The herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not prevent heart attacks, stroke or death when taken by people aged 75 and older.

Researchers report that the herbal supplement may help ward off peripheral artery disease. According to the findings of a new study, the popular herbal remedy might help prevent the leg-circulation problem known as peripheral artery disease.

Ginkgo contains nutrients called flavonoids, which are also found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine, and are believed to offer some protection against cardiovascular events, according to the researchers. The supplement, increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, has been touted to improve memory, and to prevent dementia, heart disease and stroke.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that ginkgo had no benefit in preventing heart attack or stroke. Consistent with observations of researchers in Europe, the medical experts noted that ginkgo appeared to have some benefit in preventing peripheral vascular disease.

Last year the same University of Pittsburgh team reported that ginkgo biloba had no effect on preventing dementia. For their latest study, researchers randomly assigned 3,069 patients to 120 milligrams of highly purified ginkgo biloba or placebo, twice a day as part of the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study.

Over the six years of the trial, 385 participants died, 164 had heart attacks, 151 had strokes, 73 had mini-strokes ("transient ischemic attacks") and 207 had chest pain, the researchers found. There was no significant difference between those taking ginkgo or placebo for any of these outcomes, the study reports.

However, among the 35 people who were treated for peripheral artery disease, 23 received placebo and 12 were taking ginkgo — a statistically significance difference, the researchers noted. About 8 million Americans have peripheral artery disease according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

Peripheral artery disease typically affects the arteries in the pelvis and legs. Symptoms include cramping and pain or tiredness in the hip muscles and legs when walking or climbing stairs, although not everyone who has PAD is symptomatic. The pain usually subsides during rest.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot, causing damage to the affected muscle.
This is usually caused by atherosclerosis – hardening of the artery walls. The clot, often caused by rupturing or tearing of plaque in an artery is sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or a coronary occlusion.
If blood supply is cut off for a long time, muscle cells are irreversibly damaged and die, leading to disability or death depending on the extent of the damage to the muscle.
A heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, can also occur when a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm, decreasing or cutting the flow of blood to the heart.
An unexpected and abrupt heart attack occuring soon after the onset of symptoms can result in sudden death.
It accounts for about half of all coronary heart disease deaths and can be caused by nearly all types of heart disease.
Three main symptoms of a heart attack:
1. Pressure or pain in the centre of the chest, lasting more than a few minutes or going away and coming back
2. Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
3. Chest discomfort combined with light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
Other common warning signs of heart attack include unusual chest, stomach or abdominal pain, nausea or dizziness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue, palpitations, cold sweat or paleness.

What to do if someone has a heart attack
Check the victim for a response
If no response, ask someone to call for an ambulance. If you are on your own, do this yourself; you may need to leave the victim
Check the victim is breathing normally
If breathing is normal, place them in the recovery position and await help
If not, open their airway using a head tilt and chin lift and begin 30 chest compressions
Open the airway again and give two rescue breaths (mouth to mouth)
Continue the chest compressions and rescue breaths in a ratio of 30:2
For detailed instructions, visit the Resuscitation Council website.
Anybody experiencing these symptoms should call an ambulance immediately, but should not try to drive themselves to hospital, as complications can begin to occur before they get there.
Most people do have time to get to hospital and be treated before collapsing, but they do need to act quickly.
Some people wait for hours or even days before seeking help – they are the ones that get into trouble.
After a heart attack
Diagnosis of a heart attack usually involves a clinical examination, an electrocardiogram, heart rhythm monitoring and blood tests.
Echocardiograms or angiograms will detect the extent of damage to the heart.
Immediately after a heart attack, clot-busting drugs will be used to restore blood flow. Aspirin, to aid blood flow, and beta-blockers, to ease the heart’s work rate, may also be used.
In the days or weeks after a heart attack, surgery – either angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery – may be performed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/g-i/764015.stm

Heart disease today has become a threatening ailment globally. Both men and women are affected by heart disease. But the risk for women remains under estimated by doctors and women themselves. However, the disease kills more than 8.5 million women worldwide.

Women become vulnerable to heart disease 10 years later in their lives than men. After menopause, women often invite problems such as hypertension, diabetes, hyper-lipidemia, central obesity and other metabolic syndrome.

