Blood glucose levels are primarily controlled by the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas. After a meal, blood glucose rises due to the digestion of the food. This triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas, which promotes glucose absorption until it reaches the normal level. But, in individuals with defective functioning of insulin, the blood glucose level remains higher for a longer period. Chronic uncontrolled blood sugar or hyperglycemia damages various body organs, nerves, and eyes. As a diabetic, it is extremely important to keep your blood sugar level always in check. Blood sugar range : In a healthy person, the normal blood sugar levels are below 100 mg/dL after fasting, but can spike to 140 mg/dL 2 hours post meal. However, in a diabetic, the fasting blood sugar itself can reach to up to above 200 mg/dL. How to keep the blood sugar under check? A proper diet and exercise plan is a must to manage a diabetic’s blood sugar level . Moreover, a diabetic must monitor the blood sugar level on a regular basis for effective management of sugar levels. A few common tips to keep the blood sugar under check are as follows: Diet : A well-planned diet is a must for the management of high blood sugar.

Lung cancer is one of the most unpleasant forms of cancer. Due to the large size of the lungs, tumors can grow in them for significantly long periods before being detected. The symptoms of lung cancer include coughing and fatigue. It is difficult to identify this disease by these symptoms alone, and thus, it is hard to get an early diagnosis. There are two types of lung cancer – non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The stages of lung cancer depend on whether cancer has spread from the lungs to other organs, the lymph nodes, or whether it is still local. Early diagnosis of lung cancer can help in treating this condition effectively. Nevertheless, people with lung cancer do have access to various treatment options. Before we get to these treatment options, let’s understand the two types of lung cancer, their stages, and how they affect people in the country. Non-small cell lung cancer Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases in the country. Adenocarcinoma, a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, is the most common form, followed by squamous cell carcinoma (25%) and large cell carcinoma (10%). Stages of non-small cell lung cancer Stage I:

Shingle is an infection which is caused by the same virus that gives you chickenpox and it appears as a painful rash which generally persists for 4 weeks at most. The condition causes an itching sensation, burning, all-around discomfort, and immense pain in its duration. While the symptoms of the disease are quite hard to handle, they can be managed and put to rest with effective treatment and by practicing home remedies. The best course of action is generally getting a cream to tackle shingles. Following the shingles virus, you may suffer from an extremely painful condition called post-herpetic neuralgia. The condition is characterized by pain occurring in the areas of the body where the rash was once present. It may or may not occur before the onset of the rash that characterizes shingles. The pain generally follows a nerve’s path on one side of the body. Here are a few ways you can manage nerve pain from shingles and lead a pain-free life. Pain from shingles To treat nerve pain that has preceded the appearance of the shingles rash, or which is ongoing during its appearance and treatment, it is necessary to manage shingles by following the below-mentioned methods first.

Maintaining a healthy diet is more of a need than a norm in today’s age. The introduction of processed food and junk food to our diets has led to the onset of a plethora of diseases. While we can try to limit the amount of junk we eat, we hardly do so. Over 100 million citizens suffer from pre-diabetic conditions or diabetes. This number itself tells a tale. The sad thing is that this number is only expected to increase with time. Maintaining a healthy diet is a necessity to ensure the proper functioning of the body. It also helps to keep our skin healthy and glowing. While no one is telling you to quit eating junk food and processed food, there is a limit to everything. Following heathy diet plans is the norm of the day and it can do you a world of good to say the least. Here are a few of the best diet plans you must follow today, irrespective of you being a man or a woman. Healthy diet plans DASH Diet The DASH diet plan is one of the healthiest diet plans out there. Not only does it recommend eating certain food items, but it also recommends avoiding a whole host of unhealthy food items.

Recently, there has been a lot of hype on the role of probiotics in promoting health. Almost everyone with a digestive problem is prescribed probiotics. They are essentially bacteria which are good for your health. Probiotics contain good bacteria that are very similar to the bacteria found in the human gut. Certain types of bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria are present in the intestinal flora and the gut lining. The lower digestive tract is home to complex and varied strains of healthy bacteria that are more in number than the cells in one’s body. These healthy bacteria help with digestion of food and also enhance immunity against infections. What are probiotics made of? They are foods that contain bacterial strains having similar properties as the healthy bacteria present in the intestinal lining. FDA regulations treat probiotics as foods and not medications. Probiotic foods Infection of the intestinal tract or consumption of an unhealthy diet that destroys healthy bacteria in the gut generates more “bad” bacteria than “good” bacteria. This imbalance may lead to weight gain, diarrhea, constipation, and other chronic health conditions. Probiotics are prescribed to restore the balance. Popular natural foods containing probiotics are as follows: Certain yogurts Yogurt is the most popular source of probiotics.

