Diabetes is a dangerous condition, which can worsen any other diseases or illness present in a human body and pave the way for further complications. One needs to take care of his or her eating habits and make necessary lifestyle changes to get normal sugar levels. Controlling blood sugar levels is crucial to prevent diabetes as well as to manage the condition if already affected by it. It is mandatory on your part to know what should be your normal blood sugar levels and how you can check it on a periodic basis to lead a healthy life. Normal blood sugar levels for a non-diabetic person There are three parameters in which the blood sugar level is detected. You need to check the degree of blood sugar after 10 hours of eating, which is usually before having anything in the morning after you woke up, provided you had the dinner at least 10-12 hours before the time of the blood test. The normal blood sugar levels during the fasting phase should be within the range of 70-99 mg/dl. The next parameter is to test the blood sugar level after the first meal, which is usually lunch. This blood has to be taken a right after 1.5-2 hours of lunch.

Placed under the category of spondyloarthropathies, ankylosing spondylitis has symptoms and causes similar to psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis (previously known as Reiter’s disease), and arthritis associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases affect the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. A type of arthritis that affects the spine, ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that fuses some parts of the spine together, and it also affects the ribs and joints in the lower back known as sacroiliac joints. More common among men, the onset of ankylosing spondylitis symptoms begins in late adolescence or early adulthood, mostly between the ages of 17 years and 45 years. Ankylosing spondylitis can also occur among children. In such cases, it is known as juvenile ankylosing spondylitis. The cause of this disease is mostly due to genetic and environmental factors. What causes ankylosing spondylitis symptoms? It has been seen that people with a particular human leukocyte antigen called the HLA-B27 antigen are susceptible to ankylosing spondylitis. This gene can be inherited in the family. However, not everyone with this gene is affected by ankylosing spondylitis symptoms. It has been observed that nearly 10% people with this gene do not have ankylosing spondylitis.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a routine disorder that affects the intestine. It commonly causes pain in the belly, bloating or cramping, and constipation or diarrhea, all of which is often inconvenient and distressing. IBS is a permanent disease, but it doesn’t stimulate more grave diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. IBS is diagnosed by exclusion — a doctor contemplates other alternatives to start with, conducting tests to exclude other medical problems. However, the specific cause for IBS is not clear. It’s possibly due to the following reasons: The nerves in the bowel are more sensitive than normal. Unusual contractions observed in bowel movements Chronic inflammation of bowel Few psychological factors Irritable bowel syndrome treatment is dependent on various factors, which are as follows: The kind of symptoms you have Level of severity Impact on your daily activities No single type of medication works perfectly for everyone. So you and your doctor can work jointly to ascertain what may be prompting your symptoms. You will have to tweak your lifestyle to effectively manage your symptoms and still hang on with your routine activities. Remember, your doctor must be kept informed of the symptoms and the progress of the treatment.

A waxy substance produced by the body naturally is known as cholesterol. Our body requires some cholesterol to make healthy living cells, hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you to digest foods. As such, a certain level of cholesterol is essential for the body’s normal functioning. Small packets of lipoproteins carry the cholesterol through our bloodstream to different parts of the body. There are two types of lipoproteins, which are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). A certain standard level of both types of lipoproteins is important for our body. However, excessively high levels of cholesterol, particularly, LDL cholesterol can lead to serious health problems including clogged arteries, heart disease, and stroke. LDL cholesterol is produced by the liver and is used by the body to build cell walls, hormones, and digestive juices. A high level of LDL cholesterol, commonly known as the “bad” cholesterol, can lead to building up of cholesterol deposits in your arteries. This plaque-like substance on the walls of your cardiovascular system interferes with the normal flow of blood through the arteries leaving you at severe risk for heart attacks and strokes. Even though a person might be at a long-term risk, there are several safe and effective high LDL cholesterol treatment options.

Ulcerative colitis is commonly referred to as a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which affects the GI  tract (gastrointestinal tract) and causes its inflammation. Ulcerative colitis affects the colon region of the digestive system and can affect the rectum. Inflammation begins in the innermost lining of the rectum and gradually goes up to affect the innermost linings of GI tracts. Researchers believe the cause of ulcerative colitis is linked to a blend of genetics, immunity, and external environmental factors. What you need to k now Treatments for colitis  usually begin with diagnosis. Knowing the symptoms of ulcerative colitis helps in treating the same. Ulcerative colitis affects people of any age range. However , the most common cases occur in those before 30. If your family members are victims of ulcerative colitis, you may be prone to it in the future. The main symptoms of ulcerative colitis include: Cramps Belly pain Diarrhea Rectal bleeding High fever, lack of appetite, and frequent bouts of diarrhea on the s ame day lasting up to 20 times are some of the most common symptoms of the presence of ulcerative colitis. Sometimes these symptoms come and go, but symptoms that persist over time must be treated.  Ulcerative colitis may cause other issues in the body such as joint pain, eye problems, and diseases in the liver.

Have you ever felt a sharp pain in any part of your muscle or tendon? It can be a sign of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia symptoms often debilitate and overlap the symptoms of other similar diseases which make it hard to diagnose it further leads to the disease being at a severe stage. Fibromyalgia can manifest in the form of joint pain and is often coupled with fatigue. The problem mostly manifests in women and can cause cognitive problems and musculoskeletal pain. Stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are the primary causes of fibromyalgia. Decreased levels of serotonin can increase pain sensitivity in the body leading to fibromyalgia. Disordered sleep also plays a role in reducing serotonin levels. You may find yourself being susceptible to fibromyalgia if you’re stressed out, fatigued, and have a chaotic lifestyle. A poor diet may also contribute to fibromyalgia since the body works harder and may get stressed out depending on what you eat. There are many ways to treat this issue, and locating the fibromyalgia tender points can further help in its treatment. But, first, let’s take a look at its symptoms. What are the symptoms? Since Fibromyalgia overlaps with other chronic conditions, people with fibromyalgia are often victims of other or similar chronic diseases.

