Daily Pulse: Easy Way to Help Families in Need

On GiveLocally.net, you can read a family's story and help out in measurable, practical ways, such as paying an electric bill.

 

Scientists Name HIV Drug Top Breakthrough of 2011 [Fox News]
An antiretroviral drug that makes HIV carriers less infectious was named this year's most important scientific breakthrough by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Johnson & Johnson Recalls Motrin Caplets That May Work Slowly [Washington Post]
There is no safety concern with the batch of recalled drugs, but the company says they are slow to dissolve and may delay pain relief.
Are Lunchables Worth the Convenience? [Huffington Post]
Why the popular kids' lunch item is a health nightmare
The Ultimate Winter-Skin Tool Kit [FabFitFun]
November through January can wreak havoc on your skin. Here are 5 awesome products to keep you glowing all winter long.
 

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The Top 11 Holiday Stresses

The holidays are supposed to be a time of comfort and joy, but 90 percent of Americans report stressing over at least one aspect of the merry season. "For all the chatter about nostalgia, family fun and gift giving this time of year, many people don't like too much of a good thing," said Tod Marks, senior editor at Consumer Reports, in a holiday news story on ConsumerReports.org.
Here are the top 11 things that Americans dread about Christmas, according to a recent survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. While it's not so surprising that Americans get anxious over weight gain and long lines, we were a bit shocked that "being nice" made the list.

68 percent: Crowds and long lines (31 days of healthy, happy holidays)
37 percent: Gaining weight (graze the appetizer table without guilt)
37 percent: Getting into deb
28 percent: Gift shopping (shoppers may spend 19 hours lookihttp://www.prevention.com/ng for gifts)
25 percent: Traveling (the busiest travel day of the entire year is today!)
24 percent: Seeing certain relatives (what to do if your in-law is a diet outlaw)
23 percent: Seasonal music
19 percent: Disappointing gifts (check out holiday gifts that give back)
16 percent: Having to attend holiday parties or events (how the holidays hurt your sex drive)
15 percent: Having to be nice
12 percent: Holiday tipping
What do you stress about most during the holidays?

 http://www.prevention.com/

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The Anti-Aging Workout

New research shows that the most effective form of exercise for adults—especially middle-age adults—may be fast, short, and intense types of anaerobic exercise (as contrasted with low-intensity exercise like steady walking or bowling). That's because we may be able to unleash exercise-induced growth hormone with only 10 to 30 seconds of higher intensity interval training. Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland to help maintain tissues and organs, but levels start to decrease in middle age.

“The most powerful body-fat-cutting, muscle-toning, anti-aging substance known in science--growth hormone--is naturally produced by the body with this type of exercise,” says Greta Blackburn, CPT, author of the Immortality Edge and founder of a national series of boot camps called FITCAMPS.

Blackburn recently released Greta B's Figure 8 DVD, a 20-minute workout that includes just four minutes of intense exercise meant to get you out of breath to safely ease you into a high-intensity anaerobic exercise program. Blackburn acts as your personal, at-home trainer by guiding you through the short workout so you know when to increase your intensity and when to slow it down.

Whether your normal exercise routine includes walking, cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, or jogging; adding short intervals during your workout can increase your fat burn and trigger your body to produce more human growth hormone to help slow aging. Remember to talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program: You shouldn’t go all-out to start, but can gradually work your way to a faster pace as your fitness levels improve. 

What are your tricks for adding intervals into your exercise routine?

http://www.prevention.com/

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Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer

Doctor's Orders

How I fought my diagnosis

I was diagnosed with brain cancer about 16 years ago. I received chemotherapy and went into remission, but the cancer came back and I endured two surgeries and 13 months of chemotherapy. I asked my oncologist if I ought to change my diet to avoid another recurrence. His answer was perfectly stereotypical: "Eat what you like. It won't make much difference."
He was wrong.
The extensive research published in the last decade alone proves that what you eat can have a profound effect on your protection against cancer. But my doctor's answer was hardly surprising. It's a little-known fact that nutrition is barely taught in med schools, where the solution to most problems is a drug. And doctors don't trust patients to make lifestyle changes. I recall a conversation with a fellow physician at a conference after I spoke on the importance of a healthy diet in fighting disease. "You may be right, David, but people don't want to change," he said. "They just want to take a pill and forget about it." I don't know whether he's right, but after all the study I've done, I know it isn't true for me

Quest for Change

Discovering cancer-fighting foods

I spent months researching the healing powers of food before I fully grasped my own natural cancer-fighting potential. I met with a variety of researchers, scoured medical databases, and combed scientific publications. I traveled all over the world and consulted experts from nearly every continent.

In my quest, I discovered that the list of anticancer foods is actually quite long. Some foods block natural bodily processes such as inflammation that fuels cancer growth. Others force cancer cells to die through a process that specialists call apoptosis. Still other foods assist the body in detoxifying cancer-causing toxins or protecting against free radicals. But most of them attack the disease on a variety of fronts. And they do it every day, three times a day, without provoking any side effects. To avoid the disease, it's essential to take advantage of this natural protection, and nurture it.

I've learned that the anticancer diet is the exact opposite of the typical American meal: mostly colorful vegetables and legumes, plus unsaturated fats (olive, canola, or flaxseed oils), garlic, herbs, and spices. Meat and eggs are optional. Through extensive research, I devised a list of the most promising cancer fighters, along with recommendations on how to make the most of their potential. Include at least one, and preferably two, at every meal, to maximize your protection.

Anticancer Diet

Disease-proof your life

I've learned that the anticancer diet is the exact opposite of the typical American meal: mostly colorful vegetables and legumes, plus unsaturated fats (olive, canola, or flaxseed oils), garlic, herbs, and spices. Meat and eggs are optional. Through extensive research, I devised a list of the most promising cancer fighters, along with recommendations on how to make the most of their potential. Include at least one, and preferably two, at every meal, to maximize your protection. 

 

 

 

 

 

A Health-Boosting Beverage

Best drinks for bettering your body

Green tea is rich in compounds called polyphenols, including catechins (and particularly EGCG), which reduce the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. It's also a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier (activating enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins from the body), and it encourages cancer cell death. In the laboratory, it has even been shown to increase the effect of radiation on cancer cells.

