Metformin(Diabetic Drug) What Do You Know?

What is metformin?

The most common medication worldwide for treating diabetes is metformin (Glumetza, Riomet, Glucophage, Fortamet). It can help control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. It’s available in tablet form or a clear liquid you take by mouth with meals.

If you’re taking metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it may be possible to stop. You may be able to manage your condition by making certain lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight and getting more exercise.

Read on to learn more about metformin and whether it’s possible to stop taking it.

Before you stop taking metformin, talk to your doctor to see if this is the right step to take in managing your diabetes.

How does metformin work?

Metformin doesn’t treat the underlying cause of diabetes. It treats the symptoms of diabetes by lowering blood sugar, or glucose, by:

  • decreasing liver production of glucose
  • decreasing absorption of glucose from the gut
  • improving insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues, increasing tissue uptake and use of glucose

Metformin helps with other things in addition to improving blood sugar.

These include:

  • lowering lipids, resulting in a decrease in blood triglyceride levels
  • decreasing “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
  • increasing “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
  • possibly reducing your appetite, which may result in modest weight loss

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Side effects and risks of metformin

Because of its possible risks and side effects, metformin isn’t safe for everyone. It’s not recommended if you have a history of:

  • substance use disorder
  • liver disease
  • severe kidney issues
  • certain heart problems

If you’re currently taking metformin and have had some unpleasant side effects, you might be looking for alternative treatment options.

Most common side effects

The most common side effects are headaches and digestive issues that may include:

  • diarrhea
  • vomiting
  • nausea
  • heartburn
  • abdominal cramps
  • gas
  • a metallic taste
  • loss of appetite

Other side effects

In some cases, metformin leads to poor absorption of vitamin B-12. That can lead to a vitamin B-12 deficiency, though this only occurs after long-term use of the medication.

As a precaution, your doctor will check your B-12 levels every one to two years while you’re taking metformin.

Taking metformin might also lead to loss of appetite, which could cause a small amount of weight loss. But taking this medication won’t lead to weight gain.

There are also a few other side effects you may encounter, including hypoglycemia and lactic acidosis.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, might occur since metformin lowers blood sugar. It’s important to monitor your blood sugar regularly so your doctor can adjust your dosage based on your levels.

Hypoglycemia due to metformin is a rare side effect.

Low blood sugar is more likely to occur if you take metformin with other diabetes drugs or insulin.

Lactic acidosis

Metformin can cause a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. People who have lactic acidosis have a buildup of a substance called lactic acid in their blood and shouldn’t take metformin.

This condition is very dangerous and often fatal. But this is a rare side effect and affects less than 1 in 100,000 people taking metformin.

Lactic acidosis is more likely to occur in people with kidney disease. Tell your doctor if you’ve ever had kidney problems.

When is it OK to stop taking metformin?

Metformin can be an important part of an effective diabetes treatment plan. But reducing the dosage of metformin or stopping it altogether is safe in some cases if your diabetes is under control.

If you want to stop taking diabetes medications, talk with your doctor or healthcare provider about what steps you need to take to do so.

Everyone who has diabetes can benefit from changing certain lifestyle habits, even those taking medications.

Losing weight, eating better, and exercising are the best ways to help reduce blood glucose and A1C. If you can manage these through such lifestyle changes, you may be able to stop taking metformin or other diabetes drugs.

According to experts from the American Diabetes Association, you usually need to meet the following criteria before you can stop taking diabetes medications:

  • Your A1C is less than 7 percent.
  • Your fasting morning blood glucose under 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
  • Your blood glucose level at random or after a meal is below 180 mg/dL.

It’s risky to stop taking metformin if you don’t meet these criteria. And keep in mind that these criteria can change based on your age, overall health, and other factors. So, it’s important to talk with your doctor before changing your metformin plan.

What you can do

Metformin may help prevent long-term health complications from type 2 diabetes. But you may be able to stop taking it if your doctor thinks you can maintain your blood sugar without it.

You may be able to successfully lower and manage your blood sugar without medication by making lifestyle changes such as the following:

  • maintaining a healthy weight
  • getting more exercise
  • reducing your intake of carbohydrates
  • modifying your diet to include low-glycemic carbohydrates
  • stopping smoking tobacco in any form
  • drinking less or no alcohol

It’s also important to get support. A registered dietitian, personal trainer, or peer group can improve your chances of sticking with these healthy habits.

Continue reading Metformin(Diabetic Drug) What Do You Know?

Poem

Hearts by MwsR

Hearts are funny
Special and blind
They take you for a turn on an endless ride.
Hearts can feel the deepest emotions
Surrounded by a lot of love commotion.
They can be strong
Enough to bend
When life takes you to where you need to mend.
Hearts are ferocious
Simple yet complicated
They can leave you complicated
The sensitive side to hearts
Can empower you or make you weak
Just like a game participant you can have a winning streak.
Without our hearts we’d seize to exist
There would be nothing to ourselves to give
That would not be how I would want to live.
💚💚💚💚💚💚

MwsRWritings

THIS MORNING by MwsR

This morning went all wrong…
It was a stressful, neurotic one.
But she held herself together because she knew it wasn’t right to run.
Her efforts will pay off in the end.
They always do.