Obesity in women often plays a major role in increasing the level of blood cholesterol level. Complicating matters further in the fact that women have atypical heart attack symptoms. Instead of symptoms such as burning sensation, tightness or pain in the chest – women experience breathlessness, weakness and unusual fatigue, cold sweat giddiness or neck and shoulder pain. Women often don’t associate these symptoms with the heart disease, but they really suffer in the end.

Well, the good news for all is that awareness is increasing everywhere and there is less gender bias seen. All we need is to be aware of the symptoms mentioned above. Women who smoke have a family history of a parent or sibling having heart disease, overweight, high blood sugar – they need to be more cautious.

I found this wonderful heart-healthy recipe for Turkey and Squash Soup on the AARP website.  It is low in cholesterol and sodium!  Here is the ingredient list:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 leeks, trimmed, chopped and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, (1 small to medium), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 pound turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

It is very important you remember not to substitute anything on this list for a canned ingredient.  Canned vegetables have a higher amount of sodium in them!  Click on the link below to go straight to the instructions for putting the soup together.

Turkey and Squash Soup Recipe at AARP Website.

Only sophisticated medical tests can determine for sure if you are having a heart attack. Heart attacks may vary from person to person, and from heart attack to heart attack. This may result in them delaying seeking treatment. Many of these risk factors are modifiable, so many heart attacks can be prevented by maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Non-modifiable risk factors include age, and family history of an early heart attack, that is thought of as reflecting a genetic predisposition.
In conformity with a post made on January 3, hes giving up the lifestyle that may have By adding in a CT heart scannoto a patients risk assessment, we get an accurate picture of the overall amount of plaque build up and, re-classify the patient into a higher risk category with more aggressive treatment to prevent heart attack or stroke. Many people are terrified of exercising after a heart attack for fear that it will trigger another, but exercise helps to speed recovery. Many people can make a full recovery after a heart attack. Many will be able to return to work and resume the daily activities after completing the rehabilitation. Many people do not realize they have cardiovascular disease until they have chest pain.
Many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it, because there are usually no symptoms. Once you begin to manage it and start a treatment program, healthier blood pressure is easier and will reduce the risk of stroke, heart failure and kidney failure.

For more information about Many of the symptoms of heart attack can be brought on by digestive disturbances or other less serious conditions see also the following links:
Heart Attack Survivor
Brushing Prrevents Heart Attacks

Many of the symptoms of heart attack can be brought on by digestive disturbances or other less serious conditions is listed under the category Heart Attack.

Please read this along with my piece on’Stifling anger at work can kill-Reuters.’ filed under Health and draw your conclusions.

Story:
A bad temper can lead to a risk of premature heart attack, scientists claim.
Their comments are based on findings that young men who quickly react to stress with anger are three times more likely to develop heart disease.

Research shows these men were five times more likely than their calmer counterparts to have an early heart attack, even without a family history of the condition.

Some expressed their anger, others were able to conceal it, while many became irritable or engaged in “gripe sessions”.

The most important thing angry young men can do is get professional help to manage their tempers

Dr Patricia Chang, who co-ordinated the US-based research, said: “In this study, hot tempers predicted disease long before other traditional risk factors like diabetes and hypertension became apparent.

“The most important thing angry young men can do is get professional help to manage their tempers, especially since previous studies have shown that those who already have heart disease get better with anger management.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1939094.stm

We’ve all heart that fish is heart healthy and high in omega 3 fatty acids.  The fish that has the highest concentration of omega 3 fatty acids includes salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines and anchovies.  But does the cooking method affect the health benefits of fish?

The Multiethnic Cohort living in Hawaii and Los Angeles followed over 82,000 men and 103,000 women aged 45 to 75 years of age (over 11 years) with a history of heart disease to answer this question.  The amount of fish and soy consumed was tracked as well as the preparation method.  Men and women with higher omega 3 intake had an overall lower risk of death due to heart disease.  Salted and dried fish increased heart disease risk in women.  Fried fish did not provide heart health benefits in men or women.  Baking and boiling fish lead to the healthiest omega 3 levels.  The study also found that adding low sodium soy sauce or tofu to fish enhanced the benefits.  This study did not take into consideration the intake of fish-oil supplementation.

