Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, are you in a hurry to do so? While it is advised that you do not rely heavily on fast strip that fat weight loss, also commonly referred to as rapid strip that fat weight loss, there are many individuals who do. If you are interested in losing weight, as quickly as possible, you will want to continue reading on.

One of the many ways that you can go about achieving a fast strip that fat weight loss or rapid strip that fat weight loss is by reducing the foods that you eat. When reducing your food consumption, it is important that you only reduce your consumption a little bit. Unfortunately, many individuals who want to achieve fast strip that fat weight loss think that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for two or three days. That is something that you do not want to do. Once you resume eating again, you will likely gain all of your weight back, almost automatically. It is also important to mention that starving yourself is dangerous to your health.

We really should decrease the amount of junk foods we eat when we start the strip that fat diet plan. Instead of eating a lot of sweets try eating an apple or an orange instead. I think you will see some decrease in weight just by not eating these items on a regular basis. Besides this is much more healthy in the long run as you know. Even trying this for a couple of days at the time until you are used to it will be fine. But try not to have too many sodas and ice cream in the first couple of days on the diet.

Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast strip that fat weight loss. The thing about using exercise to achieve fast strip that fat weight loss is that it is a little bit tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a significant strip that fat weight loss right away. For instance, it typically takes most individuals at least a week or two to notice an improvement in their appearance with the use of exercise. With that in mind, the more overweight you are, the sooner you may see a decrease in your weight, often quickly.

In keeping with exercise to lose weight, exercise is important to losing weight, as it helps to limit your calorie intake. When you burn off calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight. Although your first though may be to start exercising as much as possible, right away, you may want to refrain from doing so. If you aren’t usually physically active, it is best to start out slow. This should significantly reduce your risk of injuries.

Another one of the many ways that you may be able to achieve fasts strip that fat weight loss or rapid strip that fat weight loss is with the use of a cleanse. These cleanses are commonly referred to as colon cleanses or strip that fat weight loss cleanses. Cleanses work by removing toxins and extra weight, actually waste, from your body. It has been said that most individuals have at least seven or eight pounds of waste stored in their bodies. A strip that fat weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse should help remove those toxins from your body.

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LAHORE PAKISTAN: Kidney-related diseases could be avoided by adopting preventive measures. A comprehensive policy was needed to eradicate kidney diseases from the subcontinent. Kidney diseases creep in silently and can completely throw life out of gear.  It is possible to cut the risk of developing kidney diseases by taking steps. World Kidney Day on 11th March 2010 is a worldwide health awareness campaign aimed at improving the knowledge of kidneys, and most importantly ways to cut the rate of Kidney disease. World Kidney Day campaign with a Theme “Protect your Kidneys, Control Diabetes”, will focus on Diabetes as the most important cause of Chronic Kidney Disease. These views were expressed by P.M.S Chairman Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh, while delivering a lecture at the Aristotle grammar school, under the auspices’ of Pakistan Medical Society. Dr Masood Akhtar sheikh said that preventive measures, a balanced diet and a pollution-free environment were essential to reducing cases of kidney diseases. Those at high risk of developing kidney diseases must be screened regularly to ascertain the function of the kidneys. The risk factors for Kidney disease are, age 50 and above, Smoking, Obesity, Diabetes mellitus and hypertension, Family history of diabetes mellitus or hypertension, Family history of kidney disease, Testing for Kidney Disease .Kidney diseases manifest gradually and symptoms show up at a very late stage when the patient’s kidneys have failed needing dialysis in some cases. Undetected CKD is a big problem in the developing world. A simple routine test of blood pressure, blood and urine test can detect initial signs of kidney problems. The evaluation is based on the fact that when kidneys are damaged, proteins can be detected in the urine, which is one of the key indicators of chronic kidney disease.  Laboratory tests are conducted on small samples of blood (to evaluate creatinine content and estimate GFR) and on urine (to evaluate creatinine and albumin excretion) which can indicate the risk of kidney disease. If CKD is detected early, treatment can help retard the progression of patients to end-state renal disease, and also cut the associated risks of cardiovascular diseases, which is a leading cause of premature deaths globally. Diabetes Can Kill Kidneys. Dr Masood sheikh said that a person with a failed kidney had to spend Rs 350,000 annually on his treatment. “According to a WHO report, every 10th person above the age of 15 years is suffering from some kidney disease,” he said.

