admin | Dr M V Rao

Understanding the Benefits of B6 and B12 Vitamins

by admin | Dec 13, 2024 | Healthy life

The dynamic duo of Vitamins B6 and B12 are important nutrients that play essential roles in maintaining good health. These vital vitamins do it all—from working across different bodily functions to energy production and nerve function. While both Vitamin B6 and B12 work interdependently, each vitamin is special on its own.

Vitamin B-6

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is essential for normal brain development and for maintaining the health of the nervous and immune system. The vitamin is present in more food sources than you’d think. It’s found in poultry, fish, potatoes, chickpeas, bananas and fortified cereals. You could also consume it in the form of supplements, as an oral capsule, tablet or liquid.

People suffering from kidney disease and other conditions have malabsorption syndrome, wherein their small intestines fail to absorb nutrients from foods. They are more prone to Vitamin B-6 deficiency. There are certain autoimmune disorders, specific epilepsy medications and alcohol dependency that can also lead to vitamin B6 deficiency. This can cause a condition where you don’t have enough red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to your body’s tissues (anemia), confusion, depression, and a weakened immune system.

Based on the research on Vitamin B-6, there are significant advantages to the body from consuming Vitamin B-6 in the recommended amount. It is extremely essential for metabolism, brain function, immune health, hormonal balance, red blood cell production, optimal heart health, and skin health.

A vitamin B6 deficiency is usually accompanied by a deficiency in other B vitamins, such as folic acid (vitamin B9) and B-12. The recommended daily amount of Vitamin B6 for adult with ages 50 and younger is 1.3 milligrams. After 50 years, the recommended daily amount is 1.5 mg for women and 1.7 mg for men.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, does excellent things for your body. While creating your DNA and red blood cells, it also assists in developing your central nervous system, consisting of your brain and spinal cord. It keeps your hair, nails and skin healthy.

Since your body doesn’t make Vitamin B12, you need to get it from foods of animal origin or supplements. You could however consume meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, breads, and plant milks. This vitamin is water-soluble, which means that the excess is removed from your body through pee. While Vitamin B12 can store itself in the liver for up to five years, you can eventually become deficient if you need to consume it more.

The recommended dosage for vitamin B12 differs on various factors such as age, health conditions, eating habits, and the kind of medication you take. However, the average recommended daily amount is segregated based on age:

Infants up to age 6 months: 0.4 micrograms
Babies aged 7-12 months: 0.5 micrograms
Children aged 1-3 years: 0.9 micrograms
Kids aged 4-8 years: 1.2 micrograms
Children aged 9-13 years: 1.8 micrograms
Teens aged 14-18 years: 2.4 micrograms
Adults (19+ years): 2.4 micrograms
Pregnant: 2.6 micrograms
Breastfeeding: 2.8 micrograms

Your doctor may prescribe Vitamin B12 injections or supplements depending on your needs.

To sum it up; both vitamins B6 and 12 are essential, as they participate in red blood cell production and help boost immunity. While Vitamin B6 operates to regulate hormones, B12 takes on nerve function and DNA synthesis. They’re equally important to your well-being and therefore should be consumed correctly to lead a healthy lifestyle. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss this further and get more information.

How to Boost Your Immunity This Winter

by admin | Nov 28, 2024 | Winter Care

While winters could mean hot chocolates and cozy blankets, they are also the time of greater vulnerability to illnesses such as the common cold and flu. To avoid catching any bugs, you may incorporate these few changes in your lifestyle so you may bolster your immune systems and make them winter-ready.

1. Prioritize a High Nutrient Diet:

Let there be no bowl without vitamins and minerals in winter. Have a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats rich in vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as zinc and selenium, which help in strengthening the immune function. For Vitamin C, you may consume citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes that are known to boost your immune system. Buy those leafy greens in the market and incorporate spinach, kale, and broccoli in your meals, as they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants supporting immune health. For a healthy gut, you may add yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, or kimchi in your meals.

2. Stay Hydrated at All Times:

Drink plenty of water, as they help in flushing out harmful toxins and optimal functioning of your body. If bored of consuming water, you may also consume herbal teas like green tea, chamomile tea, or ginger tea to give you additional hydration with immune-boosting benefits.