 So enjoy your fish but avoid frying.

(Presented at 2009 AHA Scientific Sessions)

For more heart healthy info visit www.heart-strong.com or our other blog Healthy Living with Heartstrong http://www.heart-strong.com/blog2/

Bottling up work woes increases heart risk: study

LONDON (AFP) – November 24, 2009 – Men who bottle up frustrations about unfair treatment at work are twice as likely to have a heart attack, a study published on Tuesday suggests.

Those who express their feelings openly, for example by getting angry, have no increased risk of heart problems, said the study which warned of the dangers of “covert coping.”

“Covert coping is strongly related to increased risk of hard-endpoint cardiovascular disease,” said the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The research, led by experts at the Stress Research Unit at Stockholm University, grouped men according to how they react to conflict, with reactions ranging from: saying nothing, walking away, or expressing their anger at home later.

Men who sometimes or always walked away from conflict had three times the risk of a heart attack or dying from heart disease, with overall figures showing those who avoided conflict had twice as high a risk.

By contrast, those who reacted to unfair treatment in an open way, such as talking directly to the person with whom they were in conflict or getting angry, had no increased risk of heart attack, it said.

“We all find different things stressful and symptoms of stress can vary,” said Judy O’Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, responding to the study.

“But the important thing is that we need to find ways of coping with it in our lives in a positive way, whether at work or home,” she added.

The average age of the more than 2,700 participants was 41 at the start of the study. None had had a heart attack when screening started in 1992. But by 2003, 47 had suffered a heart attack or died from heart disease.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/afp/healthheartbritainswedenlabourpsychology_20091124155855.html

During the first week after discharge I felt strange. When Alex had been in hospital all I had wanted was for him to come home. But now that he was home, I had a very different outlook.

I wanted him to just ‘be better’ and of course he wasn’t, so I felt far from relieved; instead I found myself quite worried. I felt that he had changed and to some extent we had both probably changed, but it seemed more marked in him.

The strong, wise and fiercely independent man that I loved had gone into hospital for surgery. But that man had not come out of surgery, instead a very frail and fragile man had come out of hospital, one that didn’t seem like my Alex at all. And I missed him!

One significant psychological problem of having a heart attack is simply that it is (usually) very sudden and this sudden impact is then exacerbated by the fact that it is, to a large extent, a near brush with death. This means that there are all kinds of psychological issues going on. There are the inevitable thoughts of ‘What if?’ in the sense of ‘What if X had happened?’ or ‘What if Y had happened?’

But there are other thoughts going on as well. After you have had a heart attack then you are told that there is a risk that you may have another one, particularly within the first year. This means that you don’t really know if you loved one is going to be ok, or whether they are going to have another heart attack and that is pretty frightening.

The fear of another heart attack is then made worse by the knowledge that the heart is actually not recovered fully. After a heart attack part of the heart tissue dies, although the heart does indeed recover, it can take up to 8 weeks for the heart tissue to scar and so in the immediate period after a heart attack there is indeed a certain vulnerability to the heart, which in itself is frightening.

The thing I also remember most about the first week at home was just how everyone else around me assumed that if he were at home, life was back to normal. They simply felt that there was no need for me to be anxious or upset. I found the lack of understanding a huge barrier. I just wanted people to see what he had been through, what we were facing in terms of an uncertain future. I did not want people to simply think that life was just ‘back to normal’, but of course, that is exactly what they did think!

One of the most encouraging books that I have read on marriage and relationships is by the best-selling author Gary Smalley, who has  sold millions of videos on how to strengthen our vital relationships.  John Gray, the well-known author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, comments: “If you want a lasting love relationship, I highly recommend Gary Smalley’s guide to forever love”.

One of the keys to his memorable books is that Gary teaches you how to fall in love with life all over again.  Everything he writes has to do with the age-old struggle between the life-giving principle of honour and the life-draining emotion of destructive anger.  The average person, says Smalley, has little or no idea how damaging that forgotten or ignored anger can be.  Worse yet, most people don’t even know how much destructive anger they have buried inside, much like unexploded landmines left in the middle eastern sands.  Once buried, our anger does its worst damage, wreaking havoc on our physical and emotional well-being.  Facing our anger is indispensable to Making Love Last Forever.

