“The A1C test measures your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months. The advantages of being diagnosed this way are that you don’t have to fast or drink anything.  Diabetes is diagnosed at an A1C of greater than or equal to 6.5%.  Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes” — blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.”

American Diabetes Association

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while, but they don’t have PTSD — with time and good self-care, they usually get better. But if the symptoms get worse or last for months or even years and interfere with your functioning, you may have PTSD.

Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reduce symptoms and improve function.

The Mayo clinic states you can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you go through, see or learn about an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation.

Doctors aren’t sure why some people get PTSD. As with most mental health problems, PTSD is probably caused by a complex mix of:

• Inherited mental health risks, such as an increased risk of anxiety and depression
• Life experiences, including the amount and severity of trauma you’ve gone through since early childhood
• Inherited aspects of your personality — often called your temperament
• The way your brain regulates the chemicals and hormones your body releases in response to stress.
• Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can occur after someone goes through, sees, or learns about a traumatic event like:
• • Combat exposure • Child sexual or physical abuse • Terrorist attack • Sexual/physical assault • Serious accident • Natural disaster, which can occur during areas of war or not.
• Most people have some stress-related reactions after a traumatic event. If your reactions don’t go away over time and they disrupt your life, you may have PTSD. During a traumatic event, you think that your life or others’ lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening around you. Most people have some stress-related reactions after a traumatic event; but, not everyone gets PTSD. If your reactions don’t go away over time and they disrupt your life, you may have PTSD.
• How intense the trauma was or how long it lasted
• If you were injured or lost someone important to you
• How close you were to the event
• How much help and support you got after the event PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not appear until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than four weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you might have PTSD.

1. Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms)
2. You may have bad memories or nightmares. You even may feel like you’re going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
3. Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
4. You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
5. Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
6. The way you think about yourself and others may change because of the trauma. You may feel fear, guilt, or shame. Or, you may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy. This is another way to avoid memories.
7. Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal) People with PTSD may also have other problems. These include:
8. What other problems do people with PTSD experience?
9. You may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. Or, you may have trouble concentrating or sleeping. This is known as hyperarousal.

• -Feelings of hopelessness, shame, or despair
• -Depression or anxiety
• -Drinking or drug problems
• -Physical symptoms or chronic pain
• -Employment problems
• -Relationship problems, including divorce.  For many Veterans, memories of their wartime experiences can still be upsetting long after they served in combat. If you are an older Veteran, you may have served many years ago, but your military experience can still affect your life today.
• COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PTSD: Anger and irritability, guilt, shame, or self-blame, substance abuse, feelings of mistrust and betrayal, depression and hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and feelings, feeling alienated and alone, & physical aches and pains. PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.
• Common symptom patterns:
• *Some Veterans begin to have PTSD symptoms soon after they return from war. These symptoms may last until older age. Other Veterans don’t have PTSD symptoms until later in life.                                                              
• *For some Veterans, PTSD symptoms can be high right after their war experience, go down over the years, and then worsen again later in life.]
• Many older Veterans have functioned well since their military experience. Then later in life, they begin to think more or become more emotional about their wartime experience. As you age, it is normal to look back over your life and try to make sense of your experiences. For Veterans this process can trigger Late-Onset Stress Symptomatology (LOSS). The symptoms of LOSS are similar to symptoms of PTSD. With LOSS, though, Veterans might have fewer symptoms, less severe symptoms, or begin having symptoms later in life.
• *The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the longest combat operations since Vietnam. Many stressors face these Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) troops. OEF/OIF service members are at risk for death or injury. They may see others hurt or killed. They may have to kill or wound others. They are on alert around the clock. These and other factors can increase their chances of having PTSD or other mental health problems.
• For many service members, being away from home for long periods of time can cause problems at home or work. These problems can add to the stress. This may be even more so for National Guard and Reserve troops who had not expected to be away for so long. Almost half of those who have served in the current wars have been Guard and Reservists. Another cause of stress in Iraq and Afghanistan is military sexual trauma (MST). This is sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurs in the military. It can happen to men and women. MST can occur during peacetime, training, or war.
• *MST-Military Sexual Trauma is the term used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to refer to experiences of sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that a Veteran experienced during his or her military service.
• In many cases, treatments for PTSD will also help these other problems, because they are often related. The coping skills you learn in treatment can work for PTSD and these related problems.

Hot weather has its hazards, from rip tides to shark scares to sunburn and close encounters with poisonous plants. Simply step outside on a hot summer evening and you’re bound to become instant mosquito bait.

There are less well-known summer health hazards you should keep in mind. Hazards that affect your body from within. Here are some summer health ailments that get worse as the temperatures rise.

1. Kidney Stones

Climate change is affecting not only our planet, it’s taking a toll on our health. Case in point: A University of Texas study has found that the incidence of kidney stones will increase in step with rising record temperatures. Researchers predict a huge increase in kidney stones by 2050. To help prevent kidney stones, which are made up of mineral and acid salts, the Mayo Clinic advises staying well-hydrated (which also will help protect you from heat stroke) when the weather’s sultry. It’s important to keep levels of protein, sugar and sodium (especially) in your diet low. Note that if you live in a warm part of the country or tend to sweat a lot, you may be at higher risk of kidney stones.