3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep:

Try to get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night, as adequate rest helps in regulating immune function and supporting overall health. If a consistent sleep schedule is followed, then the body’s immune response progressively strengthens. Allow yourself to rest and your body to regenerate at night.

4. Manage Stress:

If you’re someone who is known to stress about the smallest of things, your immune system must already be weakening. Engage in stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or engaging in hobbies that help you unwind and relax. Participate in self-care activities to mitigate stress and increase overall immunity.

5. Exercise Regularly:

Exercising in cozy winters can be tough, but it’s extremely helpful as it improves circulation, reduces stress, and improves your immune function. Exercise for at least 30 minutes; if not high-impact, then moderately for most days of the week.

6. Get Vitamin D:

Extremely important to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy, Vitamin D is essential in different weather conditions. Getting sunlight during winters can be difficult due to limited sun exposure. Spend time outdoors if you can in daylight hours so you may increase your Vitamin D levels. If recommended by a healthcare professional, you may also take Vitamin D supplements as advised.

7. Good Hygiene and Appropriate Dressing:

Wash your hands as frequently as you can to prevent the spread of germs and use hand sanitizers when soap and water are unavailable. Dress in layers to protect yourself from the extremely cold temperatures and cover your mouth and nose in outdoors so you can prevent inhaling cold air, which can weaken your body’s defense mechanisms.

8. Avoid Unhealthy Foods:

As much as unhealthy foods look scrumptious, they can be a threat to your immune system. Limit oily, greasy foods, alcohol consumption, and smoking in this weather, as it may weaken the immune system.

To wrap it up, maintaining a robust immune system in winters can be tough but not challenging. It requires a few dietary changes, and lifestyle changes such as adequate sleep, regular exercise, and stress management to keep your daily routine intact and away from illnesses. It is important to remember that consistency is key in supporting your overall immunity and well-being throughout the year.

Take Control of Your Health: A Diabetes Survival Guide

by admin | Nov 18, 2024 | Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that occurs either if the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or if the body fails to effectively use the insulin it produces. Also known as diabetes, it is a result of high blood glucose levels. Blood glucose levels are the main source of energy that comes from the food we eat.

The pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin, which helps the glucose from food get into body cells for energy. When the body fails to utilise the insulin effectively, the blood sugar levels rise, which is known as hyperglycemia. Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes has the potential to damage your nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.

There are a few kinds of diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes: This is an autoimmune disease. It occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. About 10 percent of the people with diabetes have this type. It is unclear what causes this attack; however, it is known that the immune system attacks and destroys the cells within the pancreas. Patients with type 1 Diabetes are required to take insulin injections throughout their lives.

Type 2 Diabetes: This occurs when the body turns resistant to insulin, causing the sugar to build up in the blood. Also known as insulin resistance, there is also a chance that the insulin produced does not match the requirements of the body. In these cases, diabetes can occur at any age but is most prominent with humans who are 40+ in age and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases.

This can be controlled through self-care by:

Physical exercise
Losing weight
Quitting smoking
Consuming a fibre-rich diet
Medication
In some cases, external insulin may be required.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia with blood glucose levels above normal but below the diagnostic range of diabetes. Usually found in pregnant women, it has no symptoms and can be the result of the placenta producing hormones that cause high glucose levels in your blood. However, gestational diabetes usually disappears after pregnancy, but the affected women are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Treatments include a healthy diet, exercise, and medication if required.

Prediabetes

A condition where the blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis. With lifestyle changes, weight loss, and medication, it’s possible to bring a blood sugar level back to normal.

Causes of Diabetes

Various causes are associated with each type of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

This occurs when your immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in your body for fighting infection. Type 1 is caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, though exactly what those factors are is still unclear. Weight is not believed to be a factor in type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, your cells turn resistant to insulin as your pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Instead of utilizing itself for energy, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.

The reason, however, is uncertain. Although it is believed that genetic and environmental factors play a role in determining type 2 diabetes, people with a family history of type 2 diabetes are prone to developing this disease when compared to others.

Gestational Diabetes

This occurs when the placenta secretes hormones to sustain the pregnancy, which makes your hormones more resistant to insulin.

Usually, the pancreas responds by producing extra insulin to overcome this resistance, but sometimes it fails to keep it. When this occurs, deficiency of glucose causes too much residual sugar in the blood, resulting in gestational diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The general symptoms of diabetes include:

Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Weight loss
Increased Hunger
Extreme fatigue
Blurry vision
Slow-healing wounds
Tingling or numbness in the feet or toes

Men with diabetes may experience:

Decreased sex drive
Erectile dysfunction (ED)
Poor muscle strength.

