Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Medical History

How to Prevent the Risk of Diabetes

Risks of Diabetes
This guest post was written by Efraim Landa

Efraim Landa is the founder of Effi Enterprises a Venture capital firm that funds medical start ups.

Diabetes is on the rise in the United States. According to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, nearly 10 percent of the American population has diabetes, and more than 8 million are yet undiagnosed. Diabetes is a medical condition that is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. The levels of blood sugar in the blood are controlled by the substance insulin. Insulin is a necessary pancreatic hormone, but in diabetics, it is produced less often, or the body simply does not respond the way it should to that insulin. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is formerly known as adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes. There are a number of differences between these two types of diabetes. The first type of diabetes, type 1, typically occurs in childhood (but not always), and its causes are still unknown. Type 1 only accounts for between 5 and 10 percent of all diabetics. Type 2 diabetes typically occurs in adulthood (but can occur at nearly any age), and it is largely preventable. This article contains information on how to prevent the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Spider Veins and Aging

Aging is a part of life. That’s a fact that not one of us can change, but it doesn’t mean that as we age we’re required to throw our arms up and just surrender to the myriad things that can go wrong within our bodies. Thankfully, we all have a say in how we age, and it’s called prevention. Millions of Americans have spider veins, and thousands more develop them every day, especially as the U.S. population get older. However, like many other conditions, there are things we all can do to help prevent the development of spider veins, even as each of us moves into middle age and beyond. On the other hand, there are health conditions we may suffer from that have little or even nothing to do with the steps we’ve taken to prevent them, especially if we’ve suffered injuries. And the development of spider veins is no different. The best we can do is learn the truth about how spider veins can affect us as we get older, including risk factors and preventive measures, and then take all the necessary steps we can to avoid them.

Spider Veins and Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such a magical time in a woman’s life, isn’t it? That special glow you get when you have life growing inside you. That special treatment you get from your friends, family, and coworkers. And all those special things that are going on inside your body … the weight gain, the morning sickness, and not to mention all those ugly spider veins webbing out all over your legs. As if all the changes your body was already going through weren’t enough, was it really necessary for pregnancy to do this to you, too?! If you’re a pregnant woman who’s noticing those webbed, purplish veins developing most likely on your legs, you’re probably wondering a few things. How did you get spider veins? Is there anything you can do to keep them from getting bigger? What about after you deliver; will the spider veins go away? And, most important of all, will spider veins affect your baby?

Common Myths About Spider Veins

Myths About Spider VeinsSpider veins? Oh, yeah, those are those ugly, purple, webby veins that only grandmas get on their legs. They’re strictly for old people. And men don’t get them, so since I’m a guy, I don’t have to worry about getting spider veins. I know my mom has them, but since spider veins aren’t genetic, that means my sister doesn’t have to worry about getting them either. These are just a few of the myths about spider veins that have been successfully debunked with the advancement of medical science. Only old people get them; they only show up on the legs; they’re not passed down from one generation to another, etc., etc. So, what’s the truth about spider veins – those thin, red-blue, webbed lines that appear on the surface of the skin? Can younger people get spider veins? What about men? Can men get spider veins? With all the untruths and half truths floating around about spider veins, vein centers in New Jersey say … it’s time to set the record straight.