Tag: Heart

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Cardiovascular Health

Definition: Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system (as used in MeSH), it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). These conditions have similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments. In practice, cardiovascular disease is treated by cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, neurologists, and interventional radiologists, depending on the organ system that is being treated. There is considerable overlap in the specialties, and it is common for certain procedures to be performed by different types of specialists in the same hospital.

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Most Western countries face high and increasing rates of cardiovascular disease. Each year, heart disease kills more Americans than cancer. Diseases of the heart alone caused 30% of all deaths, with other diseases of the cardiovascular system causing substantial further death and disability. Two out of three cardiac deaths occur without any diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Up until the year 2005, it was the number 1 cause of death and disability in the United States and most European countries. A large histological study (PDAY) showed vascular injury accumulates from adolescence, making primary prevention efforts necessary from childhood.

By the time that heart problems are detected, the underlying cause (atherosclerosis) is usually quite advanced, having progressed for decades. There is therefore increased emphasis on preventing atherosclerosis by modifying risk factors, such as healthy eating, exercise and avoidance of smoking.

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During a lifetime, a human heart will pump 55 million gallons of blood through nearly 60,000 miles of blood vessels, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to trillions of cells. We can give this system a highly deserved break by eating a healthy diet that contains an abundance of essential nutrients, regular aerobic exercise and the revolutionary support of Transfer Factor Cardio.

Scientists now agree that inflammation fuels the development and progression of atherosclerosis: the dangerous accumulation of fat-laden deposits, or plaques, in the arteries. Click to See in this:-> “SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN” article how the old view – that fat builds up inside artery walls – is no longer tenable.

Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Fact Sheet:-

*Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the No. 1 killer in America. In 2004, about 871,000 adults in the United States died of CVD, accounting for about 36 percent of all deaths.

*Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

*The relative risk of coronary heart disease associated with physical inactivity ranges from 1.5 to 2.4, an increase in risk comparable with that observed for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking.

*Surveys show that 24 percent of Americans 18 or older aren’t active at all.
People with lower incomes and less than a 12th grade education are more likely to be physically inactive.

*In 2005, 33.0 percent of male high school students and 29.0 percent of female high school students attended physical education classes daily.

*In 2005, 43.8 percent of male high school students and 27.8 percent of female high school students met currently recommended levels of physical activity.

*According to the 2004 National Health Interview Survey, the following have a physically inactive lifestyle:

*Among non-Hispanic whites, 18.4 percent of men and 21.6 percent of women
*Among non-Hispanic blacks, 27 percent of men and 33.9 percent of women
*Among Hispanics, 32.5 percent of men and 39.6 percent of women
*Among Asian/Pacific Islanders, 20.4 percent of men and 24.0 percent of women

*Even low-to-moderate intensity activities, when done for as little as 30 minutes a day, bring benefits. These activities include pleasure walking, climbing stairs, gardening, yard work, moderate-to-heavy housework, dancing and home exercise.
More vigorous aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, running, swimming, bicycling, roller skating and jumping rope are best for improving the fitness of the heart and lungs.

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Hawthorne berry extract, garlic extract, L-carnitine, coral calcium with trace minerals, dandelion root, 40,000 Scoville Heat Units (H.U.) cayenne.
Quik Tip: Hawthorne berry is Europe’s No. 1 “heart healthy” herb – so safe, potent and effective, it’s prescribed by doctors.

Prevention:
Attempts to prevent cardiovascular disease are more effective when they remove and prevent causes, and they often take the form of modifying risk factors. Some factors, such as gender, age, and family history, cannot be modified. Smoking cessation (or abstinence) is one of the most effective and easily modifiable changes. Regular cardiovascular exercise (aerobic exercise) complements healthy eating habits. According to the American Heart Association, build up of plaque on the arteries (atherosclerosis), partly as a result of high cholesterol and fat diet, is a leading cause for cardiovascular diseases. The combination of healthy diet and exercise is a means to improve serum cholesterol levels and reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases; if not, a physician may prescribe “cholesterol-lowering” drugs, such as the statins. These medications have additional protective benefits aside from their lipoprotein profile improvement. Aspirin may also be prescribed, as it has been shown to decrease the clot formation that may lead to myocardial infections and strokes; it is routinely prescribed for patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors.

