Nancy has struggled with two large ulcers on her feet. They make it hard for her to walk. They were so severe, she visited a wound care specialist for the last several months – to no avail. She dreads the idea of amputation, who wouldn’t? Diabetic ulcers are a horrible challenge for many folks who have them. The nerve damage reduces awareness of pressure, heat, or injury. Rubbing and pressure on the foot goes unnoticed and causes damage to the skin and subsequent ulceration.

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 Most people know that their heart is a muscle. But few people think about the muscular makeup of their lungs. Breathing air in and out takes constant muscle action. And the better you take care of these muscles, the stronger your lungs will be. Fortunately, there’s something very simple you can do every day to keep your lungs in tip-top shape – and it’s not just exercise.  Yes, exercising every day is great for your lungs. Just like any other muscle, stressing them a little will keep them strong.

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You eat a healthy diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables. In fact, you may eat a fantastic diet. And yet, you still feel tired, rundown, bloated, and even depressed. Last week, I showed you how inflammation can be at the root of your depression. But what if there’s something in your healthy diet that’s causing the problem? Believe it or not, it’s very possible eating all that fruit is causing your problem. I know, it sounds crazy. After all, fruit is good for you, right? Well, fruit is definitely good for most people. But it’s possible it may not be good for you.

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 When most people think about the causes of diabetes, they think about the food you eat and genetics. But now there’s evidence that you need to look at the chemicals in your cosmetics. Researchers recently discovered that phthalates may cause diabetes. You may have heard about phthalates before. The government banned some of them from children’s toys and some personal care products. However, many cosmetic companies, especially fragrance and nail polish companies, still use them in their products. Since your skin is like a sponge and absorbs just about anything you put on it, these products may give you diabetes.

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 I’ve never been a fan of antidepressants. To me, depression is like pain – it’s a symptom that something is wrong. While there are some cases of pain where treating the symptom is your best option, that’s rarely the case with depression. In almost every case of depression, it’s far better to treat the cause than the symptom. This is especially true if the treatment (antidepressants) causes severe side effects, such as increased suicidal tendencies. That’s reason enough to be against these drugs. But a new study suggests all those billions of antidepressants Americans take are treating the wrong problem.

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