Sjogren’s syndrome, which involves an individual’s salivary and lacrimal (tear) glands. There are primary and secondary Sjogren’s syndrome. Primary Sjogren’s syndrome involves the salivary and tear glands. Secondary Sjogren’s syndrome is the primary Sjogren’s syndrome plus connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. [1] Primary Sjogren’s syndrome has been regarded…
In the April 15, 2011 issue of Internal Medicine News, an article, “Psoriasis Appears to Drive Up Cardiovascular Risks”, turns up in the front page. The report was based on a prospective cohort study on about 18,000 participants. In comparing with the participants without psoriasis, those with psoriasis had a 6% higher 10-year risk for…
Time indeed flies fast. It has never stopped for a moment, even a slightest fraction of a second. It always goes forward and does not come back for a rerun. Thus, a decision made at a flash of a moment may seem so spontaneous and trivial. However, the outcome of the decision may be far…
On May 31, 2011, the US Department of Agriculture unveiled a new label, “My Plate”, for its Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. The USDA, joined by the US Department of Health and Human Services, first announced the release of the report of the Dietary Guidelines on June 15, 2010 and invited public comments. [1] The…
Historically, alcohol or ethanol has been used since 10,000 years ago in China. Evidently, alcohol was produced through fermentation of rice, honey, and fruit. Because of its simple chemical structure, the body is readily to use alcohol for producing energy. Although alcohol is not a carbohydrate (author’s note: carbohydrate is a polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone.),…
In taking medical history, the physician is supposed to ask about his patient’s family history with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart diseases, and several others, because, certain diseases are likely found, both longitudinally and horizontally, in the members of a family more often than those in other families. In other words, these diseases may be genetic…
As in the etiological classification of diabetes mellitus, cited by the American Diabetes Association, insulin resistance is a patent sign of the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, insulin resistance is also blamed for metabolic syndrome, which includes a group of diseases with metabolic risk factors, namely, abdominal obesity; atherogenic dyslipidemia; hypertension; insulin…
Since the middle of 1990’s, diabetes mellitus has become a household disease because of its increasing prevalence globally, especially in those developed and developing countries. [1] In addition, diabetes mellitus continues to be a serious disease. Despite that the all-cause mortality among women and men with diabetes mellitus might have decreased over time, the mortality…
Despite that diabetes mellitus has been with us since more than two thousand years ago, [1] and is discussed in an enormous number of studies, its cause(s) remain uncertain. That is because studies have linked so many factors to the onset of diabetes mellitus, most of the studies have not directly proven these factors are…
Diabetes mellitus has been with us since more than two thousand years ago. The first Chinese Medical Book, Nei Jing, published during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), describes the disease as a syndrome with “shiao-ker “or “wasting and thirsty.” [1] Precisely, the patent symptoms of a diabetic are excessively wasting sugars into urine and…
Up to date, a majority of health professionals follows the “traditional medical concept” that dietary fat is responsible for overweight and obesity. Similarly, they are convinced that dietary cholesterol causes arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis or coronary artery disease. Excessive protein food is linked to kidney failure. For almost the last half of a century, they have…
