Online Health Info

The human heart is about the size of a clenched fist. It is located under the breastbone between the lungs (just left of centre) and is made up of four chambers. Blood flows through these chambers in a pattern that supplies all parts of the body with oxygenated blood and returns blood to the lungs for re-oxygenation.

There are two types of blood vessels, arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart and are elastic, which enables them to withstand the pressure of blood being pumped with force.

Veins carry back to the heart. By the time blood reaches the veins, blood pressure has dropped. Veins are not elastic, but have small valves that keep the de-oxygenated blood from flowing backwards.

When kept healthy and strong, the body’s network of veins and arteries should work as efficiently in an older body as a younger one.

Take care of your heart.

The body’s ingenious design means skin, muscle and a sturdy ribcage protects the heart from injury. The real risk to the health of our heart comes not from injury, but from failing to take proper care of this vital organ.

Happily, maintaining a healthy heart is relatively simple, and it’s never too late to start. Do you smoke? If you do, the first step is to quit. Even occasional smoking has been proven to be detrimental to the health of your heart. Regular exercise is essential to help maintain weight and keep the heart strong. It is also important to limit fats in the diet particularly animal fats derived from meat and full fat dairy foods.

Enjoying health to a ripe old age is common in many Mediterranean communities where diet is based on olive oil, vegetables, fish, nuts, fruits, grains and pulses. Many doctors and naturopaths believe that it’s the low levels of cholesterol that make the Mediterranean diet an excellent model for those wishing to maintain their cardiovascular health.

Include in your healthy heart diet:

• Seasonal fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens, broccoli, zucchini, onions, red and white cabbage, cucumber, potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

• Fresh fruit, rich in antioxidants.

• Fish, particularly oily varieties such as sardines, mackerel and salmon.

• Fresh herbs, especially parsley, mint, basil, thyme, coriander, oregano and dill.

• Whole grains cereals, brown rice, oats, wholemeal bread and pasta, millet, buckwheat and barley.

• Lean meat, chicken and eggs.

• Nuts and seeds, small amounts of almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

• Sea vegetables, nori, arame and wakame.

• Soy foods and tofu.

Keep to a minimum:

• Full fat dairy foods.

• Refined white flour products, white bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes.

• Salt.

• Saturated fats, butter, matured cheeses, fatty meats and fried foods.

Exercise:

Exercise is extremely important for the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system. In addition to keeping the heart itself strong, exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, which reduce pressure on the heart. You don’t need to become gym junkie. A brisk 30 minute walk at least three times a week can make a huge difference to your health.

Supplement with CoQ10:

CoQ10 occurs naturally in the body and levels decline with age. A CoQ10 supplement assists in maintaining a healthy heart, in particularly the function of the heart muscle. CoQ10 has been shown to reduce oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

In previous centuries, people didn’t worry so much age related brain conditions. Forgetfulness, speech problems and confusion were simply considered part of getting old. Now that our bodies are remaining fit and strong for much longer, it’s increasingly important that our minds also remain active, as much for our families sake as our own. Caring for a person suffering the effects of degenerative brain disease can be extremely draining both physically and emotionally.

Think about our brains.

The brain is the centre of our nervous system and the most metabolically active organ in the body. It is made up of some 100 billion neurons and weight about 1.3 kilograms.

The brain utilises about 20% of the total oxygen used by the body, so a good blood supply to the brains is crucial. Under normal circumstances, the brain uses a continuous supply of glucose as its source of energy. Without constant replenishment, the glucose reserve of the brain will be used in approximately ten minutes.

Food for the brain.

A healthy brain needs a healthy diet. Start the day with breakfast, there is increasing evidence that eating breakfast is associated with better memory function later in the day. A diet high in foods rich in antioxidants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is important for brain health. Additionally, DHA, an essential fatty acid found in deep sea fish (exp. Tuna) aids the proper function and development of the brain.

Take Ginko.

Herbs such as Gingko Biloba have long been used to help improve memory and learning ability, and may help slow progression of age related memory loss.

Ginko appears to improve cognition in a number of ways including its ability to affect blood flow to the brain and free radical scavenging. It is recommended as a long term solution for improving cognitive function.

Exercise for your brain.

Exercise increases blood flow and nutrition to the brain. Research indicated that regular exercise is associated with significant reduction of risk of several forms of cognitive decline. Even low intensity exercise such as walking can be helpful. A study found that you only walk 10,000 steps to enjoy the benefits.

When we’re feeling tired and stressed, it’s easy to reach for a “quick fix”, strong coffee in the morning, chocolate in the middle of the afternoon, a caffeine-based energy drink to keep us powering through the night. There’s no doubt these provide the immediate perception of a lift, but they don’t help the body deal with the underlying cause of energy deprivation. The key to proper management of stress related fatigue is about providing the nervous and adrenal system support that enables the body to deal with fatigue.

