Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious illness in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to regulate sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. In addition to lowering a person's energy levels, if untreated, diabetes can lead to kidney damage, blindness, serious circulation problems and even result in death.
Almost 24 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. Although it affects many people, the disease may be undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless.
Frequent urination There are certain risk factors associated with diabetes: obesity, lack of exercise and a family history. |
Flu
Flu refers to illnesses caused by a number of different influenza viruses. Flu can cause a range of symptoms and effects, from mild to lethal. Currently there are two strains of flu - seasonal flu and the H1N1 (Swine) flu in the U.S. - increasing people's chance of getting the flu this year. Here are a few easy ways you can prevent the spread of seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu):
Below are a few of the more common symptoms for seasonal flu or H1N1 (swine) flu: |
High Blood Pressure
Those regular blood pressure checks from your health provider could save your life. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is unusually high (more than 140/90) over several weeks, you more than likely have a serious illness called hypertension. Often called the "silent killer" hypertension is the result of elevated blood pressure. This disease can be dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and it contributes to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis, heart failure and even stroke. There are many factors that contribute to hypertension (or high blood pressure):
The good news is hypertension can often be treated with a change in diet, exercise and, if needed, medication. |