becomes overwhelming and frightening. People experiencing such emotions can become depressed. These overwhelming emotions can be caused by triggering events. At other times, however, there does not seem to be a triggering event for depression. At such times, the actual cause for depression might be genetics, hormonal causes, or chemical imbalances in the body. General anxiety disorder may be associated with the cause of depression as well.

What does Depression Look Like? The symptoms of depression can vary from case to case. People with depression can lack energy or interest in the world. In addition, people experiencing depression may find it difficult to concentrate, and may experience feelings of worthlessness. People experiencing depression may als be restless and find it difficult to sleep. The symptoms of depression must show a change in the manner that a person used to feel or behave. They symptoms of depression may vary based on the age and sex of the individual. Because depression is so variable, the only way to diagnose depression is by a professional.

What is Chronic Depression? Chronic depression is a disease of varying severity. The person who is experiencing chronic depression may even be able to function rather normally; however, they often appear to be unhappy. The symptoms of chronic depression are persistent, but they are not of the same magnitude as those shown by someone experiencing major depression. Chronic depression is also called “dysthymia.”

What is Major Depression? Major depression is the most severe kind of depression that a person can experience. It is possible for a person to experience major depression at one time in his or her life without it becoming chronic or repetitive. In this case, the depression can be said to be “episodic,” and is probably related to a single event and will not be repeated. However, depression can also be “recurrent.” This kind of depression is seen repeatedly over a person’s lifetime, which is separated by periods in which the person is not depressed.

Chronic and major depression can be treated in the same manner as “regular” depression. Depression is responsive to “talk” therapy, as well as to medications. “Talk” therapy is that which most people are familiar, in which the client and the therapist square off with each other either in private or in groups. In addition, medication can be used to treat depression. Various kinds of drugs are available for treatment of depression. Medication is often used in combination with talk therapy. Many people consider this combination to be most effective, as medication can quiet the patient’s symptoms while talk therapy can be used to get to the root of the problem and address it.

View the latest information published by Jerry Cahill. He is a source for information that is easy to understand and is published on the internet. Please go to Manic Depression Medication for more information.

Diabetes is a disease caused by the inability of the body to properly produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body convert food to energy. In type 1 diabetes the body does not produce insulin at all. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed during childhood. In type 2 diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin or it produces insulin which is ineffective in regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed later in life and is commonly called adult onset diabetes.

Diabetes is an important health concern because incidence of the disease worldwide is increasing. It is also associated with other health risks and is expensive to treat and control. Also, diabetes is a major cause of death worldwide.

The number of cases of diabetes is increasing around the world. The incidence of diabetes in 1995 numbered about 135 million worldwide, about 4.0% of the population. Diabetes affected 170 million people in 2000 and is projected to affect about 300 million people by 2025, about 5.4% of the population. India, China, and the United States have the largest number of cases.

In a recent year direct medical expenses in the United States for diabetes totaled $92 billion, up from $44 billion five years earlier, according to the American Diabetes Association. Another $40 billion was spent on permanent disability expenses. Care for diabetes represents about 11% of the total health care expenditures in the United States. In 1997 annual health care costs for a person with diabetes averaged $10,071 and increased to $13,243 by 2002. That annual rate is more than 5 times greater than the average annual health care costs for a person without diabetes. Also diabetes accounted for an annual loss of about 88 million disability days.

The mortality rate for people with diabetes runs about 5.2% of all deaths according to the World Health Organization. In 2000 about 2.9 million deaths worldwide were caused by diabetes. In another 4.5 million deaths diabetes was a contributing factor.

The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented from ever developing. Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they nearly always develop the condition known as “pre-diabetes.” This condition occurs when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Studies have shown that people with a pre-diabetic condition can control the condition with lifestyle changes or with medicine. With reasonable treatment they can greatly increase their chances that they will never develop diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association created a publication called, “The Prevention or Delay of Type 2 Diabetes.” The following are some of the findings and recommendations from the ADA.

About 41 million Americans have the pre-diabetic condition. There are two tests commonly used by physicians to determine whether a person has pre-diabetes. One test is called the fasting plasma glucose test, or FPG, and the other is called the oral glucose tolerance test, or OGTT. Both tests have a normal range and a diabetic range. The range in between indicates the pre-diabetic condition.

The FPG test is more convenient to patients, less expensive, and easier to administer than the OGTT test. On the other hand the OGTT will detect more cases of glucose intolerance and undiagnosed diabetes than the FTP test. Either test should be repeated in 3 year intervals.

Once a diabetic or pre-diabetic condition has been diagnosed, a person has two choices of treatment. One strategy is to use lifestyle modifications such as a change in diet and an increase in physical activity, and the other strategy is to use glucose-lowering drugs that have been approved for treating diabetes. Studies indicate that the drug therapy is about half as effective as the diet and exercise therapy in delaying the onset of diabetes. Lifestyle changes have been proven effective as a way to prevent type 2 diabetes from developing from the pre-diabetic condition. Diet and exercise, in many cases, are able to return the blood glucose levels to the normal range.

Lifestyle changes include a combination of losing 5% to 10% of body weight, reducing total fat calorie intake, reducing saturated fat calorie intake, increasing fiber intake, and exercising at least 150 minutes per week. One study, called the Diabetes Prevention Program study, showed that a treatment using the combination of 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity and a 5% to 10% reduction in body weight resulted in a 58% reduction in the incidence of diabetes.

The type of physical activity recommended by the ADA includes aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises. The goal of the aerobic exercise is to increase heart rate, raise the breathing rate, and exercise the muscles. The goal is to exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days per week. The 30 minutes can be split into 10 minute intervals. This type of activity includes brisk walking or running, dancing, swimming or water aerobics, skating, tennis, bike riding, gardening, and house cleaning. Strength training, performed several times a week, helps to build more muscle, making everyday chores easier, and helps to burn more calories, even at rest. Flexibility exercise, simple stretching, helps to keep joints flexible and helps to reduce chances for injury during other activities.

Dietary changes are an important part of a pre-diabetes treatment. A body mass index test (BMI) can be administered and calculated easily. A BMI test result that is greater than 25 means that a person is above their ideal weight and a person with a BMI result greater than 30 is considered obese. The goal in the first instance is to decrease body weight by 5% and in the second instance by up to 10%. It is recommended that a person consult a physician who can help to develop a dietary plan that will achieve the desired weight loss.

The effects of type 2 diabetes are expensive and dangerous to one’s health. Fortunately, diabetes can be delayed or prevented by adopting a reasonable program of diet, weight control, and exercise.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.

Anti Depression Is the Best Approach to Avoid Depression

How To Delay Or Avoid Type 2 Diabetes