Posts Tagged ‘diabetes’
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Depression after a Heart Attack
There are several factors can lead to depression after heart attack. The stress of being in the hospital, the fear of another heart attack, time away from work can all contribute to feeling depressed, helpless, down and despondent.
Do many people suffer depression after heart attack?
Not surprisingly, the answer to this question is yes. Recent studies show that as many as 65% of people who have a heart attack report feeling depressed, down and despondent. A general state of despair. Moreover, women, people who have been depressed before, and people who feel alone and without social or emotional support are at a higher risk for feeling depressed after a heart attack. Two new Canadian studies have shown that More than twice as many women than men tend to fall into chronic depression after suffering a heart attack and are more likely to lead lives of poorer quality following their treatments.
Being depressed can also make it harder for you to recover. However, depression can be treated.
Being told by doctors that you should take up exercise, adopt a new diet, stop smoking, etc. etc. etc. can certainly make you feel helpless, in fact, you will probably have good days and bad days following your release from hospital. However, most people start to feel better as time passes. People that are quickly able to get back to their usual routines normally notice a drop in anxiety faster than those that dont.
So what exactly is depression?
Depression, be it after a heart attack or not, is a medical illness, like diabetes or high blood pressure and not just somebody going crazy. This is important both for the sufferer and family members to understand. The symptoms of depression may include some or all of the following:
- Feeling sad or crying often
- Losing interest in daily activities that used to be fun
- Changes in appetite and weight
- Sleeping too much or having trouble sleeping
- Feeling agitated, cranky or sluggish
- Loss of energy
- Feeling very guilty or worthless
- Problems concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicideCan heart disease trigger depression or depression trigger heart disease?
Either of the above may be true, one thing seems clear. The two are often found hand in hand, therefore controlling one may help control the other.
According to The American Academy of Family Physicians research has shown that people who are depressed and have pre-existing cardiovascular disease have a 3.5 times greater risk of dying of a heart attack than patients with heart disease who are not depressed. In a recent study, depression was shown to be associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease in men and women. Depression was shown to increase mortality related to coronary heart disease in men but had no effect on mortality in women.
How can the risk of relapse be avoided?
The risk of relapses, be it of heart disease or depression, can be greatly reduced by living a healthy lifestyle, and your doctor will instruct you on this. However, some important lifestyle modifications are avoiding alcohol, illegal drugs, smoking, start a regular exercise program, eating a balanced diet, manage stress, join a club, meet new people or take courses in things that interest you, get enough rest and sleep.
About the Author
For more heart health related information visit www.AllAbout-Heart-Disease.com – a site that offers user-friendly articles, tips and advice for avoiding heart disease, getting the edge on risk factors and living your life to the full!
Written By: Nicholas Webb
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Baby Heartbeat Monitors Reviewed
Today, with advances in science and technology constantly creating smaller and cheaper electronic devices, acquiring a home use baby heartbeat monitor is cheaper and easier than you may think. For parents that want to listen to the developing fetus of their unborn child, use of a baby heartbeat monitor provides added peace of mind and valuable information that can actually prevent complications during pregnancy. A baby heartbeat monitor is a device which is used to hear any kind of irregularity in the development of the baby, so that it can be taken care of well in time. One can find many heartbeat monitors manufactured by various companies, but to get the desired results it is essential that one chooses the best baby heart beat monitor available.
Choosing the Best Baby Heartbeat Monitor
There are various forms of baby heartbeat monitoring devices available on the market, each having different features and attachments. The available options differ from each other considerably. Whether it’s a fetal Doppler baby heart monitor or an external electronic fetal baby monitor, a cosy fetal heart beat monitor or a BeBe Sound Prenatal Listener baby heartbeat monitor, each baby heartbeat monitor has some unique features which makes one model stand out over its competitors.
These advanced baby heartbeat monitors can let one hear the exact heart sounds of the little one growing inside the mother’s womb. The sound-only baby heartbeat monitor for analyzing the heartbeat of a unborn baby is designed for clinical and medical use as well as for domestic use by the parents. Some home models also have video so one can see the baby (although the image is generated using ultrasound and not crystal clear). The sex of the unborn child can be determined using a video prenatal baby monitor.
Monitoring the heartbeat of the unborn baby at regular intervals is often recommended to those mothers who have an uncomplicated and healthy pregnancy. However, to those who develop certain complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes, any kind of heart disease, vaginal or urinary infections or is expecting twins are strictly advised to have continuous electronic fetal monitoring in order to keep track of any serious problems on the part of the child or the mother. Thus, choosing the heartbeat monitor depends on many factors and it is essential that an unborn baby gets monitored according to the needs of the situation.
Comparing the Prices of Baby Heartbeat Monitors
Pricing a baby heartbeat monitor mainly depends on factors such as the brand name, features, attachments, and quality. Sometimes the accuracy of a particular heartbeat monitor also contributes towards determining its price.
