THE G.I FACTOR AND YOU

May 8th, 2009

Everybody can benefit from adopting the G.I. factor approach to eating. It is the way nature intended us to eat. She packaged all the nutrients we needed in a slow-release form. Since the Industrial Revolution, however, we have taken nature’s carbohydrates and manufactured them into fast-release or instant food as part of our quest for a more palatable, eye-catching and less perishable food supply. Unfortunately, the effect of all those instant foods is catching up on us in the form of diseases of affluence such as obesity and diabetes.

There is, however, no need to turn our backs on progress. We have sufficient knowledge of food and nutrition to let the pendulum swing back just enough to suit our needs. But we need the facts. We need answers. In this section we set out the facts about some of the most frequently asked questions about carbohydrates, diet and the G.I. factor to dispel any lingering doubts.

The sugar/fat seesaw. Did you know that fat and sugar tend to show a reciprocal or seesaw relationship in the diet? Studies over the past decade have found that diets high in sugar are lower in fat, especially saturated fat. Restricting sugar is frequently followed by higher fat consumption, and many fats are poor sources of nutrients. Thus a low sugar diet is not necessarily more nutritious. In some cases, high sugar diets have been found to have higher micronutrient contents, especially of calcium and riboflavin. This is because sugar is often used to sweeten some very nutritious foods, such as yoghurts, breakfast cereals and milk. A low sugar (and high fat) diet has more proven disadvantages than a high sugar (and low-fat) diet.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXERCISE AND FAT LOSS

May 8th, 2009

Cycling. As with swimming, cycling is a weight-supported, or non-weight-bearing activity, and therefore of less absolute benefit in fat loss than the non-weight-supportive physical activities. However, again it can have value in the early stages of a program to enable someone to reduce enough fat to carry out other weight-bearing exercise.

Jogging. Jogging is one of the most effective fat loss physical activities available, but ironically, it is not suited for big or overfat people. It can be quite painful and de-motivating for anyone to carry a large body mass over a distance at speed. It can also be relatively dangerous, not just for the extra pressure put on the cardiovascular system, but because of the possibility of weak joints in the hips, knees and ankles.

Many men, who lose significant body fat, are then often motivated to jog and this should obviously not be discouraged. It is important to make clear, however, that jogging is not necessary for fat loss, as many people think. The ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy may be true for the elite athlete, but it has no relevance for very unfit fat individuals.

Walking. For most people, walking represents the single most natural, easiest and convenient form of fat loss physical activity. Because it can be carried out at low-moderate intensity over long durations and with low impact, it presents few injury problems or health risks, walking does not have to be brisk, but most importantly, it should be carried out over a set distance, preferably equating to 3-4 km per day. It can also be increased as part of ‘madental’ activity, such as walking up stairs, not using transport, etc. Hence, in the vast majority of cases where injury is not a limiting factor, walking is perhaps the best form of ‘planned’ physical activity for fat loss.

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CHANGES IN THINKING ABOUT OBESITY AND OVERFATNESS

May 8th, 2009

While fatness has never been highly regarded in modern societies, and while there has been a weight control industry around for some time to cater for people with cosmetic concerns, the real interest in fatness—as a health issue—is relatively new. It began in the 1950s with the discovery that a high body weight and abdominal fat were related to a number of diseases. Our understanding of these factors has increased in recent years with a growing awareness of the extent of the problem. Table 1.5 shows some of the changes in thinking that have occurred in that time.

The most significant changes have occurred in our understanding of measures of body fatness, what causes fatness and appropriate treatment and prevention strategies.

Ideas about measuring fat have shifted with changes in technology, and we have a better understanding of the types and distribution of fat related to disease. In general there has been a shift away from a single fat measure towards a combination, including body mass index, sagittal diameter and waist circumference, that can be used in a practical situation.

The main changes in thinking about the causes of overfatness centre around the type, rather than quantity of food eaten (e.g. the influence of energy from fat on total energy), and the impact of individual factors (particularly genetics) in influencing body fatness. There are, for example, big genetic differences in fat gain and in the extent of fat loss in response to a particular exercise or diet stimulus, and these have not been sufficiently recognised in the past. The interaction of biology with the environment and behaviour also needs to be considered. Understanding the causes of fatness is, of course, vital to the development of correct techniques of coping with it. The implications of all these changes for those interested in fat loss or maintenance of body fat are quite new.

