Heart and blood vessel problems are the main causes of sickness and death among people with diabetes. These problems can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. Heart and blood vessel problems can also cause poor circulation (blood flow) in the legs and feet.

You’re more likely to have heart and blood vessel problems if you smoke cigarettes, have high blood pressure, or have too much cholesterol or other fats in your blood. Talk with your health care team about what you can do to lower your risk for heart and blood vessel problems. Ask about taking a daily aspirin to help prevent heart and blood vessel problems.

Signs of Heart and Blood Vessel Problems

If you feel dizzy, have sudden loss of sight, slur your speech, or feel numb or weak in one arm or leg,

you may be having serious heart and blood vessel problems. Your blood may not be getting to your brain as well as it should.

Danger signs of circulation problems to the heart include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath,

swollen ankles, or irregular heartbeats. If you have any of these signs, go to an emergency room or call your health care provider right away

Signs of circulation problems to your legs are pain or cramping in your buttocks, thighs, or calves during physical activity. Even if this pain goes away with rest, report it to your health care provider.

Preventing and Controlling Heart and Blood Vessel Problems

Eat Right and Get Physical Activity

Choose a healthy diet, low in salt. Work with a dietitian to plan healthy meals. If you’re overweight, talk about how to safely lose weight. Ask about a physical activity or exercise program for you. See pages 14–18 to read more about healthy choices for food and physical activity.

Don’t Use Tobacco

Smoking cigarettes causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. When you have diabetes and also use tobacco, the risk of heart and blood vessel problems is even greater. One of the best choices you can make for your health is to never start smoking—or if you smoke, to quit.

At least once a year, your health care provider will ask you about tobacco use. If you smoke, talk to your provider about ways to help you stop.

Check Your Blood Pressure

Get your blood pressure checked at each visit. Record these numbers on the record sheets starting on page 91. If your blood pressure is higher than 130/80, ask what steps to take to reach your goal.

If your blood pressure is still high after 3 months, you may need medicine to help control it. Many medicines are available to treat high blood pressure. If you have side effects from the medicine, ask your health care provider to change it. Talk to your health care team about whether you need medicine to take charge of your blood pressure.

Check Your Cholesterol

Get your cholesterol checked once a year. Record the results on page 101. Your total cholesterol should be lower than 200 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). Ask your health care team to explain what your HDL and LDL levels are.

If your cholesterol is higher than 200 mg/dL on two or more checks, you can do several things to lower it. You can work with your health care team to improve your blood glucose control, you can lose weight (if you’re overweight), and you can cut down on foods that are high in fat and cholesterol. Ask your health care team about foods that are low in fats. Also ask about a physical activity program.

Ask your health care provider what steps to take to reach your LDL cholesterol goal. You may need a

medicine to help control it. Ask if you need aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke.

Ask If You Need an Electrocardiogram (EKG)

If you’re having heart and blood circulation problems, an EKG may help you and your health care provider know if you need to change your treatment.

Chemotherapy is thirteen drugs are used in chemotherapy and their consequent side effects (as listed in the drugs package inserts for physicians), which include: destruction of the immune system, leukopenia, hemorrhage, gonadal suppression, bone marrow depression, phlebosclerosis (hardening of the veins), severe cellulites, vesication(blistering), tissue necrosis(death), fever, chills, nausea, prolonged vomiting, partial or total hair loss, lethargy, disorientation, ataxis(inability to coordinate muscle movements), dysarthria( impaired speech), anorexia, entertitis, stomatitis, erythema, (morbid redness of the skin), anemia, liver failure, kidney failure, cancer, and death For decades there has been a great deal of controversy within the medical community over what kind of medical treatment is most efficacious in treating cancer. 