Eating for energy.

When you consider the rapidly expanding of special “energy” foods and drinks in our supermarkets, you would think we should be bursting with energy. Yet the reverse is true. That’s because most “energy” foods and drinks rely on sugar or caffeine to give our bodies a quick boost. Real, long lasting energy comes from simpler (less enticingly packaged) foods.

Try to eat regular meals comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, brown rice, beans, fish, lean meat and eggs. B complex vitamins are necessary to metabolise food into energy and to help the adrenal system to function properly. A multivitamin and mineral supplements is also useful in delivering the many essential vitamins and minerals we require daily.

A good night’s sleep.

There’s nothing like deep, restful sleep to help your body recover from one day and prepare for the next. However, that’s easier said than done when your mind is racing at a million miles an hour. There are number of herbs that act as natural sedatives. They include skullcap, valerian, passion flower and hops.

Exercise for stamina.

“Don’t stop playing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing”

It might seem strange, but exercise can actually give you more energy and consequently relieve stress. Even if you’re not the athletic type, try to walk for 30 minutes a day at least three to four times a week . You’ll notice a big difference in the way you feel after just a few week.

If you suspect you have dry eyes on wearing contact lens, you should make an appointment to see your eye doctor. Your historical information often gives the most reliable clues to diagnosis of dry eyes. A careful examinations of all the eye tissues usually provide more documentation for making a diagnosis.

While assessing for CLIDE (Contact Lens Induced Dry Eyes) your doctor will document your comprehensive contact lens history. He will evaluate whether the lens has been worn daily or extended overnight. Your doctor may need to ensure that you are not sleeping in lenses appreved for daily wear wear, as this can lead to CLIDE. Environment factor such as humidity, closed to heating or air conditioning duct may aggravate CLIDE.

Your eyes may be examined using a special microscope called slit lamp. The condition of the tear film (the layer of liquid) on your eyes is looked at, and the cornea (front of the eyes) is checked to see if it has dried out, or has been damaged. Your doctor may also use different dyes to see if skin cells on the eye have worn away. The dye is put in your eye as an eye drop, and the dye will temporarily stain the eye where cells have worn away.

A test called the Schirmer test may also be carried out. A thin strip of filter paper is placed just inside the lower eyelid. After a few minutes, the paper is then removed to see how much liquid it has soaked up. Your doctor can then measure how dry your eyes are.

Treatments for dry eyes symptoms.

For those patients with mild to moderate dry eyes the first course of treatment may be to use unpreserved artificial tears or re wetting drops as prescribed by he doctor. Depending on the nature of your tear fil deficiency, the doctor may have you use a specific type of artificial tear that has different characteristic in terms of salt content and viscosity. In addition to artificial tears, your doctor may suggest the need to switch to a less irritating or preservative free lens care system. These are specially formulated lens lubricating and re wetting drops specifically designed for contact lens wearers because other types of drops may contain ingredients that can damage the lens. Rewetting drops for contact lens wearers are usually not as thick as gels and are designed to provide relief and long lasting lubrication to help retain moisture. Most doctors recommend preservative free tears because they are the most soothing and have fewer additives that could potentially irritate the eye. Avoid products that are irritating to the eyes, they don’t have adequate lubricating qualities and often make problem worse.

Protein removal is also an important issue, especially for patients with CLIDE. In heavily depositing persons with less frequently replaced lenses, regular enzyme treatments are advised. Daily wear lenses and daily disposables will be a good option. In severe cases, a reduced wearing schedule of daily replaced lenses would be ideal. If optically viable, your doctor may consider changing your lens to a high water content lens that retains water in the lens matrix or an RGP lens with a low amount of silicone content.

In addition, your doctor may counsel you on environmental factors and modifying the diet. Most likely you will be asked to drink plenty of water.

How to reduce eye discomfort from dry eyes.

• Good hydration, drink plenty of water, reduce caffeine intake.
• Protect the eyes from harsh weather conditions like wind and dust.
• Environmental control, minimize impact of heat and air conditioning by turning down, redirecting vents.
• Avoid smoky environments or quitting smoking if you smoke.
• Identify and replace, which are causing or exacerbating dry eye.
• When watching TV, using the computer or other eye straining activities, take breaks.
• Make a conscious effort to blink frequently, especially when reading.
• Eat healthy food containing eye nutrients especially with vitamin A, C, and E.

The name “dry eye” can be a little confusing since one of the most common symptoms is excessive watering of the eyes. It make more sense, though, when you learn that the eye makes two different types of tears. The first type, called lubricating tears, is produced slowly and steadily throughout the day. Lubricating tears contain a precise balance of mucous,water, oil, nutrient peoteins and antibodies that nourish and protect the front surface of the eye.