Dr Masood sheikh said that diabetes is the number one enemy of our kidneys and this message is for all the 240 million people suffering from diabetes worldwide. More than 50% of people with diabetes go undetected and therefore do not receive the treatment they need. The risk of CKD is high for those suffering diabetes as research has shown that 40% of people with diabetes will develop CKD. Monitoring blood sugar levels regularly and screening for CKD can reduce the incidence of kidney damage to a great extent. Dr Israr Hussain Asif Said that we should be on the move for Kidney health -exercise and daily physical activity maintains blood pressure, cuts risk of diabetes.  Regular screening of blood sugar level, and blood lipids . 50% of people who have diabetes suffer damage to their kidneys – it is imperative that people with diabetes undergo regular tests to check their kidney functions. Kidney damage from diabetes can be slowed down if diagnosed early.   Blood pressure has to be monitored and brought under control, as it is a significant cause of kidney damage. The guidelines are as follows:  120/80 is the normal blood pressure level.   Principal of the School Dr Iram Masood said that blood pressure should be monitored regularly at this stage.  Weight must be maintained with a balance of healthy food and proper exercise. Maintaining weight helps in reducing the risks of CKD as it cuts the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Reduction in intake of salt helps to lower blood pressure. 5-6 grams of salt per day (around a small teaspoon, not heaped) is the recommended sodium (salt) intake per day.   Give up smoking

By: Dr. Masood Akhtar Shaikh, Chairman Pakistan Medical Society

Fosamax: Is Long Term Use of Bone Strengthening Drug Linked to Fractures?

Fosamax, one in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, is supposed to make bones stronger. But now there’s mounting evidence that for some women, taking Fosamax or its generic alendronate for more than five years could cause spontaneous fractures.

“We are seeing people just walking, walking down the steps, patients who are doing low-energy exercise,” said Dr. Kenneth Egol, professor of orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Very unusual, the femur is one of the strongest bones in the body.” Source

Avandia, DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Rosiglitazone is an oral drug that reduces the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is used for treating patients with type 2 diabetes and is in a class of anti-diabetic drugs called thiazolidinediones. The other member of this class is pioglitazone (Actos). Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is important for controlling the levels of glucose in the blood. Insulin stimulates the cells of the body to remove glucose from the blood and thereby lowers the level of glucose in the blood. Patients with type II diabetes cannot make enough insulin. As a result, the cells in their bodies do not remove enough glucose from the blood, and the level of glucose rises. Rosiglitazone often is referred to as an “insulin sensitizer” because it attaches to the insulin receptors on cells throughout the body and causes the cells to become more sensitive (more responsive) to insulin and remove more glucose from the blood. At least some insulin must be produced by the pancreas in order for rosiglitazone to work). Rosiglitazone was approved by the FDA on May 28, 1999.

GENERIC AVAILABLE: No

PRESCRIPTION: Yes

PREPARATIONS: Tablets: 2, 4, and 8 mg.

STORAGE: Tablets should be kept at room temperature, 15-30 C (59-86 F).

PRESCRIBED FOR: Rosiglitazone, combined with diet, exercise, weight control, and cessation of smoking is used for treating type II diabetes. Rosiglitazone may be used alone or in combination with other types of anti-diabetic drugs such as metformin (Glucophage) or sulfonylureas as well as insulin. Since it requires naturally-secreted insulin to be effective, rosiglitazone is not recommended for use in type I diabetes where the amount of insulin is very low or absent.

DOSING: Rosiglitazone may be taken once or twice daily, with or without meals. Daily doses range from 4 to 8 mg either with or without other antidiabetic medications. Studies do not demonstrate additional effects when more than 8mg per day are taken.

DRUG INTERACTIONS: Rifampin decreases the blood concentration of rosiglitazone by increasing its breakdown in the liver. Therefore, use of rifampin may decrease the effect of rosiglitazone.

Gemfibrozil (Lopid) increases the concentration of rosiglitazone in the blood by reducing its breakdown. Therefore, rosiglitazone may increase the side effects of rosiglitazone.

PREGNANCY: There are no adequate studies of rosiglitazone in pregnant women.

NURSING MOTHERS: It is unknown if rosiglitazone is secreted in breast milk. Therefore, the safety of rosiglitazone to nursing infants also is unknown.

