The Over 50 Heart Fit Check-up.
January 18th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Just a short time ago, heart disease was this country`s biggest killer. Now, it shares the limelight with obesity. However, that changes very little, as obesity often lead to heart disease, which just makes the argument cyclical.
If you’ve lived life to the fullest – which sometimes or oftentimes means you’ve indulged in a lifestyle that’s not very heart friendly - it may be high time for you to take a long hard look at yourself, especially if you’re getting on in years. It may now be time to look at the South Beach Heart Program. Here are several strategies you can take a look at in order to have a healthier heart.
A Strategy of Prevention
Heart disease is preventable, so it is a good idea to make preventing it from happening to you a top priority. How do you do this? By avoiding activities that increase your risk of heart attack of course.
Quit Smoking – Tobacco smoke contains around 4,800 chemicals, most of which can damage your heart and blood vessels on their own. Imagine these chemicals working together, punishing your heart and your major arteries. Nicotine also makes your heart work harder by constricting blood vessels and increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. You have to compete smoking completely, because even light smkoers are at significant risk. Quit and you decrease your risk factor significantly.
Drink Moderately - Start cuttting down on the amount of alcholol. Overindulgence with alcohol leads to high blood pressure not to mention being dangerous to your liver. If you must, red wine is a much better choice as drinking it in moderation can help with blood flow. Of course, this need to be in moderate levels.
Eat a heart-healthy diet- The eat whatever you like diet you were on during your younger years probably didn’t do so much good for your heart but if you can start healthy eating now, it will still be beneficial for you. Try and eat a diet rich is fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid high fat dairy products and fatty meats.
You`ve got to get physical
Now that you’ve eliminated activities that are bad for your heart, it’s now time to engage inactivities that are good for it. To make is simple and direct you need to exercise regularly.
Regular exercise whether sports or working out in the gym or your own home helps prevent heart failure by increasing blood flow to your heart, strengthening it in the process. Exercise also lowers your bad cholesterol levels. As a side benefit, exercise will reduce mental stress - also a leading cause of heart disease.
Exercising is also key to maintaining a healthy weight. It is natural that as we age, our metabolism slows down that is why when we were young, we could seemingly eat as much as we want and yet stay fit. Being overweight adds to your heart disease risk factor. Strive to get your weight down to the right level proportionate to your height and age.
Make Check-ups Part of Your Senior Citizen Lifestyle
Another strategy that people ignore is making check-ups part of their lifestyle. Not paying attention to this, can be very detrimental to your health. Sometimes it is, but sometimes its not. Some seniors could look into optional medications. Without testing and checkups, chances are you might miss on a condition that will not readily present itself. Regular checkups will also let you know your actual cholesterol levels so you will know what type of foods to eat and what to avoid, and also what foods you can indulge on.
Following these strategies can help you live a longer, healthier life, but only if you do them all together, not just piecemeal. The sooner you start, the better off you will be.
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RELAXATION TECHNIQUES - REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE WITH 3 EFFECTIVE WAYS
January 18th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE EXPLAINED
High blood pressure will lead to many diseases, like diabetes and certain kidney diseases. A normal blood pressure will be reading 120/80, and the high blood pressure will have a reading as high as 140/90 or even higher… When arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body with a high pressure than normal, it is in a condition refer to “High blood pressure” or “Hypertension”. This should be taken seriously or it may lead to stroke and heart related diseases.
THE REASONS BEHIND
Some common reasons that lead to high blood pressure: stress, lack of regular exercise, unhealthy eating habits, family history, obesity and fatness. Regular and good exercise is the best way to prevent high blood pressure.
THE RISK AND SIGN
- Most of the signs of high blood pressure is unnoticeable, and in most cases they will be ignored and consider normal. Some more obvious condition like dizziness, blurred vision, shortness of breath and headache are symptoms of high blood pressure, and should be taken seriously. If you have the symptoms mention above, you might have anxiety and depression problems as well, see the list of symptoms for anxiety and panic attack
- Excessive intake of sodium, aging, certain kidney diseases, atherosclerosis, and diabetes may lead to high blood pressure. Try to avoid bad eating habits and relax the body and mind whenever possible.
- Pregnancy may also be a cause of high blood pressure.
- High BP can also give rise to severe complications like stroke and heart attack (because of weakened blood vessels, causing aneurysm). Hypertension may also lead to loss of vision and disturbed metabolic syndrome.
- The kidney will be damaged by the weakening blood vessels that cause high blood pressure.
