Diabetes and ADD/ADHD part 1 of 5 (physiology)

Diabetes mellitus, commonly called “sugar diabetes” is a fairly common disease of modern civilization. It is prevalent in industrialized society such as our and less common is less developed countries.

Here’s an overview of what to expect in the next five weeks. We start off with an understanding of normal physiology. The normal physiology overtime with uncontrolled blood sugar becomes pathology of diabetes. It is the pathology of the disease that’s relevant to the ADD/ADHD person.

The triad of the ADD/ADHD symptoms includes the ease of distractibility, impulsivity, and restlessness/hyperactivity that contribute to the difficulty in proper management of the ADD/ADHD diabetics.

After the clinical discovery of diabetes, the person would need to make life-changing habits to modulate the clinical course of diabetes. This includes non-pharmacological and pharmacological intervention. In addition, modification of diet will be necessary to maintain a reasonable blood glucose level. Furthermore, herbal non-pharmacological supplements are recommended as the initial trial.

If resistant, then pharmacological intervention is suggested. This could be hypoglycemic agents or insulin.

Lastly, the final posting will be body symbology of diabetes. What is the symbolic meaning of having diabetes? How can one change one’s (subconscious and conscious) behavior to improve the disease?

I will address those issues in subsequent postings.

So, let’s begin part one, normal physiology. The beta cells of the pancrease produce insulin. The alpha cell of the pancreas has an antagonistic function to the beta cells, that is, it produces glucagons, which acts just the opposite of beta cells. Glucagon breaks down glycogen stored in the liver cells when the body needs glucose as fuel.

The pancreatic beta cells produce insulin in response to elevated blood glucose level. This occurs usually after a meal. The insulin is necessary for active transport within the membrane of the cells to transport glucose from the outside into the inside of the cells where it is the energy source.

Once inside the cell, the glucose molecule goes into the Krebs cycle to generate ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) within the mitochondria of the cell. This is where the majority of cellular energy is produce.

Within the Krebs cycle are important biochemical reactions whereby vitamins such as folic acid, B-12, vitamin C, etc are necessary for the biochemical process to move forward. Without these vitamins, the breakdown of glucose into energy is hindered. Therefore, it is quite important to have enough of the appropriate vitamins to make the biochemical process go smoothly.

there's more to come...

Quench your thirst with a smoothie for the ADD/ADHD body

Quench your thirst with a smoothie is the final segment for this month on fluid replacement. The ADD/ADHD person may be more sensitive to dehydration than "normal" physiology. Therefore, it is necessary to enjoy what you drink and maximized your daily fluid that will promote optimal health.

As a side note, next week is the fifth Tuesday of the month, and I will start my series on diabetes mellitus, a body symbology. The series will cover definitions, common notions, treatments, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical management, and finish with body symbology of what diabetes represents. So stay tune next week for a cerebral tantalizing interpretation of a very prevalent disease.

Eight glasses of water a day is the common consensus that I have shared with you previously this month. I’ve mentioned some creative ways to substitute the eight glasses of water such as in soup, juices, and fruits. In addition, be sure to take adequate minerals with your water.

The reason for writing about smoothie is because next week is Memorial Day. It signifies the beginning of summer. With the beginning of summer, there will be an abundance of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetable available at extremely reasonable prices.

Plan your day by incorporating a smoothie in your diet. This could be a breakfast drink, a mid-morning snack, or afternoon refresher snack. Use your imagination to make your smoothie personal favorite by using the fruits you like as the ingredient. Add protein powder, supplement powders, or any soy product that are compatible with your taste.

Place in the blender a glass full of ice cube. Add summer fruits of your choice. The fruit ingredients could be strawberry, pineapple, peeled orange segments, ripe banana, apples, melons, etc. You may add juice to the mixture. Blend together the fruits and ice until it becomes a slushy consistency. Add protein powder to taste if so desire.

Experiment with the ratio and combination of ingredients until you are satisfy with your concoction. This is what you’ll be drinking throughout the day at the office, fieldwork, or at home. Anticipate the slush separating out over time during the hot summer days. Therefore, have an ice chest for storage when your job is fieldwork. If in the office with a freezer/refrigerator, place your smoothie in the freezer for a short time followed by relocating it to the refrigerator section so you won’t have a frozen smoothie. Frozen smoothie is tough to drink!