2. Migraine headaches

As the temperature rises, so does the risk of migraine for someone who’s prone to them. A study of more than 7,000 emergency room patients who came in for migraine symptoms during a seven-and-a-half-year period revealed that for every 9 degree F bump in temperature, migraine cases increased. To head off migraines in summer, the Cleveland Clinic advises staying hydrated (rely on water and other non-caffeinated beverages) with eating regular meals no matter how busy you are (your bike partner can wait) and steering clear of common migraine triggers if they affect you. Some you’re likely to encounter in summer are like hot dogs, pickles, beer and certain cheeses.

3. Rosacea

Sun exposure, elevated temperatures and wind — hallmarks of summer weather — can bring rosacea flare-ups. If you have rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness, bumps, eye irritation and thickening of skin around the face and other parts of the body, fend off flare-ups!

Tips from the National Rosacea Society:

• Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before heading out and reapply every couple of hours.
• If you can, stay out of the sun when it’s at its strongest (between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)Head outside early in the morning or late in the afternoon to stay cool and avoid the heat that may trigger a flare-up
• Add a wide-brimmed hat and a good pair of shades protect your face and eyes from UV rays.

4. Heart attack

Winter may be peak season for heart attacks, but summer heat also can take a toll on people with cardiovascular disease or who are at risk for it, according to the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN). That’s because high temperatures increase heart rate and lower blood pressure. Folks with weak hearts may not be able to pump enough blood to cool their bodies and can quickly become overheated. If you have heart problems, the AAHFN recommends you stay inside on blistering days, make sure you drink enough fluids (and back off of caffeine and alcohol) to keep you hydrated and have someone on speed dial who can get to you quickly if you need help.

5. Asthma

Summer whims can spell trouble for people with asthma. When air temperatures change suddenly — as when the thermometer plummets just before a thunderstorm — it can bring on asthma symptoms, according to the American Lung Association. Asthma sufferers also may have trouble breathing in outdoor air pollution as well as when ozone levels are high, which occurs more often in the summer. If you have asthma, your best protection is prevention: Keep a check on daily air quality and, if you live in a city, heed the smog warnings that often occur on steamy days. If the weather outside seems frightful, stay indoors as much as possible.

6.  Summer Ozone Dangers

As the weather heats up during the summer months, ground-level ozone pollution increases as pollutants react to heat and sunlight. So if going on vacation from non ozone levels to danger ozone areas be careful.  Ozone levels often increase with summer wildfires, further worsening the air quality and ozone-related breathing issues.  Areas consider high in danger ozone areas are Bishop, CA, Great Basin Air District, CA, Bishop Paiute Tribe, CA, Southern Ute Indian Reservation, CO, Tallahassee, FL

Exposure to ground-level ozone can exacerbate chronic respiratory symptoms, reduce lung capacity and be a trigger for asthma attacks. Other conditions affected by high ozone levels in the summertime include COPD, heart disease and diabetes.

7. Eczema Flare Ups

Yes those of us suffering from eczema understand very well that winter months can be the toughest time of year – dry air, cold temperature, low humidity making skin susceptible to eczema breakouts and flares.  Remember that also here’s a plenty of sunshine, high humidity and warm temperature. All weather conditions that is ideal for eczema. 

Hot weather makes everyone sweat more. Sweating is our natural defense mechanism to control the body’s temperature. Sweat consists of mostly water. As water evaporates from the skin surface, it provides a natural cooling sensation and also lowers the body temperature.  In addition to water, there are trace amounts of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, lactic acid, urea, copper, zinc, nickel, iron, chromium and lead in the sweat. Many of these chemicals, if presented at a high enough concentration, may be irritating to the skin.

Hot weather worsens the itch, blockage of sweat glands, and other bad summer exposures are chlorine it can wreak havoc on your skin and hair. For one thing, chlorinated water can definitely dry out your skin.  Also, to prevent skin cancer, premature aging, and sunburn, it is a good idea to use sunscreens.

Titan Medical (https://titanmedicalaesthetics.com/blog/how-summer-heat-affects-your-skin)

“A bioterrorist attack could be caused by virtually any pathogenic microorganism. The agents of greatest concern are anthrax (a bacterium) and smallpox (a virus).”

CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention

“A further 33 diseases have featured in the World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News since its inception in 1996. Of the “big eight”now, six are known zoonotic diseases (diseases from animals) – and the remaining two hepatitis C and Chikungunya are assumed to be so, although the animal reservoir remains undiscovered.”

U.S. News

“Every year, there are an estimated 20 MILLION new STD infections in the U.S.  There are steps you can take to prevent them!”

Columbia Presbyterian (wwwcolumbiadoctors.org)

“Myasthenia gravis (my-us-THEE-nee-uh GRAY-vis) is characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles under your voluntary control. Myasthenia gravis is caused by a breakdown in the normal communication between nerves and muscles.”

MAYO CLINIC

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, excluding skin cancer.  African-American men are at the greatest risk to develop prostate cancer. ”

John Hopkins Hospital