"World Guy" rolls giant rubber globe 416 miles for diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Fundraisers, Support, Personalities
Hmm, another "walking for diabetes" fundraiser in the news. But, what's this? Here's a guy walking with a giant inflatable rubber globe. Novel, huh? Check out the picture at right.Erik Bendl, aka "World Guy," is walking 416 miles from his home in Louisville, Kentucky, all the way to Pittsburgh. The plan is to raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Just as important, Bendl hopes to raise awareness about the condition. Every step of the way, Bendl is rolling his eight-foot-tall globe too. Bendl got the globe from a summer camp, whose staff had no use for it.
Bendl is the son of the late Kentucky state Rep. Gerta Bendl, who suffered from diabetes. Bendl was inspired to do something not only because of his mom's experience, but also by watching lots of other friends deal with the condition. He's encountering lots of good support along the way in the form of conversation, kind words, and meals. "I'm almost brought to tears by people's kindness," he told the Cincinnati Post.
Bendl and the rubber globe are accompanied by Bendl's faithful dog, Nice, who is probably thinking "this is the longest walk pops has ever taken me on!"
Click here to visit Erik Bendl's MySpace blog. He also has a website where supporters are invited to send in a donation for the ADA. Want to talk to the man himself? Go ahead and give him a buzz at (502) 408-5772.
[RESEARCH] New onset and persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder self reported after deployment and combat exposures: prospective population based US military cohort study
Objective To describe new onset and persistence of self reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in a large population based military cohort, many of whom were deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Design Prospective cohort analysis.
Setting and participants Survey enrolment data from the millennium cohort (July 2001 to June 2003) obtained before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Follow-up (June 2004 to February 2006) data on health outcomes collected from 50 184 participants.
Main outcome measures Self reported post-traumatic stress disorder as measured by the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist—civilian version using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition criteria.
Results More than 40% of the cohort were deployed between 2001 and 2006; between baseline and follow-up, 24% deployed for the first time in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New incidence rates of 10-13 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder per 1000 person years occurred in the millennium cohort. New onset self reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms or diagnosis were identified in 7.6-8.7% of deployers who reported combat exposures, 1.4-2.1% of deployers who did not report combat exposures, and 2.3-3.0% of non-deployers. Among those with self reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder at baseline, deployment did not affect persistence of symptoms.
Conclusions After adjustment for baseline characteristics, these prospective data indicate a threefold increase in new onset self reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms or diagnosis among deployed military personnel who reported combat exposures. The findings define the importance of post-traumatic stress disorder in this population and emphasise that specific combat exposures, rather than deployment itself, significantly affect the onset of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after deployment.
Post-op diabetes risk factors
Filed under: Research
In the January 2007 issue of the the journal Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), French scientists published an article suggesting a link between certain risk factors and new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) following liver transplantation.
Specifically, a history of impaired fasting glucose, obesity and hepatitis C infection -- when paired with the use of an of immunosppressant -- was shown to be associated with an increased risk of NODM.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers at the Hospital Paul Brousse in Villejuif, France, included 211 patients from 10 transplant centers who had undergone a liver transplant between October of 2003 and June of 2004. The patients' records were reviewed and their fasting blood sugar levels were recorded 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after the surgery. Those patients with NODM had their date of diagnosis noted, in addition to the immunosuppressive treatment and diabetes management they received.
The results demonstrated an incident of NODM of 22.7 percent, with most cases being diagnosed within three months after transplant surgery. Moreover, 12.4 percent of the patients with normal glucose levels before the surgery developed impaired fasting glucose.
No Benefit Found for Post-Stroke Tight Glucose Control
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Research
British researchers have found that tight glucose control during hospitalization for a stroke may not improve survivalThe study involved 933 patients enrolled within 24 hours of a stroke who had glucose in the range of 6.0 to 17 mmol/l. Participants received saline solution or continuous glucose, potassium, insulin infusions to reduce their blood glucose. Patients were monitored every two hours with glucose adjusted if needed every eight hours. The researchers found that both treatment and placebo groups had improvement in glucose levels. The treatment group had an overall mean 0.57 mmol/l reduction in glucose over 24 hours while glucose levels also fell spontaneously with simple saline hydration. There was also no difference in the secondary outcome of disability. There was a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the treatment group. A researcher noted, "In the majority of patients, treatment with a simple saline infusion will correct mild to moderate hyperglycemia."
The saline and glucose relationship is similar to the way the noninvasive glucose monitors measure blood sugar (aka Glucowatch)., This relationship between sodium and glucose in the blood moves inverse. When your sugar levels are elevated, your sodium is down. When you force sodium into your blood, your sugar is suppressed. Doctors must proceed with caution in light of this study. When it comes to aggressively lowering glucose, especially after a trauma, it could be more harmful than helpful.
Weight Loss Strategies for Strength Training
For years we have been told to diet the excess fat from our bodies and throw in some fast walking to hasten the process. The trouble with this is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body holding onto the fat and using precious lean muscle tissue for energy.
More shrewd tactics by food makers
Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Exercise
See? I told you they were tricky!!!
Food manufactures are doing all that they can to get around the whole trans fat ban. This much was explained in greater detail in a post I wrote a few days ago, pointing to serving size trickery and other tactics to appeal to the health conscious consumer.
But, buyer beware; there is something else that you should be on the lookout for when it comes to the type of fat you are consuming. It's called interesterified oil, and it's an unhealthy fat that has sneaked its way into the likes of Peperidge Farm cookies and Little Debbie cakes.
Ineresterified oil have been shown to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, while also having a negative effect on blood glucose levels. A recent study at Brandeis University revealed much of this information. As for whether or not ineresterified fats are worse for you than trans fat, that seems to still be unknown. Either way, the stuff isn't exactly healthy, so you would do well to steer clear of any foods that contain it.
Weight Loss - With The Atkins Diet
Weight Loss - With The Atkins Diet By Michael Russell What if I told you you’d able to eat all the juicy steaks, succulent seafood with butter and bacon and cheese omelettes and still lose massive quantities of weight? What if I also explained to you that you wouldn’t necessarily have to exercise to lose this [...]
Weight Loss – With The Atkins Diet
Weight Loss – With The Atkins Diet By Michael Russell What if I told you you’d able to eat all the juicy steaks, succulent seafood with butter and bacon and cheese omelettes and still lose massive quantities of weight? What if I also explained to you that you wouldn’t necessarily have to exercise to lose this weight? [...]
Lifestyle strategies for your healthiest heart
Filed under: Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
We often post tips and facts about having a healthy heart, but over at That's Fit, I think this post sums up what you need to do to have a healthy heart. Here's what they recommend:- Get a good night's sleep
- Get active -- this especially includes resistance training
- Drink wine in moderation
- Eat fish, or some other source of Omega 3's
- Floss regularly
- Quit smoking
- Take a daily walk
- An aspirin a day can take the heart problems away -- but talk to your doctor first.
Weight Loss - With The Atkins Diet
Weight Loss - With The Atkins Diet
By Michael Russell
What if I told you you’d able to eat all the juicy steaks, succulent seafood with butter and bacon and cheese omelettes and still lose massive quantities of weight? What if I also explained to you that you wouldn’t necessarily have to exercise to lose this weight? [...]