Starting as low as $25 for the BeBe Sounds Prenatal Listener, the prices go as high as $150 or $200 for a fetal Doppler ultrasonic baby heart beat monitor. One can choose exactly that which suits his or her budget and choose the features and quality that one can afford. However, one can’t fix the price of the baby’s health. It is more then anything in the world – it’s priceless.
For all of the latest product reviews, news, and information about baby monitors and baby heartbeat monitors, visit: baby monitor.
About the author:
For all of the latest product reviews, news, and information about baby monitors and baby heartbeat monitors, visit http://www.BabyMonitorCenter.com.
Written By: Isaac Rubens
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Prevent Heart Disease
Copyright 2005 Mike Spencer
You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors. Granted that you cannot control every risk factor for heart disease such as family history but you can definitely do something about your behavior. Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease.
Major Risk Factors of Heart Disease
Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is a type of a lipid, a soft, fatlike substance that serves as a source of fuel. Excessive cholesterol can cause buildup of atherosclerotic plaque. Accumulation of plaque in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, is transported to sites throughout the body, where it’s used to repair cell membranes or to make hormones. LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of your arteries. HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” cholesterol, transports cholesterol to the liver, where it’s altered and removed from the body.
Blood Pressure
Normal blood pressure level is defined as less than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure and less than 85 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. The higher the blood pressure, the more likely it is to take a toll on the heart and on the brain. Blood pressure should be checked whether or not your levels are high. For normal, check once every two years. For high-normal, check once a year. If extremely high, you should get immediate care. Then get multiple measurements to know if a high level is sustained over time.
Diabetes
Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, is associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition.
Tips For Controlling Risk of Heart Disease
Stop Smoking
The effect of smoking on your lungs can cause almost every other medical condition.
Get Active
Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of the best way to prevent heart disease. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure preventing heart disease.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer to prevent heart disease. People who drink large amounts of alcohol (six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure.
Watch What You Eat
Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily to prevent heart disease.
Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.
Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol to stay away from heart disease.
About the Author
Mike Spencer has been helping people protect their health for many years. To find out how you can help protect your heart and prevent heart disease visit mikes site at: http://www.heart-healthy-diet.com
Written By: Mike Spencer
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High-dose statins lower heart attack risk
If you suffer from stable heart disease, a higher dose of the class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins might decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes for you, a new study shows.
The study, funded by Pfizer, and called Treating New Targets, or TNT, showed that the top dose of Atorvastatin calcium decreased the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with stable heart disease, compared to the lowest dose of the same drug.
“Atorvastatin calcium is a prescription medicine used with diet to lower cholesterol,” said Dr Graham Jackson, a British-based consultant cardiologist, who was in Kuala Lumpur last week. “Lowering cholesterol levels is a proven strategy in reducing the risk of heart attack and heart disease but it is not certain what the appropriate target for lowering cholesterol should be in individuals with known heart disease. This study helped determine that. The results could potentially change the standard of care for patients with CHD.”
The five-year Treating to New Targets Trial (TNT) involved 10,000 patients with established coronary heart disease and elevated LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels. The study assessed whether patients on high-dose Atorvastatin calcium who aggressively lowered their LDL-cholesterol levels to well below the current guidelines (100 mg/dL) would experience additional cardiovascular benefits compared to Atorvastatin calcium patients who maintained their LDL-cholesterol at recommended levels.
Patients who received 80 ma doses of Atorvastatin calcium had 22 per cent fewer cardiovascular events, including CHD death, non-fatal heart attacks, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and fatal or non-fatal strokes compared to patients who took 10 mg of Atorvastatin calcium. In addition, patients treated with high- dose Atorvastatin calcium had 25 per cent fewer fatal or non-fatal strokes compared to those treated with just 10 mg of Atorvastatin calcium.
Dr Sim Kui-Hian, head of both the department of Cardiology and the Clinical Research Centre at the Sarawak General Hospital, said that the average cholesterol levels of the Malaysian population have been increasing since 1961 and the majority of Malaysians with elevated cholesterol are not at their recommended goal levels.
“This is despite the fact that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Malaysia,” said Dr Sim.
“Everyone hates taking medicine,” he said. “But this drug is generally well tolerated. Adverse reactions usually have been mild and transient, with the most frequent adverse effects of atorvastatin being constipation, flatulence, dyspepsia and abdominal pain.”
“The mainstay of treatment; besides medication, is exercise, diet and maintaining a healthy body weight,” said Dr Sim. If patients are on a higher dosage of atorvastatin coupled with exercises, not smoking, maintaining correct blood pressure and controlling diabetes, coronary vascular diseases can be remarkably reduced by 80 per cent.
