May 10, 2008

Atherosclerosis - What Causes It And How To Prevent It

Filed under: Medical Condition — Mark @ 11:21 pm


by Mitchell C. Adams

Heart coronary artery blockage
Creative Commons License photo credit: Patrick J. Lynch

Atherosclerosis is the thickening or hardening of the arteries that that carry blood from the heart to the various parts of the body.

Causes

An unhealthy lifestyle that includes a diet high in fats and sugars and lack of any physical activity is the main cause of atherosclerosis. Factors that precipitate the onset of arthrosclerosis include high blood cholesterol levels, high levels of the amino acid homocystein and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood serum combined with low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), high blood pressure and diabetes. Smoking and advancing age are also major contributory factors. Studies show that men are more prone to suffering from this condition than women.

What Happens

Damage to the inner wall of the artery, also called the endothelium, causes fat and cholesterol to penetrate into the walls and get deposited there. This induces a certain degree of cell proliferation and subsequent deposits of calcium salts and fibrin. These deposits, called atheroma or atherosclerotic plaque, cause the arteries walls to thicken, narrowing the passage way for the blood to flow through. Atherosclerosis is just one type of artery thickening and is different from arteriosclerosis, which encompasses all types of hardening and thickening of arteries.

Prevention

To a major extent, atherosclerosis can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This includes increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and decreasing your intake of fats, refined carbohydrates and salts. However, some fats are good for the heart. Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower blood cholesterol levels and also reduce blood clotting as well as the risk of developing heart problems. A daily exercise regimen that includes moderate physical activity helps keep your weight down and is also known to lower stress levels, which are also factors that can cause atherosclerosis. Smokers are at a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis because the nicotine in cigarettes causes the thickening of the artery walls.

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Tags: atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries





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    May 7, 2008

    Losing Weight For The Summer

    Filed under: Wellness — Mark @ 7:37 pm


    hoodia product

    A Personal Product Test.

    Well, I’ve decided to challenge myself to losing at least 2 stones in weight by the end August this year.

    To do this I have decided initially to make a purchase of three months of the new wonder diet pill Hoodia derived from the Hoodia Gordonii cacti. I’ve chosen to use the Pure Hoodia product promoted on this blog by PureHoodia.

    The container shown contains 90 tablets and you simply take one about 30 minutes before your normal breakfast, lunch and evening meal times.

    I intend to keep up my vitamin intake using supplements, and take at least one helping of bran fortified cereal every day with a little semi- skimmed milk. Otherwise I intend to be eating little.

    In the way of exercise, I don’t intend to be doing much for the month of May as I am sceptical if this product is all it says it is, and I intend to test it, by keeping my exercise levels the same, eating less, and just taking the product to see what progress I make in losing weight.

    Currently with jeans, a T shirt, and trainers I weighed in today at 4pm at 17.5 stones. I’ll be using the same weighing machine for consistency and reporting here at the end of each week on my progress.

    I hoping that this product will do exactly what it says, and make me not want to eat. Well we’ll see. Watch this space.

    Thursday May 8th Update:

    It’s now about 12 hours since I started the course of Pure Hoodia tablets. Interestingly I haven’t felt hungry, so that part of the claim sees to be working. I haven’t felt satisfied either from a food perspective. I still feel the desire to drink, or for a coffee, but there is no desire to add a scone, or a bit or shortbread, or a snack of any kind.

    Basically the feeling is that you’ve had a meal several hours ago, and the feeling of fullness has passed and at the moment you don’t desire anything further. I’ve taken my second pill. Overall perhaps I feel slightly tired, certainly I feel lazier than normal, but I think if someone offered me a bun, my reaction would be ‘no’, because the thought of one would be that I wouldn’t enjoy it.

    If you were doing any activity that required your reactions to be on top form, then perhaps it would be wise to decide to eat a small balanced food bar or similar before that activity to counteract the slight feeling of lethargy.


