Archive for January, 2008
Angina Information For Patients: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
The well-being of blood vessels and heart is termed as vascular health. There are certain risk factors that elevate the tendency of atherosclerosis (disease of arteries). Identification of these risk factors and their early detection are crucial in improving vascular health. In fact, early detection of risk factors is the optimal route to attaining a healthy lifestyle.
A recently-discovered form of angina is microvascular angina. Individuals suffering from microvascular angina have no clear coronary artery blockages but do experience chest pain. Clinicians have determined the cause of these chest pains as poor functioning of small blood vessels around the heart, arms and legs. However, microvascular angina is treated with almost same medications used in treatment of angina pectoris.
Angina means “strangling” and pectoris denotes breast or front chest wall. Often individuals suffering from angina describe their pain as a sensation of tightness and complain, “I feel a pressure as if somebody is sitting on my chest.” Angina (chest pain) is a symptom of CAD (the most common heart disease). CAD occurs when plaque builds up inside the arteries and consequently reduces the blood flow to the heart by shortening the lumen of the artery. An angina stack often starts from the pit of the stomach and may radiate towards neck and lower jaw or shoulders and arms.
Generally, angina is accompanied by oppressive feelings of fear and apprehensiveness. The scale of impairment ranges from mild, occasional pain to frequent debilitating pain, which can make the most effortless work an exhausting ordeal.
You should suspect a heart disease if the frequency, duration and severity of angina increases, also, if angina is accompanied by heavy perspiration, moreover, if no relief is experienced with in 15 minutes of intake of 3 nitroglycerin tablets. Otherwise, pursue normal work and social life.
Rest for 10 to 15 minutes when angina occurs, after 3 minutes the pain is most likely to subside. Beware of excessive exercise, heavy meals, cigarette smoking, excitement, stress, haste, anger and frustrations for they tend to cause angina.
Feeling Guilty about taking too much Sugar??
Recently, a new research provided evidence of the strong existing relationships between cancer and consumption of refined carbohydrates (sugars). The study evaluated the dietary habits of 1,800 females in Mexico; results revealed that women consuming more than 57% of their required amount of carbohydrates were 220% more prone to breast cancer than those women on controlled diets.
Sugar: “empty calories”: If you are like most Americans, then, you eat too much sugar through, soda, ice-cream, cakes, candy, cookies etc. Unlike the many high-carbohydrates foods that contain many valuable nutrients, white sugar is simply “empty calories” (16 a teaspoon, 48 a tablespoon, and 768 a cup). In short it has no nourishment whatsoever and hence, sugar provides “empty calories”.
To cut down on sugar: For desert it’s best to eat fresh fruits or fruits canned in their own juices (and not syrup). Soft cheese with fruits makes a nutritious dessert. Try to have heavily sugared desserts sparingly. If you can’t do without sweet desserts, then, select such relatively nutritious ones as cheesecake, peanut butter cookies, ice cream and custard.
If you are making a dessert, reduce the amount of sugar called for in any recipe. You probably won’t even be able to tell the difference. Check labels carefully. Several different types of sugars may be among the ingredients in a product; listing them individually is a device used by many manufacturers to avoid having to list “sugar” as their first ingredient. Any ingredient ending with “-ose” is most likely to be a sugar like dextrose and maltose. Corn Syrup is also a sugar.
Beware of heavily sugared cereals hawked to children on TV. Some are little better than candy-as much as 50 percent sugar. Children become conditioned to require a great deal of sugar through cereals and other foods, a bad eating habit that may persist in adulthood as well.
Walking Is Powerful Medicine
No wonder Hippocrates (a Greek physician 460-377B.C) said that walking is man’s best medicine. Walking supports health in every aspect of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual improvement. Walking balances and enriches the life. Many studies have shown that moderate walking daily helps you relieve the stress that might trigger or alleviate sicknesses. A daily walk maintains a healthy immune system which fights bacteria and germs efficiently. In this context, as walking enhances the immune system’s capability. Then, it may just have protective effects against cancers as well.
