Monthly Archives: May 2009

Eating Your Way To Lower Blood Pressure

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High blood pressure has reached epidemic proportions in the United States today with more than 65 million people having high blood pressure and another 45 million suffering from a condition known as pre-hypertension. High blood pressure is a symptomless disease which heightens your risk of stroke and heart attack and you could very easily be suffering from it without any knowledge of it until it is too late.

There are of course medicines on the market that can help to lower blood pressure, but many of these have accompanying side effects and, despite the fact that some people may have to take medicine in the short term to control high blood pressure, a far better solution is to seek out some natural remedies for high blood pressure if you are able to.

For most of us high blood pressure is linked to weight and diet and this is a major problem today when nearly seventy percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Furthermore, the majority of Americans get way too much salt in their diet and not enough of the large number of other beneficial vitamins and minerals which can actually lower blood pressure. In a nutshell, it is possible to eat your way to a lower blood pressure, as long as you know what to do.

If truth be told, it is sometimes possible to lower your blood pressure fairly fast if you alter your diet and begin taking exercise. That said, if you’ve not been exercising for a long time you shouldn’t suddenly begin exercising vigorously and it’s always wise to talk to your doctor before you begin any exercise program.

To begin with though let’s talk about a few things that you should avoid and top of the list comes salt. Salt is one of the main offenders in today’s epidemic of high blood pressure. An excess of dietary fat is also an offender as it promotes arteriosclerosis, weight gain, and other difficulties that lead to high blood pressure. So, two things which you should avoid (or at least reduce) in your diet are salt and excess fat, especially trans or saturated fats.

What types of food should you include in your diet in order to help you in lowering your blood pressure? Potassium is one of the chief substances that is missing in today’s American diet and which is especially beneficial for your blood pressure. Potassium help to reduce blood pressure just as salt assists in raising your blood pressure and so getting enough potassium in your diet can help even out blood pressure.

It’s very easy to get potassium in your diet by simply adding plenty of frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables, as long as they have no added salt or sugar. Even though this might seem unappetizing to many people, it is one of the best ways to make sure that you regularize your blood pressure. Naturally of course, at the same time you also have to cut down on the salt to no more than the recommended daily sodium intake of roughly 2400 mg a day. A very good way to achieve this is not to add salt to your diet at all because natural and unprocessed foods contain enough salt and, if you wish to flavor your food then simply try adding herbs and spices.

Calcium and magnesium are two further minerals which can help reduce blood pressure. These two minerals are considered to be calming minerals and most Americans don’t get enough of them in their diets. Low-fat dairy products are an excellent source of calcium as are nuts, legumes, and dark leafy green vegetables. You need to try to get a balance of about two parts of magnesium to three parts of calcium. Foods such as sesame seeds, white beans and soybeans not only have a lot of calcium and magnesium but they are also good sources of potassium.

Finally, make sure that you drink enough water and get enough fiber in your diet. Fiber helps to clear toxins and unhealthy substances out of your body and it can help you feel full so that you don’t overeat.

What Age Is It Ok To Start Taking Aspirin In Small Doses To Prevent Heart Disease?

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Low-dose aspirin can be started anytime, since 81mg aspirin tablets have only one side effect.

You’d be much better off changing your diet and lifestyle early in order to prevent Heart Disease rather than relying on medications to offset your bad eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle.

 

3 simple life decisions that will help you prevent heart disease:

 

1.       Never Start Smoking or Stop smoking now;  Never, ever restart.

2.       Stop drinking now. You can drink a little now and then, but don’t drink “frequently” any more.

3.       Your diet: the three diets (these are not diets to lose weight but diets to live on for your whole life) that have shown the most promise are the Ornish Diet (very low fat), the Mediterranean Diet (controlled fat, most of which is plant monounsaturated and fish), and the Portfolio Diet from the University of Toronto (includes “plant sterols” or oils from canola, olive, and almond), which are very good at preventing heart disease. Don’t think of this as being “on a diet” it’s a life long healthy eating plan

 

Having said this there is no harm in taking asprin even then.

