Friday, September 03, 2010

Diabetes drug can reduce risk of cancer, researchers find

Metformin reduced the development of lung tumors in mice by more than 70%. Clinical trials on humans for lung, breast and prostate cancer are being organized.

September 01, 2010|By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times

A growing body of evidence suggests that the widely used diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of cancer, researchers said Wednesday.

A study in mice exposed to tobacco carcinogens shows that the drug can reduce the development of lung tumors by more than 70%, and results from a small clinical trial in Japan suggest it can reduce rates of colorectal tumors in humans. The National Cancer Institute is now organizing a clinical trial to test the drug in people who smoke, and other trials are testing it against breast and prostate cancer.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Diabetes Treatments, Which is Best For You

There are a lot of different ways that a person can treat diabetes. There are just as many different treatments for diabetes as there are people who experience symptoms of the disease. Many diabetics get discouraged when they are forced to search for the best treatment for themselves. If you have trouble treating your disease it will be hard to stay upbeat about it. The good news is that, because there are so many diabetes treatments out there, eventually you and your doctor will figure out what works best for you. In this article we are going to discuss some of the diabetes treatments that might work.

Halt your smoking habits. Even if you hadn't become a diabetic, you already realize how awful smoking is for you. Now that you are struggling with this maddening disease smoking is even worse. Why is this so? You can destroy your blood vessels, by smoking. This makes it really troublesome to deal with your blood sugar levels. It makes it harder for your body to get your diabetes medication to the cells that need it the most. In addition, it causes heart disease, cancer and a range of other health issues. If that isn't awful enough, it leaves you with a really awful odor. Quitting smoking and tobacco use will be hard at first but you will be very glad that you did it. Some people do not like the idea of using synthetic medications to treat their diabetes. Instead, they look for herbal and alternative methods for treating diabetes. If your disease is well maintained through alternative or herbal remedies your doctors probably won't have any problems with your using them. You want to make sure that you check in regularly with your primary doctor so that, if the alternative methods, stop working well you'll still have a way to treat your disease. Whether or not you want to accept it, sometimes western medicine really is best for diabetes treatment.

If you are a drinker, it is very important for you to quit. Alcohol consumption is a major no-no for diabetics. It can be tolerable with high temperance (no more than 20 ounces in a day), however if you have too much trouble keeping track of the amount of alcohol you drink, you are better off to just stop drinking all together. You blood sugar levels can get a bit crazy if you drink alcohol. This makes if tougher for Type 1 diabetics to manage their levels of insulin and tough for Type 2 diabetics to keep watch of their sickness. Plus, the empty calories don't do anybody any good.

Diabetes is a bothersome sickness to have to deal with. It is not uncommon for diabetics to have to handle several unsuccessful remedies prior to find the right treatment that works well for them. It is common for diabetics to have to confront several regimen failures before they find the best treatment method for themselves. Eventually you will find the best diabetes treatment for your body and your lifestyle and everything will get back to normal. Remember: diabetes does not have to completely hinder your life. With some adjustments you can lead a really similar life to the one you had before the illness occurred.


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Source: Kathi Caillier is our guest expert on Diabetes And Exercise