Japanese green tea (sencha, gyokuro, matcha, etc.) contains more EGCG than common varieties of Chinese green tea, making it the most potent source on the market; look in Asian groceries and tea shops. Black and oolong teas, commonly used to produce popular tea blends such as Earl Grey, are less effective because they've been fermented, which destroys a large proportion of their polyphenols. Decaffeinated green teas, which retain the polyphenols despite the process of decaffeination, are also an option if you're sensitive to caffeine.

How to Drink It: Sip 2 to 3 cups a day within an hour of brewing. Green tea must be steeped for at least 5 to 8 minutes--ideally 10--to release its catechins, but it loses its beneficial polyphenols after an hour or two.

Pomegranate JuiceThis juice, which tastes like raspberries, has been used in Persian medicine for thousands of years. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well confirmed; studies show it can substantially reduce the development of even the most aggressive prostate cancers (among others). In addition, drinking it daily slows the spread of an established prostate cancer by more than 50%.

How to Drink It: Have 8 ounces daily with breakfast.

 

Two Tumor-Tackling Spices

Season liberally for anti-inflammatory benefits

Fresh ginger, or gingerroot, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that combats certain cancer cells and helps slow tumor growth. A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

How to Use It: Add grated fresh ginger to a vegetable stir-fry or fruit salad. Or, make an infusion by slicing a 1-inch piece of ginger and steeping it in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes; drink hot or cold.

TurmericFound in curry powder, this spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory available today. It encourages cancer cell death, inhibits tumor growth, and even enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Some research shows that turmeric is most effective in humans when it's mixed with black pepper and dissolved in oil (olive or canola, preferably). In store-bought curry mixes, turmeric represents only 20% of the total, so it's better to obtain ground turmeric directly from a spice shop.

How to Use It: Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with a teaspoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of ground black pepper and add to vegetables, soups, and salad dressings. Use a tablespoon if you already have cancer.

 

Vital Veggies

Stock a cancer-fighting shopping cart

Brussels sprouts, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower all contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols (I3Cs), two potent anticancer molecules. These molecules help the body detoxify certain carcinogenic substances and can help prevent precancerous cells from developing into malignant tumors. They also promote the suicide of cancer cells and block tumor growth.

How to Prepare Them: Cover and steam briefly or stir-fry rapidly with a little olive oil. Avoid boiling cabbage and broccoli, which destroys their cancer-fighting compounds.

Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Shallots, ChivesThe sulfur compounds found in this group (the alliaceous family) promote the death of colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancer cells. Epidemiological studies also suggest a lower risk of kidney and prostate cancer in people who consume the most garlic.

How to Eat Them: The active compounds in garlic are released when you crush the clove, and they're much more easily absorbed if they're combined with a small amount of oil. Sauté chopped garlic and onions in a little olive oil, mix with steamed or stir-fried vegetables, and toss with black pepper and turmeric. They can also be consumed raw, mixed in salads, or layered on sandwiches.

 

Proteins for a Better Prognosis

Sub out chicken and meat to prevent disease 

Compounds called isoflavones (including genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) prevent tumor growth and block the stimulation of cancer cells by sex hormones (such as estrogens and testosterone). There are significantly fewer breast cancer cases among Asian women who have eaten soy since adolescence, and when they do have breast cancer, their tumors are usually less aggressive with higher survival rates. Isoflavone supplements (in pill form) have been associated with an aggravation of certain breast cancers, but whole soy, eaten as food, has not.

How to Eat It: Replace conventional milk products with soy milk or soy yogurts for breakfast. Also, use tofu, tempeh, and miso in soups and stir-fries.

Fatty FishThe risk of several cancers is significantly lower in people who eat fish at least twice a week. Several studies discovered that the anti-inflammatory long-chain omega-3s found in fatty fish (or in high-quality purified fish-oil supplements) can help slow cancer cell growth in a large number of tumors (lung, breast, colon, prostate, kidney, etc.).

How to Eat It: Have a seafood-based meal two or three times a week. Choose small fish, such as anchovies, small mackerel, and sardines (including canned sardines, provided they are preserved in olive oil and not in sunflower oil, which is too rich in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats). Small fish contain fewer environmental toxins such as PCBs and mercury. Wild salmon is also a good source of omega-3 fats, and the level of contamination is still acceptable. Choose fresh over frozen whenever possible, because omega-3 content degrades over time.

 

 

Disease-Fighting Fruits

Fresh and frozen varieties provide year-round protection

Oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit contain anti-inflammatory compounds called flavonoids that stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver. Certain flavonoids in the skin of tangerines--tangeritin and nobiletin--can also help promote the death of brain cancer cells.
How to Eat It: Sprinkle grated citrus zest (from organic fruits) into salad dressings or breakfast cereals, or steep in tea or hot water. Eat whole fruits out of hand, toss with other fruits in a salad, or use in a salsa to season grilled fish.
BerriesStrawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries contain ellagic acid and a large number of polyphenols, which inhibit tumor growth. Two polyphenols found in berries, anthocyanidins and proantho­cyanidins, promote cancer cell death.
How to Eat Them: At breakfast, mix fruit with soy milk and multigrain cereals. (The best cereal options combine oats, bran, flaxseed, rye, barley, spelt, and so on.) Frozen berries are just as potent as fresh.

 

Cure It with Dessert

Enjoy antioxidant-rich dark chocolate

Chocolates containing over 70% cocoa provide a number of antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and many polyphenols. In fact, a square of dark chocolate contains twice as many as a glass of red wine and almost as many as a cup of green tea properly steeped. These molecules slow the growth of cancer cells and limit the blood vessels that feed them.

How to Eat It: Enjoy about one-fifth of a dark chocolate bar a day guilt free. Milk chocolate isn't a good alternative because dairy cancels out the cancer protection of the polyphenol compounds.

To date, there is no alternative approach that can cure cancer, and I believe that the best of conventional medicine--surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and soon, molecular genetics--must be used to treat this disease. But to neglect your own natural cancer-fighting capacity is folly. I've kept cancer at bay for 8 years now, and I attribute my survival largely to the changes I've made in my diet and lifestyle. I exercise and meditate more and eat wholesome anticancer foods on a daily basis. Still, the medical establishment is slow to embrace this approach. After my last screening at the university's cancer center, I stopped at the cafeteria and discovered eight different types of tea: Darjeeling, Earl Grey, chamomile, and several fruit-flavored herbal teas. Sadly, there was not a single packet of green tea in the lot.

 http://www.prevention.com

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20 Ways to Prevent Cancer

1. Filter your tap water

You’ll reduce your exposure to known or suspected carcinogens and hormone-disrupting chemicals. A new report from the President’s Cancer Panel on how to reduce exposure to carcinogens suggests that home-filtered tap water is a safer bet than bottled water, whose quality often is not higher—and in some cases is worse—than that of municipal sources, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group. (Consumer Reports’ top picks for faucet-mounted filters: Culligan, Pur Vertical, and the Brita OPFF-100.) Store water in stainless steel or glass to avoid chemical contaminants such as BPA that can leach from plastic bottles. 

