Cancer

Cancer

Insulin, while performing lifesaving functions like leveling out blood sugar levels, does so by increasing the risk of heart and other diseases and by contributing to obesity. The normal concentration of blood sugar is from 80 to 120 milligrams of glucose for each 100 milliliters of blood.6

We understand that insulin is somehow associated with diabetes and that insulin’s job is to bring down excessively high levels of blood sugar. Type II diabetics have either lost the ability to secrete enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels in check or have developed a condition called insulin resistance, which essentially "locks" insulin out of target cells and keeps it circulating at high levels, a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular and artery diseases. Insulin regulatory mechanisms break down from weak genetics, obesity, or from the overuse of blood sugar homeostatic mechanisms (eating too much sugar!). Stress also plays a role in increased insulin resistance.

‘When I get annoyed about something I go after the largest carbonated drink I can find!"

MIKE

The role insulin plays in the body, however, is much more diverse and powerful than bringing blood sugar levels under control. As one textbook terms it, "The major function of insulin is to promote storage of ingested nutrients." As a storage hormone, it has an impact on virtually every tissue in the body. Insulin’s primary targets are the liver, muscles, and adipose (fat) tissue. Insulin first pulls sugars out of the bloodstream and deposits them in the liver as glycogen, then in the muscle as glycogen, and finally converts it into triglycerides for storage in fat tissue. Insulin hormone "builds" fat.

Insulin increases the synthesis of several types of fat/protein and fat/sugar complexes, such as triglycerides, cholesterol, and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), which aid in the building of muscle tissue and deliver glucose to those muscle cells for energy. LPL (lipoprotein lipase) is an enzyme that actually pulls triglycerides into fat cells for storage; insulin increases both the production and the action of LPL and inhibits those same fat cells from converting back into blood glucose.

Just keep two facts in mind as we continue this discussion: Insulin promotes fat storage, and excess carbohydrates stimulate insulin.

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Weight loss

Sometimes the child can become quite frightened during a tantrum, probably because he feels out of control, and appears genuinely distressed. On these occasions you should simply hold the child for a few minutes, until he is back in control. Even during this period it is important not to reinforce the behaviour by being too warm and affectionate to the child. Furthermore, there should never be a reward for the child at the end of the temper tantrum. For example, a child may have a tantrum after his parents have insisted that he tidy up the toys, or perform another task. Once the tantrum is over and the child has regained composure, you should gently guide him back to the original task. If this is not done, then the child will very quickly learn that the way to avoid doing things is to have a temper tantrum.

If parents can manage a child’s temper tantrums correctly, then they will be able to manage successfully most of the other difficult behaviours that are an integral part of childhood. If they unwittingly allow the child to use repeated temper tantrums to get his own way, there is a good chance that the child will continue to use temper tantrums, or variations of them, as a way of relating to parents, other adults and peers. It will be likely to interfere with social learning, relationships and learning to deal with frustration.

When to see your doctor

You may want to speak to your doctor or another health professional to ‘coach’ you about behaviour management techniques. It is very often helpful to have somebody to support and encourage you during what is often a taxing time. Occasionally the family doctor will refer you and the child to a paediatrician or psychologist for more specialised advice.

Prevention

It is unlikely that temper tantrums can be totally prevented — they are a normal part of growing up. However, parents can certainly do much to make sure that they are not prolonged or made worse and that there are no associated behaviour problems, by handling the tantrums appropriately in the way suggested above. A commonsense, low key approach will usually work.

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Do you remember a bully, a “meany,” some child who just seemed to have it in for you? There seemed to be something about you that resulted in a monstrous reaction on the part of this one particular child. You might have sprinted with terror past his house, snuck down the alley on the way home from school, done anything to avoid direct confrontation with this one child.

One husband reported, “His name was Carl. This kid hated my looks, my name, my clothes, my walk, my parents, even my dog. I have never been so afraid in my life, not even in the war, as I was afraid of Carl.”

“She was the meanest girl. She gave the word ‘bitch’ a bad name. She put me down to everybody. I hated her. I wished she would die. I’ll bet she became a gossip columnist.” This wife frowned, reliving her anger as she described this love-map imprint.

The same-gender conflict and fear gets on our love map, a danger zone that is reflected in our choice of a partner and in our day-today working and loving. Think about conflicts with people at work, about conflicts with certain family members, and try to relate these relationships to your love map. You will see that these maps influence all living.

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People have asked the question of what to do with their thoughts while working through issues in psychotherapy. There will be issues in therapy which need to be thought through and worked with, and they may cause anxiety and attacks. Again, it means walking a fine line. Be aware of why they have occurred and let them happen.

