Posts Tagged ‘ultrasound’

• Treatment of Heart Disease with Coenzyme Q10

  Date: 2007.11.29 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  Since its discovery in the late 1950s Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has received much attention as a necessary compound for proper cellular function. It is the essential coenzyme necessary for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) upon which all cellular functions depend. Without ATP our bodies cannot function properly. Without CoQ10, ATP cannot function. This connection has made CoQ10 a very important object of study in relation to chronic disease. In many cases the presence of chronic disease is associated with inadequate levels of CoQ10. But no area of study has received more attention than the relation between CoQ10 and heart disease. That is because CoQ10 is believed to be of fundamental importance in cells with high metabolic demands such as cardiac cells. A further reason the connection of heart disease and CoQ10 has gained so much attention is because heart conditions of many kinds are associated with chronically low CoQ10 levels.

  CoQ10 is highly concentrated in heart muscle cells because of their high energy requirements. Add this to the fact that heart disease is the number one killer in developed and developing countries and one can see why the bulk of scientific research on CoQ10 has been concerned with heart disease. Specifically, studies on congestive heart failure have demonstrated a strong correlation between the severity of heart failure and the degree of CoQ10 deficiency. The lower the levels of CoQ10 in the heart muscles the more severe the heart failure. If indeed CoQ10 deficiency is a primary cause of congestive heart failure then, in such cases, the remedy is simple and cost effective; CoQ10 supplementation.

  Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart does not pump effectively resulting in an accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing when lying flat and leg or ankle swelling. Causes include chronic hypertension, cardiomyopathy (primary heart disease) and myocardial infarction (irreversible injury to heart muscles). Heart muscle strength is measure by the ejection fraction which is a measure of the fraction of blood pumped out of the heart with each beat. A low ejection fraction indicates a weak heart.

  Several trials have been conducted involving patients with enlarged weak heart muscles of unknown causes. For those of you who like difficult phrases this condition (or variety of conditions) is known as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. In these trials CoQ10 supplementation was compared to placebo effects. Standard treatments for heart failure were not discontinued. The results were measured by echocardiography (a diagnostic test which uses ultrasound waves to make images of the heart chambers, valves and surrounding structures). The overall results of CoQ10 supplementation demonstrated a steady and continued improvement in heart function as well as steady and continued reduction in patient symptoms including fatigue, chest pains, palpitations and breathing difficulty. Patients with more establish and long-term cases showed gradual improvement but did not gain normal heart function. Patients with newer cases of heart failure demonstrated much more rapid improvement often returning to normal heart function.

  Papers numbering in the hundreds from eight different symposia have been written and presented on the effects of CoQ10 on heart disease. International clinical studies have also been conducted in the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Together these studies and the papers that have been derived from them demonstrate significant improvement in heart muscle function while causing no adverse effects.

  One particular area of study involves diastolic dysfunction which is one of the earliest signs of myocardial failure. Diastole is the phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart is filled with returning blood. Because this phase requires more cellular energy than the systolic phase (when the blood is pushed out of the heart) it is more dependent on CoQ10. Diastolic dysfunction is a stiffening of the heart muscle which naturally restricts the hearts ability to pump. This condition is associated with many cardiac disorders. Hypertension is among these disorders. As the heart muscles become stiff there is often a corresponding rise in blood pressure. When the diastolic dysfunction is reversed, blood pressure tends to lower as well. In one study involving 109 patients with hypertension, CoQ10 supplementation was added to normal hypertension treatments. In an average of 4.4 months 51% of the patients were able stop using at least one blood pressure lowering medication. Some were able to stop using up to three medications. Another study produced similar results. In that study 43% of 424 patients were able to stop using between one and three cardiovascular drugs because of CoQ10 supplementation.

  These examples are just a drop in the bucket. Diastolic dysfunction (and by proxy, hypertension) includes only a small sampling of heart conditions that respond favorably to CoQ10 supplementation. Other areas of research show great promise for CoQ10 treatments. Among these are cancer and AIDS. But such conditions are beyond the scope of this essay. CoQ10 is essential to the proper functioning of all cell types. It is not surprising, therefore, to find a diverse number of diseases that respond favorably to CoQ10 supplementation. Since all metabolically active tissues are highly sensitive to CoQ10 deficiency, we can expect to see CoQ10 research expand to many other areas of chronic diseases.

  http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/coq10.html

  About the Author

  Greg has degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is currently an I.T. developer.

  Written By: Greg Post

• Baby Heartbeat Monitors Reviewed

  Date: 2007.06.17 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  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