SIDE EFFECTS AND PRECAUTIONS: The most common side effects seen with rosiglitazone alone or in combination with metformin are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, back pain, hyperglycemia, fatigue, sinusitis, diarrhea, and hypoglycemia. Rosiglitazone has been shown to cause mild to moderate accumulation of fluid (edema) and can lead to heart failure. Patients who already have heart failure may develop worsening symptoms with rosiglitazone. In addition, anemia may occur with rosiglitazone alone or combined with metformin. Rosiglitazone also causes increasing amounts of weight gain with increasing doses.

KARACHI: eHealth solutions may help the nation to face the prevailing challenges , said Director General Health, Dr Rashid Jooma while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day international conference of eHealth Association of Pakistan held at Aga Khan University Hospital.

Referring to the alarming situation of hepatitis B and C, particularly in the hyper-endemic areas of South Punjab, Northern Sindh and adjacent Balochistan areas; he termed lack of qualified human resource to be a prominent factor. He was of the view that tele-medicine, health management information system (HMIS) and integration of resources may help the nation deal with the challenges in the current healthcare scenario.

Dr Jooma also shared the findings from the experience of project HOPE, initiated during his tenure of directorship at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, which provided telemedical linkage between district and teaching hospitals in Sindh.

Prof. Yunkap Kwankam, CEO Global eHealth Consultants-Switzerland and Executive Director of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (IsfTeH), in his keynote speech discussed about the global scenario and various successful eHealth projects in different parts of the world.

Dr Richard E. Scott, an eHealth expert from Canada, highlighting the potential of this emerging field, stated that it could change lives of millions of people. He also urged for collaborations and concerted efforts across nations.

In his welcome address, Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed, a prominent eHealth professional and technical core-group member of eHAP, termed the conference a major step towards establishing eHealth in Pakistan. He shared the historical perspective of eHealth in the country, referring to the National Telemedicine Forum constituted by the former Minister for Science & Technology – Dr Ata ur Rehman and the HOPE project initiated by Dr Rasheed Jooma at JPMC. He stressed for a join platform and taking all the stakeholders on board.

Dr Shariq Khoja, General Secretary eHAP, said that the vision of eHAP is to make Pakistan a model for collaborative, evidence-based, informed and integrated eHealth practice in the (developing) world by 2020. He informed that the focus areas of eHAP were advocacy, capacity building, eHealth advices, policy support and resource management.

President of eHealth Association of Pakistan (eHAP), Dr Asif Zafar Malik, who is also the Project Director of Telemedicine and eHealth Training Center at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi; stated that there was a shortage of specialist doctors in the country. He said that there was a phenomenal increase in the use of technology in the county and connectivity was not an issue, but the medical fraternity was usually shy from technology. In the given scenario, he said, we need to focus on capacity building of the doctors and paramedics to utilize the available technology and make the most out of eHealth solutions. He also shared details of the eHealth projects in various parts of the country and its use in disaster situations.

Dr Haroon Roedad Khan (Vice President eHAP), Dr Abbas, Dr Aziz Khan (from Afghanistan), Mr Angelio (from Philippines), Dr Mohan Raj Pradhan (from Nepal) and various other eHealth experts also spoke at the occasion. Panel discussion among eminent eHealth professionals and stakeholders is a part of the agenda for the second day of the conference.

Dramatic Weight Loss, A diet that was popular in the 1950s is making a huge comeback thanks to advances in medicine and a new book. Judy Carey says she dropped from a size 14 to a size 6 on the diet.

“I’ve lost 43 pounds total and feel great,” she said.

She did it by rubbing a little cream on her wrists every day. The secret ingredient in that cream is called HCG.

“HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin. It’s the pregnancy hormone,” said Dr. Robert True, a cosmetogynecologist.

True says the hormone, which helps insure a developing baby gets enough calories in the womb, can work wonders on the waistline of women who are not pregnant.

Dieters are restricted to a measly 500 calories a day of very specific foods. Then, they take HCG by injection or in compounded cream form.

The calorie restriction and prescription together set the body up for extreme weight loss — 1 to 2 pounds per day, according to advertisements.

“Your body says, ‘Wow, they’re not feeding me. I need to feed this baby.’ Because it thinks you’re pregnant because you’ve got that HCG going into your body,” True said. “And if it thinks you’re pregnant, it’s going to force your body to pull the nutrients from the stored areas of fat in your body. It’s going to force that to happen.”