Other changes in orientation have included a re-analysis of the role of fatness in ill-health. Epidemiological studies carried out in the 1960s and 1970s found little correlation between weight and major diseases like heart disease, because the measure of fatness used was generally a measure of body mass (i.e. weight or body mass index (BMI)), which ciiscriminates against healthy, lean, muscular individuals. Epidemiological studies also looked for independent effects of obesity, whereas its effects are largely mediated via other risk factors such as high blood pressure. A re-analysis of these data has now shown that fat distribution is a key factor in ill-health and this explains much of the earlier epidemiological evidence. It’s not only someone is fat that is important in health terms, but also where they are fat.

There has also been an increasing emphasis on gender, race and age and other individual factors on fat gain and loss, to the extent that it’s becoming apparent that any program must be individualised, as stressed throughout this book. However, recognition of the importance of the environment also makes a public health approach imperative.

There has also been a change away from the concentration on ‘diet’ as a form of treatment towards a change in lifestyle which, unlike short term diets, can be maintained over a lifetime. This includes a move away from exercise designed for cardiovascular fitness, towards an increase in the level of total activity—both planned and ‘incidental’—that is carried out within our changing, modem technological lifestyles. To this extent, professionals who deal only in prescribing diets or exercise are unlikely to maintain a primary role in fat loss through lifestyle management in the future.

Finally, a major shift in direction, begun in the 1990s, has been a change in thinking about the psychological aspects of obesity and body fat maintenance. In the 1970s, the use of behaviour modification techniques in weight control began and this has now become standard in most modem programs. More recently it’s been recognised that much more complex, emotional and cognitive (thinking) functions are involved in obesity. This is particularly so in the case of many women, who have suffered much more social and psychological pressure than men to attain an unrealistic body shape, and as a result have often developed counter-productive cognitive cycles of guilt, depression and anger associated with food and food restriction. Modem approaches need to pay more attention to dealing with these issues. Counselling also needs to become more reflective and less directive to empower people to resolve these issues themselves rather than simply replace one dependency (food) with another (a counsellor).

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THE SECRETS OF STAYING HEALTHFULLY YOUNG: REJUVENATION SWEDISH STYLE

May 8th, 2009

Swedish women, internationally known for their luscious complexions and youthful beauty, use certain natural foods to stay beautiful.

Swedish beauty secret number one—rose hips—is also Swedish rejuvenation secret number one: Rose hips tea is the Swedish fountain of youth!

Here’s how rose hips can keep you young. Russian scientists have discovered that vitamin C has a profound stimulating effect on the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands secrete over 20 steroid hormones which are directly involved in keeping your vital bodily processes in a condition of high efficiency. It is generally agreed that a decrease in the output of these hormones, which usually begins in late middle life, is responsible for the symptoms of aging. Russian researchers have demonstrated that substantial daily doses of vitamin C have a rejuvenating, stimulating effect on the glandular activity, and the vital hormones are once more produced at higher levels, similar to the level of younger people.

Vitamin C is also known to play an essential part in the oxidation-reduction system of tissue respiration, as shown by Dr. W. J. McCormick, M.D. In addition, vitamin C is a known chemotherapeutic agent; in fact it is the most potent natural “drug” known in the therapy of practically all bacterial and viral infections. Vitamin C is also a highly potent anti-toxic agent and protects the body from all kinds of poisonous substances, both those originating within the system, as a result of sluggish digestion and elimination, as well as those introduced into the system by food, water and air. Since growing old is often associated with sluggish metabolism and autointoxication, it is easy to see how large doses of vitamin C can have a rejuvenating effect on old people.

There is also growing evidence that the aging process is largely a matter Of the diminished oxygenation of the cells. Vitamin C has a great effect on improved cell breathing and thus prevents premature aging.

Perhaps the most vital function of vitamin C is in keeping collagen, the cellular cement, healthy. The visible symptoms of aging are mainly in the condition of the skin. It loses its youthful tight appearance and fresh color and becomes gray, dull, loose and flabby. Finally wrinkles appear all over, particularly on the face, neck and hands. These aging symptoms are largely due to the unhealthy state of collagen. Collagen is an elastic substance that holds all the tissues together—tissues of the muscles, organs, tendons, and last but not least, the tissues of the skin. When these connective tissues are healthy, they are strong and elastic and the skin is tight and has the look of youth. When collagen loses its tensile strength, muscles sag, the subcutaneous tissues (the layer just beneath the skin) become weak and lose their tension, and the skin becomes covered with wrinkles. What causes these degenerative changes in collagen? The answer is simple—the deficiency of vitamin C.

