01 Jul

REDUCING YOUR RISK OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL – THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

Research clearly shows that the amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream and the proportions of the different types of lipoproteins have a definite impact on your future risk for development of coronary blockages. This evidence has been found in extensive studies of populations whose average cholesterol levels were compared with the incidence of coronary artery disease and in studies investigating whether the tendency for development of coronary artery disease could be influenced by lowering cholesterol.
In certain circumstances, the link between lipid levels and cardiovascular risk is dramatic. Because of genes inherited from their parents, some people lack certain parts of their cells which are vital to processing cholesterol and getting rid of LDL cholesterol. In this condition, called familial hypercholesterolemia, people have extremely high levels of cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol. This makes them very susceptible to the development of angina pectoris or heart attacks very early in their lives, even in their 20s.
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28 May

WHAT IS APOPLEXY?

When a blood vessel in the brain breaks so that bleeding occurs into or onto the brain, or when a blood vessel to the brain is suddenly blocked so as to produce paralysis and unconsciousness, the condition is commonly called apoplexy. When an apoplexy or stroke occurs, the first step is to put the person at rest, allowing him to lie flat on his side while unconscious in order to prevent the tongue from falling back and producing choking. After the first recovery from a stroke, certain parts of the body may be found to be paralyzed. As the person recovers, the blood vessels work their way through the clot, and a return of function to some of the paralyzed parts may occur. People who are unconscious for long periods of time are sometimes unable to drink or swallow. Fluids must then be put into the body according to the method suggested by the doctor. Feeding of such people may also be difficult. Proper attention should always be given to the skin to prevent bedsores, which includes a daily bath with soap and water, the use of powder, and the prevention of continuous contact of the skin at any one portion of the body with the bed-clothing, since continuous pressure of the body on any one portion of it where the bones are near the surface will break the skin and result in a bedsore or ulcer.
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17 Apr

HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

Saturated fat in all its forms is the single most potent dietary influence on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Whether it’s found in animal foods (as in meats and dairy products) or vegetable sources (as in coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter, and hydrogenated vegetable oils), consuming an excess of foods high in saturated fat can have disastrous effects on your serum cholesterol level.
Why? First of all, most foods high in saturated fat also contain cholesterol. But even if they don’t, saturated fats cause your liver to produce excessive cholesterol, which you don’t need. In addition, too much fat of any kind in your diet promotes obesity and excess body fat – which, in turn, raises your cholesterol level even higher. On average, each 10-pound weight gain is associated with an increase in serum cholesterol of approximately 5 mg/dl.
Some of what you eat won’t make much difference one way or the other (although that’s not a license to overdo it!). Refined starchy foods (like cornstarch, potato starch, and white rice), from which most or all of the cholesterol-lowering fiber has been removed, won’t raise cholesterol, but they won’t help to lower it either. The same is true for refined sugars. And despite recent claims, refined oils high in monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, won’t help to lower your serum cholesterol level either, unless they replace foods that are high in saturated fats and/or cholesterol. What’s more, refined oils and refined carbohydrates are nutritionally empty: They’ll add needless calories to your diet, but few, if any, essential nutrients.
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30 Jan

EFFECT OF VARIOUS RISK FACTORS OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE – THE ESSENCE OF UNDERSTANDING RISK FACTORS

It is all a matter of odds, and that is the essence of understanding risk factors and deciding your response to them in your life. Your decision revolves around the value you place on your health in relation to the risks that may compromise it in the future. Persons who value a long, healthy, and productive life place a high priority on increasing their chances of attaining those goals.  Like many games of
chance, it comes down to each individual plotting a strategy based on the odds (your risk factors) and the stakes. With coronary artery disease, the stakes are your health and your life span.
Most people, if asked to rank the importance of their health and life span, would place them at the top of their list. Yet, whether through laziness or lack of discipline, they take risks. Regardless of what the specific risks may be, it is useful to consider what might motivate persons to risk their well-being.
There are several fundamental reasons why people take risks. First, risk does not imply certainty, so you may believe or hope that the risky behavior will not actually affect you. Second, although health is a high priority, conflicting priorities certainly exist. Some risky activities may be rewarding in some other sense, such as seeming fun, glamorous, carefree, or sociable. Third, most people take their health for granted; they have only a dim idea of what it is actually like to be deprived of their health. Finally, the consequences of risk factors usually do not show up immediately; rather, they occur later in life, beyond the normal planning period of most young people. Understanding this “psychology” of risk factors is an important first step for you to deal with them constructively.
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EFFECT OF VARIOUS RISK FACTORS OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE – THE ESSENCE OF UNDERSTANDING RISK FACTORSIt is all a matter of odds, and that is the essence of understanding risk factors and deciding your response to them in your life. Your decision revolves around the value you place on your health in relation to the risks that may compromise it in the future. Persons who value a long, healthy, and productive life place a high priority on increasing their chances of attaining those goals.  Like many games ofchance, it comes down to each individual plotting a strategy based on the odds (your risk factors) and the stakes. With coronary artery disease, the stakes are your health and your life span.Most people, if asked to rank the importance of their health and life span, would place them at the top of their list. Yet, whether through laziness or lack of discipline, they take risks. Regardless of what the specific risks may be, it is useful to consider what might motivate persons to risk their well-being.There are several fundamental reasons why people take risks. First, risk does not imply certainty, so you may believe or hope that the risky behavior will not actually affect you. Second, although health is a high priority, conflicting priorities certainly exist. Some risky activities may be rewarding in some other sense, such as seeming fun, glamorous, carefree, or sociable. Third, most people take their health for granted; they have only a dim idea of what it is actually like to be deprived of their health. Finally, the consequences of risk factors usually do not show up immediately; rather, they occur later in life, beyond the normal planning period of most young people. Understanding this “psychology” of risk factors is an important first step for you to deal with them constructively.*222\252\8*

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