Latest findings reveal all conventional medical treatment for cancer is not helpful. The late Dr. Hardin B. Jones, Professor of Medical Physics and Physiology at Berkeley, California, made a study lasting 25 years of the lifespan of cancer patients, and concluded that untreated patients do not die sooner than patients receiving orthodox treatment, (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy), and in many cases they lived longer. After almost 40 years as a cancer researcher, Dr. Jones found for example that survival in breast cancer is four times longer without conventional treatment. 

He stated, “People who refused treatment lived for an average of 12 and a half years. Those who accepted other kinds of treatment lived on an average of only 3 years.” It is important to note that no refutations of Dr. Jones work have appeared, while on the other hand, his studies have been supported by other researchers, as a search of the Science Citation Index reveals.

Even the Journal of the American Medical Association took note of the phenomenon when, in its diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer by Dr. Maurice Fox, a biologist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On the basis of studies carried out at the Harvard School of Public health, Dr. Fox found, among other things, that: Those who refused medical procedures had a lower mortality rate than those who submitted.

Because of high blood glucose, people with diabetes are more likely to have problems with their teeth and gums. There’s a lot you can do to take charge and prevent these problems. Caring for your teeth and gums every day can help keep them healthy. Keeping your blood glucose under control is also important. Regular, complete dental care helps prevent dental disease.

Signs of Dental Disease

Sore, swollen, and red gums that bleed when you brush your teeth are a sign of a dental problem called gingivitis. Another problem, called periodontitis, happens when your gums shrink or pull away from your teeth. Like all infections, dental infections can make your blood glucose go up. Healthy teeth and gums depend on regular care and controlling your blood glucose levels.

Preventing Dental Problems

Keep Your Blood Glucose Under Control High blood glucose can cause problems with your teeth and gums. Work with your health care team to keep your glucose levels as close to normal as you can.

Brush Your Teeth Often

Brush your teeth at least twice a day to prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Be sure to brush before you go to sleep. Use a soft toothbrush and toothpaste with fluoride. To help keep bacteria from growing on your toothbrush, rinse it after each brushing and store it upright with the bristles at the top. Get a new toothbrush at least every 3 months.

Floss Your Teeth Daily

Besides brushing, you need to floss between your teeth each day to help remove plaque, a film that forms on teeth and can cause tooth problems. Flossing also helps keep your gums healthy. Your dentist or dental hygienist will help you choose a good method to remove plaque, such as dental floss, bridge cleaners, or water spray. If you’re not sure of the right way to brush or floss, ask your dentist or dental hygienist for help.

Get Regular Dental Care Get your teeth cleaned and checked at your dentist’s office at least once every 6 months. If you don’t have a dentist, find one or ask your health care provider for the name of a dentist in your community. See your dentist right away if you have trouble chewing or any signs of dental disease, including bad breath, a bad taste in your mouth, bleeding or sore gums, red or swollen gums, or sore or loose teeth.

Give your dentist the name and telephone number of your diabetes health care provider. Each time you visit, remind your dentist that you have diabetes. Plan dental visits so they don’t change the times you take your insulin and meals. Don’t skip a meal or diabetes medicine before your visit. Right after breakfast may be a good time for your visit.

By now, you already have a sense of how metabolism relates to weight loss (catabolic metabolism, or breaking cells down and transforming them into energy). To understand this process even more clearly, we can introduce a very important player in the weight loss game: the calorie.

Calories

Calories are simply units of measure. They aren’t actually things in and of themselves; they are labels for other things, just like how an inch really isn’t anything, but it measures the distance between two points. So what do calories measure? Easy: they measure energy.

Yup, the evil calorie – the bane of the dieter’s existence – is really just a 3-syllable label for energy. And it’s important to highlight this, because the body itself, despite its vast intelligence (much of which medical science cannot yet understand, only appreciate in awe) does not really do a very intelligent job of distinguishing good energy from bad.

Actually, to be blunt, the body doesn’t care about where the energy comes from. Let’s explore this a little more, because it’s very important to the overall understanding of how to boost your metabolism, particularly when we look at food choices. In our choice-laden grocery stores, with dozens of varieties of foods – hundreds, perhaps – there seems to be a fairly clear awareness of what’s good food, and what’s bad or junk food.