Supplements and vitamins can help your muscles, bones, and many other body parts. According to many medical study reports, some of the vitamins and supplements may help in improving the blood pressure, lowering the cholesterol level along with maintaining other things that can put your heart at risk. Here is a list of some of the best vitamins for a healthy heart and some supplements. Even though it is unclear whether these vitamins or food supplements help in preventing strokes, heart attacks, and other heart-related diseases or not, but still it is sure that these help in maintaining a healthy heart. Read on and try to add these vitamins, nutrients, and supplements to your daily diet to maximize the heart health. Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) This is one of the best vitamins for a healthy heart, which you can add to your diet chart. It helps in regulating the homocysteine in the bloodstream. This homocysteine is an amino acid that is associated with the possible risks of causing blood clots. Broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and lentils are great natural resources of vitamin b9. Vitamin D Many medical research reports have reflected the fact that deficiency of vitamin D can lead to higher chances of heart-related problems.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that can cause several other complications if not treated on time. It can lead to kidney failure, blindness, and other such serious conditions. If diagnosed in the initial stages, diabetes can be fought with. You certainly cannot change certain factors like age and genes but you can definitely reduce the risk of diabetes. Here are 10 diabetes control measures that you can use to keep the condition under control. Cut sugar as well as refined carbs from your diet You are more likely to develop diabetes if you eat high-sugar foods and refined carbs. The body tends to burn down this sugar rapidly which are then absorbed by  the bloodstream. The rise in blood sugar prompts the pancreas to produce insulin. However, in those who have prediabetes, the body cells become resistant to the action of insulin. Therefore, the sugar remains in the blood. In response to this, the pancreas produces insulin. This goes on until both the blood sugar and insulin level increase in the body. Eventually, it leads to diabetes. This is why you should keep the consumption of carbs and sugar at the minimum. Exercise One of the most effective diabetes control measures is exercise.

It is important to understand the blood pressure range and ideal blood pressure as per age to keep a track of your health. Your heart beats and pumps oxygen and blood to the organs. The pressure with which it pushes against the vessels is called blood pressure. High blood pressure can be an early sign of a major disease such as heart attack or stroke. It is very important to gain a basic understanding of a normal range of blood pressure. It also helps in taking preventive measures and keeping diseases at bay. Here is the blood pressure chart as per different ages, with readings that you can refer to. Everyone, between the age of 17 years and 60 years, as well as those who are above 60 years, should show the following readings if their pressure is normal: Low systolic – It should be less than 90 Low diastolic – It should be less than 60 Normal systolic – It should be less than 120 Normal diastolic – It should be less than 80 Elevated systolic – It should range between 120 and 129 Elevated diastolic – It should be less than 80 The blood pressure readings will naturally be a little different in the case of hypertension.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in all the cells of our body. It is essential for the proper functioning and production of hormones like vitamin D and pepsin. Cholesterol is also found in food items from animal sources like egg yolk, cheese, and meat. Even our body is capable of generating all the cholesterol it requires. The thing with cholesterol is to maintain its equilibrium as too much of it tends to combine with other food substances in the blood and form plaque which eventually sticks to the arteries, leading to a condition called atherosclerosis. This can subsequently cause multiple coronary heart diseases blocking up the blood flow through the arteries. But as it is said there is always a solution to a problem. Likewise, cholesterol can be easily eliminated by many methods. One being, use of prescribed drugs like statins that function by inhibiting an enzyme needed to produce cholesterol. But with the interaction of these drugs, specific food products can turn out to be very dangerous causing severe side effects like joint aches, muscle pain, vomiting, increased blood sugar, kidney damage and many unexpected neurological side effects. It has also been reported that statins can cause a breakdown in muscle cells leading to permanent muscle damage.

Do you have digestive problems? Or do you know someone who is suffering from digestive problems? This is one of the most common problems faced by people in the country. If you or someone close to you is having digestive problems or unexplained abdominal pain, then a low FODMAP diet is the best solution. This is going to help in reducing the discomfort that you have in your stomach every day. Find below information on low FODMAP diet plans. What is a low FODMAP diet? A FODMAP eliminated diet or low FODMAP diet is a diet where the food compounds that belong to FODMAP will be extremely low or not consumed. FODMAP stands for the following. Fermentable – A food compound that can be easily broken in the large intestine with bacteria. Oligosaccharides – This means less sugar. Disaccharides – A kind of sugar that is formed with the help of two different sugars. Monosaccharides – Simple or single sugar molecules. And Polyols – Means sugar alcohols. So, in simple words, diet plans, low on FODMAP mean the kind of diet which places restriction over certain carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are the ones that do not get absorbed into the small intestine and hence can cause gas and other issues in the stomach.