Monday, March 31, 2008

VENOUS LEG ULCERS

Venous ulcers are wounds that are thought to occur due to improper functioning of valves in the veins, usually of the legs. They are the major cause of chronic wounds. The exact aetiology of venous ulcers is not certain, but they are thought to arise when venous valves that exist to prevent backflow of blood do not function properly, causing the pressure in veins to increase. The body needs the pressure gradient between arteries and veins in order for the heart to pump blood forward through arteries and into veins. When venous hypertension exists, arteries no longer have significantly higher pressure than veins, blood is not pumped as effectively into or out of the area and it pools. Venous hypertension may also stretch veins and allow blood proteins to leak into the extravascular space, isolating extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and growth factors, preventing them from helping to heal the wound. Leakage of fibrinogen from veins as well as deficiencies in fibrinolysis may also cause fibrin to build up around the vessels, preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching cells. Venous insufficiency may also cause white blood cells (leukocytes) to accumulate in small blood vessels, releasing inflammatory factors and reactive oxygen species (ROS, free radicals) and further contributing to chronic wound formation. Buildup of white blood cells in small blood vessels may also plug the vessels, further contributing to ischaemia. This blockage of blood vessels by leukocytes may be responsible for the "no reflow phenomenon," in which ischaemic tissue is never fully reperfused. Allowing blood to flow back into the limb, for example by elevating it, is necessary but also contributes to reperfusion injury . Other comorbidities may also be the root cause of venous ulcers.
acheter levitra
acheter viagra
acheter cialis

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Lower cholesterol naturally with 2 food system

Meng

Heart disease, stroke, erectile dysfunction and high blood pressure are some typical problem associated with high cholesterol. These are disease affects our life adversely and may even cause death. You have to address your high cholesterol before it hits you badly

High saturated foods are the fattier meats, the different cheeses, fried foods, cookies cakes and cold cuts. These could be the very reason the high cholesterol in your body. Just watching what you eat can lower your cholesterol naturally.

Cutting back on these foods may be all that it takes for some people to lower their cholesterol. Others may have to go on a more stringent diet. A stricter diet plan often calls for lower saturated fat and cholesterol. This will usually require that fewer than 7% of the calories that you eat come from saturated fat (approximately 140 in the average 2000 calorie diet). It also requires you to eat fewer than 300 mg of cholesterol a day. The plan may also require you to limit the amount of calories that you eat in a day, since being overweight can influence your cholesterol levels.

Exercise and diet goes hand in hand to lower cholesterol naturally, especially if diet alone is not enough to bring the cholesterol level down. Doctor may also advise cholesterol lowering drugs if your cholesterol is extremely high.

The 2 foods that you need to consider in your diet to lower cholesterol are fish and fiber. Yes simply add fish and fiber the 2 MUST foods in any cholesterol lowering diet.

Fatty cold water fish will be a good choice to substitute for the fatty cut meat as the alternative protein source. This is so because these fish contain high content of omega 3 fatty acid which helps in lowering the cholesterol by increasing the level of good cholesterol. The good cholesterol will attached itself to the bad cholesterol and ferries it back to the liver to be metabolized. This natural cycle will lower the bad cholesterol naturally, which will reduce the risk of heart attach, stroke are possibly even erectile dysfunction.

Fiber is good for a healthy diet as well. Found in fruits, grains, and vegetables, it helps to keep your digestive system regular, fill you up, and provides nutrition. Increasing the amount of fresh foods that you eat and decreasing the amounts of fatty meats can go a long way to lowering your cholesterol. Fresh fruits and veggies also contain high levels of the nutrients needed to boost good cholesterol levels so that your body can fight off high cholesterol problems naturally. Some grains, like oatmeal, have even been shown to have cholesterol-reducing effects when eaten on a regular basis.

A healthy level of cholesterol can be achieved by some simple changes to your diet.


hair loss prevention

Friday, March 28, 2008

How to Lower Cholesterol - The Various High Cholesterol Treatment

Meng

If you have high cholesterol, then you know that you need to get it down to a lower level in order to reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other health problem. Sometimes this can be done with lifestyle changes, other times it may require medications.

Usually the medical treatment of high cholesterol centers around the approach of lowering the amount of LDL or bad cholesterol in the body. There also some approach that will add the treatment to increase the HDL or the good cholesterol. We look at the process in which high cholesterol is treated below.

The starting treatment before you start a cholesterol treatment, you need to know what your cholesterol levels are and what are the cholesterol ration. This is found out through a simple blood test at your doctor's office. The numbers will give your doctor an idea of how bad your cholesterol is and how aggressive your treatment needs to be.