The head doctor at Presbyterian’s Heart and Wellness Center in Charlotte says HCG is anything but proven. He says in 10 independent studies, dieters on the drug didn’t perform any better than the people given a placebo. He also says, as with any fad diet, it’s important to consult a physician first.

A media report labeled diabetes as a lifestyle disease. Rightly so, but it doesn’t imply that poor and underserved communities are not at risk of diabetes. In fact, the World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization in 1991, to draw attention of the world community towards escalating incidences of diabetes amongst the rich and poor, old and young alike. WDD is celebrated world wide on 14th November, on the birth anniversary of Fredrerick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin.

“Diabetes is affecting all classes of our society, be it rich or poor, high caste or low caste, urban or rural residents. So it is no longer the disease of the rich alone,” said Dr Ambady Ramachandran, Director, India Diabetes Research Foundation (IDRF), Chennai, Tamil Nadu. In a recent study conducted by IDRF in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, prevalence rates of diabetes were found to at par in rural and urban areas, dispelling the misconception that diabetes is only affecting the rich living in urban areas.

Dr Ramachandran further said that “Diabetes exerts a life-long financial burden for treatment. It is not only the cost of medicines but the recurring costs of ongoing home monitoring, laboratory investigations and hospitalizations also add to the financial burden. Also, the changing prevalence of disease patterns is likely to increase the burden of chronic diseases like diabetes in developing countries such as India.”

According to Diabetes Atlas published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there were an estimated 40.9 million people with diabetes in India in 2007 which is about 16.7% of the global number of people living with diabetes. This number is predicted to rise to almost 70 million people by the year 2025. The countries with the largest number of people with diabetes will be India, China and USA by 2025. It is estimated that every fifth person with diabetes will be an Indian. The economic burden on India due to such a high incidence of diabetes is amongst the highest in the world.

India is, therefore, often referred to as the ‘diabetes capital of the world’. Several studies have revealed that the prevalence of diabetes is increasing in rural areas too. However, there are no diagnostic tests available at Primary Health Centres for diabetes or diabetes-related complications. Dr Viswanathan Mohan, Director, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu said that “there is an urgent need to establish diagnostic centres for diabetes at every ante-natal clinic (ANC) especially in rural areas to detect and reduce the burden of diabetes at an early stage in children and adolescents”.

Comparatively, the urban adolescents are more prone to type-2 diabetes than those residing in the rural areas. These urban adolescents have a higher intake of refined cereals as well as high fat and calorie-dense foods. Moreover, they are less likely to engage in regular physical activities. These factors lead to an increased incidence of obesity and consequently a higher risk for the onset of type-2 diabetes at an early age. Overall, patients with young-onset type-2 diabetes are only found in urban areas, and more so in affluent households. On the other hand, type-1 diabetes can occur equally in urban or rural areas. India is a land of famines, floods, local conflicts, large population and a high illiteracy rate. All these factors, coupled with uncertain economic conditions, are likely to impede the diabetes’ prevention and awareness programmes.

It may be pertinent to mention here that the theme for World Diabetes Day 2008, (www.worlddiabetesday.org) as envisaged by IDF is ‘Diabetes In Children and Adolescents’, keeping in mind the increasing incidence of diabetes in youth. This is a matter of grave concern and needs to be tackled. No child should die of diabetes.

Dr Sharad Pendsey ,an expert on diabetes, runs a charitable trust – Diabetes Research Education And Management Trust (DREAM Trust, www.dreamtrust.org) operational in New Delhi/ Noida region which provides free insulin, syringes, blood glucose monitoring strips and complete health care to the poor children with Type-1 diabetes. Dr Pendsey said that “children should be routinely screened for diabetes at diagnostic centres and appropriate follow- up action should be taken , as agreed upon by the primary healthcare providers and the diabetes experts”. Dr Pendsey emphasized on the role of boosting up primary prevention strategies to limit or delay the onset of diabetes which will prove cost-effective as well.

Without primary prevention strategies at the public health level, the number of undiagnosed and uncared for people with diabetes will increase, as also the number of complications arising out of this disease, thus requiring a higher technological input. This in turn will limit access to health care for a large numbers of patients.

Amit Dwivedi

(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: amit@citizen-news.org)

Washington, A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician says that sexual problems in women, though prevalent, are not always associated with distress.

Dr. Jan Shifren, of the MGH Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, found in a survey of women that while 40 per cent of the participants had sexual problems, only 12 per cent of them indicated that those issues were a source of significant personal distress.