If you make a large batch, you could divide it up and freeze it in the freezer for future use. This is very convenient for the person on the go. Just take out the frozen smoothie and place it in the blender with your favorite juice and blenderize. You’ve got yourself a quick smoothie when you come home from work on a hot August night!

This is intended to be a fun exercise to get you to enjoy the fluid replacement and receive the added benefits of the antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins present in fresh fruits. After the abundance of seasonal summer fruits have weaned, I suggest continue with antioxidant supplements such as OPC3 in your daily routine for better health.

There are other antioxidants for your choosing. One kind of oxidant is Isotonix Antioxidant. Another similar oxidant is ORAC.

If you are an ADD/ADHD person who smokes or live in the large city with compromise air quality, Oxygen Plus may be needed to help the sensitive ADD/ADHD system to help protect our body from free radicals that can cause damage to your cells, impairing the immune system and leading to various degenerative disease.

Whatever works for your unique ADD/ADHD physiology by trial and error is something you should stick with. Vary the ingredients and amount of fluid according to your physiological workload.

Remember, next week I will start the series on diabetes mellitus. So, please stay tune. Should you have any comments and constructive opinions, I would appreciate you email them to me. The feedbacks are designed to help me serve my readers.

Eight Glasses (Portions) of Water Per Day Continues

Eight portions of fluid per day (continue).

We continue with our discussion with the eight portions of water per day. This is not a hard and fast set of rules. It is merely a guideline.

What are suggested are eight (equivalent) portions of water in a typical day. My recommendation is to substitute and incorporate your diet intake into consideration as part of your daily eight water portions.

In the summer time, eat citrus fruits and count them as one-half to three-quarter portion or one full portion depending on the size of the citrus fruit.

The summer season fruits could be counted toward your daily eight. Examples are peaches, nectarines, cherries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and various fruits and vegetables are possible substitutes. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and various seasonal melons are a good choice to eat on a daily basis. The more you eat, the less water you need to drink.

Fresh vegetables are plentiful in the summertime. Celery stick, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, salads, etc. are most beneficial in supplying the daily 8 portions.

In the wintertime, hot soups could count toward the eight portions. Have as many cup of soups throughout the day as possible to reach your eight portions. Hot chocolate, hot (green) tea, egg nog, apple cider, etc are other favorites.

For winter meal preparation, I suggest incorporating more soup in your menu. It is easy, nutritious, and inexpensive to prepare. Plus, you’ll arrive at your daily fluid goal without having to drink any water.

Here is a quick one paragraph on making soup. Beef soup. Buy beef shank with bones and ask your butcher for soup bones to make broth. Pick up carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, squash of your choice, and whatever vegetable you like.

In a large pot, place the bones in water and let it boil. When the water boils, skimmed off the fat from the top and toss away. Add water if necessary to be sure bone is submerged. Boil for 2-3 hours, then add carrots first, then onion, celery, and then potatoes. Consider adding brocoli and cauliflower. Lastly, add your squash and tomatoes. The reason for this sequence is to avoid your vegetable soup looking like mush.

When the vegetables are firm, turn off the fire. The retained heat in the water will continue to cook the vegetable. To add a little flavor, season with salt, pepper, spices of your choice, cilantros, chopped green onions, and parsley. Make the soup your signature soup. Put some love and passion into your work of art.

The same principle applies to a chicken base soup, pork base soup, or a combination of meats soup. Use your imagination to create the soup your family likes.

This should be enough for several meals, next day lunch, snacks, and so on.

We are indoors most of the time due to the cold in the winter. We constantly lose water through skin evaporation from household (indoor) heat. Household heat can insidiously cause wintertime dehydration. Most of us don’t think about dehydration in the winter. So, beware and drink about the same amount of fluid as the summer season.

Remember, alcoholic beverages are like diuretics. They increase the excretion of fluid from your body. So, if you plan on drinking alcohol, be conscientious to take in a little more fluid than normal for proper fluid replacement.

Think about how each portions of your intake is comparable to an 8-ounce fluid. Use common sense and rational thoughts to arrive at your daily requirements.

Eat sensibly and drink plenty of filtered water to preserve your health and well being.

Common Sense Fluid Replacement

As we approach to another (hot) summer, let’s enjoy the summer time fun without the aches and pain from our joints.