Once the level of cholesterol is identified, the first thing your doctor will discussed with you is your diet. More often then not, a diet that is comprised of more fresh foods and vegetables will be recommended that will greatly reduce the intake of trans fats and saturated fats.

The next step of your treatment will often include a look at your activity level. Exercise can help improve your good cholesterol levels and help you lose weight. If you are not following a regular exercise routine already, your doctor may recommend some activities for you to try.

For people with a history of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, medication will be started right away. As people with such profile are at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke.

If you are one of the many people who need to start medication, your doctor will usually start with a statin. These help slow down the amount of cholesterol that your body produces naturally, and can help reduce your risk of many of the complications associated with high cholesterol. Other times doctors choose to use other medications, either with or without a statin. These are often designed to prevent the amount of cholesterol that you absorb from food sources. However, do know that statin have side effects.

Periodic check on the cholesterol level to assess the progress of the cholesterol lowering treatment will be conducted by your doctor. If you have choose to lower cholesterol by diet and exercise, these test will tell if medication is needed as well. If you are already on medication, these test will let your doctor know if the dose of your medication are appropriate.

These checkups are a good time for you to talk to your doctor about any concerns that you might have. For instance, if you have difficulty with the diet, it may be recommended that you see a dietitian. If you have side effects from the medication, your doctor may want to change it. If exercise is hard because of another health condition, he or she can recommend alternatives.


quit smoking tips

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Reducing High Cholesterol Foods Is Easy

Sue Burchill

Your body requires cholesterol for many different purposes. It is needed in order to digest fats, create cellular walls and manufacture hormones, aswell as other things vital to your bodies health.

While cholesterol can be a good thing for your body high cholesterol numbers can be harmful. A constant overload in cholesterol is known to cause high blood pressure and all the ailments that come with it like heart disease. This is where eating low cholesterol diets will really help to avoid unhealthy problems such as those above.

Basically, a good diet in this situation involves keeping a close eye on your intake of foods that contain cholesterol and saturated fats. Pay close attention to your food groups. Our main source of cholesterol is from things like red meat, egg yolk, as well as dairy products like cheese and whole milk.

While it's a smart idea to reduce your consumption of high-cholesterol foods like this you don't necessarily need to cut them out completely since cholesterol still provides many benefits to your body.

A low cholesterol diet should also be complimented with a healthy and consistent dose of exercise. You can keep it to something easy, like a daily walk. If you have a pool in your backyard, use it for exercise. The local gym will also give you plenty of different ways to increase your heart rate safely.

Get your necessary vitamins from fruit and vegetables. Don't ever fry your foods. This only increases the cholesterol content. Opt instead to reduce cholesterol with alternative cooking methods such as grilling or roasting. If a recipe calls for cooking oil, opt for a healthier low fat oil that is commonly available at your local market.

As you can see there are plenty of simple ways to achieve and maintain normal cholesterol levels, should you find you have measured highly on a test. Help yourself first with a healthy diet and exercise but seek the advice of your physician should the problem become more serious.

Friday, March 21, 2008

What do you know about allergies?

Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms, predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens in people who are allergic to these substances. When these symptoms are caused by pollen, the allergic rhinitis is commonly called hay fever. Allergies are caused by an over-sensitive immune response. The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances such as bacteria and viruses. Allergy symptoms occur when the immune system reacts to substances (allergens) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause an immune response. When a person with allergies breathes in an allergen such as pollen or dust, antibodies are produced. When the antibodies are stimulated by pollen and dust, histamine and other chemicals are released. This causes itching, swelling, and mucus production. Symptoms vary from person to person. Very sensitive individuals can experience hives or other rashes.
cialis kaufen
cialis acquistare
comprare cialis

Friday, March 14, 2008

Guggul - Uses and Side Effects

Alien

The useful constituents of guggul, gugulipid and guggulsterone, are derived from Commiphora molmol. Guggul may lower serum cholesterol levels by as much as 24%, and triglyceride levels by as much as 23%, by increasing the hepatic binding of LDL cholesterol. Its effects on HDL cholesterol levels are variable, either increasing or decreasing. Guggulsterone stimulates the thyroid gland, has anti-inflammatory properties, may help in weight reduction, and protects against myocardial necrosis resulting from drug toxicity. Guggul is available as capsules and tablets. Common trade names include Guggulow, Guggul Raj, Gugulmax, Gugulplus, and Ultra Guggulow.

Reported uses

Guggul has used pnmanly for Its ability to decrease serum cholesterol levels. It's also used to treat atherosclerosis and high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels. In Ayurvedic medicine, it's used to treat arthritis and to aid in weight loss.

