Heart Disease - High Blood Pressure

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New American Heart Association CPR Guidelines

More than 300,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest every year and the use of CPR can double the chances that a person will survive. New guidelines suggest it is better to “push hard and push fast” next time you give CPR. The American Heart Association now urges people to give 30 compressions instead of 15 for every two breaths.

According to Dr. Michael Sayre, an Ohio State University emergency medicine professor who helped develop the new guidelines “Basically, the more times someone pushes on the chest, the better off the patient is."

The guidelines are for all ages and “’the guidelines recommend that rescuers minimize interruptions to chest compressions and suggest that rescuers.” What's important is to keep the blood flowing.”

New American Heart Association CPR Guidelines


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Heart Arrhythmia Causes and Treatments

Heart arrhythmias are caused when electrical impulses in your heart that coordinate the heartbeat do not function properly or are out of sync. The heart can beat too fast or too slow or just irregularly.

Considering that your heart beats 100,000 times per day an arrhythmia is not that uncommon. Most arrhythmias are harmless. People may feel a brief irregular heartbeat that feels like it skipped, or in some cases like your heart is racing. It is important to have a doctor make that diagnosis because some arrhythmias can be dangerous and life threatening.

Some arrhythmias may not produce any signs or symptoms. Sometimes you can detect a fluttering in the chest, or a racing or slow heartbeat. There could be chest pain or a shortness of breath. In some cases the sufferer could experience lightheadedness, dizziness or a fainting sensation (syncope) or near fainting.

http://bestsyndication.com/2005/Dan-WILSON/Health/12/120905_arrhythmia.htm

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How to prevent Blood Clots in the Leg on Long Distance Trips

December 22nd 2005


Long Trips can be dangerous to your health, according to UK Department of Transportation. Prolonged immobility can hasten the formation of blood clots. The study investigated air travel incidences and found one DVT (deep vein thrombosis) case in 6000 journeys that lasted four hours or more.

The report said that these clots are more common in people that stay in the hospital than people that travel. Forbes reports UK transportation minister Karen Buch said the “research project has shown that DVT can occur in any form of travel where people remain seated for a long time”. Long trips in the car can be just as dangerous.

The longer the journey the more likely an embolism will develop. Pregnant women are at a greater risk of developing a leg blood clot. Also, older people, those with a hereditary blood condition, tall people and women using contraceptive pills are more likely to develop DVT.

How to prevent Blood Clots in the Leg on Long Distance Trips

[Fringe]

Before I read the article I'm going to guess. Get up and walk around at least once every hour. Now I'll go see if I'm right.

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High Blood Pressure Cold and Flu Remedy Coricidin

If you have high blood pressure you understand the problem of finding something to treat a cold or flu. There are warnings on decongestants against taking the product if you have high blood pressure.

Recently I have seen ads on TV for a new medicine for treating a cold. In fact the ad says Coricidin is especially helpful for those with high blood pressure. Many other medicines have the decongestant mixed with expectorant and cough suppressant and or antihistamine.

Coricidin is supposed to be safe for those with high blood pressure. It is a good idea to check with your doctor before you take any new medication. According to the Atlanticville website out of New Jersey, “side effects may include nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, loss of consciousness and death”. But to be fair even the prescribed blood pressure medicine to lower blood pressure in the first place can raise potassium levels causing heart arrhythmia. We will be writing an article about this in the future.

Article link added later

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HCM Heart Disease May Worsen with a Soy Diet or Supplements Products

January 4th 2006



HCM Heart Disease

Soy products may worsen a specific heart disease condition, according to researchers at the University of Colorado. Heart muscles in people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are considerably thicker than those without the disease. In this study mice that carried the gene mutation associated with HCM disease were subjected to different diets.

The researchers were amazed at the impact diet had on heart function. When the male mice were taken off the soy diets their heart function significantly improved compared to the mice that continued on the diet. Female mice with HCM did not show any significant change.

Males are more affected by HCM disease than females. The effects to the male mice might have been exceptional because females already had large amounts of estrogen in their bodies. There are estrogen compounds found in soy products.

Full Article

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High Blood Pressure Linked to Memory Problems Making Treatment Important

January 6th 2006


Monitor and Control BP

New research has shown that untreated high blood pressure may cause short term memory and verbal skills to decline at a faster rate. The loss of these cognitive functions increases at a faster rate when hypertension is uncontrolled.

Even with treatment, if the blood pressure is not controlled, cognitive ability will decline with age. It is estimated that 60 percent of adults over the age of 60 have high blood pressure.

The treatment goal is blood pressure below 140/90 and lower for people with other conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease. According to Xangina News high blood pressure goes undetected or inadequately treated, leaving nearly 40 percent of older hypertensive people with continued high readings -- even with treatment.


Complete Article

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A recent study published in Psychophysiology confirms that mental stress raises blood pressure and also causes negative emotions in the brains regions which cause a physical response to the whole body.

