Posts Tagged Heart Disease
Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Posted by Adrian Fletcher in Health on March 8, 2009
You have a few options for lowering your cholesterol. Your doctor will no doubt go through them with you if your blood test indicates that you have high cholesterol. For instance, there are medications that your doctor may prescribe that are very effective in lowering cholesterol. However this is generally not the first option that will be suggested.
Many people are encouraged to take a more active approach to lowering their cholesterol. In the long run it is better for the body to naturally lower it’s cholesterol than rely on medicine to do the job. Taking a more active role in solving the problem requires improving your diet and getting the right amount of exercise. This is obviously a bit more work than slugging back a pill each day but it can also have other benefits to the body and general health that make it a worthwhile approach to follow.
Focus on obtaining information on cholesterol and the methods of naturally lowering cholesterol in your bloodstream. There are a number of good cookbooks available in bookstores which will provide details of foods that will help reduce cholesterol. Eating these types of foods is the natural way to bring down cholesterol and perhaps the most effective way to improve your health. These types of cookbooks will have many recipes of delicious foods that you will like and thus keep you on the track to better heart health.
You will be pleasantly surprised by the side effect of learning to prepare and enjoy heart healthy foods for naturally lowering cholesterol. You will no longer feel bloated or overstuffed from eating too much after a meal. Eating a healthy diet leaves you feeling healthy and satisfied after a meal. After you have changed your eating habits, you may occasionally be in a situation where you will eat some heavy, high cholesterol food. You will be surprised to find that you no longer like it!
Finding ways for naturally lowering cholesterol can be a family adventure. Even though you may find favorite foods on the “no-no” list, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go completely without them. Substitution is the key. Use light cream instead of heavy cream, skinless ground chicken instead of beef. All these little changes can make a big difference when you are preparing the foods your family loves.
Dieting is a wonderful method to use for naturally lowering cholesterol, but exercising just as important too. You don’t have to work out like a professional runner in a cross country race. Just include some basic exercise in your life everyday such as something easy like taking a stroll. Any kind of exercise can benefit you if you did not exercise before, but remember to check with your doctor first. Gradually build up the amount or intensity over time.
Once you start naturally lowering cholesterol, your appearance will improve and you’ll feel better if you incorporate a regimen of good exercise into your day to day life. Soon, you’ll be amazed at how you ever managed to cope without it and be champing at the bit to get that exercise fix. Exercise is fun and relaxing, and you should look for and choose a plan which includes activities that are appealing to you. Exercise can also reduce stress that is thought to contribute to many health problems.
Naturally lowering cholesterol involves taking control of your health on your own by ensuring that your body is provided with the best nourishment. It also means toning up your body to its full potential. Healthy diet and exercise benefits are not limited to just bringing down your cholesterol levels. You will also get an overall sense of well-being and you will feel less tired.
Pedernales Electric Chooses American Med Supply As AED Supplier
Posted by C Allyn Cutts in Health on February 18, 2009
Pedernales Electric Coop has announced that American Med Supply will be its supplier for automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). American Med Supply has won the contract to supply 82 defibrillators to the States largest electric coop. PEC will also be training more than 800 employees in CPR and defibrillators use.
Sudden cardiac arrest, or SCD, is the most common cause of death in the United States. Approximately 340,000 deaths occur from sudden cardiac arrest every year. Having automatic external defibrillators on site can literally mean the difference between life and death.
C Allyn Cutts, Vice President of American Med Supply, states, “It’s our mission to make sure anyone in America is within four minutes of a defibrillator. They save lives. It’s just that simple.”
Pedernales Electric Coop (http://www.pec.coop) has been in operation since 1938. It’s located in Texas and is member-owned. It provides electricity to about 227,000 members throughout nine districts, and is the largest electric cooperative in the US.
American Med Supply has offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida and is one of the nation’s leading providers of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), AED Batteries, AED Pads and AED Cabinets. American Med Supply supplies many of the largest cities and municipalities, gas & electric companies, police forces, government branches, the State Department, US Embassies, Fortune 1000, small businesses, as well as hundreds of YMCA’s, and school districts across the nation with their emergency medical equipment.
