KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT HEART DISEASE

 What is heart disease?

 

 Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year. That's one in every four deaths in this country.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which can cause heart attack.. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart. Heart disease is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and rheumatic heart disease.
 

One reason some women aren't too concerned about heart disease is that they think it can be "cured" with surgery or medication. This is a myth. Heart disease is a lifelong condition—once you get it, you'll always have it. True, procedures such as bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention can help blood and oxygen flow to the heart more easily. But the arteries remain damaged, which means you are more likely to have a heart attack.

 Are you at risk?

Anyone, including children, can develop heart disease. It occurs when a substance called plaque builds up in your arteries. When this happens, your arteries can narrow over time, reducing blood flow to the heart.

Risks Factors You Can Control

·         Smoking

·         Eating an unhealthy diet

·         Not getting enough exercise

·                      ·         Having high cholesterol

·                      ·         High blood pressure or diabetes also can increase 

                  your risk for heart disease. 

Risks Factors You Can’t Control

·                       ·          Age The risk of heart disease increases for men after age 45 and for women after age 
                  55 (or after menopause).

·         Family history of early heart disease. Your risk increases if your father or a brother was diagnosed with heart disease before 55 years of age, or if your mother or a sister was diagnosed with heart disease before 65 years of age.

·         Preeclampsia (pre-e-KLAMP-se-ah). This condition can develop during pregnancy. The two main signs of preeclampsia are a rise in blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. Preeclampsia is linked to an increased lifetime risk of heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and high blood pressure.

 What are the signs and symptoms?

·         The symptoms vary depending on the type of heart disease. For many people, chest discomfort or a heart attack is the first sign.

·         Someone having a heart attack may experience several symptoms, including:

·         Chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t go away after a few minutes.

·         Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.

·         Weakness, light-headedness, nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), or a cold sweat.

·         Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder.

·         Shortness of breath.

If you think that you or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately

How is heart disease diagnosed?

Your doctor can perform several tests to diagnose heart disease, including chest X-rays, coronary angiograms, electrocardiograms (ECG or EKG), and exercise stress tests. Ask your doctor about what tests may be right for you.

Can it be prevented?

You can take several steps to reduce your risk for heart disease:

Don’t smoke. CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health Web site has information on quitting smoking.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco

Don’t smoke. CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health Web site has information on quitting smoking. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco

Maintain a healthy weight. CDC’s Healthy Weight Web site includes information and tools to help you lose weight. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/ index.html

Eat a healthy diet. Tips on reducing saturated fat in your diet are available on the Web site for CDC’s Division for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.  http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/fat/saturatedfat.html

Exercise regularly. Visit CDC’s Physical Activity Web site for more information on being active. http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity

Prevent or treat your other health conditions, especially high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

How is it treated?

If you have heart disease, lifestyle changes, like those just listed, can help lower your risk for complications. Your doctor also may prescribe medication to treat the disease. Talk with your doctor about the best ways to reduce your heart disease risk.

For More Information:

Learn more at the following Web sites.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/index.htm

American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org

CANCER RISK FALLS WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF VITAMIN D

Researchers suggest improving people's blood level of vitamin D could be an important tool for preventing cancer, after their study found that the risk of developing the disease rises as vitamin D levels fall.

In the journal PLOS One, researchers from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine report how they analyzed the link between vitamin D and cancer to determine what blood level of vitamin D was required to effectively reduce cancer risk.

The study included all invasive cancers, excluding skin cancer.

One of the authors, Cedric Garland, adjunct professor in the UCSD School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, says their study is the first to put numbers on this relationship, as he explains:
"We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined, which had been terra incognita until publication of this paper."

Vitamin D, which is produced by the body through exposure to sunshine, helps the body control calcium and phosphate levels. It was Prof. Garland and his late brother Frank who first linked low vitamin D with cancer in the 1980s. They found people who lived at higher latitudes and thus had less access to sunlight had lower levels of vitamin D and were more likely to develop bowel cancer.

Since then, further studies by the Garland brothers and others have found links between low vitamin D and other cancers, including cancers of the breast, lung and bladder.

Much debate about recommended level of vitamin D

The only accurate way to measure vitamin D in the body is to measure the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood. The kidneys convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D into the active form that helps control calcium and phosphate levels.