For example, we don’t need a book to remind us that, all else being equal, a plum is a good food, whereas a tub of thick and creamy double-fudge ice cream is a bad food. Not bad tasting, of course; but, really, you won’t find many fit people eating a vat of ice cream a day, for obvious reasons. So what does this have to do with calories and energy? It’s this: while you and I can evaluate our food choices and say that something (like a plum) is a healthy source of energy, and something else (like a tub of ice cream) is an unhealthy source of energy, the body doesn’t evaluate. 

Really. It sounds strange and amazing, but the body really doesn’t care. To the body, energy is energy. It takes whatever it gets, and doesn’t really know that some foods are healthier than others. It’s kind of like a garbage disposal: it takes what you put down it, whether it should go down or not. So let’s apply this to the body, and to weight gain. When the body receives a calorie – which, as we know, is merely a label for energy – it must do something with that energy.

In other words, putting all other nutrients and minerals aside, if a plum delivers 100 calories to the body, it has to accept those 100 calories. The same goes for 500 calories from a (small) tub of ice cream: those 500 calories have to be dealt with. Now, the body does two things to that energy: it either metabolizes it via anabolism, or it metabolizes it via catabolism. That is, it will either convert the energy (calories) into cells/tissue, or it will use that energy (calories) to break down cells.

Now the link between calories/energy, metabolism, and weight loss becomes rather clear and direct. When there is an excess of energy, and the body can’t use this energy to deal with any needs at the time, it will be forced to create cells with that extra energy. It has to. It doesn’t necessarily want to, but after figuring out that the energy can’t be used to do anything (such as help you exercise or digest some food), it has to turn it into cells through anabolism.

And those extra cells? Yup, you guessed it: added weight! In a nutshell (and nuts have lots of calories by the way, so watch out and eat them in small portions...), the whole calorie/metabolism/weight gain thing is really just about excess energy. When there are too many calories in the body – that is, when there’s too much energy from food – then the body transforms those calories into stuff. And that stuff, most of the time, is fat. Sometimes, of course, those extra calories are transformed into muscle; and this is usually a good thing for those watching their weight or trying to maintain an optimal body fat ratio.

In fact, because muscles require calories to maintain, people with strong muscle tone burn calories without actually doing anything; their metabolism burns it for them. This is the primary reason why exercising and building lean muscle is part of an overall program to boost your metabolism; because the more lean muscle you have, the more places excess calories can go before they’re turned into fat.

A Final Word About Fat

There’s a nasty rumor floating around out there that fat cells are permanent. And the nastiest thing about this rumor is that it’s true. Yes, most experts conceded that fat cells – once created – are there for life. Yet this doesn’t spell doom and gloom to those of us who could stand to drop a few pounds. Because even though experts believe that fat cells are permanent, they also agree that fat cells can be shrunk. So even if the absolute number of fat cells in your body remains the same, their size - and hence their appearance and percentage of your overall weight - can be reduced.

Recap

So while we haven’t gone into any medical detail – because we don’t need to or want to – we have covered some key basics about metabolism. In fact, you probably know as much about metabolism now as many so-called experts. The bottom line is simply that metabolism represents a process – countless processes, in fact – that convert food into energy. When this process creates cells, it’s called anabolism. When this process breaks cells down, it’s called catabolism.

For people trying to lose weight, it’s important to experience catabolism. That is, it’s important convert food into energy that is used to break cells down. Catabolism is also important because it prevents excess energy (calories) from being stored by the body. Remember: when the body has too many calories – regardless of what food source those calories came from – it can only do two things. It can desperately try and see if you have any energy needs (like maybe you’re running a marathon at the time).