The second type of tear, called a reflex tear, does not have much lubricating value. Reflex tears serve a s a kind of emergency response to flood the eye when it is suddenly irritated or injured. Reflex tears might occur when you get something in your eye, when you’re cutting onions, when you’re around smoke, or when you accidentally scratch your eye. Another cause of reflex tearing is irritation of the eye from lack of lubricating tears. If your eye is not producing enough lubricating tears, you may have dry eye.

Hormonal changes due to aging and menopause, thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies can contribute to increasing dy eyes. Some disease and conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, menopause, lupus and Sjogren Syndrome also cause dry eyes in many patients.

What are the symptoms of dry eyes?

If you wear contact lense, you may find they become uncomfortable. Both eyes are usually affected. Symptoms include:

• Irritation in the eyes

• The eyes may feel sandy or gritty.

• Foreign body sensation, burning or itching

• Slight blurring of vision from time to time

• light sensitivity or even

• Excessing tearing.

Symptoms tend to increase from morning to evening. Example the longer a person wears the lenses throughout the day, the more likely he or she is to have dry eyes complaints. Dry eyes can also be made worse by windy weather, which dries out the eyes further, tobacco smoke, low humidity, air conditioning or when you blink less often. Medications such as anti histamines, anti depressants, sleeping bills, diuretics or beta blockers decrease tear production and may aggravate symptoms.

Stomach discomfort is caused by many factors, mainly by something that you’ve consumed, which may not agree with you. Unknown to many, stress too plays an important role in causing stomach discomfort.

Your stomach and stress.

The intestinal tract’s function is to make food supplies available to the body. Whatever is not absorbed by the body is excreted at the end of the tract. The intestinal system is a long tube. Food passing through the alimentary tract isn’t “in” the body until it has been absorbed through the intestinal wall at some point.

It’s common fact that when you are busy, anxious habits take a dive for the worst. It is during these times that you:

- Over eating or lose your appetite
- Eat to quickly.
- Binge on spicy and greasy food and “sinful” foods such as chocolates and cakes.
- Eat irregularly.
- Consume too much caffeine and alcohol.

When all these happen, your stomach takes the brunt of the overload. However, the stomach is smart. In no uncertain terms, it tells us by several ways that it is not feeling good. Some of these ways are:

- Indigestion
- Stomach ache
- Flatulence
- Vomiting
- Poor appetite.

How you stomach functions depends mainly on the type of food you consume and how often you consume it. Its only function is to prepare food for digestion and if there is too little or too much of the wrong sort of food, then your stomach is bound to show some sighs that all is not well.

Researches are still not absolutely certain what other problems can cause damage to the stomach. There is considerable evidence, however, to suggest that drinking too much alcohol, smoking too many cigarettes and taking too many of the wrong sort of drugs will all damage the digestive part of the intestinal tract. These behaviors affect the rate at which acid is produced and the speed and nature of the movements of the stomach’s muscle walls.

Individuals who are under stress are very often also the same sort of people who drinks too much alcohol, smoke too much and eat irregularly or too quickly. These types of activities can also cause stomach disorder. Therefore, establishing a strict and formal relationship between stress and stomach problems is difficult.

The intestinal tract in an average adults is about nine meters (30) feet long and is divided into a number of different parts. Each parts of the intestinal tract has its own job to do.

Semi digested food passes from the stomach into the small intestine where another set of enzymes completes the digestive process. The resultant tiny particles are absorbed into the wall of the intestine.

By the time food reaches the end of the small intestine and is about to enter the part of the intestinal tract known as the large bowel, it is little more than waste residue. Water is removed in the colon and mucus is secreted to help the stools pass easily along to the exit point, but the actual digestive process has finished much earlier on.

How the stomach works.

Your stomach helps digest food in two ways. First, the cells of the stomach lining produce something like three liters of gastric juice every day. Of the different substances which make up these juices, the most important one is probably hydrochloric acid which is produced by the parietal cells. These exist in the stomach wall in a total population of something approaching a billion.

The power and effects of these juices is enhanced by the stomach’s muscular wall which churns the food and the juices together before squirting the resultant soup like misture through a valve into the next part of the intestinal tract, the duodenum.

It is these properties of the stomach which give power as a digestive force and there are a number of different factors which can influence both the production of acid and the activity of the stomach’s muscular wall. Of these factors, the two most important in a normal stomach are the presence and absence of food.

Does your daily diet provide sufficient Calcium?.