Spinal stenosis is a condition where the spaces in the spine become narrow. It is also called vertebral stenosis. In this case, the bones and other muscles press on the spine, causing pain. Numbness, weakness, or cramp is felt in the legs, arms or back. The symptoms are prominent in people who are over 50 years. Sometimes, young people also suffer from spinal stenosis if they are born with a narrow spine or suffer a spinal injury. Symptoms to look out for Spinal stenosis should be diagnosed and treated immediately. If neglected, it can cause a lot of problems with your daily activities. There are even chances of suffering from paralysis. There are many symptoms to detect spinal stenosis: • Intense pain in the neck, back, arms, and leg • Overall feeling of numbness • Weakness or tingling sensation • Loss of flexibility • Trouble in walking, bending or leaning. Location The location of the pain or numbness defines which part of the spine has been affected. Spinal stenosis occurs in three major divisions of the spine. • Cervical Spine – Stenosis in the neck compresses a nerve root and radiates pain in the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. • Thoracic Spine – Stenosis in the middle region of the spine causes pain around the rib cage.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It is a lifelong disease in which the parts of digestive system get swollen and get affected by sores and ulcers. Though Crohn’s disease can develop in any part of the digestive system, they are mainly found in the last part of the small intestine and first part of small intestine. Doctors are still not sure as to what causes Crohn’s disease. It is assumed that it could be caused due to body’s immune system has an abnormal response to normal bacteria in the intestine. Unhealthy bacteria and virus from contaminated food might also play a role in causing the disease. Crohn’s disease in some cases might be hereditary. The chances of an individual getting Crohn’s disease might be higher if a close family member has it. Some of the general Crohn disease symptoms include belly pain and diarrhea. People suffering from Crohn’s disease might experience diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day (sometimes with blood). Less common Crohn disease symptoms include mouth sores, anal tears (fissures), fistulas, and bowel blockage. Environmental factor also plays a role in Crohn disease symptoms. It is observed that people who smoke also stand a higher probability to get contacted with Crohn’s disease.

If your nail is swollen, inflamed, thick, yellow or crumbling, then you probably have nail fungus. Onychomycosis also called tinea unguium, is a fungal infection that occurs on your fingernails or toenails. If you are in the habit of exposing your feet or fingernails to moist conditions, then you are likely to end up having nail fungus. Sometimes, you can get infected when you come in contact with people who have nail fungus. Nail fungus is not very painful. It is important that you are aware of the causes, symptoms and the treatment for curing nail fungus. Signs of nail fungus Nail fungus can affect the entire nail, parts of the nail and sometimes, more than one nail too. There are three main symptoms that you should be aware of. They are as follows: Subungual hyperkeratosis: In this type of fungus, you will see scaling under your nail. Distal Onychomycosis: This fungus involves the crumbling of the tip of your nail or the corners of your nail. Lateral Onychomycosis: This refers to white streaks and milky spots that could appear at across the nail. Proximal Onychomycosis: Yellow spots appear at the bottom of the nail. Symptoms of nail fungus Some of the symptoms of nail fungus are as follows:

Bronchitis is an infection that affects the bronchial tubes. These tubes are air pathways that carry air to your lungs. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Although bronchitis and pneumonia both cause coughs and can develop after more common illnesses such as common cold or flu, they are significantly different. Only your doctor can diagnose your illness and determine which treatment is right for you. There are many symptoms of bronchitis or pneumonia. It causes a cough that often brings up saliva. It can also cause shortness of breath, low fever, wheezing, and pain as well as stiffness in the chest.  There are two types of bronchitis or pneumonia: acute and chronic. Pneumonia becomes severe when the infection spreads deeper into the lungs. This infection causes the air sacs within the lungs to fill with fluids. Pneumonia is more likely to develop in smokers, older adults, and people with diseases in other organs, and anyone with a weak immune system. This infection is mainly caused by bacterial infection and contact with substances that harm the lungs such as tobacco smoke, dust, hazes, vapors, and air pollution. Acute bronchitis or pneumonia symptoms  It is a shorter illness that usually follows a cold or viral infection.

With the advancement of science and technology, the world has benefitted immensely since the mortality rate too has reduced, thanks to the discoveries in the field of medical science. However, this doesn’t indicate that the human body is still free from ailments. There are certain ailments, the causes of which aren’t clear, yet the occurrence of the same can cause great discomfort to the person. One such disorder that hinders an individual’s attempt to lead a normal life is seizures. Seizures are caused when there is some abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This disrupts the normal functioning of the brain. Though the seizure lasts for around a minute, it causes great discomfort while it lasts. Seizures are two types- focal seizures and generalized seizures, and the symptoms of seizures depend on the kind of seizure the person experiences. Focal seizures Focal seizures affect only a part of the brain and a majority of people who suffer from epilepsy show symptoms of a focal seizure. Focal seizures are further divided into two categories, and the symptoms of seizures that surface depend upon the type of focal seizure one experiences. Simple focal seizures – You can conclude that the symptoms of seizures are that of simple focal seizure when the person experiencing the seizure doesn’t lose his consciousness.