Anger, says Smalley, is a secondary emotion, not a primary feeling.  It arises out of fear, frustration, hurt, or some combination of these three.  Anger is actually a coping strategy to attempt to banish fear from our lives.  Sometimes our parents have non-verbally taught us that perfect anger casts out all fear, when the truth is that only perfect love casts out all fear.

Smalley comments that anger can be thought of as a sticky, bad-smelling dangerous substance that can be compressed and stuffed into something like a spray can.  Angry people tend to go around spraying their anger on other people.  The spray is felt by others as meanness, insensitivity, and general offensiveness.  Most angry people have no idea that their angry spray stings others like hydrochloric acid.  Unresolved anger is the No. 1 enemy of Making Love Last Forever.

Some of us as men pride ourselves that we are not as other husbands, who physically beat up their wives in drunken rages.  Yet even if our anger never turns violent or illegal, unresolved anger can still prove destructive.  All of us want to feel connected in our primary relationships.  But one of the most common results of deep anger is relational distance, an unwillingness and inability to let others get close.  It is as if we are living inside a relational box of thick plate glass.  Yet we keep wondering as men why our wives won’t become more intimate.

Unresolved anger, says Smalley, is not only destructive to our families.  It is also destructive to our personal health. Many of the backaches, neckaches, and headaches that send us complaining to our GPs are actually the outworking of buried anger.  Anger studies were done on medical doctors and lawyers over a 25 year period.  By the age of fifty, only 4 percent of the low-ranked easy-going lawyers and 2 percent of the doctors had died.  Lawyers who had ranked high on anger had a 20 percent mortality rate;  doctors 14 percent.  Studies are also showing that angry people are more susceptible to heart attacks – the leading cause of death in North America.  Hostile anger can boost heart rates, raise blood pressure and lead to increased clogging of the arteries.  What’s worse, says Smalley, is that the risk of heart attack seems to be greatly increased during the two hours following a bout with anger.

Why do we get angry anyways?  Smalley suggests that we get angry because either someone is taking something away from us that we don’t want to lose, or else we’re being denied something we want to gain.  By facing and grieving our losses, we break the power of anger to make our lives miserable.

Part of healthy grieving is the willingness to lay aside bitterness, the willingness to say like Jesus: “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”  Another key to grieving, says Smalley, is to search for “hidden pearls” in any offense committed against you.  The idea here is that some good can come out of any bad situation – if you’ll just look for it.  That’s why the Good Book says that all things work for the good for those who love the Lord.  Grieving our losses is an irreplaceable key in Making Love Last Forever.

I recently watched a most disturbing and enlightening movie entitled “The Field”.  It was about an Irish farmer who dedicated his life to providing for his family’s future.  But again and again his anger rose up to destroy everything and everyone that he loved.  Given my Irish heritage,  it was a strong warning to me that I had to face the anger in my life, or it would one day destroy me.

Unresolved anger can cripple us in so many ways.  Anger keeps us distant from the very people we want to care for.  In contrast, love builds bridges of trust and forgiveness.  Sometimes anger even keeps us distant from God himself.  Smalley has found that the greater the unresolved anger, the more difficulty that person has in developing a meaningful spiritual life.  Studies after studies are confirming that a healthy spiritual life in a marriage reduces divorce rates, increases marital satisfaction, and lowers the level of relational conflict.

My prayer for those reading this article is that each of us may discover the keys to Making Love Last Forever.

The Reverend Ed Hird

Rector, St. Simon’s Church, North Vancouver

Anglican Coalition in Canada

http://www3.telus.net/st_simons

-previously published in the Deep Cove Crier

-author of the award-winning book Battle for the Soul of Canada

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

If the smell of beets makes you gag but you simply can’t get enough sour crème and chive potato chips, your Mom may be to blame — and not because of what she fed you growing up. Several studies show that food preferences may be set even before you’re born, as early as 13 weeks after gestation. And those preferences derive from what your Mom ate while you were in the womb. 

Read more at Jon Barron’s Natural Health Blog

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack , without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

WHAT TO DO ??

Do not panic, start coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.

