If left untreated, the disease can become serious.
This applies to both physical and psychological pain.
Seeking medical advice is the first step in avoiding future disasters.
This simple but important point is reflected in the questions posed to well-known NHS doctor Rene Hoenderkamp. email address: this week.
Our resident physicians share details about alternative medicines to control high blood sugar, ways to cope with grief, signs of lung cancer in your fingers, and more.
Last week, she revealed the best supplements to lower high cholesterol levels, how soon you can exercise after spinal surgery, what it means to lose your sense of smell, and more.
It is important to remember that the advice below is general advice, not individualized advice, and you should always seek individual medical treatment from your doctor.
These caveats aside, read below to hear Dr Hoenderkamp’s answers to GB News members’ burning questions.
Hello Dr. Rene. I have been taking metformin tablets for about a year now but my blood sugar is not coming down. Is there any herbal or ayurvedic medicine you can recommend? I am on high doses and looking for an alternative. Your guidance would be much appreciated.
That’s unfortunate. When discussing why metformin doesn’t work to lower blood sugar, the first thing to understand is the underlying process in the body that causes blood sugar to rise.
Diabetes is a long-term disease that causes high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. A hormone called insulin moves glucose from the blood into the body’s cells. Insulin is made in the pancreas, and diabetes occurs when the body does not respond well or adequately to insulin, or when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to make it work properly.
In type 2 diabetes, the body is resistant to insulin, so treatment aims to “sensitize” the body’s cells to insulin so they can deal with the blood sugar levels that are causing the problem. Unfortunately, if you can’t compensate for that process with lifestyle changes like weight loss, exercise, and diet, over time the cells will eventually lose the ability to do their job. Or the pancreas will stop producing insulin because it’s overworked, as it tries so hard to produce more insulin to lower blood sugar. Usually, before you get to this state, your diabetes team will add other medications to help the pancreas produce more insulin. These include drugs like gliclazide, glimepiride, alogliptin, sitagliptin, and pioglitazone. If these don’t work, at this point, unfortunately, no amount of medication will change the situation.
So, if you’ve reached this stage, the only real solution is to replenish the insulin your body desperately needs, which is done by regular injections of insulin.
I completely understand that this is not the point you want to get to, which is why I would say it’s important to ask your team about other medications and see if they would be helpful, as well as addressing lifestyle factors. Michael Moseley’s 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet.
As you know, I’m a big fan of natural remedies for most things and have researched this subject for you, but here’s what I say: Sustained high blood sugar damages the body in every way, and much of that damage is irreversible. This includes the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, and nerves. Try only herbal remedies in tandem with the medications listed above until you start to see improvement and can carefully adjust your medication dosage with your doctor.
this Systematic review It describes many herbs that have been proven to have anti-diabetic properties by improving blood sugar control by regulating insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity: garlic, ginseng, cinnamon, olive, soy, fenugreek, mango, holy basil, to name just a few. The study is long and detailed so I will leave it for you to read through, but please speak to your doctor about adding other medications before the damage is permanent. It is very important to follow your doctor’s advice.
Hello Dr. Renee. My daughter recently died from Otahara Syndrome, the worst form of epilepsy. Grief is eating away at me. I hope you can help. She referred me to online resources and prescribed medication, but neither helped. Is there any counseling you can recommend? My doctor has suggested taking medication or talking on the phone, but I would like to try professional treatment. Any help would be appreciated.
Firstly, I want to say how heartbreaking your question is. As a mother, I cannot imagine what you are going through. Please accept my thoughts and best wishes as it is not right to bury your child.
Firstly, what you are going through is completely normal. You have been through a most traumatic event and the only thing that will change the way you deal with these normal and natural emotions is time and some kind of bereavement support. You don’t say how long it has been since you lost your beloved daughter, but this will affect what and how you deal with it now. I would always recommend waiting 6 weeks before attempting counselling to get over the natural shock and be more prepared for the discussions that are part of any treatment.
In terms of what to do, I always recommend professional bereavement counselling and refer patients to some very good charities working in their area. cruise is always a good starting point and there is also a free helpline number 0808 808 1677.
Sue Ryder is also very good. advice They can provide you with resources specific to the loss of a child and connect you with communities where you can discuss your loss in a safe and protected space.
I don’t think antidepressants are the answer. You don’t have a chemical imbalance that drugs can fix, you have a raw and understandable hole in your heart that leaves you feeling lost. This is natural and needs to be discussed with people who understand, and at some point you need to meet face to face with a trained counsellor, perhaps using CBT to address the thoughts that are eating away at you. CBT is the best form of counselling in this case.
I hope this helps you and that these resources help you find your way through this unimaginable loss. In the meantime, if things are becoming too tough for you to continue, SamaritanThey are amazing and always there.
Hello. This may be a weird question but when are stick fingers a sign of lung cancer? I read that it is when the fingertips get enlarged and the nails are extremely curved from front to back. This describes me too but I have no other obvious signs so I just want some reassurance more than anything. Thank you.
First, let me explain what “clubbing” a nail means.
Nail clubbing is a change in the appearance and structure of your fingernails or toenails that may be due to an underlying health condition. Nails can change over time, and this is an important characteristic to be aware of because nail clubbing, when it is mild, may be a normal change and, if it is always present, does not indicate an underlying disease.
As enlargement progresses, the fingertip may become enlarged, swollen, and spongy. These changes cause the natural depression where the finger meets the nail bed to gradually straighten, resulting in a noticeable convex depression and hyperextension at the distal joint of the finger. Inflammation in the fingertip may make it appear hot, swollen, and red.
A consistent clubbing is normal, but clubbing may suggest an underlying condition that falls into four areas: infection, inflammation, cancer, or vascular disease.
There are countless examples, but to name a few, club activities occur in the following situations:
- lung cancer
- Lung infections (abscess, empyema)
- Cystic fibrosis
- sarcoidosis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Asbestosis
- Ulcerative colitis
- Infective endocarditis
As for your specific question, you’ve pretty much answered it yourself: no other symptoms. Usually, lung disease has other symptoms that are severe enough to cause clubbing, and you may have some or all of the following symptoms:
- Dyspnea (wheezing/shortness of breath not due to exercise alone)
- Chronic cough
- Chest pain, especially when breathing in or out
- Excessive mucus production
- Vomiting blood
However, I would recommend showing your nails to your GP and discussing your anxiety, as a few simple tests can help ensure there is no underlying cause and that your psychiatric hazard is not at risk (a chest x-ray is a good start).
