Smoking: Did you know that nicotine and carbon monoxide put a lot of stress on the heart by forcing it to work faster? This, in turn, accelerates the risk of blood clots. Besides, the presence of different chemicals in the smoke injures the lining of your coronary arteries. It is estimated that smoking can enhance heart risk by 24 percent.
High blood pressure: Hypertension tends to deteriorate the coronary arteries, thus making them absolutely vulnerable to coronary heart disease. Hence, a person with high blood pressure is at a high risk of attacks and coronary heart disease.
Diabetes: When blood glucose levels associated with type 1 and type 2 diabetes increases, there is a certain amount of damage to the victim’s coronary arteries. As a result, the risk of coronary heart disease increases.
Obesity: People who are obese or are highly overweight may not be directly at risk of an attack, but they are at a greater risk of developing hypertension and diabetes. Overweight individuals also tend to have high cholesterol level that results from eating fat-rich diet.
Alcohol: Uncontrolled consumption of alcohol can develop high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, thus augmenting the risk of coronary heart disease. Also, heavy drinkers tend to follow unhealthy lifestyles such as physical inactivity, consumption of high fat-diet and smoking.
Family history: If you have an immediate relative with a history of heart attack, then your chances of getting a stroke or attack doubles up in comparison to the general population with no immediate family history of an attack.
Age and Sex: With age comes greater risk of an attack and coronary heart disease. In addition, research suggests that men are at a greater risk of suffering from an attack than their female counterparts.
Intense outbursts of anger: Sudden and intense bouts of anger may also trigger a heart attack. In fact, it is estimated that there is an 8.5 times more tendency for a heart attack to occur within the initial two hours of an anger outburst.
Cold climate: Colder temperatures may constrict the arteries. This, in turn, raises the blood pressure, which is again a factor that may trigger a heart attack.
Miscellaneous factors: Acute anxiety and strenuous physical exercise may sometimes increase the pace at which the heart beats and the blood flow in the arteries. This may trigger a heart attack in rare cases. In addition, high binge of excessive junk food can escalate cholesterol levels in your arteries that eventually increase your heart rate, culminating into a heart attack.
How Can One Naturally Lower Their Blood Sugar Without Drugs?
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, has become a very common heath problem. Largely there are two types of diabetes that are known.i.e.
type 1 diabetes in which the body does not produce insulin
type 2 diabetes in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin that is produced does not work properly.
Although the correct medication is required to regulate the blood sugar, there are few other steps you can take to get it under control, without resorting to drugs. Some of these remedies are well within your reach and in-fact some are present right in your kitchen.
Getting a regular Blood Sugar Test is one part of managing your diabetes successfully. Your blood sugar is tested both pre and post meal (i.e. before and after). This allows you to see how the meal affects your blood glucose levels and helps you to understand which meals may be best for your blood glucose control.
Low glucose, otherwise called hypoglycemia, can be an unsafe condition. Low glucose can happen in individuals with diabetes who take medications that expansion insulin levels in the body. Taking an excess of medicine, skipping dinners, eating not as much as expected, or practicing more than expected can prompt low glucose for these people.
Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Naturally
You can lower your blood sugar levels without drugs by using supplements and making a few simple, yet effective lifestyle changes.
Get some light exercise regularly and usually the effects are seen within an hour. Exercise really helps to lower your blood glucose
Practicing breathing exercises will keep a check on your stress levels and ultimately result in lower blood sugar levels
You need to get adequate sleep to keep the blood sugar level in control.
Taking smaller meals in a day. This helps you to breakdown your carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the right proportion and avoids the problem of overeating, eventually keeping your body weight in control.
Lower Blood Sugar without drugs
You can include supplements in your diet and which will relatively bring down your sugar levels quickly.
You can take Cinnamon in the form of powder by adding it to your food or taking it as a supplement in the form of capsule. It has been noticed that cinnamon reduces blood sugar. Dosages of up to six grams per day can reduce blood sugar and other diabetes risk factors.
Most of us include Curry Leaves in our diet, it is believed that curry leaves contain an ingredient that reduces the rate at which starch is broken down to glucose in diabetics. So, you can simply chew about 10 fresh curry leaves daily in the morning. Also, it helps reduce high cholesterol and obesity
From time immemorial the benefits of Neem are well known. Apart from having anti-bacterial activity, this plant also has anti-diabetic activity, antimalarial, antifertility and antioxidant effects.