A deep breath should be taken before each cough, the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

]]> http://heartstrong.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/1065/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:28 +0000 heartstrong http://heartstrong.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/1065/

 My dad: a retired Navy man who served his time during the Vietnam war, cooked for thousands of service men, brought his family over from poverish situations in the Philippines and then worked 2 (sometimes 3 jobs) to make sure we had a good life. From my perspective, nothing could break this man; a small Asian man who has been through more than any one of us could ever imagine. He was tough and I never once saw fear in his eyes.

Then, on June 2nd 2009, my dad went through his usual routine of lovely retirement life. He spent all morning gardening, mowing the lawn, and cooking. Then he took off to spend time with his friend to play a good match of tennis. All of a sudden, he felt faint, blacked out, and nearly dropped to the ground. Thankfully, his friend caught him just in the nick of time. Dad contributed his fainting episode to the heat and fatigue, but attempted to call me on his cell phone. The call did not go through, however, because they were in what is called a “dead spot” in which cell phone signals could not go through. Somehow dad managed to drive himself over to my house, which was closer than the emergency room. His friend could not drive; so-somehow they managed together. When my husband answered the door, dad did not look well. We offered him a drink and suggested that he lay on the couch to catch his breath. All of a sudden I saw a look of panic in his eyes- I asked him if he was having chest pain, he said “yes”. I asked him if his chest felt heavy, he said “yes”. I threw dad in the car and sped off to the nearby emergency room ( 5 minutes away).

In the emergency room, although I knew something awful was happening to my dad- we still had to go through the usual process of signing in. After waiting a few minutes, and as my dad continued to lose color, I made an urgent plea for someone to please look at my dad because he was having chest pain. I also had to tell them he was short of breath (to speed up the process). Because my dad has a high tolerance for pain, you would not know what was going on inside his body by just looking at him. In minutes, they took my dad to the back as I filled in the paper work. My husband had called my brothers and they were on their way. Thankfully, an old family friend (more like family herself-I call her auntie) was working that evening. As one of the nurses there, she was able to get involved with dad’s care. As I was lead to the back, I immediately saw my dad hooked up to monitors and oxygen. They were in the process of applying the defibrillator pads on him and when I looked at the monitor myself- I was panicked and shocked. The monitor told me he was having an acute heart attack. My body began to tremble and the doctor began to speak about how dad was having a major heart attack and my aunt voiced how I got dad there JUST in time. My two brothers arrived in the emergency room just in time before dad was taken via helicopter to a specialty hospital for an emergent stent placement to unclog the blocked artery.

As with my dad, heart attack signs can manifest in several different ways. Because everyone is different, our bodies cope differently with major stressors and diseases. Be an advocate for yourself and for the lives of your loved ones- seek immediate help and attention when you KNOW something just isn’t right. Heart attacks sign aren’t always as dramatic as what we see on television. Ideally, it would have been better to have called 911 for dad. As a nurse and daughter, I made the mistake of taking over and not taking that moment to think from a clearer perspective. I did what I had to do, what was right for the patient at that moment…but I wasn’t in the hospital and this wasn’t a patient, he was my dad.

According to the American Heart Association, “…most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort and often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help”. The key is time and immediate intervention!

Heart Attack Warning Signs:

Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

 • Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

 • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Learn the signs, but remember this: Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out (tell a doctor about your symptoms). Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1 or your emergency response number.

 American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053

“புகைப்பிடித்தல் உடல் நலத்துக்கு கேடு”, “புகைப்பிடித்தால் புற்றுநோய் வரும்”, இப்படி என்னதான் எழுதி சிகரெட்டை விற்பனை செஞ்சாலும், “தம்மர தம்ம்ம்ம்…..கிக்கு ஏறுது ம்ம்ம்ம்ம்”, அப்படின்னு தம்மடிக்கிறவங்க அடிச்சிகிட்டுதான் இருக்காங்க!

புகைப்பிடிக்கிற ஒவ்வொருத்தருக்கும், புகைப்பழக்கத்தால என்னென்ன நோய்கள் வருது (குறைந்தபட்சம் மாரடைப்பு, புற்று நோய்), புகைப்பிடிக்கிற ஒருத்தரால சுத்தியிருக்கிற எத்தனை பேரு பாதிக்கப்படறாங்க அப்படின்னு கண்டிப்பா தெரிஞ்சிருக்கும்கறத யாரும் மறுக்கமுடியாது!