Walking is a good tool for weight loss and weight maintenance. It also reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease. Walking resists diabetes by improving the body insulin to be efficiently used. It also eases the stiffness and the pain of people suffering from arthritis. It maintains strong bones which aids in preventing osteoporosis, it also eases premenstrual and menopausal discomforts in women. Walking improves sleep, stamina, flexibility and also strength of muscles. It enhances the mental function of the body by counteracting depression, anxiety and stress. In short, walking is hence, the most powerful medicine for maintaining good health.
In other words, you have a lot to gain by just wearing shoes and going out to walk. Perhaps the most important beneficial effect of walking is the reduction intra-abdominal fat (fat that accumulates on the surface of internal organs rather than under the skin).
The intra-abdominal fat is very serious as it affects internal organs and can cause fatal illnesses as heart strokes. Walking helps to reduce this intra-abdominal fat and thus, is a powerful medicine against heart strokes. The loss of this fat does not necessarily show on the scale, so don’t get worried if you have been walking regularly and your weight hadn’t shifted accordingly.
It is highly recommended to walk for forty-five minutes on five consecutive days per week as proves to be more beneficial than any prescribed medicine. It simply, makes you feel good about yourself. Walking certainly is a powerful medicine!
Insomnia Causes And Treatment.
Insomnia or sleeplessness (too little sleep) falls into these patterns: You have trouble falling in sleep, you wake intermittently or, you wake up too early. The minimum sleep requirements vary from person to person, even in the same person time to time. On average adults need to sleep six to nine hours a night. Normal sleep consists of drifting up and down through different levels of consciousness. The deep-sleep period is the most restful and restorative.
There are two kinds of insomnia, first, is primary insomnia mainly caused by behaviors before sleep, disturbed sleep patterns, and
sleeping environments such as sleeping in to hot or cold environments.
Second type is secondary insomnia which is mainly caused by medical conditions such as psychological problems of grief, dementia and depression and by physical medical conditions like arthritis and diabetes. However, only one in ten people having secondary insomnia, have physical medical conditions as root causes. Whilst, five out of ten people having secondary insomnia have psychological problems as root causes of their insomnia. Secondary insomnia may also be caused by medications taken for health conditions and also substance abuse or alcohol misuse. Medications, alcohol and illegal drugs are the causes of secondary insomnia in two out of every ten people suffering from insomnia.
The treatments of insomnia include, making sleeping conditions ideal (e.g. a quieter room); sleep in a cool room; relax before bedtime (e.g. take a warm shower); do some light exercise (e.g. a walk); avoid stimulants like coffee, prefer milk as it is an excellent sleep inducer; try relaxing your each muscle individually starting with the toes, and slowly working up your way up your head. Chances are you may go to sleep before you try relaxing your ears.
Americans spend more than $25 million annually on nonprescription sleep preparations promising healthy sleep. You should always be skeptical of advertised gadgets to cure insomnia, they may work in individual cases but they are highly unlikely to relieve long-term sleep disorder, also they tend to be expensive, and most can have pronounced side effects.
How to Slow Down Aging.
It is impossible to go back in time, but in today’s world there are many options that not only slow down aging but also reverse many of the signs that are brought by the aging process. With regard to many researches the fundamental tool for combating and slowing down the aging process is a balance diet and sufficient nutrition. The very ancient saying, “You are what you eat” is now proved to be in fact very true than ever before.
However, the hustle bustle of the human life makes it practically very difficult to stick to proper nutrition. However, at the same time we expect our bodies to portray maximum performances when we are not eating enough. Moreover, we expect to stay healthy and full of vitality as we gradually move towards ageing.
Everyone is aware of the basic health benefits of whole foods and the interference of processed foods containing chemicals, preservatives and additives with our bodily functions. Instead of an unhealthy diet of junk foods and sugars, a balanced-diet will produce many benefits including a powerful agent of anti-aging.
A balanced diet promotes a healthy lifestyle combating aging factors. For instance, a balance diet reduces the cholesterol and triglycerides levels and brings them to healthy levels. Furthermore, a balanced diet supports the healthy running of the liver, which is a strong factor in the slow down of the aging factor.
As hormonal unbalances contribute a major part in the aging process, healthy eating balances the hormonal imbalance. Healthy diets and eating programs are recommended to those who do not want to risk of unbalanced hormones contributing to their aging.