2. Stop topping your gas tank

So say the EPA and the President’s Cancer Panel: Pumping one last squirt of gas into your car after the nozzle clicks off can spill fuel and foil the pump’s vapor recovery system, designed to keep toxic chemicals such as cancer-causing benzene out of the air, where they can come in contact with your skin or get into your lungs.

3. Marinate meat before grilling

Processed, charred, and well-done meats can contain cancer-causing heterocyclic amines, which form when meat is seared at high temperatures, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which get into food when it’s charcoal broiled. “The recommendation to cut down on grilled meat has really solid scientific evidence behind it,” says Cheryl Lyn Walker, PhD, a professor of carcinogenesis at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. If you do grill, add rosemary and thyme to your favorite marinade and soak meat for at least an hour before cooking. The antioxidant-rich spices can cut HCAs by as much as 87%, according to research at Kansas State University. 

4. Caffeinate every day

Java lovers who drank 5 or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 40% decreased risk of brain cancer, compared with people who drank the least, in a 2010 British study. A 5-cup-a-day coffee habit reduces risks of oral and throat cancer almost as much. Researchers credit the caffeine: Decaf had no comparable effect. But coffee was a more potent protector against these cancers than tea, which the British researchers said also offered protection against brain cancer. 

5. Water down your cancer risk

Drinking plenty of water and other liquids may reduce the risk of bladder cancer by diluting the concentration of cancer-causing agents in urine and helping to flush them through the bladder faster. Drink at least 8 cups of liquid a day, suggests the American Cancer Society. 

6. Load up on really green greens

Next time you’re choosing salad fixings, reach for the darkest varieties. The chlorophyll that gives them their color is loaded with magnesium, which some large studies have found lowers the risk of colon cancer in women. “Magnesium affects signaling in cells, and without the right amount, cells may do things like divide and replicate when they shouldn’t,” says Walker. Just 1/2 cup of cooked spinach provides 75 mg of magnesium, 20% of the daily value. 

7. Snack on Brazil nuts

They’re a stellar source of selenium, an antioxidant that lowers the risk of bladder cancer in women, according to research from Dartmouth Medical School. Other studies have found that people with high blood levels of selenium have lower rates of dying of lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Researchers think selenium not only protects cells from free radical damage but also may enhance immune function and suppress formation of blood vessels that nourish tumors.

8. Burn off your breast cancer risk

Moderate exercise such as brisk walking 2 hours a week cuts risk of breast cancer 18%. Regular workouts may lower your risks by helping you burn fat, which otherwise produces its own estrogen, a known contributor to breast cancer.

9. Skip the dry cleaner

A solvent known as perc (short for perchloroethylene) that’s used in traditional dry cleaning may cause liver and kidney cancers and leukemia, according to an EPA finding backed in early 2010 by the National Academies of Science. The main dangers are to workers who handle chemicals or treated clothes using older machines, although experts have not concluded that consumers are also at increased cancer risk. Less toxic alternatives: Hand-wash clothes with mild soap and air-dry them, spot cleaning if necessary with white vinegar. 

10. Ask your doc about breast density

Women whose mammograms have revealed breast density readings of 75% or more have a breast cancer risk 4 to 5 times higher than that of women with low density scores, according to recent research. One theory is that denser breasts result from higher levels of estrogen—making exercise particularly important (see #8). “Shrinking your body fat also changes growth factors, signaling proteins such as adipokines and hormones like insulin in ways that tend to turn off cancer-promoting processes in cells,” Walker says. 

11. Head off cell phone risks

Use your cell phone only for short calls or texts, or use a hands-free device that keeps the phone—and the radio frequency energy it emits—away from your head. The point is more to preempt any risk than to protect against a proven danger: Evidence that cell phones increase brain cancer risk is “neither consistent nor conclusive,” says the President’s Cancer Panel report. But a number of review studies suggest there’s a link.

12. Block skin cancer with color

Choosing your outdoor outfit wisely may help protect against skin cancer, say Spanish scientists. In their research, blue and red fabrics offered significantly better protection against the sun’s UV rays than white and yellow ones did. Don’t forget to put on a hat: Though melanoma can appear anywhere on the body, it’s more common in areas the sun hits, and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that people with melanomas on the scalp or neck die at almost twice the rate of people with the cancer on other areas of the body. 

13. Pick a doc with a past

Experience—lots of it—is critical when it comes to accurately reading mammograms. A study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that doctors with at least 25 years' experience were more accurate at interpreting images and less likely to give false positives. Ask about your radiologist's track record. If she is freshly minted or doesn't check a high volume of mammograms, get a second read from someone with more mileage. 

14. Eat clean foods

The President’s Cancer Panel recommends buying meat free of antibiotics and added hormones, which are suspected of causing endocrine problems, including cancer. The report also advises that you purchase produce grown without pesticides and wash conventionally grown food thoroughly to remove residues. (The foods with the most pesticides: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, and blueberries. See the full list of dirtiest fruits and vegetables here.) “At least 40 known carcinogens are found in pesticides and we should absolutely try to reduce exposure,” Sellers says. 

15. Read food labels for folic acid

The B vitamin, essential for women who may become or are pregnant to prevent birth defects, is a double-edged sword when it comes to cancer risk. Consuming too much of the synthetic form (not folate, found in leafy green veggies, orange juice, and other foods) has been linked to increased colon cancer risk, as well as higher lung cancer and prostate cancer risks. Rethink your multivitamin, especially if you eat a lot of cereal and fortified foods. A recent CDC study discovered that half of supplement users who took supplements with more than 400 mcg of folic acid exceeded 1,000 mcg per day of folic acid. Most supplements pack 400 mcg. Individual supplements (of vitamin D and calcium, for instance) may be a smarter choice for most women who aren’t thinking of having kids. 

