Tag: Blood Flow

All about Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of your blood against your artery walls. When you have your blood pressure checked the reading has two numbers; one on top and one on bottom.

The top number is your systolic pressure. This is the force of your blood in your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom number is your diastolic pressure. This is the force of your blood in your arteries when your heart relaxes in-between beats.

Normal blood pressure would be a reading of 120/80 or lower. High blood pressure would be a reading of 140/90 or higher. If you have high blood pressure you are at a greater risk of a stroke or heart and kidney disease.

Many things can cause high blood pressure including physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use, stress and your diet. These are only a few things. Certain medical conditions and medications can also cause high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can cause your body to have certain effects. For instance it can cause a stroke. The high pressure can cause a weakened blood vessel to break causing it to bleed into the brain; thus leaving you with a stroke.

High blood pressure can also sometimes cause your blood vessels in your eyes to bleed or burst. If this happens your vision will be blurred or impaired and might even result in blindness. Another reason it is best to keep control on your blood pressure.

Along with a stroke or kidney disease high blood pressure can also cause a heart attack. Your arteries are what bring blood carrying oxygen to your heart muscle. If your heart is not getting enough oxygen you will experience chest pain. If the blood flow is blocked as well you will experience a heart attack.

Congestive Heart Failure is very common among people with high blood pressure. This is a very serious condition where your heart cannot pump enough blood to supply the needs of your body. It is never too late to start taking control of your health starting with your blood pressure.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure, even children. It is more common for African Americans to develop it. Many Americans will develop high blood pressure as they age but that doesn’t mean it is healthy.

Obesity plays a role in high blood pressure. If you are over weight you are at a higher risk of having high blood pressure as well as a stroke or heart disease. Try to lose at least ten pounds and this will help lower your blood pressure significantly.

Eating a healthy diet is a great way to lower or control your blood pressure. Limit your intake of salt and sodium and introduce more fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet. Once you establish your healthy diet you will have less worry of developing high blood pressure.

You should always have your blood pressure checked at your regular doctor visits. If you have high blood pressure and are concerned you can easily monitor from home. If you do this you want to have your doctor look at your home monitoring device to help ensure it is effective and you are operating it correctly.

Keep track of your blood pressure readings so you can see what is helping and what isn’t. Sometimes regular lifestyle changes alone won’t help as much as they would combined with blood pressure medication. Your doctor will be able to tell you what the best option for your needs would be.

Impact Of Bad Chloesterol

In this article I will give you some ideas of the potential health risks and the impact of bad cholesterol on your body. I will also provide you with some easy, real world ideas of how to lower your levels and improve your health.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that forms your cell membranes as well as production of certain hormones and the creation of bile, so you do need cholesterol in your body.

But, many of us get too much cholesterol and the impact of bad cholesterol is really starting to show up in the case of higher instances of heart disease, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.

When too much cholesterol builds up in your arteries it is called plaque. This plaque buildup will then block blood flow. It is similar to what happens in the pipes in your home if you have hard water.

Over time you will get a buildup in the pipes and it can become so thick that the water either can’t flow or the flow is slowed down to almost nothing.

This clogging of the arteries deprives your vital organs, such as your brain and heart, of the blood it needs and the consequences can be life threatening – you can have a heart attack or a stroke.

Another problem with a high buildup of plaque is atherosclerosis which is a hardening of the arteries. If your arteries become too built up with plaque, the artery itself can become brittle and eventually burst which can lead to blood clots.

OK, now that you know how dangerous it can be to have too high of a cholesterol level, what can you do about it?

Well, this part is actually pretty easy. There are many things that can be done that will help you get your levels back into a normal balance.

The first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor to get suggestions. Many doctors will prescribe a prescription medication to help control your cholesterol levels.

But, if you don’t want to have to deal with all the side effects, not to mention the cost, of taking prescription drugs, ask your doctor what other things you can do.

In some cases your levels may be so high that you need to get them lowered as soon as you can so medication may be the best choice.

Other times, though, you may have levels that are only borderline or mildly elevated and if that is the case you may be able to make the needed changes with some simple lifestyle changes.

It really can be as simple as eating more lean protein, vegetables and fruit and cutting way back on any fast food and food that is high in fat.

Add some consistent exercise into the mix and you may just find that you are able to control your levels naturally, without having to add any prescription medications to your daily routine.

So, if you are concerned with the impact of bad cholesterol now is the time to act. After you have spoken with your doctor work with him to establish the best course of action for you and your needs.