Or, more often, it will have to store those calories. It has no choice. And unless you have lean muscle that is gobbling up those excess calories, you’ll be adding fat. The remainder of this book, however, is going to point you in the opposite direction. You’ll learn various techniques, tips, and strategies to boost your metabolism.

Diet - There is not a known remedy that will cure diabetes without a reformation along the lines that caused it. The number one dietary consideration for diabetes must be a strict vegetarian, low calorie, alkaline diet of high quality natural foods. Plenty of whole grains, bran and oatmeal are very beneficial in diabetes, as well as raw vegetables of all kinds - red cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, brussel sprouts, okra, cucumbers, onions, etc. 

A big emphasis needs to be placed on raw foods as they stimulate the pancreas and increase insulin poduction. Green beans and cucumber juice contain a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas in order to produce insulin. No table sugar should be used. When sugar is eaten and absorbed into the blood stream, it requires insulin and a trace element called chromium to move the sugar from the blood stream into the cells where it can be burned for energy. 

In the diabetic the insulin is missing. There fore sugar piles up in the blood stream and cannot move into the cell. When insulin is given, the sugar is able to move into the cell and the sugar level will drop in the blood stream. If chromium is missing, the blood sugar will rise again, for the sugar is still not able to enter the cell. 

Chromium is available in many natural foods (especially whole grains), but most of it is removed when foods are refined. The average American diet is lacking in chromium. At birth we have a good supply of chromium, but as we get older we gradually lose it if we do not eat properly. 

Many older individuals are deficient in chromium. Why is this happening? When refined sugar is eaten, it requires chromium to be utilized. If none is taken in with food, chromium from the body stores, if available, has to be used. Thus chromium is gradually depleted and sickness occurs.

What about fresh fruits, as they contain sugar? Fresh fruits of all kinds are excellent for the diabetic. The sugar in fresh fruit is fructose sugar and is very different from the refined table sugar (which is sucrose sugar). When we eat sugar or starch our body breaks it down into simple sugar and the blood then carries it to the cells of the body. 

For this simple sugar to enter the cells it needs insulin and chromium, but if you have eaten only fructose sugar (the good kind that is found only in fresh fruits), no insulin is needed for the sugar to enter the cells. This is why a diabetic can eat all the fresh fruit desired, but no canned or frozen fruit juices (even if they are supposedly all natural). All of these are refined; they have been heated (even the frozen ones) and are hard for a diabetic to assimilate.

Use no free fats - only natural fats as found in avocados, nuts, etc. Recent studies show excess fat intake can decrease the number of receptors and/or deactivate them. This results in the gradual build up of sugar in the bloodstream. Dr. James Anderson, one of the most respected authorities on diabetes in the world, did a study with Dr. Kiehm.

They took thirteen diabetics off the 34 percent fat, 23 percent protein diet prescribed by the American Diabetes Association and fed them a 9 percent fat diet of mostly natural high fiber, starchy foods. Blood sugar levels were significantly lowered in all thirteen. All five patients taking oral drugs and four of the eight patients taking insulin were able to discontinue their medication completely.

Diabetics should discontinue the use of baking powder or soda, as these decrease the activity of the pancreatic juices, which are used in the body to digest protein, fats and carbohydrates. The pancreas is one of the most important organs of digestion. Fasting is usually not advisable for diabetics. Avoid all mental nervous stresses and strains. Avoid constipation; the bowels must be kept loose with at least three good eliminations every day. This is imperative to improved health.

Herb Tea - Tea, made from any one of the following herbs is beneficial: raspberry leaves, red root or dandelion root. Mix one tsp. of herb per 8 oz. of distilled water. Let steep for 20 minutes or longer. Drink three cups daily.

Exercise - Exercise will lower the blood sugar and enable the diabetic to require less insulin. Deep breathing and lots of exercise of hard physical labor will help keep the fire of the metabolic processes burning fast, and this will diminish the need for insulin.