 

16. Up your calcium intake

Milk's main claim to fame may also help protect you from colon cancer. Those who took calcium faithfully for 4 years had a 36% reduction in the development of new precancerous colon polyps 5 years after the study had ended, revealed Dartmouth Medical School researchers. (They tracked 822 people who took either 1,200 mg of calcium every day or a placebo.) Though the study was not on milk itself, you can get the same amount of calcium in three 8-ounce glasses of fat-free milk, along with an 8-ounce serving of yogurt or a 2- to 3-ounce serving of low-fat cheese daily.

 

17. Commit to whole grains

You know whole wheat is better for you than white bread. Here’s more proof why you should switch once and for all: If you eat a lot of things with a high glycemic load—a measurement of how quickly food raises your blood sugar—you may run a higher risk of colorectal cancer than women who eat low-glycemic-load foods, found a Harvard Medical School study involving 38,000 women. The problem eats are mostly white: white bread, pasta, potatoes, and sugary pastries. The low-glycemic-load stuff comes with fiber.

18. Pay attention to pain

If you’re experiencing a bloated belly, pelvic pain, and an urgent need to urinate, see your doctor. These symptoms may signal ovarian cancer, particularly if they're severe and frequent. Women and physicians often ignore these symptoms, and that's the very reason that this disease can be deadly. When caught early, before cancer has spread outside the ovary, the relative 5-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is a jaw-dropping 90 to 95%.

19. Avoid unnecessary scans

CT scans are a great diagnostic tool, but they deliver much more radiation than x-rays and may be overused, says Barton Kamen, MD, PhD, chief medical officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In fact, researchers suggest that one-third of CT scans could be unnecessary. High doses of radiation can trigger leukemia, so make sure scans are not repeated if you see multiple doctors, and ask if another test, such as an ultrasound or MRI, could substitute. 

20. Drop 10 pounds

Being overweight or obese accounts for 20% of all cancer deaths among women and 14% among men, notes the American Cancer Society. (You're overweight if your body mass index is between 25 and 29.9; you're obese if it's 30 or more. Click here to gauge your BMI.) Plus, losing excess pounds reduces the body's production of female hormones, which may protect against breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer. Even if you're not technically overweight, gaining just 10 pounds after the age of 30 increases your risk of developing breast, pancreatic, and cervical, among other cancers.

 http://www.prevention.com/20-ways-to-prevent-cancer/list/20.shtml

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Dysautonomia

What Is Dysautonomia?

In the 19th century there used to be a condition called neurasthenia. People would find themselves suddenly unable to function due to a host of inexplicable symptoms, often including fatigue, weakness, strange pains, dizziness and passing out. Doctors would not find anything to explain these symptoms, so they were attributed to a "weak nervous system," or neurasthenia. Women with neurasthenia (men were not given this diagnosis, by and large) were often confined to their beds, where they would either recover or eventually die. And while nobody knew what caused this condition, everyone -- doctors and laymen alike -- took it seriously. 

 

Most modern doctors who hear about this mysterious condition merely shake their heads in wonder. Few seem to consider the possibility that neurasthenia is still with us. Consequently they are less capable of recognizing the manifestations of this condition than were their old-time counterparts, and tend to be far less sympathetic to its victims.

Yesterday's Neurasthenia, Today's Dysautonomia

People who a century ago would have been called neurasthenics today are given a host of diagnoses. These include chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), vasovagal or neurocardiogenic syncope, panic attacks, anxiety, inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), or fibromyalgia. Sufferers of all these conditions tend to experience an imbalance, and most often a peculiar volatility, in the autonomic nervous system. We now call this dysautonomia. 

The Autonomic Nervous System And Dysautonomia

The autonomic nervous system controls the “unconscious” bodily functions, such as heart rate, digestion, and breathing patterns. It consists of two parts: the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system can best be thought of as controlling the “fight or flight” reactions of the body, producing the rapid heart rates, increased breathing, and increased blood flow to the muscles that are to escape danger or cope with stress. The parasympathetic system controls the “quiet” body functions, such as the digestive system. So: the sympathetic system gets us ready for action, while the parasympathetic system gets us ready for rest. Normally, the parasympathetic and sympathetic components of the autonomic nervous systems are in perfect balance, from moment to moment, depending on the body’s instantaneous needs. In people suffering from dysautonomia, the autonomic nervous system loses that balance, and at various times the parasympathetic or sympathetic systems inappropriately predominate. Symptoms can include frequent vague but disturbing aches and pains, faintness (or even actual fainting spells), fatigue and inertia, severe anxiety attacks, tachycardia, hypotension, poor exercise tolerance, gastrointestinal symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome, sweating, dizziness, blurred vision, numbness and tingling, and -- quite understandably -- anxiety and depression.

Sufferers of dysautonomia can experience all these symptoms or just a few of them. They can experience one cluster of symptoms at one time, and another set of symptoms at other times. The symptoms are often fleeting and unpredictable, but on the other hand they can be triggered by specific situations or actions. (Some people have symptoms with exertion, for instance, or when standing up, or after ingesting certain foods.) And since people with dysautonomia are usually normal in every other way, when the doctor does a physical exam he or she often finds no abnormalities. 

What Causes Dysautonomia?

Dysautonomia can be caused by many different things; there is not one single, universal cause. It seems clear that some patients inherit the propensity to develop the dysautonomia syndromes, since variations of dysautonomia often run in families. Viral illnesses can trigger a dysautonomia syndrome. So can exposure to chemicals. (Gulf War Syndrome is, in effect, dysautonomia: low blood pressure, tachycardia, fatigue and other symptoms that, government denials aside, appear to have been triggered by exposure to toxins.) Dysautonomia can result from various types of trauma, especially trauma to the head and chest. (It has been reported to occur after breast implant surgery.) Dysautonomias caused by viral infections, toxic exposures, or trauma often have a rather sudden onset. Chronic fatigue syndrome, for instance, most classically begins following a typical viral-like illness (sore throat, fever, muscle aches, etc.) but any of the dysautonomia syndromes can have a similar onset.

What Becomes Of People With Dysautonomia?