There will be many who will be dehydrated and not even know it during the summer months. Dehydration has some potential negative effects. We will discuss some of the more common ones.

Hydration is a complex subject rarely discuss to the satisfaction of the person asking the question. The common accepted notion of hydration is …“eight glasses of water a day”…

What does eight glasses a day mean to the dessert dwellers? How about the hot and humid summers of southeast United States? What about the dry cold winters of the northeast United States (usually spent indoors in the presence of dry artificial heat)? Environmental influences is just one thing one has to ponder over when considering what a typical day should be in the lives of the person asking the question.

Now, about the size of the glass. Is a glass 12 ounce? 8 ounces? 6 ounces? How much should a glass hold?

A typical person is how heavy? 150 pounds? 180 pounds? Maybe over 200 pounds? How about over 300 pounds??? Naturally, the heavier the person, the more you need to drink, right? WRONG!

What is water? Is it tap water? Bottled water? Water in the form of coffee or tea? Water in the form of soda pop? How about water content in the form of summer succulent fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, pineapple, pears, melons, etc. How does enter into the equation of hydration?

Am I confusing you yet?

I will share with you the concept of individual customization of proper hydration in the summer time. The interpretation and self-empowerment is not available from your neighborhood medical office. You can only get it here at my website. So keep coming back for more ways to live a fuller and healthier life.

Here are some background physiology and then some guidelines to hydration. The joints in our body are bathed in synovial fluids. The major joints include knee, elbow, wrist, and fingers. There must be enough fluid in the body reserve to supply the raw material for the manufacturing of synovial fluid. Without the lubricating actions of synovial fluid, you will experience some degree of stiffness in the joints.

This is similar to a squeaky door hinge that squeaks when you open or close the door. You may need to squirt a little oil (WD40, 3 in 1oil, lubricant) to reduce the friction on the two surfaces.

The body’s joints behave much the same way, when your body is dehydrated, there is not enough fluid to function in the capacity to supply lubrication between the two joint surfaces. Thus, over time, you have “arthritis”.

To prevent arthritis, the simplest thing is to properly hydrate you. How do we properly hydrate ourselves? Let’s have 8 portions of fluid of your choice and your liking. Use the rule of substitution to arrive at any eight portions.

more info to come next week...

Here are some suggested supplements in addition to the daily eight glasses of water.

link for joint supplement http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10904&cat2ID=USA20908

link for Aloe Juice supplement http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10907&cat2ID=USA20917

link for mineral supplements http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10909&cat2ID=USA20923

link for trace minerals supplements http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10909&cat2ID=USA20922

link for vitamin C http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10909&cat2ID=USA20925

link for energy supplement http://richchan.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=8&cat1ID=USA10909&cat2ID=USA20921

Allergies and ADD/ADHD

Allergies and ADD/ADHD is an issue worth paying some attention to before the summer months. Here's why!

Spring is here. Hooray! Or is it???

Springtime can be a dreaded time for some of us with allergies. Pollens are everywhere. As April showers wax and wean, wild flowers blossoms to produce more pollens. This is exponentially increased as late spring showers result in more vegetation growth resulting in lingering late summer pollens.

Unfortunately, all the allergen particles overwhelm the ADD/ADHD immune system. The ADD/ADHD physiology tend to be highly sensitive to environmental allergens. Thereby, an increase load of pollens likely will give us runny noses, watery eyes, and that overall “blab” feeling.

Wait. There’s help on the way.

OPC-3 is a powerful antioxidant combination of plant derived bioflavonoids, known as oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC's). These OPC's are super effective free radical neutralizers. It also contains a combination of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) from sources that include grape seed, red wine and Pycnogenol® pine bark extracts.

Pycnogenol® has been evaluated in more than a hundred studies with over 2000 participants demonstrating significant benefits for a strong cardiovascular system and healthy lipid and sugar metabolism. Therefore, decreasing the cell-mediated allergic response and its inflammatory cascade system.

It wasn't that long ago that Pycnogenol was claimed to have benefits for ADD/ADHD. The beneficial effects of Pycnogenol's can be seen Diabetes, Cholesterol Control, Inflammation, Asthma, Skin Care, Menstrual Disorders, Fertility, Sport Endurance and Cognitive Function in children (i.e. ADD/ADHD) and elderly.

Other types of antioxidants include Isotonix Antioxidant and Maximun ORAC.

