Holiday Heart

Holiday heart syndrome most commonly refers to the association between alcohol use and rhythm disturbances in apparently healthy people, primarily Atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disturbance that often produces significant symptoms, and can even lead to stroke. It is a rapid and irregular heart arrhythmia, caused by chaotic electrical impulses in the atria of the heart (the two upper chambers).

http://heartdisease.about.com/od/atrialfibrillation/a/holiday_heart.htm

In many cases, atrial fibrillation is caused by underlying heart disease or by aging. Sometimes it has no identifiable cause. But in Holiday Heart, the cause is an unusual sensitivity to alcohol consumption. This does not indicate however, a person susceptibility is increased by the amount of their consumption. Some individuals are extremely sensitive to alcohol, such that even moderate amounts - two or three drinks, and sometimes a single drink - can trigger episodes of atrial fibrillation.

Up to 60% of people who ‘binge’ drink will experience episodes of atrial fibrillation

TURKEY! It's What's for Dinner!

Turkey is a good source of protein with 24 g of protein per 3-oz. serving. One 3-oz. serving of light turkey meat has 132 calories and 3 g of fat. Turkey contains no carbohydrates. In addition, turkey is a good source of selenium, vitamin B6, niacin, and tryptophan.

Selenium is a trace mineral that is essential to good health but required only in small amounts. Selenium is incorporated into proteins to make selenoproteins, help prevent cellular damage from free radicals.

Additionally, selenium can protect the heart, primarily by reducing the "stickiness" of the blood and decreasing the risk of clotting, in turn, lowering the risk of heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, selenium increases the ratio of HDL ("good") cholesterol to LDL ("bad") cholesterol, which is critical for a healthy heart. Smokers or those who've already had a heart attack or stroke may gain the greatest cardiovascular benefits from selenium supplements, though everyone can profit from taking selenium in a daily vitamin and mineral supplement

Researchers for more than 20 years animal studies have suggested that tiny amounts of selenium in the diet can reduce the risk of cancer in several organs, but much less is known about the anti-cancer benefits of selenium in humans. In recent years, laboratory experiments, clinical trials and epidemiological data have established the role of selenium in the prevention of a number of degenerative conditions including cancer, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, aging, and infections. Most of these effects are related to the function of selenium in the antioxidant enzyme systems.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that the human body cannot make and can only be obtained through food. It is a protein without which humans could not survive. It comprises one of the building blocks of DNA and is vital to the production of serotonin and melatonin.

In the body, tryptophan is converted into 5-HTP, which then can be converted into serotonin (a potent neurotransmitter in the brain). Serotonin is involved in mood, appetite, sleep and impulse control. When carbohydrates are consumed, an increase in insulin is created, removing from circulation other amino acids that compete with tryptophan. This makes it easy for tryptophan to enter the brain to make serotonin, which influences the brain in regulating food intake and sleep patterns.

Certain old-fashioned cures for sleeplessness were based on the consumption of foods with tryptophan. For example, drinking a glass of milk before bed was said to aid in sleeping. Though people were unaware at the time that such a thing as tryptophan existed, it is clear that such early prescriptions for increasing sleepiness were at least mildly effective. Today, one may hear similar prescriptions for including tryptophan foods in the diet not only to promote sleep but also to improve mood.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-tryptophan.htm

http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/selenium.html

Read more at Suite101: Turkey Nutrition Facts — The Health Benefits of Turkey http://www.suite101.com/content/turkey-nutrition-facts--the-health-benefits-of-turkey-a311757#ixzz16EeH9FBx

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/benefits-of-selenium.html

The Amazing Human Body!

Have you ever stopped to think of what an amazing machine the human body is?

As intricate as our bodies are it is amazing what abuse our bodies can withstand. Our body can withstand extreme temperatures, extreme climates and adapt to maintain basic functions.

But as tough as our body is, it can only take so much. Eventually the stress that we put on our bodies by requiring that they over work or when we provide less than adequate quality food supply will have a permanent affect. 

It will be then that we will have plenty of time to educate ourselves and to try to remedy our ails. Wouldn't it, however, seem prudent to apply a bit of preventative actions now so that we can try to delay or prevent a disruption of the normal operations of our bodies.

Try today to remove stressful things.

   Before getting uptight about something, ask yourself...

• Will this matter 10 years from now?
• Does this affect my integrity?
• Why is this so important?
• If I wait 1 hour, can I come back to this with a clearer head?

Looking forward to the Holiday Season, try to enjoy your days more by looking on the bright side of life, and letting go of some of the Stress that you carry around each day!

Finish School! - It's good for your health!

It has long been noted that lower income people have poorer health. Deductive reasoning would imply that a higher education level effects your income, therefore, it effects your health.