Consuming enough of calcium is important because it helps to prevent bones from getting weaker and “brittle” later in life. Unless you are consciously consuming enough milk (3 glasses or more) or other dairy products daily, you can never be certain that you have fulfilled your daily calcium requirement. As a matter of fact, a study has pointed out that there is generally a lack of calcium intake among modern persons diet, indicating a low intake of between 300 – 400mg.

How well does your body absorb Calcium from supplement?

Calcium supplements are alternatives you can look at to fulfill your daily calcium requirements.

“A considerable mount of calcium ingested is not absorbed from intestine and simply leaves the body along with faeces”

Indeed, the human body needs to absorb and utilize the calcium that is ingested from food or supplementary sources. Liquid calcium supplements dissolve well because hey are broken down before they enter the stomach, thus the calcium is more readily available when it reaches small intestine for absorption. In contrast, a hard solid tablet that does not disintegrate properly might possibly pass the absorption site of the small intestine, therefore limiting its absorption.

What is the right dosage for Calcium Supplements?.

The Medical experts also recommends that “Calcium, whether from the diet or supplements, is absorbed best by the body when it is taken several times a day in amounts of 500 mg.” This is because absorption from supplements is best in doses 500 mg or less because the perent of calcium absorbed decreases as the amount of calcium in the supplements increases.

If you are trying to get pregnant, you should see your doctor to discuss any regular medications you are taking, and whether or not they are safe to take throughout your pregnancy. You should also ask your doctor if you might need additional nutritional supplements to help keep your healthy while you are trying to get pregnant and throughout your pregnancy.

Nutrition during pregnancy.

A well balanced diet can provide a pregnant woman with most of the nutrients needed during pregnancy, but some supplements may be necessary. You should take extra folic acid for at least a month before getting pregnant and for the first 3 months of pregnancy to help with the baby’s development and to help prevent conditions such as spina bifida. You can buy folic acid supplements from your local pharmacy, but it’s advisable to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you take any supplements. Some women may need supplements of calcium, iron and zinc to keep both mother and baby in good health during the pregnancy. Eating calcium rich foods such as dairy products helps increase calcium intake.

Rubella.

Some women who wish to start a family may need a rubella (German measles) vaccination prior to becoming pregnant. If a mother is not protected from German measles and comes into contact with the virus while pregnant, the baby’s healthy development may be at risk.

Harmful substances.

Women who are pregnant or planning to conceive should abstain from drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes or marijuana, and minimise caffeine intake from coffee, tea and cola drinks. All these substances could affect the healthy development of the baby.

When should you seek medical advice?

You should seek medical advice if:

• You have missed a period but have had a negative pregnancy test.

• You have had a positive pregnancy test.

• You have been having abdominal pain or period problems such as heavy bleeding, period pain or no period.

To increase chances of becoming pregnant, women should monitor their body’s fertile time period. There are several methods a women can use to determine when she is most likely to conceive: using calendar to chart the menstrual cycle, charting basal body temperature, examining cervical mucus and combining these few methods. The above charting methods require women to record the secondary signs of fertility caused by changes in hormones. Because these conditions can be affected by factors such as infections or medications, they require careful monitoring and analysis, and they are never 100% reliable. An alternative to these method is measuring changes in hormone levels. An increase in the level of estrogen marks the beginning of most women’s fertile phase, while an increase in the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels signals that ovulation will occur soon – usually within approximately 24 to 36 hours. The fertility monitor is a relatively new approach designed to provide daily information about a woman’s fertile time period. The monitor records a woman’s daily fertility level (low,high, peak) based on results from urine tests. This detects increases in levels of estrogen and LH and help women identify the days they have the optimal chances of conceiving.

What if you still don’t get pregnant? It is prudent to be mindful about infertility as well. Infertility is the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of normal sexual intercourse without contraception. Infertility may affect either the man or woman or both.

There are also other factors that may affect fertility including:

• general health concerns such as obesity, thyroid disease or uncontrolled diabetes.

• Psychological factors such as stress, tension and anxiety.

• Excessive smoking and alcohol intake, and

• Some types of medications.

Causes of female infertility:

• Failure to produce eggs.

• Failure for the ovaries to develop, as seen in conditions such as Turner’s syndrome.

• Endomentriosis, a condition that causes abnormal growth of endomentrium tissue, often causing scarring and inflammation in the reproductive organs.

• Blocked Fallopian tubes (the tubes that take eggs from the ovaries to the womb). This is often caused by scarring following infections such as pelvic inflammatory diseases (PIDs) or sexually transmitted disease (STDs) such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

• Womb tumour or scarring that prevents fertilised eggs from implanting.

• Certain hormonal imbalances.

• “Hostile” mucus at the cervix (neck of the womb) which does not allow sperm to enter.

• In rare cases, some women may have a reaction to their,s partner’s perm

However, there are excellent screening methods as well as treatments available for both male and female infertility. Speak to your doctor.