There has been much debate in recent years about what the recommended blood levels of vitamin D should be. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended a target of 20 ng/ml for bone health, which could be met in most healthy adults (aged 19-70), with the equivalent of 600 IU of vitamin D each day.

Since then, other groups have argued that the target level should be higher, at 50 ng/ml or more.
In the new study, Prof. Garland and colleagues wanted to find out what blood level of vitamin D effectively reduces cancer risk.

They took an approach that is not normally used. They used the results from two different types of study: one a clinical trial of 1,169 women and the other a prospective study of 1,135 women. For some of their analysis, they kept the two data sets separate and compared them, and in another part, they pooled the data to create a larger sample.

Vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml or higher tied to 67% lower cancer risk

The median blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the participants in the clinical trial was 30 ng/ml, and in the participants in the prospective study, it was 48 ng/ml.

The researchers found that the rate of cancer incidence in the clinical study group (that had the lower median vitamin D level) was higher than in the prospective study group. The figures were 1,020 cases per 100,000 person-years and 722 per 100,000 person-years, respectively.

They also found that cancer rates went down as 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels rose; women whose vitamin D level was 40 ng/ml or higher had a 67% lower risk of developing cancer than women whose vitamin D level was 20 ng/ml or lower.

The researchers did not say what the optimum intake level of vitamin D should be - or how it should be generated, whether by greater exposure to sunlight, dietary changes or supplements.

Prof. Garland says their findings simply show that it is possible to see reduced cancer risk when blood levels of vitamin D reach 40 ng/ml, and that higher than this, the risk drops even further. He and his colleagues conclude:
 "Primary prevention of cancer, rather than expanding early detection or improving treatment, will be essential to reversing the current upward trend of cancer incidence worldwide. This analysis suggests that improving vitamin D status is a key prevention tool."

Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone

Add Zing to Your Meals

Onions and garlic are your allies in the kitchen and in the bedroom. They help you make more and better sperm. Both raise levels of a hormone that triggers your body to make testosterone. And both have high levels of natural plant chemical called flavonoids, which safeguard your li'l swimmers against damage.

Pile on the Protein

Lean beef, chicken, fish, and eggs are some of your options. Tofu, nuts, and seeds have protein, too. Try to get about 5 to 6 ounces per day, although the ideal amount for you depends on your age, sex, and how active you are. When you don't eat enough of these foods, your body makes more of a substance that binds with testosterone, leaving you with less T available to do its job.

Go Fish

Fatty kinds like salmon, tuna, and mackerel are rich with vitamin D. It's a natural testosterone booster because it plays a crucial role in hormone production.

More Magnesium

This mineral blocks a protein from binding with testosterone. The result? More of the usable man-stuff floating around in your blood. Spinach is packed with magnesium. Almonds, cashews, and peanuts are good sources, too.

Order Oysters

There's a reason why these mollusks are known for being great for fertility. They have almost five times your recommended daily dose of zinc. This mineral helps your body make testosterone. You can also get it in beef and beans. And it's often added to breakfast cereal.
Bonus: Zinc boosts your immune system.

Pick Pomegranate

Start your day with a glass of this ancient seedy fruit's juice instead of OJ. It lowers levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, which helps raise levels of sex hormones including testosterone. And it can lower your blood pressure and put you in a better mood!

Diet Down

A Mediterranean-style diet can help keep your weight in check and protect you from insulin resistance, which is related to lower T levels. And when your testosterone is low, your fat levels go up, which can lead to your body not using insulin well. You can break this cycle.
Trade saturated fats for healthier ones such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts. Choose lean meats and whole grains. Eat lots of veggies and fruits.

Back Off the Beer

It takes only 5 days of regular drinking for your testosterone level to drop. Alcohol may throw off many parts of your body's hormone system. Heavy drinkers can have shrunken testes, thin chest and beard hair, and higher levels of the female hormone estrogen.

Use Glass, Not Plastic

Be careful about what you store your leftovers in. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical found in some plastics, cans, and other food packaging. It can mess with your hormone-making process. After 6 months, men who worked around BPA every day had lower testosterone levels than men who didn't.

Build Your Strength

Focus your workouts on your muscles. Hit the weight room at the gym, or get a trainer to help you with a routine on the exercise machines. Cardio has its benefits, but it doesn't boost your testosterone like strength training can.
Be careful to not overdo it. Too much exercise can take your T level in the other direction.