Now there can be various reasons for this, but whatever the slant of view, the facts cannot be denied.

You may not be able to change your situation in life, and you may just now be getting a hold on your own health. But we need to encourage others toward healthy living.

The character that it takes to complete school, and then to go on to higher education will only aid in successful living.

"We found that even after accounting for various risk factors, people in poverty still had higher CRP {C-reactive protein (CRP), a risk factor for heart disease}," said Dawn Alley, another corresponding author and a recent doctoral graduate from the USC Davis School. "This suggests that even beyond issues like health behaviors and chronic conditions, there is something about poverty that makes people sick, and at least part of this effect is working through CRP."

Education IS healthy!

http://www.emaxhealth.com/92/7494.html

HEALTHY HABITS ~ HAPPY HEART!

Trying to become more heart healthy conscious is important. We spend our lives taking for granted the constant strain and the importance of this organ.

We have a new list to ponder. But instead of dealing with a heart attack after it has happened, it would seem prudent to do what we can to prevent it in the first place.

1. Stop Smoking.
2. Cut down on salt.
3. Watch your diet.
4. Monitor your alcohol.
5. Get active.
6. Manage your weight.
7. Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked by your doctor.
8. Learn to manage your stress levels.
9. Check your family history.
10. Make sure you know the signs of coronary heart disease.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/mar/17/NHS1


Have you learned and put to memory the 12 symptoms of a heart attack?? If you have, you're already on your way to a healthier heart!
Educating yourself about the symptoms and remedies will help change your thinking! Changing your thinking, will eventually change your actions! See! It's not so hard!

Guard your Love / Guard your Life

We all want to protect those that we love. Our relationships with them are priceless! When we take precautions and are aware of our own health, we are really doing it more for our loved ones than we are for ourselves.

Our physical health needs to be guarded.

If you don’t guard your health and value it, you will soon notice that your health is not what it was. You don’t have the strength or desire to do what you thought you would at this age.

When we find our health in a condition of disrepair, we have 2 choices. We can continue to do the same things, and expect same results, or we can change or go back to when we lived healthy!

Guard your heart! Keep it healthy! You’ll be glad you did!

Some statistics:

The American Heart Association and the Center for Disease Control both state that Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in Adults in America. In 2006  the number of deaths caused by heart disease was 631,636. That’s 26% of the adults deaths in 2006. Every year about 785,000 Americans have their first heart attack; another 470,000 who have already had one or more heart attacks have another attack.

The best way to survive a heart attack, is to not have one to begin with!

26% -- that’s 1 in 4 – Next time you’re with 3 of your friends – think about that!

If there’s something that you can do to prevent catastrophe, wouldn’t you do it?

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Help for a Heart Attack!

The American Heart Association and the Center for Disease Control both state that Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in Adults in America. In 2006 the number of deaths caused by heart disease was 631,636. That’s 26% of adult deaths in 2006. Every year about 785,000 Americans have their first heart attack; another 470,000 who have already had one or more heart attacks have another attack.

But what if there was a way that we could get vital care to a patient that has suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). According to a study by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology heart attack victims that receive immediate external defibrillation have twice the survival rate as those that do not. Hospitals and doctors are already very aware of the value of defibrillators in the hospital setting. But until recently patients had to wait until the Ambulance came to them.

The most important time to defibrillator a heart that has gone into ventricular fibrillation is the first 3 to 5 minutes. Although cities do not give statistics on 911 response time, independent studies show the quickest response times between 6 and 10 minutes. With all the advances that have been made in medicine in the past years, it seems inconceivable that the leading cause of death is something that, when treated promptly, can have a 50% survival rate. The problem seems, then, to be in the response time.

Cardiac Arrest is the disruption of cardiac function, the heart stops. Ventricular Fibrillation is when the normal electrical activity of the heart is replaced by chaotic electrical activity that causes the heart to stop pumping blood. Medical defibrillators deliver a shock directed at the heart muscle to revive the heart.”

 The Phillips On-Site Defibrillator removes these risk factors. By monitoring and evaluating the patient, defibrillation is only allowed by the unit if it detects that defibrillation is required.

There are only a couple of types of defibrillators that allow for non-medical personnel to employ, but the Phillips EAD defibrillator is the only one that is sold without a prescription. The Phillips on-site defibrillator also comes equipped with clear voice prompts to give instruction to its use in an emergency.

It’s only been recently that laws are being made that require provision of defibrillators in public areas. They’re already required to be provided by public schools that have a sports program, dentist offices, gyms, and in assisted living facilities. Soon, as news gets around, we’ll be seeing them in all kinds of places like malls, restaurants, and work sites.