SOME COMMON RELAXATION TECHNQIUES
Relaxation techniques are used by doctors and psychotherapists to reduce blood pressure, however, you can check yourself and prevent the blood pressure from rising using the same relaxation techniques. When you relax and focus on part of your body, calm your mind with relaxed muscles towards your whole body, your blood pressure will certainly goes down dramatically.
Some of the most commonly used relaxation techniques to reduce blood pressure:
- Music Therapy
- Proper exercise
- Yoga
- Relaxation Hypnosis
- Massage Acupuncture
- Meditation
Many relaxation techniques are very effective to reduce blood pressure, below are some of the less common relaxation techniques. What really important is the methods are to be practiced regularly without fail. Let’s look at some recent and upcoming methods.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Begin with your toes, make fist with the toes and tense for 5 seconds, then open and relax your toe muscles for 30 seconds, next, move your focus to the legs, asses, tummy, arms, neck, head. Repeat the process few times from toe to head and from head to toe until you feel all of the muscles in your body are relaxed. Remember to deep breathing during the exercise.
Visual Relaxation- This amazing relaxation technique to reduce blood pressure teaches you to visualize mental images of a peaceful and calm situation or place. Try to exercise as many of your senses as you can- sounds, sights, textures and smells. The best way to do this would be to sit at a quiet and calm place, wearing loose cotton clothing. You should be able to close your eyes and focus on the peaceful visions for optimum effect.
Autogenic Relax Technique. Autogenic relaxation is a way of combining yoga and meditation with progressive relaxation techniques. Practitioner will sit on a meditation posture and start to relax the body part by part from toe to head or head to toe. Before starting, the practitioner will imagine the relaxing and clam environment, using all sense to create a picture, smell, sound and any kind of relaxation elements. Next, the practitioner will use hypnotic self help wording, such as “feeling the arms relax and warm”, read it repeating in the mind and activate the sense and feelings of relax and warm to the arm. Do the same to each part of the body, and repeat them until you feel extreme relaxing.
SUMMARY
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the arteries. It can give rise to complications such as stroke and heart attack. Practicing relaxation techniques to reduce blood pressure help you to maintain mental, physical, and emotional health. If your blood pressure are cause by pressure and anxiety, feel free to visit our website: Complementary Natural Herbal Treatment for Anxiety and stress.
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Understanding the Causes of Hypertension
December 27th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common problem in the United States. While everyone will see their blood pressure raise on occasion, such as after strenuous activity or during a stressful event, a consistently higher than normal blood pressure reading can put a person at a much higher risk of other medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. Because hypertension has potentially dangerous ramifications, especially when it is left unchecked, it is important to know the causes of hypertension so that you can determine whether you are at risk for this problem.
Types of Hypertension and the Causes
To understand the causes of hypertension, you must first learn about the different types of this condition. Primary hypertension is the most common type of high blood pressure. In this case, the cause of hypertension is usually not identified, and the condition will gradually develop over a number of years. With primary hypertension, the best treatment is to address the high blood pressure itself with medication and lifestyle changes. The other type is known as secondary hypertension, and in this case, the cause of hypertension is often an underlying medical problem like congenital heart defects or kidney abnormalities. With secondary hypertension, the first line of treatment may be to treat the underlying condition.
Primary hypertension is the most common type by far, meaning that the causes of hypertension can rarely be identified. This is why it is important to also understand the risk factors of this condition, so that you will be better able to evaluate the likelihood that you will develop this medical problem. People are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension if they have a family history of the condition, if they are African American and if they are over the age of 65. However, just because you are a middle-aged white female with no family history, it doesn’t mean that you will never be diagnosed with hypertension. It is also important to head to your doctor for regular screenings to ensure that your blood pressure stays within a healthy range.
Hypertension is often called the silent killer, because causes of hypertension are rarely known and there are few symptoms that will show up when the condition is present. The best way to protect yourself from this potentially deadly condition is to have regular screenings at your doctor’s office or purchase a home blood pressure monitor that you can use yourself. While causes of hypertension may not be easily identified, you can do plenty to keep yourself safe from this serious medical condition.
Now as a final thought, remember that looking like Milos Sarcev or Carmen Garcia can only be accomplished if you have a Great Body
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Ways To Decrease High Blood Pressure
December 6th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
You’ve been to the doctor dozens of times and sat through the inflatable arm cuff test for high blood pressure. The nurse rattles off some numbers, but what do they mean? The magic “good news” number is 115/75, but not all of us are so blessed. As we age, our artery walls are bound to be a little narrower and the heart may have to work slightly harder. We work long hours, we get stressed out and we may not have enough time to eat properly or exercise as much. We may be drinkers and smokers, or we may have put on a few pounds over the years. Regardless of how our lifestyle has changed, we can always turn things around before it’s too late!
