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.

For some people, coronary heart disease seems to run in the family. However, health experts agree that many people are able to live long, healthy lives by following several key preventative measures. “If you smoke, quit,” warns cardiologist Sharonne Hayes of the Women’s Health Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. “That’s the most powerful, preventable risk factor for heart disease.” Additionally, four days per week you should be engaging in 30 minutes of moderate exercise; whether it’s biking, skating, walking, jogging, swimming or aerobics. If you can’t do it all at once, then three ten-minute intervals will show heart health benefits. Limiting saturated, polysaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats are important. By contrast, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, flaxseed oil and canola oil have proven to be very effective. Furthermore, the importance of reducing your weight and getting regular health exams cannot be overstated.

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.

Your arteries perform a critical job: they circulate blood from your heart to all other areas throughout your body. Under normal circumstances, the arterial wall is strong enough to support the corresponding blood pressure. However, if those walls weaken, a rupture or dissection can occur. These are called aneurysms. While they typically happen in the aorta, they can also happen within the brain.

If a rupture occurs, it can lead to bleeding within your body. On the other hand, a dissection manifests as a tear in one of the arterial layers. If that happens, the bleeding will spread within the layers of the wall. If a patient does not receive immediate medical attention, both circumstances can lead to death.

In this article we will discuss the factors and risk that can lead to aneurysms. We will discus the signs of aneurysms, what to check for and treatment options.

Known Causes And Risk Factors

While ruptures and dissections occur as a result of arterial wall weakening, it is worth reviewing the conditions which ultimately lead to such weakening. High blood pressure is a leading factor. So, too, is age. Smoking plays an influential role, of course. Many doctors also believe genetics can be a factor.

Occasionally, patients who are suffering from specific disorders (for example, Loeys-Dietz syndrome or Marfan syndrome) are more susceptible to experiencing an aneurysm. These conditions and others can damage the aorta leading to a weakening in the arterial wall.

Potential Warning Signs

Most individuals have the impression of aneurysms, they often imagine an immediate excruciating pain lancing through them. Actually people can develop this symptom without knowing or recognizing it until many years later. If one ruptures in the abdominal area, the symptoms are rapid; they include vomiting, a lightheaded sensation, and severe pain. If a dissection does happen in the thoracic area of your body, you will feel pain throughout your chest, back and jaw. It may also be difficult to breathe or swallow.

Medical Treatment

As noted above, if a rupture or dissection occurs, it is life-threatening and must be treated immediately. Otherwise, most types of medical treatment seek to prevent an existing aneurysm from becoming larger. Doing so can prevent a rupture or dissection.

A physician will often prescribe medicine (for example, beta blockers) in order to decrease the patient’s blood pressure. If there is a risk that an aneurysm is getting larger quickly, surgery may be necessary. In most cases, the problematic portion of the aorta is removed and a graft is put in its place. Assuming the patient is in relatively good health, a full recovery is expected.

It is crucial that once this is diagnosed that the patient maintain a regular check-up schedule with their physician. The earlier and more consistently it can be treated, the less likelihood of experiencing a life-threatening situation.

More information about Aortic Aneurysm can be found at the Virginia Thoracic Surgeons website at http://www.cvtsa.com

Diagnosis and Treatment of A Stroke

If you or someone you know is having a stroke, a quick diagnosis and treatment might be the difference between life or death or permanent paralysis if the stroke victim survives. So it is essential that you know the signs of a stroke.If you can get the stroke victim to the hospital within three hours of the attack, the prognosis for full recovery is optimistic.

First, some facts about strokes and who is mmost likely to suffer one.Strokes kill one person each minute in the U.S. alone. Nearly 775,000 persons have strokes in the U.S. each year. A third of them die and another third suffer permanent paralysis,speech loss,and/or memory loss.

Strokes are caused by plaque build up in the arteries or by a plaque fragment that breaks free and lodges in the brain, shutting off the blood supply.