Before you start taking any new medication you should really talk to your doctor.  He knows your health history and can give you the best advice.  Heredity plays a big role in some things than others with  Heart problems being number one.  

If you are smoking and drinking, taking aspirin isn’t going to help you until you clean up.  If your Diet is full of junk food and fat then Cholesterol could be a problem that you also need to consider taking action on.

Prevention is always better than cure, changing the way you think and eat is the only way to truly have the best chance at preventing heart disease.

Polar S725X Heart Rate Monitor

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Having stood the test of time, polar has come through as one of the leaders in Health and Fitness accessories. More particularly, the Heart Rate Monitor market. Proven and trusted are two words that come to mind when you hear the name Polar. They have led the race for producing the best heart rate monitors and innovations since 1977. Running and Multisport, cycling, fitness and cross training, Polar has got them covered by offering a comprehensive product range, along with essential support and advice. The standards that they have set in this market are second to none. No wonder other manufacturers of heart monitors are looking to Polar heart monitors for new ideas and innovations. Their Polar watch range caters for everything from improving an elite athletes endurance and performance to helping ordinary people with weight loss goals.

Do You Desire to Achieve your Goals?

Look no further, because for those looking to take their fitness goals to another level, there is no better choice than the Polar S725X heart rate monitor. This heart rate monitor is packed with many great features for anyone and everyone. It is made specifically for cycling and multisport training and is one of the better Polar heart monitors out there.

The Polar S725X is also ideal for those desiring to be the best at whatever sport they are in. Elite athletes find this Polar watch appropriate to help them achieve results. Apart from the primary goal of heart rate monitors to give heart rate readings, this device is also packed with loads of great features.

Pros

In simple terms, it is a powerful cycling computer on your wrists. Combining the highest level of personal performance data, training conditions like altitude and temperature, and cycling functions are what set this device apart. Also included with it is the WearLink Coded Transmitter, a handy tool that prevents cross-talk with other monitors. It is made from soft fabric so it contours to every curve on your body.

The Polar S275X has a variety of cycling performance measurements including trip, distance based on intervals and speed. This heart monitor also gives you the option to enter two different bike wheels to it so that you will be able to train or workout on two separate cycles. However, this device is not only confined to use by cyclists alone. Runners use it to track measure and do analysis on their performances.

Cons

There are not too many problems associated with this heart monitor. One downfall that users have encountered is that this Polar watch is not compatible with Mac computers. There are also poor battery replacement issues with this particular model. Polar heart monitors also come at a price. This is no different for this particular model.

Aside from these small issues, the features and advantages of the Polar Watch S725X outweigh all in its way. Do not settle for anything less because there is no substitute for quality.

For the latest Polar Watch and Heart Monitors, check out the wider range of Polar Heart Monitors.

Stem cell transplants

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Chemotherapy as a cancer treatment destroys the blood generating cells in the bone marrow, which is why transplants are often necessary in order to increase the life expectation of patients treated for tumors. Stem cell transplantation thus represents the major treatment solution for thousands of people who need such a form of regenerative therapy. Before any transplant, one needs to find a suitable donor, or in the absence of compatibility, the patient’s bone marrow cells will be collected and stored prior to the beginning of chemotherapy. After collection, they will be frozen and stored until the intervention.

Injection is the only way of sending stem cell transplants into the bloodstream and once they get into the bone marrow, these stem cells specialize and initiate blood production. There are several cycles of stem cell transplants that need to be performed depending on the cycles of the chemotherapy treatment. How can stem cells contribute to blood formation? Well, stem cells can generate the three types of blood cells such as the red blood cells, the white blood cells and the platelets. The red cells carry the oxygen to all the body parts, the white cells protect the system against bacteria acting as body shields and the platelets control blood clotting and bleeding.

The blood and bone marrow naturally contain stem cells, but under the influence of chemotherapy drugs, they get destroyed without the possibility to regenerate without help. The stem cell transplants thus become the way to restoring the blood cells production that would otherwise stop by lack of undifferentiated cells. Not all the cancer patients require stem cell transplants. In fact, several factors indicate whether the treatment is suitable for the patient or not, and here we can count the stage of the disease, its intensity, the patient’s responsiveness to the treatment and the overall physical condition.