Over at the Harvard School of Medicine, researchers have developed a dietary program known as “DASH,” an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet includes: 8 grain servings, 5 vegetable servings, 2-3 low fat dairy servings, 1-2 servings of meat, poultry or fish and 5 servings per week of nuts, seeds or beans. Saturated fats and sugars should be limited and serving sizes generally run ½ cup cooked, 1 cup raw or 2 tbsp nuts and seeds. Exercise is crucial! Within just two weeks, the diet already began having an effect on Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s patients, with 70% returning to normal blood pressure levels. He says that increasing minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium had a strong impact, as did limiting fat and sodium. The diet triggers a diuretic effect, much like certain medications that work to “flush the system.”
If you have a particularly heavy strain on your system or suffer more severe metabolic failure, then your doctor may recommend medication to help jumpstart quick progress. “I have people who come to my clinic with a headache caused by high blood pressure. I give them the medicine to bring the blood pressure down and a prescription,” explains Dr. Brian F. Keaton, chairman of the board of directors at ACEP in Ohio. “Many of them don’t have the money to fill it. I have no place in the system to care for them until they end up back here with a stroke because they weren’t taking their medication.” Unfortunately, the current health care system is an obstacle for many hard working Americans, but paying a little for medication in the short term saves a lot of emergency medical bills in the long run.
Thirty minutes of moderate-intense exercise at least four days per week is the official 2003 American Heart Association standard for optimal heart health. For people who may not be able to meet strenuous standards, walking for three ten-minute intervals per day is recommended. Additionally, yoga is a good low-impact exercise that decreases stress and may also help reverse high blood pressure. Many Americans find that treadmills and bicycles are their best allies when it comes to an enjoyable workout they can stick to.
As we become older there are significant numbers that begin to weigh heavily upon us. We have to worry about our weight, levels of cholesterol, as well as our blood pressure. These are some of the things that most of us have ignored for the vast majority of our lives now all of a sudden have great importance. But these are some of the thing that should not have been neglected. A lifetime of misuse on the body returns merely unfavourable things when left unchecked.
Your cholesterol level is certainly pivotal if you wish to continue healthy and your body operating in good order. High levels has the ability to lead lead to heart attacks as well as stroke, both things you do not want to have to contend with. Being mindful in regards to your cholesterol level is not merely for the elderly. It is something both young as well as older people have to be concerned with as well as be cognisant of if they want to conduct a healthy life. In this article we will go over the basics of cholesterol and hopefully you will understand just how key a healthy level is to your body and peace of mind.
What is good cholesterol?
Good cholesterol is called HDL which is high-density lipoproteins. Doctor’s believe that the high levels of HDL can actually protect your heart whereas low levels of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. It is thought that HDL can carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.
What types of medicines are given for high cholesterol?
Obviously the first choice of physicians is exercise and a healthy diet low in trans fats. But when that does not work or there is a high level of LDL present then medications must be brought in to help. There are many different types of medicines currently being used to treat high cholesterol. The goal of each type of medicine is to lower the amount of LDL present in the blood stream and to help remove blockage and build up that has occurred. Some of these medicines are statins, bile acid resins, and nicotinic acid and fibric acid derivatives.
In what way is the obstruction from the arteries removed?
The initial stage is through medicines however if there is a serious narrowing or blockage in the artery or blood vessel then a somewhat more intrusive operation is needed. The actual processes may vary however one popular method is through a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is introduced into the artery and navigated to the occlusion where the build up of plaque has taken place. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the procedure is minimally intrusive and the majority of patients are capable of going home that day.
What is the normal range for a healthy cholesterol level?
The American Heart Association has guidelines established for what is considered a healthy range of cholesterol levels. A total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL is considered to be a desirable level since it puts you at a lower risk of having heart disease. Here is the trick though. It is not just about total cholesterol. Your HDL levels should be over 60 mg/dL and your LDL should be lower than 100 mg/dL. Mg/dL means it is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood.