Administration

Daily dose of guggulsterone is 25 mg three times a day, is provided in a 500-mg tablet standardized to contain 5% guggulsterone.

Hazards

Guggul has been associated with diarrhea, anorexia, abdominal pain, and rash. There is potential reduction in the bioavailability of single doses of diltiazem and propranolol when these drugs are given with guggul. The effects of thyroid drugs may be altered because guggul stimulates the thyroid gland. Guggul's lipid-lowering effect is increased when it's used with garlic.

Guggul shouldn't be used by patients with liver or kidney disease. Pregnant and breast-feeding patients should also avoid use.

Clinical considerations

Monitor patient with thyroid disease or taking a thyroid supplement because guggul stimulates the thyroid gland.

Guggul may interfere with the intended therapeutic effect of conventional drugs.

Only preparations with standardized amounts of guggulsterone should be used.

Use should be limited to 12 to 24 Weeks.

Monitor serum cholesterol levels.

If patient is pregnant or breast-feeding, or is planning to become pregnant, instruct her not to use guggul.

Tell patient that herb isn't a substitute for healthy eating and exercise.

Advise patient to keep guggul out of reach of children and pets.

Tell patient to notify pharmacist of any herbal or dietary supplement that he's taking when obtaining a new prescription.

Advise patient to consult his health care provider before using an herbal preparation because a conventional treatment with proven efficacy may be available.

Research summary

Although the mechanism is unclear, studies show that guggul stimulates the thyroid gland, which may account for its ability to lower serum cholesterol.

Research A double blind, place bo-controlled study of guggul's effects on reducing cholesterol included 61 individuals who were followed for 24 weeks. After 12 weeks of following a healthy diet, half the participants received placebo and the other half received guggul at a dose providing 100 mg of guggulsterones daily. The results after 24 weeks of treatment showed that the treated group experienced an 11.7% decrease in total cholesterol, along with a 12.7% decrease in LDL cholesterol; a 12% decrease in triglycerides; and an 11.1 % decrease in the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. These results were significantly better than those seen in the placebo group.

Keep Your Cholesterol Down!

Paul Graham

Everybody knows that cholesterol has much to do with heart disease. Do not worry too much about the dangers of high cholesterol. Knowing what cholesterol is and how it affects you will undoubtedly help you avoid high cholesterol.

1. Cholesterol And Heart Disease

Your blood cholesterol is a major factor in the risk of suffering from heart disease. In fact, the higher your cholesterol level, the greater the chances you have of getting a heart attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Every year more than a million Americans suffer heart attacks, and half of that number die from heart disease.

2. How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?

When your body has too much cholesterol, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. This causes your arteries to harden. Your arteries, as a result of this, narrow down or get blocked. This reduces the flow of blood through your body. Oxygen is carried throughout your body by blood. If an inadequate supply of oxygen to your heart occurs because of reduced blood flow, you may experience chest pains. And if the blood supply is completely cut off, the result is a heart attack.

Unfortunately, high blood cholesterol has no symptoms. So it is hard to gauge the status of your arteries. Whether or not you suffer from heart disease, lowering your cholesterol is important to maintain good health.

3. What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

I. Diet

- Oils, Eggs, Margarine and Butter
- Saturated fat
- Fatty foods

II. Weight

Being overweight is also a factor for heart disease. There is a correlation between weight and cholesterol levels. Following that, losing weight can help lower cholesterol levels.

III. Physical Activity

If you are not physically active and have a sedementary lifestyle, you have a greater risk for heart disease. Regular exercise can help lower cholesterol level, and has many untold physical benefits. Consult a doctor about a training regimen that suits you. Overexertion is equally bad for the health.

IV. Age and Gender

Cholesterol levels rise as men and women get older. Before menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause these levels have been observed to rise.

V. Heredity

High cholesterol levels are sometimes inherited from your ancestors. If your family has a history of heart disease you may want to consult a doctor regarding possible preventive medicine.

4. Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)

You can lower your cholesterol through the help of TLC. It is a set of activities that can help lower your LDL (the bad part of cholesterol). The main parts of TLC are:

I. Diet

- Eat low-fat, low-cholesterol meals
- Eat fruits, vegetables and high-fiber grains
- High fiber foods are very effective at 'sweeping' away cholesterol

II. Weight Management

- Don't be overweight
- Consult a chart to see the recommended weight value for your height, gender, and age
- Scan your body to determine its fat percentage. Healthy bodies will contain fat!

III. Physical Activity

- Exercise for 30 minutes per day
- Always consult a medical professional regarding this regimen
- Health is wealth