Get Enough ZZZs

Your body turns up the testosterone when you fall asleep. The levels peak when you start dreaming and stay there until you wake up. But daytime testosterone levels can drop up to 15% when you get only 5 hours of sleep. Aim for 7 or 8 hours every night, even if it means a shift in your schedule or a limit to your late-night plans.

What is testosterone? What does testosterone do?

Testosterone is, indeed the key male sex hormone - but what exactly does it do, and should men worry about their levels getting lower as they grow older? Use this page to learn all about this major androgen.

What is testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone, i.e. a chemical messenger, that is responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics, although females also produce testosterone, albeit usually in smaller amounts. 

A type of androgen, testosterone is produced mostly by the testes/testicles in cells called the Leydig cells.

Without adequate testosterone, men are infertile. This is because the process of spermatogenesis (development of mature sperm) requires testosterone to develop germ cells beyond the stage of meiosis (reproductive cell division)

In men, testosterone is thought to regulate a number of functions in addition to sperm production:¹

Most testosterone is produced in the testes.

• Sex drive
• Bone mass
• Fat distribution
• Muscle size and strength
• Red blood cell production.

How lower testosterone levels affect men as they age

The effects of gradually lowering testosterone levels as men grow older have received increasing attention in recent years, leading to a term known as late-onset hypogonadism.

After the age of 40, the concentration of circulating testosterone falls by about 1.6% every year in most men, decreasing to a level in many men aged over 60 years that would lead to a diagnosis of hypogonadism in younger men.

Low serum testosterone levels have even been associated with increased mortality in male veterans, and late-onset hypogonadism has become an increasingly recognized medical condition, although many of the symptoms are associated with normal aging.

The following symptoms of late-onset hypogonadism - many of which are familiar as a part of aging - are attributed to low testosterone levels:

• Decreased desire for sex (libido)
• Diminished erectile quality, particularly for nighttime erections
• Changes in mood
• Reduced intellectual and cognitive function
• Fatigue, depression and anger
• Decrease in muscle mass and strength
• Decreased body hair
• Skin alterations
• Decreased bone mass/mineral density
• Increase in abdominal fat mass.

Testosterone and obesity

Testosterone has been implicated in obesity and metabolic risk factors - declining levels of the hormone are typically accompanied by an increase in body mass index and waist circumference. Researchers have also found links between low testosterone, cardiovascular risk and insulin resistance.


 Testosterone has, therefore, been suggested as a treatment option for men who are obese. However, obesity itself can affect testosterone levels, meaning that separating out cause and effect is practically impossible and declining testosterone may be part of a complex downward cycle.

Researchers suggest that lifestyle and dietary modifications are more appropriate than testosterone supplementation for people who are obese and who want to reduce body weight. Such modifications, in addition to standard interventions for metabolic disorders, can normalize moderately reduced testosterone levels in men.

Testosterone and smoking

Cigarette smoking has been linked to elevated levels of estrone and estradiol, as well as elevated levels of testosterone in men - higher levels of testosterone in smokers do not appear to have beneficial effects on reproductive capacity as smokers also have compromised sperm production.

A recent study looking at young Danish military recruits (aged 18-28) found that those who regularly smoked marijuana (more than once a week) had higher levels of testosterone (similar to the elevated testosterone seen in cigarette smokers).

However, regular marijuana smokers also had 28% lower sperm concentrations, and 29% lower total sperm count, while those who regularly combined marijuana with other recreational drugs had a 52% lower sperm concentration and 55% lower total sperm count.

A Visual Guide to Deep Vein Thrombosis

What Is DVT?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms inside a vein, usually deep within your leg. About half a million Americans every year get one, and up to 100,000 die because of it. The danger is that part of the clot can break off and travel through your bloodstream. It could get stuck in your lungs and block blood flow, causing organ damage or death.

 

Symptoms

 Notice how the leg on the left here is swollen below the knee. That's a common symptom of DVT. So are redness and tenderness or pain in the area of the clot. But you won't always have these. Unfortunately, about half of people with DVT get no warning signs.

 

Pulmonary Embolism

This is a clot that moves into your lungs and blocks the blood supply. It can cause trouble breathing, low blood pressure, fainting, a faster heart rate, chest pain, and coughing up blood. If you have any of these, call 911 and get medical care right away.

What Causes DVT?