Fortunately, the prognosis appears far better than it was in the days when the disorder was called neurasthenia. This is likely because bed rest is no longer considered the treatment of choice. Most victims of dysautonomia eventually find that their symptoms either go away or abate to the point that they are able to lead nearly normal lives. Sometimes, in fact, the probability that things will ultimately improve on their own may be the only thing that keeps some of these individuals going. But even though the symptoms eventually improve in most cases, many people with dysautonomia experience symptoms that completely disrupt their lives, and the search for competent medical assistance in rendering their symptoms tolerable is too often a difficult one. So if you think you may have dysautonomia, you should learn as much as you can about the various forms of this condition, especially how the dysautonomias are evaluated and treated.
Tell us about your dysautonomia.The dysautonomia syndromes can be tough to diagnose, tough to treat, and tough to live with. If you have one of the dysautonomias, your experience might be very helpful to others. So tell us how you have coped.


http://heartdisease.about.com

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What To Do When Your CRP Is High

Now that you know your C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are high, there are two questions you should be asking. (Read here about when to have your CRP measured.) 

 

1) What are my other risk factors?

Elevated CRP levels are almost always associated with other risk factors for heart disease. These include smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, increased cholesterol, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. One thing you know for sure is that, whatever you thought your cardiac risk was before the CRP was measured, now it's higher. So, whatever you and your doctor do try to reduce the CRP itself, clearly you need to take aggressive measures to get rid of the other risk factors.
 

2) How can I reduce my CRP level?

Several ways of reducing CRP have been identified.
Non-pharmacological methods of reducing CRP include aerobic exercise, smoking cessation, weight loss and diet. In one study, healthy adults eating either a standard low saturated fat diet or the same diet plus plant sterols, soy protein, and nuts both had reductions in CRP levels. However, those on the plant sterol diet had a greater reduction. In another study that enrolled severely obese patients, reductions in CRP were achieved with either a fat restricted or carbohydrate restricted diet; however, the low-carb diet seemed to be more effective in reducing CRP
Drug therapy can also reduce CRP. Statins reduce CRP levels significantly (13 to 50%,) according to several clinical trials. Lipitor (atorvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin) have all been proven to bring down CRP levels, and have shown evidence of reducing cardiac risk through CRP (as opposed to cholesterol) reduction. And recently, the JUPITER trial showed definitively that in patients with high CRP levels but "normal" cholesterol levels, Crestor significantly and substantially reduced cardiovascular risk.
While aspirin does not reduce CRP levels, patients with elevated CRP levels gain more risk-reduction benefit from aspirin than those with normal CRP levels. So elevated CRP levels may tip the scales in favor of prophylactic aspirin therapy for some.

The bottom line

It remains unknown whether CRP itself increases risk, or whether it merely reflects the vascular injury and inflammation that results from other risk factors. So if your CRP levels are elevated, you should definitely attempt to reduce all your cardiac risk factors by exercising, not smoking, losing weight, watching your diet, and controlling your blood pressure. (Read more here about reducing your cardiac risk.) However, it now appears clear that the use of statin drugs can substantially reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in even healthy-appearing patients whose CRP levels are high. If you have high CRP levels, especially if you have one or more additional risk factors for heart disease, you should discuss the option of taking a statin drug with your doctor.
_Sources:
1. Cook NR, Buring JE, and Ridker PM. The effect of including C-reactive protein in cardiovascular risk prediction models for women. Ann Intern Med 2006; 145:21-29.
2. Lloyd-Jones DM, Liu K, Tian L, and Greenland P. Narrative review: Assessment of C-reactive protein in risk prediction for cardiovascular disease. Ann Intern Med 2006; 145:35-42.
3. Davey Smith G, Timpson N and Lawlor D. C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease risk: Still an unknown quantity? Ann Intern Med 2006; 145:70-72.
4. Ridker PM, Danielson E, Fonseca FA et al. Rosuvastatin to prevent vascular events in men and women with elevated C-reactive protein. New Engl J Med 2008; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0807646. Available at: http://www.nejm.org.

http://heartdisease.about.com/

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How to Prevent Heart Disease ???

Wouldn't you love to live for a hundred years? It really isn't hard if you stay heart-healthy. Here are some commonsense tips. 

 

Here's How:

1. You are what you eat! Eat nutritious, healthy food.
2. Choose foods low in saturated fat. Make sure you include servings of fruit, vegetables and whole grains which are rich in starch and fiber, but low in fat.
3. Cutting down on dietary cholesterol consumption can help bring down blood cholesterol. Egg white, and foods from plant sources do not have cholesterol.
4. Read food labels. Look for the amount of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and total calories per serving on the nutrition label.
5. Stress can be harmful by raising blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and making your heart beat faster. Relax, smile, don't get angry often.
6. Bring down high blood pressure. You can do this by minimizing risk factors, making lifestyle changes, or by taking medication if necessary.
7. Stop smoking. Stub out that cigarette butt - Now!
8. If you drink, do so in moderation. A limit of two drinks per day is good for your heart.
9. Fight the battle of the bulge! Obesity is bad. Stay slim and lean.
10. If you are overweight, try and lose the excess.
11. Don't try crash diets - instead opt for a slow, steady and sustained program to lose weight.
12. An active lifestyle is healthy. Exercise regularly.
13. Try and incorporate a higher activity level into daily activities like taking a walk, riding a bike to the supermarket, climbing stairs instead of using the elevator and playing sports like badminton and basketball.
    

Tips:

1. It's never too late to begin. Start right now!
2. Be consistent in your efforts. Exercise daily.
3. A little bit each day adds up to huge benefits. 

 http://heartdisease.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Prevent_Heart_Disease0962934256.htm

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High blood pressure (hypertension)

The heart is a pump designed to force blood through our body. Blood is pumped from the heart through the arteries out to our muscles and organs.
Pumps work by generating pressure. Put simply, too much pressure puts a strain on the arteries and on the heart itself. This can cause an artery to rupture or the heart to fail under the strain – in the worst case stopping altogether.
Blood pressure depends on a combination of two factors:

• how forcefully the heart pumps blood around the body
• how narrowed or relaxed your arteriesare.

Hypertension occurs when blood is forced through the arteries at an increased pressure.
Around 10 million people in the UK have high blood pressure – that's one in five of us.

What is normal blood pressure?

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers. An example of this could be 'the blood pressure is 120 over 80', which is written as '120/80mmHg'.

• The first figure is the systolic blood pressure – the maximum pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts (beats) and pushes blood out into the body.
• The second figure is the diastolic blood pressure. This is the minimum pressure in the arteries between beats when the heart relaxes to fill with blood.

