Archive for the ‘Circulatory System’ Category

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Metabolic Syndrome X
METABOLIC SYNDROME X

Since the 1940’s, scientists have made the connection between certain metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. In the 1980’s, the term metabolic syndrome was used to describe “a cluster of metabolic risk factors that come together in a single individual”. It has also come to be known as insulin resistance syndrome, metabolic syndrome X, or simple syndrome X.

There are five commonly described traits, three of which an individual must qualify under, before being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:

1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 40″ in men, 35″ in women.
2. Serum triglycerides (fats) of 150mg or above.
3. Lower levels of HDL, or good cholesterol (under 40mg in men, 50mg in women).
4. High blood pressure, 130/85 or higher.
5. Fasting blood glucose levels of 110mg or above.
The World Health Organization has slightly different criteria.

Metabolic syndrome is also associated with fat accumulation in the liver, resulting in inflammation. Long-term testosterone replacement therapy has been seen to greatly improve the condition of the liver.
The preferred primary treatment for metabolic syndrome is diet and exercise. In other words, get moving and eat an apple a day!

A “Mediterranean-style” diet seems to have positive effects. This exact diet can vary, but generally consists of consuming high amounts of fruits, vegetables, breads and other cereals, beans, nuts, seeds, with olive oil being the key monounsaturated fat source. Dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, red meats are kept to a minimum, eggs are only consumed up to 4x/week and wine is allowed in low to moderate amounts.

Prescribed exercise consists of 30-minute sessions, five times a week. Your doctor will be able to advise you how to begin, based on your current fitness level. Exercise brings down your blood pressure, stress levels, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels, even if no weight loss is achieved.

Q: What do you think of the criteria for diagnosing syndrome X? Have you tried the Mediterranean Diet?

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High Blood Pressure – Do You Know Your Numbers?

Monday, March 15th, 2010

blood pressure, high blood pressure, lifestyle, know your numbers

A lot of people are living with high blood pressure and don’t even know it. This could be because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms. However, if you know you’re overweight and aren’t leading an exemplary lifestyle, it might be a good idea to get your blood pressure checked.

Getting your blood pressure checked is the easiest thing to do and, if it turns out that you do have high blood pressure, again, it’s one of the easiest things to correct. Simple changes in lifestyle, and possibly prescription medications, can make all the difference in your numbers. And you should always know your numbers.

High blood pressure can come from a lot of different sources in life, two of which always seem to stand out; salt and stress.

Our daily diets seems to be the obvious offender that everyone thinks of first, and within the boundaries of diet, excess salt intake is always front and center.

Too much salt in your diet can not only lead to high blood pressure, but it also leads to muscle cramps, dizziness, or a disturbance in the balance of all four major electrolytes in your body; sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. When one is out of kilter, the rest suffer. And, since 1994, the evidence of an association between dietary salt intake and blood pressure has increased.

Today’s lifestyle seems to take stress as a given, but we absolutely shouldn’t and don’t need to. There are so many different ways we can reduce stress levels to ensure our blood pressure stays within normal limits.

The general medically accepted standard reading for normal blood pressure hasn’t changed much in the last decade; it is still 120/80. However, high blood pressure is different in women and men. Along with their diet, women also have to take into consideration different conditions specific to the female of the species:

• Are they still of childbearing age? Pregnancy has an effect on blood pressure.
• After 50, a woman’s risk of high blood pressure rises.
• Are they using oral contraceptives?
• Have they gone through menopause?

Talk with your health care professional about your blood pressure at your next appointment. Have your blood pressure checked and, if it’s too high, ask for guidance and the simple steps you can take to bring it back down.

The American Heart Association has put together a new program called
Life’s Simple 7; seven simple steps you need to start living your best life. Their website also offers a short HBP quiz that can help you test your knowledge of high blood pressure facts and myths.

Q: When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? Do you know your numbers? Have you changed your lifestyle recently because your blood pressure was too high? What steps did you take to change it?