As our management skills increase we will begin to realise a subtle pattern emerging with our anxiety and attacks. When we are avoiding confronting particular personal issues, or in other words, not being honest with ourselves, we may find ourselves reacting with anxiety or an attack. We can use these subtle guides to get to know and understand ourselves on a deeper level.

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There is one basic problem with surgical treatment which does not apply with other types of treatment. Surgery is done while you are unconscious and therefore incapable of making any decisions.

If something unexpected is found during an operation on you, decisions about the best immediate course of action will be taken out of your hands. They will be made on your behalf by the surgeon. Most surgeons take it for granted that they should be making all the decisions, so they have no strong reasons for trying to prevent this situation from arising. There is only one way to make sure that you make the decisions about what operation will be done. You must make sure that you know, as completely and accurately as possible, before your operation what will be found when you are opened up, and what can be done to deal with this situation. The more careful and thorough your pre-operative assessment is, the greater the possibility of the exact opertion lat you agree to being performed.

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Sudden death is always a possibility following a heart attack and the risk is greatest in the first few hours, decreasing over the following 48.

The cause of death is usually due to the development of an abnormal heart rhythm.

Damage to the heart muscle may make electrical conduction through the heart unstable.

There are a number of abnormalities of rhythm but the one causing death is ventricular fibrillation.

The best way to prevent or treat this is for the person to be under the care of trained medical or paramedical personnel.

Coronary care units have been established in all public and most large private hospitals. The person with the suspected heart attack is admitted to this special ward and is monitored by having a continuous electrocardiograph displayed on screens.

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An epileptic woman who stops taking drugs because she becomes pregnant is at risk of having convulsions. The convulsion with the associated lack of oxygen during the fit may, in itself, be dangerous to the foetus.

Besides, most women do not know they are pregnant until four or six weeks after conception.

The developing foetus has already been exposed to the drug and stopping it when pregnancy is confirmed may be too late, if in fact, the drug does have harmful effects.

All life is a risk and, at the moment, it appears there is a greater risk to the baby if the epileptic woman stops her medication during pregnancy than if she continues it.

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Secondly, the skin is a most effective and essential sensory organ. This is a result of it being richly supplied with nerve endings, which provide an effective sensory defence against potentially harmful stimuli. It also acts as a ‘relay station’ between external influences and internal organs, via a network of nerve fibres. Of equal importance, is its role as an organ of expression: for instance we may express anxiety by sweating, fear by pallor, anger by redness, pain as a grimace, or happiness with a smile.

Thirdly, the skin acts as a remarkable thermostat. This is mainly achieved by its blood vessels and sweat glands. The metabolic processes of the body continually produce heat, which must be dissipated to maintain a constant body temperature. Under normal environmental conditions this may be achieved by varying the diameter of the blood vessels in the skin, resulting in changes in the volume of the blood flow. This blood flow can be varied 100-fold from maximum constriction to maximum dilation of the vessels. Increased blood flow is accompanied by increased heat loss, whereas a reduced blood flow retains heat.

If, however, blood flow alterations are insufficient to regulate the body temperature, then the sweat glands are activated. This will occur with extreme external temperature increases, excessive exertion, or the fever accompanying an illness. The sweat bathes the skin and cooling results from its evaporation.

Fourthly, the skin plays an active part in the body’s defence against such micro-organisms as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The surface of the skin is never sterile. It is host to a permanent resident colony of various bacteria which are relatively innocuous. Their presence, however, inhibits the growth of more dangerous organisms on the skin. Further protection is provided by the dryness of the skin’s surface. Most organisms are relatively intolerant to dry conditions, much preferring humid or moist environments. The continual shedding of the superficial epidermis also discourages bacterial invaders. Sebum, the oily secretion produced by the active sebaceous glands, contains fatty adds which have a strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal action. A thin coating of this on the skin provides a further protection.

Finally, the skin is an important barrier against damaging ionizing radiation, such as ultra-violet light. For skin unprotected by hair or clothing, the only significant defence against the destructive effects of U.V.L. is melanin. Without melanin the epidermis would be a thin transparent membrane, allowing

U.V.L to damage the sensitive structure of the dermis. Melanin is a complicated large protein produced by special cells, melanocytes in the basal layer. From there it is distributed throughout the epidermis. The amount of melanin in the epidermis governs the colour of a person’s skin: the more melanin, the darker the skin colour. There is no difference though in the number of melanocytes in white and in black skin. The difference is simply one of activity, reflected in the amount of melanin or pigment these cells produce. Various factors may influence this, including sun exposure, pregnancy, various hormonal disorders, and drugs.

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