June 14th, 2010 by admin

Someone somewhere once said, “We are what we eat.” This is a cheerful way of summing up our lives. In physical terms, we become a representation of our attitude to food and why we eat. Assuming a choice rather than circumstances forced on people through poverty or famine, an increasingly small percentage of the world’s population prefers to eat smaller portions of healthy food. The rest are hooked on food, eating vast quantities of often unhealthy food. The result is a world-wide epidemic of obesity. In terms of Body Mass Index (BMI) that’s a massive number of people with a BMI of 30 or more. We are merely overweight when we tip the scales at a BMI of 25. This is not only distressing because those with the buying power consume more than their fair share of the word’s food output, it’s also storing up a major public health problem for future generations to deal with. Everyone who is overweight has an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. These are diseases requiring long-term and expensive care. With a healthcare service already struggling to cope with the present levels of illness, adding more people will overload it and cause it to break down unless major new funds are pumped in.

One of the most common first steps from obesity into disease comes in the form of late-onset diabetes. One of the early symptoms is erectile dysfunction. If the diabetes is not controlled, there’s increasingly severe damage to the nerve endings and impotence results. The research community is therefore beginning to look more closely at the role of diet in the treatment of diabetes. As it stands, many people simply look at the meal they propose to eat and adjust the dosage of insulin to counteract the likely effects on the body. This does little to reduce the weight problem and nothing to help the erectile dysfunction. This month sees the publication of a research study in Italy looking at the effect of adopting a Mediterranean diet. This should be the norm in Italy, but many people have abandoned the healthy approach to eating in favor of junk food. The results are interesting. Some 600 men diagnosed with diabetes and suffering some degree of erectile dysfunction were placed on a Mediterranean diet. They completed regular questionnaires on general health and sexual performance. At the end of the study, the men who had kept most strictly to the diet had all reduced their BMI, had lost inches from their waists, had better glucose and lipid levels, and were more active. They were more prepared to exercise and their sexual performance was improved by 10%. Men who failed to stick to the diet, were more likely to report a worsening in their sexual performance. Read the rest of this entry »

June 14th, 2010 by admin

There are many misconceptions about fibromyalgia but, in a sense, they all boil down to one central concern. Is it a “real” disease? For some reason, fibromyalgia has been slotted into the “mental disorder” camp, where those affected are creating their sensations of pain. In part, this reflects a wider problem. Thanks to the persistence of the pharmaceutical industry, many have grown used to the idea that there is a cure for every disease and disorder on the planet. Thus, if there is no cure, it cannot be a “real” physical disease. It must all be happening inside your head. The reality is rather different. Unfortunately, there are a significant number of different diseases and disorders for which there are no “cures”. For some, there will be treatments to make the more obvious symptoms less severe. But the very best many patients can expect is a reduction in pain – such quality of life as there is will be based on learning how to live within the new physical limits. The real problem comes when people believe there is no help for them if they are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They give up and rapidly become invalids.

There are some very precise criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia which appears to be a disease affecting the way in which the nervous system processes pain messages. The reality is that everyone will feel varying levels of pain. Some times, this will be because of loss of mobility in joints or greater sensitivity when touched. Other times, everything just seems more difficult and pain levels rise even though you are passive. This creates psychological pressure to get through the bad days of pain and fatigue. A failure to come up with coping strategies condemns you to despair and, unchecked, depression. This should emphasize why the use of painkillers is a double-edged sword. The stronger drugs will control the pain. But if you use the drugs too often, it is easy to become dependent on them and this brings with it the threat of withdrawal problems when you try to stop. Read the rest of this entry »