Because the height of a mercury column is used in blood pressure gauges, standard blood pressure readings are always written as so many ‘millimetres of mercury’, which is abbreviated to ‘mmHg’.
The systolic pressure is always listed first, then the diastolic pressure. A typical normal blood pressure reading would be 120/80 mmHg.

What's classed as high?

There is a natural tendency for blood pressure to rise with age due to the reduced elasticity of the arterial system. Age is therefore one of the factors that needs to be taken into account in deciding whether a person's blood pressure is too high.
In general terms, people with a systolic blood pressure consistently above 140mmHg and/or a diastolic pressure over 85mmHg need treatment to lower their blood pressure.
People with slightly lower blood pressures (130 to140mmHg systolic or 80 to 85mmHg diastolic) may also need treatment if they have a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, eg stroke or angina (chest pains).

What are the symptoms?

One of the big problems with high blood pressure is that it hardly ever causes symptoms.
This means it may go unnoticed until it causes one of its later complications, such as a stroke or heart attack.
Despite the popularity of such ideas, nosebleeds and ruddy complexions are hardly ever caused by high blood pressure.
Severe hypertension can cause symptoms such as:

• headache
• sleepiness
• confusion
• coma.

What complications are caused by high blood pressure?

• Atherosclerosis: narrowing of the arteries.
• Stroke: haemorrhage or blood clot in the brain.
• Aneurysm: dangerous expansion of the main artery either in the chest or the abdomen, which becomes weakened and may rupture.
• Heart attack.
• Heart failure: reduced pumping ability.
• Kidney failure.
• Eye damage.

What causes hypertension?

For more than 95 per cent of people with high blood pressure, the cause is unknown. This is called 'primary' or 'essential hypertension'.
In the remaining 5 per cent or so, there is an underlying cause. This is called 'secondary hypertension'.
Some of the main causes for secondary hypertension are:

• chronic kidney diseases
• diseases in the arteries supplying the kidneys
• chronic alcohol abuse
• hormonal disturbances
• endocrine tumours.

What factors increase the risk of hypertension?

Anyone can suffer from high blood pressure, but certain factors can seriously aggravate hypertension and increase the risk of complications:

• a tendency in the family to suffer hypertension
• obesity
• smoking
• diabetes Type 1 or Type 2
• kidney diseases
• high alcohol intake
• excessive salt intake
• lack of exercise
• certain medicines, such as steroids.

What can I do?

Every adult near or past middle age should ‘know their numbers’ – ie your height, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
You should also have regular blood pressure tests if there is a family tendency for hypertension. This way, treatment can be started before any complications arise.
Change your lifestyle:

• stop smoking
• lose weight
• exercise regularly – as a minimum, 20 minute sessions, three times a week, sufficiently intense to induce some breathlessness
• cut down on alcohol – aiming for less than 21 units a week for men, 14 units a week for women
• eat a varied diet
• avoid all salt in food
• reduce stress by trying different relaxation techniques or by avoiding stressful situations.

These changes will lower blood pressure – to reduce your risk of developing the condition in the first place or to treat hypertension.
If your blood pressure requires medical treatment, you will probably have to take medicine on a regular basis.
If so, never stop taking it without consulting your GP, even if you feel fine. Hypertension can lead to serious complications if left untreated.

What can your doctor do?

• Pinpoint risk factors and help you change your lifestyle to reduce blood pressure.
• Offer medication for the reduction of blood pressure and arrange regular monitoring. Sometimes blood pressure control is not straightforward. Many people require more than one drug on a regular basis to get their blood pressure under good control.
• Your GP may wish to seek the advice of an expert in hypertension if your blood pressure seems particularly difficult to control.

What are the treatment targets?

Diabetes considerably increases the risk of cardiovascular disease if hypertension is also present, so the targets for blood pressure control in diabetes are tighter.
For people who don't have diabetes, the treatment goals for blood pressure for are:

• systolic pressure of less than 140mmHg
• diastolic pressure of less than 85mmHg.

For people with diabetes, the goals are:

• systolic pressure of less than 130mmHg
• diastolic pressure of less than 80mmHg.

Which medicines are used to treat hypertension?

• ACE inhibitors stop the production of a hormone called angiotensin II that makes the blood vessels narrow. As a result, the vessels expand, improving blood flow. Tension in the circulation is also lowered by the kidneys filtering more fluid from the blood vessels into urine. This also helps reduce blood pressure. If your blood pressure is not easily controlled on simple medication, your doctor will probably use a medicine of this type.
• Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists work in a similar way to ACE inhibitors. But instead of stopping the production of angiotensin II, they block its action. This allows the blood vessels to expand, improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure.
• Beta-blockers block the effect of the hormone adrenaline and the sympathetic nervous system on the body. This relaxes the heart so that it beats more slowly, lowering the blood pressure.
• Alpha-blockers cause the blood vessels to relax and widen. Combining them with beta-blockers has a greater effect on the resistance in the circulation.
• Calcium-channel blockers reduce muscle tension in the arteries, expanding them and creating more room for the blood flow. In addition, they slightly relax the heart muscle so it beats more slowly, reducing blood pressure.
• Diuretics help the body get rid of excess salt and fluids via the kidneys. In certain cases, they relax blood vessels, reducing the strain on your circulation.

The following medicines are used less frequently.

• Indapamide (eg Natrilix) is a mildly diuretic preparation that also relaxes the peripheral arteries.
• Hydralazine (eg Apresoline) relaxes the vascular walls in the peripheral arteries thereby reducing the blood pressure.
• Methyldopa (eg Aldomet) stimulates the alpha receptors in the brain that relax the blood vessels, causing the blood pressure to drop.
• Moxonidine (eg Physiotens) is another medicine that acts on receptors in the involuntary part of the brain, causing blood pressure to decrease.
• Minoxidil (Loniten) relaxes the small arteries so that blood pressure drops. It must be used in combination with other hypertension medicines.

Cholesterol

An important factor in determining the danger of high blood pressure is your cholesterol – a high cholesterol increases the sensitivity of the arteries to high blood pressure and makes them more likely to be damaged.
This means that when treating blood pressure, it's crucial to know what the cholesterol is – and if it is raised, to bring it down.
While diet, exercise, ideal weight and regular exercise are all important in reducing cholesterol, most people with high blood pressure and normal or high cholesterol also need a cholesterol lowering drug, such as a statin.