The delicate and tender Mango leaves can be used to treat diabetes by regulating insulin levels in the blood. They can also help improve blood lipid profiles.
Bitter Gourd helps increase pancreatic insulin secretion and prevents insulin resistance. Thus, bitter gourd is beneficial for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Indian Blackberry or Jamun, each part of the plant such as the leaves, berry and seeds can be used by those suffering from diabetes. In fact, research has shown that the fruits and seeds of this plant have hypoglycemic effects as they help reduce blood and urine sugar levels rapidly
Other home remedies that are rich in vitamins and fiber are Guava, Ladies Finger and Indian Gooseberry(Amla)
While there is no cure for diabetes, with your blood sugar level under control you can live a totally normal life.
Are You a Victim of Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic Neuropathy is a painful nerve-damaging disorder generally believed to be caused by high levels of sugar in the blood. This neurological disorder caused by diabetes affects the different parts of your nervous system, thus damaging your systems and organs severely. A study conducted by the U.S Department of Health & Human Sciences revealed that almost 60% to 70% of diabetic patients get affected by some form of neuropathy.
In this write-up, we will throw light on the types and characteristics of Diabetic Neuropathy so that you can identify the early symptoms of each type and take the right measures to prevent the disorder from aggravating.
There are four types of Diabetic Neuropathy – autonomic, focal, peripheral, and proximal. Here is a brief description of the characteristics of each type.
Autonomic Neuropathy: This diabetic complication generally affects your digestive system including the stomach, urinary system, blood vessels, and reproductive organs. Autonomic Neuropathy is characterized by vomiting, nausea, abnormal pulse rate, constipation, excessive sweating, weight loss, diarrhoea, bloating, and heartburn.
Some of the early symptoms of Autonomic Neuropathy include – sudden nausea or a feeling of throwing up after eating, feeling lightheaded, or unexplained changes in bladder or bowel movement, including sexual function. Some women also experience frequent tendency to urinate, incontinence, or discomfort while emptying their bladder.
If you experience the above-mentioned symptoms, you should immediately consult your physician for the right treatment as an early diagnosis can help control the symptoms of Autonomic Neuropathy. The extreme cases of Autonomic Neuropathy call for a surgery.
Focal Neuropathy: This unpredictable disorder is characterized by a severe pain in the eye, vision changes often caused by double vision, acute pain in the legs or lower back, speech impairment caused by Bell’s palsy (paralysis of muscles that affects one side of the face) stomach ache or chest pain that is often mistaken as appendicitis or heart attack. Focal Neuropathy usually affects the nerves of your leg, torso, and head.
Though Focal Neuropathy is painful, it does not cause permanent damage, and the pain subsides after a certain period of time.
Peripheral Neuropathy: This normally affects your legs and feet. Peripheral Neuropathy is characterized by permanent numbness of the feet or legs, tingling sensation, acute or burning pain, or losing balance while walking. This disorder initially affects the legs and feet, and once aggravated, it may affect the hands and arms as well.
Some patients suffering from this disorder report distressing symptoms, while others report minor symptoms. If you notice the early symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy, it is advisable to avoid alcohol and tobacco, and take measures to keep your blood sugar level under control. At the same time, you should consult your physician for appropriate medication to get relief from the distress.
Proximal Neuropathy (Diabetic Amyotrophy): This type usually weakens the legs and causes excruciating pain on one side of the hips, thighs or buttocks. Patients suffering from this disorder require physical therapy along with medication to alleviate the pain. The length of medication depends on the intensity of nerve damage.
If you notice the symptoms of proximal neuropathy, you should undergo proper treatment and take measures to control your blood sugar levels by following a healthy diet regime. At the same time, you should avoid alcohol and other addictions such as smoking or tobacco. Indulging in physical exercise and yoga goes a long way in recharging your mind and body, thus reinvigorating the nerves in your legs.
Diabetic Neuropathy can be treated by identifying the underlying causes for controlling its symptoms. This is the best preventative strategy where focusing on high blood sugar levels can check further nerve damage. Therefore, if you think you are experiencing nerve disorders, you should immediately consult your physician to diagnose the underlying cause and get proper treatment.