Now you can see why Russian scientists believe that they have found the Fountain of Youth in vitamin C.

Hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, and heart attacks are true diseases of premature aging. Many doctors believe that you are as old as your arteries. Recently, Boris Sokoloff, M.D., Director of the Southern Bio-Research Institute, Florida, reported that their conclusions, based on research and widespread evidence from medical literature, is that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is the key factor in averting atherosclerosis, and that atherosclerosis (heart disease leading to heart attack) may, in fact, well be a vitamin C deficiency disease.1

The healthy function of sex glands is directly related to general health and to the prolonged feeling and appearance of youth. A Japanese doctor, M. Higuchi, has demonstrated that there is a relationship between vitamin C levels and the hormone production of the sex glands. In addition to vitamin C, vitamin E (which is sold in automatic dispensers in Sweden labeled as the sex-vitamin) plays an important part in the efficient activity of the sex glands. Prostatic fluid, which nourishes the sperm and keeps them alive, is extremely rich in vitamin C. A deficiency of vitamin C and vitamin E can slow down the hormone production of sex glands and consequently lead to premature aging.

Vitamin C—the miracle producer

If there ever has been a real miracle drug, vitamin C is it. It has so many universal applications that it is virtually impossible to find a condition of ill health, disease or diminished well-being which vitamin C would not affect favorably, very often with a miraculous healing effect. Since old age is often associated with various conditions of diminished health, it stands to reason that vitamin C should be a rejuvenating tonic number one for everyone over 40 years of age.

Do you get sufficient amounts of vitamin C in your diet? A recent Department of Agriculture report tells us that almost half of the American people eat diets deficient in vitamins C and A. Vitamin E is practically totally eliminated from American diet due to the refining of grains and oils; and available vitamin C in the American diet has been steadily declining for the last 20 years.

Swedish people have been using large amounts of vitamin C for centuries. Rose hips, the richest natural vitamin C source known to man (with the exception of acerola cherries), is a staple food in Sweden. They use it daily in the form of rose hip tea,1 rose hip soup, rose hip puree, etc.

Swedish people have another secret of staying young—whey. In Sweden whey is a staple food in the form of whey cheese and whey butter. In the United States you can obtain whey in a powder or tablet form from health food stores. Make a habit of eating some whey each day. It may surprise you by solving all your irregularity problems and make you feel—and look—ten years younger practically overnight!

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HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND DIET: FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

May 8th, 2009

Supplement your diet with the following food supplements and vitamins which have been found to be of particular benefit in cases of high blood pressure:

Choline. It has been demonstrated that deficiency in choline, one of the B-vitamins, plays a role in the development of high blood pressure. Patients with dangerous hypertension improved markedly after they had been given choline daily. Their blood pressure dropped and their capillaries were strengthened.3 Lecithin, made from soybeans, is an excellent source of choline. Brewer’s yeast is also an excellent source of choline and all the other B-vitamins.

Vitamin E. Because vitamin E helps oxygenate the blood and decreases the need for oxygen, it is of special importance for patients with high blood pressure. Vitamin E also dilates the arteries. Wheat germ oil is the richest source of natural vitamin E.

Vitamin C. Natural vitamin C strengthens the blood vessels and blood capillaries and makes them more elastic. Therefore, more vitamin C in the diet may prevent cerebral hemorrhage caused by weak blood capillaries. It is important to take only natural vitamin C, which also contains vitamin P, or bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are of particular importance for the health of blood capillaries. The study made in Russia by Dr. D. E. Dzheims-Levi shows that bioflavonoids, or vitamin P, have a curative effect on high blood pressure. “On the basis of our observations we concluded that vitamin P has a beneficial effect on the well-being of patients and considerably lowers the blood pressure of patients with hypertension—blood pressure rises again when the patients discontinue vitamin P treatment.”

Potassium. It has been demonstrated in animal tests that potassium deficiency can be one of the causes of high blood pressure. It is known that excessive salt intake will cause the loss of potassium. The incidence of hypertension is greater in countries with excessive salt intake. Also, the wide use of refined foods and too few green leafy vegetables in the diet contributes to the very common potassium deficiency. The best sources of potassium are fresh or cooked green leafy vegetables. Avoid salt if you have high blood pressure. Substitute salt with kelp, which is also very rich in potassium.

