Archive for December, 2006

  • Niacin For Heart Health And Cholesterol

    Date: 2006.12.29 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    My friend Joe is one of those clever people. He works hard, has a lot of hobbies, a beautiful family, is resourceful and has a positive attitude. Joe had high cholesterol but brought his cholesterol down from 240 to 180.

    His secret? Here is his “recipe” for bringing his cholesterol down:

    Cholesterol Lowering Program (courtesy of Joe)

    Add 375 mg. of Niacin to your diet through foods or supplements Take 4-6 tablespoons of psyllium each day Add lecithin (Pieternel..dosage?) A multivitamin to compensate for the minerals and vitamins that bond to the toxins that the psyllium sweeps out. Monitor your cholesterol regularly and ask your doctor for the ratio about good and bad cholesterol.

    We need 15 mg. of niacin a day to keep our heart healthy (and gain other health benefits as well). The best way to do this is with the following niacin-rich foods: beef liver, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, carrots, cheese, corn flour, dandelion greens, dates, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, pork, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat germ, and whole wheat products.

    Herbs containing niacin are: Alfa alfa, burdock root, catnip, cayenne, chamomile, chickweed, eyebright, fennel seed, hops, licorice, mullein, nettle, oat straw, parsley, peppermint, raspberry leaf, red clover, rose hips, slippery elm and yellow dock. Research shows that 15 mg. of niacin improves mental functioning as well.

    Niacin is Vitamin B3, which is necessary for proper circulation, for the nervous system and the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It helps the digestive system, improves circulation, and can be helpful in mental illnesses. It also enhances the memory and plays a role in the synthesis of sex hormones. Being Careful A “niacin flush” may occur after the intake of niacin supplements. A rash may appear on the skin, usually lasting a few minutes, which is in most cases harmless. Dosages over 500 mg./day may cause liver damage if taken for a prolonged period of time. People with high blood pressure and ulcers should be closely supervised by a physician when taking niacin.

    A heart quote from J Krisnamurti: The moment you have in your heart this extra ordinairy thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstacy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.

    Warmly, Pieternel van Giersbergen.

    About the author:

    Pieternel has been an R.N for over 25 years. She develops natural products for preventive health and is an expert on natural health issues. Her site http://www.pieternel.com has over 120 articles about healing yourself and staying healthy.

    Written By: Pieternel Van Giersbergen

  • How Heart-Healthy is Alcohol?

    Date: 2006.12.24 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    Although past research suggests that drinking a glass or two of wine a day may have some heart benefits, new findings suggest that those studies were flawed.

    Risks Outweigh the Benefits

    There is some evidence that heavier drinking provides heart protection — alcoholics have relatively ‘clean’ arteries — but the other health risks of heavy drinking outweigh the benefits.

    Early observations in the 1970s and 1980s seemed to indicate a 20 to 25 percent reduction in heart disease risk linked to light drinking. However, the way those studies were carried out did not allow researchers to say with certainty that the findings could not be due to factors other than alcohol consumption.

    Diet, Exercise, Quit Smoking

    The British Heart Foundation responded to the new evidence by saying that their advice remained the same: “… the best way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to quit smoking if you smoke, increase levels of physical activity and eat a healthy balanced diet.”

    BBC News December 2, 2005

    Dr. Mercola’s Comment:Good advice from the British Heart Foundation, so long as your balanced diet is nutritionally sound.

    As I’ve said before about studies touting all the “benefits” of drinking red wine, I personally do not advocate it. There are many health experts that feel it is fine in moderation, but I am still not convinced.

    This is largely because I am convinced the alcohol itself is actually a neurotoxin, which means it can poison your brain. Additionally, it has the strong potential to seriously disrupt your delicate hormone balance. Plus, drinking two or more glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) may offset the benefit and increase your risk of certain cancers.

    You also need to be aware that consuming large amounts of wine will increase insulin levels and eventually have a negative impact on your health that way as well.

    If you absolutely insist on drinking red wine, check on the growing conditions of the grapes used and how the wine is made. And if you can, take a brisk walk to pick it up, as exercise is your real ticket to preventing heart disease.