One possible way to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease is keep your total cholesterol below 150. In the Framingham Heart Study, those with total cholesterol below 150 only very rarely got coronary heart disease.

A magnesium deficiency, or lower levels of magnesium, can contribute to heart disease and a healthy diet that contains adequate magnesium may prevent heart disease. Magnesium can be used to enhance long term treatment, so it may be a fag in long term prevention. Excess calcium may contribute to a buildup of calcium in the veins. Excess calcium can cause a magnesium deficiency, and magnesium can reduce excess calcium.

Foods for cardiovascular health
Research has shown that a diet that includes dark chocolate, almonds, fish, wine, fruits, vegetables, and garlic can increase life expectancy and decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Eating oily fish at least twice a week may help reduce the risk of sudden death and arrhythmias. A 2005 review of 97 clinical trials by Studer et al. noted that omega-3 fats gave lower risk ratios than did statins. Olive oil is said to have benefits. Studies of individual heart cells showed that fatty acids blocked excessive sodium and calcium currents in the heart, which could otherwise cause dangerous, unpredictable changes in its rhythm.

Cardiovascular disease and salt:
There is evidence from one large unblinded randomised controlled trial of more than 3000 patients that reducing the amount of sodium in the diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by more than 25%. This re-affirms evidence from the Intersalt study published in 1988, that high levels of dietary salt are harmful;these results were at the time heavily disputed by the Salt Institute (the salt producers’ trade organisati

In the results of a study of 8,700 adults in the US released in 2008 by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, researchers found that the people who ranked in the 25% of the lower sodium intake in their diet were 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than the 25% who had the higher intake of sodium in their diet. This particular research implies that low sodium intake is also harmful.

Oral Hygiene and Cardiovascular Disease
Many recent clinical research discuss the direct relation between poor oral hygiene and cardiovascular disease. Oral bacteria and periodontal disease may trigger the inflammation in the coronary arteries and contribute to atherosclerosis (artery hardening and narrowing); same bacteria may determine the clot formation increasing the risk of heart attack or cerebral stroke.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Resources:
http://www.cure4you.4healthdirect.com/store/
http://www.herbnews.org/cardiovascularhealthdone.htm

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=820

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease

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Categories
Yoga

Shavasana(Total Body Rest)

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Posture : Motionless & fixed but relaxed posture like dead body.
Pre position : Supine Position.
Use Generally practiced to get rid of fatigue, strain, exertion etc.

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How to do the Asana(Exercise):
1. Spread both the legs and keep them at a distance of 1 or 1.5 feet apart. Keep the heels facing inside and allow the toes to fall outside and relax them.
2. Take both the hands little away, say 3 to 4 inches, from the body and relax them. Keep the palms facing the roof and the fingers half – closed.
3. Turn the neck to any side and relax it. Further, relax the muscles of the face. Keep the eyes closed with ease and without pressure. Continue extremely slow breathing.

Position : The very aim of this asana is to relax each and every muscle in the body. In order to reach or attain this aim it becomes necessary to take the position in which one finds all the organs of the body in a comfortable and soothing state. Breathing must be slowed down.
Releasing : First one should prepare one’s mind for releasing the Asana. Then all the organs should be brought to their normal tone, and then after preparing first the mind, then the body and then the asana be released as under:-

1. Open the eyes and straighten the neck.
2. Get the hands beside and near to the body.
3. Bring both the legs together and take the Supine Position.

Duration: Since this asana is meant for rest, its duration is not fixed. The only principle to remember is to do this asana when the body is tired and release when the desired rest is achieved.
Benefits: Body movements are minimized, blood circulation is also minimized, heart rate drops, respiration drops, mind becomes calm and relaxed. This helps improve the functioning of brain, it can cure heart related ailments, it also brings down Blood Pressure.
Do’s & Don’ts Do’s
– Keep 1 to 1.5 feet distance between the feet.
– Hands 5 to 8 inches away from the body.
– Neck turned to any suitable direction or straight but relaxed.
– Keep your eyes closed.
– Try relaxing all the parts of the body.

Don’ts
– Do not wear tight clothes.
– Do not sleep in the asana.

Reference Book:- Yoga Sopan

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Categories
News on Health & Science

Why is the heart pear-shaped?