    Saturday May 10th Update:

    After a couple of days, I’m pleased to report that the feelings of hunger have not reappeared.  I find as meal times come due and I take another pill, there is still no desire to want to eat.  For breakfast I’ve been choosing to take a Slim Fast drink, and between 6pm and 8pm, I’ve either taken some cereal, or a small salad.  Afterwards I’ve felt satisfied with that small amount.  I’ve skipped lunch altogether.  When I’ve chosen to eat, the enjoyment has still been there, but I’m definitely eating smaller amounts.

    I’ve felt no temptation to snack on buns, chocolates, or anything else during the day, and even to a degree my desire for cups of coffee have diminished, instead preferring mildly flavoured or just plain tap water. No temptation for sweets either, though I can’t say I have been a big sweet fan anyway.  Sleeping has been normal, and everything so far is progressing well.  (Haven’t made any attempt to weigh myself yet).

    Tags: weight loss, summer weight loss, hoodia, hoodia gordonii



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    May 3, 2008

    Child Obesity Increases

    Filed under: Medical Condition, Wellness — Mark @ 9:22 pm


    What My Body Screams
    Creative Commons License photo credit: gotplaid?

    The problem of obesity is clearly evident in our current society. Research indicates that the rates of obesity have, at best, doubled with some sections of society. But among children, the rate of obesity has tripled. People who suffer from obesity cannot merely slough it off as an appearance issue. They should educate themselves about the possible health consequences of being overweight. This is even more important in children who become obese at an early age. It is a travesty that obese children, if their habits remain the same, will always have to struggle with health problems beginning in childhood.

    Unfortunately in some families the trend towards obesity can be hereditary. Even if this is the case, there are still many steps than a parent can take to help prevent their child developing obesity. Of course the primary factor is the child’s nutrition. Steps should be taken where possible to prevent children over consuming fast foods or snack foods that are low in nutritional value.

    It can be difficult to encourage children to eat properly. Really it’s up to you. You should start feeding them better quality food at an early age and begin to train them into proper eating behaviour. If you don’t all eat together and spend time at the dinner table eating properly, this will be difficult. If you allow them to eat their dinner quickly and rush away from the table, you’re selling bad habits for the future. Believe it or not the slower a child eats the less food normally they will consume.

    Recently across the USA and the UK in particular, a trend has developed where food is used as a reward. You see this happening with school achievements. They are given ice cream or sweets for doing well with school reports, sports, or even homework. Subconsciously this reinforces the pleasure of eating, and in later years can lead to problems of obesity.

    These children, playing in a public space, vary in their proportion of body fatImage via Wikipedia

    Ways that you can counteract unhealthy snack eating are to have convenient healthy foods such as small prepackaged salads handy in your fridge. You could also have for example, small fruit salads which you can keep from browning by adding a touch of lemon juice over the sliced fruit. Carrot sticks are also a tasty idea, and perhaps a few small portions of smoothies with pure yoghurt would be another good nutritional choice to have in the fridge.

    Why you may not be able to eliminate every undesirable snack choice, you can certainly cut down on your children’s choices by doing your best to eliminate the less desirable items from your kitchen. When you do this then you’re not having to worry so much about childrens party cakes and possible health risks because their normal diet is usually healthy and nutritious.

    Healthy foods are not always a convenient option for the busy parent. In today’s society, foods that are high in fat and other unhealthy components are more readily available than their healthier counterparts. But when possible, parents should strive to fill their child’s diet with as much healthy food possible. The sugary snack should be used only as an occasional enjoyment rather than a daily requirement. Doing this will ensure a healthier diet for your child and relieve you from being distressed over their daily eating habits.

    A nutritious diet is a key ingredient for an active child. Healthy foods provide longer-lasting energy rather than the short spurts that sugary foods tend to give. The more playing that a child does, the more calories that child will burn. A healthy diet that is coupled with a sufficient amount of activity is important for a child to maintain a body that is physically fit.

    Tags: child obesity, obesity, fast foods



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