Skin Tightening- DIY

Skin Tightening Homemade Wrinkle Cream Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Tsp of Coconut Oil
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1/2 Tsp of Lemon Juice

Preparation & Application:

First, you will need to separate the egg whites from the yolk in a clean dry bowl and get rid of the yolk. Next, mix in the rest of your ingredients and begin to stir consistently until you have a smooth even mixture.

Wash your face clean of makeup, dirt, and toxins and using your fingertips, begin to apply the mixture. Use your fingertips to massage your face in a circular motion for 5 minutes. Leave the mask on for up to 30 minutes before washing it off with warm water.

Repeat this remedy as often as possible or at least 4 times per week to start getting results very fast. This mask is also very effective in treating skin conditions such as blemishes, pimples, and wrinkles.

Note: As much as is recommend, the home remedies for your skin, health, and hair, home remedies can sometimes be harmful to certain types of skin, therefore, we recommend you stay on the safe side by getting tested for skin allergies before using home remedies on your skin.

Found on Pinterest

Flour Power

1) Coconut Flour

This popular gluten-free flour alternative has people going coco-nuts! It’s high in fiber, low in carbs and chock-full of protein. Among it’s many health benefits, coconut flour is actually great for digestion. 

But before you start baking with coconut flour, there are a few things you need to know:

  • You cannot substitute coconut flour with wheat or white flours at a 1:1 ratio. They are not equivalent. Rather, in baked goods, you typically want to use 1/4 cup coconut flour for every 1 full cup grain flour.
  • Since coconut flour tends to be dense and dry, you will need to use more eggs with coconut flour than you would with grain-based flours. According to Nourished Kitchen, “In general for every one cup of coconut flour you use, you will need to use six beaten eggs in your recipe in addition to approximately one cup liquid such as coconut milk.”
  • Since coconut flour is clumpy, it must be thoroughly beaten.
  • Coconut flour has an irresistible sweetness to it, so you may want to cut back on your sweeteners.

2) Almond Four

Almond flour has all the same health benefits as a handful of almonds! It’s great for making baked goods such as cookies, cakes and pastries. It’s also good for coating foods like chicken tenders.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Almond flour absorbs liquid differently than most other flours and you’ll likely get a soggy baked good if you do a straight substitution. The ratio really depends on the recipe. (Your best bet is to find a recipe that already calls for almond flour.)
  • Depending on the brand, you can get “fine ground” or a more “coarse ground”. Using a coarser ground almond flour could make your baked goods overly grainy.
  • Once opened, store almond flour in the refrigerator or freezer. This will prevent spoilage. 

3) Hazelnut Flour

When baking pastries, cakes, cookies, pancakes or breads, you can replace a portion of your flour with hazelnut flour. This will add key vitamins and nutrients to your pastries, along with reducing the carbs!

Try replacing 30% of your flour with hazelnut flour. 

4) Chia Seed Meal

Chia seeds may be small, but they pack a powerful nutritional punch. They’re rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. They also contain numerous vitamins and minerals important for your overall health. Chia seeds are known to boost energy, fight inflammation, support heart health and lower blood pressure (just to name a few benefits). 

Chia seed flour feeds the body those same benefits, since it’s simply made of ground chia seeds. You can make your own chia seed flour by putting seeds into a coffee grinder or blender and pulsing until they’re finely ground. Be sure to store your chia seed flour in an airtight container.

Here are some things you need to know about baking with chia seed flour:

  • You can use chia seed flour in a wide variety of gluten-free recipes as a 1:1 replacement for wheat flours. 
  • Increase baking time by about 5%
  • Liquid levels may need to be increased (depending on the recipe)

5) Quinoa Flour

This is one of the most nutritious flours out there! You can use quinoa to boost the protein value of your baked goods since it’s a wonderful source of complete protein, providing all of the essential amino acids.

According to manufacturer, Bob’s Red Mill, “You can substitute this [quinoa] flour for half of the all-purpose flour in many recipes, or completely replace wheat flour in cakes and cookie recipes.”

As far as flavor, quinoa flour will add a light, nutty flavor to your baked goods. 

6) Brown Rice Flour

Rice flour will give your baked goods a richer, nuttier flavor than wheat flour. Here are a few things you need to know:

  • You can replace up to 1/4 of wheat flour with brown rice flour. 
  • Since rice flour absorbs more liquid than wheat flours, you may need to add more eggs and/or liquids. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

When switching from traditional all-purpose flour to any of these gluten-free flour alternatives, expect to go through a trial and error period! Remember, these flours act very differently than traditional all-purpose flour. For this reason, we recommend looking for gluten-free recipes that already call for these flours to make things easier on yourself.

https://www.guthealthproject.com/author/melissa/

Poem

If They Knew, by MwsR

If people could feel what it is that makes a person’s heart want to Crawl outside their body, then they would know.