In ancient cultures throughout the world, the Aloe vera plants have been used for many medicinal purposes. The chemical analysis shows that Aloe vera contains vitamins, minerals, triglyceride, carbohydrates, amino acids, enzymes, and of course, water. The vitamins found in Aloe include B-complex, B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-12, choline, folic acid, vitamin C, and beta carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A) - all of which are vital to general good health in body systems and some of which are vital for the formation of certain enzymes.

Aloe vera works because the green skin of the plant produces and the sap stores at least 6 antiseptic agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenol, and sulfur. All of these substances are clinically recognized for their ability to eliminate infection because they kill or control microorganism including fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

In addition, the plant also produces at least 23 proteins; (polypeptides) and at least 4 mannan sugars, which regulate cell growth and stimulate the immune system (biogenic stimulators). Theses agents greatly increase the skin's own defenses against infections by improving immune function.

More reading about Aloe vera plant and Aloe Juice by placing your cursor with the computer mouse on the word "Aloe Juice" in this sentence. This will take you to a link and click under the "Description" line

Personally, I prefered the strawberry kiwi flavor Ultimate Aloe Juice. There are Cranberry Apple flavor or the straight Aloe Juice. Pick your favorite flavor Aloe Juice.

One of many ADD/ADHD symptoms are anxiety, the ability to handle daily stresses, emotional lability, etc. Stress has been shown to have negative effects on the body such as adverse affects on reproduction, sexual behavior, weight gain/loss, mood swings, and weakening the immune system, making you more vulnerable to colds, flu, fatigue and infections..

Anti-Stress Formula is for those who need to decrease anxiety, increase mental clarity, and helps the body deal with the effects of stress naturally. The Anti-Stress Formula Bliss promotes relaxation without drowsiness, helps stabilize your mood, and is ideal for any adult individual encountering consistent stressful days or an upcoming stressful event. So take control of your (ADD/ADHD) life today and give your mind and body an arsenal to combat stress.

The point of all this is simple. When you have good immune health you will have significantly less allergies. No more over the counter anti-histamines, anti-congestion, or anti-allergy medication. Save your money and transfer your buying habits that's going to be ADD/ADHD physiology-friendly.

How does this relate to ADD/ADHD?

Some of the ADD/ADHD traits may be secondary to the toxicity within our body and the inability of our organs to eliminate them.

The (oxidative) stresses from daily living may be enough on a cumulative basis to slowly weaken the immune system. When the immune system cannot keep the allergens in check, then our body slowly begins to break down. Additional supplement such as Complete Green could enhance your health and immune system.

The symptoms are non-descript. You may feel tired, lack of energy, not your “normal self”, going to bed earlier and getting up later, and becoming more irritable. Anxiety is prevalent. Common complaints from people close to you may comment that “you’re lazy”.

The fact of the matter is probably none of the above or just one or two of the above. If you body was firing in all cylinders, many of the symptoms maybe decrease and totally eliminated.

If you are a cigarette smoker and have ADD/ADHD, the toxins within the cigarettes will harm you immune system. Therefore, another supplement called Oxygen Plus would be useful.

When the threshold of the immune is constantly being exceeded, the immune system starts to behave in a strange manner. It becomes hyperactive loosing the self-regulatory parameters. Thus, the immune system reverse it protective mechanism against outsider allergens and starts to attack itself.

When this happens a host of enzymatic reaction occurs through a cascade system. This cascade system escalades into blurring the line between the "good" and the "bad" foreign matters. Therefore, just about everything is perceived as foreign to the immune system and it's being attacked indescriminatory.

The result is a regulatory mechanism out of balance and out of control.

The solution is to build up the immune system and simultaneously remove the offending agents in the body. Build your immune system by taking supplements to counteract the deleterious biological oxidative effects of metabolism within our body.

To slow down the oxidative process, supplements such as OPC3, ORAC, multi-vitamins, minererals, Bliss, and Ulitmate Aloe Juice are necessary just to keep pace with our active stressful lifestyle.

I suggest you read up on the supplements available as a word of caution. Some health professionals may not embrace the holistic philosophy of health and preventative medicine. My reccomendation is to become an informed consumer to find out what's best for you.

Thank you for showing an interest in my philosophy of holistic and integrative medicine to modulate the unique ADD/ADHD person.