Health through Science

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What your doctor didn't tell you about beta-blockers for hypertension as a diabetic person

Beta-blockers are commonly prescribed medications for people with cardiovascular problems like coronary artery disease. A lot of people take them, and a lot of them get great results with it. But there's something that most people don't know about them, beta-blockers interact with diabetic peoples' bodies in a way that can REALLY complicate treatment plans. For example, beta-blockers can mask the symptoms of hypoglycemia by reducing rapid heartbeats, tremors and anxiety. Although this seems good to someone with diabetes, it's actually worse. Without the typical warning signs of low blood sugar, patients may not be able to find a sugar source in time before they faint or get injured. Some non-selective beta-blockers also worsen diabetes, since they reduce insulin sensitivity, which obviously makes it way harder to manage blood glucose levels. Non-selective beta blockers also interfere with the metabolism of glucose, and worsen control over blood sugar. That's why s...

How can vegans address B12 deficiencies?

Vitamin B12, known as cobalamin in the science world, is one of the most important nutrients for the human neurological system, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell formation. B12 is quite abundant in meat products like chicken and beef, but since vegan people don't eat any meat-containing or even dairy-containing products, they are much more prone to a deficiency in cobalamin. This leads to issues like neurological problems, anemia, overall tiredness, and even cognitive impairment. The biggest problem of being a vegan, is that B12 isn't naturally present in plant-based foods; so it's really likely for them to be deficient of it, since they consume no source thereof. This is why most vegans employ two methods to meet their daily vitamin B12 requirements. Method 1: Supplementation. The straightforward, and honestly simper way for people to address their B12 needs, is to just take supplements for it. There are tablets, sublingual drops, and sprays which all contain between 250...

The mechanisms and administration of ferrous sulphate in Anemic People

Anemia is a condition wherein people have slightly lower/much lower levels of hemoglobin or red blood cells in their blood. When someone has anemia, they'll have an array of symptoms like fatigue, weakness, and pale skin. Anemia is caused by a deficiency in Iron in the blood: which results in hampered production of the adequate amount of hemoglobin (the protein which transports oxygen around the body.) Thus, to treat anemia, the root cause of an Iron deficiency has to be treated. To do this, doctors recommend people to take Ferrous Sulphate. Ferrous sulphate is a form of an iron supplement which contains ferrous ions (Fe2+), and is the easiest type of iron ion for the human body to absorb (as compared to ferric ions Fe3+.) Through its increased bioavailability, ferrous sulphate is one of the most effective treatments for replenishing iron levels and for treating anemia. How does ferrous sulphate work: Once its ingested, the medication is absorbed all the way in upper intestine thr...

The effect of ozempic on people with diabetes: How it works and the side effects it has

Ozempic, a medication known as seraglutamide, was developed to treat and manage type 2 diabetes. In scientific terms, Ozempic is an injective glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. The medicine helps control blood sugar levels by enhancing the secretion of insulin, reducing the release of glucagon (the hormone which releases sugar in the blood), and slowing the emptying of the gastric organs. However, recently, it has gained popularity for its significant effect on weight loss, leading to people using it without a prescription at their own risk (which I severely criticize, because they've caused a shortage for the actual diabetics who need it to live.) However, when it comes to diabetes, Ozempic works to reduce weight as well, which leads to many positive effects for patients. For example, since it results in stabler blood sugar levels, people feel more satiated and eat less food. This results in significant glycemic control in diabetic patients, and by reducing weight, ...

The top 4 diets for PCOS: DASH diet, high protein diet, reduced calorie diet, and the keto diet. Which is better?

PCOS is a condition wherein people have imbalanced hormone levels. These imbalances present themselves in the form of polycystic ovaries, chronic irregular periods, and higher levels of testosterone in the form of increased body/facial hair. Among people who have PCOS, 80% of patients will hold fat around their belly and gain weight because of the effects of hormonal imbalances on their bodies. These effects include insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, low-grade inflammation and more. To treat this weight gain, doctors tend to recommend different diets to PCOS patients. But, the efficacy of these diets are heavily dependent on the person's individual situation. There are four major dietary approaches used to lose weight for people with PCOS: Reduced calorie diets, DASH diets, high protein diets, and keto diets. For most people, a combination of all of these diets will work best. Here's a short explanation of each of these diets: 1) Reduced calorie diet: You e...

Ofev for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF): How does it work? What is it? Is it safe? What's the science behind it? Dosage? Side effects? Research studies? Evidence?

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease which progresses over time. It is characterized by thickening of the lung tissue without a known cause, and eventually leads to scarring (fibrosis) of the tissue. Scarring of the lung results in stiffness of the organ, which reduces the ability of the lung to expand and contract, causing impaired oxygen transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream. IPF presents in various ways in patients, for example, it can be seen through breath shortness, clubbing of the fingers, dry cough which never gets resolved, fatigue, and sometimes even unexplained weight loss. The disease tends to affect older individuals and has a vast impact on the quality of life for its patients. Ofev, is one of the most common medications administered when someone suffers from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) which targets multiple pathways involved in the process of scarring. In fact, it works specifically by inhibit...