எல்லாமே தெரிஞ்சிருந்தாலும், புகைப்பழக்கத்தை விட முடியாததுக்கு பல காரணங்கள். “வித்ட்ராவல் சிம்ப்டம்ஸ்” அப்படிங்கிறது புகைப்பழக்கத்த திடீர்னு நிறுத்தினா ஏற்படுற பின் விளைவுகள். இந்தக் காரணத்தால விடணும்னு நெனைக்கிறவங்க கூட விட முடியாம தவிக்கிறாங்க!

ஆனா, இந்தப் பதிவு அவங்களுக்கானது இல்ல! பொதுவா புகைப்பிடிக்கிற எல்லாருக்கும், அப்புறம் புகைப்பழக்கத்தைப் பத்தி ஒன்னும் தெரிஞ்சிக்காம, ச்சும்மா ஒரு “கிக்குக்காக/மப்புக்காக” புதுசா தம்மடிக்கிறவங்களும்தான் முக்கியமா இந்தப் பதிவை எழுதுறேன்!

மேல இருக்கிறத படிச்சுட்டு, மவனே…..நீ மட்டும் என் கைல கெடைச்ச உனக்கு….அப்படின்னு என் மேல பயங்கரமா கோவப் படற சீனியர்/ஜூனியர் நண்பர்களுக்கு ஒன்னு சொல்லிக்கிற விரும்புறேன். நாம (காலேஜில நான் கூட ராக்கிங்ல தம்மடிச்சேங்க! ஆஹா ரகசியம் போச்சே?!) எல்லாருமே தம்மடிக்க  ஆரம்பிக்கிறப்போ “ம்ம்ம்….ஒரு தம்முதான, என்ன பெருசா ஆயிடப்போவுது” அப்படின்னுதாங்க ஆரம்பிப்போம்!

அந்த ஒரு தம்மு அடிக்கிறதுனால நம்ம உடல் நலத்துக்கு, எவ்வளவு ஆபத்து/அபாயங்கள் ஏற்படுதுன்னு தெளிவா சொல்லத்தான் இந்தப் பதிவே! அது எப்படி சொல்ல முடியும் ஒரு தம்மு அடிக்கிறதுனால வர்ற பாதிப்ப? அப்படின்னு கேட்குறீங்களா…..

கண்டிப்பா சொல்ல முடியும்ங்க…..அப்படின்னு நான் சொல்லல! கனடாவின் மெக்.கில் பல்கலைக்கழக  இருதய மருத்துவர் “ஸ்டெல்லா தாஸ்கலோபோலு” சொல்றாங்க. சரி, வள வள பேசாம நேரா மேட்டருக்கு வருவோம்…..

18 முதல் 30 வயதானவங்கள்ல செயத ஒரு ஆய்வுல, ஒரே ஒரு சிகரெட் குடிச்சாக்கூட, சுமார் 25% வரையில ரத்த நாளங்கள் விரைக்கிறதாம் (அதாவது, ரத்த நாளங்களுக்கு உள்ளே ரத்த அழுத்தம் அதிகரிக்கிறதாம்!). என்ன, “ஐய்யோ சாமி….ஆள விடு இந்த வெளையாட்டுக்கு நான் வரல” அப்படிங்கிறீங்களா?

எனக்குக் கூட பகீர்னு இருந்தது இந்த செய்திய படிச்ச உடனே. நம்பறதா வேண்டாமான்னு கொஞ்ச நேரம் மனசுக்குள்ள ஒரு போராட்டமே நடந்துதுன்னா பாத்துக்குங்களேன்! ஆனா, வேற வழியே இல்ல நம்பித்தான் ஆகனும்…. நீங்களும்தான்!

அது சரி, விரைத்துப் போகும் ரத்த நாளங்கள்னால என்ன பிரச்சினை? ரத்த நாளங்கள் விரைத்துப் போவதால், சீரான ரத்த ஓட்டம் தடைபட்டு, இருதயம் கடுமையாக வேலை செய்தாலொழிய ரத்த ஓட்டம் சீராகாது என்னும் நிலை ஏற்படுகிறதாம்!  ரத்த நாளங்கள் எவ்வளவுக்கு எவ்வளவு விரைப்பாக இருக்கிறதோ, அந்த அளவுக்கு நமக்கு மாரடைப்பு வரும் வாய்ப்பும் இருக்கிறதாம்! (அப்படின்னா…..ஒரே ஒரு சிகரெட் குடிச்சாக்கூட 25% மாரடைப்பு வரும் வாய்ப்பு இருக்கா?!)

