Hair Loss and Heart Attacks

Hair loss can be a sign of a future heart attack. Hair loss affects 50 million men and women in the U.S. The most common pattern is Androgenic Alopecia (AGA). For this article, androgenic alopecia will be referred to as hair loss. Patterns of hair loss differ between men and women. In Male Pattern Hair…

Skin Signs of Insulin Resistance

The underlying problem in Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is not routinely tested but can manifest in the skin. Read on to see if someone you know may be at risk for diabetes. Many are unaware that they have the beginnings of  Type 2 diabetes. Years before a person is…

Adult Acne as a Sign of Early Diabetes

This article is to raise awareness about why acne may be a sign of early diabetes. The Teenage Years During the teenage years, the body needs to produce more cells to grow fast. Insulin is necessary to help build-up the body.  Insulin stores and uses the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to make more cells. Insulin…

Periodontal Disease and Metabolic Syndrome

  Loose teeth may be periodontitis, and they may have Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Conversely, if someone has poorly controlled diabetes, they may have periodontitis. Periodontal disease is a disease of the mouth caused by germs that weakens the attachment of the tooth to the gums that ultimately leads to loss of teeth. Signs and symptoms…

How Does Exercise Prolong Life?

  There is a dose-response relationship between physical activity and length of life. The more and vigorous the movement, the longer the life. That was the topic of Physical Activity Correlates with Life Span. The more powerful the movement, the longer the life. So how does the body do that? How can movement and exercise make…

What is the Goal of Diabetes Treatment?

Is it to lower blood sugar?  It is just plain “common sense,”  right? The pervading logic of Type 2 diabetes treatment is that since it is an issue of high blood sugar, then the lower the blood sugar, the better is the patient. But is that all? Is there a higher purpose as to why…

How Will You Know if You are Thin on the Outside and Fat on the Inside?

This post is a continuation of the article, Can You be Skinny and Obese, wherein we talked about the Metabolically Obese Normal Weight (MONW) individual at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes heart problems. These individuals are Thin-Outside-Fat-Inside hence TOFI. An individual who has a sedentary lifestyle and has a liking for sweets, carbohydrates, and…

Lung Diseases Associated with Metabolic Syndrome

This article is a segment of the series about the diseases associated with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Part 1 describes the top ten causes of deaths that are related to MetS. Shortness of Breath Metabolic Syndrome is associated with reduced lung function and higher chances of deaths from cardiovascular and all other causes. Difficulty breathing at rest and…

Health Benefits of Weight Training

What Is Resistance Training? Resistance training is muscle contraction against an external force. Weight training using barbells, weight machines, and bodyweight exercises are all resistance exercises. For this article, we will focus on barbell training and the effect on the different organ systems.  Central Nervous System – The Brain Improves cognition and strength.  High‐intensity progressive…

Inflammation: Dolor, Tumor, Rubor, and Calor

Dolor, rubor, tumor, and calor are Latin names for pain, redness, swelling, and warmth respectively. All of them are found in inflammation on the body surface. External Inflammation If a hot liquid spills on your skin.  Inflammation follows with some four-letter expletives. A first-degree burn is when the skin surface gets red. A second-degree burn is…

I’m Only Pre-Diabetic, So I’m Still OK, Right?

Not really. Pre-diabetes occurs when the fasting blood sugar (FBS) is 100 – 125 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dl). FBS is a blood test done after at least eight hours without food. A FBS of ≥ 126 mg/dl diagnoses diabetes. Less than 100 mg/dl is considered normal. In 2015, 84.1 million, or 33.9% of the U.S. population, had pre-diabetes….

Fasting: Preparing The Mind.

Start with Why? Why are you fasting? You have to know the answer. You have to write it down. Is it to make your abdomen smaller? Is it to get rid of all those bad stuff inside you making you insulin resistant? Is it to control your blood sugar and take fewer medications? Is it…

How to do Intermittent Fasting

This piece was rewritten for easier reading and originally posted on December 9, 2018. Fasting has been around for centuries and is practiced by the most significant religions. Intermittent fasting (IF) has seen a resurgence in the past years, and many people, including me, have achieved considerable health improvements. There is a solution that is…

No Time to Exercise? Let’s Fix That.

How can 4 minutes of exercise beat 1 hour of jogging? “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.” The Science In the 1991  study of Izumi Tabata. Doing High-Intensity Interval Training in as short as 4 minutes can give you the same benefits as running for an hour. The study improved the anaerobic…

The Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a group of conditions that include high blood pressure, obesity, high blood sugar, and low HDL and high triglycerides.  The combination of the separate components of MetS has been associated with strokes, heart attacks, gout, fatty liver, and Type 2 Diabetes. Having One Component of Metabolic Syndrome Makes it Likely That…

Do You Have Ten Refrigerators?

Imagine someone going to the grocery several times a day and stuffs the perishables in the refrigerator. As the fridge gets full, his solution is to buy more refrigerators so he can keep on buying more groceries. Eventually, his house has several refrigerators and gets crowded. His electric bills are through the roof.   Does…

What is This Website All About?

The purpose of DrJesseSantano.com is to provide health information. Understanding why diseases occur is critical to avoid common and deadly diseases. At present, there is a worldwide epidemic of obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes. Heart disease, stroke, and cancer are among the top causes of death. All of them are potentially preventable…