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Apnea and Dieting: How to Make Weight Loss Easier
Posted by Parker Millstone in Fitness on February 17, 2009
Struggling with weight loss can be frustrating, but it is miserable when youre also tired all the time. For people with apnea, there is a scientific connection between weight gain and sleep loss.
Yes, sleep is necessary for not only mental focus and physical stamina but is essential to regulate your weight!
If you find it practically impossible to stop gaining weight then you might have a hidden sleep problem, such as apnea that is harming your body’s hormone levels and causing your weight gain.
Sleep apnea related weight gain is all too common. It is estimated that 80 million Americans live with undiagnosed sleep apnea today.
Trying to lose weight without treating your apnea is a losing battle. Your body needs deep sleep night after night to regulate healthy functions, maintain your metabolism and to lose weight.
If you have apnea and are not regularly using CPAP, then you are almost certainly going to gain weight.
Here’s some things to understand about the connection between apnea and weight gain:
1. When your body feels tired it automatically craves fuel in the form of sugar, carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic index. In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people with the most severe cases of sleep disorders also had the highest intake of calories, protein, cholesterol and saturated fat.
2. In a report from the Quebec Family Study, people who regularly only get five to six hours of sleep per night are 35% more likely to gain up to 11-pounds of fat over six years compared to a person who sleeps between seven to eight hours per night.
3. It turns out that the best appetite suppressant is a good night’s sleep. Poor quality sleep causes levels of the hormone ghrelin to severely increase in your gastrointestinal tract. This hormone is in charge of making you feel hungry. You increase your levels of ghrelin every time you get a bad night’s sleep.
American Med Supply Deploys 82 AEDs To Pedernales Electric Coop
Posted by C Allyn Cutts in Health on February 2, 2009
Pedernales Electric Coop now has 82 automatic external defibrillator units in service, thanks to its supplier, American Med Supply. Pedernales Electric Coop will be training more than 800 employees in CPR and defibrillator use.
Automatic external defibrillators [AEDs] can greatly reduce the incidence of death from sudden cardiac arrest, also known as SCD. SCD is in fact the most common cause of death in the United States today.
More than 300,000 deaths occur from sudden heart arrest every year. That’s a larger number of people than those who die from AIDS, traffic accidents, breast or prostate cancer, or house fires combined. For every minute that goes by after a cardiac arrest, the victim’s survival decreases by 7 to 10% unless treatment happens. With automatic external defibrillators in reach, many more lives can be saved.
C Allyn Cutts, Vice President of American Med Supply said, “It’s our mission to make sure anyone in America is within four minutes of a defibrillator. They save lives. It’s just that simple.”
Pedernales Electric Coop (http://www.pec.coop) has been around since 1938. Located in Texas, it’s the largest electric cooperative in the US, with nine districts, and providing electricity to about 227,000 members statewide.
American Med Supply has offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida and is one of the nation’s leading providers of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), AED Batteries, AED Pads and AED Cabinets. American Med Supply supplies many of the largest cities and municipalities, gas & electric companies, police forces, government branches, the State Department, US Embassies, Fortune 1000, small businesses, as well as hundreds of YMCA’s, and school districts across the nation with their emergency medical equipment.
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Sleep Apnea Alert: Higher Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
Clinical research from the Mayo Clinic shows that sleep apnea increases your risk of sudden death by heart attack. While apnea has always been serious, this new research emphasizes how important it is to treat apnea.
In a study of about 11,000 adults, researchers found that sleep apnea was the second biggest risk factors for sudden death among heart disease patients. (The second trait was an age of 60 years or older.)
Sleep apnea, a relatively common condition, causes the oxygen levels in the blood to decrease. This, in turn, puts a strain on the heart while it tries to pump adequate amounts of oxygen to the brain and body.