About the Author
www.medical-explorer.com
Written By: Anonymous
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Childhood Obesity: Your Kids And Heart Disease!
Shockingly, it is estimated that 22 million of the world’s children under 5 are overweight or obese and approximately one in four American children are overweight. The problem this presents is that these children are more susceptible to pediatric hypertension, type II diabetes, greater risk of heart disease, the extra burden of weight on joints, not to mention, the social effects with peers. The medical community has already indicated a surge in childhood diabetes and of the children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese.
Childhood obesity can be caused by a combination of many factors, but certainly two of the biggest contributors are lack of exercise and poor dietary habits.
Today’s youth spend several hours a day in front of televisions and computers. These activities, along with the lack of physical exercise programs at school, are not providing the energy the body requires to burn off calorie intake. Plus, energy levels continue to decline as additional weight is gained, inhibiting the desire to spend the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise (in addition to what the child may receive during school). The benefits to physical exercise are extremely important though as it will reduce the risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, along with reducing or maintaining body weight. Additional benefits include, building healthy muscles, bones and joints and improving depression and over all psychological well-being.
Dietary habits contribute to obesity as well and have changed greatly over time. Due to the busy lifestyles of two income households, the demand for quick and easy microwaveable food, fast food and snack foods have increased drastically. Also, many children are substituting soda and vending machine snacks for school lunches. Unfortunately, most of these types of foods are high in salt, sugar, fat or calories and have low nutrient content.
Bottom line, children look for role models. If they see the adults around them exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet, they will be more apt to do those things as well. Fun family activities could include a walk, a bike ride, playing at the playground and shooting hoops on the basketball court.
A final note, if your child is overweight, consult your doctor. Rare hormonal disorders and/or other medical conditions can be diagnosed with blood tests and medical exams.
About the author:
Ray Kelly is an Exercise Scientist with 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Find out more about symptoms of heart disease at Risk Factors for Heart Disease or http://www.free-online-health.com
Written By: Ray Kelly
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Free Program about Heart Health
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
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Diabetes and Your Heart
Diabetes is one condition that must be treated as soon as it is diagnosed, even though in its early stages it doesn’t hurt, or cause inconvenience, or create any worrisome symptoms. But ignoring it is a mistake, because the blood sugar imbalance we diabetics live with can cause a variety of complications, even leading to other serious health conditions.
One major cause for concern is adverse effects on our hearts. Our unstable blood sugar levels can cause poor circulation–a big step on the road to heart problems. Here are some things to watch for.
Hypertension
Diabetes often goes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure, or hypertension. In fact, your doctor will tell you that diabetics must work to get their blood pressure down even lower than other people. While a systolic pressure (the top number) of 140 might be acceptable for the general population, we diabetics should aim for 130 or lower. It’s all part of the battle against possible heart disease.
Blood fats
Cholesterol and tryglycerides, or blood fats, also need to be kept lower in diabetics. Lots of fruits and vegetables, fewer packaged or fried foods are your best bets for dietary blood fat control. Throw out that frying pan!
Blood sugar
Blood sugar levels need monitoring too, as consistently high levels damage blood vessels and can lead to cardiovascular difficulties.
Weight level
And of course you know it’s important to maintain a healthy weight. Why is that particularly important for us diabetics? First, if you are overweight your heart muscle needs to work harder to pump blood through your system. This weakens your blood vessels, which are then more susceptible to damage from fluctuating blood sugar levels. It’s a vicious cycle you don’t want to create.
Your heart is the main engine of your whole body, so you need to do everything possible to keep it in good shape. For the sake of a healthy heart, take control of your diabetes.
About the author:
Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit his website at http://www.thediabetesinfoplace.com for informative articles and resources, and sign up to receive Bob’s free weekly diabetic-friendly dessert recipe!
Written By: Bob Fleming
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We Are Not Immune: Women and Heart Attacks
Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America. Approximately 1 in 3 women die each year due to heart attack or stroke. Nearly twice as many women die of heart disease or stroke, than they do of any form of cancer, including breast cancer. Women are less likely than men to seek medical attention when having a heart attack. For this reason it is important to know the warning signs and symptoms and what to do in the event you feel you are having a heart attack.
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack:
Shortness of breath, often without any chest pain
Flu-like symptoms such as nausea, clamminess or cold sweats
Unexplained fatigue, weakness or dizziness
Pain in the chest, upper back, shoulders, neck, or jaw
Feelings of anxiety, loss of appetite, discomfort.
If you notice one or more of these warning signs, don’t wait more than a few minutes. Do not wait longer than 5 minutes. Call 911 right away!! If you are driving in your car at the time, it is imperative that you pull the car over as soon as possible. You could lose consciousness at any moment. If you have any available and you have no known allergies to aspirin, chew 1 regular tablet of aspirin while you wait for medical help to arrive.