    About the author:

    This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world’s #1 most visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a limited time only, you can take the FREE “Metabolic Type Test” to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this quick test!

    Written By: Dr. Joseph Mercola

  • Do You Want To Free Yourself Of Heart Diseases?

    Date: 2006.12.19 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    If the answer is yes, then follow the following steps to minimize the risk of heart attack:

    1. Take out time to relax and do proper exercises. Cardiovascular exercise is must for people who have already experienced heart attack. Exercise not only reduces the risk of heart attack, it also relives us of tiresome schedule by making us stress free.

    2. Be optimist. Never give yourself to despair. Ensure that living unhealthy and unhealthy thinking is one of the main causes of the heart disease. After nurturing positive hopes we will start feeling good about ourselves as well as relieved. You will find yourself on top of the world. Feel yourself enjoying everything.

    3. Take balanced diet, full of green leafy vegetables and pulses and drink 8 to 10 glasses of water everyday.

    4. Try to associate yourself more with the good habits that determine quality of life and improve lifestyle. Do not take the initiative fast. Slowly try to abstain yourself from bad habits. Healthy habits bring ecstasy, health and make life a pleasant experience.

    5. Quitting the worst habit smoking is an essential step to save yourself from the risk of heart attack. Smoking contains nicotine which fills laziness in us and makes us addicted to cigarette. By continuing smoking we are shortening our lifespan. Quitting smoking will help us to take physical fitness regimen. You can start with slow walking, deep breathing as well as cycling. Gradually you will get into habit of a proper exercising schedule.

    6. Every one has room for temptations. One must learn to control temptations and longings for bad habits. If once we learn the art of controlling cravings then we will surely ensure our healthy stay.

    7. Discover your own ways to enjoy yourself. Laugh whole heartedly. Laughter is an abundantly available medicine that increases the life span and moreover it is natural, free and does not have any side effect so why not to get it?

    8. Avoid eating fried and junk snacks and also the food that contains saturated fats. This food stuff increases the cholesterol level in blood. Higher cholesterol is again a symptom of heart attack. 9. In drinks try to avoid red wine, alcohol. These are detrimental to our health.

    10. Avoid spicy food. Eating healthy diet helps us to control our carbohydrates, fats and blood pressure.

    About the author:

    Tony Robinson is an ex-smoker, Webmaster and International Author. Visit http://www.quit-smoking-assist.com/ for his quit smoking tips.

    Written By: Tony Robinson

  • Heart Disease: Premature Cardiovascular Disease

    Date: 2006.12.14 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    Last researchers pointing that women who suffer during pregnancy certain complications could be more likely to develop a special kind of premature cardiovascular disease, according to these studies published, mothers with maternal placental syndrome have double risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a early state, and if we talk about maternal placental syndromes we could mention it syndromes such as; pre-aclampsia and high blood pressure for instance.

    In cases where pitifully the baby died or his growth was restricted, the odds will increase further, so the risk of developing a premature cardiovascular disease after a maternal placental syndrome is higher, this will very probably in the case where the fetus is adversely affected.

    A piece of advise for mothers in order to prevent, is measure their blood pressure to see if it is at a normal level, this could be 4 or 6 months after the birth, other cardiovascular disease risk factors could be obesity, raised cholesterol levels, smoking and insulin resistance. To say, the maternal placental syndrome should be considered as an additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

    The link between placenta problems in pregnancy and heart disease has been assessed by scientists in a recently study with more than 1.000.000.- healthy women, about 75.000.- were diagnosed with maternal placental syndrome, 7.5 %.

    The big problem is that there is a pandemic of obesity in our midst, whoever could think that we must ensure that women are a healthy weight before they enter their reproductive years.

    In conclusion, this article tell us about the importance to reduce our premature cardiovascular disease risks, and that may be done with preventive controls’ blood pressure for instance or with a healthy weight before, during and after pregnancy and controlling the other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but the most important in my personal opinion is to learn all aspects involving in pregnancy and maybe this article could be a little bit useful by someone in this beautiful process.