Due to the dangerously decreased oxygen levels, the blood vessels alter in a way that may lead to heart disease in the patient. Sleep apnea is being considered a risk factor that ranks with smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
There is a common thread. If you dont get oxygen to the blood, the whole body and brain start to shut down. But with apnea, your throat closes down, suffocating yourself and starving your body of oxygen.
All the more reason to get the most widely prescribed form of sleep apnea treatment: CPAP (continuous positive air pressure). CPAP therapy not only can save your life ” it can eliminate daytime drowsiness, alleviate depression, even help you lose weight.
Medical research points to how important it is to regularly use CPAP therapy. However, for many patients the nightly use of a CPAP mask connected to a CPAP machine is not an easy habit to make. That is why the national compliance average is only 50%.
Luckily there are three time-proven strategies to increasing your CPAP compliance and therefore your chances of improved health and long life:
1. For best results, only use doctor recommended, quality CPAP equipment. Doctors recommend three manufacturers: ResMed, Fisher & Paykel, and Respironics. These brands are known to invest millions in R&D every year to ensure health and safety for the customer. There are risks associated with the lower quality manufacturers, in particular the ones from China. Before you waste your money or risk your life, ask your doctor about any brand other than the above three.
2. Choose wisely when selecting a CPAP supplier. Avoid the dubious websites that sell grey-market CPAP equipment. You might end-up with a refurbished CPAP machine that just looks like new, but doesnt have warranty coverage or isnt even sterilized. (Many used machines on the grey market are from patients in nursing homes who have passed away, possibly from pneumonia or other respiratory diseases.) Be safe and smart: use a CPAP supplier that is certified by the National Apnea Association and/or is a ResMed Preferred Internet Provider.
3. Get help! A certified CPAP coach will help you with any problems that arise with your CPAP equipment. Your coach will save you time and keep you on track by helping you with using, cleaning, and maintaining your CPAP. Many studies have shown that CPAP chronic care or coaching increases patients probability of success from the national average of only 50% to over 90%. Best of all, some CPAP websites offer coaching for free to their customers.
What To Do For Cholesterol And Triglycerides That Are To High
Posted by Adrian Fletcher in Health on January 18, 2009
Anyone who carries excess weight and has a raised level of cholesterol, will in all probability have an increased level of triglycerides at the same time. The association between cholesterol and triglycerides typically results from the foods that are being eaten and the way you choose to live your life.
The chemical triglyceride is the body’s way of storing excess fat from food for future use. There are a lot of things that can be done to reduce your cholesterol and triglycerides. The first step is to figure out if the foods you eat and the type of life you live influences your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
There are many information sources that could help answer your questions regarding what foods to consume for you to achieve healthier levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in your body. Learning as much as you can about different the foods that you eat can assist you making better food choices.
You should plan a menu that includes meals that will keep your cholesterol levels within healthy ranges and this will promote better heart health. It is necessary that you know which kinds of food can keep you healthy and the foods that you eat that can cause problems or place you at risk of heart disease.
Many people are uninformed of food items that result in elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. When you understand which food choices are problematic, you can switch them out with healthier substitutes. Try identifying the healthy foods that you enjoy eating that can be replaced for the unhealthy ones. Once you implement this strategy, you will start liking the healthy foods much better than the unhealthy foods that you have been eating. The reason is the result of the overall sense of feeling better that you get by eating the healthier foods.
Moderately exercising for a minimum of a half hour for five days out of each week will help to decrease your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Exercising is good for your body because you will feel renewed and full of energy. When you feel like you are worn out and groggy the majority of the time, just including a half hour of fast paced walking each day this could help you feel well. You will be surprised with how much energy you will have after you have exercised.
Two ways of the best ways through which you can lower your cholesterol and triglycerides levels are diet and exercise. Medications prescribed by your doctor can also bring down the cholesterol levels. However, the best solution that you can attempt is to maintain your health through making better food choices and staying with a diet plan dedicated to promoting good heart health. Making these changes to your lifestyle is not hard. Make small changes and continually build on your healthy living plan. You will benefit for the years to come with these simple changes.