“அப்லனேஷன் டோனோமெட்ரி” (applanation tonometry) அப்படிங்கிற ஒரு புதுமையான( ஆனால் தேர்ந்த!) தொழில்னுட்பம் மூலமா “ஆர்டீரியல் ஸ்ட்ரெஸ் டெஸ்ட்” (arterial stress test) சோதனை மூலமா ரத்த நாளங்களோட விரைப்புத் தன்மைய கண்டுபிடிச்சிருக்காங்க டாக்டர் ஸ்டெல்லா!

ஆக, இதுலேர்ந்து என்ன தெரியுதுன்னா, சும்மா கிக்கு/மப்புக்காக ஒரே ஒரு தம்மடிச்சாலும் கூட,  நம்ம ரத்த நாளங்கள் பழுதடையறது மட்டுமில்லாம, சாதாரணமா ஓடி பேருந்தில் ஏறுவது, படிக்கட்டுகளில் ஏறுவது மாதிரியான தினசரி  நடக்கும் செயல்களுக்குக்கூட நாம் மிகுந்த சிரமப்பட்டுதான் செய்யனும் அப்படிங்கிற நெலமைக்கு ஆளாகவேண்டிவரும்னு சொல்றாங்க ஸ்டெல்லா!

சரி இப்போ நாம, இவ்ளோ பிரச்சினை பண்ற சிகரெட் குடிக்கிறத எப்படி விடறதுன்னு கொஞ்சம் பார்க்கலாம் வாங்க….

என்னங்க, இப்போ புரியுதா “ஒரே ஒரு சிகரெட்டுதானே”, அப்படின்னு இனிமே ஏன் சொல்ல முடியாதுன்னு?! ஒரு சிகரெட்டுன்னாக்கூட, அது உடம்புக்கு எவ்வளவு பாதிப்பு ஏற்படுத்துதுன்னு பார்த்தீங்கள்ள?

அதனால “புகைப்பழக்கத்தை துறப்போம், ஆரோக்கியமாக வாழ்வோம்”!

It is usually easier to know your heart pain if you have already had a heart attack or symptoms which led to the diagnosis of heart disease. If you think back to what made you go to the doctor or the ER, then THAT is the pain you should be looking out for in the future. Whether it was the classic pressure in the center of the chest or if you had vague symptoms like shortness of breath, jaw pain and nausea. It is very important that you remember that same feeling and take note of it.  People can have totally different symptoms!

Patient A

Patient B

Women have infamously more atypical symptoms than men. If you are a woman with known heart disease, you should be on the lookout for the problems that led to your heart tests. For more specific information regarding women and heart disease, I have found the WomenHeart website to be a great resource. Click on the link below to go straight there:
http://www.womenheart.org

Most health supplements that you buy (pills, vitamins, etc) can be themselves supplemented naturally.

Here is a list of spices that you should have on-hand to make your Cave Chow even more delicious that it already is, and at the same time, supply your body with the catalyst it needs to ward off sickness.

Sea Salt – this is NOT the normal salt you buy in stores (make sure it is SEA salt) – essential to healthy life – prevents cancer, memory loss and many other aging diseases, needed by those who workout

Pepper – very good antioxidant, antibacterial substance, helps with digestion

Garlic – lowers blood pressure, great alternative to Aspirin, a great decongestant, provides vitamin C and B

Ginger – great source of antioxidants, boosts immune system, fights viruses, soothes upset stomachs and prevents nausea, great for preventing and overcoming common colds

Cumin – protects you from cancer, detoxifies the body, great source of iron, digestion aid

Cinnamon – alleviates pain and soreness, lowers blood sugar in diabetics, combats cholesterol and heart disease.