In the long term

By treating hypertension well, complications can be avoided and average life expectancy will remain almost normal.
Without treatment, life expectancy may well be reduced due to the risk of developing complications such as heart failure or stroke.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/hypertension.htm

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Diabetes overview

What is diabetes?

Diabetes affects 2.3 million people in the UK.

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar level is higher than normal.
There are two main types of diabetes.

• Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. It is usually seen in young people.
• Type 2 diabetes - usually non insulin-dependent diabetes. It tends to affect adults over 40 and overweight people.

There are also other types of diabetes.

• Pregnancy diabetes. This is known as gestational diabetes. It's associated with pregnancy and symptoms usually disappear after the birth. If you get gestational diabetes, you have an increased risk of developing one of the main types of diabetes later in life.
• Secondary diabetes. This is when diabetes is caused as the result of another condition, eg inflammation of the pancreas, or by the use of certain medication such as diuretics or steroids (the most common cause).

How common is diabetes?

There are currently 2.3 milion people with diabetes in the UK. However, it's estimated that more than half a million people have the condition but are unaware of it.
The last 30 years has seen a threefold increase in the number of cases of childhood diabetes. This is especially worrying in respect of the rising numbers of children and teenagers with type 2 diabetes, usually only seen in older people, and which reflects obesity levels in young people.
Obesity levels have also risen and this has led to Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to diet, being seen for the first time in young people in Europe and America.
But obesity doesn't explain the increase in the numbers of Type 1 diabetes in children, who make up the majority of new cases.

What causes diabetes?

 nsulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas gland in the abdomen. It controls the use of glucose within the body.
The blood sugar level will rise if:

• the pancreas produces little or no insulin (Type 1 diabetes)
• the pancreas produces insulin, but it's inadequate for the body’s needs and its effectiveness is reduced (Type 2 diabetes).

It's thought Type 2 diabetes is related to factors associated with a Western lifestyle, since it's most common in people who are overweight and who don't get enough exercise.
Gestational diabetes is brought about by the many hormone changes and demands placed upon the body during pregnancy.
Secondary diabetes is much like Type 2 diabetes. It's quite variable, depending on the underlying cause. It can be caused by damage to the pancreas (eg by alcohol), and drugs such as steroids and diuretics can impair insulin secretion from the pancreas.

Common symptoms of diabetes

Glucose is one of the body’s main fuels. If there isn't enough, blood sugar levels rise and glucose is secreted into urine. This causes:

• increased thirst
• frequent urination
• tiredness
• weight loss, although appetite often increases (especially in Type 1 diabetes)
• itchiness, especially around the genitals
• recurrent infections on the skin, eg boils.

People with Type 1 diabetes usually develop these symptoms within days or weeks.
In Type 2 diabetes, these symptoms often don't show for years. Many are diagnosed by chance through routine medical check-ups.
Heredity plays a part in diabetes, but only 10 per cent of people with Type 1 have a family history of diabetes. For Type 2, this rises to 30 per cent.

How is a diagnosis made?

Glucose levels are measured in blood samples. This is done using the following tests:

• random glucose test: glucose levels are taken at a random time on two occasions. Any figure above 11.1mmol/l is a diagnosis of diabetes
• fasting glucose test: the glucose level is measured after an overnight fast and on two different days. Above 7.0mmol/l is a diagnosis of diabetes.

You may only need to give one blood sample if you have other symptoms of diabetes.

Glucose tolerance test

If the diagnosis is still unclear from these tests, a glucose tolerance test can be carried out.
A glucose drink is given containing a standard amount of glucose (75g). Blood samples are taken before the drink is given and two hours later. The test is done after an overnight fast.

• A two-hour blood glucose level above 11.1mmol/l is a diagnosis of diabetes.
• A level below 7.8mmol/l is normal.

If the level falls between these values, it suggests a decreased tolerance for glucose.
This is known as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
Impaired glucose tolerance is more than just a pre-diabetic state.
People who have IGT are at increased risk of developing some of the conditions associated with diabetes, such as heart disease.
Pregnant women with IGT have an increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth

How is diabetes treated?

 Diabetes is treated in two ways: 

• a combination of healthy diet and exercise
• medication with tablets and/or insulin.

Insulin injections increase the amount of insulin in your body and bring down the blood sugar level. Insulin injections are used in Type 1 diabetes and in some cases of Type 2.
These can be given once a day as a long-acting insulin, or as shorter-acting injections given more frequently through the day, and can be used in combination with tablet treatment if necessary.
There are different types of oral medication for treating Type 2 diabetes:

• some increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas
• some increase the action of insulin in the body
• some delay the absorption of glucose from the digestive system
• some suppress a hormone called glucagon, which is secreted by the pancreas and stops insulin from working.

Treatment for diabetes depends on the individual.
It starts the first time you give yourself an insulin injection or take a diabetes tablet, and continues through eating a well-balanced diet and starting an exercise programme.
To help you get the most out of treatment, consult your GP or hospital healthcare team, which should include a diabetes nurse specialist.

Blood sugar levels

Monitoring blood sugar levels is an important aspect of treatment, especially in Type 1 diabetes where levels can change markedly.
This can be done easily at home with a small blood glucose meter.
Depending on the reading, you may need to adjust your diet, the amount you exercise or your insulin intake.

Managing diabetes

In the long term, diabetes is monitored through routine check-ups by your doctor and/or annual check-ups at the hospital on an outpatient basis.
Their purpose is to determine if treatment is satisfactory and to look out for any evidence of longer-term complications such as eye or kidney disease.
Tests for these complications are usually done at the annual check-up, while routine check-ups may be carried out every three to six months.

Routine check-ups

• Blood sample to check the level of HbA1c (a measure of long-term glucose) in the blood.
• Evaluation of home glucose readings.
• Discussion of diet.
• Blood pressure.
• Weight check.
• Other tests and examinations as determined by your doctor.

Annual check-ups

• Blood sample to check the amount of HbA1c in the blood.
• Blood sample to determine the amount of fats in the blood.
• Blood sample to check kidney function and various salts in the blood (mainly sodium and potassium).
• Blood pressure.
• Urine sample to determine the presence of protein (albuminuria). The appearance of protein can indicate that the small blood vessels (capillaries) in the kidneys are beginning to be affected by the diabetes.
• Foot examination, including a check of various pulse points on the foot to assess circulation, and a check for vibration sensation to determine if there's any neuropathy (nerve damage) to the foot.
• Weight check.
• Measuring the waistline.
• Discussion of exercise habits.
• Discussion of smoking habits.

