nutrition

People who have to remain in the same position for long periods of time are susceptible to decubitus ulcers, or bedsores as they are more commonly called. Because these are not always related to lying in a bed and have nothing to do with the bed itself, the more commonly accepted term is pressure sore. It is the pressure of the body against a surface for extended periods of time that causes the sore to be created. The ancient Egyptians suffered from pressure sores, or so the scars on their mummified remains indicate. No matter what they are called, they are painful and can lead to serious infection and may be even more problematic than just a simple bump or bruise might be. Some people are more prone to the pressure sores than others, and some of these people will never heal from one.

Everyone knows that we eat to give our body energy and raw materials to function, heal, and grow. Even the most avid couch potato burns energy sitting on the couch and watching TV. The human body is a machine, which means it needs energy to operate at all times. A sleeping person may not look like he’s doing much of anything, but there are still brain impulses racing around, the heart is still beating, the lungs are still inhaling and exhaling. Hair and nails are growing, and skin is regenerating. If there’s no energy for the body to operate, none of this will happen. More and more body functions will be cut off in an attempt to conserve power. And as everyone knows, starvation can lead to a great many problems – even before it gets to the point of being life-threatening.

Kidney disease is a whole new world for the person who contracts it. Everything that you eat has to be changed and carefully monitored. Some stages of kidney disease require the patient to ingest less protein, but later stages will require more protein than average once the dialysis treatment has begun. Everyone needs to have protein, not just those with kidney disease. It is vital for life. You need the right amount of protein, no matter what the condition of your kidneys, in order to remain as healthy as possible and even slow the progression of the disease. Even if you are very ill, your weakened state leaves you more prone to infections, which the proper levels of protein can fight off.

Every year 4,000 or more women enter menopause and spend about a 1/3 of their life time in that state. For some women, menopause causes no major changes in their lifestyle and has little effect on their mood or physical well being. For others, the symptoms and emotional upheaval can be overwhelming. Some of the most common symptoms of menopause include:

When our bodies digest food, there are many hormones and chemicals that the body must deal with. Everything we eat converts to blood glucose, and one of three things happens: it is burned right away, converted to glycogen and stored in the muscles for later use, and converted to fat to be stored for longer periods of time. One of the most important factors in the digestive process is how much insulin is released, because insulin is what decides which nutrients to burn, and which to store in the body. In those who have higher blood sugar levels in their bodies, more insulin is released, and more food is stored as fat. But, in diabetics, there is not enough insulin released by the pancreas, which makes dealing with blood sugar quite difficult for the body.