Endocrinology is a complex study of the various hormones and their actions and disorders in the body. Glands are organs that make hormones and these are substances that help to control activities in the body and have several effects on the metabolism, reproduction, food absorption and utilization, and growth! Hormones also control the way an organism responds to their surroundings and help by providing adequate energy for various functions. Read More
When you do something quickly, like a sprint to catch the bus, your muscles and liver release glucose for fuel. When you exercise, your body needs extra energy from blood sugar to get energy. This uses up insulin, which regulates your blood sugar level.
There is no doubt that exercise offers incredible benefits to your body, both physically and mentally. But, have you ever considered how exercise can affect your blood sugar levels? Exercise plays a vital role in the regulation of blood sugar throughout the day. Read More
If your child is obese and attending school, chances are there’ll be certain complications during his time in education. Parents can only do so much when their child is at home as they can keep a watchful eye over his or her diet, but once the child is in school they’re under the supervision of the school’s staff.
Parents need to be supported and encouraged to be role models for their children while teachers could emphasise the importance of parental lifestyles and parenting style when their children’s weight is considered. The role of those who engage with children on a daily basis for extended periods of time is significant in shaping the child. Read More
Did you know that between 3 and 20 per cent of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, depending on their risk factors?
Gestational diabetes mellitus is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Your body cannot produce enough insulin to handle the effects of a growing baby and changing hormone levels. Read More
Diabetes is generally diagnosed using one of four simple blood tests in a doctor’s office or health clinic. These tests measure your blood-glucose level, which means the amount of sugar in your blood. Many people with diabetes don’t have symptoms so it’s always important to get tested if you have risk factors for the disease! Read More
Type 2 diabetes is a life-long (chronic) disease in which there is a high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas by special cells, called beta cells. The pancreas is below and behind the stomach. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar (glucose) into cells. Inside the cells, glucose is stored and later used for energy. Read More
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease. In type 1 diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed, and the body is unable to make insulin. While the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, it is thought to be an autoimmune response; something, such as a virus, triggers the body’s immune system to create an antibody that kills the cells in the pancreas responsible for making insulin. Read More
World Diabetes Day is a global awareness campaign for diabetes which is held yearly on November 14th. The day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who laid the groundwork for the discovery of insulin in 1922.
Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
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Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, the nerve which carries information from the eye to the brain. When this vital nerve is damaged, there is a high risk that you might lose your vision. Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of legal blindness in the world. At first, people with glaucoma lose their peripheral vision and if it goes untreated, vision loss may get worse leading to total blindness over time.
There are no obvious symptoms of glaucoma like most other health conditions apart from the gradual loss of vision and as such, it’s important to have regular eye tests to check for glaucoma especially if there’s a family history of the condition. Read More
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can have consequences varying from vision loss to total blindness. The good news is that however, with early detection and treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss!
Immediate treatment for early-stage, open-angle glaucoma can delay progression of the disease and that’s why early diagnosis is very important. Glaucoma treatments include can include medicines, laser trabeculoplasty, conventional surgery, or a combination of any of these. While these treatments may save remaining vision, they do not improve sight already lost from glaucoma.
Medicines, in the form of eyedrops or pills, are the most common early treatment for glaucoma. Taken regularly, these eyedrops lower eye pressure. Some medicines cause the eye to make less fluid while others lower pressure by helping fluid drain from the eye. Read More