Long-term prospects

Both types of diabetes have the risk of complications.

Acute complications

• Low glucose level, caused by treatment with insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs that increase insulin secretion from the pancreas.
• Diabetic acidosis, a life-threatening condition caused by the lack of insulin.

Late-stage diabetic complications

• Retinopathy (eye disease) that can cause blindness.
• Diabetic kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure.
• Diabetic neuropathy (nerve disease) that can cause foot ulcers and foot infections.
• Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), particularly in smokers and those with high blood pressure and abnormal fat levels in the blood.

Late-stage complications do not usually develop for 10 to 15 years with Type 1 diabetes.
In Type 2 diabetes, however, symptoms can appear close to the time of actual diagnosis because the disease may go undetected for longer.

Many studies now show that good glucose control can significantly reduce or even stop complications. This means keeping the blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.
Recent studies have also confirmed the need for people with diabetes to reduce their risk of atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in your arteries).
This is because if you have Type 2 diabetes, you have a four to five times greater risk of developing serious problems with your circulation that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
The main factors that increase your risk are:

• smoking
• high blood pressure
• raised levels of fats such as cholesterol in the blood.

By taking measures to address these issues, you will reduce your chance of developing complications such as heart disease.

 http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/heart/index.shtml

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Cholesterol facts

high level of cholesterol is one of the factors that can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, eg angina, heart disease and stroke. This is because high levels of cholesterol lead to fatty deposits that cause the arteries to narrow (atherosclerosis) and restrict blood flow to the heart. This is what causes cardiovascular disease.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is an important substance that's used by the body in many ways.
It's the starting point of manufacture for many of the body’s natural steroid hormones and for vitamin D, which controls calcium in the body.
It is also an essential component of the membrane that forms the walls of individual cells in all tissues.
Eighty per cent of the cholesterol we have is produced within our own body – mostly by the liver. It's then transported from the liver via the blood stream to other tissues.
Cholesterol travels through the blood in minute packages mixed with large molecules called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are themselves combinations of fats and proteins.
Fats such as cholesterol don't dissolve well in the blood stream, but become soluble when coated with lipoproteins.

What are lipoproteins?

Four main groups of lipoproteins exist, based mainly on their different sizes and density:

• high-density lipoproteins (HDL)
• low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
• very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL)
• chylomicrons.

Each group has a different function in the body.

How do they affect cardiovascular health?

• High-density lipoproteins (HDL) mop up excess cholesterol in the body and return it to the liver for re-processing. HDL is often called good cholesterol and raised levels give protection against heart disease.
• Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) transport cholesterol from the liver to be deposited elsewhere in the body. LDL is known as bad cholesterol because it deposits cholesterol in the lining of your arteries. The more LDL you have, the more likely you are to develop heart disease.

What affects levels of lipoproteins?

Men generally have higher levels of LDL compared to women.
This is probably because of the protective effect of oestrogen, one of the female hormones. Following the menopause, this difference disappears.
Exercise raises HDL levels, as does modest alcohol intake.

Why test cholesterol?

Every adult should have it measured at least once before they are far past middle age.
Cholesterol is easily measured in a blood sample. If high cholesterol runs in your family, it's better to measure cholesterol at a much younger age - some time in your 20s.
Cholesterol levels don't tend to fluctuate, so if you have a normal level it doesn't need to be repeated for many years.
If it's high, it may need quite frequent re-testing to gauge the effect of treatment.

What do the figures mean?

Total cholesterol

This is the single figure for your cholesterol level, which is all the subtypes combined.
The desirable upper limit of total cholesterol (TC) for people who have diabetes is 4mmol/l.
As with the other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, raised cholesterol is of more concern if there are other factors present:

• someone who has a TC of 6mmol/l, but is fit, is not overweight, has no family history of heart disease and doesn't have diabetes or smoke will have little or no benefit from lowering their cholesterol.
• someone with the same cholesterol level but who smokes, is overweight and has high blood pressure will reduce his cardiovascular risk quite a lot by getting his cholesterol down.

LDL cholesterol

People with diabetes who have an LDL cholesterol level of more than 2mmol/l should generally receive cholesterol-lowering drug treatment.

HDL cholesterol

The usual range of HDL levels is 0.5 to 1.6mmol/l.
Higher levels are good. Cholesterol experts often divide the total cholesterol (TC) by the HDL level to give a better judge of your risk level than the TC alone.

• When the HDL is greater than 1, this has the effect of lowering the TC/HDL ratio, lowering your risk.
• When the HDL is low, the TC/HDL ratio goes up and so does your risk.

How can I lower my cholesterol levels?

Most cholesterol in the body is produced in the liver. This means dieting only has a small effect on levels.
Even so, this amount is still helpful, especially as part of a healthier diet in general. Some cholesterol-lowering margarines may also be helpful.
A large proportion of the UK population will not achieve target cholesterol levels without extra help in the form of cholesterol-lowering drug treatment.

Cholesterol treatment and diabetes

The most common drug that is prescribed is a statin. Statins should be prescribed as primary prevention in all diabetic patients over 40 years old with a TC of more than 4mmol/l or and LDL-cholesterol of more than 2mmol/l.
Statins may be prescribed to younger diabetic patients if there are additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease or there is evidence of diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) or diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy).
All diabetic patients with a history of heart attack, stroke or cardivascular disease should be prescribed a statin to preven further attacks (secondary prevention).
Some people find they are intolerant of statins and experience side-effects, such as muscle pains, fatigue and nausea. If that occurs, there are a number of prescribable alternatives - such as ezetimibe or fibrate drugs, which may not cause these problems.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/heart/index.shtml

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Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer

Gambar Tentang Komputer Terdiri dari:

1.      18.000 vacum tubes

2.      Berat 30 ton

3.      Daya 140 kw

4.      Menggunakan sistem Decimal (bukan binary)

5.      Memiliki 20 accumulator untuk 10 digits

6.      Diprogram secara manual melalui sakelar

7.      Luas 15,000 square feet

8.      Kecepatan: 5,000 penambahan per detik

9.      Menggunakan sistem Decimal (bukan binary)

Penjelasan:

- Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer

- Eckert and Mauchly

- University of Pennsylvania

- Tabel Lintasan peluru

- Mulai dibuat 1943

- Selesai 1946

- Terlambat untuk digunakan dlm PD-II

- Dipakai sampai 1955

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