Who’s At Risk

Your chances of having a stroke are higher if you fall into these categories
1) Hereditary–If a person comes from a family where other members have suffered strokes.
2) Gender–Women are more likely to have a stroke than men.
3) Age–The chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55.Stroke is more common among persons over 65, but it also hits younger persons as well.
4) Race–African Americans are more likely to have one than are Caucasians.
5) Medical History–Sickle cell anemia. Sickled red blood cells carry less oxygen to the rest of the body. They adhere to the blood vessel walls,which clogs the arteries to the brain and causes a stroke.
Also, persons who have already had a stroke before or a TIA, a mini-stroke with no permanent damage,are much more likely to have another stroke.

Signs of A Stroke

A simple four-question quiz will tell you if someone you’re with is having a stroke

1.) Ask the individual to SMILE. His smile will appear to be crooked if he’s having a stroke.
2.) Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)(i.e. Ann is a great homemaker. If the person is having a stroke, he will find this difficult to do.
3.See if the victim can Raise Both Arms. He’ll just be able to raise one.
4.) Ask him to STICK OUT HIS TONGUE. If the victim’s tongue looks crooked or doesn’t stick out straight, the odds are that a stroke has happened to him.
If any of these tasks were a prblem to complete, it’s time to get to the hospital immediately. Start with 911 and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Another symptom of a TIA or “mini stroke” is a feeling that one of your legs or arms is heavier than the other and walking or climbing up the stairs becomes difficult.The victim might trip when climbing the stairs because one leg didn’t clear a stair. A victim is likely to lose his balance if he gets up out of a chair quickly and might fall down and have difficulty getting up.

If you or the person you’re with has these signs, get to a hospital immediately as it’s a matter of life and death.You’ll get top priority for getting an immediate diagnosis and treatment. And this was your lucky day! You’ll likely survive and escape any permanent damage.

If this happens to you or your friend, consider this a warning, and lifestyle changes and digilence in the future are mandatory.

A lot of people have heard about the tremendous benefits of the acai berry.One of the most important fact is that it helps people fight back heart problems, slow them down or even prevent from heart problem again.How the acai berry does their job and what really does it do?

High Cholesterol Matters

One of the most vital health issue with the heart includes cholesterol.As many as 490,000 Americans die every year due to Coronary Heart Disease and elevated cholesterol levels.To have a healthier lifestyle, many people around the world should be able to master their cholesterol level.

The Role of Acai Berry

This is the part where the acai berry comes into play.Several compounds were found in the acai berry that help reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure and promote antioxidants in your body.Have a habit of taking the acai berry in any form can effectively lower the cholesterol level and having a better heart finally. .However, the acai not only takes care of your cholesterol level.The fruit which has high calcium also lower the impact and stress on osteoporosis and keeps skeletal srength .Not only this, people who are having high blood pressure also seem to have a diet low in calcium, based on some findings.When you have good amount of calcium in diet, your blood pressure drop apparently.This allow strain off of the heart.Consider without cholesterol of milk, what other fruit can have such a high level of calcium than the acai berry?   It’s has been ready in many different forms from juice to powders and supplements all across the globe as it becomes increasingly popular.

Acai Berry and Vitamin E

Vitmine E, found twice the daily value, is also discovered in acai berry and it plays a vital role as well.It’s greatly influential for repairing damaged tissue and a protective agent.”The high fiber content inside the acai is very beneficial to the consumer proper intestinal function”, Report by Dr.Herve Rogez, “Fiber speed up the intestinal processes and has a very important role in avoiding colon cancer, The D. The D.V is 35g of fibers per adult every day, the acai berry consumers can reach this amount with ease.”Not only do people stay away from heart, skin and other problems, but acai has also demonstrated great potential for fighting and possibly curing cancer.

