Personal Health Care

Diabetes information is important for everyone and do you know what is diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure and now become one of the common diseases. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes is a mystery, although both genetics and environment appear to play roles. There are two major types of diabetes:

type 1Diabetes

An autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to stay alive

type 2 Diabetes

A metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to make enough or properly use insulin, it is the most common form of the disease.

WHO estimates that more than 220 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

Who Is At Greater Risk For Type 1 Diabetes?

*Siblings of people with type 1 diabetes.
*Children of parents with type 1 diabetes.

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When you start to quit smoking today, you’ll still have urges for a cigarette. Remember, your urge will last for just a few minutes and you will be able to get it over. You may refer to the following quit smoking tips when you have an urge to smoke:

Delay

Whenever you want a cigarette, wait! Slow down your action and recall your reasons of quitting smoking. If you are already holding a cigarette in your hand, try not to get it lighted. In a few minutes, you will get over your urge.

Distraction

Wash your face, listen to your favourite music or talk to others in order to let yourself ‘cool down’. You may also take a short break or do some stretching exercises for diverting your attention on the urge.

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Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing viral disease that affects domestic animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels) and humans.

Rift Valley Fever is generally found in regions of eastern and southern Africa where sheep and cattle are raised. However, Rift Valley Fever virus also exists in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Cases have also been confirmed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula.

How is RVF virus spread among animals?

An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever among animals is generally observed during years in which heavy rainfall and localized flooding occur. The excessive rainfall allows mosquito eggs, usually of the genus Aedes, to hatch. The mosquito eggs are naturally infected with the Rift Valley Fever virus, and the resulting mosquitoes transfer the virus to the livestock on which they feed. Once the livestock is infected, other species of mosquitoes can become infected from the animals and can spread the disease. In addition, it is possible that the virus can be transmitted by other biting insects.

The virus was first identified in 1931 during an investigation into an epidemic among sheep on a farm in the Rift Valley of Kenya.

How do humans get RVF?

Humans can get RVF as a result of bites from mosquitoes and possibly other blood-sucking insects that serve as vectors. Humans can also get the disease if they are exposed to either the blood or other body fluids of infected animals. This exposure can happen during the slaughtering or handling of infected animals or by touching contaminated meat during the preparation of food. Infection through aerosol transmission of RVF virus has resulted from contact with laboratory specimens containing the virus.

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Our heart play important part in our life, so we need to care our heart. The heart weights about 350 to 450 grams in an average adult.

It pumps about 80 cc of blood per heart beat. At average heart beat of 70 per minute, in a day, the heart would have pumped 8 thousand liters of blood around the body.

It is on automatic. Via specialised group of cells, the heart has a natural pacemaker that will regulate the heart rate.

Some specialised muscle cells act as a conducting pathway, much like electrical circuit. Signals from the pacemaker is transmitted to heart muscle in orderly fashioned.

Cardiac valves separate the various chambers and great blood vessels. Acting like a door, it allows blood flow only in one direction. There are four valves in a normal heart.

Coronary arteries are special blood vessels running on the surface of the heart. They supply nutrient-rich blood to the hardworking heart muscle. A narrowing or blockage of these arteries causes heart attacks and coronary heart disease.

Major risk factors for coronary heart disease are:
*Smoking
*High cholesterol level
*High blood pressure / hypertension
*Diabetes mellitus
*Family history
*Exercises increase the demand on circulatory system and condition it in the long run to work more efficiently. Walking, light jogging, swimming or cycling for 30 to 40 minutes at least three times per week is recommended.

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