When the hurt is so bad, you feel your heart start to slow.

Love can do that for many reasons.

It does not differentiate between “human” seasons.

It doesn’t start or end there,

It will creep out from behind and sense where you are, anywhere.

It is hard to let others know what you feel when there are no words

No reason or rhyme, when you feel absurd.

It is an inner thing,

When in the balance of life or the death thing.

If people only knew what I would do for one last conversation with you,

For one more hello or goodbye, one more word or two.

It’s easy to be distracted, not taking into account those you’ve impacted.

For if you knew you could make changes that need to be made

Go outside and sing in the rain,

Walk with your loved one hand in hand,

Not let anything remove you from where you stand.

It is easy to pass condemnation,

That is what is wrong today with our whole nation.

One cannot know all there is to know,

Just by living, without anything to show.

I have had chances, maybe blew a couple or a few,

But there is one thing that would have made a difference,

Usually, it is, “If they only knew…”

These Will Help You Fight Cancer

We all know cancer’s worst enemy is fresh food. The epidemic of the modern era is often blamed largely on processed foods, and most cancer experts agree the easiest way to reduce your risk of cancer is with a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can’t get much fresher than what you grow in your backyard, so here are six great crops to try growing for yourself. All six are believed to be great additions to any cancer-conscious diet.

1. Garlic

Garlic isn’t just good for keeping vampires away: it might also be able to ward off cancer. Lab tests have found some evidence to suggest chemicals in garlic may slow or even inhibit the growth of some cancers, most notably gastric cancer. The evidence is far from conclusive, though so far the signs are positive.

Garlic can be grown from either cloves or seeds, and love cold weather. You’ll need well-drained, loose soil, along with somewhere to hang harvested garlic for drying.

2. Collard greens

The American Institute for Cancer Research strongly recommends regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly any that are high in nutrients and antioxidants. Leafy greens fit the bill perfectly: they’re high in vitamins and minerals, and low in fats, sodium and calories. Collard greens, therefore, make for an excellent choice for anyone looking for something that’s easy to grow and healthy.

Collard greens are best planted anytime from late summer to early autumn, depending on the local climate. They like cool temperatures, and frost can even improve the flavor. They’re pretty hardy, too. As long as you have moist soil, your collard greens should flourish, though pests like aphids can be a problem.

3. Spinach

Collard greens are great, but if you’re looking for antioxidants then you can’t pass up spinach. Spinach is one of the richest known sources of antioxidants. Laboratory tests on rodents have found regular consumption of spinach can effectively reduce the negative health impacts of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. Even better, spinach is very easy to grow.

It’s extremely hardy in cold climates and can tolerate pretty much whatever nature throws at it. It’s best planted in autumn or winter but can also sneak in during the early days of spring. If you’d rather try summer, you can use New Zealand or Malabar spinach, both of which thrive in warmer weather. Once harvested, spinach can be eaten raw or cooked.

4. Broccoli

The National Cancer Institute advises anyone concerned about cancer to eat cruciferous vegetables. This is a group of veg in the Brassica genus that is high in nutrients like carotenoids, along with vitamins C, E and K. Collard greens are cruciferous, though perhaps the most famous member of this group of vegetables is broccoli.

Broccoli isn’t too difficult to grow, so long as you have cool temperatures and well-drained soil. Broccoli likes a lot of sun, but can usually still survive in moderate shade. You’ll also want to regularly, lightly water the crop with a gentle sprinkle, as this keeps the roots shallow. When it comes to broccoli, shallow roots make for a more nutrient-rich harvest.

5. Cauliflower

We can’t mention broccoli without a nod to cauliflower. Cauliflower might look a lot like broccoli, but they’re noticeably harder to grow. For one, cauliflowers are fairly picky about temperature and soil. In particular, they need super fertile soil to really flourish, and you’ll probably need to resort to a fertilizer like Growmore to really get the most out of your cauliflower crop.

However, if you can get past the steep learning curve, you’ll find cauliflower a delight to play around with. Most people have only ever seen white cauliflower, though in reality they come in a variety of colors.

6. Strawberries

Along with cruciferous vegetables, the World Cancer Research Fund also advises people concerned about cancer to eat plenty of fresh fruit. The world of fruit is a wide one indeed, with many fruits being quite challenging to maintain. Strawberries, on the other hand, are a fantastic entry-level option. Along with being delicious, they’re also healthy and flexible.

They can be grown on windowsills, in flower pouches, pots, small plots to sprawling fields — wherever you want, really. All they need is slightly acidic soil, plenty of water and a solid eight hours of sunlight a day. They have a somewhat low yield, but are likewise low maintenance. Plus, home-grown strawberries are so much better than anything you’ll buy at the store.

— Ryan Mallett-Outtrim