What are Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatments

There a number of things one can do to avoid the worsening of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The first two has something to do with diet and these two are to eat only healthy food and to eat small meals throughout the day instead of large meals. The next one is to check the medicines you are taking because there are cases where the medication for another disorder can cause another disorder. The last one has something to do with outlook or the psychological make-up of the person concerned. Try to live a stress free life by avoiding conflict and emotional upsets. All these things one can do but since Irritable Bowel Syndrome is something that has no known cause, you can still suffer from it even if you do all the things mentioned earlier.

Once sure that you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it is time to examine the Irritable Bowel syndrome treatments available for you. There are already a number of over the counter drugs, Imodium or Loperamide being the most popular, but there are other treatments that you can consider especially if you are a woman.

For women with severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome and who does not respond to conventional therapy, there is Alosetron hydrochloride (Lotronex). The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved this treatment but even with this approval Lotronex users should be very careful because it can have side effects such as severe constipation or decreased blood flow to the colon. These side effects can be very serious so a doctor should be guiding the patient using the medication.

There is also the Tegaserod maleate (Zelnorm). Another one approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but this time around for the short-term treatment of women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome whose primary symptom is constipation. Zelnorm is taken for a standard 4 to 6 weeks. If the medication has taken effect already and the patient experiences a decrease in symptoms, the doctor may prescribe Zelnorm for an extended 4 to 6 weeks.

Again, these two treatments should be undergone under the watchful eye of your family doctor or a physician otherwise it can be a dangerous endeavor. Irritable Bowel Syndrome may be incurable for now but Irritable Bowel Syndrome treatments are present and there are many studies going on to improve these treatments so that one day hopefully and finally a cure maybe found.

Tips to Better Your Brain Performance

It may be true that as you get older, your memory also deteriorates. But this does not mean that if you are younger, your brain is not capable of memory deterioration. Aging is just one cause of memory loss, but there are other factors. Thus, if you want to prevent this, you may want to read these tips to a better your brain performance.

1) More Relaxation Period, Better Thinking

If you want to protect your recent memories, you should stay away from stress. Stress can trigger the release of cortisol, a neuro drug which can interfere with the brains performance, especially with handling recent memories. Furthermore, with chronic stress, the part of the brain which handles recent memories may even shrink. If you want to prevent this from happening, you should learn to relax a little and release the tension from your body. You should never let stress overwhelm you.

2) Refrain From Cigarette Smoking

Cigarettes affect the flow of blood in your veins. Because of this, there may be a chance of reduced blood flow to your brain; and reduced blood flow means reduced oxygen. With lesser oxygen to consume, the brain may not function well as expected, hence the memory may be prejudiced.

3) Stay Away from Brain Toxins

As you may know, illegal drugs may cause harm to your brains functioning. However, you should also know that prescription drugs, if misused, may also have the same toxic effect to your brain. Thus, you should always follow the prescription given to you be your doctor, and never self-medicate. This may affect your brains normal performance. Prolonged use of drugs may cause memory loss.

4) Eat Healthy

Your brain functions according to the nutrients that it receives from the food that you eat. Thus, if you are deprived of certain nutrients, then it may have an adverse effect on the functioning of your brain. You most certainly would not want this to happen. Thus, as prevention, you should eat a healthy and balanced diet so that you will absorb all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Also, you should stay away from junk foods.

5) Exercise Your Brain

Find ways to use and improve your thinking skills. Some mentalists propose techniques which are designed to improve mental skills. We all have the potential to possess a good functioning memory, thus it should be something that we can all improve. All we have to do is to find ways and try techniques that can effectively help us develop our potentials.

Most people believe that by engaging themselves into educational activities, they are improving their mental faculties. This is true, and you can try this even at home. Simple activities like crossword puzzles can exercise your brain. This may help your brain functioning to get better, if not, to prevent it from deteriorating easily.

6) Shield Your Brain

There is no point of improving the brain if you cannot protect it physically. You should always protect your head from injuries because trauma may affect the functioning of your brain. Even simple injuries should be avoided, because repeated minor injuries, if accumulated, may cause damage to your brain. Thus, you should try simple prevention, like putting helmets when bicycling, in order for you to avoid situations that may damage your brain functioning.

If you want to be able to think better, your brains health is the key. Thus, you should keep it as healthy as possible and avoid all those factors which may expose you to mental deterioration.