To learn more educational content click here: Foods Low In Cholesterol similarly Basics Of Cholesterol and Normal Levels Of Cholesterol
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Coronary Heart Disease - Managing a Challenging Health Condition
December 6th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Coronary heart disease is characterized by atherosclerosis, which is the clogging and narrowing of the arteries. The heart is then deprived of oxygen, has trouble pumping blood and may mutate. Think of it like what an exertion injury can do to other muscles in your body; causing hardening and scar tissue over time. If your doctor tells you that you have high cholesterol levels or elevated triglycerides, then these are your first clues of metabolic failure. At this point, you will still have a chance of turning your life around before it’s too late!
Most people with coronary heart disease don’t realize they have it until it’s too late, even though basic medical tests can reveal telltale signs like elevated triglycerides and high cholesterol levels. Some people may experience “angina pectoris,” which is the medical term for discomfort, heaviness, aching, burning, numbness or pain in the chest, left shoulder, arms, back or jaw. Often this pain will feel similar to indigestion but won’t occur around meal times. Depending on what kind of angina you’re suffering from, the pain may come after exertion (stable angina), when sleeping and while out in the cold (prinzmetal’s angina) or sometimes even just suddenly while resting (unstable angina). Shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea and sweating often accompany the angina symptoms.
No matter what level of coronary heart disease you’re suffering from, lifestyle and diet changes are essential. All other treatments are merely complementary. In some cases, you may be prescribed medications to lower high blood pressure, oxygenate blood, slow the heartbeat down and open up restrictive blood vessels. In severe cases, balloon angioplasty surgery, stent placement or coronary bypass are needed. Health experts are looking into new treatments like transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR), which utilizes laser beams to blast through the channels in your heart muscle, freeing up blood flow. Angiogenesis provides substances through the vein or directly into the heart, where the transporters have failed. Enhanced external counterpulsation can stimulate the opening of blood vessels in a very non-invasive way.
Of all the risk factors for coronary heart disease, perhaps the least talked-about is stress. Your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is significantly increased by exposure to anger and frustration that causes your heart to beat faster and adds unnecessary strain to your system. If there are certain stress factors in your life, be it a person or a job, then say goodbye. Ask yourself, “Is this really worth 10 years off my life?” Set aside “me time” for the spa to get a massage, a facial or some other soothing service. Yoga classes and meditation have proven to be powerful stress relievers. Weekly trips to church can help put your life into perspective and offer some quiet reflection time. You may have also heard about essential oils, feng shui and soothing music that are designed to heal the stressed-out heart. By slowing down and incorporating more relaxation into your life, your heart health will improve tenfold.
As we get older there are significant numbers that begin to weigh heavily upon us. We have to worry about our blood pressure, weight and our cholesterol level. Things we may have ignored our entire lives now suddenly they have significant importance. But these are things that should never have been disregarded. A lifetime of misuse on the body yields only unfavourable things when left unrestrained.
Your cholesterol level is absolutely essential if you want to stay in good health and your body working in good order. High levels can lead to heart attacks and stroke, both things you do not want to have to contend with. Being mindful in regards to your cholesterol level is not merely for the elderly. It is something both young and older people must be concerned with and be conscious of if they hope to to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In this article we will cover the basic principles of cholesterol and hopefully you will understand how significant a healthy level is to your body as well as peace of mind.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a lipid that is found in the bloodstream of humans and all animals. It can be there from two different sources. The first source is your body itself. The body naturally produces cholesterol. The second source of cholesterol is the food that we eat. It may surprise you to know that not all cholesterol is bad for you. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. But you have to know the difference if you want to protect your health and your heart.
What happens when cholesterol gets too high?
Well when LDL gets too high then the cholesterol begins to accumulate on the artery walls and then hardens into plaque. The build up continues until the entire artery is blocked off. This added blockage makes it hard for blood to get to the heart where it can be pumped to the rest of the body. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
When HDL levels are high this is a good thing because researchers believe that HDL helps rid the body of cholesterol build-up. That is why a diet rich in foods that promote HDL is always heavily recommended.
How is the blockage from the arteries withdrawn?
The first stage is through medicines but if there is a acute constricting or obstruction in the artery or blood vessel then a somewhat more intrusive procedure is needed. The actual processes may vary however one common method is done through the use of a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is inserted into the artery and then naviagted to the occlusion where the plaque build up has occurred. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the routine is minimally intrusive and the majority of patients are capable of going home that day.
What is the normal range for a healthy cholesterol level?
The American Heart Association has guidelines established for what is considered a healthy range of cholesterol levels. A total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL is considered to be a desirable level since it puts you at a lower risk of having heart disease. Here is the trick though. It is not just about total cholesterol. Your HDL levels should be over 60 mg/dL and your LDL should be lower than 100 mg/dL. Mg/dL means it is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood.