Tumeric – said to be powerful enough to delay or prevent Alzheimers, lowers inflammation and can be a great defense against cancer

Oregano – Extremely powerful source of antioxidants (up to 40 times more than fruit), cancer fighter and a great source of calcium, iron, zinc and others

Cayenne Pepper – improves circulation, excellent digestive aid, can stop a heart attack if administered within 30 seconds, increases body heat production and oxygen consumption

Soy Sauce – invented by the Chinese, often referred to as the healthiest people, it flavors just about anything

Olive Oil – although it’s a bit pricey, we cannot ignore the health benefits of this powerful food accesory.  By the way, never, ever, use
Crisco or spray on  butter for cooking.  It’s simply not healthy for you

We know there are many more that we are not listing, but these are some of the more common ones, and with the focus on simplicity around here, it’s almost more than we ourselves can handle!

Cave Cook.

Way to Control Your Panic Attacks

Stress and anxiety can be found in just about any person. Many people experience stress and anxiety so great that they can't do their day to day activities. People who have panic attack on a regular basis can experience some symptoms such as trembling, dizziness, problems breathing, and pains in their stomach. There are lots of people that go to the emergency room because they think that they are having a heart attack. Indeed these are very scary symptoms but they however are not life threatening at all.

To aid in gaining control of your panic attacks you should try to recognise what the triggers of your panic attacks. If you happen to do this then it will give you time to deal with them.

Relaxation methods can help you stay focused and can calm you too. Breathing techniques, yoga, and meditation can help you remain relaxed. When a panic attack starts you can react out of proportion and also out of reality. By practising breathing methods you should be able to remain calm and focus to help you stop.

All intake of caffeine needs to be avoided this includes soda, tea, coffee, and diet pills. Panic attacks can be triggered from within the central nervous system and that could be stimulated from the use of caffeine.

You should exercise on a regular basis. By exercising it will release endorphins into the blood stream. Endorphins are hormones that help with a natural euphoric feeling, it may also be referred to as a “runners high.” Consistent exercise will help you stay focused, and also relaxed.

These methods can help you regain control of panic attacks and help you in living a normal life.

All about Eye Twitching

There are many different reasons why people suffer from eye twitching but there are not many that are very serious. But it can become very annoying and more so when you are trying to do some reading, writing, or watching television. If you are having more symptoms then just the eye twitching then you should visit your doctor for diagnosis and a check up.

The most common reason for an eye twitch is lack of sleep, fatigue, computer and television screens, lack of vitamins, eye strain, allergies, caffeine, and compressed nerves. You should have a close look at your lifestyle to see what your eye twitching is caused from. Usually occurring together, sleep fatigue and stress can cause eye twitching and they also can cause some other symptoms.

Many people say that there is no reason what so ever for eye twitching but this is because there is a list that is so long it is difficult to go through and eliminate some of the causes. All symptoms listed are the most common reasons for eye twitching but there are some many more also.

When both eyes twitch it is known as blepharospasm, this can be debilitating because both eyes start to sag and it could cause blindness. However this is much more serious and would be called hemifacial. In these type of cases eye twitching is cured as soon as it has been identified.

Don' worry if you are having some eye twitching going on because it really isn't too serious, but if you have no idea why it is happening to you then should have it looked into by your doctor. If you really feel that your eye twitching is more then just that, go see your doctor.

Rugminy used to come to our home very often.

She was some twenty years old, but looked like a fifteen year old,, small and slender, dark and vivacious. She woud collect hibiscus flowers, considered auspicious for Ganeshji, and make garlands which will be used to adorn the deity. She was always eager to help my wife.

Lakshmi and Saraswati were two low caste maids whom we used to hire for some extra work. They all felt sorry, when we finally said good bye.

When some one dies, it is the collective responsibilty of the villagers to do the cremation ceremony, as the three temples can be opened only after the funeral is over. The old warriar, who used to curse the “blind earthen gods” died and was cremated when we were there.

Thuppan’s son Unni was married when we were there. They hired a special maid to help during the marriage feasting. She was clean and looking like a madam. She would give ordrers to Thuppan and his wife and they had to obey. She used to behave like a member of the family. Her salary was also high, yet she was in great demand, because she would shoulder the whole responsibility for conducting the affairs, properly and smoothly. 

When our stay in ,Delhi became indefinite, Poduvaya Chitrabhanu was allowed to stay there, as he was building a house at Edathara, a mile away from our village. During this oeriod, he died of heart attck and then stroke.