Sunlight - The effect of direct sunlight on the body's sugar metabolism parallels that of insulin. Sunlight facilitates the absorption of glucose into the cells of the body and stimulates the body to convert its blood sugar (glucose) into stored sugar (glycogen). This is minimal in a normal individual but dramatic in diabetics. A diabetic must gradually expose his body to the sunlight. Diabetics who choose to sunbathe should always keep in touch with their physician as their insulin dosage will have to be decreased.

In conclusion, diabetes is unknown in countries where people can't afford to overeat. Americans may be the richest people in the world, but they are also one of the sickest. In America, a new diabetic is discovered every 50 seconds. I want to encourage all to eat in moderation, only those things that are wholesome and natural.

Source : Natural Medicine By Dr. Hoover

Our body runs on electricity. An electrocardiogram will record the electrical activity of the heart. An electroencephalograph records the electrical activity of the brain. Today we know the human body runs on electrical energy. Very few health professionals have any information on the electrical currents in the body and how they can be altered to either produce good or bad results in the human body.

What Is Electricity ?

No one really knows what electricity is. We only partially know how to use it and how it works. This definition of electricity is given in Taber's Cyclopedic Medica Dictionary; "A form of energy that exhibits magnetic, chemical, mechanical and thermal effects. Electricity is formed from the interactions of positive and negative charges." The medical field today uses electricity on the body. 

Three examples of this are found in electro hemostasis, which uses high frequency current to stop bleeding; electroconvulsive therapy, the use of electrical shock to produce convulsions; and electro analygesia, using low intensity electrical currents to bring relief from pain. These forms of electrical treatments may cause harm to the body, as they disturb the natural circulation of electrical currents. Did you know that cancer cells are weaker than normal cells, and that cancer cells have a different electrical frequency than normal cells?

Natural Ways of Keeping The Bodys Electrical Currents In Balance

I'm sure, as research in this area goes on, more natural ways to keep the body's electrical currents in balance will be found. Two natural ways that I'm aware of are breathing fresh outside air, and having the body in contact with the soil.

Breathing Fresh Air

All air contains electricity. Air can be either positively charged or negatively charged. Negatively charged air, which is the kind that is beneficial to us, is found in the open air, especially in the mountains or the country; these are examples of air that has been undisturbed by pollution. The air with the most negative ions in it is ocean air, or the air near a river or waterfall, and the air just after a rainstorm. Positively charged air is not beneficial to us and is the air found inside a closed room. All electrical appliances and heating and air conditioning systems use up good negative ions and give off bad positive ions. This is especially true of TV's, computers, microwaves and fluorescent lights. The air we exhale is also positively charged.

As the number of positive ions increases, with a corresponding decrease in negative ions, one may feel such adverse effects as headaches, nasal obstruction, hoarseness, fatigue, dry throat and dizziness. Negatively charged air, on the other hand, produces a feeling of exhilaration and well-being. Negatively charged air also has been shown to decrease the respiration rate and lower blood pressure, while positively charged air has just the opposite effect. (1)

There are over 3,000 - 4,000 negative ions in one cubic centimeter of mountain air, but only 100 negative ions in one cubic centimeter of air in an office building at the end of an eight hour day. Thus, we can readily see that to keep our body's electrical currents high in negative ions, and thus experience good health, we need a continuous supply of fresh outdoor air. "The stomach, liver, lungs and brain are suffering for the want of deep, full inspirations of air, which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively color, and which alone can keep it pure, giving tone and vigor to every part of the living machinery".

Body Contact With The Soil

To help keep our body's electrical frequency correct, we should spend some time outside each day working with the soil or standing (or walking) with our bare feet in direct contact with the earth. Our body and the earth are both electrical; and you do not get an electrical exchange with the earth when you are wearing shoes, as the soles insulate you from the ground. Just a short time, (10 minutes min.) each day will greatly benefit a person. This exercise is especially true for those who are nervous or emotionally disturbed.