For additional helpful knowledge click here high cholesterol also Atkins Diet And cholesterol levels and at Lower cholesterol levels
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Heart Failure - Dealing With the Difficulities Of Heart Failure
December 6th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
According to the American Medical Association journals, heart failure affects nearly 5 million Americans each year, with more than 300,000 people dying of this fatal disease. While the statistics may sound grim, there are many ways to educate yourself and simple lifestyle modifications can be made that will prevent you from becoming one of them.
Many people aren’t aware that they have a chronic heart health problem until it’s too late. Heart failure, in the form of a heart attack, sends surprised patients to the emergency room because they were not keeping up with routine checkups. Just as you take your car in for an oil change every 3,000 miles, so should you visit your doctor every year to test for abnormalities and treat entirely preventable diseases. While there may not be a 100% guarantee that you can avoid normal degeneration of the body, there are many things that you can do to add ten to twenty years onto your life and remain healthy and happy for the vast majority of your days.
To check if you may have heart health problems, your general practitioner can run several tests to be sure. Many people avoid getting tested in advance because they fear invasive pokes and prods, but most of these screening tests are very non-invasive. For instance, one test, which is a “stress test,” has you walking on a treadmill for a specific interval of time through several intensity levels, while an IV-injected tracer moves through the blood, indicating possible obstructions or strain. Another test, the EKG, simply monitors your heart rhythms through electrical wires with adhesive ends stuck to your chest, arms and legs. An “Echocardiogram” is simply an ultrasound image taken of your chest, which is as painless as a photograph. Most people are familiar with the usual hypertension/blood pressure test done with a cuff around your bicep. The most invasive test, which is recommended for people with a genetic predisposition, is the “Catheriterization,” which is a small tube inserted into the artery, which may open an obstruction or insert dye to see where the problem spots are.
If you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, then you’ll need to adjust your diet considerably. An overwhelming amount of evidence suggests the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil supplements. Dr. James O’Keefe of the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas recommends at least 1 gram of fish oil per day and as much as 4 grams for people with high triglyceride levels. “Research shows that this dosage lowers triglyceride levels by 20 to 50 percent,” he explains. In addition, you’ll be trading in eggs for oatmeal, red meat for fish and hummus instead of chip dip.
As we get older there are all-important numbers that start to weigh heavily upon us. We have to concern ourselves about our blood pressure, weight and our cholesterol level. These are some of the things that most of us have ignored for the vast majority of our lives now all of a sudden they have significant importance. But these are things that should never have been forgotten. A lifetime of abuse on the body establishes just unfavourable things when left unrestrained.
Your cholesterol level is certainly all-important if you wish to remain healthy and your body operating in good order. High levels can lead to heart attacks and stroke, both things you do not want to have to contend with. Being mindful when it comes to your cholesterol level is not simply for the elderly. It is something both young as well as older people need to worry as well as be aware of if they want to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In this article we will go over the fundamental principles of cholesterol and hopefully you will understand how all-important a healthy level is to your body and peace of mind.
What is good cholesterol?
Good cholesterol is called HDL which is high-density lipoproteins. Doctor’s believe that the high levels of HDL can actually protect your heart whereas low levels of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. It is thought that HDL can carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.
How can you keep from getting high cholesterol?
You can help take steps against having too much LDL cholesterol in your body by exercising, not smoking and eating right. These three things are the primary reasons why people have excessive LDL. Yes, some of your cholesterol levels have to do with family history but doctors have proven time and time again that a diet rich in fish and Omega-3 along with a healthy weight will reduce the overall LDL numbers. The body needs to have plenty of exercise as well.
How is the blockage from the arteries removed?
The first stage is through medicines but if there is a acute contracting or occlusion in the artery or blood vessel then a slightly more aggressive operation is essential. The actual procedures might vary but one frequent method is through a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is inserted into the artery and navigated to the where the blockage is located where the build up of plaque has occurred. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the routine is minimally intrusive and most patients are able to going home on that very day.
What is the normal range for a healthy cholesterol level?
The American Heart Association has guidelines established for what is considered a healthy range of cholesterol levels. A total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL is considered to be a desirable level since it puts you at a lower risk of having heart disease. Here is the trick though. It is not just about total cholesterol. Your HDL levels should be over 60 mg/dL and your LDL should be lower than 100 mg/dL. Mg/dL means it is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood.
For a great deal more informational value go here: high cholesterol Diet with more helpful material at Healthy cholesterol levels in addition to high cholesterol Zocor
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