Garlic. There is much material in medical literature which suggests that garlic has a dilating effect on blood vessels and is effective in reducing blood pressure. Dr. F. G. Piotrowski, of the University of Geneva, used garlic on 100 patients with abnormal blood pressure, with excellent results.

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HOW DO THE IRIS-SIGNS ORIGINATE?

April 29th, 2009

In order to make a thorough investigation of the iris-signs, it is first necessary to consider which type of sign. We distinguish three kinds of signs in the iris:

1. Unnatural colourings.

2. White, dark and black signs—chiefly as dots, radiating lines or ‘wisps’.

3. Circular signs—called ‘Contraction rings’.

1. The unnatural colourings have their basis in the circulatory fluids of the body. These circulatory fluids (blood and lymph) are affected by external and internal influences, as through medication, or autointoxication, and changes due to uric acid or biliary disturbances. These pathological changes in the lymph are revealed not only by the skin and mucous membranes, but show also in the iris and the sclera, as is evident in jaundice. There are also the deposits in tissues, as may occur in rheumatism and gout.

2. Special attention is given to the white, dark and black signs of the iris which are generally radiating in direction, and which constitute the first consideration in the recognition of disease conditions. White signs may also indicate unnatural substances, as with uric-acid crystalline deposits, arteriosclerosis, etc.

The next signs to investigate are the inflammation-signs. These appear with acute diseases, and either disappear on recovery, or become darker and darker with the transition to the chronic phase, and ultimately change to black signs with the direct loss of tissue-substance in the organs concerned.

White signs mean: Over-stimulation, increased activity, heightened rhythm (e.g. peristaltic), and irritation of the nerve-fibres.

Dark signs mean: Insufficient stimulation, diminished activity, atony, atrophy, loss of substance: the iris shows loss of colour, thus becoming darker, and with the final destruction of nerve fibres and tissue cells ultimately registers as black signs.

When there is destruction of the nerve-plexus of an organ, how is it that neither the connection nor the result is visible in the iris? It is functionless, and hence useless. In the same way, we can find a plausible explanation for the white healing-signs surrounding the black signs in the iris which indicate loss of substance. It suggests that there is increased functional activity in the tissues adjacent to the nerve plexus —exactly the same in the organ as in the iris. Either the healthy fibres assume the functions of the destroyed nerve pathways, or alternatively initiate a reparative activity by laying down new tissue (scar-tissue) and promoting fibrosis.

In the same way, one can explain the traumatic-lesion signs found in the iris—frequently showing a characteristic shape, i.e. according as whether caused by a blunt or pointed object. It then shows not the form of the instrument but the shape of the injury, as for example the

destroyed tissue and nerve cells.

There are also the so-called ‘lacunae’—small or large open spaces in the iris, which are more easily visible, the more plentiful their surroundings of interweaving thick vascular trunks. These (lacunae) lie between the delicate reticular ramifications of the nerve bundles and indicate functional weaknesses. The ramifications also suggest a weakened organism. The ‘lacunae’ usually appear in the iris in large numbers, if present at all.

3. Contraction rings. Circular signs, called Cramp rings (Nerve rings) which appear as shorter or longer segments of arc, are found only in the ciliary zone. These ‘ring-furrows’ are usually lighter or darker than the remainder of the iris and arise in connection with conditions of continued spasm. Considerable difference of opinion exists as to their origin.

Schnabel ascribes to a slackening or spasm of the sphincters or dilators of the ciliary muscles. Thiel believes that through the continuous regular pull of all the dilator fibres, or at least of a sector of the iris-diaphragm, functioning in the same way as the pupillary margin, that concentric arcs would be formed by circular folds.

Now it is surely remarkable that these rings are found only in the ciliary zone, usually in arcs of smaller or greater length, and this is highly suggestive when it is also observed that not more than four such arcs are to be found running parallel. Surely, it must be considered that the

arc-shape makes it fairly improbable that the radiating fibres of the pupillary dilators could form these rings.

With close observation of the ciliary zone in the normal iris we find three concentric interruptions faintly signified. How do these arise? According to the opinion of Frau Pastor Madaus, they arise in the true nerve fibre. Dr. Andogsky states that these enter the iris in radial bundles. Thereafter they immediately lose their radial direction and turn parallel to the ciliary border, thus forming the first ring, and thereafter sending several thick radial branches towards the pupillary margin with a number of smaller branching distributions.