Anything that damages the inner lining of a vein may cause DVT -- surgery, an injury, or your immune system. If your blood is thick or flows slowly, it's more likely to form a clot, especially in a vein that's already damaged. People who have certain genetic disorders or more estrogen in their system are more at risk for blood clots, too.

Who Is Likely to Get DVT?

Some people with a higher risk are those who:

• Have cancer
• Have had surgery
• Are on extended bed rest
• Are older
• Smoke
• Are overweight or obese
• Sit for long times, like on a long airplane flight

Pregnancy

Women are more likely to develop DVT during pregnancy and the 4 to 6 weeks after giving birth. That's when they have higher levels of estrogen, which may make blood clot more easily. The pressure of their expanding uterus can slow blood flow in the veins as well. Certain blood disorders can boost their risk even more.

Hormone Therapy

Like pregnancy, birth control pills and some treatments for postmenopausal symptoms raise the amount of estrogen in a woman's blood. That can increase her risk of DVT, even if she doesn't have a blood disorder.

Trapped in Your Seat

Traveling to new and faraway places can be exciting! Squishing into a coach seat for a long international flight is not. Studies show long-distance travel, a trip that lasts more than 4 hours, doubles the risk of developing DVT. It doesn't matter if you go by air, bus, train, or car. When you're in a cramped seat and don't move around, your blood flow slows.

Get a Diagnosis

Your doctor will check you for signs of DVT. He may also ask about your medical history, medications you're taking, medical problems of close relatives, and things that put you at risk. An ultrasound is the most common way to confirm a diagnosis. It uses sound waves to "see" the blood flow and reveal a clot. You might also need other tests, such as a blood test called a d-dimer.

Blood Thinners

Drugs called anticoagulants are the most common way to treat DVT. Although they're known as blood thinners, they don't really thin your blood. They make it less "sticky" to prevent new blood clots from forming. They can't break up a clot you already have, but they will give your body time to dissolve it on its own. You take these medications in a pill or by needle.

Side Effects of Blood Thinners

People who take these may get bruises often or bleed more easily. When you take certain ones, you'll need to watch what you eat. And you'll need to go to a lab regularly to get your blood checked to make sure you've got the right amount of the drug in your body. You don't have to do that for newer medications, but they make it harder to stop bleeding if you have an accident.
Let your doctor know if you bleed a lot from minor injuries.

Internal Bleeding

Blood thinners can also make it easier to bleed inside your body, where you can't see it. Bleeding in your belly can cause pain, vomit that's red or looks like coffee grounds, and bright red or black stools. Bleeding in your brain can cause severe headaches, vision changes, unnatural movements, and confusion. Call 911 and go to the emergency room if you notice any of these symptoms.

Clot Busters

Medications that dissolve blood clots are called thrombolytics. They can cause sudden, severe bleeding, so doctors use them only in emergencies -- to dissolve a life-threatening blood clot in your lung, for example. You get thrombolytics by IV in a hospital.

Compression Stockings

These special socks put gentle pressure on your legs to keep your blood moving. They can help prevent clots from forming as well as reduce swelling and relieve discomfort in a leg where a clot has already formed. You can get compression stockings over the counter, but your doctor will need to write a prescription for ones with more pressure. Wear them even at home.

Keep Your Feet Up

When you can, sit with your feet resting off the floor to raise your legs. You'll make it easier for the blood in your veins to flow up toward your heart. This can lessen the swelling and discomfort in the leg with DVT.

Long-Term Effects

Once a blood clot is gone, DVT sometimes leaves behind an unpleasant reminder. You may see long-term swelling or changes in skin color where the clot was. Or it could hurt. These symptoms, known as post-thrombotic syndrome, sometimes show up as much as a year after the clot.

Exercise

Use your muscles to promote blood flow. Work your lower leg muscles especially. When you're not active -- at your desk, for example -- take breaks to stretch your legs. Stand up. Step away for a bit.
Regular exercise also helps keep you at a healthy weight, and that lowers your risk, too.

Travel Tips

When you travel for more than 4 hours, avoid tight clothing and drink plenty of water. Get up and walk around at least every couple of hours. If you have to stay in your seat, stretch and move your legs. Try clenching and releasing your calves and thighs, or lifting and lowering your heels with your toes on the floor. Do plenty of sightseeing by foot once you arrive!