Conclusion

The more knowledge man acquires the more he realizes how little he actually knows. We still have much to learn about the electrical currents that control the human body. This is an area that has been sadly neglected in the health field and I hope that as time goes on we will understand more fully the good and bad effects of electricity on the body.

Source : Natural Medicine By Dr. Hoover

SUNBATHING

A sunbath is best taken in the morning when the air is clear, and the heat not too great. In the summer it may be taken as early as eight o'clock. In cool weather, it may be taken later in the forenoon. Care must be taken to prevent overheating or chilling. In order to avoid a sunburn it is necessary to start with a short exposure and to increase the time gradually on following days. 

The ultraviolet light is the light that has proven to be the most health restoring. Unfortunately, it is also one that is most easily eliminated by window glass, sunglasses or clothing. The most important part of our body that the sun's ultraviolet rays need to reach is our eyes. Sunglasses and regular glasses will not let the ultraviolet rays (the healing rays of the sun) reach the eyes. So, when you are sunbathing use no glasses-just close your eyes and look at the sun with your eyes closed so the ultraviolet rays can penetrate the eye lids. It would be good to do this a minimum of 10 minutes each day. 

This is especially good for women with a hormonal imbalance (during their monthly cycle), and anyone with a nervous disorder. During sun bathing the amount of ultraviolet light available depends upon the location of the earth and the season. The more atmosphere the ultraviolet light must pass through the less there will be to reach the earth. In the winter there is less ultraviolet light available as the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun; so the best time to sunbathe is between 10 AM and 2 PM. In the summer ultraviolet light is available over a longer period of time, so it is best to sunbathe between 8 AM and 4 PM.

SUNBURN

During the sunbath you should feel good. There should be no feeling of depression or discomfort. If, as a result of exposure to the sun, you feel weak, too warm, or there are signs of headache, stop at once. The degree of injury to the skin depends on the concentration of ultraviolet rays, the duration of the exposure, and the amount of pigment within the skin of the individual. Blondes and redheads are particularly susceptible. On repeated exposure to sunlight, most persons develop an increased amount of pigment in the skin (suntan) and thus become less susceptible to sunburn while the excess pigmentation lasts. 

Drugs, cosmetics and soaps can so sensitize the skin that burning becomes a real problem. One should not be afraid of sweating, as the sweating process cools the body and eliminates toxins. One has to take into consideration, when sunbathing, the time of day, location, season of the year, latitude and elevation. Sun burning can take place faster in mile high Denver, Colorado, than it can at sea level, for the sun's rays have a mile less of atmosphere through which to pass. 

If one is sunbathing at the beach, he will probably burn faster than on the back lawn. The amount of ultraviolet light reflected from the environment can make a big difference. Snow will reflect about 86% of the ultraviolet, dry sand 17% and grass 2.5%. Water is a poor reflector of ultraviolet light.

Reflection of the sun's rays by a clear, blue sky overhead, may double the effect of the ultraviolet rays which come from the sun itself. One other thing to remember is that wet skin will burn more rapidly than dry skin. While sunbathing, use no kind of lotions, creams, sun screening agents, etc. Sunscreens containing a tanning ingredient may promote skin cancer. Lyle Cartwright, M.D. of the University of California Medical Center at San Diego, found tumors and skin changes in laboratory mice that had been covered 34 with the tanning ingredient and exposed to sunlight. 

The researchers reported that 100% of the mice, having sunscreen applications and a dose of sunlight equal to one hour of midday sun in a temperate climate, developed tumors. Mice, not treated with sunscreen, but given large doses of sunshine, did not develop tumors. (American Medical News, June 24,1983, pg.18). Clean skin is the best for sunbathing. Natural sunshine is best for sunbathing. There are no sun lamps made that can match our natural sun. Some are different from the sunlight and may actually be harmful. Light is a nutrient much like food; and, like food, the wrong kind can make us ill, and the right kind can keep us well.