Here are some tips on how you can avoid having a heart attack.
Quit smoking
Eat a healthy diet and cut back on foods high in saturated fats and sodium.
Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
Exercise regularly. This may sound difficult if you’re not one who exercises but start out slowly. A brisk walk 30 minutes a day can reduce your risk of a heart attack.
Lose weight if you are overweight.
Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.
A healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and eating right could help decrease your risk of heart disease and heart attack and increase your longevity.
About the author:
Harmoni-Ankle Inc is a created by 2 sisters with one common goal..targeting women. We feature articles relating to health,fitness,home remedies,weddings,holidays,recipes,pets,family vacations,household cleaning tricks,money saving ideas and more.
Written By: Harmoni-Ankle Inc
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Heart Disease Is More Than A Chest Pain
There are many reasons by which people can be affected by heart disease. By knowing these reasons one can start taking precaution before reaching such dire state. Reasons for having heart disease may be very common but the repercussions of the same are very bad for your health.
Age can be a major factor for you to suffer from heart disease. If statistics is anything to go by then it has come to notice that more than 83% of people who suffer from heart disease or any ailments relating to heart is either 65 or older. Being of male gender also causes heart problems as they are prone to die of heart attack in an early age. After menopause the women chances of having heart attacks increases but this is not the same with men.
Heredity plays a very important in determining your chances of having a heart problem. Children’s whose parents suffer from heart disease is more likely to be affected by this disease if proper care is not taken. The different races that are around this world among them African American suffers the most due to high blood pressure than Caucasians with higher risk of heart disease. As obesity also causes heart disease, major Americans suffer from it which causes the problem.
Smoking is not good for your health as it causes problems which can lead in a cardiac arrest. Passive smoking is also unhealthy as you are inhaling the fumes from the cigarette which are root cause of the problem. Cholesterol is also an important culprit in causing heart diseases as it gets affected with age, sex, heredity and your diet too.
Blood pressure and lack of physical activity also causes problems. High blood pressure leads to over loading of work to the heart which leads to thickening of heart and chance for stroke, heart attack and heart failure is expected. Stress, diabetes, alcohol are all part in causing the heart problems to you.
About the author:
Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on the some of reasons for having heart problems and how to avoid it .
Written By: Kevin Pederson
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How To Have A Healthy Heart
Keeping our hearts healthy is important, but how do we do it? Fortunately the answers to this are very clear. Being overweight, particularly if you carry the weight around your waist, puts unnecessary strain on the heart. To find out if you have a problem you need to know your height to weight ratio (WHR). To work this out measure round your waist in centimetres and divide it by your hip circumference. The measurements need to be in centimetres, so if your measuring tape is in inches, multiply each measurement by 2.5 before dividing one by the other. If the figure you end up with is greater than 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women then your fat distribution is likely to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Research has shown that many overweight people with angina, raised blood cholesterol and high blood pressure found their condition improved greatly, even after losing only some of their excess weight. Many of those who kept their weight off were able to reduce their medication or even stop it entirely.
Exercise is important for your heart too. If you take regular exercise, it will speed up your basal metabolic rate. This means that you will burn more calories, not only when you are exercising but for some time afterwards as well. People often imagine that they have to exercise hard to have an effect, but it’s enough just to take exercise that leaves you warm and breathing heavily, but still able to hold a conversation.
Did you know that each day most of us take between 3,000-4,000 steps? And that’s just not enough. Experts say that we should aim to take 10,000 steps to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Increasing to 10,000 steps a day will burn between 2,000 and 3,500 extra calories per week, which will result in achieving a vastly better health profile and longer lifespan. There are lots of ways you can increase the number of steps you take: get up to change the TV rather than using the remote; park further from the supermarket; take a walk around the local park or your garden/yard; walk rather than take the car on short journeys. Using a pedometer will help motivate you to clock up those extra steps.
Giving up smoking is likely to have a dramatic effect on your heart. Carbon monoxide produced when you smoke cigarettes attaches to red blood cells, so that in smokers up to half the blood can be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. No wonder many smokers are breathless! If you need help giving up smoking, try one of the books or CD’s by Allen Carr. He has helped thousands of people to give up.
And, if you don’t already, start flossing your teeth! This may seem bizarre in relation to the heart, but it has been shown that there is a link between gum disease and heart disease. The exact mechanism isn’t understood fully yet, but flossing your teeth and having regular dental checks is important for a healthy heart.
Finally, give and receive love. The scientific evidence isn’t there (yet) for how important this is for our hearts, but it has been established that people who have loving relationships also tend to have long and happy lives.
About the Author
Jane Thurnell-Read is an author and researcher on health, allergies and stress. Her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com is full of tips and information to help you be happier and healthier.
Written By: Jane Thurnell-Read
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