    About the author:

    Article written by Hector Milla, editor of http://www.heartdisease sympton.com where you can read about Heart Disease Symptom, or http://www.acnetreatment stips.com for acne treatment tips, you can rep

    Written By: Hector Milla

  • Free Program about Heart Health

    Date: 2006.12.09 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    When it comes to heart disease risk factors — like high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure — one plus one can equal three, five or even nine times higher risk! Adding risk factors can actually multiply your risk.

    You cant change some risk factors, like your age or family history. But you can change others, like high cholesterol. Thats good news.

    Heres more good news: The American Heart Association offers a free program called The Cholesterol Low Down that can help you learn about your risk for heart disease. The program urges you to do three things to help protect your heart:

    1) Visit your doctor.

    Even if you feel healthy, see your doctor regularly. Make an appointment to talk about heart disease risk.

    2) Know your cholesterol numbers.

    High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease. If you are over 20 years old, you need to know your cholesterol numbers.

    3) Know your other risk factors for heart disease.

    Many things can put you at risk for heart disease. Your risk is much higher when you have more than one risk factor. High cholesterol is one risk factor you should know; others are listed below. Make it a priority to take control of the ones you can change.

    * Cigarette smoking

    * Family history of heart disease

    * Diet high in fatty foods (like cheese and creams)

    * Age

    * High blood pressure

    * Diabetes

    * Excess weight

    * High triglycerides

    * Too much alcohol (more than one drink each day for women, and more than two drinks each day for men)

    Actress Valerie Harper (Rhoda) recently learned that she has high cholesterol, which, along with a family history of heart disease, increases her risk. Harper is working with her doctor to lower her cholesterol through diet, exercise and medication.

    Join The Cholesterol Low Down TODAY

    Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit americanheart.org/cld.

    As a member, youll get:

    * A checklist of questions to ask your doctor

    * An online risk calculator to determine your 10-year risk for heart disease

    * A brochure and newsletters to answer your questions about cholesterol and heart disease

    * A health book with tips for heart-smart living

    * A cookbook of heart-healthy recipes

    Courtesy of ARA Content

    About the author:

    Courtesy of ARA Content

    Written By: ARA

  • Can Flaxseed Cure Heart Diseases?

    Date: 2006.12.04 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

    One of the EFAs in flaxseed oil–alpha-linolenic acid–is known as an omega-3 fatty acid. Like the omega-3s found in fish, it appears to reduce the risk of heart disease and numerous other ailments.

    Flaxseed oil is an excellent source of omega-3s: Just 1 teaspoon contains about 2.5 grams, equivalent to more than twice the amount most Americans get through their diets. Flaxseeds also contain omega-6 fatty acids in the form of linoleic acid; omega-6s are the same healthy fats found in vegetable oils.

    According to the American Heart Association, about 62 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease, which can include high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (heart attack and chest pain), stroke, birth defects of the heart and blood vessels, and congestive heart failure, and close to a million die from such conditions every year.

    Heart disease is by far the #1 killer in the U. S., although 1/3 of those deaths could be prevented if people exercised more and followed better diets, the American Heart Association said in an annual report.

    Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than the next 7 causes of death combined – including cancer – the AHA report states. Overall, slightly more females than males have cardiovascular disease. Heart disease accounted for 40% of all deaths in the U. S. in 1999.

    Perhaps the greatest evil connected with the problem of heart disease is that certain powerful drug interests deliberately suppress the truth – these are the groups which stand to benefit the most from your illness from heart disease. There is nothing as profitable to a drug company as a patient who is forced to take some drug for the rest of his life – heart medications fit in that category.

    The truth is that although the odds of surviving bypass surgery have improved since the operation was introduced, bypass surgery kills anywhere from 2% to 4% of the patients on the operating table, and more within a few months. The truth is that even respectable medical journals are now carrying articles that say that life expectancy does not increase after bypass surgery.

    About the Author:

    Rich in essential fatty acids, flaxseed oil has earned a solid reputation for treating a range of ailments. Visit Our Dedicated Flaxseed site at http://www.smartreviewguide.com/flaxseed

    Written By: Jerry H.Hall