Women with diabetes may experience:

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Yeast Infections
Dry, Itchy skin

How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Tips and Tricks

Avoid sugar and refined carbs in your diet.
Work out regularly
Drink more water
Lose weight, if obese or overweight.
Quit smoking
Follow a low-carb and high-fiber diet
Limit alcohol intake
Optimize Vitamin D levels
Consider taking natural herbs like curcumin and berberine.

How Does Exercise Help in Type 2 Diabetes?

If you are active, your body becomes more resistant to insulin, helping you manage your diabetes. It also stimulates a mechanism that allows the muscles to absorb and utilise sugar, even without insulin. Physical activity is also proven to control blood sugar levels, lowering your risks of heart disease and nerve damage.

A diabetic person may take the following steps to control their diabetes:

You may start by walking for 10 minutes after dinner, gradually building up to 30 minutes most days. You may also try jogging, aerobic activities, and swimming.
Two or more sessions of resistance training every week help you strengthen your muscles.
Incorporate yoga into your lifestyle, which yields you calmness and peace and thus lowers your blood sugar levels.

Diabetes and Diet: What To Eat

Your diabetes diet simply means eating healthy in moderation and sticking to regular meal times. Changing your diet may help you lose weight and sometimes, maybe enough to control your diabetes.

These tips can be incorporated into your life for healthy living:

Eat in moderation, frequently.
Replace fruits and vegetables with high-calorie foods.
Eat fibre-rich whole grains as a source of healthy carbohydrates.
Consume pulses, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and garden peas.
Replace intake of saturated and trans fats with grilled poultry and fish.
Select skim (fat-free) milk and low-fat (1%) dairy products, reducing the consumption of cheese and butter.
Reduce sugar intake and watch out for the food labels.
Reduce salt intake by avoiding foods with high sodium.

Types of Insulin for Diabetes Treatment:

People with type 1 diabetes and a few people with type 2 diabetes may need to inject or inhale insulin to keep their blood sugar levels from becoming too high.

The types of insulin include:

Type	Onset Time	Peak Action Time	Overall Effect Time
Rapid-acting insulin	5-15 mins	30-90 mins	3-5 hours
Short-acting insulin	30-60 mins	2-3 hours	5-8 hours
Intermediate-acting	2-4 hours	4-12 hours	10-18 hours
Long-acting insulins	2-10 hours	6-16 hours	16-24 hours

How to Diagnose Diabetes Through Tests?

You can tell if you have diabetes by these three blood tests:

HbA1c

Calculates the average blood sugar level over two to three months. Check your range here:

<5.7%: Typical

5.7–6.4%: Pre-diabetic

≥6.5%: Diabetes

Fasting Plasma- Glucose (FPG) test:

Simplest and fastest way to diagnose diabetes. You may check your diabetic level below:

Normal range: 70–99 mg/dL

Prediabetes: 100–125 mg/dL

Diabetes: 126 mg/dL or higher

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT):

This test analyzes blood sugar levels after consuming a glucose solution and is used to treat gestational diabetes.

Diabetes or prediabetes may be indicated by a single abnormal result in any of these tests. If you are prediabetic, check your blood sugar at least once a year to ensure you haven’t developed type 2 diabetes. Consult your doctor if you experience any symptoms or have higher blood sugar levels than normal.

Malaria: Recognize the Symptoms and Take Preventive Measures

by admin | Oct 15, 2024 | Malaria

Malaria is a deadly disease that can spread when a mosquito carrying microscopic parasites bites you. The mosquito injects malaria parasites into your circulation when it bites. Neither a virus nor a particular kind of bacteria may cause malaria; parasites can. Malaria can result in serious health issues such as convulsions, brain damage, breathing difficulties, organ failure, and even death if left untreated. This fatal disease happens in tropical climates where it is hot and humid. There were 627,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide in 2020, out of 241 million recorded cases of the disease. Most of these occurrences take place in South Asia and Africa.

What are the Signs & Symptoms of Malaria?