For a person who chooses a suitable healthy lifestyle, dietary and nutrition and given that he has no influence of genetic factors; should not have difficulty in slowing down aging. Accordingly, numerous anti-aging therapies are being introduced and developed. In short, the only means by which one can slow down the aging process is by opting for a healthy lifestyle.
Balding Remedies
Hair loss (baldness, alopecia) in men is hereditary. It is triggered by male hormone testosterone reaching a level that causes shrinkage or appearance of hair follicles, the skin depressions containing hair roots. Women can also inherit a tendency of hair loss. Female-pattern hair loss develops much like male-pattern baldness. However, the loss is not as severe as in men because women produce less testosterone and also produce neutralizing amounts of female hormones.
Hair Transplants are the only cure for baldness. A transplant is a surgical procedure that can be done in a doctor’s office under
local anesthesia. The procedure may require dozens of visits, depending upon the expanse of bald spot to be covered. During hair transplant, the new hair is placed over the bald area so that it grows. After about a month all the grafted hair fall out, and some two months later new hair starts to grow from the roots. Any discomfort during after hair transplanting is mainly mild and easily relieved through aspirins. Complications during hair transplant are highly rare and scars are hidden by surrounding hair.
As hair transplants are office-based procedures, many unqualified physicians have tried to make profits from it. Moreover, many cases have been reported that by mistake the physician has put the grafted hair the wrong way and consequently, the hair had started to grow in the opposite direction. In short you are best off with a qualified plastic surgeon or a board-certified dermatologist.
If the grafting is extensive, then the transplant procedure can take longer and become more expensive. The cost is usually about $10 to $25 per graft. A very bald man may require up to 600 grafts. In rare cases has insurances covered hair transplant costs.
Among the remedies of baldness, prevention of baldness is the best option. Nutritional methods are most recommendable as they tend to be the least invasive with minimum side effects towards the body, for instance, eating sufficient amounts of protein and carbohydrates which maintain healthy hair growth.
Winter Sicknesses
Germs are around us all year so winter itself, is not the root cause of certain sicknesses, but it increases their causing factors. For instance, due to the freeze of the cold people tend to stay indoors which increases the person to person contact in closed places. Hence, provides a mean for readily spreading of viruses. In winter people tend to become less active, as they avoid
outside activities which consequently weakens their immune system and makes them more vulnerable to sicknesses.
Winter sicknesses spread around in the form of germs and viruses which ultimately lead to winter bugs such as flu and cold. No matter where you reside in the world, there is an even chance of catching the Norwalk virus and the illness that follows it. Another common winter sickness is the viral gastroenteritis, usually called the stomach flu or the undesirable term vomiting disease. Regardless of any label, this disease is highly contagious, difficult to kill and to suppress. Moreover, this bug can be found almost everywhere.
Winter sicknesses can also be caused by a vitamin D deficiency. It is currently being investigated that can a deficiency in vitamin D slows down the immune system and make it more vulnerable to winter diseases than cold and wet tissues.
Preventative care practice against winter sicknesses results in the build up of resistance against common winter sicknesses. Practice of proper basic hygiene reduces the contagiousness of illnesses. The most suitable way of reducing the risk of illness is the vigorous washing of hands for a minimum time period of twenty seconds with antibacterial soap. Avoid touching the face with hands as the eyes and nasal cavities are the foremost direct routes of catching a virus or bacteria. Whenever possible, avoidance of exposure to germs and viruses is another way to shield oneself against pesky winter diseases.
Dealing with Excessive Sweating
Excessive sweating is a common condition called hyperhidrosis. Most people can achieve great success in controlling excessive sweating. There are many methods to effectively treat hyperdrosis.
Antiperspirants: are mainly recommended before any treatment as they are the least invasive and more readily available in shops. Antiperspirants should not be used in an area which has been recently shaved because they contain aluminum chloride which can slightly irritate the skin. Antiperspirants come at an affordable price of $15-$20 per bottle.
In cases where antiperspirants are not enough for combating excessive sweating, then stronger antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride hexahydrate are prescribed. Since these are prescribed medications, they can a bit expensive with a price of $20-$50.