“Sexual problems are common in women, but problems associated with personal distress, those which are truly bothersome and affect a woman’’s quality of life, are much less frequent. For a sexual concern to be considered a medical problem, it must be associated with distress, so it’’s important to assess this in both research studies and patient care,” said Shifren, who led the study appearing in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

During the study, the research team surveyed 32,000 women aged 18 to over 100 from across the U. S. using a well-established survey of sexual function, supplemented by a validated measure of a woman’’s distress related to her sex life – including feelings of anger, guilt, frustration, and worry.

Forty-three per cent of the respondents reported some level of sexual problem, with 39 percent reporting low levels of desire, 26 percent problems with arousal, and 21 percent difficulties with orgasm.

However, only 12 percent of the study participants attributed such problems to distress.

While the prevalence of sexual problems was highest in women over 65, they reported the lowest levels of distress. On the other hand, distress was reported most frequently in women aged 45 to 64.

The youngest group –from 18 to 44 – had lower levels of both problems and distress. Women with depression were more than twice as likely to report distress over any type of sexual problem as those not suffering from depression.

“Although sexual problems were very common in women over age 65, these problems often weren”t associated with distress. Several factors could be behind the lower levels of distress in the oldest group. If their partners also have low desire, it may not be looked on as a problem, or additional health issues could be of greater concern,” Shifren says.

“While distressing sexual problems are much less common in women than sexual problems overall, they still affect approximately one in eight adult women.

“As part of a thorough health assessment, it’’s important that health care providers ask their female patients if they have sexual concerns and if those problems are associated with distress. Although this study did not examine treatments for sexual problems, effective options are available – including relationship counseling, treatment of associated medical conditions and sex therapy,” she adds. (ANI)

ISLAMABAD: With the World Diabetes Day (WDD) being observed today (Friday), doctors said at least 15 percent population of the country suffers from diabetes – a disorder characterised by abnormally high glucose levels in blood.

They warned the numbers are escalating and possibly will double in the next three decades if corrective measures are not made.

According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), children make up a major part of the diabetic population and most of them belong to developing world. The IDF said every year, 70,000 children below 15 are diagnosed with diabetes in developing countries.

Dr. Asma of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) told media on Thursday that this year, the WDD would focus on creating public awareness of health hazards of diabetes whose incidence among children and adolescents was alarmingly very high.

She said 15 in 100 Pakistanis was diabetic and the number was likely to double in the next 30 years if the authorities and people continued to ignore this serious threat to public health.

“Prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan is one of the highest in the world. Around eight million people suffer from diabetes in the country, which stands among top seven highest diabetes endemic countries of the world,” she said.

The doctor said diabetes was a problem of the rich and the poor, old and young, urbanites and villagers alike. “It’s no longer the disease of the rich alone,” she said.

Dr Asma said the diabetes was a serious threat to public health as it was the biggest cause of blindness, amputation of limbs, heart and kidney failures, paralyses and other fatal diseases.

Body mass index (BMI) is a relative measure of your weight based on your height. It is a great way to get a rough idea of the weight range you should fall in based on your height. A healthy BMI is within the range 20 – 25. BMI is calculated by the following calculation: weight (kg)/ height (m2). A BMI greater than 25 is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is obese.

BMI should not be the only consideration when deciding your ideal weight. People with higher muscle mass tend to have a higher BMI, as well has people with heavier frames. For this reason, your BMI should only be used as a guide.

An alternative to BMI is to look at weight charts based on frame. This adds another element to the calculation and makes the result more realistic.

Another way to assess you weight instead of BMI is to look at your body fat %. Whilst you can measure your BMI at home, to get a body fat % reading you will need to go to a gym. Males should aim to have less than 20% body fat and females less than 25%.

Though your BMI can tell you if you are overweight or not, it will not give you any health indication. People with low BMI’s can still be unhealthy without performing regular exercise and eating properly. So the use for BMI should be to get an overall feel if you are over/underweight for your height.

To break BMI down in more detail, the results are as follows:

BMI result indicates

< 19 Underweight – consider putting on some weight

20 – 25 Healthy weight range

25 – 30 Overweight – would be good to lose some weight to avoid health risks

> 30 Obese – would be good to a see doctor to help lose weight and avoid likely health risks

This articel is submitted by Muhammad Umar, he is author of She.com.pk