After which, the larger nerve branches which have traversed approximately a third of the distance to the midway of the total width, again turn parallel to the border and conjoin to form arcs—the second ring. From these, radiating branches project to form a new line of arcs close to the iris-wreath: the third ring. We thus have three concentric contracting rings of iris nerves.

If we apply our understanding of the origin of the white and black radial signs to the nerve rings, then it follows that their bright or dark appearance must be related to conditions of

over-stimulation or deficient stimulation. The arc formation of which the individual rings consist readily explains the appearance of partial rings. If we find a region of the body as localised in the iris so marked, we may certainly assume that these rings give definite indication of disturbance in such parts.

Whether such are always associated with painful attacks—spasms—I cannot confirm, since one frequently finds that there is no history of such conditions. From my observations it appears that cramp-like conditions exist in the bodily organs corresponding to the iris region where the nerve rings show an interruption.

In dealing with ‘nerve-rings’ we must also consider the zone in which they are found. If registering in the Blood-zone, then they indicate disturbances of circulation in the large blood vessels and lymph channels. If found in the other zones—muscular, skeletal, skin—then disturbances exist in those tissues.

During the last twenty years, the incidence of these nerve rings has increased ten to fifteen times. I attribute this to the calcium deficiency arising from the bad nutrition of the war years.

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MENSTRUAL CYCLE-CREATURE COMFORTS: KEEPING WARM

April 29th, 2009

A hot bath is a great help at period time, not only because it keeps us sweet smelling, but because heat eases pain. As in everything else, we are all highly individual in the amount of heat we need. One woman’s hot bath will feel lukewarm to another. In Victorian times women used to be told that they couldn’t take a bath or wash their hair when they had a period, otherwise they’d catch cold and end up with pneumonia. Although we tend to mock such an idea today, it was actually sensible advice at the time it was given. In those days most bathrooms were unheated, hair was long and difficult to dry, and ordinary people’s homes did not have central heating. Now that most of us can keep our homes adequately warm, and dry ourselves and our hair thoroughly and quickly, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t bath as often as we like — providing we have a warm bathroom and the necessary supply of hot water.

A hot water bottle is a cheap form of warmth and there’s nothing to beat its comfort, especially when it can be applied quickly to a localized pain, like the one you feel low down in your abdomen, or in the small of your back. Some women make themselves into a hot water bottle sandwich, with bottles back and front. They find the double source of heat eases a lot of pain away. Many say the heat also helps them to relax. On the other hand there are some who find that direct heat is too exhausting to help them much, more evidence of how different we all are in the things we like and the things we need.

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CHILDREN’S FEVER: A MATTER OF DEGREE

April 28th, 2009

At any given moment, different parts of the body are at different temperatures. Moreover, normal temperatures vary as much as one or two degrees Centigrade over the course of a day even when a child is healthy. A rectal temperature of 37.7 °C or less, an oral temperature of 37.7°C or below, and an armpit temperature, though the least accurate, of 36.7°C or less are all considered normal.

Despite these variations, all thermometers are marked to indicate 37°C as normal. A rectal thermometer differs from an oral one only in having a more rugged bulb. (The most practical instrument for home use is a stubby bulb thermometer, which can be used to take a child’s temperature in any of the preferred ways.)

For the most reliable readings at any age, the rectal thermometer is recommended, although it takes a little longer for the temperature to register.

No one can accurately estimate the degree of a fever by touch. If your child feels warm or appears ill, you must use a thermometer to register the accurate temperature that you and your doctor need to know in order to treat the child.

Before using the thermometer, shake it down to be certain the mercury column is below 37°C and the bulb is intact. Then spread the child’s buttocks with the thumb and forefinger of one hand so the anal opening is clearly visible. Lubricate the bulb with petroleum jelly and insert it gently into the center of the anus. The child should feel no pain or discomfort. (Only the bulb portion of the thermometer needs to be inserted for the two to three minutes required to obtain an accurate reading.)

To take a baby’s temperature, place the child face down on a solid surface and put the heel of your hand firmly on the lower back. An unwilling toddler can be firmly clasped between your thighs and bent forward over your leg so that you can take the temperature.