In the past, only younger patients were chosen for stem cell transplants, but at present, age is no longer such a relevant criterion. As long as the internal organs are in good health and the response to chemotherapy is promising, stem cell transplants are possible. There are several types of stem cell transplants but only a few of them have reached a notorious status. And cord blood transplants, peripheral stem cell blood transplants or bone marrow transplants make the most relevant examples. Otherwise, the number of classifications and the criteria serving for such purposes is very large, although not necessary to the average person.

Thyroid Function in Pregnancy – The Thyroid Connection Between Mother and Child

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In pregnancy, the physiologic functions of the mother prior to conception are altered to provide the needs of the fetus growing in her womb. The placenta itself starts producing several hormones that are vital for a safe and normal pregnancy. These changes may also affect thyroid function and thyroid screening tests.

One of these changes is the increase in renal blood flow and the filtration rate of the kidneys, leading to an increased secretion of the circulating iodides in the body. Normally, most of the iodides acquired through ingestion of iodine-rich foods are quickly excreted by the kidney but not before the thyroid gland manages to “trap” about a fifth of the circulating iodides for the production of thyroid hormones. Because normal physiologic changes gets rid of some of the iodides before the thyroid manages to trap them, dietary iodide requirements are raised to around 200 micrograms per day in the pregnant woman in contrast to only 150 micrograms per day for normal persons.

In pregnancy, the mother’s thyroid gland ordinarily enlarges up to 50 percent with a corresponding increase in thyroxine or T4 secretion. One of the reasons for this change is that the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) secreted by the placenta has a stimulating effect on the thyroid. There is a broad structural homology between the beta subunits of hCG and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which gives hCG a weak thyroid-stimulating effect. Another hormone which may also affect the increase in thyroxine production by the mother is human chorionic thyrotropin, which is also secreted by the placenta.

Thyroid Function in the Fetus

The thyroid gland of the fetus begins to function by the end of the third month of gestation but prior to that time, the fetus is largely dependent on maternal thyroid hormones. The fetal thyroid gland gains the ability to produce thyroid hormones by around the eighth to tenth week of gestation. In the twelfth week of gestation, it begins to exhibit the ability to trap iodine actively and begins to produce thyroxine soon after.

Thyroid hormone is vital for fetal brain development as in neuronal multiplication, migration, and the structural organization of the brain of the fetus. Brain development occurs mostly during the second trimester, wherein the fetus is yet unable to produce its own fetal thyroid hormones and is largely dependent on maternal thyroid hormones for normal brain development.

Evidence supports the transfer of maternal thyroid hormones to the fetus via the placenta before and after fetal thyroid functionality. Thirty percent of the thyroxine found in the cord blood of neonates is maternal thyroxine and it has been found in the amniotic sacs of fetuses from 4 months to 6 months in gestation.

Thyroid Problems in the Newborn

The endocrine system of the newborn is usually highly developed at the time of birth and the neonate rarely exhibits thyroid function problems immediately. However, in some instances, thyroid function in the infant must be monitored.

One such example is that if the mother experienced hyperthyroidism or was treated with excess thyroid hormone during her pregnancy. If such is the case, the infant may be born with a thyroid gland that secretes less than the normal amount of thyroid hormone due to the excess in maternal thyroid hormone.

On the other side, if the mother had a thyroidectomy or surgical removal of her thyroid gland, the child may be born with temporary hyperthyroidism. This may be because the pituitary gland of the mother secretes increased amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormone due to her hypothyroid state. The thyroid gland of the fetus then responds to the maternal TSH and starts producing thyroid hormone in excess.

In a fetus with a problem in thyroid hormone secretion, there is poor bone development and mental retardation. This may cause the condition cretin dwarfism. If the newborn is not treated within several weeks, mental retardation becomes permanent. It is for this reason that newborns are routinely screened for hypothyroidism so as to prevent the devastating and permanent effects of cretinism.

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