Malaria symptoms are comparable to those of the flu. Among them are:

Sweating and having a fever.
Chills that send shivers down your spine.
Aches in the muscles and head.
Tiredness
Cough, breathing difficulties, and chest pain.
Vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.
Anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) can develop as malaria worsens.

Cerebral malaria is the most severe type of malaria that can lead to a coma. About 15% of infant deaths and almost 20% of adult deaths are of this sort.

Symptoms of malaria often manifest 10 days to 1 month following infection. The severity of the symptoms varies with the type of parasite. It can take a year for some people to experience symptoms from a mosquito bite. Sometimes, parasites can survive in the body for years without showing any signs. Depending on the kind of parasite, certain malaria forms may recur. After years of being dormant in your liver, the parasites are eventually discharged into your circulation. The moment the parasites start to circulate, the symptoms reappear.

How Can You Prevent Malaria?

Consult your doctor about taking malaria preventive medication if you intend to go to or live temporarily in a region where the disease is prevalent. The medications must be taken before, during, and following your stay. Taking medication can significantly lower the risk of contracting malaria. If you take these medications and still contract malaria, you are not eligible to utilize them as a treatment.

To prevent mosquito bites, you should also take preventative measures. In order to reduce your risk of contracting malaria, you should:

On exposed skin, apply a mosquito repellent containing DEET (diethyltoluamide).
Cover mattresses with mosquito netting.
Install screens on doors and windows.
Apply a permethrin insect repellent on clothing, mosquito nets, tents, sleeping bags, and other textiles.
Cover your skin by donning long sleeves and long trousers.

A children’s vaccination was created and tested as part of a pilot program in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. The severe disease-causing Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children can be prevented using the RTS, S/AS01 vaccination. A vaccine against malaria is being developed by other programs.

Malaria can result in major health issues, including death and irreversible organ damage if it is not treated appropriately. If you believe you have malaria, or if you have traveled to a region where malaria is prevalent, you must get treatment immediately. Early intervention increases treatment efficacy significantly. Malaria can be treated and the illness eliminated from the body with the right drug and dosage. If a mosquito carrying the malaria virus attacks you after you have already had the illness once.

Although malaria can be fatal, there are things you can do to avoid getting it. By taking preventive medicine and shielding yourself from mosquito bites, you can reduce your chance of infection. Speak with your doctor a few weeks before your trip if you’ll be going somewhere where malaria is prevalent. If you are pregnant, this is really crucial. Take appropriate preventative measures and consult your doctor at the earliest in case of an infection.

What is Malaria? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Prevention

by admin | Sep 24, 2024 | Malaria

Malaria is a deadly disease transmitted by mosquitoes infested with microscopic parasites. When an infected insect bites, it injects malaria parasites into your bloodstream. Unlike a virus or bacteria, malaria is caused by parasites. If untreated, malaria can lead to severe health complications, including seizures, brain damage, difficulty breathing, organ failure, and even death.

Malaria occurs globally but is more common in developing countries with warm temperatures and high humidity.

Symptoms of Malaria

Malaria symptoms often resemble flu-like symptoms and may include:

Fever and sweating
Chills that shake the body
Headache and muscle aches
Fatigue
Chest pain, breathing issues, and cough
Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting

As malaria progresses, it may cause anemia and jaundice. Symptoms typically appear 10 days to a month after infection, though they may take up to a year to manifest. In some cases, parasites remain dormant in the liver and can reactivate years later, causing recurring malaria symptoms.

Causes of Malaria

Malaria is transmitted when an infected mosquito bites a person, injecting parasites into their bloodstream, where they multiply. Humans can be infected by five types of malaria parasites. In rare cases, malaria can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy or through blood transfusions, organ donations, or shared needles.

How is Malaria Diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will assess your symptoms and travel history, and a blood test will determine if you have malaria and which parasite is responsible. This information helps guide the treatment plan.

Can Malaria Be Prevented?

Yes, medications can significantly reduce the risk of contracting malaria. Additionally, you can take steps to prevent mosquito bites:

Apply DEET-based mosquito repellent to exposed skin.
Use mosquito nets over beds.
Install screens on windows and doors.
Treat clothing and gear with permethrin.
Wear long sleeves and pants to cover your skin.

Malaria is a serious parasitic disease common in warm, humid regions. Early detection and treatment are critical to preventing severe complications. Taking preventive measures like using repellents and bed nets, along with medication, greatly reduces the risk of infection.

« Older Entries