T.V. Jayan explains, with the help of a new study:  It’s often been said that there is no engineer quite like Mother Nature. A living organism ” with all its parts that fit in so smoothly  is after all an engineering marvel. But this near-perfect  manufacturing  skill of Nature has often fanned the debate on whether life was created, or evolved.

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If the advocates of creationism are ready to swallow, however grudgingly, the theory that life originated from the amoeba eons ago, science has not been able to give convincing answers to a number of sub-questions. How does, for instance, a tiny, fragile fertilised egg grow into a body of full-blown organs without any “external” guidance? Why are the shapes of organs in a human being as they are? Why are our legs longer than our arms?

Ardent proponents of evolutionary biology, however, may no longer have to fumble for answers to many such questions. A team of scientists from the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, affiliated to the New York University School of Medicine, recently proved that logic could explain some of these difficult questions. Led by Deborah Yelon, the scientists unravelled the factors governing the complex process of the formation of the heart, which is a simple tube in early development, growing into a four-chambered, intricate organ with a characteristic pear shape. The researchers published their study in the February 20 issue of PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology.

The heart, like many other organs, undergoes dramatic changes in its three-dimensional form as the embryo develops and functional demands intensify. Before it becomes a multi-chambered organ, it exists as a simple tube made up of myocardium (muscle) lined by endocardium (endothelium). As this thin-walled tube bulges outward, the chambers emerge and eventually acquire the characteristic dimensions of curvature and thickness.

In an article in Current Biology (September 2005), Sheffield University scientist David Strutt wrote that in order to control the shape and size of an organ, it is necessary that the dimensions be measured as the organ grows, and growth stops in each axis at the appropriate time.

But how this is achieved largely remains a mystery.

Developing organs acquire a specific three-dimensional form that ensures their normal functioning. The unique shape of the heart in higher-order animals, too, is critical for proper functioning. It is composed of a series of chambers that rhythmically drive blood circulation. Each of the chambers is designed for its optimal functional capacity. The organ, which commences beating from approximately 21 days of conception, is responsible for pumping blood via blood vessels through repeated, rhythmic contractions. In the process, it picks up carbon dioxide from the blood and drops it off in the lungs in exchange for oxygen which is in turn circulated through the blood.

Organs acquire their characteristic shapes not simply as a consequence of the accumulation of cells that profusely divide and multipl  Shape is also a physical process during which tissues are pressed, pulled and moved,  the scientists said.

In the experiments using transgenic (containing genes transferred from another species) zebra fish in which individual cardiac cells can be watched, Deborah Yelon, her student Heidi Auman and others demonstrated that cells change size and shape, enlarging and elongating to form bulges in the heart tube and eventually the chambers. The big question was whether the function of the heart — that is, blood flow — too influences cell shape.

Their studies using zebra fish   genetically modified so that each fish has a functional defect — helped them to find out that both blood flow and contraction of the cardiac tissues play a role in shaping cardiac cells. The unique tools the researchers used helped to clearly show that blood flow affects form. Further, they could define this at the cellular level.

The contribution of individual cell morphology to the overall shape was not previously shown, particularly in relation to the impact on chamber morphogenesis (formation and shape), said Deepak Srivastava, director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco.

“This is an important advance as although it has long been thought that blood flow does affect morphogenesis, the two have been difficult to isolate in a cause-and-effect manner,” Srivastava told KnowHow.

Moreover, the work is more rigorous and detailed than previous such exercises, he said.

However, Larry Taber, professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University, feels that the researchers are missing some key points. For example, he says, they talk about curvature (of the heart chambers) but never explicitly discuss looping, which causes the greatest changes during heart development. Looping, it may be mentioned, involves the bending and twisting of the heart tube to create asymmetry of the chambers as is required for optimal functioning.

There are a lot of misconceptions about looping among developmental biologists, including some propagated in this paper,  Taber, who has been studying heart formation in chicks for a couple of decades, told KnowHow.

He, however, said that the Skirball team’s conclusion that contraction and blood flow are important for chamber expansion seems plausible. He also said that cell shape changes can cause curvature changes as well. What he disagrees with is their implication that contraction and blood flow regulate looping.

The use of zebra fish with minor induced genetic defects helped the Skirball Institute scientists to show that slight abnormalities in cell morphology may lead to substantial changes in the shape and functioning of the cardiac chambers. This could probably explain aberrations observed in some types of heart disease.

Source:The Telegraph (Kolkata,India)

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