Acai Berry contains high fiber content

Acai’s high fiber contents can also provide a healthy heart and body.It is very useful for proper intestinal function.  It’s also a fundamental elements in order to avoid and prevent colon cancer.Keeping a health body is useful to make the heart beat more easier and allow your overall operations of your body reach the optimal level.

Overall, the acai berry’s many benefits are not only limited to increase body energy and having many antioxidants.With new experiments and cotinual research on the acai berry, there are a lot of thing being discovered everyday.One day in the future, it may even help battle cancer.But even without knowing that, the ability of acai berry to cleanse and keep your body healthy, it is now becoming more and more popular, especially with those who are trying to become healthier without having to resort to drastic measures.And since the acai berry become more popular, it is also becoming more readily available all across the world in supermarkets and other stores.  And also you can find some websites which can provide many information and many free trial for your choice.

What makes the water you drink “healthy water”?     Most of us know that there is problem with some of our drinking water – sometimes it is the taste, other times it’s the smell.  But what ever it is, most of us don’t believe that our drinking water is healthy.

It’s estimated 60% to 80% of all cancers are environmental in origin. Many of the studies have said about the presence of chemical carcinogens on surface, municipal treated drinking water and ground water too.
However, often overlooked are the beneficial properties in drinking water that can help protect us from cancer – namely total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, and pH.

Drinking waterwith higher amounts of TDS and hardness results in lower heart disease and cancer mortality rates.

Fluoridation is a highly emotional and controversial issue in which it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. The bottom line: Is it effective? Is it safe?

Fluoride toxicity has been linked to genetic damage in plants and animals, birth defects in humans, plus a series of allergic reactions ranging from fatigue, headaches, urinary tract irritations, diarrhea and many other problems.

Dr. Dean Burk, former researcher with the National Cancer Institute, claims “one tenth of all cancer deaths in this country can be shown to be linked to fluoridation of public drinking water.”

Worldwide there is very little fluoridation. Countries that start usually end up stopping it.
Is the chlorine found in our water used for drinking is developing both cancer and atherosclerosis? In the late 1960s Joseph Price, MD, wrote a fascinating, yet largely ignored book entitled, “Coronaries, Cholesterol, Chlorine.”

His experiments clearly demonstrate that “the basic cause of atherosclerosis and heart attacks and most common forms of strokes is chlorine. The chlorine contained in drinking water.”
Can chlorine be linked to cancer too? Chlorine combines with natural organic matter creating cancer-causing trihalomethanes (THMs).

Research came form Ohio, Louisiana, New York, Maryland, that where ever the higher levels of THMs are there higher levels of cancer also. Proper water filtration systems can remove these carcinogens.
Bottled water is big business. Generally the bottled water tastes better in comparison the tap water. But is it “healthy water?” It depends on several factors.

Is it hard? Is it moderately high in TDS (total dissolved solids)? Most bottled waters in the United States do not give the information you need to answer these questions. Many bottled waters are processed water using distillation, reverse osmosis, de-ionization or filtration. Frankly, you can do this yourself and save money.
Of the more than 700 brands of bottled water available in the US, around 80% are processed water.
Purchase only bottled natural spring or artesian well waters that come closest to the “healthy water” criteria hardness 170 mg/l and TDS around 300 mg/l.

Another “healthy water” option is using an effective filter. Mediocre, excellent, and poor filters are easily available out in the market. Most states require 3rd party testing of water products; however, most people have difficulty understanding the results.

Preliminary research suggests that the ingestion of harmful chemicals from drinking water may not be the primary exposure.

Skin absorption rates for toxic chemicals in both children and adults are much higher than from oral ingestion for toluene, ethyl benzene, and styrene.Â

Inhalation during showering of TCE (trichloroethylene) was 6 to 80 times greater than from drinking the water. People who are fond of hot tubs and pools take note.

One solution to consider is a whole-house filtration system for chemical removal, not mineral extraction. Point of use filters for bathing, showering, and drinking are also recommended.