Mothers feed their children not only for them to live and grow but also as a sign of love. Sometimes they overfeed a child to satisfy some neurotic need of their own, and this may lead the person later on to seek satisfaction in eating for other needs besides hunger.

Being overweight is unhealthy at any age. Obesity can lead to an early death. Coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallstones and osteoarthritis are all associated with being overweight. How does one go about losing weight? What I said at the beginning is true. Eat and drink less.

Crash diets are of little use. Many people do lose weight at the start, but within weeks or months are right back where they started.

A good reducing diet should contain around 3200 kj to 5000 kj a day. The diet should be balanced and have an adequate intake of vitamins and the essential food factors. It should be low in carbohydrate, high in bulk and moderate in fat and protein.

Carbohydrate is easily converted to fat in the body. Fat on the other hand, while it is high in kilojoules, is more slowly absorbed and cleared from the blood. It is therefore more satisfying than carbohydrate and you may not feel hungry for hours after a high fat meal. Protein is difficult for the body to convert to fat and burns up energy in doing so.

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If the narrowing occurs slowly, it may stimulate the smaller and little-used blood vessels to dilate and carry a larger supply of blood than the narrowed main channel. These are known as collateral blood vessels.

Impairment of blood supply is known as ischaemia. The ischaemic lower limb may develop coldness, numbness or pins and needles. Intermittent claudication is the major sign.

When the affected leg is raised, it becomes paler as the blood drains out of it, yet, when hung down, it flushes with blood, looks red and may feel temporarily hot.

If the circulation to the skin is affected, it is more serious and may show itself with ulcers on the feet and legs or with rest pain that typically, comes on in bed when the legs are warm. It is a severe, burning type and may be relieved by hanging the foot down out of the side of the bed.

Total blockage of the blood supply to the leg or a portion of it may result in gangrene where there is death of tissue.

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