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Best Nutritional Practices for Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation

Monday, February 8th, 2010

diet, brain, brain-healthy, brain-healthy foods, list of brain-healthy foods, brain-healthy diet, lifestyle, lifestyle changes, stroke, minerals, potassium, sources of potassium-rich foods, calcium, sources of calcium-rich foods, folate, fiber, soy, omega-3, sources of omega-3 rich foods, antioxidants, sources of antioxidant-rich foodsChanging your diet to include brain-healthy foods will give your body what it needs, along with lifestyle changes, for it’s best chance against a stroke. In this diet you must include minerals such as potassium, calcium and folate, and a good supply of antioxidants, fiber, soy, and omega-3.

Here’s a partial list of brain-healthy foods for you to choose from when constructing a brain-healthy diet:

Potassium: Sources of potassium-rich foods include apricots, avocados, bananas, lima beans, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, dates, and figs.

Calcium: Sources of calcium-rich foods include dairy foods, salmon (with bones), sardines, seafood, almonds, asparagus, blackstrap molasses, broccoli, and cabbage.

Antioxidants: Sources of antioxidant-rich foods include anything containing vitamins A (liver, fish liver oils, green and yellow fruits and vegetables), C (asparagus, avocados, black currants, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, citrus fruits), and E (cold-pressed vegetable oils, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds).

Omega-3: Sources of omega-3 rich foods include salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, flax, flaxseed oil, eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb, milk and cheese from grass-fed cows.

See the complete list of brain-healthy foods.

Q: How have you changed your diet lately? Are you including more antioxidants or omega-3 fatty acid? Why have you done this?

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Act F.A.S.T.

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Every minute counts for stroke victims and acting F.A.S.T. can get victims to the stroke treatments they desperately need in the short time you’ll have. The shorter a period of time that blood flow is restricted to the brain, the less damage will occur. The most effective stroke treatments are only available if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within the first three hours of the first symptoms.

Act F.A.S.T.

• Face – Ask the person to smile; does one side of the face droop?
• Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms; does one arm drift downward?
• Speech – Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence; are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?
• Time – If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important; call 911 or get to the hospital fast.

The Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program of the Massachusetts Department of Health, in partnership with the American Heart Association, has produced a really great 3 minute animated video entitled “Stroke Heroes Act Fast”. This is a wonderful learning tool, for children and adults alike, that teaches everyone how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

Q: How do you think your stroke recognition abilities rate? If you’ve used F.A.S.T., please share your story. Do you think this technique, along with other lifesaving techniques, should be taught in junior high and senior high schools?

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Stroke Symptoms For Women

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
stroke, strokes, stroke symptoms, symptoms, stroke symtpoms for womenIf you, or someone you are caring for, is predisposed, either through lifestyle or genetics, to having a stroke, make sure you add the following lists of symptoms to the way you would generally recognize the warning signs of a stroke, especially if you are looking after your mom, sister, aunt or a good friend that also happens to be a woman.

How does a stroke happen? When the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or cut off, a stroke occurs. Typically, before a major stroke occurs, “mini strokes” or TIA’s (transient ischemia attack) can occur. TIA’s are as medically serious as a major stroke and are useful to physicians in predicting if, rather than when, a major stroke will occur.

In addition to typically recognized and reported stroke symptoms, women have also reported experiencing these unique stroke symptoms:

  • Sudden face and limb pain.
  • Sudden hiccups.
  • Sudden nausea.
  • Sudden general weakness.
  • Sudden chest pain.
  • Sudden shortness of breath.
  • Sudden palpitations.

The following symptoms are also seen in men, but have a higher rate of showing up in women in a more serious fashion:

  • Seizures,
  • Fainting, and
  • Unconsciousness.

It is important to know and understand these warning signs as well. When women report these symptoms, over and above the typically recognized symptoms, sometimes the diagnosis of a stroke can be missed as these reported symptoms are generally linked to other health problems.

Stroke symptoms can come on fast, with little or no warning at all. If, during a conversation, someone begins to feel dizzy, slurs their words, has trouble with comprehension or answering your questions, the prudent thing to do would be to get medical assistance as soon as possible.

Our next blog post on strokes will cover a short, but useful, test you can conduct within seconds on someone you suspect is having a stroke.

Here’s the question: Would it be you, or your partner, that would be more likely to tell your doctor about suspected stroke symptoms? Why do you think women are more likely to talk to their doctor about suspected symptoms than men?

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