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Diabetes linked to irregular heartbeat

Diabetes is linked to a 40 per cent greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation— the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat, found a new study.  Led by Dr. Sascha Dublin of   Group Health Research Institute  , the researchers also found that this risk rises even higher the longer people have diabetes and the less controlled their blood sugar is.   For three years, the researchers tracked more than 1,400 Group Health patients who had newly recognised atrial fibrillation. They compared these cases with more than 2,200 ‘controls.’ The controls were matched to the cases by age, sex, year, and whether they were treated for high blood pressure; but unlike the cases, they had no atrial fibrillation.  

Lemon drops

A glass of hot lemon water and honey (with empty stomach) early in the morning is good for health.If you are planning to lose weight then honey should be replaced by one or two pinch(es) of salt, as honey is as caloric as sugar.Lemon water is more agreeable to drink than plain water and lemon has a high content of vitamin C.You don't get any result if u take it in cold water.When taken with a meal it causes early satiety thereby decreasing the need to eat more.Taken early in the morning, it is refreshing and a good and inexpensive source of vitamin C, to start the day energetically.Due to it's high acid content it is not advisable in persons suffering from high gastric or duodenal (i.e.stomach) acidity problems

Breathe to Relax

When you're under stress, your muscles tense, and your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. one of the simplest (and best) ways to stop this stress response is to breathe deeply and slowly. It sounds simple, and it is. Most of us, however, do not breathe deeply under normal circumstances, so it may help to review the mechanics of deep breathing and how it helps us to relax. Breathing Under Stress: When prehistoric humans were in danger of attack, their muscles tensed and their breathing became rapid and shallow, as they prepared to run or fight. Their high level of tension was a means of preparing their bodies for optimum performance. Today, the causes of our "stress" are different, but our stress response is the same. However, since we're not running or fighting, our tension has no release and our stress response builds. One way to counteract the stress response is to learn how to breathe deeply and slowly -- the opposite of how we breathe when under stres

Importance of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 Deficiency:  A deficiency of Vitamin B12 primarily causes anemias the body is unable to make sufficient quantities of normal red blood cells. Severe cases can lead to permanent nervous system problems. The vitamin B12 deficiency can result from absorption problems, insufficient  dietary  intake, certain medications (e.g. metformin), inherited conditions (e.g. transcobalamin deficiency) and certain chronic parasitic intestinal infestations. Causes Vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by an inability of the body to absorb vitamin B12 or a lack of vitamin B12 in the  diet. Vitamin B12  is essential for many aspects of health, including the production of red blood cells in the blood. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be serious if untreated, because it can lead to decreased production of red blood cells in the blood. Healthy amounts of red blood cells are necessary for the proper delivery of necessary oxygen to the body's cells and tissues. A lack of sufficient amounts of

Hypothyroidism and Depression

The connection between hypothyroidism and depression is well known, and most psychiatrists will test patients' levels of thyroid hormones before prescribing antidepressant medications, believing that even mild cases of low thyroid function can cause major depression. What is the Connection Both hypothyroidism and depression appear to have a common basis in terms of physiological chemistry . Specifically, the same portion of red blood cells that takes up the thyroid hormone T3 also takes up the amino acid L-tryptophan, which is critical in depression. Low levels of L-tryptophan are associated with depression, and low levels of T3 are associated with hypothyroidism, so it is the common starting point on the cellular level that explains why the two conditions often exist together. Because of this, evidence has shown that adding thyroid hormones to a treatment regimen for depression often helps to alleviate the condition, even if a clinical diagnosis of hypothyroidism h

The Low Thyroid Function And Libido Connection

Among the effects of hypothyroidism is its potential effect on sexual desire and performance. The connection between low thyroid function and libido can be both physical and psychological. Since people with a sluggish thyroid are often overweight and chronically tired, they often do not feel like having sex or may have a poor body image that interferes with sexual desire. In addition, like other hormones, thyroid hormones affect sexual desire and performance, so low levels of these hormones may decrease libido. While it is not known how many people with sexual dysfunction have underlying thyroid disease, low libido is a common complaint among people with hypothyroidism. The good news is that there are a number of things that can be done to increase sexual desire, especially when a connection between low thyroid function and libido is suspected. To begin with anyone with sexual difficulties of any kind should consider having his or her thyroid hormone levels checked. TSH levels s

Hypothyroidism and Hair Loss

Hypothyroidism and hair loss go hand in hand. Yes, unfortunately when you develop this medical condition hair loss is one of its chief symptoms.  Hair cells are some of the fastest growing cells in the body, and when they begin to slow down or stop growing, it is a good indication the body is in trouble. Thyroid Disease and Hair Loss Thyroid disease is a large contributor to hair loss with its numbers rapidly growing—almost 0.5% of the U.S. population has some sort of thyroid problem, with women and elderly people being affected most often.  If the disease develops during the first few months of pregnancy permanent developmental damage can occur physically and mentally to the fetus.  The fetus needs to get the thyroid hormones from the mother. Thyroid hormones play a key role in normal brain development and deprivation of such hormones can lead to low IQ and impaired psychomotor development. The lack of iodine is one of the causes of hypothyroidism, specifically in young chil