Although less reliable, an oral temperature reading is sufficient and can be taken in a child who is old enough to hold the bulb of the thermometer under the tongue with the mouth closed for three minutes. (If the thermometer breaks and the child accidentally swallows the mercury in the thermometer, don’t fret. Thermometers contain elemental mercury, which is a nonpoisonous and harmless form of the metal.)

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH: ABRASIONS

April 28th, 2009

Symptom: A surface skin wound that is longer and wider than it is deep

Home care: Wash the wound with soap and water and look carefully for embedded dirt or any other foreign matter.

Stop bleeding by covering the wound with gauze and applying gentle pressure.

If there’s no dirt in the wound, apply a non-stinging antiseptic, cover the abrasion, and keep it covered until completely healed.

If necessary, scrub gently to remove embedded dirt. Liberally apply antibiotic ointment to help keep the scab flexible. Keep the area covered.

Precautions

-    Do not treat at home any abrasion that involves the full thickness of the skin; take the child to the doctor.

-    If dirt is left in an abrasion, it may cause infection or become sealed under the skin.

-    An abrasion on an area such as a joint that is subject to constant movement should be swabbed periodically with ointment to prevent cracking.

-    An abrasion that bleeds evenly over its entire surface requires medical attention.

-    Keep your child’s tetanus immunization up to date.

An abrasion is a shallow break in the skin caused by an injury. Abrasions are distinguished from cuts and lacerations in that they are not as deep as they are long or wide. Abrasions are, certainly, the most common and least dangerous injuries sustained by children. Most abrasions do not involve the loss of full thickness of skin and heal with little or no scarring. However, any embedded dirt, sand or gravel may be permanently sealed under the skin if it’s not removed before the abrasion heals.

Signs and symptoms

Abrasions are easy to identify. As long as the full thickness of the skin has not been injured, the entire surface of the abrasion will bleed unevenly and some large and small areas will not bleed at all. When the surface of an abrasion does not bleed uniformly, it is classified as a first-or second-degree abrasion and can be treated at home. A third-degree abrasion bleeds uniformly over its entire surface and must be seen by a doctor because it could leave a scar.

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DIABETES: MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT INSULIN

April 28th, 2009

Why do some children having insulin get lumps or swellings at the injection spots?

Repeated injections of insulin at the one spot cause the fat at that spot to swell up and cause a lump. Children who develop lumps or swellings have usually done so because they have got a favourite spot which they use all the time, perhaps because it is less painful after repeated injections at one area. Lumps of this sort can be avoided by moving the injection site from leg to leg and to different places each day. If a lump has developed it will disappear again provided no more injections are put into that area. These swellings are sometimes called ‘insulin tumours’ but they are harmless and are not growths or real tumours.

Is there anything wrong with injecting insulin into the swellings at injection sites? They hurt less.

It is better to avoid injection sites that have become swollen, even if they are less painful. If you keep injecting there, the swelling may get larger and become embarrassing. The longer you inject into a lump, the longer it will stay swollen. Sometimes insulin injected into a swelling is absorbed less well, so that you may get erratic diabetic control.

Repeated injections into a swelling can increase the risk of an infection developing there, though this is unlikely.

Why can’t I take a bit more insulin and have sugary things in my diet?

Theoretically it should perhaps be possible to do this, balancing your taste for food with an increased amount of insulin. In practice it often just does not work out and the reason for this is that it is difficult to judge each day when you give your injection how much food you are likely to have that day. Also insulin injected beneath the skin works slowly and evenly over a period of hours and cannot cope with a sudden surge of glucose through the system that would follow something like a big piece of cake or can of ordinary soft drink.

Can young people with diabetes have tablets instead of insulin?

In general, no. Almost all children with diabetes require insulin. Tablets occasionally may be added to assist the action of insulin but can’t be given successfully instead of insulin. Some children, in the first few months of their life with diabetes, do respond to tablets, but no form of tablet treatment available at present is suitable for children in the long run.

What would happen if I did not have my insulin injection one morning?

If you missed having an injection for one day you would obviously develop high blood glucose levels and you might become very thirsty and pass excessive quantities of urine, much the same way as you probably did when you first got ill with diabetes. If you did forget your insulin and you realized this during the day you should consult your doctor at once, as he will probably advise you to have a supplementary dose of quick acting insulin to replace some of the insulin you missed. If you do this no harm will be done. If you do not it may take a few days to get re-stabilized.

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