Because of the activity in the cingulated cortex while the person is having mental stress it may cause their blood pressure to rise and this puts the individual at a higher risk for heart disease.

Heart Disease can be caused by Stress

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Lower Blood Pressure by Eating More Vegetables - Vegetable Protein Better




Vegetable Proteins
When you think of protein you typically think of meat. New research indicates that people with a higher intake of vegetable protein have lower blood pressure. The researchers believe that amino acids found in the vegetable protein play a role.

Other compounds found in vegetables including magnesium may also help lower blood pressure by interacting with amino acids. According to the researchers “Vegetable protein intake was inversely related to blood pressure. This finding is consistent with recommendations that a diet high in vegetable products be part of healthy lifestyle for prevention of high blood pressure and related diseases.” Lower Blood Pressure by Eating More Vegetables - Vegetable Protein Better

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A study published in this month’s issue of British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that one in five patients taking prescription diuretics have abnormal blood serum levels of sodium and potassium.

Despite the number of patients that is affected by this only one third of these patients taking the diuretics will get blood tests to measure the electrolyte levels. With medications causing variations of electrolyte levels serious health problems can happen.

High Blood Pressure patients - many have abnormal Sodium and Potassium

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Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have discovered two plant compounds that may be potentially healthy for your heart. The compounds are naturally found in plants and with sufficient amounts in food or supplement may help to prevent early stages of blood clotting that is found with heart disease.

The research conducted by Jae B. Park at the Human Nutrition Research Center’s Phytonutrient Laboratory has filed a 2005 patent application for the discovery. The research was first reported in the current issue of Agricultural Research magazine.  The two plant compounds were N-caffeoyldopamine and N-coumaroyldopamine. They are found in sweet peppers, Chinese wolfberry, and cocoa.

Heart Disease - Plant Compounds slow down Blood Clots - Sweet Pepper and Cocoa

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Popular Fermented Scandinavian Milk Drink Lowers Blood Pressure - Valio Brand

January 26th 2006


Valio Popular Brand

A popular Scandinavian fermented milk drink appears to reduce blood pressure using the same mechanism as common angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors pills. According to research published in the American Journal of Hypertension, the beverage will help reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension.

The drinks are made by adding Lactobacillus to milk, which breaks down the milk protein called casein into two protein fragments. These fragments, called tripeptides, have been shown to reduce blood pressure in animal studies and also people with mild hypertension.

This study lasted for 10 weeks where 94 people with un-treated hypertension were divided into two groups. One group drank 150 ml of fermented milk while the other did not. Participants had their blood pressure monitored.

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Tomatoes can Lower High Blood Pressure - Study in Israel Recommends Tomato Sauce

January 26th 2006


Tomatoes

It appears tomatoes can benefit people with high blood pressure. Israeli scientists asked 54 people with moderately high blood pressure, even when treated with medication, to add a daily dose of concentrated tomato extract in capsule form to their diet. Rather than add another medication the patients opted to try the tomato extract, equivalent to 4 tomatoes per day.

The researchers conducted a double blind study where the patients were either given a placebo or a capsule of tomato complex. The complex of ingredients included potent antioxidants, such as lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene, beta-carotene, tocopherols (vitamin E), phospolipids and phytosterols. In a published article by Jamie Talan in Newsday, Dr. Esther Parn head of the hypertension division at Soroka medical center and professor of medicine at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel, said the drop in blood pressure was equal to drop they would have looked for by prescribing another medication. “But there are no side effects”, she said.

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Begin a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program For a Heart Healthy Lifestyle

February 17th 2006


Authors Book

Two months after my open-heart surgery, through my cardiologist’s referral, I was cleared to begin a physician-sponsored cardiac rehabilitation program a program of exercise and risk-factor education for individuals recovering from serious heart procedures and heart disease.

Some patients are healed enough to begin sooner, some later. The gym facility where I live in Santa Fe, NM, called the Center for Living Well, is spaciously housed in the basement of our one hospital. In the last thirty years, thousands of cardiac rehabilitation programs have sprung up far and wide in the U.S. alone, all featuring similar characteristics.

In my book, The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery (Open Heart Publishing, 2006) I advise, "systematically increase your walking every day, to the point where you can visualize and look forward to the strength retraining and aerobic stamina offered in a good cardiac rehabilitation program.

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A group of researchers from the Mayo Clinic used an arterial tonometer to help diagnose patients for hardened arteries and coronary artery calcium who have no outward symptoms of heart disease. The results were first reported in the current issue of Hypertension, published by the American Heart Association.

Iftikhar Kullo, M.D., of Mayo Clinic, the lead author of the study said, "About 40 percent of the American public is considered to be at moderate risk for heart disease. Nearly half the heart attacks come without warning, which means we need to do a better job of screening people. This test has that potential."

Arterial Tonometer - Painless Quick Test for Heart Disease