Oral medications: such as Robinul, Ditropan and Cogentin do work in treating hyperdrosis. These antidepressants may alleviate symptoms for people who have anxiety as the root problem of hyperdrosis. Price of these medications can vary, depending on the health coverage you have. Nevertheless, the price can be expected between $75 and $200.
Botox: Botox treatment can provide relief from excessive sweating for roughly six months. Many are opting for Botox especially for the underarm area. Botox is expensive, for instance, it costs $2,000 to have treatment on both feet.
Sage herb: is a natural approach taken in the form of capsule and tea. On daily dosages proves most effective in treating hyperdrosis.
Surgery: There are two types of surgery involved in treating hyperhidorsis. They are the endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy and the sweat-gland-removal procedure. The best option is of sweat gland removal although being more expensive is comparatively gentle and less invasive with fewer side effects than endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy surgery.
Iontophoresis: is a piece of equipment that sends a small electric current with tap water as a medium to the skin. This is a pricey option as the machine costs $675. This method can be painful for some users. Thus, this should not be used if any wound is present on the skin area affected.
Massage Therapy – Its Physical and Mental Benefits.
Massage benefits is a topic that can be literally be discussed for hours! The most important benefits of massage are increased flexibility and circulation. Similarly, another important massage benefit is its effect on blood stimulation. Massage therapy gives a feeling of being cared for and being nurtured. Massage also slow down the aging process.
Physical Benefits:
Among the many massage benefits, specialists consider flexibility and circulation the most important benefits of massages. Massage benefits also include the increase in lubrication between muscle fibers resulting in optimal muscle movement. Muscle fibers usually become rigid and clump together when they dehydrate, with massage therapy, the muscles fibers are able to soften and regain flexibility when fluid is again introduced.
As the body gets older, it looses water, and hence aging is defined as the process of dehydration, which causes the muscles to shrink and it’s fibers to clump together, ultimately the skin wrinkles. Massage benefits substantially slow down the aging process, as they increase the circulation of the muscles. Furthermore, massage therapy benefits to prevent many other diseases also caused due to dehydration. According to Bible, life is in the blood, as blood carries oxygen around the body, a good circulation of blood is vital for optimal health. Massage therapy increases the blood circulation and hence, contributes to good health.
Psychological Benefits:
Massage is a sort of vacation from all kinds of pressures and tensions in life. The soothing touches of the massage therapy encourage a natural and psychological response. It is able to provide the feelings of relaxation and comfort; it increases mental alertness and also improves accuracy in calculations. Furthermore, massage therapy helps to improve the circulation of many “feel good” hormones all around the body, which directly affects the way you think and feel. It also helps to promote a profound sense of calm and wellbeing in the mind and a person’s attitude.
Mouth Sores
Mouth Sores are amongst the most annoying and painful symptoms of a disorder or disease. It is always recommended that any mouth sore lasting more than a week be examined by a dentist. The most common mouth sores include
Canker sores: In Canker sores, small ulcers with a red border and a white or red base appear inside of the mouth, and there can be either several or just one canker sore. Even though, no specific cause has been confirmed, a cut resulting from biting the tongue or cheek, immediate reactions from hot beverages or food, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis can contribute to the development of canker sores. Similarly, fatigue, stress, and allergies can increase the tendency of catching this disease.
Cold sores: are not only painful but very embarrassing as well, they are also called Herpes simplex and fever blisters. Cold sores are fluid filled blisters which are very contagious and are caused by Herpes virus type 1. Cold sores bump up and erupt around the lips and around the nose and chin as well.
Leukoplakia: is a mouth sore that is a thick, whitish colored patch formation inside the cheeks, tongue and gums. Leukoplakia is common among tobacco users (smokers) and is caused by excessive cell growth.It can lead to oral cancer.
Candidiasis: is a mouth sore caused by fungal infection also commonly known as moniliasis or oral thrush. Candidiasis also occurs in people who are elderly or very young, debilitated by some disease and having an immune system related problem. People with dry mouth system are also very prone to develop Candidiasis.
Even with all the treatments of mouth sores, the pain can not be completely subsided. The good news though, is that mouth sores can be prevented! One just needs to reduce stress and opt for a healthier lifestyle, chewing slowly, using a soft-bristle toothbrush and paying the dentist a visit for any sharp or broken tooth or mis-fitting dentures.
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